September 2013 Book Releases

September 7, 2013

September brings with it the first whiff of the festival season, and also some mindblowing new books! Here's a sneak peek into a few of them.

Adventures with Hanuman

Author: Arshia Sattar
Publisher: Red Turtle Imprint
Publication Date: September 2013
ISBN: 978-81-291-2934-5
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The poster on Raghu’s wall flickered, Hanuman seemed to yawn and scratch himself—and then he came to life!

Raghu is lying in bed, bored and longing for adventure, when his wish suddenly comes true. Hanuman, till now only a friendly face on a poster, appears by his bed. He invites Raghu to join him as he sets off to help Rama rescue Sita from Lanka. Soon, Raghu finds himself flying, seated on Hanuman’s shoulder and, along with his new friend, he leaps across the sea, reaches Lanka and finds Sita. Battling rakshasas and demons, changing size and finding his way through the maze that is Ravana’s palace, Raghu has the best adventure of his life with the cheerful and brave monkey god!

Funny and endearing, Hanuman comes to life like never before in this zany retelling of his adventures, all accompanied by exciting and lively illustrations.

Eternal Bonds

Author: Manoj Singh
Publisher: Rupa Publications
Publication Date: September 2013
ISBN: 978-81-291-2489-0
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Having lost his father at an early age, Amit grows up in great hardship. Amit, his mother, and Supriya, his sister—who struggles with a disabling affliction that confines her to bed—still manage to live a happy life even as they nurture a collective dream: to see Amit become a doctor.

Growing up in the comforting familiarity of Jabalpur, Amit fulfills this dream but life continues to place roadblocks to happiness. Amit’s wife, Nikita, suffers from schizophrenia and he is faced with the challenge of bringing up his children in an atmosphere of familial discord and distrust. Amit faces all these challenges, and yet, never turns away from any of the ties that bind him.

Eternal Bonds brings to you the poignant story of a family that respects and nurtures the bonds of relationships in the face of severe emotional challenges.

Savage Harvest

Author: Manoj Singh
Publisher: Rupa Publications
Publication Date: September 2013
ISBN: 978-81-291-2487-6
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‘The season of sickles and scrapes had passed; this was the time of axes and spears…it had been a strange harvest.’

A brave father prepares to sacrifice his son; a poet returns to his home across the border to find his books intact among strangers; a young man challenges the neighbourhood rogue to a horse-riding bet to rescue a captive girl; a middle-aged man outs a murderer from among his well-behaved guests at a social gathering; a wife’s faith destroys the hatred in her husband’s heart; and, when humanity is under threat, a dog lays down his life to protect his mistress. The stories in this powerful collection, by one of the most respected names in modern Punjabi literature, record epic moments of survival in the sea of violence that overwhelmed north India in 1947.

Translated by Navtej Sarna, these stories illustrate the truth that hate and violence have no religion, and that courage and compassion, too, are to be found among people of every faith. A harrowing record of the horrors of Partition, Savage Harvest is also a poignant tribute to the human spirit—to men and women who will wage their all in defence of humanity.

My Journey

Author: APJ Abdul Kalam
Publisher: Rupa Publications
Publication Date: September 2013
ISBN: 978-81-291-2491-3
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From a small boy growing up in Rameswaram, to becoming the country’s eleventh President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s life has been a tale of extraordinary determination, courage, perseverance and the desire to excel. In this series of anecdotes and profiles, Dr Kalam looks back on key moments in his past—some small and some momentous—and tells the reader how each of them inspired him profoundly. With warmth and affection, he talks about the people who left a deep impression on him as he was growing up and as an adult, and the lessons he drew from his interactions with them. He describes those who have been the closest to him—his father with his deep love of God, his mother and her great kindness, his mentors who helped shape his thoughts and outlook. There are heart-warming accounts here of his childhood years spent in a small town by the Bay of Bengal and the many struggles and sacrifices made on the path to becoming a scientist and then the President of India. Dr Kalam also writes about the times when failure and dejection nearly overtook him and how he prevailed over those obstacles by drawing strength from books and spirituality.

