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Suroor Alikhan

@suroora.bsky.social
121 followers 87 following 320 posts

Book blogger, book addict, amateur photographer, lover of music, stories and language, and incorrigible dreamer. Blog at talking-about-books.com. Also write reviews of travel books by women for Women on the Road.

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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 16h
Aminatta Forna writes about travel, insomnia, war, the Renaissance generation in Africa, urban wildlife and much more in The Window Seat: Notes from a Life in Motion. A thought-provoking collection of essays.
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
The Window Seat—Notes from a Life in Motion: Aminatta Forna
Published by Black Cat, 2021, 272 pages “Here are four words you rarely hear these days: I love to fly.” Travel has been an intrinsic part of Scottish-Sierra Leonean writer Aminatta Forna’s life. S…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
It’s International Translation Day, and Charlie the sax player is back with books in translation from around the world! A big thank you to all the translators who give us access to books we would never be able to read without their work. Reviews available on talking-about-books.com/.
Pile of books in translation
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
This week's book review: Indigenous Literatures from Micronesia, eds. Evelyn Flores, Emelihter Kihleng. A wonderful collection—diverse voices, styles, genres—and a testament to the richness of the region's literature. @universityofhawaii.bsky.social talking-about-books.com/2026/09/26/i...
talking-about-books.com
Indigenous Literatures from Micronesia: edited by Evelyn Flores and Emelihter Kihleng
Published by University of Hawai’i Press, 2019, 358 pages “The work remains of breaking down myths and building up re-visioned ones that empower rather than demean. It remains to tell new sto…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
In this At Home in Two Worlds, Maria Aurora Couto takes us to the real Goa—not the ones tourists see. In this mix of history and memoir, Couto draws on writing about Goa and her own experiences to paint a portrait of a very special place. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/09/25/a...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
At Home in Two Worlds—Essays on Goa: Maria Aurora Couto
Published by Speaking Tiger, 2024, 214 pages When you think of Goa, what images come to you? Most people associate this tiny state on the west coast of India with beaches, sunshine, good food, a la…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Four travel books for this month by or about women, focusing on a single country: Switzerland, Chile, Nigeria and Indonesia. All of them fascinating portraits of a country. Full reviews on talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
This week's book review: Ian McEwan's What We Can Know, clifi and much more. It is about climate change, how we remember and how we are remembered, and the appropriation of memories. A glimpse into the future, and a warning about the path we are on now. talking-about-books.com/2026/09/19/w...
talking-about-books.com
What We Can Know: Ian McEwan
Published by Jonathan Cape, 2025, 301 pages The United Kingdom, 2119. Tom Metcalfe, an academic, studies the 1990s to the 2030s, a period he romanticizes. Looking back, this was a time of plenty: w…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"I started this project with a goal around informing others about Fiji's history. I didn’t anticipate the impact it would have on my sense of self and my grounding in my cultural identity." I interviewed Nilima Rao about her crime novels set in Fiji in 1910s. talking-about-books.com/2026/09/17/f...
talking-about-books.com
Focusing on Fiji: An Interview with Nilima Rao
Nilima Rao is a Fijian Indian Australian writer. Her first book, A Disappearance in Fiji (2023), won the 2024 ALA Reading Award for Mystery Fiction; was one of Booklist’s Top 10 Debut Mysteries and…
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Reposted by Suroor Alikhan
Susan DuBose @houseofbast777.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
"Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back." #Booksky
Image is of Carl Sagan.
Text reads "Nothing disturbs me more than the glorification of stupidity."
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
This week's book review: Indrek Hargla's The Secret of Saint Olaf's Church, a murder mystery set in 1409 Tallinn. A knight is beheaded. Melchior, the town apothecary, tries to find the murderer before more deaths. A trip into history. Transl. Adam Cullen. talking-about-books.com/2026/09/12/t...
talking-about-books.com
The Secret of Saint Olaf’s Church: Indrek Hargla
Translated from Estonian by Adam CullenPublished by Pushkin Press / Peter Owen Publishers, 2015, 364 pages. Original version published in 2010. Tallinn, 1409. A knight is beheaded and the murderer …
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Cristina Bendek's Salt Crystals is fiction but reads like a memoir/travel book. Victoria returns to her parents' home in San Andrés, a Colombian island in the Caribbean with a mix of ethnicities. She rediscovers the island and her family's past. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/09/11/s...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
Salt Crystals: Cristina Bendek
Translated from Spanish by Robin MyersPublished by Charco Press, 2022, 216 pages. Original version published in 2018. “That’s how we were built: out of historical circumstance, a mysterious process…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
This week's book review: Concepcion by Albert Samaha, a story about an immigrant family that incorporates the history of the Philippines and the US. Well-researched, informative and personal. A discovery. @riverheadbooks.bsky.social talking-about-books.com/2026/09/05/c...
