Storybooks often address emotions, feelings, and social situations that children might be encountering for the first time. Reading about characters who experience similar emotions helps children understand their feelings and develop empathy…writes Priyanka Shah
Every successful person ends up having one thing in common- their thirst for knowledge. And what do they do to gain such intellect? They read! They read and read about everything on god’s green earth and then form their own thoughts about the many things they’ve read. Sounds easy enough, right? However, it is not.
Let’s be honest, none other than habitual readers can pick a book and start reading it. Developing this habit is a lot harder when you are 30 years old. As consumable content duration shrinks and our tolerance with it, parents must recognise that now is the right time to develop a love for reading early in kids which will surely help them when they grow up. This will give them an early advantage and set them up for success.
Reading storybooks should be a part of every child’s life and it should start as early as possible. One can even start with reading board books to one’s 6 months old baby. In fact, reading books early has many lesser-known benefits such as:
Reading plays a crucial role in a child’s development and overall well-being. The importance of reading and exposure to storybooks cannot be overstated, as they contribute to a wide range of cognitive, emotional, social, and educational benefits.
Reading stimulates brain development by encouraging critical thinking, imagination, and problem-solving skills.
Exposure to books and reading from a young age lays the foundation for early literacy skills, such as letter recognition and understanding the structure of written language.
Storybooks often address emotions, feelings, and social situations that children might be encountering for the first time. Reading about characters who experience similar emotions helps children understand their feelings and develop empathy.
The habit of reading is something that pays off for a long time! Children who enjoy reading are more likely to seek out knowledge and continue exploring new ideas as they grow older.
However, the screen time dilemma has become every parent’s nightmare. No matter how much parents try, the screens dominate every child’s life and it is close to impossible to keep them away from screens all the time. Finding the right balance and managing screen time effectively is crucial for the healthy development and well-being of children.
But in a screen-dominated world where do the pretty little paperbacks fit? How does one walk the tightrope between screen and story? While we are surrounded by technology, we often forget that we are living in the age of knowledge where we can find solutions to many challenges. Here is a list of platforms that took this challenge head-on. These platforms are constantly working on bridging to make screen time worthwhile by helping kids develop cool reading habits in a digital playground:
Jumbaya
Jumbaya brings a curated library of just the best storybooks from around the world covering genres like folktales, mythology, adventure, animals, morals, sci-fi, bedtime stories and many more! All their storybooks are done in a thoughtfully animated read-along format with SLS (Same Language Subtitling) that can help significantly improve a child’s reading abilities as well as develop vocabulary and language skills. They also have storybooks in Hindi and plan to bring storybooks in other Indian and global languages.
Epic
Epic is a platform dedicated to bringing storybooks from the page to the screen. This app makes books more accessible to kids. A lot of their books have a read-aloud feature that makes it easier for kids to follow the words while reading.
StoryWeaver
An initiative by Pratham books, this is a free library of multiple books from around the world for kids. Most of their storybooks are also available in many Indian and international languages. They even follow a unique system of ‘Levels’ which can be used to map out a book to a kid’s reading ability.
In a world where screens beckon from every corner, finding meaningful experiences becomes a need of the hour. But with moderated content and platforms you’ll soon find that your child’s screen time can be a source of smiles through the pleasure of reading! In the digital playground, let literature be your guide to a more fulfilling and enriching use of technology. With these cool reading habits, the digital world becomes a playground for the mind and soul.
From Independence to Emergency: India’s Finance Ministers 1947-1977 is the story of India’s unforgettable finance ministers who shaped India’s economy in the first thirty years after Independence…reports Asian Lite News
Book reading has taken on the characteristics of a cult, where there is no one leader but rather a shared passion for reading that drives us all to look everywhere for books to read and helps us develop these traits. Here is the new list of books you may want to read.
Best reads for 2023.(photo:IANSLIFE)Best reads for 2023.(photo:IANSLIFE)Best reads for 2023.(photo:IANSLIFE)
Eating the Present, Tasting the Future by Charmaine O Brien
Eating the Present, Tasting the Future ventures ‘off the plate’ to journey through India’s contemporary foodscape to discover the myriad forces transforming what, how, and where Indians are producing, trading, and eating their food. At a time when food and our relationship with it are topics of increasing global interest, this is a timely, and important, work, offering a unique insight into a complex society.
Sovereigns of the Sea by Seema Alavi
This definitive book on the Sultans of Oman is a thrilling historical account of their action-packed battles, daring expeditions, epic triumphs, and ingenious politics in the long nineteenth century. It puts the optic of ‘micro-history’ on their fascinating lives as they navigated the geopolitics of their time and propelled the politics of the Western Indian Ocean. Keeping a sensitive finger on the specific temporal and spatial moments in the maritime space that they navigated, it explores their key role in shaping the politics of the Ocean and nurturing the Omani Sultanate on their terms. The groundbreaking narrative sheds light on the role of the Sultans as agents of change, challenging the Eurocentric narrative that views the Indian Ocean as framed in the history of Western imperialism and capitalism alone.
India’s Finance Ministers by A.K. Bhattacharya
From Independence to Emergency: India’s Finance Ministers 1947-1977 is the story of India’s unforgettable finance ministers who shaped India’s economy in the first thirty years after Independence. The book highlights the significant difference that these finance ministers made to the management of the Indian economy and to the policy evolution of the government, and who thus left an indelible mark on the psyche of Indian citizens. It attempts to measure the impact these decisions left, not only on India’s economic system but also on its political system, and looks at to what extent the decisions were influenced by the socio-economic backgrounds of the finance ministers. Full of interesting anecdotes, the book is the first in-depth account of the crucial role these finance ministers have played in the functioning of India’s economy.
Best reads for 2023.(photo:IANSLIFE)Best reads for 2023.(photo:IANSLIFE)
India in Search of Glory by Ashok Lahiri
Economist and political leader Ashok Lahiri in his new book has studied and presented a chronological account of the evolution of economic policies, starting from 1947. The book chronicles the evolution of economic policies since Independence. “This book is an attempt to decipher improvements in the political calculus, as the country develops and the backwardness of the people diminishes, for democracy to start yielding better dividends in the Indian search for glory,” Lahiri writes. Customer in the Boardroom by Rama Bijapurkar
Rama Bijapurkar presents a compelling treatise on how to develop a business strategy around the world of customers rather than the world of competitors. She draws a sharp distinction between the ‘market = industry size’ and the ‘market = customers with needs’ bases for developing business strategy. Replete with anecdotes, examples, and cases from India Inc, the book draws on the author’s vast experience in consulting and teaching and places equal emphasis on both the theory and the practice of bringing the customer into the boardroom. Oblivion and the other stories by Gopinath Mohanty
Oblivion and Other Stories is an anthology of twenty short stories by Gopinath Mohanty, the doyen of Oriya (now Odia) literature. Originally written in Oriya by the Padma Bhushan awardee, these have now been translated for the first time into English and recreate the social life of mid-twentieth century India. The embellished past in the stories is not one of nostalgia but a full-toned portrait of society. Marginalisation is the running thread: dispossession, disenfranchisement, class/caste social exclusivity, and lack of education. Unfiltered – The Leader and His Coach by Saurabh Mukherjea
A pioneering book, Unfiltered: The CEO and the Coach, for the first time, opens the doors that normally shield the confidential world of coaching conversations. The book, through its candour, helps readers fully grasp the life-changing impact that coaching can have. Conceived as a leadership development book, the authors share the narratives (both individual and mutual) of their partnership over the course of five years. The resultant narrative provides not just unique insights that executives and entrepreneurs will find useful for their own development but also deep insights into how, by understanding ourselves, we move towards mastery over the world at large.
