Following in the footsteps of a successful first book(s), authors are often tempted to quickly publish a new (typically much shorter) book, either to now finally talk about ideas that found no place in the original, or to just harvest their new found popularity. And so, we had Yuval Noah Hariri's 21st Lessons for 21st … Continue reading The New Silks Roads – Peter Frankopan
Ted Sparks is not your usual detective, with his cool brain that runs on its own unique operating system and a goal to be a meteorologist. But, when his cousin Salim boards the London Eye and doesn’t come down again it’s up to Ted and his older sister Kat to figure out where he is. … Continue reading The London Eye Mystery – Siobhan Dowd
Winter by Ali Smith is one of those books which suddenly gain popularity and then you can't escape it. Its everywhere. People are reading it on your commute, there are reviews in all kinds of newspapers and somebody is referencing it on the TV. It is the second in a quartet - each named after … Continue reading Winter – Ali Smith
Jane and Michael need a new nanny after Katie Nanna quits without word of warning to Mr and Mrs Banks. They desperately try to find a new nanny. It takes a bit of waiting but eventually Jane and Michael see Mary Poppins arrive at their doorstep on a gust of sudden wind. Then and there … Continue reading Mary Poppins, The Complete Collection – P L Travers
I got into reading when I was about 12 or 13 years old and stumbled upon a dubious Sydney Sheldon novel in our school library. I was never a voracious reader or a very intellectual reader. My interest have always been in stories, the more relatable they are, the more enjoyable I find them. Its … Continue reading Channelising my OCD
When Izzy goes to school the last thing she expects is to get snowed in! Then Izzy, Zach, Maisie and Jodi here a weird wailing noise from the playground they realise there’s some sort of beast out in the snow. They all agree later that they should have not ventured out into the snow. If … Continue reading There is a Yeti in the Playground – Pamela Butchart
Quiet, originally published in 2012 seems to have had some kind of a relaunch. It has suddenly showed up in all kinds of lists and reviews. I picked it up only around Christmas 2018 and is my first book for 2019. Its byline promises to unleash the power of Introverts in a world that can't … Continue reading Quiet – Susan Cain
Pollyanna is a young and optimistic girl who is an orphan and a regular player of the glad game. The glad game is a game in which you find something happy about the saddest things. But when something terrible happens can Pollyanna be glad anymore? I read the book with my father. It is a … Continue reading Pollyanna – Eleanor H. Porter
The biblical stories of Adam & Eve and Cain & Abel have been reinterpreted multiple times in modern literature. East of Eden - first published in 1952 - is Nobel prize winning author John Steinbeck's attempt. At more than 600 pages, it is one of his longest books and in his own words - the … Continue reading East of Eden – John Steinbeck
The Books On Our Shelf 