We are 2 sisters -Misha and Maxine – and are occasionally joined by friends as co-bloggers. We share a passion for stories and all art forms in general. This blog is a chronicle of things we love – mainly books, but also art, cinema and shows, music, traveling. Beyond reviews, there will also be some musings or analytical posts on what we have been reading or watching.
The blog title is based on Nabokov’s book by the same name. We felt that Nicolas Poussin’s A Dance to The Music of Time (the header image) is congruent with the name and also with the life-stage all of us are in – a period of transition.
Misha
Misha recently moved back to India from Dubai. She has been a bookworm since she was 6 years old when she was introduced to Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tales by her parents. Over the years, from merely a reader she also became an addicted book hoarder (currently a proud owner of over 2000 books)– no cure has been found yet. As an introvert, reading and eventually other forms of art like cinema and paintings have been her guides and companions. Art, in all its forms, lets her inhabit other worlds.
Her first attempt at book blogging happened when she was a 20 year student, which she gave up as she entered work life. So here is her second attempt as she begins a new phase in her life.
When Misha is not reading, she is a Market Researcher, combining her interest in Psychology and cultural theories with application for marketing and communication for brands.
A small list of things/people that she loves: Classics. Literary Fiction. Book hoarding. Leo Tolstoy. Terence Malick. Jane Campion. Italian Renaissance. Italy. Mozart. Ben Whishaw. Period Dramas. JMW Turner. History – especially to do with Britain, Italy and Russia. Multiple copies of her favourite novels.
Maxine
Maxine is pursuing her dream course of Shakespeare Studies at King’s College, London taught in collaboration with Shakespeare’s Globe. Although an extremely reluctant reader at first in a family of bookworms, she started falling in love with books after reviewing books in middle school as a part of summer vacation homework. Starting out with filching books from her sister’s bookshelves, she has a steadily growing book collection. As an extremely introverted child, she is most comfortable in her room full of books, away from the hubbub of the outside. She is fascinated by how a stranger, separated, perhaps, by centuries and geography, could put the moments and thoughts that she had so frequently experienced in such eloquent words.
She was first introduced to blogs when she first started contributing to her sister’s first enthusiastic book blog. Currently, she is trying to experience London and its rich culture and history without being overwhelmed by studies. When free, she likes to read for pleasure (says the haunted guilty conscience of a long time literature student) binge watch TV shows, peruse museums (they are free!), and go to plays which don’t burn a hole in her pockets.
Things she loves: P.G.Wodehouse, Agatha Christie, Shakespeare, Classics, Feminism, Collecting books, Books related goodies, Michelangelo, Renaissance, The month of December (birthday and Christmas- two excuses to buy books!), Plantagenet history, Places with history, interesting and quirky facts, things that make her laugh (often involving bad puns), Historical shows, sitcoms, sleeping.
Her go-to inspirational quote (she is a bit cheesy): “I want to do something splendid…something heroic or wonderful that won’t be forgotten after I’m dead. I don’t know what, but I’m on the watch for it and mean to astonish you all someday.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Our shelves
(Due to constant hoarding, you will notice that we have been unable to maintain the aesthetics of the shelves with the books piling up. However, we firmly believe there are no better aesthetics than the sight of books.)
In Misha’s former home in Dubai
The wall of quotes in Misha’s Dubai home with her flat-mate who will be much missed, Priyam
Misha and Maxine’s home in Delhi
Speak, Memory 