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The Last Song of Dusk
A tale of exquisite friendships, immense sacrifices and dangerous desires Pirouetting between laughter and tears, Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi's technicolour debut tells the story of four extraordinary lives. Of Anuradha Gandharva, gifted with astonishing beauty and magical songs; of her husband, Vardhmaan, struggling with secret losses; of Nandini, a deviously alluring artist, with a penchant for panthers and walking on water; and of Shloka, the Gandharvas' delicate, disturbingly silent child. As their fates unravel in an old villa in 1920s' India, they learn to navigate the ever-changing landscape of love, and in doing so encounter a host of eccentrics: Mr. Bunkusdaas, the father of Bollywood cinema; Stella Dimm, 'England's first ever Tit girl'; Libya Dass, rarely seen out of her porcelain bathtub; and Percival Worthington, the aristocratically limp son of the governor of Bombay, on whom Nandini rashly sets her sights. Told with tenderness and with dazzling wit, The Last Song of Dusk will haunt you long after you have turned the final page.
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The Shadow of the Crescent Moon
Fatima Bhuttos stunning fiction debut begins and ends one rainswept Friday morning in Mir Ali, a small town in the troubled tribal region of Waziristan, close to the Afghan border. Three brothers meet for breakfast. Soon after, the eldest, recently returned from America, hails a taxi to the local mosque. The second brother, a doctor, goes to check in at his hospital. His troubled wife does not join the family that morning for no one knows where Mina goes these days and the youngest, the idealist, leaves for town on a motorbike. Seated behind him is a beautiful, fragile girl whose world has been overwhelmed by war. Three hours later their day will end in devastating circumstances. The Shadow of the Crescent Moon chronicles the lives of people trying to live and love in a world on fire. Beautifully written, full of emotion and heartbreak, this is an extraordinary novel.
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David & Goliath : Underdogs, Misfits and the Art o
Why do underdogs succeed so much more than they should? How do the weak outsmart the strong? In David and Goliath Malcolm Gladwell takes us on a scintillating and surprising journey to uncover the hidden dynamics that shape the balance of power between the small and the mighty. From the conflicts in Northern Ireland, through the tactics of civil rights leaders and the problem of privilege, Gladwell demonstrates how terribly we misunderstand the true meaning of advantage and disadvantage. When is a traumatic childhood a good thing? How can a disability leave someone better off? And do you really want your child to go to the best school he or she can get into? Drawing on the stories of remarkable underdogs, history, science, psychology and his unparalleled ability to make the connections other miss, David and Goliath is a brilliant, illuminating book that overturns conventional thinking and brings home the incredible leverage of the unexpected.
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Sita
The chariot stopped far from the city in the middle of the forest. Sita alighted, eager to walk amongst the trees. The charioteer, Lakshman, remained seated. Sensing he had something to say, Sita paused. Lakshman finally spoke, eyes to the ground, Your husband, my elder brother, Ram, king of Ayodhya, wants you to know that the streets are full of gossip. Your reputation is in question. The rules are clear on this: a kings wife should be above all doubt. The scion of the Raghu clan therefore has ordered you to stay away from his person and his palace and his city. You are free to go wherever else you please. But you may not reveal to anyone you were once Rams queen. Sita watched Lakshmans nostrils flare. She felt his embarrassment and his rage. She wanted to reach out and reassure him, but she restrained herself. You feel your Ram has abandoned his Sita, dont you? she asked gently. But he has not. He cannot. He is God; he abandons no one. And I am Goddess; I cannot be abandoned by anyone. A mystified Lakshman returned to Ayodhya, while Sita smiled in the forest and unbound her hair. It is significant that the only character in Hindu mythology, a king at that, to be given the title of ekam-patni-vrata, devoted to a single wife, is associated with the most unjust act of abandoning her in the forest to protect family reputation. This seems a deliberate souring of an uplifting narrative. Rams refusal to remarry to produce a royal heir adds to the complexity. The intention seems to be to provoke thought on notions of fidelity, property and self-image. And so the mythologist and illustrator Devdutt Pattanaik retells the Ramayana, drawing attention to the many oral, visual and written retellings composed in different times, in different places, by different poets, each one trying to solve the puzzle in its own unique way. This book approaches Ram by speculating on Sita: her childhood with her father, Janaka, who hosted sages mentioned in the Upanishads; her stay in the forest with her husband, who had to be a celibate ascetic while she was in the prime of her youth; her interactions with the women of Lanka, recipes she exchanged, emotions they shared; her connection with the earth, her mother, and with the trees, her sisters; her role as the Goddess, the untamed Kali as well as the demure Gauri, in transforming the stoic prince of Ayodhya into God.