talking-about-books.com
Concepcion—Conquest, Colonialism, and an Immigrant Family’s Fate: Albert Samaha
Published by Riverhead Books / Centre Point Pub, 2021, 384 pages. Published in the US as Concepcion: An Immigrant Family’s Fortunes. “Our stories guide and protect us. Without their lessons, …
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Nabaneeta Dev Sen travels to a Buddhist monastery near the India-China border, much to the horror of her friends, especially when she hitches a ride on a truck. But she is determined to go. A delightful travelogue. Translated by Arunava Sinha. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/09/04/o...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
On a Truck Alone, to McMahon: Nabaneeta Dev Sen
Translated from Bengali by Arunava SinhaPublished by Oxford University Press, 2018, 216 pages. Original version published in 1984. “I wasn’t trying to discover new places. I wasn’t going to break o…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
This week's book review: Salman Rushdie's The Eleventh Hour, a quintet of stories mostly about getting old. I enjoyed the first three, especially the ones about two old men on adjacent balconies, and a prodigal musician. The last two not so much. talking-about-books.com/2026/08/29/t...
talking-about-books.com
The Eleventh Hour: Salman Rushdie
Published by Jonathan Cape London / Random House, 2025, 254 pages This is Salman Rushdie’s latest book, a collection of three longish stories bookended by two short ones. Given the attack on him th…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Pip Stewart, with two women friends, hiked through the jungle in Guyana to the source of the Essequibo River. They then kayaked 1,014 kilometres of the river to the point where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. A real adventure! talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/08/28/l...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
Life Lessons From the Amazon—A Guide to Life From One Epic Jungle Adventure:  Pip Stewart
Published by Sommersdale, 2021, 335 pages Pip Stewart and two of her friends spent nearly three months in the wilderness in Guyana, hiking through the rainforest to the source of the Essequibo Rive…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Dolly Parton left a huge legacy. Her Imagination Library programme reached so many young children and gave them something invaluable. She will be missed. www.thehindu.com/books/the-le...
thehindu.com
The legacy of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Explore Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a transformative literacy initiative that has enriched millions of children's lives through reading.
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
She was truly an icon—so much more than her music. She will be missed. RIP, Dolly Parton.
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Do you want to know more about the women who write travel books? You can now find interviews with them on Women's Travel Books! (There is also one man who has written about a woman traveller.) Go to the page and discover the writers! talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/08/19/i...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
Interviews with Writers
I have just published an interview with Rosemary J. Brown about her book, Moving Mountains, where she tells us about her inspiration for the book. Image: Dedraw Studio via AdobeStock You can find t…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
This week's book review: Madeleine Thien's The Book of Records. A father and daughter flee to the Sea, an enormous refugee centre that transcends time and space. A book about ideas, identity, freedom and so much more. Beautiful. @grantabooks.bsky.social talking-about-books.com/2026/08/22/t...
talking-about-books.com
The Book of Records: Madeleine Thien
Published by Granta Books / W.W. Norton & Company, 2025, 368 pages “The only way to really remember is to forget everything and let time fill the story up. To reach it through a different doorw…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Helena Atlee delves into the history of citrus fruits in Italy, a journey that takes her to Calabria, Sicily, the Italian Riviera, Liguira and, of course, Amalfi. It is a history of Italy, seen through citrus. Fascinating. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/08/21/t...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
The Land Where Lemons Grow—The Story of Italy and its Citrus Fruit: Helena Attlee
Published by Penguin, 2014, 230 pages “During journeys that have taken me from the bergamot groves of Calabria, on the southern tip of the Italian peninsula, to lemon houses set against the snowy b…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Women in Translation Month: four books from around the world: Chile, India, France and Mauritius. Each one very different, each worth discovering. Full reviews on talking-about-books.com
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
"The climbers in Moving Mountains stand for the countless women who pushed boundaries, finding freedom in the mountains when it was denied to them elsewhere." I interviewed Rosemary J. Brown on her book Moving Mountains on women climbers. talking-about-books.com/2026/08/19/r...
