Bookrack of the week (Feb 7 to Feb 13)

New releases of the week (Feb 7 to Feb 13)

Mermaids In The Moonlight

Sharanya Manivannan

Westland, pp NA,
Rs 199

Nilavoli and Amma voyage down a lagoon in Mattakalappu, listening to the mysterious sounds that rise from the deep. As little Nilavoli listens in wonder, Amma dives into folklore and fishes out spellbinding tales of mermaids from around the world.

The Politician

Devesh Verma

Penguin, pp 376, Rs 599

Beginning at the peak of Nehruvian era and ending in the early seventies, this is an enthralling, evocative view of provincial northern India, once the political heartland of the country, and the ebb and flow of the fortunes of its protagonists.

Breakfast With Evil

Ashis Nandy

OUP, pp 304, Rs 895

This is a pre-emptive attempt to bring together the scattered writings of Ashis Nandy over his entire span of writing career and scan those scattered lectures, interviews, and writings, including essays and columns for newspapers and journals for an in-depth analytical study.

The Best At It

Maulik Pancholy

HarperCollins, pp 336,
Rs 299

Rahul Kapoor is heading into seventh grade in a small town in Indiana. So his favourite person in the whole world, his grandfather, Bhai, gives him some well-meaning advice: Find one thing you’re really good at and become the best at it.

An Educated Woman In Prostitution

Manada Devi and Arunava Sinha (Translator)

S&S India, pp 176, Rs 399

Manada, Maani didi, Feroza Bibi, Miss Mukherjee — the jostling identities of our beguiling and charming protagonist as she glides through a life that can be seen as exploitative yet, also, curiously, empowering and honest. Weaving together multiple strands, looking beyond ideas of morality and accusations, we are presented a life of immense beauty and endurance.