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Draupadi In High Heels
Born into a well-known business family, Deeya is a high-flying, spoilt, rich girl who owns an elite fashion store. Her parents want her to get married and hold a swayamvar of sorts for her to select a husband. And she has a dilemma to go with the extremely attractive, intriguing Karan or the dashing and outgoing Arjun! She is determined to make the best decision when she finds that her life resembles that of Draupadi from the Mahabharata, in more ways than one. Will she be able to find her own path in life? or will she flounder? Funny and romantic, Draupadi in High Heels explores the power of ones choice and how deeply its affects life! About the Auhtor Aditi Kotwal is an ardent book lover and travel enthusiast. Her fascination with legends and mythology began at an early age and she also has a secret penchant for romance novels. This book is her attempt at reconciling the two.
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The Black Country
When members of a prominent family disappear from a coal-mining village - and a human eyeball is discovered in a bird's nest - the local constable sends for help from Scotland Yard's new Murder Squad. Inspector Walter Day and Sergeant Nevil Hammersmith respond, but they have no idea what they're about to get into. The villagers have intense, intertwined histories. Everybody bears a secret. Superstitions abound. And the village itself is slowly sinking into the mines beneath it. Not even the arrival of forensics pioneer Dr. Bernard Kingsley seems to help. In fact, the more the three of them investigate, the more they realize they may never be allowed to leave. . . . From The Yard author Alex Grecian comes The Black Country- a horrifying journey into the darkest backwoods of Victorian Britain. The Black Country is guaranteed to appeal to fans of recent Ripper TV dramas (BBC's Ripper Street, ITV's Whitechapel) as well as Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes films. Praise for Alex Grecian: 'Will keep you riveted from page one' Jeffrey Deaver 'Outstanding. If Charles Dickens isn't somewhere clapping his hands for this, Wilkie Collins surely is.' The New York Times Book Review Alex Grecian has worked for an ad agency on accounts for Harley-Davidson, Cub Foods, and The Great American Smokeout, before returning to writing fiction full time and raising his son. Alex is the author of the long-running and critically acclaimed comic book series Proof, and he lives in Topeka, Kansas, with his wife and son. The Yard is his first novel.
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Clockwork Princess
Tessa Gray's joy at her wedding is shortlived as evil automatons abduct her. She is a vital ingredient in the Clockwork Prince's plan to destroy the Shadowhunters. Jem and Will are ready to do anything to save her, but Will struggles with his own feelings for her even though she is engaged to Jem. In a race against time, Will must risk everything to save both his closest friend and the girl he loves. And Tessa must come to terms with her own abilities for once she does, she might become more powerful than she ever imagined. The first book in The Infernal Devices is Clockwork Angel and the second book is Clockwork Prince. About Cassandra Clare Judith Rumelt, better known as Cassandra Clare, is an American writer. She is best known for her Mortal Instruments series. Ms. Clare rose to internet fame through her fan-fiction before releasing her first original novel The City of Bones.The books have also appeared internationally on bestseller lists, including in the UK, USA, Germany, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The first book in The Infernal Devices series, Clockwork Angel, debuted at number one on the New York Times Bestseller list and spent ten weeks in the charts. Dont miss The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, soon to be a major motion picture, in cinemas August 2013. Cassandra Clare lives in an old Victorian house in Massachusetts, USA, with her husband. Born to American parents in Tehran, Iran, she spent much of her childhood travelling the world with her family. She is the author of the international number-one bestselling series The Mortal Instruments.
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The Girl from Nongrim Hills
Bok, a guitar player with a Shillong band, has a lot on his mind. His elder brother Kitdor has lost 50 lakh rupees on a trip to Nagaland to purchase arms for a group of militants. Kitdor is given a week to repay the money and the only person he can turn to is his laid-back younger brother. Bok is helpless until a chance encounter with a beautiful woman provides him with a desperate solution. But fate cant be cheated and soon the hapless musician is tangled in her web of lies. He must outmanoeuvre her and the trail of politicians, militants and cops she leaves in her wake and find the 50 lakhs in time if he is to save his brother. Dark, atmospheric and utterly gripping, The Girl from Nongrim Hills is a superb thriller and a great Shillong novel. About the Author Ankush Saikia was born in Tezpur, Assam in 1975. He grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, Assam and Shillong, Meghalaya. He has worked for India Today magazine, Sage Publications and Dorling Kindersley. He was shortlisted for the fourth Outlook/Picador-India non-fiction writing award (2005) and is the author of two books: Jet City Woman (2007) and Spotting Veron and Other Stories (2011). He is currently based in Shillong, Meghalaya and Tezpur, Assam.
