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.