Rose Garden and Minefields

Price: Rs 95; US $10; Virgin Leaf Books

Vivek Pereira

What’s a literary bhel puri? That’s what you get when you mix poems, short stories and essays together in an awesome combination to produce delicious literary goodies.

Rose Garden and Minefields, a unique compilation, promises to elevate you to a higher plane of existence. This work features patriotic, romantic, witty and thought-provoking poetry; humorous and outlandish short stories; and interesting commentaries on subjects such as the Maoist rebellion, the menace of terrorism, the fate of the Indian woman and the hospitable nature of Mumbai…

About the Author

Vivek was born in Pali Village, Mumbai, but within a few years his family shifted to another part of Bandra. He then studied at St. Stanislaus High School and M.M.K. College where a poem appeared in his examination paper much to the chagrin of the Economics professor. He later wrote a couple of humorous short stories and several fabulous poems. Nowadays, this versatile writer composes commentaries on current events and social issues. All of his writings are appreciated for their lucid style, witty words and unchecked creativity. Rose Garden and Minefields is a compilation of his poems, short stories and essays. You can contact him at keviv50@hotmail.com

The Gift of the Gab

Siddharth Deshmukh

Price: Rs 150; US $12

Meet Arun: The Born Manipulator. Arun is a typical young corporate turk. He is connected, parties more than he works and has people eating out of his hand. But he’s still frustrated — his methods let him down when he needs them the most. His boss sends him to spy on Ravi, a business head who has been delivering success after success for his unit when the rest of the company is facing tough times. Apparently, Ravi has unearthed a secret language called Babel — the language of success. A skeptical Arun takes this assignment on as fun and games, primarily to hook up again with the young woman he has broken off earlier. But he soon finds out (as he unwillingly learns this language) that this language is real, powerful and life-changing. He soon faces new choices about work, loyalties and even his love life. Will Arun survive and prevail in this test by fire and gain the language’s power? Join him in this fun, fast-paced journey that will keep you entertained right through to the end.

About the author

Siddharth Deshmukh is Chief Operating Officer at Cohezia (www.cohezia.com), an international technology group specialising in the media sector, which he helped start ten years ago. Siddharth is a Mudra Institute of Communication, Ahmedabad (MICA) postgraduate. He specialises in communication, information design and brand strategy and has worked with brands like Sony, AT&T, and Reed. He also teaches strategic brand management at leading MBA schools in Pune, India. He has a young family that he adores. He loves going for long walks where he dreams up of new concepts. This is his second book; his first book was non-fiction titled The Map that Matters (Strategic Publishing, New York). Visit him at www.siddharthdeshmukh.com

The Giant Devil

Ashish Shilwant; Frog Books; Price: Rs 100; $12

A global disaster, the Giant Devil, brings an end to the world. Survivors face the horrific natural disasters and tragedy that befalls earth. One man rises above and leads the people as they struggle to rebuild a new way of life. Will people destroy each other for power? Can they erase invisible borders and become one race — the human race?

Legacy of Darkness: The Theft

Aditya Dave

Virgin Leaf Books; Price: Rs 250; $14

Two boys…

Two time zones…

One link: Magic.

Ashoka is an orphaned prince, on the run from the killer of his father, the master of dark arts, Andhkar. Lusting for revenge, he must

wait and hide, in search of sanctuary, because he may be next in line.

Ashok believed himself to be an ordinary boy till his world overturned when his sister Maya and he discover that they are — magicians. They must learn to harness their power, because a dangerous quest awaits them.

How will their paths cross? Only time will tell.

Welcome to the first part of the trilogy, Legacy of Darkness.

About the Author

Aditya Dave is a 16-year-old young man hailing from Mumbai. From a very tender age of eight, Aditya has been inclined to read voraciously and author poetry. Soon, he developed a flair for writing fiction. His passion for fantasies and his discovery that Indian mythology had not been explored in this genre led him to write fiction in this field. This is the first part of the trilogy, Legacy of the Darkness, and the author has already started writing the second part. You can look forward to many more books from him in future. He can be contacted at deevd24@gmail.com

A Metro Nightmare

Shiv Kumar

Frog Books; Price: Rs 200; $14

A young woman, Gauri, commits suicide on the Delhi Metro tracks. Her suicide note claimed that she had killed her husband, Siva. Inspector Yahsvardhan, astaunch casteist, and SI Arjun Singh, himself a victim of caste violence, are given the charge of investigating the truth behind the suicide. As they begin their investigations, it comes to light that it was case of marriage against the wishes of their family.

Yahsvardhan delves deep into the past life of Siva to unravel what caused a meek and gentle boy to rebel against the society. And he finds out that his daughter, Pinki, has fallen in love with a boy, Mithilesh, of another caste.

Will Mithilesh’s and Pinki’s love blossom? Why was Siva’s and Gauri’s family against their marriage? If Gauri had killed Siva, why did she commit suicide? How did Siva’s mother die and will the investigating officer, P S Jha, unravel the truth behind this? Will Arjun Singh be able to come out of his haunting past?

About the Author

Shiv Kumar, born in 1980, is a native of Bhagalpur, Bihar, and a product of Mount Assisi, Bhagalpur, and Modern School, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi. He is a graduate in electronic engineering from BIT Sindri, Dhanbad. Since 2004, he has been working for BHEL, currently posted in Noida, and lives in Vaishali, Ghaziabad, with his wife Sarika. He can be contacted at shiv5180@gmail.com