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. πŸ˜ƒ)

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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The Bone People - Keri Hulme - ★.½

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AUTHOR: Keri Hulme GENRE: Literary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: January 1, 1984 RATING: 1.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A literary fiction about three broken people and their intersecting paths. Enjoyed the setting and the glimpses into indigenous Māori culture. Character-oriented and slow, which was fine for me. Stream of consciousness writing, poetic prose, surrealism, and extreme scenes of corporal abuse against a child, none of which work for me. Not my kind of book. Plot Preview: Kerewin Holmes: A reclusive artist who prefers staying in solitude in her “Tower”. Simon: A mute boy who breaks into her home and somehow makes himself a regular presence in Kerewin’s life. Joe: Simon’s foster father who is a strange mixture of tenderness and aggressiveness. Once Simon and Joe become regulars in Kerewin’s life, we learn more about the trio and their complex personalities through their interactions. The story is written in their perspectives shifting between first and third person at random. Take...
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A Treatise on Martian Chiropractic Manipulation and Other Satirical Tales - Lisa Fox - ★★★.½

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AUTHOR:  Lisa Fox GENRE: Satirical Story Collection PUBLICATION DATE: 7th December 2025 RATING: 3.6 stars. In a Nutshell: A short story collection that takes a satirical look at several relevant topics. Varied in genres and protagonists. The humour is somewhat dark. Entertaining enough, as long as you expect the OTT tone common to satire.  Author Lisa Fox has penned two short story collections prior to this one: ‘Core Truths’   and ‘Passageways’ . I had enjoyed both of these speculative collections and hence looked forward to her latest set of stories. This one is slightly different from the earlier two, in that it doesn’t contain a unifying theme.  The stories in both “Core Truths” and “Passageways” were embodiments of their respective titles, with every story containing a “core truth”/“passageway” as applicable. I think that helped me appreciate the author’s cleverness and creativity better. This time, there was no thread connecting the stories beyond the sati...
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Mother Mary Comes to Me - Arundhati Roy - ★★★★.½

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AUTHOR & NARRATOR: Arundhati Roy GENRE: Memoir PUBLICATION DATE: September 2, 2025 RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A memoir written by one of India’s most eloquent writers. I picked it up for her writing and was rewarded richly with her thoughts and words. Her deeds aren’t always my cup of tea, but I judge memoirs by their content and not by their authors’ life choices. This was an easy winner in that regard. Much recommended. I am not a big fan of memoirs. I find most of them fake and pretentious and even indulging in humble-bragging. Celebrity memoirs are even worse because they all sound the same ( probably because most of them are ghostwritten by the same ghostwriters who went to the same kind of creative writing courses .) I also am not a big fan of the new trend in memoirs wherein dirty family linen is washed in public, sometimes after the death of the “antagonist”. Given all this, I shouldn’t even have picked this book up, forget about reading it. But there was one key dif...
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The Invisible Stone: A Letter to a Powerful Girl - Carola Schmidt - ★★★★

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AUTHOR: Carola Schmidt ILLUSTRATOR: Dian Ovieta GENRE: Children's Inspirational Book. PUBLICATION DATE: February 6, 2026 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: An inspirational picture book aimed at young girls. Nice uplifting message, fabulous illustrations. A bit too vague, but this can also work to its advantage. Recommended. As the cover indicates, this is a “letter to a powerful girl”. Addressed directly to the young girl reading the book, the content offers a motivating note about how to tackles the various stones that life may throw in their path. I found the tagline quite interesting. The adjective “powerful” is a minor addition but a major game-changer in that line. It highlights how even confident children can face hurdles on their way. At the same time, it serves as a reminder that the little reader is powerful, whether they believe it or not. As far as messages go, the content is obviously as expected. But there are a couple of things that set this book apart. For one, the con...
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How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water - Angie Cruz - ★★★

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AUTHOR: Angie Cruz NARRATORS: Kimberly M. Wetherell & Rossmery Almonte GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: September 13, 2022 RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary fiction presented in a creative interview-style structure. If you are tired of reading about Asian aunties, here’s a book with a South American "auntie". 😁 Interesting story and lead character, excellent OwnVoices authenticity (Dominican Republic). Starts off excellently, but gets a little bit repetitive and OTT after a while. If you want to read this, audio is the way to go. Plot Preview: Fifty-six-year-old Cara Romero, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, used to work at a factory but ever since its closure two years ago, she’s been jobless. Cara is now set up to meet with a job counsellor. Over a course of twelve sessions where the counsellor is supposed to evaluate Cara’s suitability as an employee and the industry where she might fit best, Cara ends up telling the counsellor abou...
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