Etc.

This page is devoted to my other interests, like books and crafts.

Knitting and Crochet
My blog often features things I have knitted and crocheted, and readers often mail me asking how they can get started with these crafts. I only learnt to knit and crochet in 2008 so it is certainly possible to learn rather late in life! Many of my tips are geared towards resources in the USA because that's where I live and where I learned these crafts.
  • The first step is to (a) get a few basic knitting supplies like needles and yarn, and (b) get beginner lessons on the 3-4 basic stitches. For lessons, you can go to stores like Michaels, JoAnn's or Hobby Lobby or local yarn stores that are run by passionate knitters and are probably the best places to take lessons in a small and personal setting. There are yarn stores in almost every city in the US. Of course, if you know someone who knits/crochets, you can ask them to teach you.
  • If you can't learn find classes or a friend to teach you, you can learn through online videos (on YouTube and other sites) and books. A google search will help you find these videos.
  • Your local library will have many pattern books and knitting books, including some that are very accessible and fun to read. I suggest the Mason-Dixon knitting book, Stitch 'n Bitch and The Happy Hooker.
  • Get a free account at Ravelry- an incredible knitting & crochet website. There are many groups there that have resources for beginners and you will find lots of support. If you do join Ravelry, come say hello to me- my user name is Nupur (surprise!)
  • Start with a small goal, a project that you would like to make. I have been doing small projects and each one progressively teaches me new stitches and techniques. Dishcloths might not sound glamorous but they are easy and satisfying projects to make as a beginner. For instance, during my first phase of knitting, all I needed was 1 pair of size 7 needles and a ball of cotton yarn (the latter costs only 2 dollars or so). Once your confidence builds up and you learn the language of knitting, it is exciting because you feel able to take on almost anything new. Good luck!




Cookbooks
I tend to use food blogs as my go-to source for recipes and use cookbooks only infrequently. One of my favorites is World Vegetarian by Madhur Jaffrey, a collection of hundreds of meatless recipes from across the world. I love that Jaffrey presents unusual home-style recipes that she learned from home cooks. This book is full of fresh ideas. Some of the recipes from this book that I've adapted are Sri Lankan spice powder, Oriya mashed potatoes and Sri Lankan mustard greens.

Indian cookbook author Tarla Dalal often has good books, one of my favorites written by her is called Chaat. For home-style South Indian cooking, I love Dakshin by Chandra Padmanabhan.

If you want to get kids interested in cooking, I highly recommend Pretend Soup and other real recipes and Honest Pretzels by Molly Katzen.

Food memoirs
  • Apprentice- My Life in the Kitchen Jacques Pepin 
  • Born Round Frank Bruni 
  • Climbing the Mango Trees Madhur Jaffrey
  • Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise Ruth Reichl
  • Miriam's Kitchen Elizabeth Ehrlich
  • My Life in France Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme
  • The Language of Baklava Diana Abu-Jaber
  • Toast Nigel Slater
Other books about food
  • Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant edited by Jenni Ferrari-Adler 
  • Animal, Vegetable, Miracle Barbara Kingsolver
  • Hidden Kitchens Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson
  • Hungry Planet: What the World Eats Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio
  • Mangoes and Curry Leaves Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid
  • On Science and Cooking Harold McGee
  • What Einstein Told His Cook Robert Wolke

Fiction
  • A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith
  • Chocolat Joanne Harris
  • Haroun and the Sea of Stories Salman Rushdie
  • Jigs and Reels Joanne Harris
  • Like Water for Chocolate Laura Esquivel
  • Purple Hibiscus Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • The Art of Racing in the Rain Garth Stein
  • The Color Purple Alice Walker
  • The Complete Stories of Truman Capote
  • The Good Earth Pearl Buck
  • The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck
  • The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
  • The Joy Luck Club Amy Tan
  • The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini
  • The Road Cormac McCarthy
  • The Reader Bernard Schlinck
  • The Stone Diaries Carol Shields
  • To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee
Mysteries
  • Inspector Montalbano mysteries Andrea Camilleri
Lighter Reading
  • The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency Series Alexander McCall Smith
  • Baking Cakes in Kigali Gaile Perkin
  • Secret Keeper Mitali Perkins

Books by South Asian Authors or Set in India
  • A Fine Balance Rohinton Mistry
  • A Suitable Boy Vikram Seth
  • English, August Upamanyu Chatterjee
  • Family Matters Rohinton Mistry
  • Interpreter of Maladies Jhumpa Lahiri
  • Malgudi Days R. K. Narayan
  • Rich Like Us Nayantara Sahgal 
  • Tales of Firozsha Baag Rohinton Mistry
  • The Glass Palace Amitav Ghosh
  • The God of Small Things Arundhati Roy
  • The Heart of India Mark Tully
  • The Hindi Bindi Club Monica Pradhan 
  • The Namesake Jhumpa Lahiri
  • The Tiger Ladies, a Memoir of Kashmir Sudha Koul
Non-fiction
  • An Anthropologist on Mars Oliver Sacks
  • Angela's Ashes Frank McCourt
  • Complications Atul Gawande
  • Five Golden Rules John Casti
  • Freakonomics Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
  • Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid Douglas Hofstadter
  • Half the Sky- Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
  • In Cold Blood Truman Capote
  • Into Thin Air Jon Krakauer
  • Nickle and Dimed Barbara Ehrenreich
  • The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives Leonard Mlodinow
  • The Pianist- The Extraordinary True Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945 Wladyslaw Szpilman 
  • The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio Terry Ryan
  • The Tipping Point Malcolm Gladwell
  • Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood Oliver Sacks
  • The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives Leonard Mlodinow
  • The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World Steven Johnson
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