I don't live in a grand house with the kind of home library you see in magazines and movies. Every part of my home seems like a good place to read a book—a comfortable chair by the window, a side table with a cup of tea, the couch in the living room or even my bed just before I fall asleep. Looking back over the decades, I have realised that it isn't the furniture or floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that matter. It's the simple and delightful habit of settling down with a book, wherever that...

On Sunday morning, my wife and I went to Colaba in South Mumbai, as we have been doing for many years. It was a lovely day. The rains were finally here, and the weather was pleasant after two months of scorching summer. We didn’t have an agenda. We simply wanted to spend a few unhurried hours there, and spend them together. It rained on and off as we walked the length of Colaba Causeway, a bustling shopping street where shops and roadside vendors sold everything from cosmetics and ornaments...

Over the past fortnight or so, I watched three new films that could not have been more different—Michael, The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Project Hail Mary—and yet each was entertaining and thought-provoking in its own way, with Michael and Project Hail Mary being visually stunning as well. They were the kind of films that stay with you long after you leave the theatre. The best films—including the lesser-known but equally good ones—always offer something to think about and talk about. Michael ...