Book rack for this week

The Girl and the Tiger

Paul Rosolie

Penguin, 2019, pp 344, Rs 306

Isha is a girl who loves animals but struggles in the confines of school. When she is sent away to live with her grandparents on the Indian countryside, she discovers a sacred grove where a young Bengal tiger has taken refuge. Isha’s crusade to save the tiger becomes the catalyst of an arduous journey of awakening and survival across the changing landscape of modernising India.

2019: How Modi Won India

Rajdeep Sardesai

HarperCollins, 2019, pp 392, Rs 558

On 23 May 2019, when the results of the general elections were announced, Narendra Modi and the BJP-led NDA coalition were voted back to power. To some, the numbers of Modi’s victory came as something of a surprise; for others, the BJP’s triumph was a vindication of their belief in the government and its policies. The book looks at the key personalities, strategies and turning points in what was a historic election victory.

Lipstick

Vish Dhamija

HarperCollins, 2019, pp 312, Rs 239

DCP Rita Ferreira is called into the investigation after a third corpse is discovered in Mumbai, which confirms it is the work of the same killer who paints his victims’ lips with dark red lipstick. The Lipstick Killer, like all serial killers, is fast decompensating - the time interval between the murders shortening, the victims shifting from street-side hookers to high-heeled wives.

Mind Without Fear

Rajat Gupta

Juggernaut, 2019, pp 376, Rs 444

For nine years, Rajat Gupta led McKinsey and company. He was also the driving force behind major initiatives. In 2011, Gupta was arrested and charged with Insider trading. In these pages, Gupta recalls his unlikely rise from orphan to immigrant to international icon as well as his dramatic fall from grace.

Cupid is Complicated

Namita Bajaj

Paper Towns, 2019, pp 187, Rs 199

The possibiliyu of loving someone without any conditions, obligations or even acknowledgement could seem unreal. But is true love all about living, breathing and being with that one person? What if, you are not meant to be? Is that not love at all?

The Elephant Girl

Chitta Ranjan

Frog Books, 2019, pp 322 Rs 349

The Himalayn foothills in 1930s are rife with stories about a mythical maiden riding a wild pachyderm. On a train ride through the deep jungles, a series of strange events unfold to pique the curiosity of Raj Narayan, the crown prince of Paschim Behar.

The Songwriter

Pushpak Sarkar

Pirates, 2019, pp 271, Rs 200

Growing up in the Himalayan foothills, Ratul finds solace and salvation in art and music. From touring with rock bands in small town Maine to enthralling crowds at international music festivals, each performance represents an attempt by Ratul to connect to the people through his music.

A Life in the World: U R Ananthamurthy in Conversation with Chandan Gowda

U R Ananthamurthy, Chandan Gowda

HarperCollins, 2019, pp 208, Rs 399

A fascinating portrait of the life and ideas of writer and public intellectual, U R Ananthamurthy. Between 2012 and 2013, Ananthamurthy shared his personal experiences in a series of lively conversations with academic and writer Chandan Gowda, and reflected on issues that would preoccupy him until the end.