For avid readers, bookshops hold a special place in their lives.

Cohen’s book confidently deals with the comedy of the Jewish family.

It has made literary criticism—often regarded highbrow or excessively academic—feel accessible.

Studios seem to think female characters need to be glossed with a “zany” and “feisty” persona in order to be relevant. 

As I have grown older, my mind is calmer but it’s a void now, empty of any voice.

Here are some books that, for their various tropes and themes, go hand in hand and allow us to relish these July evenings.

I remember Ma through her books as well, the little of her thoughts and ideas that she could share with the young me then.

How did I get here? Can I unleash the wee bookworm that could devour books back? 

Purposeless reading can bring you relaxation and comfort.

Indian women cricket team captain Mithali Raj announced her retirement from international cricket this Wednesday, drawing curtains on an illustrious career of 23 years during which she established herself as the country's greatest female batter. Many cricketers around the globe look up to Mithali's career and Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana Joty is no different. 

There is no end to the pursuit of self-help.

As I wrote in “Motherhood—the story of a transformed reader”, my essay for Daily Star Books on International Mother’s Day on

What makes them my favourites, if I can’t remember the names of the engrossing characters or the details of the intricate plots in some of my “favourite” books?

A week or two ago, I came across an article by Hassan Munhamanna on Daily Star Books in which he talked about his struggles with reading books in their entirety.

Before I knew it, I developed a personal relationship with the book. I was glued from beginning till end. I read slowly. Sometimes I read the same section twice. I could not focus on anything else till I finished. The experience was psychedelic: an expansion of the mind (imagination). In the end, the second omen worked. I was out of depression. Ricardo was right: “a good book (or film) can pull you out of depression”. 

For Mahera help came not only in the form of relatable characters, but also the physical comfort derived from holding onto a book. "I've carried a book or a Kindle with me during the worst times of my life. It's like a security blanket," she told me.

The hunt for a good book in Uganda's capital is not for the faint-hearted; in fact it feels like a black market.

Those who read consistently exhibit significantly greater memory and mental abilities at all stages in life.