Yes, we know that heading sounds pretty hefty. But then, we really could not find any other words to describe the latest edition of Simon Briggs’ simply outstanding “Stiff Upper Lips and Baggy Green Caps: A Sledger’s History of The Ashes.” The Ashes, for those who know not much of cricket, is one of sport’s…
Ask any cricket follower about the most important book in the game, and it is a fair chance that their answer will be “Wisden.” Started by John Wisden in 1863, the Wisden Cricketer’s Almanack has been an annual publication that covers cricket played in different lands, provides opinions on key issues affecting the game and…
It happens like clockwork every few months these days. Or anyway, ever since Henning Mankell and Stieg Larsson showed that stunning crime writing could also come from those who do not write in English. Every few months, there emerges an author who writes in another language but also wins acclaim in the one spoken by…
We keep getting amazed at the prices being offered by Amazon’s Kindle e-book store. Our latest surprise came in the form of the pricing for Amish’s bestselling Shiva trilogy. Comprising The Immortals of Meluha, The Secrets of the Nagas, and The Oath of the Vayuputras, the trilogy has a price of Rs 800 in paperback,…
We have been observing how the prices of e-books on Amazon’s Kindle Store have been steeply declining of late. And yesterday yet another staggering deal was brought to our attention. One of the most high-profile coffee table books of last year was Rolling Stones 50, a staggeringly brilliant 352 page compilation of the journey of…
The year 2013 seems to be one for sequels. We have already seen Robert Langdon and Theodore Boone make appearances, and if the news trickling into our inbox is correct, there are a spate of other sequels that have either just arrived or headed their way to book stores all over the world in the…
When it comes to thrillers from Scandinavia, there are many who believe that Jo Nesbo is in a league of his own. The Norwegian author is best known for his series of books featuring the cynical, hardbitten and yet brilliant detective, Harry Hole. So you can imagine just how delighted we were to discover that…
Love him. Hate him. But if you have any interest whatsoever in national politics, you ignore Narendra Modi at your peril. The man who has been Chief Minister of Guajarat for more than a decade has now emerged as a candidate for Prime Ministership of the nation, to the delight and shock of many (few…
When it comes to classic cricket books, Wisden Cricketer’s compilation titled “Flying Stumps and Metal Bats” would come near the top of most cricket followers’ lists. A collection of some of the most memorable incidents in the history of the game, reported from the perspectives of its participants and observers, the title is considered one…
More than thirty years ago, English cricketer Peter Walker penned one of cricket’s most memorable books, called Cricket Conversations. As the name indicates, it was a collection of conversations between Walker and a dozen or so cricketers, including legends like Garry Sobers and Bishen Singh Bedi. The book – a slim volume – is still…