Hilarious lessons in diplomacy
Arun Gaur
Almost an Ambassador
by Rajiv Dogra. Srishti, New Delhi. Pages 238. Rs 145.
THIS is the story of a man named Doot. When he thinks that his courtship is at a sufficiently advanced stage, he declares impulsively to Sundari: "You must marry me." She retorts: "Marry? You? ... go climb a tree!" From that point, his life changes. He is determined to climb the tree. Not only does he start climbing the different social, political, sensual, and diplomatic trees, but also wins Sundari for his bride.

Bestsellers

What led to freedom
M Rajivlochan
The Shadow of the Great Game: The Untold Story of India’s Partition
by Narendra Singh Sarila, Harper Collins, Pages.436, Rs. 500.
THIS well-written book fills up many blanks in the story of India’s Partition. It also raises some intriguing matters, which historians of India would have to tackle with greater energy. Essentially the book holds the oil wells of West Asia as an important reason for the Partition.

The warmth and the chill
Rachna Singh
The Rupa Book of Heartwarming Stories
The Rupa Book of Thrills and Spills
both edited Ed. Ruskin Bond. Rupa. Pages 170 and 181 Rs 95 each.
Ruskin Bond has compiled and edited these anthologies with his usual panache. The Rupa Book of Heartwarming Stories is a wonderful collection that pulls at the reader’s heartstrings with its character vignettes and lucid narratives. It includes stories by Anton Chekhov, O. Henry and Ruskin Bond himself, besides literary offerings of lesser-known, but great storytellers.

Helen of Troy warts and all
Jonathan Thompson
The face that launched 1,000 ships was no such thing, claims a new book
FOR centuries, Helen of Troy has been portrayed as a woman whose beauty was breathtaking, she eloped with Paris, sparking the siege of Troy after her husband raised an army to take her back. But, more than 3,000 years after events described in The Iliad, Helen is to undergo a dramatic historical reappraisal.

Economy and capital
P. K. Vasudeva
India’s Market Society: Three Essays in Political Economy
ed. Barbara Harris White, Three Essays Collective Publishers, Gurgaon. Pages 235. Rs 250.
MARKET society is the kind in which societal exchange is dominated by markets to the increasing exclusion of other forms like reciprocity and redistribution. A pure market society can neither exist nor is feasible, as it is not the job of the markets to guarantee livelihood and life. It is the job of the markets to convey signals to production and to create, extract and distribute the surpluses that contribute to the reproduction of a society.

‘Celebrating’ child-free living
Nicole M. Miller
IF ‘poop factory’ comes to mind when you see a diaper-clad toddler, or you think "yard ape" is the best description for a child playing outside, perhaps you've decided parenthood isn't for you. Jennifer L. Shawne also pooh-poohs the encumbered life. Her humorous paperback, Baby Not on Board (Chronicle Books, $14.95), celebrates child-free living.

Literary fests are discovery zones
Deepika Gurdev
THERE is something about writers’ festivals — the high adrenalin action, the no-holds-barred debate, and the heroes who for a change get to be with their fans. Something as exciting as that happened recently in the sunny shores of Singapore. Most of the events were held at the futuristic National Library Building and the opening session put the spotlight on Asian writing on a global stage.

History on a platter
Kavita Soni-Sharma
Life and Food in Bengal
by Chitrita Banerji. Penguin. Pages 237. Rs 295.
CLASH of civilisations need not always be among those who believe in a different book. Sometimes, it can also be with those who eat their dal without phoron. Something of this sort happened when the Marathas invaded Bengal in the 18^th century. Unaware of the complicated spices, phoron, which the Bengalis used regularly, the Marathas ate a simple and, to the Bengali mind, uncouth daal.

urdu Review
A fair look at middleclass women
Amar Nath Wadehra
Aankhon Se Dil Tak
by Renu Behl Modern Publishing House. Pages 136. Rs 150
URDU was popular both as a medium of instruction and as vehicle for literary creativity in pre-independence India. After Independence, Urdu lost its status to Hindi and other Indian languages in India, while it became numero uno in Pakistan. However, lately, there’s been a resurgence of sorts in Urdu writing in India, with women writers making notable contributions.

Back of the book

• Extremes along the silk road
  by Nick Middleton. John Murray. Pages 289. £ 4.50
  

• Good News Bad News
  by David Wolstencroft. Hodder. Pages 376. £ 3.50
  

• What God Wants — A Compelling Answer to Humanity’s Biggest Question
  by Neale Donald Walsch. Hodder Mobius. Pages 232. £ 5.
  

• Religion, Violence and Political Mobilisation South Asia.
  Ed by Ravinder Kaur. Pages 228. Rs 280.
  

• Mass Communication in India: A Sociological Perspective
  by J.V. Vilanilam. Sage Publications. Pages 223. Rs 250
  

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