-
Oil Politics, Poverty & The Planet
The book highlights political and social issues in the global energy sector the domestic inequality, civil conflict and widespread poverty that dependence on oil exports inflicts on developing countries and the strategies of wealthy countries (especially the United States) to control oil-rich regions. Here is a book that addresses what is perhaps the most pervasive and destabilizing of the issues facing humanity.
-
Rokda How Baniyas Do Business
Baniya - a derivative of the Sanskrit word Vanij, is a term synonymous with India's trader class. Over the decades, these capitalists spread their footprint across vast sectors of the economy from steel and mining to telecom and retail. And now even e-tail. Nikhil Inamdar's Rokda features the stories of a few pioneering men from this mercantile community - Radheshyam Agarwal and Radheshyam Goenka, founders of the cosmetic major Emami, Rohit Bansal, co-founder of Snapdeal, Neeraj Gupta, founder of Meru Cabs and V.K. Bansal, a humble mathematics tutor whose genius spawned a massive coaching industry in Kota - amongst others. Through the triumphs and tribulations of these men in the epoch marking India's entire post independence struggle with entrepreneurship from the License Raj to the opening up of the floodgates in 1991 and the dawn of the digital era - Rokda seeks to uncover the indomitable spirit of the Baniya.
-
Non Stop India
Jugaar can loosely be translated as muddling through, or making do. This is undoubtedly a valuable talent and has seen India through numerous crises which could have destabilized a country that is less adaptable—four wars, for example. But while jugaar can be seen to have served India well in the past, it has a downside. It has led to a dangerous complacency, the belief that as India has muddled through so many times before, there is no need for urgency in tackling the problems it faces. In Non Stop India veteran journalist Mark Tully draws on his unmatched knowledge of India, garnered from thirty years of living in, and reporting from, the country, to examine how this approach impacts on her much-touted prospects of becoming an economic super-power. From Maoist conflicts to huge industrial houses; from the Tiger project to farmer suicides; from the Ramayana to the remote valleys of the north-east, Tully examines India’s myriad negotiations with modernity and her prospects for the next century and beyond.
-
Asian Juggernaut The Rise Of China India And Japan
A revelatory narrative marked by an incisive and insightful analysis of Asia's pivotal role on the world stage... A resurgent Asia is now emerging as the global pivot. With the world's fastest-growing markets, fastest-rising military expenditures and most serious hot spots, Asia holds the key to the future global order. Underpinning its renaissance, Asia has become the world's economic locomotive even as its arts, fashion and cuisine regain international recognition. Yet, with interstate competition sharpening, Asia faces complex security, energy and developmental challenges in an era of globalization, including how to move beyond historical legacies and tap its dynamism for greater prosperity and well-being. The colossal shift in global geopolitics presents new opportunities to Asia and tests its ability to assume a bigger role in international relations. This book examines the ascent of Asia by focusing on its three main powers - China, India and Japan. A qualitative reordering of power in an Asia characterized by tectonic shifts is challenging strategic stability and affecting equations between these powers. How the China-Japan, China-India and Japan-India equations evolve in the coming years will have a crucial bearing on Asian and global security. Constituting a strategic triangle, these powers are Asia's largest economies. Their interests are getting so intertwined that the pursuit of unilateral solutions by any one of them will disturb the peaceful environment on which their continued economic growth and security depend. The author analyses the ramifications of the emerging Chinese colossus. He also highlights the fact that Japan's quiet, undeclared transition from pacifism to a 'normal' state will help shape the future of Asian and global geopolitics. Even as it has reinvigorated its military ties with the United States, Japan is beginning to rethink its security and international role. The third major Asian player, India, is coming of age by displaying greater realism in economic and foreign policies and moving towards geopolitical pragmatism. India now recognizes that it can wield international power only by building up its economic and military strength. A strong China, a strong Japan and a strong India need to find ways to reconcile their interests in Asia so that they can peacefully coexist and prosper. Given that these powers have not all been strong at the same time before in history, stable political relationships between them are central to Asian security. The book sets out how all states in Asia could benefit from cooperative approaches in which China, India and Japan take the lead.
-
Rigged
Rigged tells an incredible rags-to-riches story of David Russo, an Italian-American upstart from the streets of Brooklyn who claws his way into the wild, frenetic world of the testosterone-laced warrens of the Merc Exchange, the asylum-like oil trading center located in lower Manhattan where billions of dollars trade hands every week, a place where former garbagemen become millionaires overnight and fistfights break out on the trading floor. But the Merc is just the starting place of an adventure that leads David to private yachts in Monte Carlo, the gold-lined hotel palaces of Dubai, and dangerous deals in the back alleys of Beijing. Rigged tells the true story of one man's adventure to revolutionize the oil trading industry - and along with it, the world.
