What does one learn from years of reviewing books? And what does one make of a book that defies easy reviewing? Easy, this reviewer picks up the book and goes deeper into it, and then talks of what distinguishes a book reader from a reviewer - along with some rants about the never-ending pressure to keep up.

This is episode #25 of Bookasur, talking about frogs in wells, Strange Horizons (and walls), publicity, and some free advice on choosing your next book to read. This is also the finale of Season 1 of Bookasur, so we will take a break after this episode, and return renewed and fresh when life brings us back here.

Book featured:

The Wall, by Gautam Bhatia

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Published 15th Mar 2021. Find out more about Bookasur here: https://www.psnissim.com/p/bookasur.html

P.S. Nissim tweets at: https://twitter.com/ps_nissim

Title Music: Jazz In Paris by Media Right Productions used under Creative Commons

Murder comes in many flavours, and so does the murder mystery. In this episode, we talk about the various ingredients that go into making a successful mystery story - and we pick up one such Indian experiment that follows the template but breaks new ground. And then, we pick up a classic of the genre and talk about its sly self-referential nature.

This is episode #24 of Bookasur, talking about Dashiell Hammett, Carrie, pedicures, a set of headphones that’s about to give up the ghost, and  plans for a season finale.

Books featured:

The Kitty Party Murder, by Kiran Manral

The Burglar in the Library, by Lawrence Block

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Published 22nd Feb 2021. Find out more about Bookasur here: https://www.psnissim.com/p/bookasur.html

P.S. Nissim tweets at: https://twitter.com/ps_nissim

Title Music: Jazz In Paris by Media Right Productions used under Creative Commons

Two literary superstars, one in Gujarati, one in Hindi. Their short stories won them lakhs of followers. Both deserve more attention than they got outside their language readers. But thanks to translations, there are now chances for us to explore these stories.

This is episode #23 of Bookasur, talking about Virgina Woolf, literary magazines, a new poet, and a sin that’s savourless.

Books featured:

Ratno Dholi: The Best Stories of Dhumketu, tr. by Jenny Bhatt

Another Life, the best of Mohan Rakesh, tr. by various

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Published 6th Feb 2021. Find out more about Bookasur here: https://www.psnissim.com/p/bookasur.html

P.S. Nissim tweets at: https://twitter.com/ps_nissim

Title Music: Jazz In Paris by Media Right Productions used under Creative Commons

Writers spend years researching and understanding the settings of their books - and when this is done right, the book really shines. This is an aspect that doesn’t get the respect it deserves in Indian genre fiction. In this episode we talk of two books that bring out their respective milieus - modern Mumbai through a cop’s eyes, and Mughal-era Delhi through a nobleman’s, through extensive research.

This is episode #22 of Bookasur, talking about Shivaji Park and Bandra Bandstand, Shahjahanabad, Brother Cadfael, and Amar Akbar Anthony.

Books featured:

Intersections, by Gautam S. Mengle

The Englishman’s Cameo, by Madhulika Liddle

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Published 29th December 2020. Find out more about Bookasur here: https://www.psnissim.com/p/bookasur.html

P.S. Nissim tweets at: https://twitter.com/ps_nissim

Title Music: Jazz In Paris by Media Right Productions used under Creative Commons

We’re seeing more books in English that depart - and expand - the western/European/Christian canon of fiction that feels very narrow in today’s day and age. This is especially true for fantastic fiction, and today we talk of two books that stretch the boundaries to India and Africa, and show just how the fantastic fits in with a new set of values - and a new set of readers.

This is episode #21 of Bookasur, talking about ghosts in walls, post-modern vs modern horror, unnerving folk tales, epic cities and a girl made of water.

Books featured:

Ringa Ringa Roses, by Neil D’Silva

Black Leopard, Red Wolf, by Marlon James, by Hamish Hamilton/Penguin

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Published 19th November 2020. Find out more about Bookasur here: https://www.psnissim.com/p/bookasur.html

P.S. Nissim tweets at: https://twitter.com/ps_nissim

Title Music: Jazz In Paris by Media Right Productions used under Creative Commons

Let’s make it clear: Not all novels about childhood are for kids - even the pleasant ones. But reading about our golden childhood years in our adulthood gives us satisfaction like perhaps nothing else. In this episode, we talk about two books that recapture those years and make us nostalgic for a time, a place, and a certain light of day.

