New books on the shelves

A science fiction novel about the meaning of humanity, a book on the power of public protest, and many more.

Published : Sep 18, 2024 11:00 IST - 3 MINS READ

This Strange Eventful History

Claire Messud

Fleet

Rs.899

This historical novel set in 1940 follows the family of Gaston Cassar as they are dispersed by the war. They journey across Salonica and Algeria, the US, Cuba, Canada, Argentina, Australia and France, searching for a home and seeking to be reunited. War, politics, faith, family, and desire come together in this 2024 Booker longlisted novel.

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Loka

S.B. Divya

Hachette India

Rs.599

In the futuristic world of this novel, Akshaya, a resident of Planet Meru, and the hybrid daughter of a human mother and an alloy, goes on a tour of Planet Earth with her bestie. There are wonders galore, but also unwelcoming humans. The wild quest makes Akshaya discover the meaning of humanity.

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Also Read | New books on the shelves

Missy

Raghav Rao

Vintage Books

Rs. 699

Savi, from St Ursula’s convent in Madras, escapes her destiny to land up in Chicago. There she becomes a respected figure in the South Asian community until a stranger appears to put her world in disarray. Blurbed as a “haunting tale about the impossibility of escaping the shadow of the past.”

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When People Rise in Protest

Mobilising for Equal Citizenship in India

Zoya Hasan and Avishek Jha

Three Essays Collective

Rs.650

The nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019-2020 became a metaphor not just for minority rights but also for the safeguarding of the Constitution and Indian democracy. From the singular role of students, the leadership of women including in Shaheen Bagh, and the cultural expressions of the intelligentsia and artists, this book looks at the many ways these protests were a landmark in political movements in independent India.

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Engineering a Nation

The Life and Career of M. Visvesvaraya

Aparajith Ramnath

Penguin

Rs.1,299

An ardent technocrat and an early proponent of economic planning and industrialization, Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (1861–1962) was arguably the most famous Indian engineer of the 20th century. To explore Visvesvaraya’s life and work, this book argues, is to understand the emergence of the Indian nation itself.

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From The King’s Table to Street Food

A Food History of Delhi

Pushpesh Pant

Speaking Tiger

Rs.699

Who is an asli Dilliwala true-blue Delhizen and what is his cuisine? Pushpesh Pant takes us on a delightful culinary journey of each period of Delhi’s history, from the Mahabharata’s Indraprastha to present-day Delhi, through the Sultanate, the Mughal Empire and the British Raj, that is as much a feast to be enjoyed as the food he describes.

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Also Read | New books on the shelves

Fiction

The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story

Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones

Fitzcarraldo Editions

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One Thousand & One

Kari Hukkila, translated by David Hackston

Contra Mundum Press

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Annihilation

Michel Houellebecq

Picador

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Hombrecito

Santiago Jose Sanchez

Riverhead Books

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Non-fiction

Smart University: Student Surveillance in the Digital Age

Lindsay Weinberg

John Hopkins University Press

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Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words

Boel Westin, translated by Silvester Mazzarella

University of Minnesota Press

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How We Break: Navigating the Wear and Tear of Living

Vincent Deary

Allen Lane

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Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation

Dr. Jen Gunter

Citadel

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