The fall
Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan
Harper Collins, 2011, pp 390, 250
A deadly virus unleashed in NY wreaks havoc across the country. Amid the chaos, Dr Goodweather leads a crew behind the outbreak. As the origins of the master behind the epidemic are revealed, he learns that there are plans worse than extinction in store.
The last poem
Rabindranath Tagore, translated by Dilip Basu
Harper Perennial, 2011, pp 152, 250
Amit Ray travels to Shillong to escape his middle-class existence and finds himself ensnared instead in a web of passion and poetry with the elegant Lavanya. As they grow closer, they also discover themselves — their strengths, ambition, flaws and follies.
The dovekeepers
Alice Hoffman
Simon & Schuster, 2011, pp 504, 499
A tale of four extraordinarily bold and resourceful women whose lives intersect in the desperate days of the seige (based on the tragic event where 900 Jews held out for months against Romans outside the Judean deser, Masada, in 70 AD).
The purple lotus and other stories
Ratna Rao Shekar
MapinLit, 2011, pp 119, 275
Thirteen stories on men and women who love, dream, laugh, and more importantly, move with the natural ebb of life. Set in different cities and towns and across countries, these are journeys of relationships, migrations and anticipation.
The best thing about you is You!
Anupam Kher
Hay House, 2011, pp 228, 399
Using examples from his own life and experiences, Anupam Kher subtly motivates and inspires by providing a handy guide to countering negtavity, adopting a positive outlook, discovering your real self and finding peace of mind in today’s chaotic times.
Puttana Kanagal
H N Narahari Roa and M K Raghavendra
Westland Books, 2011, pp 292, 250
An assessment of Puttanna Kanagal, his work and concerns. Apart from locating Puttana’s work within Kannada cinema, it analyses 15 of his best known movies, their implications and the contexts in which they were made.
The other country
Mrinal Pande
Penguin, 2011, pp 212, 359
This book brings together a wide-ranging selection of essays by journalist Mrinal Pande. Through chronicles, anecdotes and hard-hitting reportage, she traces the ever-widening fault lines between Bharat and shining India, the small town and the metropolis.
Target 3 billion
APJ Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal Singh
Penguin, 2011, pp 298, 299
Half the world’s population is below the poverty line and 70 per cent of the world’s poor live in rural ares. This book encapsulates former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s mission to eradicate poverty from the world.
Sentinels of raisina hill
Dhirendra Singh and Mohan Joseph
Timeless, 2011, pp 142, 3,000
This coffee table book focusses upon the Government of India’s Secretariat buildings — the North and South Blocks. While it does mull over the architectural features of the buildings, it also traces the historical context in which they came to be.