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Cricket Memories

Culture can Kill

Why do certain societies advance and others fall behind? Why did a European discover India rather than an Indian discovering Europe? Taking India as a specific example, this book affirms that Culture Counts. Some beliefs, though helpful in personal life, can have disastrous long-term consequences on groups. Many popular beliefs blocked India's progress. They still do. This book spells them out. Divided into four sections, in a stepwise exposition, it defines India's Disease, describes Symptoms, analyzes Causes and suggests Remedies. Environment, economics, fate, foreigners, sins or genes did not cause the downfall of this once magnificent civilization into depths of destitution today and despair in the face of foreign aggressions in the past. India's much vaunted culture---beliefs, values, goals, attitudes---killed her. Surprised? Shocked? As they always say, the devil is in the detail. Can we Indians reverse the course of history? Yes. We must shed our vanity in our distant hazy past. Fleeting localized successes should not blind us to the grim realities of everyday life in India today. We must transform our culture and religion from a theoretical, pessimistic, defeatist philosophy to a positive, forward looking, action-based outfit. We must modernize our minds genuinely, not just cosmetically. This book elucidates this unconventional, basically rationalist, approach. It examines in laser light everyday problems that educated Indians casually discuss in their drawing rooms, arrive at a dead end and disperse without direction. Intellectually robust, boldly challenging, freshly innovative, this book revisits ancient assumptions and myths believed in by a billion people---nuclear armed, shooting for the moon and starving in the streets. And in the process, it illuminates the way to a brave new world of the future for an ancient culture desperately struggling to emerge into modernity.

Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google

You are shrunk to the height of a nickel and thrown in a blender. The blades start moving in 60 seconds. What do you do? If you want to work at Google, or any of America's best companies, you need to have an answer to this and other puzzling questions. Are you Smart Enough to Work at Google? is a must read for anyone who wants to succeed in today's job market.

Known Turf

When Breath Becomes Air

When Breath Becomes Air chornicles the life of Paul Kalanithi who after having completed a decade long training as a neurosurgeon is confronted with being diagnosed of lung cancer. From being one who treated serious patients to being a patient with a terminal disease, Kalanithi started penning this auto-biography after he was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and was counting days. It is a moving story about Kalanithi’s own life: from being a student pondering over the meaningfulness of life to a famous neurosurgeon who operated brains that deals with the core of human identity, to being a new father at a time when his own life is awaiting an uncanny end. In writing about his own life, Kalanithi puts forth some reflecting questions: what is a person supposed to do when his life is catastrophically cut off? What makes a life admirable and worth living right in the face of death? And, finally, what does it mean to have a child right when one’s own life is on the verge of perennial slumber? Paul Kalanithi passed away while working on the book yet 'When Breath Becomes Air’ is regarded as a profound reflection on the acceptance of mortality and on the relationship between a patient and a doctor, all from an author, who had to face it all.

In Hot Blood

At lunchtime on 27 April 1959, the handsome naval commander Kawas Nanavati was told by his English wife Sylvia that she was having an affair with their flamboyant businessman-playboy friend, Prem Ahuja. Later that evening, armed with a revolver, Nanavati stormed Ahuja's bedroom and shut the door behind him. Three gunshots were heard going off inside. Ahuja was dead. Ahuja's murder set in motion an extraordinary public frenzy ֠thousands descended on the streets of Bombay chanting in favour of the hero Nanavati, and the jury, swept off their feet by the dazzling naval officer in the dock, returned a 'Not Guilty' verdict. This trial was the death knell of the jury system in India. It hurtled a judiciary keen on preserving justice into confrontation with an executive bending to the will of hysterical crowds and tabloids and Nanavati's powerful friends in the establishment. In this laboriously researched book ֠part thriller, part courtroom drama and legal history, and part social portrait of post- Independence Bombay ֠Bachi Karkaria gives a most comprehensive account of the Nanavati case and the Constitutional crisis to which it gave birth.]

1Q84

The year is 1Q84. This is the real world, there is no doubt about that. But in this world, there are two moons in the sky. In this world, the fates of two people, Tengo and Aomame, are closely intertwined. They are each, in their own way, doing something very dangerous. And in this world, there seems no way to save them both. Something extraordinary is starting.

