Books to read...

What's on the book rack this week?

Talking to Strangers

Malcolm Gladwell

Allen Lane, 2019, pp 400, Rs 799

Through a series of encounters and misunderstandings — from history, psychology and infamous legal cases — Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual adventure into the darker side of human nature, where strangers are never simple and misreading them can have disastrous consequences.

Mrs Escobar: My Life with Pablo

Victoria Eugenia Henao

Penguin, 2019, pp 368, Rs 599

The story of Pablo Escobar, one of the wealthiest, powerful and violent criminals of all time, has fascinated the world. Maria Victoria Henao met Pablo when she was 13, eloped with him at 15, and despite his numerous infidelities and violence, stayed by his side for the following 16 years until his death.

How To

Randall Munroe

Hachette, 2019, pp 320, Rs 550

For any task you might want to do, there’s a right way, a wrong way, and a way so monumentally complex, excessive, and inadvisable that no one would ever try it. How To is a guide to the third kind of approach. It’s full of highly impractical advice for everything from landing a plane to digging a hole.

The Truants

Kate Weinberg

Bloomsbury, 2019, pp 352, Rs 550

Jess Walker, the middle child of a middle-class family, has perfected the art of vanishing in plain sight. But when she arrives at a concrete university campus, her world flares with colour. Drawn into a tightly knit group of rule-breakers, Jess begins to experiment with a new version of herself.

Kathak

Rachna Ramya

Niyogi, 2019, pp 360, Rs 1,495

Kathak: The Dance of Storytellers explores the philosophical and practical aspects of kathak. Investigating this compelling dance style from cultural and historical perspectives, the book delves into the essential principles of kathak, its schools and major artistes, the format, repertoire, and more.

Obama

Peter Baker

Penguin, 2019, pp 463, Rs 2,260

In this new edition, Baker reports on new details about the final months of the Obama presidency as Russia sought to intervene in American democracy, and assesses the impact of Donald Trump’s presidency on Barack Obama’s legacy.

Kanpur Khoofiya Pvt. Ltd

Richa S Mukherjee

Harper Collins, 2019, pp 296, Rs 250

Meet Mr Prachand Tripathi, private investigator and owner of Kanpur Khoofiya Pvt Ltd. Accustomed to tracking down missing pets and cheating lovers, he is about to have his world change completely when a new case requires him to tail actor Shailaja Kapoor.

The Stationery Shop

Marjan Kamali

Simon & Schuster, 2019, pp 320, Rs 699

Roya is a dreamy, idealistic teenager living in 1953 Tehran who finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr Fakhri’s neighbourhood book and stationery shop. When Mr Fakhri introduces Roya to his other favourite customer — handsome Bahman — she loses her heart at once.