There are some books that I re-read every few years, and always with undiminished pleasure. As it so happens, several of them are about India, some of them my ritual pre-monsoon, hot-weather reading. Kim. Heat and Dust. And, of course, “Chasing the Monsoon“, Alexander Frater’s marvellous travelogue about following the …
Despite being a devoted Daniel Silva fan, sadly I have to confess that The Order reads more like a wannabe Dan Brown than a spy novel. Enjoyable, yes. But nothing more. Initially, I was thrilled to see Gabriel Allon back in Venice and restoring Christian old masters. I have always …
I am becoming an unashamed Ben Macintyre groupie, having just devoured yet another of his smashing books in record time. “The Spy & the Traitor” is the truly extraordinary account of the life and career of Oleg Gordievsky, head of the KGB’s London station in the 1980s, and a British …
This book is a smashing follow-up to the wonderful “Midnight at Malabar House” which introduced us to the feisty Persis Wadia, India’s first female detective. “The Dying Day” is every bit as engaging and clever and if, by a strange oversight, you were not immediately a die-hard Persis fan after …
Disclosure time. Like the author, Mr. Harris, I, too, am a “firangi” (foreigner) married to an Indian, and based in Delhi. Like the author, Mr. Harris, I, too, am a runner – this piece of information will make sense anon. I haven’t met Mr. Harris, by the way, but we …
Over 120 years ago, an intrepid British woman lived in the hills of north east India, where her husband was a British officer. Connie Shakespear kept a detailed diary of her time in the Naga hills, which has just been published by Highlander Press, giving us a fascinating insight into …
This is a book about exercise, without in the least being a book about how to exercise. This is not a “to do” book, but rather a fascinating exploration of the science and the biology behind exercise. In the writer’s own words: “…this book is as much for exercise enthusiasts …
Disclosure time. I didn’t really know anything about Mr. Hadfield, nor had I read any of his books, before picking up “The Apollo Murders”. But I’d read a fulsome review of the book, and decided to “discover” a new author (though it seems that I’m the last person on planet …
It’s not often that I close the final page of a book and sit there, completely stunned. ”The End of Men” is one such book. I have just finished the book, and am still trying to untangle what is fiction and what is – well – almost akin to the …
