First Read of 2022: Shahid Sukh Dev by Malwinder Jit Singh Waraich (2016)

Of the three young men who were hanged by the British Colonial Government on 23rd March 1931, a lot is known about Bhagat Singh (1907-1931) with many books written and films produced on him. The same however cannot be said of his two comrades, Rajguru (1908-1931) and Sukhdev (1907-1931) who died alongside him. https://mobile.twitter.com/sauravk1890/status/1128521900383096832 Professor …

First Read of 2017: Biography of Bhagat Singh by M.M. Juneja

My last read of 2016 was the Complete Tribunal Proceedings of the Lahore Conspiracy Case that had revolutionary Sukhdev's remarks in the margins. I am glad that the first book that I read in 2017 is about Sukhdev's closest friend: Bhagat Singh.M.M. Juneja's biography of India's most famous martyr doesn't add much to all that …

Readings in May

Last year, I made a list of 13 books that I thought were ideal Halloween reading. One of the books mentioned was Ruskin Bond's A Face in the Dark and Other Hauntings. After doing that post, I felt like reading the book once again and so when I saw it on the library shelf, I …

Non-Fictional Reads in February

Besides Mysteries, I also read a couple of non-fictional books in February:BHAGAT SINGH: LIBERATION'S BLAZING STAR by P.M.S. GREWAL (2007)The author, P.M.S Grewal is Secretary, Delhi State Committee of the CPI (M), writes a thought-provoking introduction to his assessment of Indian Revolutionary Bhagat Singh but adds nothing new to the already existing scholarship on Bhagat …

Last Review of 2014: Douglas Jardine: Spartan Cricketer

I wanted to write a lengthy review of Christopher Douglas' biography of England's toughest cricket captain: Douglas Jardine. Unfortunately, it seems right now I'll just manage to write a few lines. For those who follow cricket, Jardine needs no introduction. He was given the unenviable task of bringing back at the Ashes at a time …

First Read: Dr. McCoy – From Sawdust to Stardust

Like last year, my first read of this year too is a book that would make me feel guilty: Terry Lee Rioux' biography of actor DeForest Kelley: From Sawdust to Stardust. Dr. Leonard McCoy, the iconic character, portrayed by Kelley was my favourite amongst all Star Trek characters when I first saw the series around …

Entry Denied: Deb Simpson’s Closing the Gate

James Edward Pirkey Jr. died on May 13, 1997. He was thirty-six years old, had never married and had no children. He had placed a gun to his head, and reached for the next level, the place where he hoped to meet the precious spirits already departed.  This is the story of his life, of …