The Portrait of a Secret by Tarun Mehrishi
A novel inspired by true events, a page-turner in the true sense of the term, The Portrait of a Secret by Tarun Mehrishi. Tracing the story of two paintings by legendary artist Nicholas Roerich and their central role in a battle for geopolitical power between the Indian RAW, the Pakistani ISI, and the American CIA, The Portrait of a Secret is fast-paced and unputdownable, thanks to a gripping non-linear plot that culminates in an astonishing ending. Weaving path-breaking historical events, such as the Bolshevik revolution, the creation of Bangladesh, the accession of Kashmir to India, and Osama bin Laden’s end, into this work of fiction, the book has everything that fascinates a reader.
Best reads for 2023.(photo:IANSLIFE)Best reads for 2023.(photo:IANSLIFE)
Gen Bipin Rawat Biography by Rachna Bisht Rawat
Bipin: The Man Behind the Uniform is the story of the NDA cadet who was relegated in the third term for not being able to do a mandatory jump into the swimming pool; of the young Second Lieutenant who was tricked into losing his ID card at the Amritsar railway station by a 5/11 Gorkha Rifles officer posing as his Sahayak; of the Major with a leg in plaster who was carried up to his company post on the Pakistan border because he insisted on joining his men for Dusshera celebrations under direct enemy observation; of the Army Chief who decided India would retaliate immediately and openly to every act of cross-border terrorism; of the Chief of Defence Staff who was happiest dancing the Jhamre with his Gorkha troops. Written by bestselling author Rachna Bisht Rawat and featuring in-depth interviews with Bipin Rawat’s friends, family members, and comrades, this book is a befitting tribute to one of India’s greatest and most controversial Generals.
The Big Bull of Dalal Street by Neil Borate, Aprajita Sharma, Aditya Kondawar
This book looks at the life of India’s big bull, as Rakesh was famously known, both as a person and as a professional. Providing a fascinating account of his journey, it analyses the records of Jhunjhunwala’s investments and interviews he has given over the years. More than just a biography, a large section of the book is devoted to understanding the stocks that made him rich and the mistakes he made. Looking at the journey of the legendary investor, the book offers retail investors some useful insights–into the benefits of long-term investing, mistakes one should avoid in the stock market, and risks associated with leveraged trades, among others.
Best reads for 2023.(photo:IANSLIFE)Best reads for 2023.(photo:IANSLIFE)
Cyber Encounters by Ashok Kumar and O.P. Manocha
Cyber Encounters delves deep into this nebulous cyberspace, to bring twelve fascinating accounts of cybercrime. Ashok Kumar, DGP, Uttarakhand Police and a veteran in the systematic fight against cybercrime in the state, and OP Manocha, an ex-DRDO scientist, unfold a specific type of cybercrime in each tale, based on a true story. Packed with information on the crime, its investigation, and the apprehending of the criminals, this illuminating insider account is a must-read. As technology has evolved, so has crime. Digital technologies have brought with them a whole host of crimes committed online-unsuspecting people are cheated of crores of rupees, duped by false advertisements on fake websites, incited to click on suspicious links through payment gateways, and download apps that give remote access of their device to criminals. From credit card fraud to phishing, the list is endless.
Your reading list for March & April.(photo:IANSLIFE)
Now that you’re down with spring cleaning, its time to reward yourself and curl up with a nice book. This month, we have a few authors writers who will change the way you view the world and people. Create your list and banish your boredom with these fantastic books…reports Asian Lite News
What Have We Done, by Alex Finlay
Five teenagers forged an unbreakable connection while residing at Savior House, an abusive group home for troubled teenagers, 25 years ago. Despite the fact that they lost touch, they all went on to lead fulfilling lives. When group members start dying, they are compelled to have a reunion that none of them wanted in order to track down the murderer. Hello Beautiful, by Ann Napolitano
After growing up without any attention from his family, William Waters finds solace in hoops in college. William rapidly integrates into the close-knit Padavano family after meeting Julia Padavano, a vivacious girl who is very close to her parents and three sisters. William never thought he’d be the one to break the family apart, despite the fact that cracks are beginning to show in the family.
Evil Eye, by Etaf Rum
Yara believes she has successfully escaped her traditional Palestinian upbringing when she marries a charming businessman and relocates to the suburbs. Even so, Yara doesn’t seem to be fulfilled by even her ideal family and ideal work. However, as Yara’s world starts to fall apart, she learns that the upbringing she believed she had left behind has finally had an impact on her and her daughters.
Stateless, by Elizabeth Wein
Stella North is delighted to be participating in the first air race for young adults in Europe in 1937 as the only female pilot. The world is searching for something encouraging to follow in the wake of the Spanish Civil War and the rise of the Fascists. But when one of the pilots is killed, the competition rapidly turns savage because each of them has a dark past they must keep hidden.
Your reading list for March & April.(photo:IANSLIFE)Your reading list for March & April.(photo:IANSLIFE)Your reading list for March & April.(photo:IANSLIFE)Your reading list for March & April.(photo:IANSLIFE)Your reading list for March & April.(photo:IANSLIFE)Your reading list for March & April.(photo:IANSLIFE)Your reading list for March & April.(photo:IANSLIFE)
Hang the Moon, by Jeannette Walls
Author of the popular memoir The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls also wrote a book about a tough young woman living through Prohibition in Virginia. Sallie Kincaid, despite having a comfortable upbringing, was expelled from her family after her counsel caused her younger half-brother Edie to have a mishap. Sallie, who is currently working as a bootlegger, is determined to reclaim her position in the family.
Fear and Other Stories (Translated by Hemang Ashwinkumar)
Fear and Other Stories is a reminder of the inherent dangers of the Dalit life, a life subjected to unimaginable violence and terror even in its most mundane moments. In this collection of short stories, veteran Gujarati writer Dalpat Chauhan narrates these lived experiences of exasperation and anger with startling vividity. His characters chronicle a deep history of resistance, interrogating historical, mythological and literary legends, foregrounding the perspectives of the disenfranchised.
Epic Tales of Wisdom, by Nityananda Charan Das
Epic Tales of Wisdom takes children on an exciting, enlightening, vivid and imaginative adventure through the epics. The stories bring to life a world inhabited by gods and goddesses, sages and saints, demons and monsters and others. This precious treasury of stories helps them evoke interest in the scriptures and sets the foundation of love for God’s creation.
Retold by godman Nityanand Charan Das in a child-friendly manner the stories allow kids to explore, perceive, comprehend and inspire their curious minds. The subtle lessons in the book capture timeless wisdom from Indian mythology and offer valuable insights on how to get through the rough and tumble of life. Nirzara Verulkar’s illustrations add zing to this book of educative, entertaining and enlightening tales that aspires to make kids spiritually richer and morally and socially stronger.
LAB HOPPING: a Journey to find India’s women in science, by Aashima Dogra & Nandita Jayaraj)
From Bhopal to Bhubaneswar, from Bangalore to Jammu, Aashima Dogra and Nandita Jayaraj engage in thought-provoking conversations with renowned scientists like Gagandeep Kang, Rohini Godbole, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Prajval Shastri, as well as researchers at earlier stages of their scientific careers. These dialogues about the triumphs and challenges faced by women offer fresh perspectives on the gender gap that continues to haunt Indian science today. Pineapple Street, by Jenny Jackson
This unputdownable debut follows three women in an old Brooklyn Heights clan: one who was born with money, one who married into it, and one who wants to give it all away.
