The Blog of Small Things

  Name :  What Women Want Author :  Ruhi Tewari     Year of Publication : 2025     Genre : Non-fiction, Politics     Rating : * 1/2 ( One and a half stars out of 5) The theme chosen for the book - understanding the female voter in Indian elections - is germane to the current political discourse but the author wastes the opportunity big time. The book is full of shallow generalizations, stray anecdotes (which the author somehow misconstrues as "research") and costly omissions. (There is no mention of Kerala at all which pioneers many women-led trailblazing local bodies). What women want is another thing, this book is not what Indian women voters deserve.

  Name :  White Hot : The Inside Story of England Cricket's Double World Champs Author :  Tim Wigmore & Matt Roller     Year of Publication : 2023     Genre : Non-fiction, Cricket     Rating : *** 1/2 ( Three and a half stars out of 5) Tim Wigmore, who recently authored a phenomenal book on Test Cricket, joins hands with Matt Roller to capture the journey traced by the England Men's white ball cricket team over a seven year period. In 2015, England plumbed new depths due to it's conservative approach towards limited overs cricket and the book evocatively traces the entire transition from also-rans to champions. The authors combine rigorous research with skilled writing to produce an enjoyable tome on a remarkable period in England's cricketing history.

  Name :  Tamizhaga Arasiyal Varalaru  Author :  R.Muthukumar     Year of Publication : 2026     Genre : Non-fiction, Politics, History     Rating : *** 1/2 ( Three and a half stars out of 5) R.Muthukumar plays three disparate roles of a storyteller, a historian and a Dravidian apologist through this hefty tome which covers the entire history of TN politics post-1947 in nearly 900 pages. The major themes of anti-Hindi imposition protests, Eelam issue, Cauvery river sharing, welfare politics are covered in a chronological manner while the main axis which drives the book is the electoral politics which threw up charismatic leaders from time to time. While the significant arcs are covered, the author's eye for interesting trivia needs a special mention. The book does not make any scholarly analysis of events but leaves such lofty tasks to the reader. Instead, it provides a kaleidoscopic view of events which are colorful enough to make for a...

Name :  The DMK years : Ascent, Descent , Survival Author :  R.Kannan     Year of Publication : 2024     Genre : Non-fiction, Politics, History     Rating : ** 1/2 ( Two and a half stars out of 5) The author needs to be lauded for his sweeping ambition of encapsulating the work of an era in nearly 500 odd pages. Every significant event associated with the history of DMK is covered. To avoid being called hagiographic, the book errs by moving to the other extreme - all it's criticisms of DMK are detailed while the deserved praise is rushed. The author eschews scholarship for chronological recollections and much needed analyses go missing. DMK is a remarkable institution and Kannan does not even come close to doing justice to it.

Name : Kanavu Thozhirchalai  Author :  Sujatha     Year of Publication : 1979     Genre : Fiction, Novel     Rating : ***** ( 5 stars out of 5) A blockbuster Sujatha novel which has all the elements of a runaway hit in the box office. That the novel was serialized as a weekly series in "Ananda Vikatan" in 1979 is evident in the (sometimes forced) twist at the end of every chapter. With some minor tweaks related to technology, the novel can still be adapted to a 2026 version as the core emotions are timeless. It is a sad denouement that such a novel could never be made into a movie till today. A movie version can still be attempted and almost everything will fall in place but where will we get a younger Kamal Hassan (The only actor who can ace the complexities of the protagonist Arun Vijay) again? 

  Name : Thaaragai Author : Tamilmagan     Year of Publication : 2016     Genre : Fiction, Novel     Rating : ** 1/2 ( 2 and a half stars out of 5) Sujatha, the heart-throb Tamil writer of an entire generation, passed away in 2008. Tamilmagan is an author who tries to evoke the haal of a Sujatha work through wit and pace. This novel is based in the glitzy Tamil film industry and traces the life journey of an aspirant actress. The regular tropes of casting couch, political ambitions, travails at a shooting spot etc are present. In "Kanavu Thozhirchalai", a classic Kollywood based novel, Sujatha evokes the absurdities and chaos of the film industry in a cathartic way. Tamilmagan falls short of mastering the third key Sujatha element ( Wit and pace, being the first two) : Emotion.