A book for every season

WONDERING WHAT TO READ THESE DAYS? HERE ARE SOME NEW RELEASES THAT HAVE GRABBED THE EYEBALLS OF BIBLIOPHILES THIS MONTH, WRITES NEIL PATE

OTHER PEOPLE’S CLOTHES Author: Calla Henkel Publisher: Sceptre

This stunning debut novel by Henkel is a plot-driven thriller from page one. You fall for the characters but can’t trust anyone. Set against the backdrops of late aughts and pop culture in Berlin, each chapter gives a propulsive thrust of obsession and paranoia of the characters. Zoe and Hailey rent an apartment from an eccentric crime writer. They spend their night pub crawling in Berlin and their days hungover. Then some mysterious and inexplicable things start to happen in the apartment. Are they being spied on or are these simply some dark and funny encounters? They suspect their landlady of spying on them for inspiration for her next novel. They host wild parties and become notorious. Readers who enjoy stories about the dark side of women’s friendship will love to read this intoxicating joy ride, or should we rather call it a joyful read!

PRICE OF THE MODI YEARS

Author: Aakar Patel Publisher: Westland Books T

his book is bound to ruffle many feathers in the ruling government. But Patel’s honest and well-researched book makes one question the promise of ‘Achhe Din’. In Price of the Modi Years, Patel explains with data and facts about India’s performance under the Modi government. With simple prose and detailed reports, Patel evaluates the government’s performance – indices like the UNDP Human Development Index, Lowy Institute Asia Power Index, Brand Finance Global Soft Power Index, Freedom House’s Freedom in the World, Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index to name a few. He states that India has performed ‘poorly’ in all of them. He talks about Modi’s fixation with acronyms. Did you know that the Modi government came up with over 115 acronyms in the past seven years? Not to forget the action against dissenters and critics. Patel claims that in the first six months of 2020, “the Modi government sent Twitter 2,772 legal demands for removal of content or blocking accounts”. A must-read in these tough times.

A SONG CALLED HOME Author: Sara Zarr Publisher: Balzer + Bray

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rom an award-winning author, Zarr comes a story of the small moments, but big takeaways that show us the significance of faith, family values, and what you make of your family and friends. The book is a tender, honest read. Lou and her family don’t have much, but Lou is content with her mother, and sister, Casey Their modest flat in the city. Her best friend, Beth. She wishes her Dad stopped. drinking and is there for them. But Lou doesn't need character’s better—she coming-of-age only needs experiences, enough. The main resilience, humanity, and indomitable spirit are noteworthy. While her mother is always longing for more. Lou receives a guitar as a birthday gift from a mysteries ous person. And things change. She decides that learning to play the guitar will help her piece life's jigsaw puzzle.

I’M EXCITED TO FINALLY SEE THE SORABJEE BIOGRAPHY BEING PUBLISHED. I HOPE READERS ENJOY READING IT AS MUCH AS I ENJOYED WRITING IT. — ABHINAV CHANDRACHUD, author

INDIA’S HISTORIC BATTLES: LUCKNOW, 1857 Author: Rosie Llewellyn Jones Publisher: HarperCollins

We have all read in our history textbooks about the ‘1857 Rebellion’ by Indian sepoys. The city of Lucknow was the epicenter of the uprising of 1857. Noted historian Llewellyn Jones examines the conflict in great detail. Right from the British annexation of Awadh to the Indian response and the subsequent revolt by the sepoys. The book is a fascinating account of the events in and around Kanpur at the time of the 1857 war of Independence. With beautiful images and illustrations, the author takes us through the chain of events from one day to the next. The horrors of war and the evil after-effects. The defeat of a unit of the East India Company’s army at Chinhat led to the siege of the extensive British Residency. Here, nearly 3,000 people – British, Indian, and AngloIndian – held out for four and a half months. The book paints a vivid picture of the events that unfolded on this historic urban battlefield. SOLI SORABJEE: LIFE AND TIMES: AN AUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY Author: Abhinav Chandrachud Publisher: Penguin Random House India

It is rather amazing how the author pieces together and retells the biography of India’s most celebrated high soaring legal eagle – Soli Sorabjee. Chandrachud has weaved in a biography of Sorabjee’s life and illustrious career through all the landmark court cases that he has appeared in. A Parsi lawyer, who loves jazz, and hates hypocrisy and pseudo-secularism, Sorabjee is someone who calls a spade a spade! He led the heroic defense of the Janata government’s decision to dissolve Congress state legislatures in the Supreme Court in 1977. His admiration for Nehru and harsh criticism of the BJP for being ‘obsessed’ with ‘demolishing mosques’ is commendable. Revealing astounding details of his personal life, family background, his journey towards becoming a U.N. human rights rapporteur, and repeatedly defending the fundamental right to free speech and expression in the Supreme Court of India, the book is unputdownable.