Darley, the eldest daughter in the well-connected, carefully guarded Stockton family, has never had to worry about money. She followed her heart, trading her job and her inheritance for motherhood, sacrificing more of herself than she ever intended. Sasha, Darley’s new sister-in-law, has come from more humble origins, and her hesitancy about signing a pre-nup has everyone worried about her intentions. And Georgiana, the baby of the family, has fallen in love with someone she can’t (and really shouldn’t) have, and must confront the kind of person she wants to be.
Shot through with the indulgent pleasures of life among New York’s one-percenters, Pineapple Street is a smart, escapist novel that sparkles with wit. Full of recognisable, loveable – if fallible – characters, it’s about the peculiar unknowability of someone else’s family, the miles between the haves and have-nots, and the insanity of first love – all wrapped in a story that is a sheer delight.
The Love Wager, by Lynn Painter
After yet another disastrous date, Hallie Piper decides it’s time to grow up. She gets a new apartment, a new haircut, and a new wardrobe. But when she logs into an app to find new love, she matches with none other than Jack: the guy the wrong kind of sparks had flown with just weeks earlier.
Agreeing that they are absolutely not interested in each other, Jack and Hallie realise that they’re each other’s perfect wing-person – and join forces in their searches for The One. They even place a wager on who can find romance first.
But when they agree to be fake dates for a wedding, all bets are off.
Because as they pretend to be a couple, they struggle to remember why dating for real was a bad idea to begin with . . . Old Babes in the Wood, by Margaret Atwood
Atwood’s first new fiction publication since The Testaments, this deeply personal collection includes a stunning sequence that follows a married couple as they travel the road together, the moments big and small that make up a long life of love — and what comes after. The stories explore the full warp and weft of experience, from two best friends disagreeing about their shared past, to the right way to stop someone from choking; from a daughter determining if her mother really is a witch, to what to do with inherited relics such as World War II parade swords.
They feature beloved cats, a confused snail, Martha Gellhorn, George Orwell, philosopher-astronomer-mathematician Hypatia of Alexandria, a cabal of elderly female academics, and an alien tasked with retelling human fairy tales. The glorious range of Atwood’s creativity and humanity is on full beam in these tales, which by turns delight, illuminate and quietly devastate.
Dirty Laundry, by Disha Bose
Keep your friends close and your neighbours closer…
Ciara has it all – a loving husband, well-behaved children and an immaculate home. But behind the filters, her reality is far from what it seems. Mishti is stuck in a loveless marriage, raising her daughter in a country that is too cold, among children who look nothing like her. Lauren is mostly happy, despite being judged for letting her kids run naked, wild and free. Then Ciara is found murdered in her pristine home and suddenly everyone is a suspect. Hushed whispers, secret rendezvous and bloody betrayals . . .
Everyone has their dirty laundry, but this goes beyond gossip. This is all-out war.
A deliciously scandalous page-turner about the dark side of suburbia that peels back the layers of Ciara’s insta-perfect life to reveal friendships gone rotten, manipulation masquerading as love and families riddled with lies…
Mastering Uncertaint, by Matt Watkinson & Csaba Konkoly
What separates the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and business tycoons from the rest? It’s not their superhuman intelligence. It’s something more fundamental: they understand how to turn uncertainty to their advantage. We all know that the future is inherently unknowable, and yet we behave and plan as though it is. Once we truly understand the nature of uncertainty, though, we can take practical steps to make the most of the opportunities that come our way.
In Mastering Uncertainty award-winning author Matt Watkinson and investor and entrepreneur Csaba Konkoly offer a masterclass on the workings of luck and probability. They show how to calculate when to make big bets and when to pull back. And they offer supremely practical advice on how we can improve our odds, whether through maximising our networks, learning how to read warning signs, or assessing where best to place our energies.
The unforeseen always occurs. Mastering Uncertainty shows you how to prepare for it and make the best use of it.
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, by Peter Attia.
This is the ultimate manual for longevity.
For all its successes, mainstream medicine has failed to make much progress against the diseases of ageing that kill most people: heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and type 2 diabetes. Too often, it intervenes with treatments too late, prolonging lifespan at the expense of quality of life. Dr Peter Attia, the world’s top longevity expert, believes we must replace this outdated framework with a personalised, proactive strategy for longevity.
This isn’t ‘biohacking,’ it’s science: a well-founded strategic approach to extending lifespan while improving our physical, cognitive and emotional health, making each decade better than the one before. With Outlive’s practical advice and roadmap, you can plot a different path for your life, one that lets you outlive your genes to make each decade better than the one before.
The Letters I Will Never Send, by Isabella Dorta
Embrace honesty and heal beautifully.
In the letters i will never send, TikTok poet Isabella Dorta urges you to leave nothing unsaid and take comfort in moving poems on love, heartbreak, mental health and self-discovery.
With beautiful line illustrations and over 100 poems written in the form of confessional letters addressed to the most influential figures in your life:
Your younger self
Your future self
Your lover
Your body
Your family
and more
Take the ultimate step. Read, rip out, burn or send the letters out into the world. Write your own and share them with the people in your life. Just don’t hold back!
Eat to Beat Your Diet, by Dr William Li
Lose weight by eating more of what you love
Dr William Li’s first book, Eat to Beat Disease, showed us how eating the right foods can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, while also extending our lifespan and improving our overall health. Building on this groundbreaking work, Dr Li now brings us Eat to Beat Your Diet, a revolutionary, science-based approach to weight loss. Eating more of the right foods and adopting a “MediterAsian” diet (combining the best of Mediterranean and Asian diets) can promote fat loss and improve our metabolism in as little as 21 days.
Rooted in new science, Eat to Beat Your Diet offers a simple plan providing leading research on how supplements, sleep and exercise can help us defend the body against excess fat. With clear lists of fat-fighting foods and recipes, including a week-long detox and 3-week weight-loss protocol, this book empowers readers to lose 10-20 pounds healthily – all while enhancing enjoyment of food.
The Tools, by Phil Stutz & Barry Michels
Change can begin right now. Learn to bring about dynamic personal growth using five uniquely effective tools- from psychotherapist Barry Michels and psychiatrist Phil Stutz, subject of the Netflix documentary Stutz, directed by Jonah Hill.
Can you imagine what your life would be like if you could tap into a new source of power – one that has been inside you all along – to solve your own problems and become the master of your life?
The Tools is an extraordinary psychological model based on the proven methods of Hollywood’s greatest psychotherapists. Phil Stutz and Barry Michels have over 60 years of psychotherapeutic experience between them. Together they have helped their A-list clients work through whatever has held them back be it insecurity, trauma, anger, lack of willpower, negativity or avoidance – to achieve their greatest work and find a deep level of fulfilment.
Now, at last, the acclaimed clinicians are sharing their methods in this eye-opening and empowering book. Introducing their five simple techniques, namely The Reversal of Desire, Active Love, Inner Authority, The Grateful Flow and Jeopardy, the authors clearly explain what they are plus how and when to use them. Astonishingly effective and beautifully simple – once you’ve learned a tool it takes only three to five seconds to use it – this book will give you everything you need to propel yourself forward to achieve your ambitions and be who you were born to be. Why Politics Fails, by Ben Ansell
Why do the revolving doors of power always leave us disappointed? In Why Politics Fails, award-winning Oxford professor Ben Ansell shows that it’s not the politicians that are the problem, it’s that our collective goals result in five political ‘traps’.
