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In Grandfathers Garden

Months later, the book appeared, printed privately of course. And there was my photograph, and a photograph of the dead leopard after it had been hunted down. But the local printer had got the captions mixed up. The dead animal’s picture earned the line: ‘Well-known author Ruskin Bond.’ My picture carried the legend: ‘Dreaded man-eater, shot after it had killed its 26th victim.’ Playful snakes, monkeys, crocodiles and old favourites like the Grandfather, Aunt Mabel, Uncle Ken, Ms Bun, Ranji, Foster and Ruskin Bond himself, come together in this delightful and irresistible collection. From a belt that gets hooked on to another person’s luggage, and snakes admiring themselves before a dressing table, to a priest reading out the service for burial at sea during a funeral inside a church—Bond is at his effortless best in this anthology. Peppered with his signature wry humour and generous dose of wit, In Grandfather’s Garden will make you see the funny side of things in life, bringing laughter to even those who seldom smile.

Chanakya In The Classroom

Good Morning, Chanakya Sir! How we wish that this was true—that we could get the sharpest of minds to teach us how to deal with the myriad challenges life throws us! What are some of the principles and suggestions given by the most revered teacher and observer of human nature that work best for students? Best-selling author of the Chanakya Series, Radhakrishnan Pillai, culls out some of these nuggets from the master and presents them in a lucid, easy to understand manner, making Chanakya’s teachings accessible to everyone. Systematically addressing the most common issues faced by students, this book will help in: Concentration Purpose Learning Discipline Awareness Devotion Duty Responsibilities.

The House Of Strange Stories

‘The morgue had no electricity, just a kerosene lamp. I had not been sitting there for long when the lamp went out and something moved very softly and quietly past me. Something cold and icy touched one of my hands and felt its way up towards my neck and throat. It was behind me, then it was before me. Then it was over me. I was in the arms of the corpse!’ With the House of Strange Stories, celebrated writer Ruskin Bond brings forth a collection of some of the most blood-curdling tales ever written. Featuring Stacy Marie Belloc Lowndes’ ‘The Lodger’, Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘The Red-Headed League’, Wilkie Collins’ ‘The Duel’, Bram Stoker’s ‘The Sqaw’, Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ and several of Bond’s own, these tales of macabre, suspense, vampires and haunted houses will leave even horror fans terrified.

Ramayana Versus Mahabharata

t is a popular belief that the Ramayana is idealistic, while the Mahabharata is realistic. Yet these two epics have identical building blocks, identical themes, and identical history. In this ground-breaking book, Devdutt Pattanaik, India’s most popular mythologist, explores the similarities and dissimilarities between the two epics in a ‘playful analysis’ accompanied by his signature illustrations. Whether it is the family structure, forest exile, or war, the comparison between the two epics proves a startling point—the Mahabharata is in fact a reaction to the events in the Ramayana. Ideas in this book are distributed over 56 chapters. In temple ritual, Vishnu is offered 8 different meals daily, different on all seven days of the week—56 dishes in all. May each chapter serve as a mouth-watering offering to the Vishnu within you.

No Spin My Autobiography

My story, without the spin.’ From the start of his glittering career in 1992, to his official retirement from all formats of the game in 2013, Shane Warne has long desired to tell his incredible story without compromise. No Spin is that very story. It will offer a compelling intimate voice, true insight and a pitch-side seat to one of cricket’s finest eras, making this one of the ultimate must-have sports autobiographies. Shane is not only one of the greatest living cricket legends: he is as close as the game has had since Botham to a maverick genius on the field and a true rebel spirit off it, who always gives audiences what they want. Despite being the talismanic thorn in England’s side for nearly two decades of regular Ashes defeats, he was also much loved in the UK where he played cricket for Hampshire. He’s also a much-admired figure in India and South Africa. Alongside his mesmerising genius as a bowler, Shane has often been a controversial figure and in this book he's talk with brutal honesty about some of the most challenging times in his life as a player. Honest, thoughtful, fearless and loved by millions, Shane is always his own man and this book is a testament to his brilliant career.

