Our Lady of Alice Bhatti

Author - Mohammed Hanif

Genre - Fiction, Pakistan, Religion, Humour

Source - Audiobook

Rating - 4

May 2013

Very well written. Incredibly bleak and bereft of hope, depressing even -- and this is just next doors, in Pakistan. But Hanif knows how to do humour, some parts are laugh-out-loud funny. Definitely worth a read.

The Club Dumas

Author - Arturo Pérez-Reverte

Genre - Fiction, Thriller, Book-about-books, Mystery

Source - Audiobook

Rating - 4

May 2013

Excellent! This is a thriller for the book-lover, yet isn't a highbrow one like Eco. Not as thrilling as an 'Eye of the Needle', say, but mazy and intelligent.

The Virgins

Author - Siddharth Tripathi

Genre - Indian English, Fiction, Thriller

Source - Print

Rating - 4

May 2013

If this is the direction commercial Indian English fiction is taking, I am very proud! The book flows through quickly, does not get boring, and is rather busy and eventful. Things keep happening. I liked it. Captures the psyche of testosterone-driven high school kids quite well, as well as that of life in the 'wild north'. As for his depiction of Banaras, which I've never visited, I am not the best judge of. 
I say this with no trepidation, I would have complimented this book even if it weren't written by an acquaintance from college. There's quite a bit of good in this book.
If I have to critique something: The writer should have gone easy on the capitals and the italics. 

Full disclosure: the writer was my junior at Bschool. I paid full market price to buy the book, was not requested by the writer or publishers to write this review.

Anita

Author - Keith Roberts

Genre - Fantasy, Magic, Fiction

Source - Audiobook

Rating - 4

May 2013

Fine, fun short stories. Sixties witch, a bit of a wild child, is this Anita. But good. Breezy read.