BOOKS

Howzzat: 50 Predictions on Indian Cricket You Won't Believe: Greenstone Lobo (Readomania)

Can India win the 2019 World Cup?

Can Kohli beat Tendulkar’s records?

Can Ganguly become the president of the BCCI?

Can the results of sports events be predicted? Can we know beforehand the winners of the cricket or football World Cups, the tennis Grand Slams or the next IPL? Can we try to better our chances in the future tournaments on the basis of astrology? Can we identify and prime future sports stars for action?

  

Greenstone Lobo, a modern-day astrologer with a scientific approach to astrology, claims that we can. On the basis of 25 years of experience and extensive research on the subject, Greenstone has developed a 12-planet methodology to draw people’s horoscopes with astounding accuracy.

Based on the study of thousands of birth charts of celebrities and major sports events in the past, Greenstone answers some of the burning questions on Indian cricket today, from cricket fans all over.     

Are you ready to face the complex and interesting future of Indian cricket?

New Market Tales: Jayant Kripalani (Pan Macmillan India)

‘These protagonists are mainly the residents of Calcutta's New Market area – including the “marketeyr bachcha” or the shop-owners’ children – in the 1960s and 1970s, and the first six stories, which take up close to half the book, are the ones I liked best. These are pen-portraits of a variety of colourful characters – people with quirks, dreams, and their own special ways of dealing with the world.’ – Jabberwock

‘In New Market Tales, television actor-director Jayant Kripalani introduces readers to his memories of the historic market, weaving in nostalgia about the place into short stories about its inhabitants. If the measure of a place can be judged by the people who inhabit it, then Kripalani’s New Market is as colourful as the market’s rich red facade. There’s never a dull moment and it is, of course, just a bit eccentric.’ -- DNA

Demons and Demigods: Death Penalty in India: Aparna Jha (Oxford University Press)

‘Aparna Jha, a lawyer practising in the Supreme Court, ha

s drawn upon her experience as a lawyer for four young death row convicts, telling their story, and the story of the research carried out by her during the case, to come out with an eminently readable book. 

The author, who has written an anthology of short stories as well as a novel, has used her skills as a storyteller to take us through some of the leading cases on the death penalty, describing the actual crimes and associated violence in an almost poetic manner.’

--Asian Age

‘One that makes an impassioned plea against capital punishment.’

-- Hindustan Times

The Street of Mists: Mariam Karim Ahlawat (Vitasta)

Young Mehjabeen’s stay in Montmartre, Paris, is an exploration of different worlds, without and within. The Paris that she discovers is not a utopia of Love and Art alone. It’s also a city simmering with ethnic conflict. Mehjabeen is in search of her roots, and unknowingly she embarks upon a journey of self?discovery as she attempts to understand art, love, the notion of freedom, and more.

On the one hand there’s the world of soirées, champagne and luxury and on the other is the world of Agnès Desmoulins, her mentally challenged son Dodi and the Guatemalan refugee Marina. Mehjabeen straddles these two very different worlds, and her myriad experiences find their way into her canvas.

The Journey of OP Vaish: Celebrating Life with Gratitude: Ramesh Menon (edits)

Celebrating Life With Gratitude tells the evocative story of lawyer and social activist, OP Vaish, who battled difficult circumstances in his childhood to study and dream big despite humble beginnings. The book details his journey as an officer in the prestigious Indian Revenue Service, his forays into the private sector when few would have given up a government job with its clout, and later by diving into the world of tax law. He excelled at every stage as he reinvented himself and looked at work as worship.

Dharani: Preethi Mohan (edits)

Five-year-old Dharani was popular in and around Mahadevpur for a rare skill she learned from none other than Lord Shiva. It was a skill she could use in all her lives and in each life, destiny would bring her to Mahadevpur. Years went by and one fateful evening, Dharani stumbled into the village with a deadly arrow stuck in her heart. The truth behind her death remained unknown and the people awaited her return to the village in a new life. Fifty years later, the people of Mahadevpur are excited to see National Award winner, Bhavaani’s picture in the newspaper. Is she really Dharani? Will she be able to solve the mystery of her death?

The Bench: Kusum Ansal (translation)

In the novel The Bench the author endeavours to look at the complexities of life through the prism of human emotions. The protagonist, Natasha, embarks on a journey of self-actualisation. Waiting endlessly, without hope, she sits on the hospital bench living through the trauma and tribulations of her life as her husband fights for his life after a terrible accident. 

Blood, Sweat and Cheers: Jimmy Mathew (Vitasta)

Blood, Sweat And ... Cheers! is a story about students in a medical college. Contrary to popular belief, medical schools are not one dimensional. The book describes the several shades of doom and gloom, along with love, friendship, hope and joy.

Wise Enough to be Foolish: Gauri Jayaram (edits)



Based on a true story, Wise Enough to Be Foolish is a fictionalized memoir that traces the journey of an Indian girl's life. This roller-coaster ride of adventure, laughter and heartache, as she balances her love life with her struggle for independence, will keep you guessing - What rules will she break next? How far will she go to find herself?

Keeping It Real: Vibha Batra (edits)




Suvarna Khandelwal is participating in Indian Icon, a popular reality show. 

This is the story of how she struggles to cope in shark-infested waters (or is that Mumbai nagariya?). Does she make peace with her uber-conservative family? Does she give those sharks a good run for their sur, taal and maal? Does she swim ashore to safety? Read on to find out. One thing is for sure, you will find yourself rooting (and voting) for this unlikely heroine.