Past Tense

The most hotly anticipated thriller of 2018 follows our hero Jack Reacher on a quest into his father's past and climaxes in the most stomach-clenching, hair-raising, blood-curling ticking-time- bomb of an adventure yet. Jack Reacher plans to follow the autumn sun on an epic road trip across America, from Maine to California. He doesn’t get far. On a country road deep in the New England woods, he sees a sign to a place he has never been - the town where his father was born. He thinks, what’s one extra day? He takes the detour. At the very same moment, close by, a car breaks down. Two young Canadians are trying to get to New York City to sell a treasure. They're stranded at a lonely motel in the middle of nowhere. It’s a strange place but it’s all there is. The next morning in the city clerk's office, Reacher asks about the old family home. He’s told no one named Reacher ever lived in that town. He knows his father never went back. Now he wonders, was he ever there in the first place? So begins another nailbiting, adrenaline-fuelled adventure for Reacher. The present can be tense, but the past can be worse. That’s for damn sure.

281 And Beyond

A stylish batsman who could score against any kind of bowling, VVS Laxman played over a hundred Tests to aggregate more than 8,000 runs. Cricket fans still remember with awe his game-changing knock of 281 against Australia in 2001 at Eden Gardens. But playing for India was never easy. He was dropped as often as he was picked, and despite his vast experience and unimpeachable skill, he never made it to a World Cup team. All through his playing years, Laxman was known to be a soft-spoken man who kept his distance from controversy. Which is what makes this autobiography truly special. It’s candid and reflective, happy and sad by turns, and deeply insightful. He writes of dressing-room meltdowns and champagne evenings, the exhilaration of playing with and against the best in the world, the nuances of batting in different formats and on various pitches, the learnings with John Wright and the rocky times under Greg Chappell. In 281 and Beyond, Laxman lays bare the ecstasy and the trauma of being one of the chosen XI in a country that is devoted to cricket.

Fire And Blood

Vanara:The Legend of Baali,Sugreeva and Tara

Baali and Sugreeva of the Vana Nara tribe were orphan brothers who were born in abject poverty and grew up as slaves like most of their fellow tribesmen. They were often mocked as the vanaras, the monkey men. Sandwiched between the never-ending war between the Deva tribes in the north and the Asura tribes in the south, the Vana Naras seemed to have lost all hope. But Baali was determined not to die a slave. Aided by his beloved brother, Sugreeva, Baali built a country for his people. The capital city, Kishkindha, became a beacon of hope for emancipated slaves from across the world. It was a city of the people, by the people, for the people, where there was no discrimination based on caste, creed, language or the colour of skin. For a brief period in history, it seemed as if mankind had found its ideal hero in Baali. But then fate intervened through the beautiful Tara, the daughter of a tribal physician. Loved by Baali and lusted after by Sugreeva, Tara became the cause of a fraternal war that would change history for ever. The love triangle between Baali, Tara and Sugreeva is arguably the world's first. Written by Anand Neelakantan who gave a voice to Ravana in Asura, Duryodhana in the Ajaya series and Sivagami in the Baahubali series, Vanara is a classic tale of love, lust and betrayal. Shakespearean in its tragic depth and epic in its sweep, Vanara gives voice to the greatest warrior in the Ramayana-Baali.

Sridevi Queen Of Hearts

She was a diva, a dancing queen and a comedienne par excellence. An actress who set the box office on fire in a male-dominated Bollywood. What made her tick? What did it take to work in films across five languages, and churn out hits like Himmatwala, Chaalbaaz, Moondram Pirai, Nagina, Kshana Kshanam, Mr India, Sadma, Chandni or Lamhe? All this did not come easily for her. An outsider in Bollywood, she was mocked for her poor accent and dubbed ‘Ms Thunder Thighs’. Sridevi had to reinvent herself many a time, whether it was by making the white salwar kameez sexy or by playing double roles with flair. Then, after she’d left it all to be a doting wife and mother, she made a brilliant comeback with a memorable role in English Vinglish. This book traces her journey and her battles against odds, and is a tribute to her as an actor and as a woman.

The Runaways

AN EXPLOSIVE NEW NOVEL THAT ASKS DIFFICULT QUESTIONS ABOUT MODERN IDENTITY IN A WORLD ON FIRE Anita Rose lives in a concrete block in one of Karachi's biggest slums, languishing in poverty with her mother and older brother. Determined to escape her stifling circumstances, she struggles to educate herself, scribbling down English words-gleaned from watching TV or taught by her elderly neighbour-in her most prized possession: a glossy red notebook. All the while she is aware that a larger destiny awaits her. On the other side of Karachi lives Monty, whose father owns half the city. But Monty wants more than fast cars and easy girls. When the rebellious Layla joins his school, he knows his life will never be the same again. And far away in Portsmouth, Sunny fits in nowhere. It is only when he meets his charismatic, suntanned cousin Oz-whose smile makes Sunny feel found-that that he realizes his true purpose. These three disparate lives will cross paths in the middle of a desert, a place where life and death walk hand-in-hand, and where their closely guarded secrets will force them to make a terrible choice.

