Credits: Papers.co
Fiction
Mumbai is in a state of chaos. All traffic signals across the entire city have stopped working.
Shahwaz Ali Mirza, head of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, receives an anonymous email claiming it to be a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. He quickly puts together a crack team that includes his protege, IG Cybercrime Vikrant Singh, and gets to work trawling the dark web for more information on this mystery attack. However, a move to bring forward the hacker backfires, leading to a second, deadlier attack on Mumbai’s lifeline, the railway system.
Racing against time and investigating a case unlike any other, in Zero Day, Mirza and Vikrant face the most dangerous mission of their lives.
Almond by Sohn Won-pyung
Yunjae was born with a brain condition called Alexithymia that makes it hard for him to feel emotions like fear or anger. He does not have friends—the two almond-shaped neurons located deep in his brain have seen to that—but his devoted mother and grandmother provide him with a safe and content life. Their little home above his mother’s used bookstore is decorated with colorful Post-it notes that remind him when to smile, when to say “thank you,” and when to laugh.
Then on Christmas Eve—Yunjae’s sixteenth birthday—everything changes. A shocking act of random violence shatters his world, leaving him alone and on his own. Struggling to cope with his loss, Yunjae retreats into silent isolation, until troubled teenager Gon arrives at his school, and they develop a surprising bond.
As Yunjae begins to open his life to new people—including a girl at school—something slowly changes inside him.
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful, a girl who had everything – until she lost her life.
Hercule Poirot recalls an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: ‘I’d like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.’ Yet in this exotic setting nothing is ever quite what it seems…
Agatha Christie’s most exotic murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover to tie in with the highly anticipated film adaptation.
Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
The holiday of your dreams…
When Lux and Nico get the chance to sail to a remote island off the coast of Hawaii, they’re thrilled. It’s the trip they’ve been dreaming of their whole lives.
A tropical paradise…
Despite a dark history of shipwrecks and murder, the island is beautiful. But they’re not alone – another group is already there.
No one will hear your screams…
It’s not long before cracks emerge, and someone goes missing. Then a body surfaces, and Lux starts to wonder if any of them are going to make it back to shore alive…
A History of Objects by Carlo Pizzati
A candy box reveals a son’s true feelings for his mother. A fish sculpture creeps into a budding and healthy relationship. A splint on a music teacher’s finger threatens to expose a secret.
Objects can come to hold great power over life and the course it takes. This collection of short stories explores the nuances of the human experience as objects of sentimental value, nostalgic appeal or cultural significance bear witness and shed light on all that remains unsaid. A History of Objects expertly demonstrates the ways in which the inanimate are far from lifeless.
The first collection Telugu, edited by Volga, offers to readers a kaleidoscopic vision of the current literary landscape by bringing together the sharpest practitioners writing today. The stories highlight the numerous histories and identities that the writers have been celebrating or challenging in the last three decades. Appearing in English for the first time, these landmark stories form an exhilarating glimpse into contemporary Telugu literature.
Sorting Out Sid by Yashodhara Lal
There’s Something About You by Yashodhara Lal
This is not your typical boy-meets-girl story. Okay, they do meet, but there are some complications.
Trish is twenty-eight. She’s unemployed, overweight, single and snarky. She knows all that. And if one more person – just one more person – tries to fix her, she might explode. Sahil is thirty-five. He has superpowers. Well, kind of. He seems to think so, anyway. He’s also hot (in a geeky kind of way, but still). And he plays the guitar, helps the underprivileged and talks about his feelings. Aren’t guys like that supposed to exist only in fantasies?
When Trish and Sahil meet, magic happens. Real magic, you know, like fireworks, electricity, that sort of thing. But here’s the problem. Trish doesn’t want anyone in her life. She has enough to deal with – dependent parents, flaky neighbours, bitchy editors, the works. And yet, Sahil is determined to be in her life.
From the bestselling author of Just Married, Please Excuse and Sorting Out Sid, here is another zinger of a book.
When Love Finds You by Yashodhara Lal
Natasha is a badass boss. Just how badass? She can make a grown man cry, whip a team into shape, meet her targets – and she won’t take any bullshit. Period. Of course, getting the job done is never enough for a woman in a man’s world.
When it’s time for her promotion, she’s passed over for Rishabh – a smarmy rake who apparently has ‘people skills’. He knows just how to push her buttons and it’s driving her up the wall. Then there’s the very desirable Nikhil, whose quiet self-assurance and distracting dimple only seem to complicate things at the office.
With a crotchety old neighbour, an unrelenting friend and a tumultuous family history in the mix, Natasha is suddenly beginning to find that everything she’s ignored in the pursuit of success is coming back to haunt her. But don’t worry. She’s bringing her A-game. She always does.