-
Secrets of the Code
Readers of Dan Brown's extraordinary bestseller The Da Vinci Code are fascinated by the questions raised in the novel. Was Jesus actually married to Mary Magdalene? Was she one of his disciples and did she write her own gospel? Did they have a child together? Did some geniuses of art and science, people like Leonardo da Vinci and Isaac Newton, belong to secret societies that had the most compelling insider information in history, and did Leonardo convey some of these ideas in The Last Supper and other paintings? Secrets of the Code is the definitive guide to the novel and provides the curious reader with authoritative explorations into the major themes within The Da Vinci Code. Dan Burstein has distilled the views of the experts - archaeologists, theologians, art historians, philosophers and scientists - to sort out fact, informed speculation and fiction. Secrets of the Code: The Unauthorised Guide to the Mysteries Behind The Da Vinci Code will delight and engage everyone who finished The Da Vinci Code thinking, 'I need to know more about this book.'
-
Investment Fables
The world is full of investment stories: "Buy companies trading below book value, and you can't lose." "Buy stocks that are already going up." "Buy stocks with low P/Es." "Stick with quality companies and you'll do fine." "Buy after bad news." "Buy after good news." "Follow the insiders." "Do whatever Warren Buffett's doing." Investors have heard them all--but which ones hold up to critical examination? Do any of them? In this book, one of the world's leading investment researchers identifies 14 widely touted "investment stories," and the psychological reasons that make each story so compelling. Then he runs the numbers—objectively. Has it worked over the long-term? Over the short-term? If it made sense once, does it still make sense? Are the promised benefits a statistical mirage? Can it contribute to any individual's investment strategy? Anyone who wants to make investment decisions more rationally, Aswath Damodaran's Investment Fables is utterly indispensable.
-
The Duke's Stolen Bride
USA Today Bestseller! From USA Today bestselling author Sophie Jordan comes a scandalously sensual romance in her beloved Rogue Files series. “Deliciously sexy!”—Sarah MacLean, New York Times bestselling author An urgent dilemma… To save her impoverished family, Marian Langley will become a mistress. But she will not be just any mistress. Marian intends to become so skilled, so coveted, that she can set her own terms, retaining control over her body and her fate. Only one problem remains: finding a tutor… A scandalous solution… Other men deprive themselves of pleasure for propriety’s sake. Nathaniel, Duke of Warrington, would much rather be depraved. He slakes his desires with professionals who ask nothing of him but his coin. Marian’s proposal—that he train her without taking her virtue—is an intriguing diversion, until their lessons in seduction spin out of control. And a most unlikely duchess… When Marian is blackmailed into engagement by a man she despises, Nate impulsively steals her away. Though he never intended to take a wife, he can’t tolerate the idea of Marian forfeiting her freedom to another. But can he bear to give her what she demands—a real marriage?
-
My Favorite Things
Three classic tales of Christmas and love, together for the first time, from New York Times Bestselling Author Lynsay Sands! All I Want With Lady Prudence’s father gambling away the family’s savings, all she wants for Christmas is to haul him away from London’s most notorious gaming hell. Yet the wickedly handsome proprietor, Lord Stockton, refuses to let a lady enter his establishment. Now Pru needs a Christmas miracle to make her wish come true—and to resist succumbing to Stockton’s charms. Three French Hens Brinna’s life as a scullery maid changes with the arrival of the castle’s newest guest, Lady Joan. Desperate to escape an arranged marriage, Joan suggests that look-alike Brinna take her place at the Christmas festivities. Suddenly, Brinna finds herself being wooed by a true gentleman, and getting the best Christmas present of all: a new life. The Fairy Godmother Odel is told by her godmother that she must marry by Christmas, and even gives her fairy dust to separate the mice from the men. But Odel has sworn off love…until kind and generous Michel catches her eye. He shows Odel how good it can feel to fall in love, but will it be enough to convince Odel to trust her heart?
-
The Vault of Vishnu
A Pallava prince travels to Cambodia to be crowned king, carrying with him secrets that will be the cause of great wars many centuries later. A Buddhist monk in ancient China treks south to India, searching for the missing pieces of a puzzle that could make his emperor all-powerful. A Neolithic tribe fights to preserve their sacred knowledge, oblivious to the war drums on the Indo-China border. Meanwhile, far away in the temple town of Kanchipuram, a reclusive scientist deciphers ancient texts even as a team of secret agents shadows his every move. Caught in the storm is a young investigator with a complex past of her own, who must race against time to maintain the balance of power in the new world. Welcome back to the exciting and shadowy world of Ashwin Sanghi, where myth and history blend into edge-of-the-seat action.
