Tag: books

  • PM Khan’s recommended book is being made into a movie

    PM Khan’s recommended book is being made into a movie

    William Dalrymple’s The Anarchy, which Prime Minister Imran Khan was spotted reading on his way back to Pakistan from the United Nations General Assembly, is being made into a movie.

    According to a report in Hollywood publication Variety Magazine, award-winning producer Siddharth Roy Kapur has acquired the rights of the book, whose complete title is The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company. Roy Kapur, unarguably one of Bollywood’s biggest producers, has a plethora of hits under his belt including Dangal, The Sky is Pink, Khoobsurat and Kai Po Che!.

    Siddharth Roy Kapur

    Set between 1599 and 1802, The Anarchy traces the rise of The East India Company against the decline and fall of the Mughal Empire. It provides an account of how a provincial trading start-up, run by thirty people from an office in a nondescript London building, became rulers of an entire sub-continent.

    While further details on the film are still under wraps, Roy Kapur Films is reportedly planning a big-budget, grand-scale series adaptation of the book with yet unnamed international co-production partners.

    Dalrymple, who is also on board as a consultant for the project, while speaking about the adaption said: “I’m very excited looking at the initial treatment note, talking about the various ways to bring this book alive and to bring the characters I’ve been living with over the last 6 years onto the screen, so that everyone else can see them in flesh and blood.”

    Apart from PM Khan The Anarchy was also recommended by former US President Barack Obama, who listed it among his top 10 recommended books of 2019.

  • Librarian delivers books via drone to kids stuck at home amid COVID-19

    Librarian delivers books via drone to kids stuck at home amid COVID-19

    Kelly Passek, who works as a librarian at a school in Virginia, America, made sure that kids still have books to keep them engaged during the pandemic. 

    “As a school librarian, it is extremely important to me to have connections with my students. So that I can make sure that they have got access to the resources that they need and the resources that will allow them to be successful – not just academically, but also in life,” said Passek according to MSN. 

    Due to the remote learning during coronavirus crisis, it became difficult for Passek to be in connection with her students. Then she came up with the idea of a drone to use it for book delivery. She took inspiration from her family as they often use a drone service from Google’s parent company Alphabet, to get essentials delivered to their doorstep.

    So, Passek asked for permission from the superintendent, Mark Miear, to deliver books using drone service.

    To get a book delivered, students need to request books online which is fulfilled by Passek who then packs the books up in special delivery boxes and delivers them using drone service Wing.

    The drone service started last week on a limited trial basis, but now students in Montgomery County can choose from the library’s more than 150,000 books.

  • Duchess of Cornwall shares a list of her favourite books

    Duchess of Cornwall shares a list of her favourite books

    With everyone cooped up at home, there is a lot of time to do things that we have been unable to do otherwise like binge-watching shows or reading.

    The Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Parker Bowles, who is a passionate reader, has shared a list of her favourite books, in case anyone was looking for any recommendations. Check them out below:

    Meanwhile the Camilla and Prince Charles recently celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary. The couple is self-isolating at their Scotland estate, due to Charles’s testing positive for COVID-19 last month. The two remained separated until Charles was cleared of the virus and Camilla was assured to not show any symptoms.

  • 10 must-read books from 2019

    10 must-read books from 2019

    With the winter chills settling in, all we want to do is snuggle in front of the heater and possibly read a good book. Kamila Habib of My Bookshelf Pk rounds up this year’s must-read books:

    10. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

    What a brilliant debut novel. A heart-warming yet disturbing story of a young girl alone and abandoned, raising herself in the marshes of middle America. This story shows us the best and worst of humanity and is not to be missed.

    9. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

    The facts in this book were so extraordinary that for a while I couldn’t believe it was non-fiction. Every person needs to read this to learn important life lessons. The take away from this profound story is that no matter what the circumstances, the human spirit can conquer all.

    8. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

    Why would a seemingly normal, highly successful artist shoot her husband for no good reason? This riveting mystery is definitely one of the better thrillers to release in recent times. The fact that it would make a great movie just adds to the attraction.

    7. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

    This 2019 Man Booker winner follows twelve women as they navigate through their lives. It touches upon important subjects such as politics, feminism, cultural identity and orientation. This is definitely a very important novel for our time.