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Threat Vector
Jack Ryan moves back into the Oval Office and is immediately faced with an international threat. Chinese President Wei Zhen Lin has been forced to agree with the expansionist policies of his General, and they have declared the South China Sea a protectorate and planned an invasion of Taiwan. The stakes are dangerously high as the Ryan administration attempts to thwart Chinese ambitions, facing missiles and cyber attack. Jack Ryan, Jr. may just be the wild card that his father needs. One problem: someone knows about the intelligence agency, and may be about to blow their cover sky high.
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Don't Tempt Me
Lynette Baillon's twin, Lysette, died in an accident. Or so Lynette believed until, at a seductive masked ball in Paris, sexy stranger Simon Quinn mistakes her for her sister Lysette. And Simon, who planned to hand notorious assassin Lysette Rousseau over to the French, finds his plans confounded.
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Cleopatra
row draws on recent archaeological finds and fresh interpretations of ancient texts to separate truth from myth and set this incomparably beautiful queen in context. When Cleopatra took the throne of the kingdom of Egypt, the pyramids and Sphinx were already ancient wonders. As queen she faced conquest by a new, all-powerful empire. A Ptolemy, descended from a general of Alexander the Great who conquered the Nile as part of his Macedonian lands, her relationship with Mark Anthony has become one of the legendary love stories in history. Trow draws on recent archaeological finds and fresh interpretations of ancient texts to separate truth from myth and set this incomparably beautiful queen in context.
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Heroes Of Olympus
The fourth book in the bestselling Heroes of Olympus series - set in the explosive world of Percy Jackson. The stakes have never been higher. If Percy Jackson and Annabeth fail in their quest, there'll be hell on Earth. Literally. Wandering the deadly realm of Tartarus, every step leads them further into danger. And if by some miracle they do make it to the Doors of Death, there's a legion of bloodthirsty monsters waiting for them. Meanwhile, Hazel and the crew of the Argo II have a choice: to stop a war or save their friends. Whichever road they take one thing is certain in the Underworld, evil is inescapable.
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Bankerupt
A university is an institution for higher education and research. It can also be a place where academic brilliance leads to overinflated egos, bitter politics and finally, murder. Cirisha Narayanan, a professor who has risen meteorically, stumbles upon a cryptic message. Aditya Raisinghania, her banker husband, sets up a highly innovative financial hoax. Her profiteering father harvests Australias largest bird the emu in India. The US elections are on and the debate on gun control has reached a fever pitch. Set in Mumbai, Coimbatore and Boston, Ravi Subramanian creates an impeccably researched world where everyone has a motive to kill. Nothing is as it seems in this cunningly vicious thriller where the plot turns on a dime.
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Good For You
Teen screen idol Reid is in deep trouble. When Dori, the community service supervisor who is determined to set him a good example, comes on the scene, romance is the furthest thing from her mind. Or his. But there's something irresistible about Reid that not even good girl Dori can ignore..
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The Tombs
It's a prize beyond imagination. When an archaeologist excavating a top secret historical site realizes the magnitude of his discovery he requests help from treasure hunters Sam and Remi Fargo. In rushing to join him, the Fargos are thrown into their most daring quest to date. The clues point to the hidden tomb of Attila the Hun, the High King who was reportedly buried with a vast fortune of gold and jewels and plunder, a bounty that has never been found. But as Sam and Remi piece together the puzzle, the trail takes them not to a single tomb, but five. And into the path of deadly danger. They are not the only ones hunting for the High King's riches. The Fargos find themselves pitted against enemies who will stop at nothing to claim the tombs riches as their own
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Ask For It
England, 1770. As an agent to the Crown, Marcus Ashford has fought numerous sword fights and dodged bullets and cannon fire. Yet nothing arouses him more than his hunger for former fiance, Elizabeth. Years ago, she'd abandoned him for the boyishly charming Lord Hawthorne. But now Marcus has been ordered to defend Elizabeth from her husband's killers and he has sworn to do so while tending to her other, more carnal needs. He will be at her service, in every sense.