Non-Fiction
What happens when millennials meet a mystic? An avalanche of queries and an unflinching stream of answers.
In this compilation of five talks from Youth and Truth events, Sadhguru fields questions that are quirky, personal, profound and shockingly bold from university students.
In a camaraderie bridging age, they adventure through a mind-boggling spectrum of subjects like romance and sexuality, loneliness and jealousy, parenting and education, career and business, politics and spirituality, artificial intelligence, racism, drugs, food, Yogic sciences, and god-making. Equally wide-ranging is the mood of the talks – from playfulness and hilarity to moments of gobsmacked speechlessness, dawning clarity and paradigm shifts, all infused with the fizzing energy of youth.
Here is a book not just for youth, but for the youthful in search of truth.
I Came Upon a Lighthouse by Shantanu Naidu Illustrated by Sanjana Desai
It was their shared empathy for homeless dogs that sparked an unlikely friendship. In 2014, Shantanu Naidu, an automobile design engineer in his early twenties, developed an innovation to save the local strays from being run over by speeding cars. Ratan Tata, himself known for his compassion for stray dogs, took note. Impressed, he not only decided to invest in the venture, but over the years became a mentor, boss and an unexpectedly dear friend to Shantanu.
I Came Upon a Lighthouse is an honest, light-hearted telling of this uncommon bond between a millennial and an octogenarian that gives glimpses of a beloved Indian icon in a warm light.
The Death Script by Ashutosh Bhardwaj
From 2011 to 2015, Ashutosh Bhardwaj lived in the Red Corridor, and made several trips thereafter, reporting on the Maoists, on police and governmental atrocities, and on lives caught in the crossfire.
In The Death Script, he writes of his time there, of the various men and women he meets from both sides of the conflict, bringing home with astonishing power the human cost of such a battle. Narrated in mutltiple voices, the book is a creative biography of Dandakaranya, that combines the rigour of journalism, the intimacy of a diary, the musings of a travelogue, and the craft of a novel.
Through the prism of the Maoist insurgency, Bhardwaj meditates on larger questions of violence and betrayal, love and obsession, and what it means to live through and write about such experiences – making The Death Script one of the most significant works of non-fiction to be published in recent times.
As Far as the Saffron Fields by Danesh Rana
This is the story of a state in conflict, told through the story of a single terror attack.
Piecing together the stories of several actors – from Umar the boy-wonder insurgent to Insha, the love of his life; from Adil Dar, the man who rammed a van full of explosives into the CRPF bus to Head Constable Jaimal Singh, the driver of that ill-fated bus – As Far as the Saffron Fields is by far the most definitive book on the Pulwama attack, going where no book on the Kashmir conflict has gone before. This is war at its worst, tearing apart families and dreams, leaving only mangled bodies and phones behind.
From Lucknow to Lutyens by Abhigyan Prakash
With a population that would make it the fifth most populated in the world if it were a country, Uttar Pradesh has undoubtedly been India’s most politically important state since Independence. It sends the highest number of Lok Sabha members to Parliament and has the biggest legislature in the country. It also has to its credit the highest number of prime ministers and powerful political dynasties.
Yet it has been behind several states, despite being home to bastions of some of the biggest names in Indian politics. With its clear and decisive imprint on national politics, UP also reflects some of its worst ills: from casteism and using religion as a political plank to manoeuvring for power.
From Lucknow to Lutyens tells the fascinating story of UP in post-Independence India and the intertwined fortunes of the two.
Comrades and the Mullahs by Stanly Johny and Ananth Krishnan
America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan was a historical event that left a lasting impact on both Afghanistan’s future and on Asian geopolitics. It also brought China into focus. This book traces the emergence of China as a key player in Afghanistan, and the evolution of China’s Afghan policy with a focus on its relations with the Taliban. This emergence amid the US exit is a potentially game-changing development for the region, even if questions remain about Beijing’s appetite to step in to fill the void and the limits of its ambitions.
The book will examine what Beijing’s interests are and the drivers of its foreign policy, and specifically how its new Silk Road project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is shaping China-Afghan relations. It will delve deep into the evolution of the BRI and how Afghanistan has emerged as a key focal point on the corridor heading west from Xinjiang. The book will also look at the Xinjiang factor, drawing on the authors’ travels to China’s western frontiers, as well as the internal dynamics that are pushing Beijing’s westward march. It will examine the rise of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and the terror groups that are leading to an increasingly securitized approach to China’s western regions and beyond, including with possible Chinese plans to deploy special forces along the China-Afghan border areas in the Wakhan corridor and Badakhshan region.
An Economist’s Quest for Reforms by Arvind Panagariya
In this volume, veteran economist Arvind Panagariya compares two Prime Ministers’ approach towards economic reforms-Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh. He shows how the Vajpayee government was almost relentless in pursuit of reforms and enacted them in all areas, save a few. In his opinion, along with Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, Vajpayee ‘must be credited with laying the foundation of the new India’.
