I set up this blog last year as a change from my old blog where I was only reviewing books and period dramas. I wanted to dedicate a space for my own writing; I felt that blogging about about the work of others was holding me back from my own …
In this ground-breaking collection, American Muslim writers sweep aside stereotypes to share their real-life tales of dating, longing and sex. Their stories show just how varied the search for love can be – from singles’ events and online dating, to college flirtations and arranged marriages, all with a uniquely Muslim …
Yasmin Mogahed holds a very special place in my heart, as I’m sure she does for thousands of Muslims around the world. If you’ve ever attended her lectures or listened to her talks on onelegacyradio.com, you will be familiar with how humble, gracious and affecting her words can be. Her …
“Discover the Best in You is the next best thing to having your own personal life coach” claims Sayeda Habib, a qualified and experienced life coach and the author of this book. I think I might speak for many when I admit that self-help books don’t appeal to me very …
It was last year (2011) that I heard about the Globe to Globe to festival; the moment I discovered there was to be a play in performed in Urdu, I knew I had to go. Despite studying Shakespeare at various points during my education (is it ever possible to avoid …
I don’t usually write about children’s books, but when I came across this awful book I just could not contain my revulsion. For those of you who don’t know, I work at a primary school, and quite often I have the pleasure of listening to children read. At times it …
I wasn’t expecting to like this book very much for two reasons: firstly I’d read Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist and since I hadn’t found it particularly moving, I had low expectations; secondly, novels drowning in themes of drug abuse, adultery and corruption aren’t really my cup of tea. After …
The Good Muslim is the second novel in a trilogy, and sequel to A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam (review here). It’s been twelve years since the war of independence, but the people of Bangladesh don’t really have much more freedom or stability than they did before the war: a …
‘What sense did it make to have a country in two halves, poised on either side of India like a pair of horns?’ When I first picked up A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam, it struck me that I knew next to nothing about the history of Bangladesh. Being a …
From Somalia With Love is Na’ima B. Robert’s first novel and is intended for a Young Adult readership. She tells the story of fourteen year of old Safia Dirie, a Somali girl living in East London. The story begins with the arrival of her father, a Somali freedom fighter absent …
