REFLECTIONS / Autumnal offerings for seasonal readers
As summer draws to an end in the Northern hemisphere, a certain kind of booklover prepares to shift to the next set of items on their TBR (To Be Read) list. Because whether or not you are a fan of spooky stories, the arrival of autumn–and with it, Halloween–evokes in many a sense of seasonal cre
17 October 2025, 18:58 PM
BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / The unanticipated consequences of caretaking
From the sensory delights of birdsong in the morning and sunset views from a lookout point to the less appealing realities of monitoring stagnant pond water and counting newts, we accompany Katie on her journey of discovery.
17 April 2024, 18:00 PM
BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / A list of life lessons
Set in 1979, this is a story of monsters—the ones who prey on the vulnerable, the ones that exploit our weaknesses, and the ones that we elevate to positions of power.
20 March 2024, 18:00 PM
FLASH FICTION / A Born Reader
Surveying the decorated wall now vibrantly alive with Winnie the Pooh and Harry Potter characters, Sarah allowed herself a satisfied grin.
16 February 2024, 18:00 PM
FLASH FICTION / Her last words
The slamming of the front door sounded an ominous note, warning of trouble to come.
29 December 2023, 18:00 PM
FLASH FICTION / Payback time
I’m not sure when I first realised that we’d met before. In the beginning, you were just the elderly man I often noticed pottering around our communal rooftop.
29 December 2023, 18:00 PM
Book Review: Fiction / Keep your secrets close and your tech support closer
Addison Square is one of those hidden enclaves where well-heeled Londoners tuck themselves away to create bubbles of “civilised life” from which they can exclude the riffraff surrounding them in the mega-city they call home.
29 November 2023, 18:00 PM
BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / Love, lies and loneliness
The very first time I came across a description of this book, previously published under the title The Nigerwife (Atria Books, 2023),
1 November 2023, 18:00 PM
Stories from Life and Literature
Glancing nervously at the dogs that lay basking in the winter sunshine, I tried to move ahead with confidence, telling myself that the venerable Tollygunge Club would never allow their clientele anywhere near animals that hadn't had their rabies shots.
22 February 2019, 18:00 PM
Doesn't the Success of a Writer Depend on the Muse?
Somerset Maugham famously said, “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” Similarly, there are many ways in which a writer can achieve success — usually through a combination of luck, talent and connections — but the majority of writers struggle to work that combination to their own benefit.
11 January 2019, 18:00 PM
Old Delhi, New Tricks
I hope that you are well in London town — and that you are missing me! Let me say at the outset that this message comes to you
19 August 2018, 18:00 PM
Drawing the line
Parenting is one of the hardest jobs in the world – that is, when someone is planning to do it right.
13 May 2016, 18:00 PM
WAITING FOR THE STORM
It's happening again. A familiar rage unfolds its sticky wings within the captive interior of my chest: a monstrous butterfly emerging gracelessly from its cocoon.
11 September 2015, 18:00 PM
PICTORIAL PECULIARITIES
Britain's National Gallery has become one of a growing number of museums to ban the use of selfie sticks on its premises, citing concerns over
23 April 2015, 18:00 PM