Where is Life to be found?
Out in the world, in the melee,
Or is it still a full life,
If it’s books and flowers and the sun,
That you choose?
Tag Archives: Books
Best Review Ever For ‘Our Particular Shadows’
If there’s a dream review, this is IT! @saket71 has shone a piercingly poetic light into the heart of Our Particular Shadows and really, truly SEEN. I’m in utter bliss. Such a generous blessing this review is!
Read the full review: Book Review: Our Particular Shadows
Some of my favorite parts of the review are:
Radhika writes prose but it is so near to poetry. … It has the magic, the vigor and the flow much nearer to spoken-word poetry. The magic of experimental prose is in the honesty it carries. It is as if the writer decided not to let his own consciousness stand between the page and his soul, as if the medium merged into the creator and they are no longer two distinct entities.
Amazing, right?
And who can ever forget praise such as this?
I am totally in awe of Radhika Mukherjee’s talent. She is a mystic poet who camouflages herself as a story-teller. Her writings are not for you if you are looking for trendy stories. If you want to read something timeless, something which will survive both the reader and the writer, do read this. I am greedy. I do not know if Radhika plans to someday write a full-length novel. If she does and if these stories are any indications, we might have a writer penning something like The Waves of Virginia Woolf someday. Her writing is experimental prose which is so rare to find these days. Dive in to discover the divinity in the magical world of words. This is the book you will keep coming back to, whenever your soul is bruised by the brutal world we live in, and I am sure, it will always soothe your senses.
Here’s the full review again: Book Review: Our Particular Shadows
To take the journey, at $0.99 for the eBook of Our Particular Shadows, go to:
Amazon (all territories): getBook.at/OPS
B&N, Apple, Kobo, Scribd: https://books2read.com/u/38DxMw
Happy soulful reading!
It’s Awesome #Review Time For ‘Our Particular Shadows’
Our Particular Shadows has received a thoughtful and delightful professional review from Readers’ Favorite!
It begins like this:
“If you are looking for a collection of short stories that express various emotions but should be sipped upon as a fine wine, Our Particular Shadows (Shadow Stories Book 1) by Radhika Mukherjee can be the taste for your palate.”
And then just makes my hear sing!
To take the journey, at $0.99 for the eBook, go to:
Amazon: getBook.at/OPS
B&N, Apple, Kobo, Scribd: https://books2read.com/u/38DxMw
Happy soulful reading!
Everywhere You Can Read ‘Our Particular Shadows’
So much of my heart is in this book! All that was sad and sublime, beautiful and breaking…
If you want to dive into another’s mind to better explore your own, this is the book for you.
Our Particular Shadows is a book of micro-fiction containing 7 stories told from close first person, which explore a gamut of emotions and situations.
To learn more, read the blurb below:
What is it that haunts you? What is your most intransigent fear? What is your stubborn trigger?
These are shadows. Your particular shadows.
The protagonists of Our Particular Shadows wrestle with their shadows, which could very well be your very shadow. There is no race, no gender, no nationality, no caste to distract you in this reading experience. Just the pure human experience of being and feeling and hurting and seeking…
The seven stories (micro-fiction) of Our Particular Shadows, for all their poetry, evoke devastatingly intense raw emotions and leave you with a spirit that has in some measure cried out its lingering shadows. Your longing for connection, your promise of joy to yourself, your ever-evolving relationship with your ‘magician’, your absolute obsession with The One, even if they are your poison, the questions you ask each other after weathering devastation, the way you would nearly shoot yourself to keep yourself and your loved ones safe, your quest for quiet and satisfaction. You’ll find it all here.
Reach out—
There’s quite a journey hidden within this slim volume of micro-fiction!
To take the journey, at $0.99 for the eBook, go to:
Amazon: getBook.at/OPS
B&N, Apple, Kobo, Scribd: https://books2read.com/u/38DxMw
Happy soulful reading! 🙂
An Amazing 5-Star #Review for Our Particular Shadows
It’s a good day when the the morning brings you news of a 5-star review for your book, right? Like someone giving you a flower!
Our Particular Shadows was called ‘delightfully much like poetry’ and ‘Spellbinding!’ on Goodreads and my heart is just brimming over!
And just in case you want to check out the eBook on Amazon: CLICK HERE!
I’d love for you to experience my poetic micro-fiction!
