Lavanya Karthik
Reviewer
Lavanya Karthik: Lavanya is from Mumbai, India and is a licensed
architect and consultant in environmental management. She lives in
Mumbai with her husband and six-year old daughter. She loves reading
and enjoys a diverse range of authors across genres.
Articles by this Author
Under the North Light: The Life and Work of Maud and Miska Petersham Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published December 13, 2012
- GENERAL NON-FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Lawrence Webster
Publisher: WoodstockArts
ISBN-10: 0967926866
ISBN-13: 978-0967926865
The Perils of Sherlock Holmes : Short Stories Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published November 7, 2012
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Loren D. Estleman
Publisher: Tyrus Books
ISBN: 10: 1-4405-4520-0 (Kindle)
Dead Mann Running (A Hessius Mann Novel) Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published October 4, 2012
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Stefan Petrucha
Publisher: RoC Books
ISBN: 978-0-451-46474-3
Thy Fearful Symmetry Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published October 4, 2012
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Richard Wright
ASIN: B008ZBRQ8U (Kindle edition)
Poopendous! Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published October 4, 2012
- Childrens & Young Adults
Author: Artie Bennett
Illustrator: Mike Moran
Publisher: Blue Apple Books
ISBN: 978-160905190-7
That Book about Harvard: Surviving the World’s Most Famous University, One Embarrassment at a Time – A Memoir Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published August 23, 2012
- Biographies & Memoirs
Author: Eric Kester
Publisher: Sourcebooks
ISBN-13: 978 -1-4022-6750-5
Swan’s Landing : a Webb Sawyer Mystery Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published August 10, 2012
- Crime & Mystery
Publisher: White Heron Press
ISBN: 978 1 475285352
The Sadness of the Samurai Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published July 13, 2012
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Victor del Arbol
(Translated by Mara Lethem)
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
ISBN-13: 978-0-8050-9475-6
The Case of Blackbeard’s Treasure: The Adventures of Quinn Higgins Boy Detective Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published July 13, 2012
- Childrens & Young Adults
Author: Douglas Quinn
Publisher: White Heron Press
ISBN: 9 781470 093365
The Adventures of Summer McPhee of Ocracoke Island--The Midnight Skulker Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published July 13, 2012
- Childrens & Young Adults
Author: Douglas Quinn
Publisher: White Heron Press
ISBN: 9 781470 181260
The Pocket Paper Engineer : How to Make Pop-Ups Step –by-Step, Volume 3: V-Folds Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published July 3, 2012
- Arts & Crafts Books
Author: Carol Barton
Publisher: Popular Kinetics Press
ISBN:- 978-0-9627752-3-9
Matinicus: An Island Mystery Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published June 21, 2012
- Crime & Mystery
Author: Darcy Scott
Publisher: Turtle Pond Press
ISBN-13: 978-1-936447-23-7
E-book editions: Kindle, Smashwords
The Absurd Adventures of Mira Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published June 4, 2012
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
ISBN: 978-1-61296-108-8
Bronto and the Pterodactyl Eggs Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published March 27, 2012
- Childrens & Young Adults
Authored and Illustrated by Charlotte Vivian Rodenberg
Publisher: Craigmore Creations
ISBN: 978- 0 -9844422- 4- 9
The Hypnotist Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published January 10, 2012
- Crime & Mystery
Author: Gordon Snider
Publisher: Helm Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9841397-3-6
Affairs of Steak (A White House Chef Mystery) Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published January 10, 2012
- Crime & Mystery
Author: Julie Hyzy
Berkley Prime Crime
ISBN: 978-0-425-24583-5
Isadora Daystar Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published January 10, 2012
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: P. I. Barrington
Publisher: Smashwords (e-book)
ASIN: B0066GOCT2
Adam’s Crayons Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published December 6, 2011
- Childrens & Young Adults
Author: Niki Leopold
Illustrator: Barry and Laini Nemett
Publisher: Galileo Books
ISBN: 978-0-9817519-1-7
The Boy who Flew with Eagles Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published December 6, 2011
- Childrens & Young Adults
Author: Ben Woodard
Box of Rocks : A Maggie Gorski Mystery Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published December 6, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Publisher: Adoro Books
ISBN: 978-0-615-49797-6
Dead Mann Walking Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published November 24, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
ISBN: 978-0-451-46421-7
Earth Cell: Book 1 of The Ux-Blood Trilogy Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published November 24, 2011
- Fantasy
Author: Charles Brass
ISBN: 978-1935795-85-8
Miss Timmins’ School for Girls Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published July 27, 2011
- Crime & Mystery
ISBN: 978-0-06-199774-7
Right Where You Are Now Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published July 27, 2011
- Childrens & Young Adults
Publisher: Craigmore Creations
ISBN: 978-0-9844422-2-5
(S)mythology: A Novel Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published July 3, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
ISBN: 978-0-9830906-0-1
The Herring in the Library Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published July 3, 2011
- Crime & Mystery
