Welcome

Let me start by saying I am new to this. This blog idea popped up out of a conversation about reading habits that quickly turned into a rant about my miseducation, or lack of education about my own identity. I am South Indian, born to second generation immigrants in South Africa, and a first generation...

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

I will shamelessly admit that when I read this in public I did a little crying, I did soft snort chuckles and I did dramatic gasp sounds. I did all of these on loop. Lisa Taddeo said men were basic. Too basic to write about. My jaw dropped. These stories go through what it is...

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

This was a birthday present from my friend Mads. It took me ten months to pick it up and two to finish it. I don't think I expected to fall into it quite so easily but it grabbed me. Young boy, in trouble, story shifting and changing every page. A bildungsroman that kicks Oliver Twist...

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

This book was lyrical, it took two steps forward and one step back in every sentence and once I was in, I could not turn away. The only way to move was further into the story and into Kerala, India, into 1969 and much later, and back again. The heavy things, the caste system, the...

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo- Lodge

On a Saturday in February in 2014, Eddo-Lodge posted a blog post with a title that would be embossed on the cover of a bestselling book, a title that would draw eyes as quickly as making them dart away. It was through this book I fully understood the distinctions between white supremacy, white privilege, and...

Scotland Bookstores

I'm not sure if it's the age of the buildings, the friendliness of the people, or the clear view of nature you get from every direction, but Scotland has a magic to it. A quiet soulfulness hums between pub noise, street bagpipes and the old-as-hell buildings still standing. It sort of feels like walking through...

The Last Friend by Tahar Ben Jelloun

I loved this, first of all. Tahar Ben Jelloun... Wow. I didn't realise how little I knew about Morocco until I read this book. My aunt visited and when she returned she had stories of streets taken up by friendly cats, bargain-full souks and warm hospitality. Here, in a small number of pages, I found...