In Which I Melt Your Brains with My Scene-By-Scene Reactions to #HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild
Totally almost non-spoilerey, scene-by-scene reactions!
This is how it all began:
So excited to start reading #HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild!! With a lot of EEEEEEEs!! (Of excitement, not terror!)
And then:
Eww! Harry, Ron and Hermione sound like bored suburban parents in Act 1, Scene 1 & 2. Nothing magical! 😦
Act 1 Scene 3 (A1S3) of #HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild is looking interesting! They’re going to try and invert things i think! Cool!
A1S4:
I LIKE Scorpius! Only one with any humanity/ personality so far!
So sweet he is, this Scorpius! To think I could ever appreciate a Malfoy! Well played! Well played!
I’m confused! How can the Sorting Hat be walking??
And then the Sorting Hat “puts his hat on Rose’s head”! Strange right?
Poor Albus!! I feel for him now! Bad Sorting Hat!
Someone or something has totally cursed Albus! (I hope he’s not the Cursed Child!!) #poormite
Wow! Is Harry clueless about Albus in A1S4, or what? They couldn’t have a heart to heart over the holidays?
They’re overdoing Platform 9 3/4! It’s not that charming! I feel rushed, like I should catch a train!
Draco Malfoy has a ponytail! Cool!
Harry should get a prize for sensitive person of the year! #Not #WhatAMeanie
How are the Malfoys getting all the empathy till this point?
I cannot stop raving about how sweet this #ScorpiusMalfoy is!! Only kid-like kid in here! #adorable
Why couldn’t they have a scene at Harry’s house? Does everything need to be resolved at the platform?
Here I am, heart breaking for #ScorpiusMalfoy! Sniff!
Uf! Finally that never-ending Act 1, Scene 4 is over! Devastating! Onto 5. Ordered lunch!
A1S5:
To sugar or not to sugar is the question apparently!
Happy for feminism BTW!
Where’s my lunch? All the sweets are making me hungrier!
Lunch:
Lunch is here, so taking a break! Don’t want to get food on the new book! #BRB
Lunch done, emails done! I’m back to reading #HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild #yay!
The dialogue in the book was so much better! #nostalgia
A1S6:
Finally! We arrive at Harry and Ginny’s house!! #ICanBreatheNow
Things are getting serious! I sense that we are about to enter the actual plot!
Oh someone who’s cheerful at last! #Delphi! Reminds me I miss how Ron used to lighten things up. Sigh!
I really like clumsy characters! They’re so charming! I’m rooting for Delphi!
A1S7:
Awww! Poor Harry! He’s trying so hard! okay, I’m coming around to grown up Harry. Hooray!
Whoopsy Daisies! The way the scene ends!! #suspense
A1S8:
The Dursleys are back! #why? #whygodwhy
Complete rerun. Why was it necessary? No idea!
A1S9 : Things are heating up! Portents are portending! Terribly stilted husband-wife conversation! That’s A1S9 for you!
A1S10:
Why do they have to be so self-conscious about hugging?
Some action is beginning to boil up! At last! #Yay!
A1S11:
Oh my gosh! The trolley witch! Wow!
And off we go!
A1S12: Expected more from Hermione’s character! Draco being the old Draco. O well!
A1S13: Cute!
A1S14: I miss the books! They were so much richer! Anyway, the action proper begins here.
A1S15: Harry, Ron, etc. haven’t been written right. Don’t feel right as adults or teens. But revelation time!
A1S16: O look! Polyjuice Potion my old friend! #huh? #why?
A1S17:
It’s way too freaky to hear the words”My Department” coming from the mouth of Harry Potter!
Still don’t understand #Albus at all! Even at Act 1 Sc 17. Maybe he’ll grow on me?
Back after a break! So to business!
A1S18:
Tension rising! I start to believe a little…
I have one word: Ewwwwww!!
So many #Ewwwwws!!
A1S19:
Complete chaos with none of the cleverness of the books. Or structure. Meh!
Really? It was all laid out to solve and find? Why? What? How? Also, too easy! Like sloppy fan fiction!
A2S1: Young Harry will break your heart! Also, nice magical suspense being built up! #prayingforliftoff
A2S2: Tiny scene but hard work to read this overall! I am flagging fast! Even with breaks.
A2S3: Why are they all so rushed and cryptic? Great plays are never so!
