the good book corner

Manuscript help, book reviews and author interviews

The Quilt by Ismat Chugtai

In the depth of winter whenever I snuggle into my quilt, its shadow on the wall seems to sway like an elephant. My mind begins a mad race into the … Continue reading

November 17, 2014 · Leave a comment

Doll Palace Stories by Sara Lippmann

They say never judge a book by its cover, but what first drew me to Sara Lippmann’s Doll Palace Stories was its beautiful cover of paper dolls that had one … Continue reading

November 13, 2014 · Leave a comment

Toba Tek Singh by Sadat Hasan Manto

A couple of years after the partition of the country, it occurred to the respective governments of India and Pakistan that inmates of lunatic asylums, like prisoners, should also be … Continue reading

November 12, 2014 · 1 Comment

Two Worlds by Ines Rodrigues

She offered me Turkish coffee. I finally accepted and she led me to her apartment. We lived in the same building: her domain on the ground floor and mine on … Continue reading

November 12, 2014 · 6 Comments

Interview with Tessa Smith McGovern

★What cocktail best describes you? Probably a Pimms – it was the very first cocktail I became aware of as a young teenager because everyone drinks it at Wimbledon and … Continue reading

November 11, 2014 · Leave a comment

Materia Medica by C.P. Surendran

Poems from Rapid Radio, a collection under construction Trade Names Mirtaz, Daxid, Zapiz. Days narrow like the magic eye Of an old radio. Nights short Like twitter text. At my … Continue reading

November 9, 2014 · Leave a comment

The Search by Susan Kleinman ; originally published in The Baltimore Review

“Sixty-seven responses!” Al Edelstein announces at the first meeting of the search committee. It has been just two weeks since Rabbi Feldman dropped dead of a heart attack and just … Continue reading

November 6, 2014 · Leave a comment

Alice Munro – The Master of the Contemporary Short Story

Readers expect stories to be easy to read and digest—after all, they’re short! Writers believe short stories can be taken apart like a radio to figure out how they work—after … Continue reading

November 5, 2014 · Leave a comment

The Railway Aunty by Mohan Sikka

From the anthology, DELHI NOIR, from Akashic Books (Spring 2009) and HarperCollins India (2009) Paharganj I lay in my dark little verandah, the space I occupied in my Bua’s flat. … Continue reading

November 4, 2014 · Leave a comment

Final Test : Exit Sachin Tendulkar by Dilip D’Souza

In India, cricket and Sachin Tendulkar are synonymous. I am not a fan but Dilip D’Souza’s book ‘Final Test – Exit Sachin Tendulkar’ made for an interesting read. The author, … Continue reading

November 3, 2014 · Leave a comment