Readings

Just started "Empires of the Moghul" by Alex Rutherford. So far, it's keeping me entertained. I like historical fiction; if the research is done well, one can learn from it. This author seems to have done a good job with it. I love all things Indian - the history, the food, the people, the colours, architecture, art, fashion, music - maybe I lived there in a former life?! My passion for a while was reading about the Raj, a fascinating time in India's history. I was most interested in the experiences of women during that time, and there are some great collections of journal entries, interviews etc. to be found, as in "Daughters of Britannia", "Below the Peacock Fan", and "The Wicked Women of the Raj". Having had the pleasure of visiting India a few years ago, it's fun to read about places in books and recall seeing some of them. I also collect movies, both western and Indian, about Indian history. One of my all time favourites is "The Far Pavillions", based on a book by M.M. Kaye (another beloved author whose autobiography I can recommend). I also enjoyed "Jodha Akbar", a lush Bollywood production about one of Akbar's wives. It's highly entertaining, if you're prepared to watch 4 1/2 hours of it! Bring lots of popcorn...