After Dark

The midnight hour approaches in an almost-empty diner. Mari sips her coffee and reads a book, but soon her solitude is disturbed: a girl has been beaten up at the Alphaville hotel, and needs Mari's help. Meanwhile Mari's beautiful sister Eri lies in a deep, heavy sleep that is 'too perfect, too pure' to be normal; it has lasted for two months. But tonight as the digital clock displays 00:00, a hint of life flickers across the television screen in her room, even though it's plug has been pulled out. Strange nocturnal happenings, or a trick of the night?

What Talk About When I Talk About Running

A Wild Sheep Chase

It begins simply enough: A twenty-something advertising executive receives a postcard from a friend, and casually appropriates the image for an insurance company’s advertisement. What he doesn’t realise is that included in the pastoral scene is a mutant sheep with a star on its back, and in using this photo he has unwittingly captured the attention of a man in black who offers a menacing ultimatum: find the sheep or face dire consequences. Thus begins a surreal and elaborate quest that takes our hero from the urban haunts of Tokyo to the remote and snowy mountains of northern Japan, where he confronts not only the mythological sheep, but the confines of tradition and the demons deep within himself. Quirky and utterly captivating, A Wild Sheep Chase is Murakami at his astounding best. 'A Wild Sheep Chase has the conventional hull of a thriller - a quest, a mystery, an extraordinary woman, and plenty of elegant duress - but its fantastic superstructure transforms it into something quite different...a science fiction fantasy, a romance, a metaphysical tease, or a dramatisation of philosophical ideas' Independent

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

Here are animated crows, a criminal monkey, an ice man, as well as the dreams that shape us and the things we wish for. Whether during a chance reunion in Italy, a romantic exile in Greece, a holiday in Hawaii or in the grip of everyday life, Murakami's characters confront loss, or sexuality, or the glow of a firefly, or the impossible distance between those who ought to be closest of all.

Wind Pinball

'If you’re the sort of guy who raids the refrigerators of silent kitchens at three o’clock in the morning, you can only write accordingly. That’s who I am.' Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973 are Haruki Murakami’s earliest novels. They follow the fortunes of the narrator and his friend, known only by his nickname, the Rat. In Hear the Wind Sing the narrator is home from college on his summer break. He spends his time drinking beer and smoking in J’s Bar with the Rat, listening to the radio, thinking about writing and the women he has slept with, and pursuing a relationship with a girl with nine fingers. Three years later, in Pinball, 1973, he has moved to Tokyo to work as a translator and live with indistinguishable twin girls, but the Rat has remained behind, despite his efforts to leave both the town and his girlfriend. The narrator finds himself haunted by memories of his own doomed relationship but also, more bizarrely, by his short-lived obsession with playing pinball in J’s Bar. This sends him on a quest to find the exact model of pinball machine he had enjoyed playing years earlier: the three-flipper Spaceship.

Underground

In spite of the perpetrators' intentions, the Tokyo gas attack left only twelve people dead, but thousands were injured and many suffered serious after-effects. Murakami interviews the victims to try and establish precisely what happened on the subway that day. He also interviews members and ex-members of the doomsdays cult responsible, in the hope that they might be able to explain the reason for the attack and how it was that their guru instilled such devotion in his followers. ** Murakami’s new novel is coming ** COLORLESS TSUKURU TAZAKI AND HIS YEARS OF PILGRIMAGE 'The reason why death had such a hold on Tsukuru Tazaki was clear. One day his four closest friends, the friends he’d known for a long time, announced that they did not want to see him, or talk with him, ever again'

Birthday Stories

What will you get for your birthday this year? A chance to see into the future? Or a reminder of the imperfect past? In this enviable gathering, Haruki Murakami has chosen for his party some of the very best short story writers of recent years, each with their own birthday experiences, each story a snapshot of life on a single day. Including stories by Russell Banks, Ethan Canin, Raymond Carver, David Foster Wallace, Denis Johnson, Claire Keegan, Andrea Lee, Daniel Lyons, Lewis Robinson, Lynda Sexson, Paul Theroux, William Trevor and Haruki Murakami, this anthology captures a range of emotions evoked by advancing age and the passing of time, from events fondly recalled to the impact of appalling tragedy. Previously published in a Japanese translation by Haruki Murakami, this English edition contains a specially written introduction.

Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End Of The World

A narrative particle accelerator that zooms between Wild Turkey Whiskey and Bob Dylan, unicorn skulls and voracious librarians, John Coltrane and Lord Jim. Science fiction, detective story and post-modern manifesto all rolled into one rip-roaring novel, Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is the tour de force that expanded Haruki Murakami's international following. Tracking one man's descent into the Kafkaesque underworld of contemporary Tokyo, Murakami unites East and West, tragedy and farce, compassion and detachment, slang and philosophy.