ISBN: 978-1-934609-76-7
Partitions Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published July 3, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9395-7
These Strange Worlds: Fourteen Dark Tales Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published June 9, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Daniel Powell
Publisher: Distillations Press
ISBN: 9780615475219
The Floundering Time Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published June 9, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
ISBN: 978-1-59362-211-4
Vicki Delany's Among the Departed Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published April 30, 2011
- Crime & Mystery
Author: Vicki Delany
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
ISBN: 978-1-59058-889-5
Jean Thompson's The Year We Left Home Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published April 30, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Jean Thompson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 978-1-4391-7588-0
E.P. Marcellin's Element Keepers: Whispers of the Wind Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published April 25, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Publisher: Tate Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-61663-658-6
Maureen Seaberg's Tasting the Universe : People Who See Colors in Words and Rainbows in Symphonies Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published April 20, 2011
- Psychology
Author: Maureen Seaberg
Publisher: New Page Books
ISBN -13: 978-1-60163-159-6
Susi Wyss's The Civilized World: A Novel in Stories Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published April 20, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Susi Wyss
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9362-9
Tim Sandlin's Lydia Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published April 18, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-4181-9
Douglas Armstrong's Even Sunflowers Cast Shadows Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published April 17, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
ISBN: 978-1-4502-5873-9
Sandra Shwayder Sanchez's Three Novellas Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published April 7, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Sandra Shwayder Sanchez
Publisher: The Wessex Collective
ISBN: 978-0-9797516-0-8
Maia Kinney-Petrucha and Stefan Petrucha's Breaking Down Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published March 30, 2011
- Childrens & Young Adults
ISBN: 978-1-59707-244-1
David Shapiro and Christopher Herndon Terra Tempo : Ice Age Cataclysm Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published March 30, 2011
- Childrens & Young Adults
Publisher: Craigmore Creations
ISBN: 978-0-9844422-1-8
Karen Dahood's Sophie Redesigned (A Sophie and Sam Mystery) Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published March 30, 2011
- Crime & Mystery
ISBN: 978-1-4327-5344-3
Ruth Pennebaker's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published March 26, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Ruth Pennebaker
Publisher: Berkley Books
ISBN: 978-0-425-23856-1
John Hastings's The Drawing Breakthrough Book: Drawing made Easier for Everyone Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published March 10, 2011
- Arts & Crafts Books
Publisher: Draw 3 Lines Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9826202-8-1
Dr. Steven Manly`s Visions of the Multiverse : Do Parallel Realities Exist? Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published March 3, 2011
- GENERAL NON-FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Dr. Steven Manly
Publisher: New Page Books
ISBN: 13:978-1-60163-129-9
Ernest Thompson Seton`s Two Little Savages: The Adventures of two Boys Who Lived as American Indians Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published March 3, 2011
- Childrens & Young Adults
Publisher: Axios Press
ISBN: 978-1-60419-033-5
Clive Endive Ogive IV`s Private Clubs in America and around the World Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published March 3, 2011
- Humour
Author: Clive Endive Ogive IV
ISBN: 978-160844-013-9
Charles Brass's Terrorcruise Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published February 18, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Publisher: Clear View Press, Inc.
ISBN: 978-1-935795-80-3
Paul R. Ehrlich and Robert E. Ornstein's Humanity on a Tightrope : thoughts on empathy, family and big changes for a viable future Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published February 18, 2011
- GENERAL NON-FICTION REVIEWS
Kevin Brockmeier's The Illumination Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published February 10, 2011
- Fantasy
ISBN: 978-0-375-42531-8
For all its bleakness, it is hard to remain unmoved by this book’s raw and tragic beauty or Brockmeier’s considerable skills as a storyteller.
Rick Moss's Ebocloud Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published February 9, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Rick Moss
ISBN: 978-0-9831666-0-3
Ebocloud is a thought provoking and exciting book that I would recommend to anyone interested in speculative fiction.
Charles Baxter's Gryphon : New and Selected Stories Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published February 9, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Charles Baxter
ISBN: 978-0-307-37921-4
A treat for all devotees of the short story.
Sherry Linger Kaier's An Arty Adventure: A Young Girl’s Journey Toward Abstraction Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published February 9, 2011
- Childrens & Young Adults
An Arty Adventure is a great teaching aid , both as a primer on art and its reminder that art is about self expression and experimentation , not predefined rules.
