The stories seem to get more metaphorical as you make your way through the book. Yet it stays gripping all the way.

This one is much more of an epic than I‘d thought it‘d be, going in. It tells a very human story, firmly rooted in the geography and culture that it is set in, benefitting from the author‘s own heritage.

This book detailing the past is more relevant to the present, than ever before. This work is revelatory and a page turner, too!

This is an ambitious and informative work. While it does have its own politics, the author has achieved the book‘s stated goal.

I couldn‘t put this one down once I‘d started. The themes in it and of course the story are both relevant and kept me hooked!

This one is a short read. But it tells a very important story of conscience and the heroism required to challenge the status quo. We must value our hard fought freedoms and do more each day to make the world around us a better place.

This one felt like all those around the world, who feel their worlds ending, were whispering their shared pain into your heart. This one is heavy and carries a message that should not be ignored.

This makes for heavy reading but it was always meant to be a warning - do we hear it?

This book reminds one of the importance of honest and principled journalism and how crucial that is for the defence of so many of our cherished values.

This was a fantastic, gripping read that tells one of the most important stories today and highlights the cliffhanger that the world is at now.

I don‘t know what to make of this one - while it encourages optimism, it appears to engage in a lot of idealistic thinking rather than engage with the challenges of our lived realities.

This one is not for everyone. It is quite long and at times tends to wander off, but if you stick with it, the story it tells is quite intriguing and the author‘s leaning on his own experiences lends it a feeling of truth despite it being fiction.

Such an honest, human voice, dark yet humorous. For anyone wondering - this is a must-read!

For a small book, the world building is immaculate. This is definitely a work you must experience even if sci-if isn‘t otherwise for you.

The need of the hour: “…address the needs of everyone in society, especially those who are worst off.”

A timely reminder that, democracies are made of much more than the hard architecture of a constitution or our institutions and why we should cherish and protect that.

“In this sense, democracy ‘denatures‘ power relations. It gets people to see that things aren‘t fixed in stone, and that they can be changed, for the better.” - this one is a much needed wake up call for those of us that aren‘t pretending to sleep!

This was a strangely disorienting read, that I could connect with in so many ways. Do check it out if you can.

A bit long winded but quite the story, this one!

This was gripping. Definitely worth the read - offers a peek into little known affairs.

Tried something different. It kept me completely in thrall but did seem to meander a bit, at times.

Finally read this one. Felt like we were with Trevor on this journey - there's so much here but most importantly, all so genuine! Please do check it out, if you haven't already.

Are we to passively hand over "the hard-won fruits of human suffering and conflict that we call the democratic prospect and the achievements of the individual as a source of autonomous moral judgement"? There is a lot to think about in this one. Please read!

It's been a while since I last visited this one. Yet, its call remains as clear and relevant as ever. Remember...

This one was pending with me for a really long time. What an epic, almost biblical!

This one is very interesting and thought provoking but also strangely aggresive.

This is a piece of honest writing which encourages each of us to think of how we want to live and how we want to go. Furthermore, I felt it calls on the reader to really think about why they do the things they do. Excellent!

This book offers so much to think about and so many little bits that touched me so... I see it as less of a novel, though. Quite literally, as the book itself states, the author seems to have used fiction here as a means of transmission for an understanding of the human condition as he perceives it.

This one broke my heart.

As the world fills up with dictators or leaders that take to a variety of dictatorial tendencies, this book is a timely reminder of the lessons that were learnt in the past. Do we remember? Will we?

This one was so many things - a historical account coloured with fiction, a spiritual examination, a philosophical discussion, yet also a fun recollection of the mundanity of life. I can't wait to read it again!

What a different world this book is set in and it contains such thought provoking notions. For instance on begging, it "is a trade like any other; quite useless, of course - but, then many reputable trades are quite useless.".

It also contains interesting notions that could be instructive to economic policy making, for instance on cash, as opposed to charity / meal tickets, being better tools to fight poverty.

Been a while since I last spent time with this work.

"We do not have the ideal world, such as we would like, where morality is easy because cognition is easy. Where one can do right with no effort because he can detect the obvious."

It continues to speak sadly, starkly, hopefully, truly...

"To take nothing as given. To think intensely about what we owe one another, how we care for one another, how we shape and grow our own economy, what we take away from one another, what we give."

This book engages with an idea that we must think about and talk about more. Brave, fair and interesting writing!

Finally got around to this little gem! One should definitely read it and try to capture the spirit of curiosity inherent therein.

This is a clarion call - will we respond? Read, question, understand and decide.

I highly recommend reading this work. It provides the reader with a deep yet concise understanding of the motivations and emotions of the religion and its followers and welcomes the reader to question preconceptions and existing approaches.

This is one I've consumed every word of! What a revelatory piece of work. Anyone that can, must take the time to read this one.

A masterpiece. The author seems to have transcended human constraints and is possessed of an unmatched ability to spin an other-worldly narrative. Deep, incisive, creative!

This is truly an epic and an encyclopedic exploration of the human mind hiding in plain sight as a science fiction novel...

So many levels to this one, truly brilliant!

"...sometimes the best crystal ball is a rear view mirror.". This book is as much an invitation to be informed as it is informative. Fantastic!

This was an unusual choice of book for me - but, oh what a little blessing in disguise. Such an honest voice!

Over a 1000 pages of sheer brilliance! A well thought out storyline and absolute edge of the seat stuff all throughout.

Still living in Westeros...enjoying GRRM's magic back to back. Can't wait for the next season!

Finally got around to doing this. What a masterpiece - though, knowing what I did, I didn't want to turn pages too quickly...

"A man can be destroyed but not defeated.". Such an ode to nature (human and otherwise).

What makes us human? How do we value life? Queries that get a deserving treatment in this work.

Gender, Politics, Family, Drama - it's all in here! Rushdie sets about this book with honesty and humour. A genuinely human experience.

A tale that reveals our own personal struggles - all that talk of good and evil, all that mysticism, yet all truly human.