Suroor Alikhan
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suroora.bsky.social
Suroor Alikhan
@suroora.bsky.social
100 followers 81 following 210 posts
Book blogger, book addict, amateur photographer, lover of music, stories and language, and incorrigible dreamer. Blog at talking-about-books.com. Also write reviews of travel books by women for Women on the Road.
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suroora.bsky.social
This week's #bookreview: Tarquin Hall's latest Vish Puri book, The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck. Puri is headed to London to receive an award, but get embroiled in an attempt to bring a fugitive back to India. Very enjoyable.
talking-about-books.com/2026/02/07/t...
The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck: Tarquin Hall
Published by Severn House, 2025, 214 pages Most Private Investigator Vish Puri is getting ready to go to London to receive the International Detective of the Year award. He and his wife Rumpi are l…
talking-about-books.com
February 7, 2026 at 9:33 PM
suroora.bsky.social
Go Girl!: The Black Woman’s Book of Travel & Adventure, compiled by Elaine Lee, is a compilation of 52 pieces by Black women travellers. Thoroughly enjoyable.
#travelwriting
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/02/06/g...
Go, Girl! The Black Woman’s Book of Travel & Adventure: Compiled by Elaine Lee
Published by The Eighth Mountain Press, 1997, 368 pages Elaine Lee is an African-American woman who has made travel a way of life. Her compilation of 52 pieces of travel writing by African-American…
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
February 6, 2026 at 5:45 PM
suroora.bsky.social
"There are some stories that you carry with you for years, that roll around like tiny marbles in your head, waiting for the right time to emerge and assume a life of their own." I interviewed Krishna Candeth on his novel, films and poetry.
talking-about-books.com/2026/02/05/w...
#authorinterview
Weaving Stories: An Interview with Krishna Candeth
Krishna Candeth is an Indian writer, poet and filmmaker. His first novel, All Stray Dogs Go To Heaven, was published in 2023. Before going to New York to study filmmaking at Columbia University, he…
talking-about-books.com
February 5, 2026 at 11:34 AM
suroora.bsky.social
The best way to get to know a place is by living there. That is what Frances Mayes sets out to do. She and her husband live in several Mediterranean countries and, for a short time, become part of the community. #travelbooks
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/02/03/a...
A Year in the World—Journeys of a Passionate Traveller: Frances Mayes
Published by Broadway, 2006, 448 pages “How do place and character intertwine? Could I feel at home here? What is home to those around me? Who are they in their homes, those mysterious others?” To …
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
February 3, 2026 at 12:09 PM
suroora.bsky.social
This week's #bookreview: Gordon Buchanan's memoir, In the Hide. I envy his job: he gets to hang out with wolves and bears. Fascinating to read about the man behind the camera: his childhood in Scotland, his first assignment in Sierra Leone and much more.
talking-about-books.com/2026/01/31/i...
In the Hide—How the Natural World Saved My Life: Gordon Buchanan
Written with Will MillardPublished by Witness Books, 2025, 312 pages “When I was young, if you had granted me one wish, I probably would have chosen to be invisible. If I was invisible, I rationali…
talking-about-books.com
January 31, 2026 at 8:46 PM
suroora.bsky.social
What is it like to live in one of the happiest countries in the world? Helen Russell moves to #Denmark with her husband and discovers what living the Danish way means.
@mshelenrussell.bsky.social
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/01/30/t...
The Year of Living Danishly—Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country: Helen Russell
Published by Icon Books, 2015, 368 pages Helen Russell lived in London, working crazy hours with hardly any time off. When her partner is offered a job at Lego in Jutland, Denmark, they realize tha…
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
January 30, 2026 at 9:19 AM
suroora.bsky.social
A memoir of a dancer who spends six months in Cuba in the 1970s at a dance school. A vivid picture of a country: the effort to bring in a sugarcane harvest of 10 million tons, and the everyday lives of the people.
#cuba #travelbooks
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/01/27/d...
Dancing with Cuba—A Memoir of the Revolution: Alma Guillermoprieto
Published by Pantheon, 2004, 290 pages Alma Guillermoprieto is a Mexican journalist who started out wanting to be a dancer. As a young woman, she trained in New York and then spent six months in&nb…
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
January 27, 2026 at 6:33 PM
suroora.bsky.social
This week's #bookreview: Why Did You Come Back Every Summer by Belén López Peiró, autofiction about being sexually abuse and going public about it. Told through a multiplicity of voices, which gives the novel depth and nuance. @charcopress.com
talking-about-books.com/2026/01/24/w...
Why Did You Come Back Every Summer: Belén López Peiró
Translated from Spanish by Maureen ShaughnessyPublished by Charco Press, 2024, 188 pages. Original version published in 2021. “So then, why did you come back every summer? Do you like to suffer? Wh…
talking-about-books.com
January 24, 2026 at 5:43 PM
suroora.bsky.social
"I’ve never been interested in writing crime novels for the sake of weaving a sensational plot. It’s Indian culture, with all its variety and extraordinary history that keeps me engaged."
I interviewed Tarquin Hall, author of the Vish Puri novels.
talking-about-books.com/2026/01/23/a...
#interview
A Detective in Modern India: An Interview with Tarquin Hall
Tarquin Hall is a British author and journalist. He has written six crime novels featuring Vish Puri (The Case of the Missing Servant, 2009; The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing, 2010; The Case of…
talking-about-books.com
January 23, 2026 at 4:44 PM
suroora.bsky.social
The Hyderabad Literary Festival starts tomorrow!

Coming up: sessions with #journalists, #filmmakers and #writers, about stories that push back: against control, forgetting, and the comfort of simple truths.