Robert Jay's Montooth and the Canfield Witch Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published January 27, 2011
- Childrens & Young Adults
ISBN: 978-0-615-29645-6
Montooth.. leaves us at an intriguing juncture, suggesting not just new adventures for Carty and the Crew, but future encounters with old foes as well. I look forward to a sequel as entertaining .
Clive Endive Ogive IV's Murder and Mayhem At Old Bunbury Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published January 27, 2011
- Humour
ISBN: 978-160844-682-7
Katherine Branning's Yes, I Would...: An American Woman's Letters to Turkey Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published January 19, 2011
- Travel & Adventure
ISBN: 978-1-935295-8
A single photograph of an ancient building – the Gok Madarsa in Sivas – is all it took to trigger a teenaged Katherine Branning’s fascination with Turkey.
Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published January 4, 2011
- Crime & Mystery
Publisher: Vanguard Press
ISBN: 978-1-59315-617-6
‘Tis the Season to be deadly !’ the jacket of this book gleefully announces, and delivers on its promise too, with this anthology of short stories by some of the most acclaimed names in the whodunit genre.
James. L. Rubart's Book of Days Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published January 4, 2011
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
ISBN: 978-14336-7151-7
Fantasy meets adventure in this modern day tale of a quest for a mythical book, and the motley crew of troubled individuals seeking it.
Julie Hyzy's Buffalo West Wing Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published January 4, 2011
- Crime & Mystery
ISBN: 978-0-425-23923-0
Ollie Paras, executive chef to the most powerful man in the world, is back and what a soup she is in this time!
The Black Garden Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published December 18, 2010
- Horror
Publisher: The Patrice Press
ISBN: 978-1-880397-69-5
I do wish, however, that the book cover gave away less of the plot; the suspense that Mcfarland’s writing so skillfully maintains as his story hurtles towards its dramatic end, is undermined by the overly helpful jacket summary .
Take One Candle Light a Room Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published December 18, 2010
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Susan Straight
Publisher: Pantheon Books
ISBN: 978-0-307-37914-6
Straight shows us her ‘guapa’ too, returning with ‘Take One Candle..’ to issues she has so eloquently examined in her earlier books – race; prejudice; the burden of painful cultural memory and its crippling effects across generations; the weight of love, often as damaging as it is redemptive.
Dreadnought Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published December 18, 2010
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Cherie Priest
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 978-0-7653-2578-5
It is perhaps the sheer power of the machinery in this book that makes the climax a little disappointing for me – I thought the magnificent Dreadnought demanded a foe as formidable and inventive as itself, rather than the George Romero-inspired chomp fest Priest offers it instead.
The Damage Done Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published December 3, 2010
- Crime & Mystery
Author: Hilary Davidson
ISBN: 978-0-7653-2697-3
Publisher: Forge
The Damage Done is a winner - a gripping page turner, brimming with intriguing characters, gleefully executed end-of-chapter plot twists, red herrings and a finale you don’t quite see coming.
I, Emma Freke Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published December 3, 2010
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Elizabeth Atkinson
ISBN: – 978-0-7613-5604-2
Publisher: Carolhoda Books
Kind of Blue Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published December 3, 2010
- Crime & Mystery
Author: Miles Corwin
Publisher: Oceanview Press
ISBN: 978-1-60809-007-5
A book rather like the album it draws its name from - spare, moody and full of surprises.
Blood Prophecy Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published December 3, 2010
- Fantasy
Author: Stefan Petrucha
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-446-55599-9
In Blood Prophecy Stefan Petrucha succeeds in taking the vampire genre and turning it right onto its head, with this tale of a bloodsucker with a conscience.
Create dangerously : The immigrant artist at work Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published November 9, 2010
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Edwidge Danticat
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN : 978-0-691-14018-6
Images of quiet resilience that are perhaps most telling of Danticat’s floating world, of a country picking up the pieces of its shattered identity yet again – a country and a people undeniably guapa. And it is in the unflinching portrayal of these people and this country, in Danticat’s graceful and passionate commitment to bearing witness to their anguish and their joys, that we glimpse her courageous beauty too.
Quick Fall of Light Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published November 9, 2010
- Science Fiction
Author: Sherrida Woodley
ISBN: 978-1-936178-18-6
Science fiction intertwines with the story of a woman on the trail of lost love in Sherrida Woodley’s debut novel about a world hurtling toward a horrific apocalypse .
