From the sugar plantations of Saint-Domingue to the lavish parlors of New Orleans at the turn of the 19th century, Isabel Allende's latest novel tells the story of a mulatta woman, a slave and concubine, determined to take control of her own destiny in a society where that would seem impossible.Born a slave on the island of Saint-Domingue - now known as Haiti -Tete is the product of violent union between an African mother she never knew and one of the white sailors who brought her into bondage.When twenty-year-old Toulouse Valmorain arrives on the island in 1770, it's with powdered wigs in his trunks and dreams of financial success in his mind. But running his father's plantation, Saint Lazare, is neither glamorous nor easy.Against the merciless backdrop of sugar cane fields, the lives of Tete and Valmorain grow ever more intertwined. When bloody revolution arrives at the gates of Saint Lazare, they flee the island for the decadence and opportunity of New Orleans. There, Tete finally forges a new life - but her connection to Valmorain is deeper than anyone knows and not so easily severed.Spanning four decades, 'Island Beneath the Sea' is the moving story of one woman's determination to find love amid loss, to offer humanity though her own has been so battered, and to forge her own identity in the cruellest of circumstances.

Perfect for fans of the Warriors, Survivors, and Guardians of Ga'hoole series, this sequel to The Guardian Herd: Starfire, which Peter Lerangis called 'an epic tale,' will have readers eagerly turning the pages.When Star received his powers on his first birthday, he became the most powerful pegasus in Anok. However, many were afraid to follow him, and felt safer staying with their over-stallions. The rest unified with Star and formed River Herd.But now, not only does a horrible plague threaten the five herds, but Mountain Herd's over-stallion, Rockwing, has plans to kidnap Morningleaf, Star's closest companion, and take back Sky Meadow. Star begins to question his ability to keep his herd safe, especially with the threat of Nightwing the Destroyer's return. As much as Star wants to rely on his friends again for support, he's afraid of the starfire he's inherited. Star can heal, but he can also destroy. And the question is, will his dark powers overcome him?

A rich family story, a personal look at the legacy of war in the Middle East, and an indelible rendering of how we hold on to the people and places we call homeThe Nasr family is spread across the globe--Beirut, Brooklyn, Austin, the California desert. A Syrian mother, a Lebanese father, and three American children: all have lived a life of migration. Still, they've always had their ancestral home in Beirut--a constant touchstone--and the complicated, messy family love that binds them. But following his father's recent death, Idris, the family's new patriarch, has decided to sell.The decision brings the family to Beirut, where everyone unites against Idris in a fight to save the house. They all have secrets--lost loves, bitter jealousies, abandoned passions, deep-set shame--that distance has helped smother. But in a city smoldering with the legacy of war, an ongoing flow of refugees, religious tension, and political protest, those secrets ignite, imperiling the fragile ties that hold this family together.

Newly married, newly pregnant, Lucy Robin is having trouble remembering the little things. Like what day she’s due to visit her mother. Or where she left her shoes. Or whether she’s left the gas hob on.Forgetting the little things is annoying, but the more it happens, the more scared she gets. As her world gets smaller, soon both Lucy’s life, and that of her unborn baby, are placed in danger.But is there something more sinister behind Lucy’s forgetfulness? Her husband doesn’t think so. And Adam always knows best…

Sandy Raman, stringer for the BBC, lives as a paying guest with the Sawants, a regular, quiet, Indian family. Or so she thought. Until she woke up to a woman with a knife ... and a dark secret. It is only after she runs a sting operation on a home for the differently abled that Sandy makes a connection between an institute acting as a front for something sinister and the strange family she lives with.Chasing the truth up a trail of brutal murders, Sandy must evade the grasping clutches of a thriving sex racket and expose the predators before her time runs out.

A powerful and harrowing psychological portrayal of an individual struggle against the state written in the tradition of The Stranger and 1984, Then the Fish Swallowed Him is an urgent expose of how power can bend reality and the people forced to live within its parameters.Yunus Turabi, a bus driver in Tehran, leads an unremarkable life. A solitary man since the unexpected deaths of his father and mother years ago, he is decidedly apolitical—even during the driver's strike and its bloody end. But everyone has their breaking point, and Yunus has reached his.Handcuffed and blindfolded, he is taken to the infamous Evin prison for political dissidents. Inside this stark, strangely ordered world, his fate becomes entwined with Hajj Saeed, his personal interrogator. The two develop a disturbing yet interdependent relationship, with each playing his assigned role in a high stakes psychological game of cat and mouse, where Yunus endures a mind-bending cycle of solitary confinement and interrogation. In their startlingly intimate exchanges, Yunus's life begins to unfold—from his childhood memories growing up in a freer Iran to his heartbreaking betrayal of his only friend. As Yunus struggles to hold on to his sanity and evade Saeed's increasingly undeniable accusations, he must eventually make an impossible choice: continue fighting or submit to the system of lies upholding Iran's power.Gripping, startling, and masterfully told, Then the Fish Swallowed Him is a haunting story of life under despotism.

'That rare literary novel that has appeal for everyone who reads it Hindu Business Line, 'A riveting book . . . the landscape is so potently visual that you can picturise each scene even as you process the words Asian Age .'One of the triumphs of this novel is that it is able to evoke the culture and the linguistic ground it is rooted in without groaning with effort Indian Express .'Dexterous, unabashedly ambitious, and altogether inventive in its use of language The Hindu .'Each sentence is lush and dense with detail like the ber trees that once thrived in Old Delhi Hindustan Times .'Not many novels from the subcontinent have lingered over such a complex, intimate canvas with as much compassion and dexterity Mint 'A piercing flower in the desert that is Indian literary fiction in English this year Open..