Becoming

An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America-the first African-American to serve in that role-she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare. In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her-from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world's most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it-in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations-and whose story inspires us to do the same.

Every Breath You Take

Laurie Moran's professional life is a success - her television show Under Suspicion is a hit, both in the ratings and its record of solving cold cases. And now she's been offered a darkly tangled new mystery: three years ago, Virginia Wakeling, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and one of the museum's most generous donors, was found in the snow, after being thrown from the museum's roof on the night of its most celebrated fundraiser, the Met Gala. Laurie's initial skepticism about the case is soon upended as she realizes there are a bevy of suspects - including Virginia's trusted inner circle. As the Under Suspicion crew pries into the lives of a super wealthy real estate family with secrets to hide, danger mounts for several witnesses - and for Laurie herself...

Look For Me

'Terror, twists, and trepidation. Look for Me is a triple-salvo thriller.' Kathy Reichs 'A complex crime scene, a missing girl, a ticking clock: no one writes a more page-turning, gut-wrenching, edgy thriller. LOOK FOR ME is a page turner par excellence.' Tess Gerritsen 'Starts with a bang and never lets up! An utterly absorbing story about troubled families and twisted fates.' Shari Lapena, author of The Couple Next Door Detective DD Warren and Flora Dane are in a race against time to save a young girl's life - or bring her to justice. A family home has become a crime scene. Five people are involved: four of them have been savagely murdered; one - a sixteen-year-old girl - is missing. Was she lucky to have escaped? Or is her absence evidence of something sinister? Detective D. D. Warren is on the case, as is survivor-turned-avenger Flora Dane. Seeking different types of justice, they must make sense of the clues left behind by a young woman who, as victim or suspect, is silently pleading, Look for me.

Don't Tell The Governor

On 8 November, when the clock strikes 8, your money will be no good. Somewhere on the India - Nepal Border, a car full of passengers swerves off a highway and plunges into a valley, its trunk full of cash. In the UK, a Bollywood starlet wins Big Survivor, the most popular reality TV show in the country. In Panama, Central America, a whistle-blower at a law firm brings down billionaires across the globe. And in India, a new RBI Governor is appointed. Aditya Kesavan is dynamic, charismatic and ambitious. And he's been handed the reins of the RBI on a platter. His only job: to make sure he doesn't rock the boat. But, unknown to him, the wheels have begun to turn, as the country heads towards the biggest financial event in modern Indian history. And Governor Kesavan is about to carry out the most brazen act of his life - and, perhaps, his most foolish. Will he be able to pull himself out of the mess he has got into or will he have to surrender to the manipulative forces behind the scenes? Running desperately out of time, the Governor must set things right.

The Last Girl

Offers powerful insight into the barbarity the Yazidi suffered alongside glimpses into their mystical culture . . . this is an important book by a brave woman, fresh testament to humankind's potential for chilling and inexplicable evil (Ian Birrell The Times) Courageous . . . Anyone who wants to understand the so called Islamic State should read (The Economist) With a foreword by Amal Clooney A Nobel Peace Prize nominee and the first Goodwill Ambassador the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking of the United Nations and winner of the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize, Nadia Murad is a courageous young woman who has endured unimaginable tragedy (losing eighteen members of her family) and degradation through sexual enslavement to ISIS. But she has fought back. This inspiring memoir takes us from her peaceful childhood in a remote village in Iraq through loss and brutality to safety in Germany. Courage and testimony can change the world: this is one of those books.

Expelled

One viral photo. Four expelled teens. Everyone's a suspect. Theo Foster's Twitter account used to be anonymous - until someone posted a revealing photo that got him expelled. No final grade. No future. Theo's resigned himself to a life of misery in a dead-end job when a miracle happens: Sasha Ellis speaks to him. She was also expelled for a crime she didn't commit, and now he has the perfect way to keep her attention: find out who set them up. To uncover the truth, Theo has to get close to the suspects. What secrets are they hiding? And how can he catch their confessions on camera?