    6. 10 minutes 38 seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak

    This Booker Prize nominee delves into a myriad of relevant topics especially relating to countries where there is a tussle between religious fundamentalism and western perspectives I think this novel is timeless as well as timely.

    5. The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

    This mystery, fantasy novel explores darker themes of the occult and ghost stories. A homicide survivor tries to navigate an Ivy League school while battling her literal demons. A spooky novel is a must, every once in a while.

    4. Becoming by Michelle Obama

    This celebrated memoir of former American first lady is an easy, heart-warming read. The take away from this narrative is that hard work and persistence overcome even the most abject of odds. For me the stand out was definitely Michelle’s mother as the poised, patient parent. We could all learn some parenting tips from her.

    3. Normal People by Sally Rooney

    I love divisive books even if I personally dislike them. This book definitely falls within this category by evoking extreme reactions within the reading community. You have to read it to decide which side you are on.

    2. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

    This Young Adult book is definitely a must read. Sometimes stepping away from one’s usual genre is a struggle but a necessity. This is a simple yet relevant story about a young girl from a poor side of town trying to make her dreams a reality despite numerous odds.

    1. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

    This Booker Prize winner picks up from where The Handmaids Tale left off. Gilead is as stringent and suffocating as ever, yet the powers that be, can never quite quell the strength of the human spirit and the will to survive. If you are into dystopian/feminist fiction this is definitely the book for you.

  • BBC’s list of 100 novels that shaped our world include books by Mohsin Hamid, Kamila Shamsie

    BBC’s list of 100 novels that shaped our world include books by Mohsin Hamid, Kamila Shamsie

    Pakistani authors Mohsin Hamid and Kamila Shamsie have made it to BBC’s 100 novels that shaped our world list. The list features renowned authors from across the world making it a great honour for both the authors to be featured on the list.

    BBC, as part of their year-long celebration of literature, shared a list of ‘100 novels that shaped our world,’ which have been written over the last 300 years.

    An expert panel consisting of six leading British writers, curators and critics were part of the compilation that featured books that have made a large cultural and personal impact on a global scale.

    The list features work ranging from classics to contemporary writers from around the world and has been organised into themes which are: Identity, Love, Sex and Romance, Adventure, Life, Death and Other Worlds, Politics, Power and Protest, Class and Society, Coming of Age, Family and Friendship, Crime and Conflict and Rule Breakers.

    While Kamila’s Home Fire was listed in the ‘Politics, Power & Protest’ category, Hamid’s novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist was part of the ‘Crime & Conflict’ category.

    BBC’s list ranges from classics to contemporary, with works like Jane Austin’s Pride & Prejudice and JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series making it in their own genres.

  • Book review: ‘The Testaments’ keeps the reader engrossed till the end

    Book review: ‘The Testaments’ keeps the reader engrossed till the end

    The Testaments by Margaret Atwood is the much-awaited sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale which has almost a cult following around the world. The book was released with much fanfare and publicity and recently also won the Booker Prize along with Girl, Woman, Other. The reactions to the book, however, have been divisive.

    The Testaments picks up fifteen years after the previous book. Gilead is still the same; if anything else the fundamentalism and extremism has gotten worse. For some reason, all of the stringent laws mostly apply to women in an attempt to suppress them further. Which is probably why this aspect resonated with me as currently many cultures are receding into their traditional roots.

    Women in this military-controlled zone are merely instruments for childbearing as in this dystopian future, humanity has self-destructed to the point of rampant infertility. Girls in schools, even the elite are not allowed to learn how to read and write in the fear that they may develop independent thought. The male commanders rule all and they use older women called ‘Aunts’ to control the younger members. The atmosphere of suffocation and fear that Atwood has created is almost palpable.

    Read more: Elif Shafak’s ’10 minutes 38 seconds’ is thought-provoking, insightful and relevant

    Without giving away spoilers, the storyline revolves around Aunt Lydia, an influential all-powerful force to be reckoned with; Agnes, a young girl in Gilead who doesn’t quite belong; and Daisy a young girl living in the free world whose story has some surprising twists and turns. Each of these women are struggling with their own troubles and adversities in an atmosphere of extreme mystery and secrecy which adds to their fear and tribulations.

