The Whistling Schoolboy

And Other Stories of School Life

Ruskin Bond

I love reading children’s books. I have read adventure books, funny books, emotional books, scary books and also the books that make you sing. But how about reading one book which offers you all of the above? The Whistling Schoolboy And Other Stories of School Life by Ruskin Bond is exactly that kind of a book. It takes you on an adventure. It makes you smile, laugh, cry and sing. It also scares you, really, really scares you. Now imagine a child, your child reading this book. Imagine.

The Sea, The Sea

Iris Murdoch

Charles Arrowby is a theater director, playwright and an actor. He is a popular figure of the London theatre who retires and goes to live in a house by the sea in a hope of writing his memoir. While he is at it, we meet the real Charles Arrowby. We realise, just like a sea, deep down he is not what he appears to be from the outside. I enjoyed reading this more than any other Murdoch books that I have read so far. Clearly, it’s my favourite Murdoch book.

Red Harvest

Dashiell Hammett

Has it happened with you as well that a highly praised book just fails to entertain you as much as it did others? (How do you feel then?) Hammett’s Red Harvest is about a Continental Op who arrives at Personville to solve a murder mystery. The eerie description of Personville and the dialogues really got me interested when I started the book, but as the story moved ahead I began to lose interest. Perhaps it’s not my type. I am more into the noir fiction of Jim Thompson and Derek Raymond. They are my favourites.

Leave it to Psmith

P. G. Wodehouse

You can’t just read one Wodehouse novel and move on, can you? I followed Something Fresh with Leave it to Psmith, the second novel in the Blandings Castle series. Though it wasn’t as hilarious as Something Fresh but definitely very entertaining. The absent-mindedness of Lord Emsworth, the silliness of Honourable Freddie, the alertness of the Efficient Baxter and the confusion that Psmith causes are super funny. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

Crampton Hodnet

Barbara Pym

Barbara Pym wrote this book while serving as a nurse in the second world war. It’s hard to imagine someone write a funny book in such circumstances. But she did. Which is why I was interested in reading this book. It’s a decent novel on the then popular theme of odd romantic entanglements. The story is pretty much predictable, but still there are some moments in the book when you can’t keep from smiling. I would certainly try more of her books in the future. Any recommendations?