Not having written for the first edition of the Wisden India Almanack gives me the advantage of writing about it. A cousin of the legendary Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, the inaugural edition is nearly identical to the original Wisden in shape, not as thick as it is, and is kitted out in blue and white as opposed to the original’s signature yellow and black. It is a treat. Read more

Deborah Levy, 53, had gone under the reader’s radar for a while. Her last novel, Billy and Girl, was published in 1999. And then, she zoomed out of as if nowhere to be shortlisted last year for the Man Booker Prize for her new, very short novel, Swimming Home. I’d been meaning to read it for months now, and I bought, as an e-book (because I was between books and wanted to start it right away) late one night last week. I had finished it by the following evening. It kept me up at night on the eve of a busy day in the office, but was it worth it! Read more

Gideon Haigh is one of the finest cricket writers at work today. His latest book, On Warne, is not a biography of arguably the greatest leg spin bowler of all time, it is an extended meditation on the magic and charisma of Shane Warne, the making and sustaining of his legend. Read more

Did you party well in the weeks gone by? Or are you still partying? With the official winter party season drawing to a close, I have for you a set of interesting images that show writers partying hard. Read more

I enjoyed many more books this year than I can possibly list, but the following – as with all lists – is selective and subjective. Books on the list are not necessarily ones that were published in 2012; rather, they are books I enjoyed reading this year. Read more

Readers often come to a great writer’s more famous and mature work first, and are then inspired to methodically go through the backlist. This entails reading early, not-so-great work after the great books, and this can be a complicated exercise. At the same time, it can throw up unexpected delights. It can also offer a wonderful glimpse of a great writer’s style being formed, a chance to see how his voice becoming more and more his own, and how he is appropriating certain concerns and themes for himself. Read more

Any new edition of Granta is a pleasure. This one, Granta 119 (Britain), is a revelation. Published, with a wry, almost diabolic sense of humour to coincide with the celebration of the Queen’s diamond jubilee, the outstanding cover designed by Paul Smith sets the tone. Read more

Ed Smith played cricket for England, Kent and Middlesex. After his retirement from the game, he became a first-rate journalist, writing not merely about sport. He also became an author. In What Sport Tells Us About Life, a book that was brilliant in patches, he spread himself a both thin. His new book, Luck: What It Means and Why It Matters, is more focused, and is all the better for it. Read more

I am not sure how well AA Gill is known as a food writer in India, but if you have not read him, you could do worse than to make his acquaintance. Read more