By IANS,
New Delhi : Narratives, dramas and the good life — the book cart this week is a delight for those with a dreamy side.
1. Books: “An Autumn Melody”; Written by Sunaina Serna Ahluwalia; Published by Rupa & Co; Priced at Rs.195
Set in India and Britain, the novel is an account of a decadent and powerful Page 3 set narrated through the life of a woman, Darshana. Three men, each as different as chalk from cheese, play important roles in her life.
Kirat, her alcoholic husband, rules over her traumas. Robi Ghosh, a prize-winning photographer, influences her. Rizwan, her first and most intense love, watches over her from a distance. It is set against the backdrop of the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 and the characters bear the wounds inflicted by the rage which ravaged the country’s northern states.
2. “The Nothing Man”; Written by Ajay Khullar; Published by Rupa & Co; Priced at Rs.195
The book, a wistful journey down what-I-could-have-been lane, narrates the story of an anti-hero — perhaps a nihilist as the title suggests. The protagonist says he spent 15 years being a hero… Had he had any more sense and been less of a coward, he would have put a gun to his head and been done with it a long time ago.
The hero says someday, someone might do him a favour and right now though, there was a battlefield to escape from. You might call him a deserter but what he was really doing was walking away from one battlefield to another.
3. “Song Without End and Other Stories”; Written by Neelam Saran Gaur; Published by Penguin India; Priced at Rs.299
In “Connectivity”, a retired bureaucrat’s telephone line is accidentally connected to that of a grieving man’s, while a heart surgeon helps his patient across the great abyss in the title story “Song without End”. The skillful grooming of a poet is described in “A Lane in Lucknow” and a senile old ‘nawab’ finds himself a stranger to an altered world in “The Taste of Almonds”.
In “Through the Looking Glass”, a man losing his sight finds he can get to the heart of all the books in his library by an inexplicable miracle, and in “Play”, the roles an actor enacts are a source of important life lessons. The volume is a collection of 15 captivating stories that amuse and absorb by their lively engagement with people, places and ideas in an unforgettable way.
4. “Healing With Homeopathy: A Complete Family Guide To Natural Health & Well Being”; Written by Mukesh Batra; Published by Jaico; Priced at Rs.395
A simple, user-friendly practical guide to holistic health, “Healing with Homeopathy” deals deftly with over 100 illnesses arranged alphabetically from A-Z. Writing simply and clearly, the writer, an eminent physician, explains each condition, its symptoms and variations and what homeopathic remedy is likely to work best. Included are useful dos and don’ts as well as illustrative case studies, culled from over 35 years of medical practice.
An expert introduction to homeopathy and its application, the book arms you with the knowledge and confidence to recognise and deal with a variety of health issues in the comfort of your home.
5. “The Arty Farty Party”; Written by Prateek Basu; Published by Amaryllis; Priced at Rs.295
Leading the First International Advertising Company (FIAC) is Mono Mitter, who would have been a fighter pilot fighting the Luftwaffe if he was not getting drunk.
Enter Jymmie Hafesjee, the great pretender or god as he prefers to be called among his minions in high advertising. He has led his agency to within suffering distance of FIAC by sheer perseverance, personal flamboyance and sustained self-publicity. He senses an opportunity to finally outshine his long-standing rivals. Kolkata is the backdrop because of the city’s innate ability to churn stories.