Petals!

Good news for book lovers as Poland scripts history! Warsaw scripts history as its first-ever underground library offers over 16,000 books for readers to borrow. [For all posts on Books & Culture, subscribe to Svara's Newsletter]                                                                                 [Image:  Adam Borkowski   on Unsplash] Circling back to Warsaw's underground library, known as "Metroteka", this is the first of its kind launched in September 2025 at one of the metro stations. On the first day, almost 400 books were tagged for borrowing. A self-service system has been enabled through scanners to simplify the borrowing and returning of books by librar members.                           ...

This year, Delhi's winter season has been a challenging one. The only things that keeps me cheerful are hot chocolate and books. I have written about my reading vow in my Substack newsletter - you can subscribe now. My yearning for warm golden sunshine grows warmer by the day! Can't help sharing the beautiful poem by Wendell Berry which reads: I know that I have life only insofar as I have love. I have no love except it come from Thee. Help me please to carry this candle against the wind. Hot chocolate , books and poetry are life's true blessings. [MUST READ: Goan Memoirs, Parsi Vibes and Amazing Stories of Lord Shiva ] Need I ask for more? Oh yes, a little sunshine please:)

Books and bookshops have always been a part of my life.  As a child stranded between cultures far too often, it suited me to find refuge in the world of books. I didn't know then that I was an introvert, but it was clear that my escape into the world of books was one of both necessity and protection.  Books protected me. Back then, children of my age who considered themselves to be ''cool" would never sit next to me if I was reading a book - which is exactly the protection I wanted for myself. I wanted to be left alone. As a habit since childhood, I carry books with me everywhere. It particularly helps when I travel - I can forget about my tensions and also get rid of strangers who try to open a conversation with me when all I want to do is escape into a book. Books have been my best companion ever since the early years when I learned to distrust people's intentions - what they said had little to do with what they eventually did - and this...

Winter mornings are great to read gripping novels that explore the heart's longing for the forbidden , but you need the comfort of a warm sweater, an inviting quilt and a cozy bed to snuggle into.  And lots of chai - piping hot, laced with a dash of cardamom. That is how I read the first sentence of  KR Meera's novel,  The Gospel of  Yudas , translated by Rajesh Rajamohan, and the sentence simply leapt   into my consciousness as I read the words, " A traitor can never sleep. His hunger is eternal; his thirst, insatiable. " I HAVE to say this: This blurb took my breath away - the different shades of green-blue tones and the sinking girl evoked strong emotions even before I touched the first page.  For latest book reviews, subscribe to  Svara's Newsletter ! And you feel a spark of rebellion stem from within when you read poignant sentences like this, " In our lake, dead bodies raced among themselves daily to find their way to the surfac...

In one of my recent blog posts, I had written that many Indian writers are going overboard with their social media book promotions. It gives me some relief that I am not the only one who thinks so.  In this article, here are three key points that sync with my blog post: 1. Anyone can publish a book these days, and just about everyone does. But if the supply of writers is increasing at a velocity unknown in literary history, the supply of readers is not. 2. Competition is rather fierce. Result: ceaseless self-promotion by eager beginners. 3. The poet Joseph Brodsky, who wrote that "in cultural matters, it is not demand that creates supply, it is the other way around. You read Dante because he wrote 'The Divine Comedy' not because you felt the need for him; you would not have been able to conjure either the man or the poem."   Read the third point again. It tells us what we suspected all along. Readers aren’t a bunch of idiots who listen blindly to what au...

The year is 2014. And I have a wishlist. But it is a different kind of wishlist that has been inspired by  Mark Rubinstein's thought-provoking article as given here  .  So, here you go. This is my 'book wishlist' for 2014. Good fiction across all formats and genres Well-written fiction - be it in short story form, novel or literary form - should be welcomed, promoted and discussed.  Renaissance of non-fiction books We are seeing a renaissance of non-fiction books being published, discussed and promoted across the country. This is terrific and I hope this trend lasts. Unlike in fiction, it is the subject of the book that becomes the bait for a reader to pick it up. Interestingly, it is the very same subject that drives a publishing company's marketing plan. This means that a publishing company may have several non-fiction books in the pipeline but their marketing of it would vary based on the topic itself.  In fact, TOI had ,in a r...

While reading on the web, I r ead  this quote and I felt it resonated with my own thoughts about book shelves. So I am sharing the quote here. "If I step up to a shelf and look at the books one by one, I can remember something about each. As a historian once said, some stare at me reproachfully, grumbling that I have never read them . One may remind me vaguely of a time when I was interested in romantic novels.  An old college text will elicit a pang of unhappiness about studying. Each book has its character, and even books I know very well also have this kind of wordless flavor. Now if I step back from the shelf and look quickly across both bookcases I speed up that same process a hundredfold. Impressions wash across my awareness. But each book still looks back in its own way, answering the rude brevity of my gaze, calling faintly to me out of the corner of my eye. At that speed many booksremain wrapped in the shadows of my awareness --I know I have looked past them ...