Democracy: we all want a say in how we’re governed, but it’s impossible to have any true ‘will of the people’. Equality: we want to be treated equally, but equal rights and equal outcomes undermine each other. Solidarity: we want a safety net when times are tough, but often we care about solidarity only when we need it ourselves. Security: we want protecting from harm, but not if it undermines our freedoms. Prosperity: we want to be richer tomorrow, but what makes us richer in the short run makes us poorer over the long haul.
You’ve probably noticed a pattern here, which is that our self-interest undermines our ability to deliver on our collective goals. And these traps reinforce one another, so a polarized democracy can worsen inequality; a threadbare social safety net can worsen crime; runaway climate change will threaten global peace.
Drawing on examples from Ancient Greece through Brexit and using his own counterintuitive and pathbreaking research – on why democracy thrives under high inequality, and how increased political and social equality can lead to greater class inequality – Ansell vividly illustrates how we can escape the political traps of our imperfect world. He shows that politics won’t end, but that it doesn’t have to fail.
Your reading list for March & April.(photo:IANSLIFE)Your reading list for March & April.(photo:IANSLIFE)Your reading list for March & April.(photo:IANSLIFE)Your reading list for March & April.(photo:IANSLIFE)Your reading list for March & April.(photo:IANSLIFE)Your reading list for March & April.(photo:IANSLIFE)
Letters to a Writer of Colour, by Deepa Anappara & Taymour Soomro
Filled with empathy and wisdom, personal experiences and creative inspiration, this is a vital collection of essays on the power of literature and the craft of writing from an international array of writers of colour.
‘Electric essays that speak to the experience of writing from the periphery… a guide, a comfort, and a call all at once’ Laila Lalami, author of Conditional Citizens
‘A whip-smart collection’ Kamila Shamsie, author of Best of Friends.
The Path to Ananda, by Swami Avadheshanand Giri
There are as many conceivable responses to these questions as there are people in this world. While happiness is a very individual concept, it is most often seen as containing a measure of health, prosperity, social status, professional or creative satisfaction, a loving family and friends. The problem is that all of these are transitory phenomena.
Through 101 short, workable capsules, The Path to Ananda: A Mystic’s Guide to Unlimited Happiness offers readers that knowledge again. This is a mystic’s guide for those who like following practical, easy-to-follow advice, knowledge that makes a difference, and wisdom that’s practical. Nilavukkum Nerupendru Per (Rajesh Kumar)
Bhuvanesh and Tarun race towards the RS Puram Vinayagar temple. It’s a big day for Bhuvanesh. Today he will marry his long-time girlfriend Mukila at the temple, without letting their families know. Mukila has already called him to say she is on her way in a cab, but when she doesn’t arrive, Bhuvanesh, Tarun and a cop apprehend the cab she was in, in whose backseat, broken pieces of bangles are scattered. When the cab driver’s claims of dropping her at a flower market check out, Bhuvanesh, Tarun and others are alarmed. Where could Mukila be?
Qaidi (Commander Karan Saxena Series)
Gangadhar Mahant, the chief at RAW, sends Agent Karan Saxena on a secret mission to Beijing to rescue an Indian scientist who joined the Chinese government out of greed.
Working in a lab there, he has contributed to major advancements in the field of medical science in China. But now he has sent an SOS to be extracted to India. This is no cakewalk because the Chinese Secret Service always has its eyes on him.
With the help of other agents and informers working undercover-Prof. Koirala from Nepal, the drug peddler Hoshang and Neelkanth aka Kripashankar Bishnoi who can poison opponents in an instant-Commander Karan Saxena sets out on one of his most dangerous missions yet.
Generate curiosity among children.(photo:IANSLIFE)
Computer code just got dangerous in this action-packed spy adventure series Asha Joshi has the perfect excuse not to finish her homework. She’s just been recruited to join the top-secret Children’s Spy Agency…reports Asian Lite News
British Council, in collaboration with Reading Agency, is organising the ‘Reading Challenge’ for children aged 5 to 12 years to help them grow as confident and engaged readers. In this programme, children are challenged to read a range of 6 books specially selected by the British Council.
Using the principle of encouragement and motivation, the Challenge inspires children to read for pleasure. Thus, leading to the improvement of their English language skills, development of their reading skills, and building of their confidence. Children will also attend multiple expert-curated workshops to enhance their writing and inferring skills along with boosting their creativity as well as critical thinking.
This year’s theme for the programme, ‘Gadgeteers’, is created in partnership with Science Museum Group and is brought to life by top children’s writer and illustrator Julian Beresford. Under this challenge, kids must read a minimum of 6 books in 6 weeks from the collection of new, hand-picked books. The books will help the young Gadgeteers to discover the amazing science and innovation in the world around them.
If you want to instil a love for reading among your children, look no further! Enrol them in this challenge and let them be free in the world of science, outer space, or coding, with books like:
Ada and the Galaxies by Alan Lightman
In collaboration with Olga Pastuchiv and Susanna Chapman, Alan Lightman brings galaxies close in a stunning picture-book tribute to the interconnectedness of the natural world. The story zooms in on one child’s experiences: Ada knows that the best place for star-gazing is on the island in Maine where she vacations with her grandparents. Will the fog this year foil her plans, or will her grandfather find a way to shine a spotlight on the vast puzzle of the universe…until the weather turns?
Agent Asha: Mission Shark Bytes by Sophie Deen
Computer code just got dangerous in this action-packed spy adventure series Asha Joshi has the perfect excuse not to finish her homework. She’s just been recruited to join the top-secret Children’s Spy Agency. Her first mission: SAVE THE WORLD. Asha’s a coder so she should be able to hack into the biggest tech company in the world, fight deadly sharks and figure out why the Internet has stopped working. All before bedtime. Can she do it? AL’s Awesome Science: Splash Down by Jane Clarke
Al’s experiments have the most unexpected and messy consequences. Al is experimenting to find out what kind of covering his time machine will need to survive its SPLASH DOWN! back to Earth. Water experiments have a habit of making things very wet and messy. Can they finish their experiments before mum finds out? Bears Make the Best Science Buddies by Carmen Oliver
It’s time for the first science lab, and nobody can agree on an experiment. But why pick just one when Bear is around? Bears make the best science buddies, and Bear proves it by helping each group use the scientific method for its special experiment.
Kids (Photo:IANSLIFE)
The City of Rust by Gemma Fowler
Railey dreams of winning the drone races with her bio-robotic gecko friend, Atti. But when a bounty hunter crashes their biggest race yet, the pair are forced to flee to the feared Junker clans who mine the rubbish orbiting the Earth. Rescued by a couple of Junker kids, they discover a danger bigger than anything they’d imagined – but can three kids, a gecko and an ancient computer save the world against the huge trash bomb (and its power-crazed creator) threatening to destroy the world?
Deep: Dive Into Hidden Worlds by Jess McGeachin
Have you ever wondered what lies beyond the edge of our solar system? Or what lives in the cold depths of the ocean, where even sunlight can’t reach? Come on a journey to the deepest parts of our universe–but be warned, things can get a little strange here. Temperatures are extreme, pressure is intense, and darkness is everywhere.
