Daily Star Books
THE SHELF / 2023 in Review
Some of these works have inspected the complex lives of modern Bangalis while some have traced the contours of our past often not examined. Here’s your chance to read some of the releases of this year by Bangladeshi authors, if you haven’t read them yet.
FROM PAGES TO PIXELS / Percy Jackson finally gets the adaptation he deserves
The 2010 and 2013 Percy Jackson films, despite Logan Lerman's charismatic lead performance, fell short of expectations, drawing criticism for creative decisions like omitting significant book sequences and ageing Percy prematurely to 16.
THE SHELF / 5 books you should read before 2023 ends
As 2023 draws to a close, we have compiled a list of books we think you should read that capture the essence of the year and prepare you for another vibrant year of reading.
ESSAY / The Palestinian crisis, Holocaust production, and ‘Maus’
This is part of a grand narrative that, offensive as it is, asks why the Jewish people let themselves be killed, instead of asking why the system enabled it to happen–the same narrative also exists in the cases of colonialism and slavery.
THE SHELF / Books that reinspire the creative spark
And on this day, when you are almost certain you will complete what you set out to do (hit your word count), you pick up that pen and flip open your notebook, and it hits you.
BOOK REVIEW: NONFICTION / Navigating the labyrinth of Bangladesh’s secular identity
The debate about the constitutional position of secularism in Bangladesh with Islam as the state religion raises one burning question, “Is the country undergoing an identity crisis?”
BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / Discovering something not-so new with ‘The Turtle of Oman’
The melancholic, tuned nostalgia of finishing a journey was being caressed by the soft yet upbeat rhythm of the journey coming forth.
BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / Human virtue questioned in the not-so-small things
At a time when everyone is grappling with financial instability while combating the icy spree, Bill is grateful enough to have survived another year with his wife Eileen and five daughters.
EVENT REPORT / Discussion on Munier Chowdhury held at Jahangirnagar University
In his discussion on Munier Chowdhury and his writings, Professor Mashrur Shahid Hossain hailed Munier Chowdhury as the “pioneer writer” of comparative literature in Bangladesh.
TRIBUTE / The futuristic post-punk world of Izumi Suzuki
More than anything, Suzuki shows that the key to being an alien is not to be outlandish but to be sickeningly more human.
REVIEW: LITERARY MAGAZINE / Explosive speculative fiction in the latest issue of ‘Small World City’
What struck me the most about these stories is the firm, unflinching, and confident authorial voice sneaking up on and dictating the reader’s thoughts, orienting them to feel sympathy for the characters no matter how unlikeable they are.
Is the whimsy in Zoya Akhtar’s ‘The Archies’ whimsical enough?
A rather random yet enjoyable song highlights how everything is political, from the lunch we eat to the way we dress for school.
The wisdom of innocence
These stories, whether in books or movies, not only provide pearls of wisdom for young minds, but even subvert the preconceived notion that wisdom is cultivated with age
Ink and memories: Revisiting the 'Anandamela' days
As a juvenile bibliophile, I used to see the copies as a delicate object greeting with utter care and affection.
Celebrating Rokeya
Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880–1932) was exceptional in many different ways. Born on December 9, 1880, in a sleepy village in Rangpur, undivided Bengal, she died on the same day, 52 years later,
Sultana’s Dream and the issue with feminist utopias
“They should not do anything, excuse me; they are fit for nothing.”
Book remedies for children from the shelves of CholPori
Every recommendation on this list is specifically aimed at allaying the common psychological ailments of childhood.
On the many flavours of horror in children’s literature
What do we make of the mysterious thread that connects these stories not by genre, but by an imagination so wondrous they leave room for an underlying horror, and the many things that can mean?
Love, loss, and hope in Tehran
Overnight, the saffron summer afternoons and evenings of dreamy stargazing tumble into a tale of grief, guilt, and pain.
A multidimensional look at the impacts of Islamophobia around the world
This book is an incredibly informative and well-researched introductory book for understanding the construction of Islamophobia in the West and its impacts on Muslims across the globe.
JK Rowling’s 'The Running Grave': A souring tale that clumsily rolls downhill
Review of 'The Running Grave' (Sphere, 2023) by Robert Galbraith