The Elephant Vanishes

When a man's favourite elephant vanishes, the balance of his whole life is subtly upset. A couple's midnight hunger pangs drive them to hold up a McDonald's. A woman finds she is irresistible to a small green monster that burrows through her front garden. An insomniac wife wakes up in a twilight world of semi-consciousness in which anything seems possible - even death. In every one of these stories Murakami makes a determined assault on the normal. ** Murakami’s new novel is coming ** COLORLESS TSUKURU TAZAKI AND HIS YEARS OF PILGRIMAGE 'The reason why death had such a hold on Tsukuru Tazaki was clear. One day his four closest friends, the friends he’d known for a long time, announced that they did not want to see him, or talk with him, ever again'

Passionate Protection

Penny Jordan needs no introduction as arguably the most recognisable name writing for Mills & Boon. We have celebrated her wonderful writing with a special collection, many of which for the first time in eBook format and all available right now. Her love would never be returned… In Spain on business, Jessica had agreed to do her cousin a favour, but she never imagined it would result in her working with the aristocratic Sebastian Calvadores. From the moment they met he was callous and arrogant, and yet she couldn't deny the way her pulses raced whenever he entered the room. She was falling in love. Jessica wanted to listen to her heart, but common sense warned against it. For Sebastian had nothing but contempt for her – and another woman intended to possess Sebastian!

Myths and Legends of the Hindus and Buddhists

Philosophy, ritual, and mythology are the three pillars of all ancient religions. But in India in particular, mythology has been an extremely important medium for teaching abstract spiritual truths, and it has had a profound influence not only on the religious traditions of the country but also on Indian society. Myths and Legends of the Hindus and Buddhists includes stories from both the great epics of India (the Mahabharata and the Ramayana), and through these stories are introduced two great Avataras of the Hindu tradition: Rama and Krishna. In addition, this volume includes some charming tales of gods and goddesses from the Puranas.Also included are stories from the Jataka depicting the different births of Buddha prior to his enlightenment. The common message running through these stories is: No matter how hopeless things may seem, eventually righteousness prevails over unrighteousness and virtue defeats vice. Winner of the Best Published Book award of the 2001-2002 Kolkata book fair, Myths and Legends of the Hindus and Buddhists includes more than 30 color illustrations. A truly beautiful book!

Josephine Macleod and Vivekananda's Mission

Josephine MacLeod (1858 1949) was an American friend and devotee of Swami Vivekananda. She had a strong attachment to India and was an active participant in the Ramakrishna Vivekananda movement. Given the nicknames Tantine and Jo Jo by Swami Vivekananda, she became his staunchest friend, though never claiming to be a disciple. To spread Vivekananda and his message of the potential divinity of human beings became Tantine's life mission...A well researched, illustrated biography, this book will inspire the reader to a better understanding of Swami Vivekananda's mission and contribution to the uplift of humanity.

Cinderella: Hired by the Prince

You Can't Fight A Royal Attraction

The last thing Rihaan needs in his life is to play a host to a woman who drives him crazy! Saira is gorgeous, yes but she's also widly infuriating. Yet every time she comes within an inch of him he finds his normally iron-clad control slipping further and further away. Wanting to protect herself from more heartbreak, Saira knows she should keep her distance from Rihaan but there's something about him she just can't seem to resist. Little does she know that Rihaan is hiding a secret! When it comes to light will it tear them apart or raise their passion to new, more majestic heights?

The Greek's Tiny Miracle

His only chance to be a father… Navy SEAL captain Nikos Vassalos is a shell of the man he once was. Tortured by PTSD, he isolates himself on his luxury yacht. But his bitter solitude is interrupted–by a heavily pregnant woman who tells him he's about to be a dad! Putting her own deep-rooted fears of rejection aside, Stephanie Marsh is determined that her baby will know its father. Only this cold, suspicious Nikos is not the man she once fell for. Will the tiny miracle growing inside her help them find the happy ending they both deserve–together?

Cold Case at Carlton's Canyon

Justin Thorpe won't stop until he finds the serial killer who's already claimed ten innocent lives. He works solo, until he joins forces with Sheriff Amanda Blair but Thorpe can't let his desire for his co-worker keep him from his mission, especially when it looks like Amanda might be the final victim in this killer's terrifying game.

How to Talk so Kids can Learn at Home and in Schoo