The book is a magnificent examination of Agyeya’s civilizational enterprise. Ambitious and scholarly, it is also an unputdownable, whirlwind of a read…reports Asian Lite News
From much-awaited translations to new releases here’s what you should stack up on for the coming week.
The Wait by Damodar Mauzo And Other Stories
“Damodar Mauzo’s stories present us with vivid glimpses of the richly diverse, cosmopolitan reality of contemporary Goa. In these perceptive, keenly observed stories Hindus, Catholics and Muslims all find ways to co-exist, in defiance of bigotry,” said Amitav Ghosh. From the 2022 Jnanpith Award winner, Konkani writer Damodar Mauzo’s sometimes bizarre, sometimes tender stories, set largely in Goa, create a world far removed from the sun and sand and the holiday resorts. Here you find villagers facing moral choices, children waking up to the realities of adult lives, men who dwell on remorse, women who live a life of regret and communities whose bonds are growing tenuous in an age of religious polarization. Probing the deepest corners of the human psyche with tongue-in-cheek humour, Mauzo’s stories reveal the many threads that connect us to others and the ease with which they can be broken. Written in simple prose and yet layered in nuances, The Wait is a collection that brings to the anglophone world one of the doyens of Konkani literature.
Nireeswaran (Vayalar and Kerala Sahitya Akademi winner)
From the author of Anti-clock, Shortlisted for the JCB Award 2021 comes this “compelling narrative of shifting faiths and displaced gods. As realities and fantasies disentangle there appears in the nether regions an un-god, Nireeswaran, with no halo. A mind-boggling work from a master novelist” said M. Mukundan, recipient of JCB Prize 2021.
Is it possible for society to exist without religion? Nireeswaran, the most celebrated of Malayalam novelist V.J. James’ works, uses incisive humour and satire to question blind faith and give an insight into what true spirituality is.
Three atheists, Antony, Sahir, and Bhaskaran, embark on an elaborate prank to establish that God is nothing but a superstition. They instal a mutilated idol of Nireeswaran, literally anti-god, to show people how hollow their religion is. Their plan starts turning awry when miracles start being attributed to Nireeswaran-a man waking up from coma after twenty-four years, a jobless man ineligible for government employment getting a contract, a prostitute turning into a saint-leading hordes to turn up to worship the fake deity.
The trio is put in a quandary. Will they fight their own creation? Is their intractable minds an indication that atheism is a religion in itself? Belief and disbelief, it is possible, are two sides of the same coin.
Beauty Unbottled
Can one make sunscreen from saffron? Can hemp oil help heal acne? How does madder root help cure hyperpigmentation? Beauty Unbottled is a unique DIY guide on how to use herbs and plants to turn your kitchen into a beauty lab. Learn how to treat hair loss, frizz, dandruff and premature greying with powerful Ayurvedic kitchen herbs. Create your own masks, moisturizers, serums and shampoos with superfoods like neem, tulsi, jasmine and sandalwood-herbs that are revered in Ayurveda. Explore the alchemy of Ayurveda and its long-lost, forgotten beauty secrets with simple step-by-step skin and hair recipes (with vegan options) in this definitive guide and self-help book. This book will also guide you to read and understand labels, have a balanced diet for a healthy body and choose ingredients that are super effective yet gentle on you and mother earth.
Equal, yet different
A book by Anita Bhogle on how women want to be treated and need to be treated at home and in the workplace.
Equal, Yet Different is exactly how women want to be treated and need to be treated at home and in the workplace. This book talks about the catalysts that are required for women to reach peak potential-conditions, people, or even mindsets at home, at work, and in the ecosystem. Anita Bhogle draws from the professional experiences and wisdom of a large number of women leaders and experts.
Talking about the motivation behind this book, author, Anita Bhogle said, “I believe ‘Equal, Yet Different’ is how women would like to be and need to be treated at home and in the workplace. They are equal to men in terms of ability and ambition but different because of how they are conditioned and given the challenges they face. The book draws on the wisdom and experience of several professionals and experts and attempts to identify conditions, people, and mindsets that can prove to be catalysts for women to achieve their full potential. The millennials are lucky to have access to the experience of a fairly large pool of career women today. As a society, it is time we realise that diversity and inclusion will only make the world a better place.”
Writer Rebel Soldier Lover: The Many Lives of Agyeya
Writer, Rebel, Soldier, Lover features a formidable cast of characters: from writers like Premchand, Phanishwarnath Renu, Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand and Josephine Miles to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, revolutionary Chandra Shekhar Azad and actor Balraj Sahni. And its landscapes stretch from British jails, an intellectually robust Allahabad and modern-day Delhi to monasteries in Europe, the homes of Agyeya’s friends in the Himalayas and universities in the US. The book is a magnificent examination of Agyeya’s civilizational enterprise. Ambitious and scholarly, it is also an unputdownable, whirlwind of a read.
Banaras Talkies
Bhagwandas Hostel at Banaras Hindu University can be mistaken as being like any other college hostel, but that would be a gross error. For, among the corridors of BD Hostel roam never-before-seen characters: Suraj the narrator, whose goal is to woo a girl, any girl; Anurag De, for whom cricket is life, literally, and Jaivardhan, whose melancholia gets him to answer every query with ghanta’.
Follow the adventures of the three friends and others as they navigate undergraduate life in one of India’s most vibrant colleges, plan to steal exam papers, struggle to speak to women, find friends in corridors lined with dirty linen, and forge lifelong bonds amid bad mess food.
First published in Hindi in 2015, Banaras Talkies has remained on the bestseller list since then. A slice-of-life novel, it captures college life with all its twists and turns. Written with the idiomatic flourish that is the hallmark of Banarasi colloquialism by Satya Vyas, this comic novel is one of India’s great coming-of-age novels.
For such books, the reading time will need to be measured in weeks, or months, and for the casual, not very committed, readers, it could stretch to a year…reports Vikas Dutta
Certain news portals may have a small blurb next to an article headline that tells the reader the time it will take them to read it — usually five minutes or less. The feature, which can be found on some online editing tools too, seems a rather telling indictment of our contemporary time-stressed, hyper-regimented life, but it is unclear why it’s confined to reading only.
Supposing this trend gets transplanted to books as well? Will it work on what are known, in the literary realm, as “doorstoppers”, or works so thick and heavy, say over 500 to 1,000 pages or more, that they can be used as the eponymous article.
For such books, the reading time will need to be measured in weeks, or months, and for the casual, not very committed, readers, it could stretch to a year.
While many comprehensive and leading dictionaries, encyclopaedias, and textbooks, from various realms of sciences to law to computer languages, are doorstoppers, the category is still common in fiction. These must be differentiated from omnibus editions in which two or three “medium-sized” works of an author, or even more than one author, are printed together.
Doorstoppers in fiction usually comprise what we call literary classics, say George Eliot’s “Middlemarch” (nearly 900 pages), or Count Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” (more than 1,000 pages in most editions), or Miguel de Cervantes’ “Don Quixote” (nearly or over 1,000 pages, depending on the edition).
They can also be about titanic conflicts between good and evil — everything from Alexander Dumas’ grand revenge saga “The Count of Monte Cristo” (1,000 pages plus in most editions) to the Harry Potter series (particularly, the last four installments, with “The Order of the Phoenix” being 700-800 pages, depending on the edition), to grand sweeps of history, spanning several generations, as by authors such as James Michener and James Clavell, or romances (Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With The Wind”, 900-1,000 pages), or a mixture of all, say M.M. Kaye’s “The Far Pavilions” (over 950 pages).
