New books on the shelves

A homage to the campy horror movies of 1980s Bollywood, the unseen history of 1930s Indian cinema, and much more.

Published : Aug 10, 2023 11:00 IST - 3 MINS READ

Drop of the Last Cloud

Sangeetha G

Ukiyoto Publishing

Rs.300

Set in Travancore in a tumultuous period, when its old matrilineal system is changing, the novel explores the life of a woman from the feudal class, who tries to refashion herself as old certainties collapse. It is a coming-of-age tale and as well as a historical novel capturing the upheavals of Kerala’s Renaissance in the early 20th century.

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Cockatoo 

Yashraj Goswami 

Pan

Rs.499 

The 12 stories about love, loss, identity and relationships capture the characters at turning points in their lives—a man on the verge of jumping out of his seventh-floor window; two men attempting to come to terms with their love for each other. Their tales interweave, creating a tapestry of emotions and nuances.

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The Zamindar’s Ghost 

Khayaal Patel 

HarperCollins India 

Rs.299 

In this homage to the campy horror movies of 1980s Bollywood, the thriller has an idyllic town, a haunted manor, the conflicted scion of a zamindar family, unexplained deaths, and spies acting for Indian revolutionaries against the British East India Company in 1933.

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A Plain, Blunt Man: The Essential Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Edited by Urvish Kothari

Aleph Book Company

Rs.799

This anthology brings together the writings of one of India’s most prominent founding fathers on subjects such as the accession of princely kingdoms, Indian secularism, the need to protect the interests of minorities, his distaste for sectarian politics, his belief in the idea of a plural India, and much else besides.

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Bombay Talkies: An Unseen History of Indian Cinema

Edited by Debashree Mukherjee

Mapin Publishing

Rs.2,880

Published in association with The Alkazi of Collection of Photography, New Delhi, this book presents rare photographs of the early days of Indian cinema shot by the cinematographer Josef Wirsching, who was employed at the film studio Bombay Talkies Limited, along with essays by scholars and film historians that help us understand the historical and imaginative value of Wirsching’s photographic archive.

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Unsealed Covers: A Decade of the Constitution, the Courts and the State

Gautam Bhatia

HarperCollins India

Rs.699

In Unsealed Covers, Gautam Bhatia provides a snapshot of the Indian judiciary between 2014 and 2023, examines the actions of the judiciary and its relationship with the government and also comments on some of the most important judgments of the past decade.

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Wish List

The Passenger 

Cormac McCarthy 

Picador 

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The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories 

Jamil Jan Kochai 

Viking 

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The Trackers 

Charles Frazier 

Fourth Estate 

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If I Survive You 

Jonathan Escoffery 

Fourth Estate 

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Deadly Quiet City: True Stories from Wuhan

Murong Xuecun

The New Press

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Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women’s Words

Jenni Nuttall

Viking

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City of Men: Masculinities and Everyday Morality on Public Transport

Romit Chowdhury

Rutgers University Press

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Anaïs Nin: A Sea of Lies

Léonie Bischoff; translated by Jenna Allen

Fantagraphics

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