Today is ‘International Translation Day’ and I have prepared a list of my favourite translated books. These are from languages all around the world and I have a feeling you have picked-up and loved atlease one of these. Translated books from around the world I adored. Tweet Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (Tr. Japanese by Philip Gabriel)– Kafka resonated with me mainly because most of the questions that dominated Kafka’s mind has crossed my mind time and again, and this story not only gives perspective, but feels like an old friend. Murakami gives you a whirlwind of thoughts and later ..read more

Audiobooks are a great way to multi task, which I thought I was good at untill work kicked in. I am trying to listen to books as I work, and here are the ones I picked. You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Dara– A telenovela shoot, and two love starved co-stars. This is the perfect binge-read after a busy day. Ashton and Jasmine’s chemistry is remarkable. Synopsis RITA® Award Winning author Alexis Daria brings readers an unforgettable, hilarious rom-com set in the drama-filled world of telenovelas—perfect for fans of Jane the Virgin and The Kiss Quotient. Leading Ladies do not end up o ..read more

Samuel J. Halpin is the author of ‘The Peculiar Peggs of Riddling Woods‘, his first novel and my favourite Middle-Grade book of all times. I requested him to recommend his 5 favourite books and here they are: 1) I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith– I don’t think there’s any one person in any one book that I feel I know better than Cassandra Mortmain. She makes me laugh until I cry, she makes me cry until I laugh and rejoice in the utter absurdity of being consciously naive. Goodreads|Amazon 2) To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee– I read this maybe three times every year, and whils ..read more

Sri-Lanka comes to my mind each time I make a travel plan, even though travelling is not my favourite thing in the world. And books have played a major role in making me fall in love with this lush land and it’s culture. My top 3 books set in Sri-Lanka includes ‘Beautiful People’ by Amanthi Harris, ‘Upon A Sleepless Isle’ by Andrew Fidel Fernando and ‘Suncatcher’ by Romesh Gunasekara. Beautiful Place by Amanthi Harris Synopsis Beautiful Place is a novel about leaving and losing home and making family. It is about being oppressed and angry and wanting a better life – but how is a better life t ..read more

The Hispanic Heritage Month starts on September 15 and ends on October 15. A month dedicated to the Hispanic culture and their rich and vibrant history, Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated the positive impact Hispanic Americans left on America. The contributors are citizen whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Carribean and Central and South America. I plan to pick up five books with Latinx representation and by #OwnVoices Latinx authors. Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis From the highly acclaimed, award-winning author of The Gods of Tango, a revolutionary new novel about five wildl ..read more

Synopsis Lupe Wong is going to be the first female pitcher in the Major Leagues. She’s also championed causes her whole young life. Some worthy…like expanding the options for race on school tests beyond just a few bubbles. And some not so much…like complaining to the BBC about the length between Doctor Who seasons. Lupe needs an A in all her classes in order to meet her favorite pitcher, Fu Li Hernandez, who’s Chinacan/Mexinese just like her. So when the horror that is square dancing rears its head in gym? Obviously she’s not gonna let that slide. Not since Millicent Min, Girl Genius has a d ..read more

Synopsis This exceptional and powerful anthology explores the joys, heartbreaks and triumphs of immigration, with stories by bestselling and beloved YA authors who are themselves immigrants and the children of immigrants. WELCOME From some of the most exciting bestselling and up-and-coming YA authors writing today…journey from Ecuador to New York City and Argentina to Utah, from Australia to Harlem and India to New Jersey, from Fiji, America, Mexico and more… Come On In. With characters who face random traffic stops, TSA detention, customs anxiety, and the daunting and inspiring journey ..read more

Second hand books have always fascinated me. They usually come with annotations, sometimes letters or names that has a story to tell, a book that has travelled to me through people who have read the book and maybe, lived a bit within the pages. On the lookout for online second hand book store in India, I came across Readerskart, an online second-hand bookstore that provides some amazing and well-loved tites atr affordable prizes. An (impulsive) order later, I unpacked two books that were in great condition, totally worth the money. Readerskart has books across genres such as- Fantasy, YA, Rom ..read more

Each year, August celebrates translated literature written by Women authors in a language other than English (and then translated into English) from around the world. Started six years ago by Maytal Tadzinkski, a blogger and scholar, the month aims to support emerging voices and is now a global movement. I managed to read 5 books for the #WITMonth and I am pretty happy with the diversity of literature I read. After Kurukshetra by Mahasweta Devi (Translated from Bengali by Anjum Katyal)– ‘Devi’ creates a distinction between the royals and the common folks as the women gather after the battle of ..read more

Book Review: The Backyard Tales by Aniesha Brahma “All grown-ups were once children…but only few of them remember it.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince The biggest mistake authors make when they are writing for children, is forgetting the fact they too were once children. It is important to think about to the time when you were a child and try to remember what was the kind of content you liked consuming. Personally, I try to write the kind of stories I wish I had around when I was growing up. I got lucky that experienced the magic of Harry Potter. I grew up with the boy wizard. But ..read more