And you can count on them to have tons of characters — “The Count of Monte Cristo” begins with half a dozen and goes on to have three dozen prominent ones by the time it gets into high gear. Others have no shortage and some helpfully have a list of characters, usually at the beginning, to help you keep track.
The advent of technology has made actual doorstoppers rather rare, as e-readers and tablets can accommodate a whole host of the bulkiest books, saving avid readers the chore of lugging them around — though some aficionados still do. Owning these is also a mark of pride for fervent book owners for the gravitas they confer upon their bookshelves.
Let us look at some doorstoppers across various genres.
As mentioned, literary classics, by the likes of Tolstoy — whose family name derives from the Russian word “tolstii” (meaning thick or stout), or by his compatriot Fyodor Dostoyevsky, or others, such as Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, or Dumas, turn out to be doorstoppers, since they were paid by the page, and seem to have made the most of it. Most of their famous works began as serial installments, so they did not consciously — it can be assumed — set out to write heavy tomes.
Dumas was a master. His “The Three Musketeers” is the first of the three novels that comprise the D’Artagnan Romances, and was followed by “Twenty Years After” — both are at least 700 pages-plus in most editions. The final installment, “The Vicomte de Bragelonne”, is usually divided into three, or more, books — the last being “The Man in the Iron Mask”, and each one of them is over 700-800 pages long.
Dickens was not far behind – of his 14 completed novels, eight, including “The Pickwick Papers”, “Nicholas Nickleby”, “David Copperfield”, and “Our Mutual Friend” are well over 800 pages in most editions, and some span 1,000 pages plus with annotations and footnotes.
But the tradition continues beyond the 19th century.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic high fantasy adventure “The Lord of the Rings”, well-known due to the films, is a prime example.
Though Tolkien wanted it published as one, it was eventually published as three volumes of two books each — “The Fellowship of the Ring”, “The Two Towers” and “The Return of the King” — between July 1954 and October 1955, due to various reasons, such as paper shortage, high production costs, and the publishers’ uncertainty about its reception.
Happily, the publishers subsequently published it together — a special hardcover and illustrated edition that came out in 2021 consisted of 1,248 pages each and a paperback, 1,216 pages.
Even before him, there was Kathleen Winsor’s bestselling historical romance “Forever Amber” (1944), set in mid 17th-century England when the monarchy was restored under Charles II. It tells of orphaned Amber St. Clare, who makes her way up in society by sleeping with and/or marrying successively richer and more important men, while nursing her unattainable love. It was promptly censured by the Catholic Church, making it a bestseller.
What keeps the book, which is 992 pages in its Penguin paperback edition, from being a forerunner of Jackie Collins or, say, Shobha De is the meticulous historical research covering Restoration fashion, and titbits, such as how the tea habit took over England, as well as contemporary politics, and public disasters, including the plague and the Great Fire of London.
Austrian writer Robert Musil’s modernist work “The Man Without Qualities” (first published in 1930 in German; 1953 in English) is a quasi-allegorical, existential — and satirical — look at the Austro-Hungarian Hapsburg empire in its twilight era, just before World War I.
The principal protagonist is a rather vague, ambivalent, and indifferent mathematician named Ulrich, the “man without qualities”, who depends on the world to mould him. The work also shows how a celebration of international peace and imperial unity leads to national chauvinism, war, and collapse.
It was unfinished, but the English version is over 1,150 pages, while the original German one, over 2,100.
After “normal-size” works such as the inter-racial love story “Sayonara” (1954) and depiction of a radically different Afghanistan in “Caravans” (1963), Michener began producing doorstoppers with his multi-generational pageants set in a specific geographical area.
“Hawaii” (1959) is 1,136 pages in paperback; “The Source” (1965), where a team of archaeologists excavate a mound in Israel, and their story is interspersed with an account from each level they unearth, is 1,104 pages in paperback; “Caribbean” (1989), spanning from Columbus to Castro or thereabouts, is around 900 pages.
Several other works in this tradition, whether dealing with a specific American state — Texas (1,472 pages), Alaska (1,152) or Colorado (1,104) — or countries such as Poland (around 700 pages), or South Africa (1,200), are also bulky reads.
Francis Edward Wintle a.k.a. Edward Rutherfurd also follows the same pattern, moving through the millennia of whatever area he dwells upon, featuring lots and lots of characters and not stinting on details. “Russka: The Novel of Russia” (1991) is 1,024 pages long; “London” (1997), the story of the city from Roman times to the present, covers 1,328 pages; and “New York” (900 to 1,050 pages in various paperback editions).
The last four books of Clavell’s “Asian Saga” are more than 1,000 pages long, including “Shogun” (1975), set in the Japan of the 1600s, is 1,136 pages, and “Noble House” (1981), which is about Hong Kong in the 1960s, is 1,296 pages — though the latter’s timespan, after an interlude from the past, is a few days only.
The penchant for doorstoppers still persists.
Horror maestro Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” series started with “The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger” (1982) at a modest 225 or so pages, but “The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass” (1997) went up to 887 pages, and the last — “The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower” (2004) — stretched to 845.
Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” saga’s fourth part, “Breaking Dawn”(2008), is well over 700 pages.
Some Indian writers also qualify. Vikram Seth’s “A Suitable Boy” (1993) can run to 1,500 pages in some editions, while Vikram Chandra’s Mumbai crime saga, “Sacred Games” (2006), is nearly or over 1,000 pages, depending on the edition.
Doorstoppers, besides satiating avid readers, can also serve as makeshift exercise equipment — just holding them up to read will work wonders for hand and arm muscles and wrist flexibility, and even as a weapon, giving an entirely new meaning to the idiom “throw the book at”.
The ideas shared are relevant to people from the age of fifteen years onwards, from high-school students and early and senior professionals to CEOs…reports Asian Lite News
Books are our best friends for all the right reasons. A book enriches our minds and broaden our perspective towards life. What’s more, one can never feel lonely in the company of a good read.
Boys don’t cry: Megha Pant An unputdownable story of a marriage made in hell. When Maneka is arrested as the prime suspect for the murder of her ex-husband, she reveals a chilling tale of marital abuse.
But can what she says be taken for the absolute truth? This is a gripping, behind closed-doors story of a modern Indian marriage. Achieving Meaningful Success, Unleash the Power of Me!: Vivek Mansingh with Rachna Thakur Das
Your ultimate guide to excellence, this book is an adept lifetime mentor, faithfully by your side to guide you through various stages of life. It helps you achieve meaningful success, including tremendous professional success through multidimensional and balanced life goals which are the key to happiness and fulfilment.
The book first focuses on defining the person you aspire to be through a step-by-step process. Then it guides you to become the best version of yourself and worthy of realizing your aspirations. The ideas shared are relevant to people from the age of fifteen years onwards, from high-school students and early and senior professionals to CEOs.
The Muslim Vanishes: Saeed Naqvi
The great poet Ghalib, part of a long tradition of eclectic liberalism, found Benaras so compelling that he wrote his longest poem on the holy city. If we take Ghalib and his followers out of the equation, will Hindustan become something quite new? This razor-sharp and funny play by Saeed Naqvi attempts to answer that question.
From the Heart of Nature: Pamela Gale-Malhotra
This is an amazing story behind the creation of a private forest sanctuary in India. In this deeply fascinating and inspiring personal journey, Pamela recounts how she connected and communicated with animals and trees both at a physical and spiritual level, and how understanding and preservation of nature is the only way to save mankind.