-
Broken Stars
A new anthology of Chinese short-fiction by award winning author Ken Liu. Here are sixteen short stories from China's groundbreaking SFF writers, edited and translated by award-winning author Ken Liu. In Hugo award-winner Liu Cixin's 'Moonlight', a man is contacted by three future versions of himself, each trying to save their world from destruction. Hao Jingfang's 'The New Year Train' sees 1,500 passengers go missing on a train that vanishes into space. In the title story by Tang Fei, a young girl is shown how the stars can reveal the future. In addition, three essays explore the history and rise of Chinese SFF publishing, contemporary Chinese fandom, and how the growing interest in Chinese SFF has impacted writers who had long laboured in obscurity. By turns dazzling, melancholy and thought-provoking, Broken Stars celebrates the vibrancy and diversity of SFF voices emerging from China. 'Dreamlike and hypnotic, evocative and inspiring' THE BOOKBAG. 'Ken Liu is a genius' ELIZABETH BEAR. 'An instant classic ... Poetry on every page' HUGH HOWEY.
-
Trending in Love
Sanam is a carefree, but headstrong young girl. A spat with a politician's son pushes her take up a big challenge-to become an IAS. At the same time, a small-town boy, Aamir, is nudged into studying for the civil services too. Their hard work pays off when both become rank holders. And soon their lives come together at the IAS Training Academy, Mussoorie. Love blossoms, but when they decide to spend their lives together, all hell breaks loose. Their religious difference become a reason for clashes between the two communities, social media explodes and things take a dangerous turn. It seems hate has triumphed over love. What will be Sanam and Aamir's fate? A heady mix of dreams and desire, this is a story of undying love in the face of our society's most dangerous beliefs.
-
Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master
The author Sri 'M' is an extraordinary individual. His uniqueness lies not only in the fact that at the young age of 19 and a half, he travelled to snow clad Himalayas from Kerala, and there he met and lived for several years with a 'real-time' yogi, Babaji, but also that he should undertake such an unusual and adventurous exploration, given his non-Hindu birth and antecedents. The metamorphosis of Mumtaz Ali Khan into Sri 'M', a yogi with profound knowledge of the Upanishads and deep personal insights, born of first hand experiences with higher levels of consciousness is indeed a fascinating story. Sri M was born in Tiruvananthapuram, Kerala. At the age of nineteen and a half, attracted by a strange and irresistible urge to go to the Himalayas, he left home. At the Vyasa Cave, beyond the Himalayan shrine of Badrinath, he met his Master and lived with him for three and a half years, wandering freely, the length and breadth of the snow clad Himalayan region. What he learnt from his Master Maheshwarnath Babaji, transformed his consciousness totally. Back in the plains, he, as instructed by his Master, lived a normal life, working for a living, fulfilling his social commitments and at the same time preparing himself to teach all that he had learnt and experienced. At a signal from his Master he entered the teaching phase of his life. Today, he travels all over the world to share his experiences and knowledge.
-
The Endgame
‘A bold and haunting novel’ ANITA NAIR ‘[A] compelling story that reflects upon the human spirit’ RAJDEEP SARDESAI Saddam Hussein is dead, but there’s no end to war in Iraq. Armed with a reputation for daredevilry, reporter Tejaswini Ray arrives from New York to cover the conflict and is immediately enmeshed in a skirmish with Commander Luke of the US Marine Corps. Bound by Luke’s strict censorship rules, Tejaswini – Tejo – revolts, her coverage of the death of American soldiers killed by landmines draws the world’s attention to a futile war and invites the Commander’s ire. Tejo’s uneasy mission is further troubled by her chance encounter with Shabnam – a young woman trafficked from India and sold into slavery at the Marine camp. Drawn together by an unlikely bond, the two find solace amidst the carnage, but their friendship reveals a secret that links them back to the very beginning of their lives. When the war threatens their camp, Tejo and Shabnam abandon the Marines and embark on an audacious journey. But will they escape the dangers, or will their past invade the present, reversing the wheel of time to hasten the end?
-
Moral Compass
Saint Ambrose, an elite boarding school in Massachusetts, has been the school of choice for the sons of the great and good for over a hundred years. But in changing times, the school must learn to adapt, admitting girls for the first time in its history. When a terrible incident occurs, it causes a fracture in the school's community. Students, teachers and parents must decide who they believe . . . Moral Compass is a topical, highly-charged story from the world's favourite storyteller, Danielle Steel.