The Half-made World Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published October 31, 2010
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Felix Gilman
Publisher: TOR
ISBN: 978-0-7653-2552-5
Steampunk meets the supernatural in this sweeping tale of a wild, untamed world and the powers that battle for its control. Felix Gilman’s The Half Made World, part one of a duology, is an inventive rewrite of the settling of America, teeming with complex characters, fantastic devices and a dystopian landscape as compelling as it is unsettling.
Rise Again: A Zombie Thriller Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published October 23, 2010
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Ben Tripp
Publisher: Gallery Books
ISBN: 978-1-4391-6516-4
The apocalypse is here... and it’s got bite!
Little Pieces – This Side of Japan Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published October 12, 2010
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Michael Hoffman
Publisher: Virtual Bookroom Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-60264-605-6
Aside from the writer’s predilection with those twin themes, - Christianity and death by bludgeoning – elements that do not always justify their presence, Little Pieces is an elegant and well observed examination of the human condition
Juggler in the Wind : The Wand Bearer Trilogy Part One Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published October 12, 2010
- Childrens & Young Adults
Authors: Wim Coleman and Pat Perrin
Publisher: Chiron Books
ISBN: 978-1-93517807-1
And then there was one Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published October 6, 2010
- Crime & Mystery
ISBN 978-1-933515-81-6
The Butt Book Reviewed Bt Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published September 23, 2010
- Childrens & Young Adults
Author: Artie Bennett
Illustrator: Mike Lester
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books
ISBN: 978-1-59990-311-8
Here is a book that recognizes that simple and priceless delight
The Shadows in the Street Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published September 4, 2010
- Crime & Mystery
Author: Susan Hill
ISBN-13:978-1-59020-408-5
Publisher: Overlook Press
Right from its rain drenched opening lines, Shadows... draws the reader into its bleak landscape
Lightning Strikes the Colonies Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published April 7, 2010
- Historical Fiction
Author: C. L. Fagan
ISBN: 978-1-60860-416-6
Publisher: Eloquent Books
The book positions itself at an interesting time in history when the idea of a free America is still frowned upon, and even the future fathers of American liberty aggressively support allegiance to the British
Precarious: Stories of Love, Sex and Misunderstanding Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published March 11, 2010
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Al Riske
Publisher: Luminis Books
ISBN-13: 978-1-935462-32-3
Definitely a book I will keep returning to
Welcome to Beeky Airlines Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published March 8, 2010
- Humour
Author: Seth Campos
Publisher:Mubby Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-9825417-1-5
Clinical, Brutal...: An Anthology of Writing with Guts Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published March 8, 2010
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Editor: Christopher Nosnibor
ISBN: 978-0-9556939-2-2
Publisher: Clinicality Press
Be warned, this is not a book for the squeamish or faint hearted
Men With Red Ties: Diary of an Emigre Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published February 3, 2010
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Nastya Polikarpova
Outskirts Press
ISBN: 978-1-4327-3590-6
Year of the Horse Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published January 3, 2010
- Childrens & Young Adults
For all the issues I had with the book, I must say that Year of the Horse redeems itself with a cracker of a showdown, a very satisfying solution to the mystery of the treasure, and enough tantalizing clues to suggest the possibility of a sequel
On the Edge with Coolhead Luke Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published December 8, 2009
- Childrens & Young Adults
ISBN: 978-1-4392-5983-2
A visual and aural treat for every reader, young and old.
Anna’s World Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published November 20, 2009
- Childrens & Young Adults
A heartwarming and thought provoking book about life, growing up and finding purpose
Rumer & Quix: The Race to Terra Incognita Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published November 10, 2009
- Childrens & Young Adults
A book to read for its interesting vision of the future.
Stretch Marks Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published October 27, 2009
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Kimberly Stuart
Publisher: David.
C. Cook
ISBN: 978-0-7814-4892-5
Be warned though, the frequent – and very fond - references to food scattered through the book are quite likely to have you bingeing as you read!
The Endless String Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published September 30, 2009
- Childrens & Young Adults
Author: Tom and Tess Hannah
Outskirts Press
ISBN: 978-1-4327-1610-3
An enjoyable collection for anyone with a yen for humorous verse
The Servants’ Quarters Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published August 20, 2009
- Romance
Author: Lynn Freed
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 978 0 15 11288 6
A small but deeply moving tale, voiced by a memorable narrator
The Magicians Reviewed Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published August 20, 2009
- Fantasy
Author: Lev Grossman
ISBN:978-0-670-02055-3
Publisher: Viking
A must read for its gripping premise, the fierce energy of the first half, and its frank examination of these flawed yet memorable characters.
