BOOKS WE RECOMMEND THIS WEEK

Chirdeep Malhotra . Updated: 11/18/2020 11:53:12 PM Books and Authors

From an engrossing political thriller, to a mesmerising book of poetry, our book picks this week, curated by Chirdeep Malhotra

FICTION/ THRILLER

“Xianqui” by Raghu Srinivasan

This is an unputdownable thriller about Chinese military aggression, a vaccine and the threat of a nuclear war. This novel is set in 2019, wherein the temperamental President of the United States of America has imposed trade sanctions on a belligerent China. In this fictional premise, the Communist Party in China initiates military action, drawing its rival superpowers Japan and the United States into a conflict which portends an all-out nuclear war. Nations across the globe learn that China's aggression could have been fuelled by the development of a vaccine based on ancient tribal knowledge that could tilt military balance in its favour.
An eclectic team - a Japanese policewoman, an Indian ethnologist and a young Indian mountain guide, assisted in part by a devious Russian geologist, then embark on a quest to unravel more about this secret vaccine that China has. With a riveting narrative, this is a book that readers wouldn’t be able to put down if they decide to pick up.



SPIRITUALITY

“Lockdown-21: Me to Messiah” by Bhavin Shastri

This is a thought-provoking book, and within a non-fictional narrative, describes about spirituality and mindfulness. It is a pedagogy for all the seekers and emphasises that Buddhahood is possible for all, who have seen the emerging questions within themselves. Describing musings of the author which he had during the Coronavirus lockdown, the all-embracing message is that the seeker and the seeking are one. It details about the quest of a man who is lost within himself, and about the journey of beginning with self and reaching to self. The book gives the message to the readers to explore their inner mindfulness, interact with self, find the self and dissolve in self.



POETRY

“Garden of Dreams” by Vishwas Vaidya

Aptly subtitled ‘A garden of Art, hosting your lush green dreams’, the poems in this book use gardens and flowers as frequent metaphors, along with other aspects of nature- the moon, birds, rivers and breezes. Most of the poems in this collection are love poems, and the poetry runs the whole gamut of emotions that the journey in love entails. There is also a spiritual aspect in some of the poems, which doesn’t get immediately revealed to the reader. For readers who relish poetry, the lyrical poems in this book have a lot of contemplative thoughts to offer and ponder about. Pick up the book to find out. We suggest you do!



YA FICTION

“Nomad’s Land” by Paro Anand

This book, in searing and tender prose, talks about the effects of terrorism and displacement, and about the healing powers of hope, friendship and reconciliation. It features the story Shanna and Pema, two girls growing up in a big city, who meet at their new school. Shanna is a Kashmiri Pandit, and Pema is Tibetan. Both the young girls have been cut off from their homes and land through the turmoil of politics, and each of them struggles to escape the bounds of tradition that their families hold onto. But then comes a quest that makes them struggle to set down roots in an unknown land.


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