புத்தாண்டின் புத்தம் புதிய புத்தகங்கள்.... உங்களுக்காக......

THE CRIMSON THRONE by SUDHIR KAKAR

Three decades into Emperor Shah Jahan’s reign, while the monarch indulges in the pleasures of the flesh to divert himself from the travails of his ageing body, the country is bracing itself for the brutal—and inevitable—war of succession to the Peacock Throne. At this time of tumult, European travellers Niccolao Manucci and Francois Bernier arrive in India, and find their way into the innermost circles of the royals.
  While Manucci revels in his new-found fame as miracle healer to princesses and concubines, and Bernier records his cerebral interactions with the Omrah in the imperial court, they conjure up an enthralling panorama of an empire in crisis. Little escapes their discerning eye—fabled cities now spinning into decay; harems rife with gossip, lust and venereal afflictions; wily courtiers whose hearts breed malice even as they enjoy the luxuries of privilege; the tenuous ties that bind Hindu subjects to their Muslim rulers. And, most of all, the chief contenders to the throne of Hindustan: Dara Shikoh, the charismatic heir apparent with a predilection for diverse spiritual beliefs, and his younger brother, the austere Aurangzeb, self-proclaimed defender of the true Faith.
Set amid the grandeur and intrigue of seventeenth-century India, The Crimson Throne masterfully probes the continuities of imperial expansion and a splintered Islam. Eloquent, richly imagined, riveting, it reaffirms Sudhir Kakar’s acclaimed craftsmanship.

THE PROPHECY by CHRIS KUZNESKI

Jonathan Payne, an ex special forces operative who has inherited his grandfather’s fortune, is hosting a fundraiser at the local university in his native Pittsburgh. His able sidekick, David Jones, who has been roped in to attending the event at the expense of watching his favourite basketball team, soon spots someone in the vast crowd that looks distinctly out of place amongst the glitterati attending the event.
Sensing that something is not quite right, Payne and Jones soon track the elusive woman down and confront her. She claims that having read of their recent adventures in Greece (a reference to “The Lost Throne”) she is there to speak to them about a historical mystery, but wanted to meet away from the crowd. The duo are presented with a photocopy of a mysterious and cryptic letter that starts them on a fantastical and deadly journey – based on the prophecies of Nostradamus - which is part “Da Vinci Code” and part “National Treasure”, but with a healthy dollop of Bond-like globe-trotting thrown in for good measure.

THE LAST POPE by LUIS MIGUEL ROCHA

Vatican City, 29 September 1978, teh world wakes to the shocking news that Pope John Paul I i sdead, just the month after his accession.
Thirty years letter in London , young Journalist Sarah montairo this is a misterious package. Enclosed is a list of names and a coded message. Movements afetr wards a mask Assassion attempts to silence care for ever. its seems Sarah holds the key to unveling a deadly secret- A Plot that implicates unsrupulous mercenaries and crooked politicians, and which goes to the very heart of the Vatican. Sarah has no choice but to run, forced into a ruthless game off cat- and - mouse. she can trust no one, Especially as her father name appears on the incriminapiting list.....
Sarah Finds herself at the center of a worldwide Conspiracy , whose keepers will stop at nothing to protect it .

DIFFICULT DAUGHTERS by MANJU KAPUR

Set around the time of Partition and written with absorbing intelligence and sympathy, "Difficult Daughters" is the story of a young woman torn between the desire for education and the lure of illicit love. Virmati, a young woman born into a high-minded household, falls in love with a neighbour, the Professor - a man who is already married. That the Professor eventually marries Virmati, installs her in his home alongside his furious first wife and helps her with her studies, is small consolation to her scandalised family. Or even to Virmati, who finds that the battle for her own independence has created irrevocable lines of partition and pain around her.