Normal People by Sally Rooney : The Rawness of Troubled Young Love

When I first read ‘Normal People’, I did not immediately fall in love with Rooney’s writing. The hype surrounding the book was immense and as much as this story left me feeling incomplete, watching its TV adaptation, made it come full circle. It made me fall in love with the story and its characters. In fact, so much so, I ended up reading parts of the book again to experience it with a renewed perspective. It is only then, that I truly understood how beautifully Rooney has captured the tenderness and torture of first love between the words of her pages. She has skillfully woven themes of social class, intimacy, and insecurity into this best-selling book.

Continue reading

Author Spotlight – Shehar Bano Rizvi for ‘Virsa’

Author Shehar Bano Rizvi with her first book ‘Virsa’. Picture supplied by Shehar Bano Rizvi.

Shehar Bano Rizvi is the author of the internationally renowned cookbook ‘Virsa’ that has caught everyone’s attention! This book has taken taken the culinary world by storm and is nominated in multiple categories at the very prestigious Gourmand Awards.

Shehar Bano is the voice behind the well known blog ‘Diary of a PMP Mom’, which is a lifestyle blog and she writes about life, home improvement projects, recipes and many other aspects of Pakistani expat living in Doha. Along side she runs a successful photography business as well. A lady of many talents I must say!

I wanted to chat with Shehar Bano about her cookbook, and ask her a few questions for this author spotlight. I am excited to share what she has to say! A heartfelt thank you to Shehar Bano for taking the time and sharing her responses with my readers.
If you would like to read my book review of Virsa, please click here.

Continue reading

Virsa – a culinary journey from Agra to Karachi by Shehar Bano Rizvi

When Shehar Bano came over to my house for the very first time about seven years ago, she brought me two cookbooks. One of the books was ‘The Great British Bake Off’ and the other was a recipe book for ‘Sweets & Hard Candy‘. I instantly thought that was such a lovely and personable hostess present, as she knew I was fond of cooking. However, little did I know a few years later I would be holding Shehar Bano’s very own authored cookbook in my hands!

Continue reading

The Family Tree by Sairish Hussain

The Family Tree is Sairish Hussain‘s debut novel that follows the life of a British Pakistani family settled in Bradford, UK. The story begins when Amjad’s wife Neelam dies during childbirth leaving Amjad to care for his 10 year old son Saahil and his newborn Zahra. In his home, he is supported by his mother, Ammi, who is a caring and nurturing grandmother to the children. Amjad’s very close friends Harun and his wife Meana are just the support system Amjad needs and their son Ehsaan becomes like a brother to Saahil.


A few years later Saahil and his best friend Ehsaan are celebrating the end of university, filled with hopes and dreams, when an incident changes their lives forever. Meanwhile, Zahra has grown up to be someone who wants to voice her political opinions, and raise her concerns against injustice and pursue her dreams and aspirations.

Continue reading

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

Books about the contemporary immigrant experience has recently been on the rise. We have seen great books like A Place For Us, and The Girl Who Smiled Beads that narrate the American immigrant experience.
Though the central theme maybe be the immigrant experience, every story has it’s own narrative. Some recount the horror of worn torn countries while others about how they struggled with cultural identities once they immigrated.

My most recent read with this theme has been Etaf Rum‘s debut novel, ‘A Woman is No Man’ which portrays the difficult lives of Arab -American women.

Continue reading

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed


Over the course of the year I have made a conscious effort to introduce my children to more diverse reads. Encouraging them to read books from different genres, authors and countries has definitely had a strong impact on their thinking. If you’d like to see what middle grade reads we’ve devoured this year, check out the books about differing abilities and rebel women that we’ve read.

More recently I came across Amal Unbound authored by Aisha Saeed. First of all, can we just take a moment to appreciate the gorgeous cover designed by Shehzil Malik! It has henna adorned hands with rose stems held together in prayer for hope. It’s absolutely beautiful!
Continue reading

Calypso by David Sedaris : deeply personal and darkly hilarious

Coffee and a chocolate chip cookie at Tryst, Washington DC. 

I started reading Calypso on the metro into DC, and I wondered if people could tell what I was reading because I felt all my emotions visible on my face! That is the effect of this book!

His latest book, Calypso, is a collection of 21 essays about his family, health, mortality and relationship with his father and partner that form the foundation of this book. His stories are eloquently written exhibiting wry, wit, and sarcasm.
Continue reading

A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza


I first saw ‘A Place For Us‘ pop up on Bookstagram – which has become such a wealth of information on books! The author, the story and the imprint intrigued me instantly, and I pre-ordered this novel! I am so glad I did, because I wouldn’t have wanted to wait too long to read this one! Plus I always feel that if a book starts getting a buzz (which this one is getting), and I read it later, I am often left feeling underwhelmed. So this time I wanted to be one of the first to read it!
Continue reading

What Would She Do? Real-life Stories of 25 Rebel Women Who Changed The World



Are you looking for a book that packs a feminine punch? This one is it!

As parents, it is imperative to empower young minds (girls and boys alike) with books that showcase the women who have made a difference in this world. I recently came across  ‘What Would She Do’? by Kay Woodward and would highly recommend picking it up! This book is filled with awe-inspiring gorgeous illustrations and stories that would want you to savor every wordl!
Continue reading