This is episode #20 of Bookasur, talking about Ribbon Pakodas, Bangalore weather, Happiness Machines, Swami and Friends, and the inevitable grandfather.

Books featured:

What’s Wrong with you, Karthik? By Siddhartha Vaidyanathan, pub. by Picador India

Dandelion Wine, by Ray Bradbury, pub. by Spectra

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Published 4th November 2020. Find out more about Bookasur here: https://www.psnissim.com/p/bookasur.html

P.S. Nissim tweets at: https://twitter.com/ps_nissim

Title Music: Jazz In Paris by Media Right Productions used under Creative Commons

We had World Translation Day last week. So, this time we pick up two books, both translated, both from Malayalam, both literary fiction, both by the same publishing house, published within a couple of months of each other, and talk about how different they are. Hey, if there’s so much variety just between these two, think of what other wonders are to be found on the bookshelves of Indian literature!

This is episode #19 of Bookasur, talking about Don Camillo, the difference between cocks and roosters, the Emergency, and longing for home.

Books featured:

Delhi: A Soliloquy, by M. Mukundan, published by Eka Westland

The Cock is the Culprit, by Unni R., published by Eka Westland.

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Published 8th October 2020. Find out more about Bookasur here: https://www.psnissim.com/p/bookasur.html

P.S. Nissim tweets at: https://twitter.com/ps_nissim

Title Music: Jazz In Paris by Media Right Productions used under Creative Commons

Short stories are an enjoyment all their own. And especially when we want to explore a genre, or see multiple facets of a writer’s work, they’re the way to go. Genre and Weird fiction has been the ground for exploration of this form - today let’s talk of two books that give you a flavour that long form fiction just cannot.

This is episode #18 of Bookasur, talking about the spaces between Ghalib, U R Ananthamurthy, the Deccan Herald Short Story Contest, and Bangalore roads.

Books featured:

Come Tomorrow, by Jayaprakash Sathyamurthy, published by Notion Press

Things We Found During the Autopsy, by Kuzhali Manickavel, published by Blaft

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Published 25th September 2020. Find out more about Bookasur here: https://www.psnissim.com/p/bookasur.html

P.S. Nissim tweets at: https://twitter.com/ps_nissim

Title Music: Jazz In Paris by Media Right Productions used under Creative Commons

Remember when we had all the time in the world to read, as kids, but never found books that were about us? Now that we don’t have the time, we have publishers in India really going for it, publishing cool kids’ stuff left and right. Let’s pick up two of these new breed of kids-oriented non-fiction books that show us India through fresh eyes.

This is episode #17 of Bookasur, talking about Misha the Russian magazine, Chambal dacoits, Diwali rockets, and sculptures.

Books featured:

Temple Tales by Sudha G Tilak, published by Hachette India

India’s Space Adventure, by Biman Basu, published by Red Panda (Westland)

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Published 11th September 2020. Find out more about Bookasur here: https://www.psnissim.com/p/bookasur.html

P.S. Nissim tweets at: https://twitter.com/ps_nissim

Title Music: Jazz In Paris by Media Right Productions used under Creative Commons

Office jobs don’t feature in fiction quite as much as we’d like to, perhaps because it isn’t cool to be good at our job and just earn money, maybe? But today we’re picking up two books that riff off aspects of the office experience and take them in very different directions. Good fiction comes from our own lives, always.

This is episode #16 of Bookasur, talking about Corner House, Bangalore, Virtual Reality aids to music, surrendering insurance polices, and missing husbands.

Books featured:

Analog/Virtual by Lavanya Laxminarayan, published by Hachette India

The Machine is Learning, by Tanuj Solanki, published by Pan Macmillan

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Published 27th August 2020. Find out more about Bookasur here: https://www.psnissim.com/p/bookasur.html

P.S. Nissim tweets at: https://twitter.com/ps_nissim

Title Music: Jazz In Paris by Media Right Productions used under Creative Commons