talking-about-books.com
Reaching Summits: An Interview with Rosemary J. Brown
Photo: Adrian Pope Rosemary J. Brown is a journalist and author based in London. Her book, Moving Mountains: Intrepid Women Climbers and the Peaks Named in Their Honour, has just been published. He…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
This week's book review: Nélida Piñon's The Republic of Dreams, a multigenerational story. Madruga, a Galician leaves for Brazil, determined to make his fortune. A book about stories and dreams. Translated from Portuguese by Helen Lane. talking-about-books.com/2026/08/15/t...
talking-about-books.com
The Republic of Dreams: Nélida Piñon
Translated from Portuguese by Helen LanePublished by Picador / Alfred A. Knopf, 1989, 663 pages. Original version published in 1984. This multigenerational story set mostly in Brazil is centred aro…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Erika Fatland sets out to discover what it is like to be Russia's neighbour. She starts in North Korea and works her way around to Norway, and takes a trip through the Northeast Passage. Fascinating and very informative. Transl. by Kari Dickson. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/08/14/t...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
The Border—A Journey around Russia: Erika Fatland
Translated from Norwegian by Kari DicksonPublished by Maclehose Press, 2017, 611 pages The full subtitle of this book is “A journey around Russia: through North Korea, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, …
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
This week's book review: Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, about a friendship that survives betrayals and tragedies. And video games and the tensions between creativity and commerce. @vintagebooks.bsky.social @usharaman.bsky.social talking-about-books.com/2026/08/09/t...
talking-about-books.com
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow: Gabrielle Zevin
Published by Vintage, 2022, 482 pagesReview by Usha Raman and Suroor Alikhan This is the story of a friendship—one that survives betrayals and tragedies. Two 11-year-olds meet in a paediatric hospi…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Sola: Amy Field heads out to Latin America with barely any knowledge of Spanish and ends up spending over 2 years there. Based in Costa Rica, she travels around the continent. A story of getting outside your comfort zone and enjoying it! talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/08/07/s...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
Sola—One Woman’s Journey Alone Across South America: Amy Field
Published by WanderWomyn Publishing, 2018, 340 pages Amy Field seems to have it all: a degree from a prestigious liberal arts college and a good job in downtown Los Angeles. But something is missin…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Ritu Menon travels both for work and pleasure. In Loitering with Intent, she writes about these trips. Some of the chapters feel a bit superficial, but others are well-observed. A snapshot of countries at a particular time in history. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/08/05/l...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
Loitering with Intent—Diary of a Happy Traveller: Ritu Menon
Published by Speaking Tiger Books, 2016, 248 pages Ritu Menon does not like to travel alone for pleasure, as she announces in the first line of this book. She likes to explore places with her frien…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
This week's book review: Nilima Rao's historical crime novel, A Disappearance in Fiji, set during the Raj. A Sikh police officer is sent to a plantation to investigate the disappearance of an indentured labourer and uncovers secrets. Portrait of an era. talking-about-books.com/2026/08/01/a...
talking-about-books.com
A Disappearance in Fiji: Nilima Rao
Published by Zaffre, 2023, 280 pages Fiji, 1914. Sergeant Akal Singh, an Indian Sikh, has been sent to Fiji after a humiliating incident in Hong Kong, where he was serving. All he wants to do is cr…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
How many women mountaineers can you name? Rosemary J. Brown, in Moving Mountains, writes about nine women through the ages who have summited peaks and done so in the face of societal opposition. Inspiring. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/07/28/m...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
Moving Mountains—Intrepid Women Climbers and the Peaks Named in Their Honour: Rosemary J. Brown
Published by The History Press, 2026, 282 pages If you are asked to name mountaineers who have climbed some of the tallest peaks in the world, do you think mainly of climbers who are men? If you do…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
As the US celebrates 250 years, I thought it would be appropriate to highlight some books by or about Native Americans. Reviews on talking-about-books.com
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
This week's book review: Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Took me a while to get into but once the actual story began, it pulled me in. About the "other" and how the real monsters are seldom seen as such. Wonderful descriptions of Notre Dame too. talking-about-books.com/2026/07/25/t...
