Beyond Books

I am no writer, and have no intention of becoming a published author. But sometimes, I do feel like penning my thoughts on all things bookish. Here are a few of my thoughts and writings.
(As is evident, this page is a work-in-progress. I have written a lot more than these few articles. Stay tuned. 😃)

Author Specials:


Bookish Write-ups:



✤ Five Types of Non-fiction that Even Fiction Lovers Will Enjoy! - Guest Article for Blogchatter's BeStorified series. - March 2025.





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A Universe Full of Stories: 50 Extraordinary Tales of the Skies, Stars and Beyond - Angela McAllister - ★★★★.½

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AUTHOR: Angela McAllister ILLUSTRATOR: Zanna Goldhawk GENRE: Children's Story Collection PUBLICATION DATE: October 6, 2026 RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A collection of folktales connected to either the sky or a sky/space-related object. Lovely stories from across the world presented with marvellous illustrations. This author never fails to deliver memorable books for children. Definitely recommended. I have been a fan of Angela McAllister’s folktale collections ever since I read ‘A Bedtime Full of Stories’ in 2021. Her collections are always mesmerising and always have the same features: fascinating stories curated from folktales and myths from across the world, theme-based sections, and excellent full-colour illustrations that stay true to the tone of the story. This book is no exception. This time, the stories are, as the tagline indicates, taken from the ‘Skies, stars and beyond.’ The collection has six sections, each based on sky/space-related feature: ‘The Sun’, ‘The Moon...
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Fruit Fly - Josh Silver - ★★.¾

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AUTHOR: Josh Silver GENRE: Contemporary Satirical Thriller PUBLICATION DATE: August 4, 2026 RATING: 2.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A satirical psych thriller offering a dark look at an author who is desperate for success. Somewhat meta in approach. Complex flawed characters. A jerky writing style with too many short sentences and too much rambling. Slow pace and much lengthier than needed. Recommended, as long as you have the patience. Plot Preview: Mallory Maddox had a successful debut novel seven years ago. But since then, she has had a writer’s block. She is desperate for inspiration, so when Leo – a homeless drug addict trading sex for survival – stumbles into her life, she doesn’t hesitate before appropriating his life story for her next work. After all, Leo’s story is important and deserves a wider audience. So what if he himself is unaware of her interest in him. But as the number of secrets multiplies, Mallory is forced to ask some tough questions about how far she can go for her c...
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Some People - Parini Shroff - ★★★★

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AUTHOR: Parini Shroff GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: July 7, 2026 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A character-driven contemporary fiction depicting a new bond forming between a mother-in-law and son-in-law. Well-sketched characters and many interesting themes. Medium-paced. Mostly conversations and introspections and less action, which can be a drag at times. A nice ending, though a bit abrupt. Recommended. Plot Preview: The last person Malti Patel – seventy, divorced, alone in the USA – expects to turn up when she suffers a concussion is her soon-to-be-ex son-in-law Nathan. Her doctor insists on in-house supervision for a week, so she has no choice but to suffer his presence as her daughter Kavya is back in India for her postgraduate studies. Nathan is kind enough to agree to the doctor's instructions, but can Malti allow the person who divorced her daughter to take care of her? As the week goes by, Malti grapples with the shadows of the past and Nathan ponders over...
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A Million Ways: Stories of Motherhood - Various - ★★★.¾

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AUTHORS: Various GENRE: Anthology RATING: 3.85 stars. In a Nutshell: Loved this anthology of stories pertaining to mothers and motherhood. You don’t need to be a mother to love it. "There's no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one." - Jill Churchill The above quote sets off this anthology of twelve stories, all of which are about mothers. You might assume that such a theme would get repetitive too soon. Yes, there were certain themes in common, primarily connected to love (or the lack thereof.) Regardless, each story still feels distinct from each other in terms of content and hence the book doesn’t get boring. A good short story for me is one that keeps me invested from start to end regardless of its length. And this is what happened to me for most of the stories in this collection. The tales aren’t limited to stories about pregnancy or new motherhood. Rather, we get to see single mothers and stepmothers, dedicated mothers and disgruntled mothers...
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The Haunting of Avis Lovelock - M.K. Hardy - ★★.¼

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AUTHOR: M.K. Hardy GENRE: Historical Mystery PUBLICATION DATE: August 27, 2026 RATING: 2.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical mystery with mild paranormal and Sapphic undertones. Slowburn. A good plotline with several novelties but its potential isn't fully realised. Interesting lead character who saves an otherwise average execution. Plot Preview: Avis Lovelock is a professional sceptic who loves to debunk spirit mediums and psychics while they are fleecing their customers. An American businessman named Carlton Brooksbank invites Avis aboard the Excambion where her task is to prove that the ocean liner, despite what many claim, isn't haunted. As Avis begins her investigations, she discovers that the passengers include famous twin spiritualists Gideon and Rachel Duquesne. Now Avis has to ensure that they don’t capitalise on the paranormal rumours while she, Avis, gets a chance to disprove both the rumours and the twins. The story comes to us in the third-person perspective of ...
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