When Women Were Warriors, Book I Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published July 28, 2009
- Fantasy
Author: Catherine M Wilson
Publisher: Shield Maiden Press
ISBN: 10 09815636 1 9
There are characters with potential in a compelling fantasy world, and I do hope that they find the adventures they deserve in the sequels to come.
Toxin Reviewed by Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published July 21, 2009
- Crime & Mystery
Author: Paul Martin Midden
ISBN: 978- 1-58982-492-8
The green Green Pear Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published July 21, 2009
- Childrens & Young Adults
Author . Manjula Naraynan
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 978- 1 - 4389 - 6957- 2
A Circle of Souls Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published July 13, 2009
- Crime & Mystery
Author: Preetham Grandhi
For the reader willing to suspend belief in the rational, this is an engrossing tale of rebirth, preordained fate and retribution
Raggedy Ann Heart Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published July 6, 2009
- Childrens & Young Adults
Author: Heather McPhaul
Author Heather McPhaul has crafted a charming coming of age tale in Raggedy Ann Heart, about a family struggling to get by in rural West Texas in the 70s.
Talking to the Dead Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published July 1, 2009
- Women's Issues
Author: Bonnie Grove
An interesting and readable book about one woman’s internal journey toward finding herself.
Short Girls Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published June 26, 2009
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author:Bich Minh Nguyen
A compelling read and a finely detailed study of the ties that bind us, confound us and make us who we are.
A Trance after Breakfast and other passages Reviewed by Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published June 10, 2009
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author:
Alan Cheuse
Publisher: Sourcebooks,
Inc.
ISBN:
978-1-4022-1516-2
Well-crafted, insightful and often profound, a book about finding not just beauty and newness, but also oneself in the journeys that invariably define us - even those of us travelers that are strictly armchair-bound.
Little Lamb Lost Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published June 8, 2009
- Crime & Mystery
Author: Margaret Fenton
'Little Lamb Lost' marks the promising debut of novelist Margaret Fenton, and introduces a new detective into the mystery genre– Claire Conover
The Box from Braunau: In Search of My Father's War Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published June 1, 2009
- History , Biographies & Memoirs
Author: Jan Elvin
Publisher: AMACOM
ISBN: 978-0-8144-1049-3
“Soldiers aren’t the only casualties of war”, says author Jan Elvin in the afterword of this engrossing and well written memoir. ” Their families suffer as well although their battles are fought later, on the home front.”
Slob Reviewed by Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published May 31, 2009
- Childrens & Young Adults
Author: Ellen Potter
ISBN: 978-0-399-24705-7
Publisher: Philomel Books
Watch out for one final surprise at the very end – a small yet wonderfully life affirming gesture that had me awestruck, humbled and teary eyed all at once. This is a book I shall keep returning to for a long time.
The Stranger: The Labyrinths of Echo (Translated by Polly Gannon) Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published May 17, 2009
- GENERAL FICTION REVIEWS
Author: Max Frei
Translator: Polly Ganon
ISBN:
978-1-59020-065-0
Publisher: Overlook Press
The Labyrinths of Echo, a
successful Russian series, makes its English debut with The
Stranger. Written under the pseudonym Max Frei, the books chronicle
the adventures of a young man of the same name in a mysterious world
of magic that he visits in his dreams.
Review: Strange Telescopes: Following the Apocalypse from Moscow to Siberia
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published May 10, 2009
- Travel & Adventure
ISBN: 978-1-59020-226-5
Publisher: Overlook Press
Strange Telescopes chronicles Kalder's journeys through post-perestroika Russia, Siberia and the Ukraine in search of four people who view the world 'through strange telescopes' - individuals that have created alternate realities for themselves.
Review: Project Anastrophe: A Sci Fi Novel
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published April 22, 2009
- Science Fiction
Author: George Karnikis
Outskirts Press
ISBN: 978-1-4327-2898-4
The word Anastrophe, derives from the Greek word for turning things around, and that is what this ambitious novel envisions for a planet ravaged by environmental degradation and the indiscriminate use of nuclear power.
Review: How Capitol Got The Beatles And Then What Happened
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published April 17, 2009
- Biographies & Memoirs
Author: Charles Tillinghast
Publisher: Outskirts Press
ISBN 978-1-4327-2924-051095
This deceptively slim book (under a 100 pages) provides an interesting behind the scenes look at the Beatles’ relationship with their American recording company, Capitol Records and, more significantly, with each other. It briefly chronicles the fortunes of both the Beatles and Capitol Records from their alliance in 1962, through to the band’s break up less than a decade later. As one of the lawyers handling the Beatles’ contracts at Capitol Records, the author had the opportunity to interact with the Beatles, and observe their business relationship with Capitol at close quarters.