Einstein His Life and Universe

The definitive, internationally bestselling biography of Albert Einstein from the author of The Innovators, Steve Jobs and Benjamin Franklin.**Now the basis of Genius, the ten-part National Geographic series on the life of Albert Einstein, starring the Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning actor Geoffrey Rush** How did Einstein's mind work? What made him a genius? Isaacson's biography shows how Einstein's scientific imagination sprang from the rebellious nature of his personality. His fascinating story is a testament to the connection between creativity and freedom. Isaacson explores how an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk - a struggling father in a difficult marriage who couldn't get a teaching job or a doctorate - became the locksmith of the mysteries of the atom, and the universe. His success came from questioning conventional wisdom and marvelling at mysteries that struck others as mundane. This led him to embrace a morality and politics based on respect for free minds, free spirits and free individuals. Einstein, the classic No.1 New York Times bestseller, is a brilliantly acclaimed account of the most influential scientist of the twentieth century,`An illuminating delight' New York Times`Dramatic and revelatory' Sunday Times`Beautifully written' Sunday Telegraph`Astonishing' Mail on Sunday

Elevation

Castle Rock is a small town, where word gets around quickly. That's why Scott Carey wants to confide only in his friend Doctor Bob Ellis about his strange condition: he's losing weight, without getting thinner, and the scales register the same when he is in his clothes or out of them, however heavy they are. Scott also has new neighbours, who have opened a 'fine dining experience' in town, although it's an experience being shunned by the locals; Deidre McComb and her wife Missy Donaldson don't exactly fit in with the community's expectations. And now Scott seems trapped in a feud with the couple over their dogs dropping their business on his lawn. Missy may be friendly, but Deidre is cold as ice. As the town prepares for its annual Thanksgiving 12k run, Scott starts to understand the prejudices his neighbours face and he tries to help. Unlikely alliances form and the mystery of Scott's affliction brings out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others. From master storyteller Stephen King, our 'most precious renewable resource, like Shakespeare in the malleability of his work' (Guardian), comes this timely, upbeat tale about finding common ground despite deep-rooted differences. Compelling and eerie, Elevation is as gloriously joyful (with a twinge of deep sadness) as 'It's a Wonderful Life.'

The Paradoxical Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Leverage In Death

The thrilling, brand-new Eve Dallas and Roarke mystery from international number one bestseller J.D. Robb

The Indian Empire At War

While the First World War has been best known for trenches, Tommies and war horses on the western front, and more widely for the Australians at Gallipoli or Lawrence of Arabia, the astonishing story of Britain's Asian great connection of 1914-18 has been neglected: the 1.5 million men of the Indian Army. Extraordinarily, this book is the first single narrative of their remarkably global war as Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs of Britain's Indian Empire, fighting for the Allies against the Central Powers in the mud of Flanders, the steaming jungles of Africa and the baking deserts of the Islamic world. The Indian Empire at War is a brilliantly original re-telling of the First World War like never before, finding the Indian Army's true place at the heart of its global events - from 1914's German invasion of France and the Sultan of Turkey's jihad summoning all Muslims to holy war on the British, to 1918's Allied victory over the Germans and the Turks in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Using previously unpublished veteran interviews, George Morton-Jack re-traces the Indian soldiers' footsteps across the continents, revealing their dangerous missions as secret agents, their eye-opening discoveries of foreign cultures and their heart-breaking ordeals as prisoners of war - as well as exploring how they came home with fresh hopes for their families and their country, playing their part in the story of Indian Independence.

Hickys Bengal Gazette

The British are well-ensconced in Bengal, but not yet an empire. Indian princes pose a danger to the East India Company’s plans of commerce and domination. Warren Hastings, the British governor-general, is attempting to consolidate his power in the Company. Johann Zacharias Kiernander is on a mission to convert heathen souls in a land far from his native Sweden though he is not averse to lining his pockets while doing ‘God’s work’. Into this steaming cauldron of skullduggery and intrigue walks James Augustus Hicky, a wild Irishman seeking fame and fortune. Sensing an opportunity, he decides to establish a newspaper, the first of its kind in South Asia. In two short years, his endeavour threatens to lay bare the murky underside of the early British empire. Does it succeed? This is the story of the forces Hicky came up against, the corrupt authorities determined to stop him and of his resourcefulness. The product of five years of research by Andrew Otis in the archives of India, UK and Germany, Hicky’s Bengal Gazette: The Story of India’s First Newspaper is an essential and compelling addition to the history of subcontinental journalism.

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