Called ‘Noah’s Ark’ by an Oxford University scientist, the SAI Sanctuary is an example of how nature exists on a delicate balance. You cannot destroy nature and you cannot rearrange it without serious consequences to your existence!
The Queen of Indian Pop: The Authorised Biography of Usha Uthup
Usha Uthup, India’s undisputed icon of pop music, has enthralled an entire generation of listeners with her unforgettable voice and continues to do so. Completing fifty years as a professional singer in 2020 was just another milestone in her fabled career.
In this vivid biography, which was originally written in Hindi, Vikas Kumar Jha captures the entire arc of Uthup’s career in music. From her childhood days in Mumbai and her first gigs singing with jazz bands in Chennai’s glitzy nightclubs to her meteoric rise as India’s musical sensation and her philanthropic work, Jha covers it all and manages to weave a narrative that is colourful, inspiring and bound to keep any reader engrossed till the end.
Is it possible for a society to exist without religion? Nireeswaran, the most celebrated of Malayalam novelist V.J. James’ works, uses incisive humour and satire to question blind faith and give an insight into what true spirituality is…reports Asian Lite News
With a wide choice of books, you can count on many beautiful pages of words to read and consider while starting off the New Year.
Open House with Piyush Pandey
Authors: Piyush Pandey and Anant Rangaswami
Publisher: Penguin Random House India Pvt Ltd
Open house
Piyush Pandey takes readers on a voyage through his mind-his work, thoughts, and experiences-in Open House. People have asked him questions over the years, and he has answered them. There are three types of questions: serious, incisive, and frivolous. Is advertising a viable career path? Should political parties hire ad agencies? Why does Ogilvy work for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)? Should those who don’t like the advertising take the law into their own hands? Is Ogilvy & Mather a lala firm? What does advertising’s future hold? Is Piyush Pandey too old for this line of work?
This book, which has been expertly edited by Piyush Pandey and Anant Rangaswami, is honest, irreverent, and educational. Open House will both entertain and enlighten you with its practical wisdom and deep insights.
THE MUSLIM VANISHES
Author: Saeed Naqvi
Publisher : Penguin Random House India Pvt Ltd
The great poet Ghalib, part of a long tradition of eclectic liberalism, found Benaras so compelling that he wrote his longest poem on the holy city, ‘Chiragh-e-Dair’ (Mandir Ka Diya or Lamp in the Temple):
‘Ibadat khaana-e-naaqoosian ast,
Hama na Kaaba-e-Hindostan ast.’
(Devotees make searing music with conch shells,
This truly is the Kaaba of Hindustan.)
Remove Ghalib and his legion of devotees from the equation. Will Hindustan be left with a gaping hole or will it evolve into something quite different? Saeed Naqvi’s play The Muslim Vanishes tries to answer such question. The decibel levels on these topics are too high, with each side strongly defending their own narratives for a discourse to take place. Caste, the Hindu-Muslim split, Pakistan-Kashmir-the decibel levels on these issues are too high for a conversation to take place. Is there a way out of this bind? Saeed Naqvi, razor-sharp, gentle, and humorous, springs an inspired surprise on us by combining grandma’s bedside stories, Aesop’s fables, and Mullah Nasruddin’s faked flaws. Is it capable of putting out the fire?
Nireeswaran
Author – V.J. James
Publisher : Penguin Random House India Pvt Ltd
Is it possible for a society to exist without religion? Nireeswaran, the most celebrated of Malayalam novelist V.J. James’ works, uses incisive humour and satire to question blind faith and give an insight into what true spirituality is.
Antony, Sahir, and Bhaskaran, three atheists, embark on an elaborate prank to prove that God is nothing more than a myth. They put up a mutilated Nireeswaran idol, which is basically anti-god, to demonstrate how worthless their faith is. When miracles begin to be credited to Nireeswaran, such as a man waking up after a twenty-four-year coma, an unemployed man unfit for government work receiving a contract, and a prostitute transforming into a saint, throngs of people go to worship the bogus deity. The trio is caught in the middle of a dilemma. Will they be able to defeat their own creation? Is their obstinate thinking a sign that atheism is a religion in and of itself? It’s possible that belief and disbelief are two sides of the same coin. The Hidden Hindu
Author: Akshat Gupta
Publisher : Penguin Random House India Pvt Ltd
Prithvi, a twenty-one-year-old, is on the hunt for Om Shastri, a mysterious middle-aged aghori (Shiva devotee) who was tracked down more than 200 years ago and taken to a high-tech facility on an isolated Indian island. When the aghori was drugged and hypnotised for questioning by a team of experts, he claimed to have seen all four yugas (Hindu epochs) and even participated in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Om’s amazing prior disclosures, which defied the laws of mortality, perplexed everyone.
Om had been searching for the other immortals from each yuga, the crew discovers. These strange secrets have the potential to upend current ideas and change the trajectory of history. So, who is Om Shastri, exactly? Why was he apprehended? In this exhilarating and revealing journey, board the boat of Om Shastri’s secrets, Prithvi’s chase, and the exploits of other intriguing immortals from Hindu mythology.
The Climate Ninja by Merlinwand book
Merlinwand wants to teach the kids about global warming. The effects of climate change are being discussed all around the world. The storytelling is what sets their story apart. Their goal isn’t to preach (as all textbooks do), but to raise awareness in a humorous way. A little human and his companion from the planet Mootza had an informative talk. While on a cruise with his parents, the miniature human falls into the ocean by accident. He encounters Rumpus, an extraterrestrial from Planet Mootza, after being rescued by a dolphin. Rumpus has been on this island for a long time, since his planet was devastated by pollution.
The two have an engaging talk, and the small human recognises the seriousness of pollution (water, soil, noise, and air) on the planet. After that, he declares himself to be The Climate Ninja. The most intriguing aspect of the book is that the client gets to choose the protagonist’s name and appearance. They are given the option of choosing two of the four categories of pollution: air, noise, water, and soil pollution.
Pandit Vishnu Sharma’s Panchatantra- Illustrated Tales From Ancient India
Panchatantra is a fantastic collection of moral stories drawn from Panchatantra’s five books: mitra-bheda, mitralabha, kakolukyam, labdhapranasam, and aparksitakarakam. The legendary tales of Panchatantra continue to amaze young readers and adults alike with delightful narrated stories of smart animals, birds, and people. Young readers will be transported to another world by the gorgeous illustrations, where they will learn about life lessons, human nature, and how to achieve success.
How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change: Turning Angst into Action Climate change
Shugarman, a climate campaigner, has developed a pointedly apolitical work geared at helping parents and children talk about climate change. She also offers advise on how to protect children from feeling unhappy or overwhelmed (information that applies to adults as well) and how to encourage youngsters to pursue their unique passions while keeping the overall vision in mind. Many people are talking about global warming these days, and the prospect of a climate calamity may scare many children. How do we talk about these important issues in a way that is both informative and doesn’t exacerbate anxieties? What can we do to ensure that our children have the best possible future in a disaster-plagued world? This book will answer all of your questions. Fear and grief can be overcome with the help of this book.
World’s Greatest Leaders: Biographies of Inspirational Personalities
This is a painstakingly researched book that honours the accomplishments of charismatic, powerful, and influential individuals who have influenced the course of history. Young inquisitive minds will be piqued by age-appropriate information, amusing facts, and vivid graphics, which will aid in the development of reading skills and general knowledge. It’s a fantastic book for teaching your child and yourself about the world’s greatest leaders. It also teaches life lessons and even personal ethics that parents sometimes neglect to impart to their children.
