Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt write chick lit with a twist: all their novels are retellings of Biblical stories. Their first, “Emily Ever After” was the story of Esther, and their second, “Consider Lilly” was the story of Samson and Delilah. Both are wonderfully fun and, in addition to religion, have the romance, fashion, crazy…

“The form the novel, with the narrator and his audience both acting as characters, allowed me to mirror the mutual suspicion with which America and Pakistan (or the Muslim world) look at one another,” said author Mohsin Hamid. Hamid’s recent novel, “The Reluctant Fundamentalist,” is written as a monologue, a very challenging style since the…

Karma, chance, fate, destiny, and providence, are the muses for a set of tales skillfully crafted by Rishi Reddi in her debut collection of short stories titled “Karma and Other Stories.” Set mostly in the Boston area, the stories vividly portray the interconnected lives of the local Indian American community, who struggle to balance the…

Reading Michael Chabon’s new “The Yiddish Policeman’s Union,” you can almost visualize the film noir to which this gripping novel pays homage–the down-and-out boozer of a detective, cracking wise as he pursues the truth; the mysterious murder victim, found dead in a seedy hotel. Cue the slow, sexy music for the sudden appearance of the…

More from Beliefnet and our partners
More from Beliefnet and our partners