-
Happy For No Reason
Mandira Bedi is a fitness icon.But behind the six-pack is also a snotty, complaining, can't-get-out-of-bed-today girl who, in her own way, is still searching for true happiness. Not conditional, materialistic, transactional happiness, but just happiness. So has she cracked it yet? Mandira says 'No'. But she genuinely believes that she's headed in the right direction. In her own chaotic way, she seems to have discovered some kind of non-scientific, non-spiritual and as-yet-non-existent formula for finding peace in everything. Just being happy-for no reason. This book is about that.
-
The Good Luck Girls
Aster. Violet. Tansy. Mallow. Clementine. Sold as children. Branded by cursed markings. Trapped in a life they never would have chosen. When Aster's sister Clementine accidentally murders a man, the girls risk a dangerous escape and harrowing journey to find freedom, justice, and revenge - in a country that wants them to have none of those things. Pursued by the land's most vicious and powerful forces - both living and dead - their only hope lies in a bedtime story passed from one girl to another, a story that only the youngest or most desperate would ever believe. It's going to take more than luck for them all to survive. Content warnings: sexual assault, addiction, violence, references to rape and suicide.
-
Sridevi The Eternal Screen Goddess
Hailed as the first pan-Indian female superstar in an era which literally offered actresses crumbs, Sridevi tamed Hindi cinema like no other. Beginning her affair with the camera when she was four, this doe-eyed beauty conquered Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada industries with performances etched in gold. Taking Hindi cinema by storm with Himmatwala in 1983, Sridevi emerged as one of the most iconic screen goddesses of India, playing characters that went on to become cultural touchstones. A supreme artiste who had mastered all the nine rasas, her comedy was peerless, her dances legendary, her histrionics awe-inspiring and her life a study in contrast, electric on screen, strangely reticent off it. Besides reigning as queen bee for the longest spell among Hindi heroines, she also remains the only actress who was No.1 in Tamil and Telugu cinema as well. Such was Sridevi's megastardom that she emerged as the 'hero' at the box office, towering above her male co-actors. Challenging patriarchy in Bollywood like no other, she not only exalted the status of the Hindi film heroine but also empowered a whole generation of audiences. After a hiatus of fifteen years, she shattered the rules again by becoming the only Bollywood diva to make a triumphant comeback in 2012 with the globally acclaimed English Vinglish. If her life played out forever in the limelight, so did her sudden demise in 2018. Charting five decades of her larger-than-life magic, this book celebrates both the phenomenon and the person Sridevi was. This is her journey from child star to one of our greatest movie luminaries who forever changed the narrative of Indian cinema.
-
17 Church Row
For fans of J. P. Delaney's The Girl Before comes a thriller that makes us question the lengths we would go to, to keep our family safe. Three years ago, Nikki and Ethan Rhodes suffered a devastating loss when their four-year-old daughter Grace was tragically killed in a road accident. Ethan, a radio personality, escapes into work, leaving Nikki to care for their remaining child, Bella, who hasn't spoken since that day. Seeking a fresh start, the family moves into a revolutionary new house designed by renowned architect, Catriona Fisher. The house features a state-of-the-art security system, along with every amenity you could dream of. For the Rhodes' this is a chance to finally pick up the pieces and get on with their lives in a place where they feel totally safe. But what if 17 Church Row isn't the safe haven that they think it is? Praise for James Carol: 'Chilling, scary and magnificent' Lee Child 'Will hook you from the very first page' Rachel Abbott 'Carol carves out his own menacing canvas with real panache' Independent 'Leaves you desperate for more' Daily Mail
-
A Good Wife
At fifteen, Samra Zafar had big dreams for herself. She was going to go to university, and forge her own path. Then with almost no warning, those dreams were pulled away from her when she was suddenly married to a stranger at seventeen and had to leave behind her family in Pakistan to move to Canada. Her new husband and his family promised that the marriage and the move would be a fulfilment of her dream, not a betrayal of it. But as the walls of their home slowly became a prison, Samra realized the promises were empty ones. In the years that followed she suffered her husband's emotional and physical abuse that left her feeling isolated, humiliated and assaulted. Desperate to get out, and refusing to give up, she hatched an escape plan for herself and her two daughters. Somehow she found the strength to not only build a new future, but to walk away from her past, ignoring the pleas of her family and risking cultural isolation by divorcing her husband. But that end was only the beginning for Samra. Through her academic and career achievements, she has gone on to become a mentor and public speaker, connecting with people around the world from isolated women in situations similar to her own, to young schoolgirls in Kenya who never allowed themselves to dream to men making the decisions to save for their daughters' educations instead of their dowries. A Good Wife tells her harrowing and inspiring story, following her from a young girl with big dreams, through finding strength in the face of oppression and then finally battling through to empowerment.
