Indian Preview: Our Top New Releases from February

February, the month of love, heartache, accepting that your resolutions went out the window but on the bright side, salaries come early. And what do we do with our salary? We buy books! Here are our top 5 books for this month.

 

1. Letters to My Ex

Most love  stories  have  their  share  of  misunderstandings,  angry  tears  and hurdles – only for longing and faith to save  the  day  and  make  for  a  happily  ever after.

Most love stories – but not all.  Not  the  ones  that  end  with  hearts  left  broken, their shards lost under the weight of  all  that  is  left  unsaid.  In  these  powerful  yet quiet letters of looking for closure, Nikita Singh explores the what-ifs, whys and what-could-have-beens;  words  demanding,  with  grace  and  dignity  and  passion, a salve for what only time may heal.

 

2. Death at the Durbar

December 1911. India  is  in  a  tizzy.  The  old  walls  of  Mughal  Delhi  are bedecked, as  the  British  are  hosting  a  grand  durbar  to  celebrate  the  coronation of the new king, George  V.  Cooling  his  heels  at  the  Majestic  Hotel  as  he  awaits the king’s arrival, a bored Maharaja Sikander  Singh  of  Rajpore  is  paid  a surreptitious visit by two British  officers,  who  insist  that  he  accompany  them  to the king emperor’s camp. There, an old friend, Malik  Umar  Hayat  Khan,  who works for  Lord  Hardinge,  tells  Sikander  that  his  services  as  a  sleuth  are required, and ushers him into the king emperor’s personal chambers.

Inside is a dead nautch girl who  appears  to  have  been  strangled.  And  Sikander must find the killer before scandal erupts. With far too  many  suspects  with  very strong  motives,  will  the  Maharaja  be  able  to  solve  the  case   and   save   the Durbar from ruin?

 

3. 19 Till I Die

For Zaid from Durban, it was heartbreak.

For Fiona, who loves New Delhi, it had always been a dream.

Rachna needs this chance to step out of Australia and her comfort zone. Tia from Mumbai sees it as a ticket away from her over-protective parents.

The  four  find  themselves  at  the  University  of  Guelph  in  Canada.   Adventure awaits, and a chance at love lingers  amidst  the  crowds –  in  the  halls,  at  the bars, on the dancefloor. Some of them will find it. But, as with such powerful life-altering things as love, it’s not going to be easy.

It’s too late to turn back to the  drab,  safe  and  predictable  lives  they  left  behind. Might as well  buckle  up  and  hold  on  tight  as  they  brace  themselves  for  the  ride of their lives.

 

4. Karamchari

You who stand in a queue, who try to board  a  running  local,  who  tolerate  your boss’s snide remarks and the  trials   and  tribulations   of   marital   life –  you  still manage to discuss politics with enthusiasm,  to  finish  a  game  of  cards,  to  laugh and to make others laugh … You are a true karmachari.

A collection  of  unforgettable  short  stories  about  ordinary  people,  Karmachari  is a mirror  held  up  to  society.  Set  in  suburban  Mumbai  of  the  1970s,  yet universal, it is peopled by characters we  might  meet  in  real  life.  They  come alive  under  V.P.  Kale’s  sharp  but  compassionate  gaze,  and  prod  us  gently towards a world of greater kindness and understanding.

 

5. My Last Love Story

Simi Desai is thirty years  old  and  her  husband  is  dying  of  cancer.  He  has  two last wishes in his final  months:  first,  that  she’ll  have  his  baby  so  that  a  piece  of him lives on and, second, that she’ll reconcile with her  old  flame  Zayaan,  their mutual best friend.

Over the course of  their  last  summer  together,  Simi’s  husband  plans  a  series  of big and small adventures for this unlikely trio, designed to help them say their goodbyes and to prove to  Simi  that  it’s  okay  to  move  on  without  him –  and  even find love again.

Beautiful and poignant, Falguni Kothari’s My Last  Love  Story  will  pull  your heartstrings as only unforgettable love stories can.