A book that highlights the importance of economic reforms to the public and to policymakers, An Economist’s Quest for Reforms is an essential read to understand India’s economic trajectory.
The Freelance Way is THE business book for independent professionals. It presents the best available and fully up-to-date freelance know-how, compiled from hundreds of quality sources, including surveys, the latest market data, advice from world-class experts, as well as real-life experiences and stories from hundreds of professionals in different fields and countries, which makes the book highly relevant to freelancers worldwide.
In Skin Sense, expert dermatologist Dr Kiran Sethi gives cutting-edge advice on how to take care of our skin and fight signs of ageing, providing hacks that make for the perfect skincare routine. From serums and retinols to collagen and vitamin A, Dr Sethi breaks through the clutter and demystifies not only these ingredients but also the products and tools available in the market. She even shares nutrition-based tips and detailed meal plans that ensure you glow inside-out. For the first time ever, you have the secret to healthy, luminous skin all in one place from the specialist herself.
This book is the ultimate guide to healthy skin from one of India’s most sought-after skin doctors.
Shreya Sen-Handley’s Handle with Care is a blithe and zippy travelogue that chronicles her adventures around the globe. In tow, most of the time, is the ‘quirky clan’ comprising her British husband, their two children, and their dog.
Here are tales of the world beyond south Kolkata and Sherwood Forest – places they call home. From much-loved Indian locales like Rajasthan and Kerala to bustling international capitals like New York and Paris, from English idylls like Dorset and Haworth to the sleepy pleasures of Corfu – the journeys are described in vivid detail, seasoned with humour, and sprinkled with wise trip-tips. No matter how gruelling the trek, you weather the storms well, and while you’re about it, have tons of fun, food and epiphanies. Mishaps or not, one learns, there is always magic to find.
These are delightful stories that’ll take you places without having to move an inch!
We’re all familiar with the signs that things are getting out of hand. The week has barely started and already you’re playing catch-up. At the end of another busy day, your to-do list is longer than it was that morning, your inbox overflowing with other people’s asks.
At times like those, no matter how hard we work, it can feel like we’re spinning our wheels.
Enter Grip, by Dutch entrepreneur and bestselling author Rick Pastoor. This book is a fresh and forgiving guide that helps you get things done and free up time for what’s important to you.
A renowned grief expert and neuroscientist shares groundbreaking discoveries about what happens in our brain when we grieve, providing a new paradigm for understanding love, loss, and learning.
In The Grieving Brain, neuroscientist and psychologist Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD, gives us a fascinating new window into one of the hallmark experiences of being human. O’Connor has devoted decades to researching the effects of grief on the brain, and in this book, she makes cutting-edge neuroscience accessible through her contagious enthusiasm, and guides us through how we encode love and grief. With love, our neurons help us form attachments to others; but, with loss, our brain must come to terms with where our loved ones went, or how to imagine a future that encompasses their absence.
“Mom! School holidays in a school!”
Nine-year-old Tavishi is dragged by her mother to set up a library in a faraway mountain school in Ladakh. That’s when the disasters start piling up. A lurking grey ‘ghost’; treks across ‘moonscapes’ with donkeys; and a bad start with the teacher’s daughter Tashi! She has to get back NOW.
Then, Tavishi’s super-active imagination lands her and Tashi in trouble. Can that same imagination get them out? Read Tavishi’s travel diary to find out more.
A laugh-out-loud story of friendship and adventure, annoying moms, and new beginnings. This book also includes photos that give you a peek into the culture and landscape of La-la Land — the glorious mountainous region of Ladakh!
Z is miffed. Things are being said about him. That he is not so important. That he will not be missed. But Z is not so easily dismissed. He’s pesky, feisty and determined to show that he may be last, but he is certainly not the least.
Our quirky Z-hero claims the spotlight in this zany story told with catchy rhythm, rhyme and alliteration.
Clashing empires, forbidden romance, and a long-forgotten queen destined to save her people—author Tahereh Mafi’s first in an epic, romantic trilogy inspired by Persian mythology.
To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight. The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.
Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Tomi Adeyemi, and Sabaa Tahir, This Woven Kingdom is an explosive first book in a new fantasy trilogy from the New York Times bestselling and National Book Award-nominated author Tahereh Mafi.
Eleven gutsy women who loved science enough to fight for their place in the sun.
Gutsy Girls of Science explores the contribution of these remarkable Indian women — from cytogeneticist Archana Sharma and botanist Janaki Ammal to mathematician Raman Parimala, physicist Bibha Chowdhuri, chemist Asima Chatterjee and several others. This book is a celebration of their lives and the wonderful world of science.
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