<p>Kabir, a top-ranking Indian military intelligence officer, has been on a personal mission for nearly a decade to unravel the truth behind a suspected plane crash. </p><p>During his latest submarine expedition aimed at finding the plane’s debris, he contracts a severe infection and is admitted to a hospital in Kuala Lumpur. But Kabir is now getting too close to the truth and someone wants to end his pursuit.</p><p>When a hired assassin and his men chase Kabir on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, a beautiful US secret service agent, Keira, comes to his rescue. Before Kabir can figure out who wants him dead and whether Keira is really who she claims to be, he gets a call from a secret society, imploring him to join a mission to save mankind—and himself—from destruction. </p><p>The impending disaster is actually the climax of a century-long conspiracy. Kabir is caught in the middle of a war between two secret societies. </p><p>It is a war that threatens to change the world’s destiny, as well as Kabir’s, in the next 72 hours.Set in two converging timelines, this must-read thriller is also a probe whether religion is the real reason behind terrorism, war and suffering in the world. </p><p>This is the second book by a bestselling author. The twists and turns in this novel are fantastically portrayed. This is a story of patriotism, extremism, love and sacrifice.</p><div><br></div>

<p>‘Save the tree, that’s a wood nymph you see!’ Readers of Indian folklore will immediately relate these words to India’s finest mythmaker and Jnanpith awardee, Chandrashekhar Kambar’s works. When the Wind God Fell Sick and Other Folk Tales, a delightful collection of several folk stories and a play, opens up fantastical vistas in children’s literature while addressing environmental concerns like saving trees, conserving forests and keeping our world green and clean. With marvellous multilayered plots, this book transports young readers into a world full of gods, demons, princesses, sorcerers and also common people.</p><p> These are tales of adventure, romance and good-natured humour. ‘Daughter of the Kino Tree’ celebrates the victory of love against hostile supernatural forces. In another tale, the eponymous Wind God ails with a strange sickness. In ‘Gullava and the Lord of Rain’ the evil king Bhupathi gets all trees chopped to prevent the Lord of Rain from visiting Earth. Naturally, there is a calamity. ‘The Tale of the Flower Queen’ is a play about a wood nymph who can transform into a tree.&nbsp;</p><p>When the king of the land marries this Pushparani, his jealous senior queen plots to kill her.&nbsp;</p><p>The fight between humans, who are bent on cutting a tree, and the animal world, which forms a protective ring around it, is a superb climax.&nbsp;</p><p>The collection includes other fascinating stories too. Krishna Manavalli’s brilliant English translation brings the rich folk sensibility and a vibrant Kannada idiom to readers of the younger generation and to those young at heart.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The author is a Jnanpith-award-winning writer. The enchanting tales and the vivid storytelling make this a delightful read.&nbsp;</p><p>The writer transports you immediately into another world. This collection is an entertaining, heart-warming and delightful read for children and adults alike.</p><div><br></div>

<div>Authored in about 345–300 BCE by Vishnu Sharma, the Panchatantra has long been considered one of India’s invaluable gifts to the world. Its creation is the stuff of legend: in an effort to expedite the education of his three unschooled sons, the wise King&nbsp; Amara shakti of Mahila ropya sought out the octogenarian scholar Vishnu Sharma, who was known for his inventive teaching methods. Vishnu Sharma not only accepted the task of educating the princes but also said that he would accomplish it in six months. </div><div>The Nitishastra he used to teach the princes was one he composed specifically for the purpose and this was called the Panchatantra—five treatises. ‘Mitra Bheda’ (breach of friendship), the longest of the sections, is framed around the deep friendship between a lion, Pingalaka, and a bull, Sanjivaka, and narrates how they are turned against each other, raising the question: can two animals who are natural enemies ever be friends? The second tantra, ‘Mitra Samprapti’ (acquisition of friends), relates how a crow, mouse, tortoise, and deer become friends, and shows how friendship between the small and powerless is beneficial to all involved. ‘Kakolukiyam’ (of crows and owls), the third tantra, is a narrative that draws from Kautilya’s six-fold state policy, which is woven into the tantra’s frame story that describes a vendetta between crows and owls. The fourth tantra, ‘Labdha Pranasham’ (loss of acquired gains), is centred around the well-known tale of a crocodile’s treasured friendship with a monkey and how he loses it when his wife develops a hankering for the monkey’s heart. ‘Aparikshita Karakam’ (impetuous actions), the last tantra, is unique for its focus on human characters. The framing tale is about a barber who, under a misconception, assaults monks, rashly assuming that this will bring him gold. It makes the case that reckless actions, especially when they are triggered by greed, end in failure and grief. The sixty-nine stories in the Panchatantra cut a wide swathe, depicting as large a slice of life as possible. The cast of characters consists of lions, tigers, wolves, cats, tortoises, monkeys, deer, hares, snakes; crows, cranes, and various other birds; and water creatures, such as fish and crabs. There are also some humans, such as weavers and barbers, fowlers and hunters, as well as wealthy merchants, and ministers, kings, and, along with these, a smattering of priests. While in recent times it has been largely treated as children’s literature, the Panchatantra is a timeless book of wisdom for all ages, filled with tales laced with insight, cogent witticisms, and lessons about living. In this retelling of the ancient text, Meena Arora Nayak creates a work that is lucid, fluent, and engaging, while keeping the essence of its magnificence intact. The Panchatantra has long been considered one of India’s invaluable gifts to the world. </div><div>The Panchatantra of Vishnu Sharma presents sixty-nine stories depict a large slice of life. In her retelling of the ancient text, Meena Arora Nayak creates a work that is lucid, fluent, and engaging, while keeping the essence of its magnificence intact.</div><div><br></div>