talking-about-books.com
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame: Victor Hugo
Translated from French by Walter J. CobbPublished by Penguin, 1964 (this translation), 501 pages. Original version published in 1831. What makes a monster? Quasimodo, the bell ringer of Notre Dame,…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
This graphic travelogue by Kristen Radtke is unusual. After her beloved uncle Dan dies, she seeks out abandoned cities, places that are reminders of the past. A book about the traces we leave behind. @kristenradtke.bsky.social talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/07/24/i...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
Imagine Wanting Only This: Kristen Radtke
Published by Pantheon Graphic Library, 2017, 288 pages This is not a conventional travel book: it’s a graphic book that combines memoir and travel. Kristen Radtke is very close to her uncle, Dan, w…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
English Pen has just announced the Pen Translates awards! www.englishpen.org/posts/news/p...
englishpen.org
PEN Translates winners announced - English PEN
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Sara Dykman follows the migration of monarch butterflies from the starting point in Mexico, all the way to Ottawa. Every year, the butterflies make this long journey north to lay their eggs and the hatched caterpillars make it back. Fascinating. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/07/21/b...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
Bicycling with Butterflies—My 10,201-Mile Journey Following the Monarch Migration: Sara Dykman
Published by Timber Press, 2021, 280 pages “Beyond my footsteps, mahogany-colored clumps dripped from branches of scattered trees. They shimmered in the sparse light, nearly indistinguishable from …
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
This week's book review: Chigozie Obioma's The Road to the Country. A book about a man getting caught up in the Biafra War in Nigeria. Harrowing and beautifully written. talking-about-books.com/2026/07/18/t...
talking-about-books.com
The Road to the Country: Chigozie Obioma
Published by Hutchinson Heinemann / Penguin, 2024, 358 pages “The story of a war can only be fully and truly told by both the living and the dead.”—Igbo proverb Kunle is nine years old when he send…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Mary Novakovich's My Family and Other Enemies is about her trips to Lika, Croatia—where her family is from—with her mother. This is a personal book that also gives you a sense of the land and the people. @marynovakovich.bsky.social talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/07/17/m...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
My Family and Other Enemies—Life and Travels in Croatia’s Hinterland: Mary Novakovich
Published by Bradt, 2022, 268 pages “The beauty in small things seemed to speak Lika to me, a beauty that somehow held its own in this vast, sometimes overwhelming landscape. Orchards groaning with…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Davina Quinlivan delves into her family's history—a mix of Burmese, Indian, Irish, French, German and Scottish—in Shalimar. Along with their migration, she traces her own within the UK. A mix of memoir, travelogue and nature writing. Beautiful. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/07/14/s...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
Shalimar—A Story of Place and Migration: Davina Quinlivan
Published by Little Toller, 2021, 154 pages “Shalimar is the bridge between my father’s world and my perception of it, not a real place but one of our own making, filled with his things, his storie…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
This week's book review: Marjane Satrapi's Perspepolis, a classic, a coming-of-age story of a girl in Iran. She wanted to show what life was really like for ordinary Iranis. I reread it after her death; it was as absorbing and powerful as the first time. talking-about-books.com/2026/07/11/t...
talking-about-books.com
The Complete Persepolis: Marjane Satrapi
Originally published in four volumes. Volumes 1 and 2 translated from French by Blake Ferris and Mattias Ripa, and Volumes 3 and 4 translated by Anjali Singh.The complete volume published by Panthe…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
A glimpse into Western Sahara in the early 1970s: Tales of the Sahara is Sanmao's account of living there. It's not an easy book because Sanmao can be annoyingly opinionated but she has great empathy for the people and their stories come through. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/07/10/s...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
Stories of the Sahara: Sanmao
Translated from Chinese by Mike FuPublished by Bloomsbury Publishing, 1976, 416 pages Sanmao, a Taiwanese writer, had always been attracted to the desert. In the early 1970s, she and her Spanish pa…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Gearing up for the Hyderabad Literary Festival 2027! The Indian language in focus is Manipuri. Look out for talks, performances and displays of Manipuri literature, culture and art during HLF2027, 22-24 January! #hlf2027 #hydlitfest2027 #literature #art #manipur #literaryfestival
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Di Murrell and her husband live on a barge. In A Foodie Afloat, we follow them along France's waterways, from Cambrai to Paris. The focus is on food: she gets produce from farmers' markets and by foraging, and shares recipes. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/07/07/a...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
A Foodie Afloat: Di Murrell
Published by Troubador Publishing, 2020, 256 pages There are people who travel so they can tick places off their lists, and there are those who immerse themselves in their surroundings. Di Murrell …
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
This week's book review: Po: An Elegy for Italy's Longest River by Tobias Jones. He travels up the river, from the point where it flows into the Adriatic to its source. It's a mix of history, travelogue and ecology, and an attempt to understand a country. talking-about-books.com/2026/07/04/t...