This book distills our observations of habitual entrepreneurs. It shows you how they think, how they behave, and exactly what it is that they do so well…writes Siddhi Jain.
A good read, a cup of hot coffee and a cosy couch is the best way to enjoy the monsoons. If you plan on tackling the rainy season here are our suggestions for what you pick.
Myla: Insurrection By Arjun Rao
Malaika Menon, aka Agent Myla returns home to Calicut, Kerala to find her entire family brutally murdered. Being the tip of the spear in India’s fight against terrorism, she is no stranger to killing and death. However, the savage killings leave her shaken to her very core. On leave from her position in the Indian Army, Myla discovers a sinister plot. It appears that the murders were all aimed at flushing her out from the natural protection of the Indian Army. With her on the streets of Calicut, the perpetrators appear to have got what they wanted. Myla, alone and grieving, far from her lethal best. Best of all, she is now unprotected. Myla unearths clues that point to a conspiracy perpetrated by a far larger enemy than she has ever encountered before. A criminal enterprise so large, and so pervasive, that it has invaded every level of Indian society. Shattered by her loss, enraged by her inability to protect her loved ones, Myla decides to go after the truth. Find out what really happened, and why. She does the only thing she knows how to. The one thing that she is a master at. She picks up her gun and decides to investigate. Will she survive against the largest menace known to India? Or will they achieve what they wanted along? To put a bullet in Myla’s head. Myla’s dangerous game of cat and mouse takes her from Calicut, to Chennai, where she faces the head of the snake in a shattering frontal attack that she cannot possibly survive.
‘The Code of Manavas’ by Arpit Bakshi
‘The Code of Manavas’, is set some two million years past ad 2050, when earth as we know it ceased to exist, and so did mankind. A new race, the Manavas, now exists on Bhoomi, the erstwhile Earth, which is divided into two cities-Madhavpur and Ayudhpur. In the quiet and peaceful city of Madhavpur, a reclusive Krishna is busy with an immense task. He has to prepare a new abode for the Manavas before an impending apocalypse destroys them. He knows something that nobody else does-the Manavas are running out of time faster than they can imagine, and there are no inhabitable planets to escape to. To make matters worse, there is someone in Madhavpur who wants to destroy Krishna and subjugate each Manava. The Manavas, it seems, are doomed. Yet Krishna knows there is a slim chance of survival for the Manavas, although there is a huge price to be paid for it. Will the various factions of the Manavas unite for the greater good? Will Krishna, who saved them during the turn of the last Yuga, be able to save them now? What will be the price to pay? Enter the mythical world of Maha Vishnu and get swept up in a fast-paced suspenseful narrative.
‘Beyond a Love Story’ by Chitkala Mulye
Sameer seduced by his elder cousin, gets carried away in a physical relationship with him. Preeti, Sameer’s childhood tutor and best friend, finds solace in her bond with Sameer, which has ripened over years. However, when Sameer who is gay, finds his soul mate Abhijeet, Preeti goes through an intense emotional turmoil. This beginning in Sameer’s life, exposes him to a canvas of suffering; revealing the true meaning of love, companionship, family and sacrifice while turning the tables and bringing a twist in the tale! The story explores how true love transcends the boundaries of gender, age, and sexuality questioning the perceived notions about relationships, thus challenging the typical conventions of family system.
‘Happily Frustrated’ by Ritiqa Pachauri
Shelly (the protagonist) becomes an alcoholic after discovering that her husband of ten years (Saurabh) was gay. He had left her for another man, and it had left her heartbroken. Because of her addiction, Shelly loses her job, her friends, her sister’s support and even her parents sympathy. However, her mother did feel her pain and asks her to go on a vacation to Goa. Here, Shelly meets her aunt Polly, who slowly a d steadily tries to bring Shelly back on track. Another character who is a tarot card reader also plays an important role in Shelly’s life. However, the twist comes when Shelly returns from Goa and tells her family about aunt Polly. What’s the twist? Will Shelly overcome her pain? Will she ever be happy?
‘The Mindset of a Growing Entrepreneur’ by Harsh Joshi
What is new to you in this book is that uncertainty can be used tp your benefit if you create and deploy an entrepreneurial mindset a way of thinking about your business that captures the benefits of uncertainty. This book distils our observations of habitual entrepreneurs. It shows you how they think, how they behave, and exactly what it is that they do so well.
‘Meri Arzoo’ by Rajeev Kumar
“Meri Arzoo” has 13 different sweet stories that depict the state of mind of a human being in different circumstances of life. The Character is from a middle class family and he has to deal with many daily life problems. He has to face different phases of his life. All 13 stories are different from each other yet they all have one thing in common: A middle class person. The protagonist want to do/become something and he ends up doing something. Each story was well thought-out; you can tell that the author felt connected to each story and you can feel his presence in the narrative. The narrative maintains a steady pace throughout the book. Stories are backed with elements of failure, destiny, love, lie, truth, success and failure. Each story relates to daily life of people, while reading those stories readers will feels like it is my experience of my own journey.
Saurabh Bagaria’s Money Gone’
Capturing the intricacies of a fictional high-profile offshore money diversion scheme shrouded in secrecy and an equally high-on-action chase by Indian tax authorities, ‘Money Gone’, is a thriller novel by author and advocate Saurabh Bagaria that takes readers through overseas indulgence, tense courtrooms, and even the dark web.
Twinkle’s first book “MrsFunnybones” was declared a bestseller, and her second book, “The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad”, a collection of short stories, was later made into the film “Pad Man” starring her husband Akshay Kumar…reports Asian Lite News.
Twinkle is very engaged with her fans through social media. Actor-turned-author Twinkle Khanna keeps giving a glimpse of her reading habits on her social media. She took to Instagram and posted a picture of the book she is reading these days.
The book in the frame is the Gabriel Garcia Marquez classic “Of Love And Other Demons” and Twinkle highlighted a reason that adds to the interest factor of the book.
“The foreword makes the book even more interesting. The journey of how a real-life incident, a detail, an excavation, can churn within an author’s mind and turn into a wonderful novel. Of Love And Other Demons is a true masterpiece #bookstoread #marquez #SpiceCandle #thefarawaytreeindia,” she wrote in the caption.
The aesthetically captured picture shows the cover of Marquez’s book along with a spiced candle with cinnamon, cardamom, and clove, with a blue ceramic mug full of plums on the side.
Twinkle’s first book “MrsFunnybones” was declared a bestseller, and her second book, “The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad”, a collection of short stories, was later made into the film “Pad Man” starring her husband Akshay Kumar.
Recently Twinkle Khanna created a natural pop-up book using a bunch of pink beautiful flowers and captured the impact in a video clip she shared on Instagram.
The video captures the close-up of a book opening up, and a bunch of real flowers springing out of the pages, almost like the crafted art of a pop-up book.
“Some people have to learn to hold on, while others must examine ways to let go. I belong to the latter category, hiding behind regimentation. These last few months, I have learned an important lesson, I don’t have to fix everything. Good enough is sometimes all it needs to be. #LettingGo,” she wrote as the caption.
Actress-turned-author Twinkle’s sense of creativity and humor often entertain netizens on social media. After she quit acting, she has been busy as an author, columnist, interior designer, and film producer.
Khanna also launched Tweak India, a bilingual digital media platform for women.
