Silence and its significance: A wide-ranging investigation
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In an another of Bloomsbury's intriguing, informative and incisive "Object Lessons" series focussing the "hidden lives" of ordinary things, ranging from dust to golf balls, the author begins by delving into what silence is not -- and this may be counter-intuitive to our perceptions.
A working woman's guide to sabbaticals - and what not to do in it
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Sabbaticals, as our protagonist Nimisha learns, are not yet part of the Indian corporate lexicon -- apart from some favoured employees, and especially not for women who are not married or plan to get on the bandwagon anytime soon. She also goes on to find out that when you do get a sabbatical, by the simple expedient of chucking up the job which she had grown to detest, it may not work out the way as she had planned during the drudgery of work.
A 'handy' guide to human behaviour
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While the "radical effect" of the internet, the smartphone and the PC is said to be "on who we are and how we relate to each other" and whatever we make of the changes, psychoanalyst Darian Leader notes that experts stress that these are changes which have made the world a "different place" and the digital era is "incontestably new".
Uncommon tales of common folks of Uttar Pradesh
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Collecting over a dozen of them, ranging from the macabre to the miraculous, from the unspeakable to the uplifting, and featuring humans at their best and worst (more frequently though) is Bollywood writer and director Tanuja Chandra.
Power and its practitioners: A witty but disturbing look
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Offering a fascinating but sobering look at a gamut of these effects, spanning but not limited to overweening conceit, a prodigious sense of entitlement, contemptuous disregard of contrary opinions or suggestions, and compromises with moral principles and personal relationships is this book by Daniel Levin.
Of the nether world and dark secrets
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Throughout the novel, Attari portrays her heroine to be a fighter, as Alia struggles with a supernatural dose of despair and manages to keep her humanity intact. Despite youth, beauty, wit, money and a tough spirit, the larger than life portrayal of Alia's character longs to lead a normal life.
An Indus Valley city's end and its shadow on the present
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This historical/conspiracy thriller is a major departure for the Karachi-born, financial journalist-turned-author, whose debut, "Beautiful from the Angle" (2010), initially seemed a chick-lit look at high-society Karachi before revealing itself as a masterful blend of politics, terrorism, social repression and media (manipulation), with an explosive finale when Benazir Bhutto returns, but she well holds her own in the genre.
A man born of the soil returns to the soil
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The text was originally written in Odia language, named ‘Matira Manisha' in 1934. The translator, Bikram Das deliberately retained certain Odia words used in daily colloquial diction like, ‘jaa' (sister in-law), ‘bhauja' (wife of one's elder brother) and numerous others, to ensure the essence of the narrative intact within the natural flow of words.
A 'spirited' history of the British empire and its 'high' legacy
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There are also many revealing facts about alcohol -- how its use grew from the calorific benefits it provides, how a beer had the first recognised global trademark, and how a whiskey was the first product to be advertised in cinemas, and so on.
Love in different age
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The author has appropriatley depicted the internal emptiness within the two souls that remain unfulfilled till the end in spite of they being a family.