-
Boys from Good Families
Thippy, the beautiful ‘girl from the outhouse’. Ashwath, only son of a feudal family of landowners. A love that could never be blessed by Destiny. Disillusioned by his family’s rejection of his love for Thippy, stifled by its traditions and conservative ways, Ashwath leaves Bangalore for a university town in America’s Midwest. It is 1981, and the American economy is booming. Ashwath enjoys the three C’s of success: a condominium, a car and a credit card. But a decade later, when the market crashes, he sees the other side of the American dream—joblessness, dingy one-room tenements, and loneliness Casting its shadow over it all is Neel Kamal, his family’s sprawling bungalow in Bangalore, now a piece of prime real estate. Ashwath is compelled to return after twenty-five years to lay claim to his inheritance. In doing so, he has to once again face tangled relationships—with his sister, Savitri, her ne’er-do-well husband, Keshav, his first love Thippy—and the ghosts of his parents who died without ever seeing him again. He also finds love of a different kind, through his high-spirited niece, Shweta, and his intense, idealistic nephew, Aprameya. Finally, it is Neel Kamal that decides what he must do.
-
Love Unexpected
Kaira is an independent girl chasing her ambitions. Aveer is a strong-minded and successful entrepreneur, seeking expansion. When they get together to give wings to her venture, there are fireworks and a strange chemistry between them. But there is something else walking along – Kaira’s past. With Drew’s presence looming large like the devil, Kaira does not know how to accept her emotions for Aveer. Her loved ones protect her from all harm fiercely, but will they succeed this time too? Amidst confusion of a promising future and the demons of the past, in trying to find faith and burying betrayal, and in the battle between Kaira’s heart and her fears will Love Unexpected lead the way to happiness?
-
To Bed the Bride An All for Love Novel
New York Times Bestselling Author Karen Ranney’s captivating series concludes with a tale of opposites whose attraction scorches a trail from the Highlands to the glittering halls of London—and courts scandal at every turn . . . Politics has introduced MP Logan McKnight to many fascinating people, but the lady he encounters on the lands bordering his ancestral Scottish home outshines them all. Eleanor Craig of Hearthmere seats a Thoroughbred like a queen, knows as much about world events as any of his colleagues—and is engaged to one of the worst men Logan knows. She also seems lonely, so Logan brings her a friend. Thus should their acquaintance end, yet it’s only just begun. The puppy Logan delivers is every bit as irresistible as the man himself. How could this stranger sense the isolation Eleanor suffers among her scheming, snobbish extended family and fiancé who control her life? It’s even worse in London—until she begins meeting Logan secretly in a secluded park. Their passionate connection frees Eleanor, body and soul. But discovery threatens disgrace—or worse.
-
Yugandhar
‘Shivaji Sawant’s deep insights into the stories of our gods and goddesses, and his intriguing interpretations of these, have always been a source of delight to me. A must read for all those who love reading about Indian history and culture.’ Amish, author of the Shiva Trilogy and Ramchandra Series. Struck by Jara’s arrow, Krishna lies prone under a sprawling Kadamba tree. In his last moments, he looks back on his life and begins to speak, not as an incarnation of Vishnu but as a mortal who walked the earth and followed his dharma. As the stories of his childhood in Gokul and his youth in Mathura and Dwaraka unfold, people close to him appear by turns to examine Krishna’s life through the prism of their relationship with him. Rukmini tells the tale of their marriage and of her seven co-wives; Daruk, his charioteer, revisits Krishna’s travels and the many wars he accompanied him on; Draupadi, his confidante, describes his fondness for the Pandavas and his role in the Mahabharata; Satyaki, his commander-in-chief, marvels at his astute military tactics; his pupil Arjun speaks of lessons from the Gita; and Udhdhay, his cousin, reconstructs the breathtaking grandeur of his persona. Shivaji Sawant’s Krishna is an imperfect, flawed human. He is many people at once-a herdsman, a warrior, a statesman, a lover and a seer. He is complex and hides in him a vastness that no one person can entirely fathom. A consistent bestseller in Marathi since its first publication in 2000, Yugandhar goes beyond the familiar tales from the Mahabharata, and probes his life to understand this most beloved of gods.