Reviews by Abhi

The book where we meet Isabel Dalhousie, philosopher and part-time meddler in affairs that are none of her business but make for good stories as well as whimsical and surprisingly funny inner monologue.

Is this sci-fi, fantasy, psychadelia or just a plain drama? I'm going to wait till it ends before I pass judgement. Right now, I'm just enjoying it.

Clearly inspired by the style of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple mysteries, the book has a very likable heroine with her constant inner dialogue and is sprinkled with surprising humor and wit. Alexander McCall Smith gives as much importance to the characters and their as he does the resolution of the central mystery of the book. The book starts out a little slow but it really grows on you.

This should be required reading for every human on this planet. It's not just environmentalist sabre rattling, it's a well thought out as well as thought provoking book.

Rarely does a sequel to a path breaking book reach the same heights. Pleasantly enough, this book is an excellent sequel to Ender's Game. It is only nominally related to the original and explores completely different ideas and characters, linked only by Ender Wiggin himself. Science fiction at it's best.

I've heard tons of praise for this book and it didn't disappoint in the least. Above all, it's a tale of human compassion. After all, compassion is one of the most human of all our qualities.

I'm not the biggest fan of Beck's music. It's usually good but it doesn't grab me. All except this album. Right from the first song to the last, it's brilliant. The music is folk rock blended with 90s alt rock and the results are great to hear.

This is the fourth and final series centered around the infamous Blackadder clan (all played by Rowan Atkinson). Set in the trenches of World War I, subtle anti-war sentiment pervades all six episodes. The humour is top notch, backed up by excellent acting.

My favourite book of Asimov's Foundation trilogy. His inventiveness and excellent plotting keep giving you surprises till the end. The climax is brilliant and I don't want to give it away. Suffice to say, the location of the other end of the galaxy is more figurative than literal.

Every episode (barring the finale) begins with the death of someone. How much more twisted can you get? As it turns out, plenty more. My favourite TV series of all time, perhaps.