@parodevi.bsky.social @dhanyarajendran.bsky.social
#literaryfestival #exile
January 23, 2026 at 1:47 PM
suroora.bsky.social
A woman whose marriage is breaking up goes travelling and finds she loves travelling solo. A book about discovering the world and its riches.
#travelbooks #travelbooksbywomen #indonesia #mexico
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/01/23/t...
Tales of a Female Nomad—Living at Large in the World: Rita Golden Gelman
Published by Crown, 2001, 320 pages When her marriage starts to disintegrate, Rita Golden Gelman decides to go to Mexico on her own to take a break and think things through. Never having traveled o…
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
January 23, 2026 at 12:10 PM
suroora.bsky.social
Coming up at the Hyderabad Literary Festival: cultural events with music and poetry, and remembering #GuruDutt, an icon of Indian cinema. Stories that are sung, staged and felt.
Register now! hydlitfest.org
#literaryfestival #HLF2026 #culturalevent #Kashmir #performedpoetry #poetry #hyderabadevents
January 21, 2026 at 1:45 PM
suroora.bsky.social
How often have you dreamed of moving to a new place, buying a house there and becoming part of the community? Suzanna Clarke did exactly that, when she and her husband moved to #Fez, #Morocco. #bookreview #travelbooksbywomen #travelbooks
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review/2026/01/20/a...
A House in Fez—Building a Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco: Suzanna Clarke
Published by Ebury Press / Simon & Schuster, 2008, 295 pages How many times have you been to a place and dreamed about what it would be like to settle down there? Suzanna Clarke fell in love wi…
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review
January 20, 2026 at 12:21 PM
suroora.bsky.social
At the Hyderabad Literary Festival: conversations about #Language, #selfdiscovery, power, #myth, and stories about #Hyderabad.

Register now and be part of the conversation! It's free.
hydlitfest.org

@laurainparis.bsky.social #literaryfestival #hyderabadevents #authorconversations
January 19, 2026 at 9:03 PM
suroora.bsky.social
Coming up at the Hyderabad Literary Festival: conversations on #food and #economics, #compassion, and stories of #Indianindependence.
Register now! hydlitfest.org
#literaryfestival #liveevents #hyderabadevents
January 18, 2026 at 6:39 PM
suroora.bsky.social
This week's #bookreview: Spirit Run by @noealvarez.bsky.social, a thoughtful and evocative book about a run through North and Central America as a way of reconnecting with Indigenous identity. It is also about migration and healing. @catapultbooks.bsky.social
talking-about-books.com/2026/01/17/s...
Spirit Run—A 6,000-Mile Marathon Through North America’s Stolen Land: Noé Álvarez
Published by Catapult, 2020, 218 pages “We continue to slip in and out of society like ghosts in the night, connecting our hearts and minds with the land and the many tribal peoples who cross our p…
talking-about-books.com
January 17, 2026 at 6:09 PM
suroora.bsky.social
Two new posts on Women's Travel Reviews!
Sara Maquis walks through Asia and southern Australia.
Ruth Padel travels through Asia, looking for tigers.
A call for tiger conservation.
talkingaboutbookswomenstravel.review

#travelbooks #travelbooksbywomen #WalkingAdventures #TigerConservation
January 16, 2026 at 6:42 PM
suroora.bsky.social
Coming up at the Hyderabad Literary Festival: sessions on animal behaviour, science of running and how the body carries marks as records and reminders.

Register now! It's free!
hydlitfest.org

@abhadra7.bsky.social #literaryfestival #HyderabadEvents #ScienceInEverydayLife
January 16, 2026 at 12:39 PM
suroora.bsky.social
Coming up at the Hyderabad Literary Festival, how a city speaks through poetry and stories.

Register now! It's free and open to everyone.
hydlitfest.org

#literaryfestival #poetry #stories #hlf2026 #kaavyadhara #storyweavers #hyderabadstories #HyderabadEvents
January 15, 2026 at 3:58 PM
suroora.bsky.social
Films at the Hyderabad Literary Festival, 25 January. Stories of memory and loss and interfaith harmony.

Register now! It's free and open to all.
hydlitfest.org

#hlf2026 #literaryfestival #movingimage #films #documentary #Kashmir #InterfaithHarmony #MemoryAndLoss #HyderabadEvents #karnataka
January 14, 2026 at 9:10 AM
suroora.bsky.social
Coming up at the Hyderabad Literary Festival on 24 January: a documentary on the lives of students and artists at the University of #Kashmir. Register now!

Kashmiri is the the Indian language in focus this year.
hydlitfest.org
#literaryfestival
January 13, 2026 at 11:18 AM
Reposted by Suroor Alikhan
michelemuse.bsky.social
January 12, 2026 at 10:15 PM
suroora.bsky.social
Poetry at the Hyderabad Literary Festival! Mark your calendars—24-26 January.
@rochellepotkar.bsky.social #literaryfestival #poetry
January 12, 2026 at 12:29 PM
suroora.bsky.social
My first #bookreview of the year: Percival Everett's James, a brilliant retelling of Huckleberry Finn from the point of view of the slave. Jim emerges as a complex man who refuses to be defined by anyone else. One of my best reads of the year. #fiction
talking-about-books.com/2026/01/10/j...
James: Percival Everett
Published by Random House / Mantle / Picador, 2024, 303 pages “My name is James. I wish I could tell my story with a sense of history as much as industry. I was sold when I was born and then sold a…
talking-about-books.com
January 10, 2026 at 6:40 PM
suroora.bsky.social
Coming up at the Hyderabad Literary Festival: conversations with writers. Mark your calendars: 24-26 January, in Hyderabad. #hlf2026 #authorinterview #books #LiteraryFestival #HyderabadEvents #hydlitfest #booklovers
January 5, 2026 at 10:01 AM