A2S4: Wow! Feminism happened for nothing! Nothing I tell you! Also, Ew!
A2S5: Seriously, why do the centaurs have to be so mean? Mean writing ya! Just mean! Don’t we get to like anyone? It all has to be angst, angst, angst, is it?
A2S6: Scorpius strikes again! There he goes being all sweet and tugging at the heartstrings!
A2S6: Look, look! Magic! Special effects! Kinda feels like a Harry Potter. Distantly.
A2S7: More of the old. They don’t like girls here. Mom and daughter are identical? Magical cloning? #Wow
A2S7: Oh, Oh! Excitement! Strum and Drang!! Suspense! That’s what I’m talking about!
A2S8:
Dumbledore reduced to ‘kindly’! Oh unkind fate!
Dude, you’re an adult now! Make your own decisions already!
Okay, sorry! Wrong advice! Harry sucks at adulting!
A2S9: What on earth is PANJU!!! They know it’s slang in India, right? Wow! Just wow!! #EWWWWW
A2S9: Harry! Harry! Harry! Some sensitivity would be much appreciated by us all!
A2S10: What a numpty!! Harry that is. Do these writers just hate Harry?
A2S11: And Hermione too? They have gone too far I tell you! There will be an uprising!
A2S12: Those poor mites #Albus and #Scorpius! This is the emotional heart of the story!
A2S13: As adults also they’re using Expelliarmus! No imagination only!
A2S14:
How on earth does a non-student/non-teacher just slip into Hogwarts like that? Did they not read Hogwarts: A History?
Drowning in sentiment here!
A2S15: How come only one thing, Ron-Hermione changes? #TheyMustThinkWe’reDim
A2S15: Draco Malfoy! So very human. Who knew? I like it! Ginny’s pretty cool too!
A2S16: Uh! Apparently the jealously was all important! Weak! #TheyMustThinkWe’reDim
A2S16:
Okay, they’re taking the underdog thing too far and too literally with no resonance!
Where has all of McGonagall’s power gone?
Boys expressing their emotions. Nice idea, badly done.
A2S17: O Ron! O Hermione! Double sigh!
A2S18: Filler. Necessary. But…
A2S19: Will it work?
A2S20: Oh oh! Albus and Scorpius really messed it up this time! What scamps! But it’s getting compelling!
A3S1: Chilling! Also, go alternate Scorpius!
A3S2: Total terror now! What a world! Clever, to conjure this possibility…
A3S3: At least Draco didn’t go all Voldemort on Scorpius!
A3S4: How can alternate Scorpius be soooooo different?
A3S5: This is the real stuff, this scene! Nice new spell: Colloportus!
A3S6: Go Hermione!! Be an Amazon! Don’t ever give up your power! Also, is Dumbledore considered God/God-like?
A3S7: So funny! Ron, Hermione and the big SURPRISE! Onto the reversals then!
A3S8: Rinse and repeat! Ludo Bagman gets more insufferable every time!
A3S9: Can’t talk! Reading! Shhhhh!
A3S10: It should end here, but isn’t. What’s going on?
A3S10: At least McGonagall’s found herself again!
A3S11: Sons and fathers I tell you! Even when they have a heart to heart, it’s not a heart to heart!
A3S12: Woweee!! I’m a little scared! Hold me!
A3S13: Danger! Run!
A3S14: That scamp Scorpius! So sweet and sincere too! It’s not too early to declare him my favorite, right?
A3S15: I keep wondering, was that scene necessary?
A3S16: It’s all going pear shaped and it’s time for the tables to turn and give us the big reveal! Brace yourself!
A3S17: Why did we have to witness the utter joyless and mundaneness of the Harry Potter kids as grown ups? Even the romance falls flat! Persistent question for this book: WHY?
A3S18: Now you tell us! Actual villain come forth!
A3S19: Oh how the worm turns and how false heroism fails!
A3S20: So confused and confusing and then you realize the utter futility of it all!! Where you just have to stand by and watch!! The horror!
A3S21: Huh! Yes, yes, visually awesome but all hokey prophecies! Very convenient ones!
A4S1:
Again with the undermining real-Hermione! What are they doing?
Fatalistic much? Has a few resonances though. Makes you care, in a despairing way.
A4S2: Back to where it all started! Did they have to? I’m tired!