talking-about-books.com
The Po—An Elegy for Italy’s Longest River: Tobias Jones
Published by Head of Zeus, 2022, 276 pages “You need to understand the Po to understand Italy”, wrote the poet Guido Ceronetti. So Tobias Jones sets out to explore the river, going against its curr…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Imani Perry takes a trip through southern US as a way of understanding the country. A mix of history, travelogue and memoir, the book goes into how what happened in the South shaped the country as it is now. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/07/03/s...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
South to America—A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation: Imani Perry
Published by HarperCollins, 2022, 432 pages To understand the United States, you need to understand the South, its history and its legacy. That is the premise of this book by Imani Perry, a Black s…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
I was in Paris last week, during one of the hottest weeks in its history. Took refuge in a bookshop, Librarie Galignani, and walked out with this stash. Any thoughts?
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Food on the Move: a collection of essays about iconic trains and the food served them, including the Orient Express, Ghan, Santa-Fe Super Chief, and the Bullet Train. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/06/30/f...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
Food on the Move—Dining on the Legendary Railway Journeys of the World: edited by Sharon Hudgins
Published by Reaktion Books, 2019, 256 pages There is something magical about sitting on a train, eating well while staring out of the window at a constantly changing vista. So when I came across t…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
This week's book review: Shugri Said Salh's memoir, The Last Nomad. She spent her childhood as a nomad in the Somali desert, then fled the civil war to move to the US. A story of strength and resilience, and an account of a dying way of life. talking-about-books.com/2026/06/27/t...
talking-about-books.com
The Last Nomad—Coming of Age in the Somali Desert: Shugri Said Salh
Published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2021, 302 pages “I am the last nomad. … What I am really trying to say is, I am the last person in my direct line to have once lived like that, and now …
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Sofia Samatar retraces the footsteps of a group of Mennonites, who moved from Russia to Central Asia in the 1880s. Samatar is a Mennonite herself, so the journey is personal, drawing on the accounts of the original. Beautifully written. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/06/26/t...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
The White Mosque—A Silk Road Memoir: Sofia Samatar
Published by Catapult / C Hurst and Co Publishers, 2022, 336 pages “I’m haunted by a little piece of history, the story of a small, hardy, stubborn group of people who travelled here more than a hu…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Kapka Kassabova travels to where her family is from: Lake Ohrid, which straddles Albania, Greece and North Macedonia. A beautifully written book that provides a personal insight into the Balkans. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/06/23/t...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
To The Lake – A Balkan Journey of War and Peace: Kapka Kassabova
Published by Graywolf Press / Granta Publications, 2020, 416 pages “To journey to the place of your ancestors, you must be prepared to see what it is easier to deny.” This is the account not just o…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
This week's book review: Perumal Murugan's Poonachi, or the Story of a Black Goat, a fable about an orphan goat. Through the life of the goat Poonachi, Murugan writes about the human condition. Translated by @kalyanasc.bsky.social talking-about-books.com/2026/06/20/p...
talking-about-books.com
Poonachi, or the Story of a Black Goat: Perumal Murugan
Translated from Tamil by N. Kalyan RamanPublished by Eka (Westland Books), 2018, 173 pages. Original version published in 2017. “Once, in a village, there was a goat. No one knew where she was born…
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
The dates for the Hyderabad Literary Festival have been announced. Save the dates!
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Suroor Alikhan @suroora.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Jini Reddy travels through the British landscape, looking for magic places, "a world of signs and portents". She meets priestesses and shamans and goes on a pilgrimage. She doesn't always find the magic, but when she does, it's fantastic. talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/06/19/w...
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
Wanderland—A Search for Magic in the Landscape: Jini Reddy
Published by Bloomsbury Wildlife, 2020, 272 pages “I was…sick of the anxiety. This was no way to live, I realized if I wanted to hang on to my sanity. It was time to just do the thing that I secret…
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