My Thoughts on Padma Lakshmi’s memoir ‘Love, Loss and What We Ate’ (2016)

‘Love, Loss and What We Ate’ is a sensuous smorgasboard of bitter-sweet immigrant life, zesty globe trotting experiences, spicy culinary adventures, fiery relationships and savoury soul searching quests of model, actor, writer, producer, social activist and in her words “culinary spelunker” Padma Lakshmi. Tracing her journey from her life as an Indian immigrant in the

A Sumptuous Story of Food and Memory: Hisashi Kashiwai’s “The Kamogawa Food Detectives”

Indelibly imprinted in our unconscious, the emotions evoked by the memory of a particular food or dish are not only enticing and nostlagic. So are other culinary associations like smells, tastes, textures, colours, connections and company. Is it possible to recreate our favourite food from the past? That is exactly what Hisashi Kashiwai explores in

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

One morning, a few days ago, on my Google feeds, a book recommendation popped up. It was ‘Days at the Morisaki Bookshop’ by Satoshi Yagisawa. Both the cover and the title intrigued me. Here was a book that centered around books and bookshop!  Although Murakami and Ishiguro adorn my book shelf, I am yet to

A Library of Possibilities

What if, one day, you wake up to find yourself in a library? The library is endless, stacked with rows of books- each one an alternative life that you wish you had lived or wanted- “Every life contains many millions of decisions”. And it has your favourite librarian too! You pick up a book, open

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Bibliophile or booklovers have many reasons to buy a book. I bought this book because I fell in love with the cover. And little did I know that I will be mesmerized by the intriguing story within the pages that was waiting to unfold! ‘The Lost Apothecary’ is a riveting tale of a woman apothecary

On Reading Elif Shafak’s ‘The Forty Rules of Love’

“It is never too late to ask yourself, ‘Am I ready to change the life I am living? Am I ready to change within? ‘ Even if a single day in your life is the same as the day before, it surely is a pity. At every moment and with each new breath, one should

My Thoughts on Madeline Miller’s ‘Circe’ (2018)

During my recent conversations with my sister over the phone, she recommended me a very fascinating book- Madeline Miller’s ‘Circe’ (2018). I had always been intrigued by Circe’s character. So, I dived into the mystifying and labyrinthine world of this lesser known and infamous Greek Goddess immediately. I first read about her as a child

Elizabeth Gilbert’s ‘The Signature of All Things’

“There is a Dutch word, uitwaaien, “to walk against the wind for pleasure”.” And Elizabeth Gilbert’s book is exactly that- the detour that one takes in life only to rediscover oneself. The book boasts of one of the best women characters I have come across so far. This is the incredible tale of Alma Whittaker

Durga Puja

It is the season of kash flowers,And smoky dusks.Of sharp silhouetted clouds,On a shifting skyscapeWith the hint of an approaching winter.But the festivities are on hold,Oh Mother, once again your advent is muted,The air doth not reverberate with conch sounds,Or the musical trill of the womenfolk. Another year we put on hold,While you, Oh Mother

Jhumpa Lahiri’s ‘Whereabouts’

I am back with yet another impression of another brilliant book by one of my favourite writers- Jhumpa Lahiri’s ‘Whereabouts’. This is the fastest I have ever read a book in my life. Three days! I literally finished the book in 3 days. The book is pure poetry and perfect for reading during the pandemic.