A4S3: A-quivering!!? Who talks like that? Who puts a word like that into a teenage boys mouth? Expository scene. No action.
A4S4:
It’s all about loooove!
This is like Han Solo and Princess Leia : “I know.”
What is happening?!?
Draco’s revelation! We totally should have guessed! Clever Hermione!
Still, it all seems futile! Unless—
A4S5: The teen conquering heroes figure out a way!! Will they? WILL THEY?
A4S6: Do they? Huh? Huh? (BTW: Totally implausible bit of magic!)
A4S7: I caught a typo! I caught a typo! (My editor’s heart is so happy right now!)
A4S8: Uf! How much Deus Ex Machina can a story sustain?
A4S9:
Will there be some resolution to the storm in the teacup?
Ginny figures it out! At least someone’s thinking!
A4S10: Surprise! Disguise! Will it work? Can it ever be so simple?
A4S11:
Passable performance there as the epitome of eeeevil! Lots of action!
Question: How can the Malfoys not know anything about a child born in Malfoy Manor??
A resolution with no empathy at all.
A4S12: They could and should have changed it all but instead they still stood there! And it’s heartbreaking! I need a cuddle! #WhereIsMyLiveTeddyBear
A4S13: I can’t even!
A4S14: Back to the status quo of cute teens! Also, what’s with all these self-conscious hugs? And have you noticed there’s no cute British slang at all? No ‘git’, etc. I miss that! #GiveMeTheBooksAnyDay
A4S15: Ah! The proper heart to heart! Love wins the day! Sweet.
Slightly mawkish but sweet too. Stop being cynical!
~~*~~
So there you have it, the kids had a romp and we said hello to most everyone and move forward an inch. Huge plus: Scorpius is altogether adorable! I’d read more about him in a shot. This one? Maybe I’ll read it once more. In a calmer frame of mind.
Should you read it?
It has pros and cons the play, the books are definitely better. Read it if you want to revisit the world and catch up with the grown-up gang and the next generation.
Book Cover Reveal For Our Particular Shadows!
I am delighted to present to you the re-imagined book cover for the first book of Shadow Stories, Our Particular Shadows, which is slated for re-release in August!
Are you ready?
Here it is, all starry-eyed, referencing the story ‘Longing’; the new book cover for Our Particular Shadows!
(Cover Design: Nikhil Karmokar)
Our Particular Shadows
What do YOU think? Do you like it?
Please let me know in the comments or by writing to me at radhika(at)radhikamukherjee(dot)com
Our Particular Shadows
Our Particular Shadows is a collection of 7 pieces of micro-fiction, each bite-sized story more poetic than the next. It is the first book of the Shadow Stories and features various ‘selves’ in their quest for light amid their very own shadows.
This book was my first release in 2013, and I am making it available again after revising both content and cover!
Our Particular Shadows will re-release on 14th August to all the eBook stores of the world.
If you’d like to read and review Our Particular Shadows, please write to me at: radhika(at)radhikamukherjee(dot)com
To add Our Particular Shadows on Goodreads, CLICK HERE!
All About Broken Shadows
If you’ve ever been hurt, ever felt bewildered by the world, ever felt it was all just too much, Broken Shadows is the book for you.
Broken Shadows is a collection of 12 abstract micro fiction stories which explore the sighs and sorrows of the deepest self. Joy peeks shyly from the shadows, while healing takes center-stage.
Want a taste before trying? Here’s a free PDF preview:
Click here for the first two stories!
Broken Shadows received a fabulous 5-star profession review from Readers Favorite!
You can buy the Broken Shadows eBook for $0.99 / INR 0.49 at all the major eBook retailers:
Amazon (Kindle: will redirect to your local amazon store) : getBook.at/BrokenShadows
Apple (iBooks / iTunes : Might only work for the US) : https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1095198226
Kobo (International link) : https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/broken-shadows-6
Nook (Barnes & Noble : Might only work for the US) : http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/broken-shadows-r…/1123563604
I’d love to hear from you about the book. Drop me a line at:
radhika (at) radhikamukherjee (dot) com
Happy reading! 🙂
Last Day You Can Read ‘Broken Shadows’ For Free!
Just uploaded my new book of short stories, Broken Shadows to Amazon! I am so all in a whirl!
And so while we wait for the book to go live on Amazon and then other platforms, I wanted to spread the joy! I am offering you a chance to read it just for today, completely free!
