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”. 

This year’s Booker Prize longlist, the most prestigious literary award for fiction published in the UK, was released yesterday, with well-loved names such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Rachel Cusk, Patricia Lockwood, and Richard Powers making the cut alongside the critically acclaimed Anuk Arudpragasam, Sunjeev Sahota, Damon Galgut, and others. 

The past one year has inclined our lives towards a virtual medium as we work from home and attend classes online. Subsequently, binge-watching shows and films has become the premier mode of relaxing for many. For readers who cannot take out the time to sit with a book, their adaptations—particularly of young adult stories—can be a welcome solution.    

Karina’s experiences are conveyed with compassion, emphasising the real issues of gender inequality in South Asian communities. The fact that parents continue to force their dreams on children instead of letting them pursue their own speaks volumes about the family dynamics existing in our households. Karina is seen to experiment with various ways of coping with anxiety instead of seeking professional help. Her experiences represent the glaring lack of mental health care in our community, even beyond national borders. That being said, the techniques Karina employs could be a helpful resource for readers suffering from similar issues. 

At every step of her journey in the MasterChef kitchen—from her fried sardines with beetroot and blood orange to a date-nestled, ice cream infused paan and panta bhaat with aloo bhorta—Kishwar Chowdhury has talked about writing a cookbook for Bangladeshi recipes as her ultimate dream. In this episode of Star Book Talk, Daily Star Books editor Sarah Anjum Bari talks about food, books, and cookbooks with Kishwar Chowdhury.

To me, he was a weaver of stories from lands and cultures, all within Bangladesh, that I would never have heard of otherwise. Growing up abroad amidst mixed cultures and languages, Humayun Ahmed kept Bangladesh within me and in thousands of others like me.

The DS Books staff are thrilled about the return of the "Best Reads" series. Read on as we share our thoughts about the books, published in 2021, which made us escape into the most diverse of worlds (ones where the pandemic is a distant memory, if even that). While this list isnt exhaustive—it’s simply the books that have most stayed with us this year so far—it is complete with gut wrenching tales of heartbreak and wonderful stories of triumph, which transport the reader to the outside without requiring them to step outside our humble abodes.

Fitzwilliam Darcy. You know who we are talking about.

Getting published in 2021 is harder than you think. Take these tips.

Rumaan Alam is interested in contradictions—our presumptions of who should own what, in the textures of modern life.

I picked up this book while trying to find a good therapist in this dreary land.

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.

Ananya, one of the leading creative publication houses in Bangladesh, largely publishes novels, short stories, poetry books and children's literature.

The New York Public Library shared their top ten picks for the greatest love stories of all time. They can melt your heart, make you laugh and leave you longing for a tissue. Whether you are looking for that special someone or blissfully in love, these ageless classics know just how to pull on those heartstrings. So, jump under the covers, turn down the lights and tuck into the most sought-after romantic novels of all time.