BOOKS YOU DEFINITELY SHOULDN’T MISS THIS WINTER

Compiled by: Chirdeep Malhotra

1) “The Wielder of the Trishul: Deva-Asura Katha – Book I” by Satyam

(Mythological Fiction | Format: Paperback/Kindle | MRP: 215 INR)

BLURB: A tale of Devas and Asuras, where in the mythical planet of Dhruva-Lok, rests Lord Shiva's Trishul which no one has been able to wield in centuries. With prophecy, oath, boon and curse, the stage is set for a heroic clash between justice, duty and love!
Who wields the mighty Trishul? Which side will Lord Vishnu take in an inevitable war? Will a righteous one do adharma to honour his oath? Will injustice be done to a lower class student? Will a king be chained to his son's love? Who upholds Dharma, and who falters?
Book One takes you to the origin of this epic journey. The forces of Devas and Asuras, laid out in flesh and blood are rising to discover their powers. A fierce battle lies ahead as the destinies of everyone are about to collide. A war story on what it means to be human!



2) “Rajaraja Chola: Interplay Between an Imperial Regime and Productive Forces of Society” by Raghavan Srinivasan

(Non-Fiction | Format: Paperback/Kindle | MRP: 239 INR)

BLURB: When Rajaraja Chola ascended the throne, the land of Tamils entered upon centuries of grandeur. He left behind a stupendous legacy, which has not lost its sheen even after a thousand years. During his regime, we see powerful productive forces at work, newly liberated by the advances made in manufacturing and trade.
Through interesting facts and riveting analyses, the reader can vividly experience the tumultuous developments of this period. It bring to life the social, political and economic underpinnings of that time – expansion of agriculture, rise of nagarams, maturing of self-governing corporate bodies, phenomenal increase in inland and overseas trade networks, and overall strengthening of the administrative and military apparatus, which would later bring South-east Asia under its influence. Equally important to the stability of the empire was the compelling iconography of Saivism, which this book presents in a sublime and engrossing style.
This book recreates the history of a South Indian king and his imperial empire, in a form that would appeal to the academia and the wider public audience alike.



3) “Open Zero” by Sophia Naz

(Poetry | Format: Paperback | MRP: 299 INR)

BLURB: Sumana Roy writes, ‘In Sophia Naz's poems, one has the sense of being out in the open – of our beings fermenting as we read, of looking back from time to time, to check whether we are alone. We are never alone – there are the ancestors, both Naz's intellectual predecessors and ours. And there are the poems, always quivering, gently “skyclad”.’
Jerry Pinto writes, ‘These new poems by Sophia Naz are marked by deep music, the strong beating of a battered but indomitable heart, the percussion of a tidal bore of meticulously crafted emotion. This is an apostrophe to loss marked by the optimism inherent in poetry, for Naz's passion for language goes way deeper than the anagrams and play of post-modernism, drawing the reader into a new territory of passionate rediscovery and retrieval.’



4) “Pinkoo Shergill Pastry Chef” by Vibha Batra

(Children’s Fiction | Format: Paperback | MRP: 219 INR)

BLURB: Pinkoo Shergill has a dream. He wants to be a pastry chef! But it’s the world’s biggest secret. You see, his Papaji believes that boys shouldn't step into the kitchen or cook or bake. In fact, Papaji wants Pinkoo to become a shooting champ. Ack! But when the Great Junior Bake-a-Thon comes to town, Pinkoo has to come up with a WOWMAZING plan to make sure his blabbermouth cousin, Tutu, doesn't vomit everything to Papaji, win Nimrat – the Most Annoying Girl on the Planet – over and win the baking competition. Pheww!