So this offer is valid this the end of day, today, 20th March 2016!
Want to know more about Broken Shadows?
Here’s the cover:
Here’s the blurb:
Do you break out of the shadows or do you let the shadows break you?
That’s the central question explored in Broken Shadows.
Broken Shadows is a collection of 12 tiny, intense tales of isolation and discovery. Told in fluid, direct, ungendered, abstract prose, these stories are depictions of the self’s deepest, most painful, most vulnerable moments, along with its fledgling triumphs.
Told through the protagonist’s intensely personal, idiosyncratic (interior) monologue, the moments are arranged thematically. You read about the essentially solitary, shadowy essence of the self as it navigates pain, war, art, homelessness, addiction, betrayal, etc. along with the intransigence of its own nature.
Going beyond gender, beyond ethnicity, these snapshots of ephemeral moments are an exercise in understanding the universal through the specific.
It’s all about merging into a fleeting, shadowy moment and tracing how it turns on itself.
Immerse yourself in intensely executed, abstract written art!
And if you liked the book and wanted to post a review or spread the word, I would be totally over the moon!
Sounds good?
Presenting The Book Cover For Broken Shadows (My New Book)
The book cover for Broken Shadows is all ready! And I am so happy to share it with you!
These tiny, intense tales of isolation are sure to wring unexpected emotion from you. That is the sense we have tried to convey in the book cover, a depiction of the solitary self as it faces its shadows.
Will the shadows break them or will they break the shadows?
That’s the central question.
Here it is!
What do you think?
Broken Shadows will release on and around 19th March 2016.
Stay connected with the release by subscribing to my Newsletter or add Broken Shadows on Goodreads.
Read and Review My New Book?
I announced my new book on the website yesterday! Yay! 🙂
It is called ‘Broken Shadows‘ – a collection of 12 curated short stories.
Would you like to read and review Broken Shadows?
Celebrating A Hundred Posts On Light Under Shadow!
It’s been quite a ride, hasn’t it? Started as a way to feel creative, like me again, Light Under Shadow was originally called ‘From Deep Under The Shadows’; exactly what I felt like, that I was hidden somewhere in shadow.
From tentative beginnings to finding validation for being all that I can be, to this amazing milestone, of a 100 blog posts! It’s been a blessing to be a part of the WordPress blogging community for all these years!
I want to thank you for daily doses of inspiration and soulfulness and for the amazing support you have shown this whimsical little blog of mine.
Let’s take a walk down memory lane with a recap of a few noteworthy posts:
3 Most Visited:
Waterfall of Overflowing Flowers
3 Most ‘Liked’
The Circular Thoughts of My Writing Mind
3 Most Commented:
A Beautiful Send-off From the Bengal Sky
A Few Personal Favorites:
A Photographic Memory (A Flash Fiction Piece)
Since… [A Short, Fictional Poem]
I hope to see you here for the next hundred posts! 🙂
Comfort Reading
Comfort Reading
When I’m stressed or sad or I want to soften my sense of self, I read Eva Ibbotson and her books for grown-ups and sometimes her kid’s books as well.
When I want to regain my sense of humor and buoyancy, I read the inimitable Terry Pratchett and his Discworld books.
I call this comfort reading.
And as I wander into another round of comfort reading, I started wondering about this phenomenon. So here’s a question for you:
Do you practice comfort reading too? Is there a specific book or author you turn to?
A New Way To Approach Writing and First Drafts
Read all about a radical and effective approach I’m espousing towards tackling the dreaded Blank Page and the natural outcome of doing so – first drafts!
Catch the article on my main website:
The Challenge of The Blank Page and First Drafts
Excerpt:
Apparently (according to a recent blog post and book I read) one should just gush, almost vomit a torrent of meaningless words onto the blank page. No matter one’s state of mind. And then wade through the dross to mine a few nuggets of gold one may have left there.
But what if that work is being done elsewhere? One does not always need to spray the page with nonsense to arrive at sense, does one?
Read in full: The Challenge of The Blank Page and First Drafts
Let me know what you think, ok?
Want to Read an Awesome Author Interview?
Head over to my author/editor website! 🙂
I’ve just put up an interview with the author’s of one of the most compelling books I have edited so far, Exit Point.