Nostalgic, honest, and deeply personal, My Journey is the story of a life as rich as it is unusual—and the beautiful lessons to be learnt from it. Read the review here.

The Lives We Have Lost

Author: Manjushree Thapa
Publisher: Aleph
Publication Date: September 2013
ISBN: 978-93-82277-52-1
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The Constituent Assembly of Nepal, in its very first meeting, abolished the monarchy in May 2008. After that watershed event, however, the way forward has been stalled by vexing questions. How is power in such a fractious polity to be shared? Which form of governance is best suited to the country: republicanism? federalism? How are the excesses of the decade-long civil war to be reckoned? How is the People’s Liberation Army to be integrated with the Nepal Army? To what extent should neighbours be allowed to interfere in the internal politics of the nation? And why is it that the Constituent Assembly, years after it was elected, cannot draft a Constitution that is acceptable to all?

In The Lives We Have Lost, Manjushree Thapa asks these vital questions, and many others. And, in seeking answers, finds the nation still muddling its way from crisis to crisis, in desperate search of a centre that will hold.

Degree Coffee By The Yard

Author: Nirmala Lakshman
Publisher: Aleph
Publication Date: September 2013
ISBN: 978-93-82277-15-6
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This is a tale of two cities—Madras and Chennai. In this book, the author braids together the essential aspects of Madras and Chennai to give us an exquisite portrait of the iconic city on the Coromandel Coast. The story of Madras, founded by the British almost four hundred years ago, gives way to that of Chennai in 1996, but the two are so intertwined that it is impossible to tell them apart. The history of the city is populated with fascinating characters—writers, builders, thinkers; British traders, luminaries and rogues; freedom fighters and political leaders who changed the city’s political milieu. In independent India, the political life of Madras was marked by battles for equality, the demolition of unjust caste structures, and a remarkable spirit of secularism, all of which the author brings to vivid life.

But the city’s unique flavour is not limited to its history and politics, it owes much to its rich cultural, religious, gastronomic and sporting heritage—highlights of which include the largest classical music festival in the world, a remarkable array of cuisines, both native and imported, from the crisp dosai to spicy Chicken 65, a passion for cricket, tennis and chess and the best filter coffee on the planet. Sharply observed, yet meditative and personal, Degree Coffee by the Yard brings a great city to rare and refreshing life.

The Lowland

Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: September 2013
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Suspenseful, sweeping, piercingly intimate, this is a masterly novel of fate and will, exile and return. An engrossing family saga with very high stakes; and a story steeped in history that seamlessly spans generations and geographies, The Lowland is not only a tour de force and an instant classic, it is Jhumpa Lahiri at the height of her considerable powers.Read the review here.

The Dream Chasers

Author: Vipul Mitra
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: September 2013
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A hysterical and candid story about fate, love and the follies of youth, here is a story of six friends at university who are trying to figure out if their dreams are worth chasing. A coming of age story that will take you back to your own college days!

Ghanta College

Author: Clyde D'Souza
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: September 2013
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This is the ultimate college guide with true college stories from celebrities and gyan in the form of Professors Tips, Toppers Secrets and Nerds Warnings. A complete fun entertainer which hilariously helps one make the transition from a nervous fresher to college graduate!

Marriage Material

Author: Sathnam Sanghera
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: September 2013
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Picked as one of Waterstones Eleven fiction debuts of the year, Marriage Material is the epic story of finding love within the confines and freedoms of a small family with a big Punjabi heart. It is a humorous chronicle of finding love as a desi in England—and of English desis forging and celebrating a betwixt identity that is neither here nor there!

Mugdha Wagle

Mugdha Wagle

Content Editor at IndiaBookStore
Kitabi Keeda of the most obsessive sort. When she's reading something, interrupt her only if you have life insurance! Discovering a fantastic new author can move her to tears. Loves trekking, adores animals and venerates good food (eating it, not cooking it :))!
Mugdha Wagle

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