    Margaret Atwood

    Is this book as powerful as The Handmaid’s Tale? Perhaps not. I reckon Atwood wrote this more for the large television viewership that the series enjoys. I found it an easier read than the prequel but perhaps less profound. However, this is not to say that it is not a good book – it brings the story to a satisfying conclusion and keeps the reader engrossed until the end.

  • Elif Shafak’s ’10 minutes 38 seconds’ is thought-provoking, insightful and relevant

    Elif Shafak’s ’10 minutes 38 seconds’ is thought-provoking, insightful and relevant

    “We must do what we can to mend our lives, we owe that to ourselves – but we need to be careful not to break others while achieving that”.

    The main theme in Elif Shafak’s new book 10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world is kindness and tolerance, or rather the lack of them in this world.

    The novel follows the journey of a young girl Leila from her small rustic village in the backroads of Turkey, to the bright lights, fast lanes and seedy underbelly of Istanbul. Here she suffers unspeakable ordeals, but at the same time also befriends a motley crew of vagrants, all trying to find their way in this strange world. Each has a different story, a different background but what is common to all of them is that each one lives on the outskirts of society; never really accepted. Never really loved.

    Elif has weaved the story in the beautiful way she usually does. Her words pulse with spirituality and insightful meaning. She has taken up the cause of those who cant stand up for themselves and whom society shuns.

    What really stands out for the reader is that humanity and human emotions are the same everywhere, as is bigotry and prejudice even if they have different faces in different cultures. This world ought to be safe place for everyone regardless of race, religion or orientation.

    Do read this for all the various themes she has addressed and definitely for her prose.

  • Did you know reading is healthy?

    Did you know reading is healthy?

    We all know books are good for the brain and food for the soul. But what we may not know is that books are healthy for us in other ways as well.

    Unfortunately, according to a recent survey carried out by Gallup, 75% of Pakistanis claim not to read any books at all and only 9% are avid readers.

    Here are some health benefits of reading books which might encourage you to head to the nearest bookstore and grab a book or two.

    Reduces stress

    Research from the University of Sussex suggests that daily reading can lessen stress up to 68 percent, even more than listening to music, drinking a cup of tea or taking a walk.

    Improves IQ

    Books improve verbal IQ and stimulate parts of the brain related to language and memory. Reading also delays cognitive decline in the elderly.

    Helps in weight loss

    For those struggling to lose weight, adding a good novel to your diet and exercise routine could help. A study from Duke University suggested that reading an inspiring novel helped young girls to achieve weight loss within six months compared to those who didn’t read.

    Boosts emotional intelligence

    Reading boosts emotional intelligence. By reading and imagining a character in mind, it becomes easier to see yourself in a character’s actions. Beyond just entertainment, you find inspiration and empathy.

  • Happy Book Lovers Day: Five books to add to your reading list

    Happy Book Lovers Day: Five books to add to your reading list

    We all make grand plans to read more often. But time is never on our side. With the long weekend and holidays coming up, and today being Book Lovers Day, here are five must-read books The Current recommends:

    Beloved by Toni Morrison

    Toni Morrison – the Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winner and one of the most celebrated African-American authors, died at the age of 88 recently. Beloved is Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-known work. Set after the American Civil War (1861–65), it is inspired by the story of an African-American slave, Margaret Garner, who escaped slavery in Kentucky late January 1856 by fleeing to Ohio, a free state.

    City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

    From the # 1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love and The Signature of All Things, this one is a delightful read with all the perfect ingredients: glamour and adventure!

    Curfewed Night by Basharat Peer

    After India’s recent move in Kashmir, we feel you should read this book by renowned journalist Basharat Peer. The book is an intimate account of growing up in the 1990s in Occupied Kashmir. A powerful and haunting book written beautifully.

    Mr And Mrs Jinnah by Sheela Reddy

    Prime Minister Imran Khan read this book in 2017. If you still haven’t read it, you must. According to Fatima Bhutto, anyone who has read this book will have “admiration for the young Mrs Jinnah who—with great moxie—yearned and fought the entirety of her short, troubled life, for freedom”.

    Unmarriageable: A Novel by Soniah Kamal

    Described by NPR as “a fun, page-turning romp and a thought-provoking look at the class-obsessed strata of Pakistani society”, this book is a Pakistani version of Pride and Prejudice. A must-read!