Here’s the Link:
Q&A With Anil Goel : Author Of The New Tech Thriller – Exit Point
Questions, comments and thoughts are most welcome! 🙂
Countering Digital Noise With Books
Countering Digital Noise
If your mind is buzzing with digital noise, just pick-up a physical book and start reading. Paper Books promote peace.
The combination of the soothing smell of the book and the serene non-glowing pages with gloriously static letters will start to imperceptibly calm you down. You’ll notice your need for digital stimulation plateauing and then waning. Your heart and mind will stop racing and the words of the book will start-up a steady rhythm of deep, meaningful cognition in your system.
If you read a paper book each day, for at least 30 uninterrupted, silent minutes, you’ll equip yourself to deal with and even thrive in the digital deluge.
5 Life-Changing Novellas
The wonder that is Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
There is increasing debate and interest around novellas. Which to me is wonderful news.
Some interesting viewpoints can be found in the articles: Ebooks Breathe New Life Into Novellas and Paris Literary Prize Celebrates Unique Art of the Novella.
This reminded me of a few amazing novellas that I absolutely love.
These books have transformative powers!
They are:
- Jonathan Livingston Seagull : A tale of a transcendent seagull in search of excellence.
- The Little Prince : The heartbreaking, mesmerizing, soul-giving account of a stranded pilot who meets an intergalactic traveler in the Sahara Desert.
- The Old Man and the Sea : Dignity and perseverance exemplified.
- Mrs Dalloway : That masterpiece of one day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway.
- The Ordinary Princess : The simplest and sweetest love story!
And a special mention for The Alchemist : a wonderful metaphor!
I do hope that we see more and more amazing novellas being published.
What’s your favorite novella?
A Wish
Afloat on the Ocean of Books by Radhika Mukherjee
Lots of books, that’s all I wish for from life.
To read and read and read.
And fill-up with words and ideas and maybe – wisdom?
In the summer-scorch a cool book on logic or something light and breezy.
In cold, cold winter – a book like hot stew – engulfing me in the gumbo of life.
The rains are for life-giving lazy books of love and philosophy.
In spring I’ll start books of growth and renewal – new genres untouched.
And in the in-between times think of all the new skills and languages encased in books!
This decade of my life is dedicated to books.
Reading and learning and just a little doing.
P.S.: And watching all the dance movies ever made! 🙂
What about you?
Book Cover : Our Particular Shadows
Light Under Shadow is back with a bang!
It gives me immense pleasure to share the Book Cover of my upcoming book of Short Stories, “Our Particular Shadows” with you!
Tarrahhh!! Here it is:
Please let me know what you think.
Our Particular Shadows releases on 19th January 2013 through Amazon.
Read more about it on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17238062-our-particular-shadows
Books that Shape You
This is my preliminary list: (Just a snapshot!)
- The Fountainhead – Ayn Rand (Excellence as a philosophy.)
- Thud – Terry Pratchett (Hope for Peace.)
- Witches Abroad –Terry Pratchett (Pure fun and magic.)
- The Tiffany Aching Series – Terry Pratchett (And all the other Discworld novels.)
- An Equal Music – Vikram Seth (Excellent writing.)
- Red Earth and Pouring Rain – Vikram Chandra
- The GameWorld Trilogy – Samit Basu (Tolkien, Pratchett, and Indian Myth mixed quite well.)
- The Power of Nice – Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval (Good for a jaded soul.)
- The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho ( Pure Inspiration.)
- The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman ( Other books by Gaiman are good as well)
- Hitchhikers Guide Across the Galaxy – Douglas Adams (Too cool!)
- LOTR (Still Great) – J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Dark is Rising Series – Susan Cooper
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – John Le Carre
- Smilies People – John Le Carre
- The Little Drummer Girl – John Le Carre ( Le Carre’s early work is the best!)
- The Bridge Across Forever – Richard Bach
- Illusions – Richard Bach (Bach, is sublime.)
- The World of Suzie Wong – Richard Mason
- Angelique – Sergeanne Golon (Glimpse into a forgotten world)
- The Secret Countess – Eva Ibbotson
- Lirael – Garth Nix (A great series.)
- Hawaii – James A. Michener (What breath of History!)
- Life of Ramakrishna – Romain Rolland (Truly Excellent, a journey for the spirit.)
- The Discovery of India – Jawaharlal Nehru (Insightful)
*
Light Under Shadow 
