Marvels & Mysteries of the Mahabharata by Abhijit Basu

Blurb (from the jacket):

In this cauldron of great illusion, with the sun as fire, day-night as fuel; using months and seasons as stirrer, Time is cooking all beings that is the message. ~Yudhishthira, in the Mahabharata's Vana-parva 313.118 

The Mahabharatha never ceases to fascinate. By far the longest of the world s epics, it transcends the limitations of genre. History, encyclopaedia, philosophy, scripture, warrior saga, it encapsulates all these in one exalting epic tragedy underscoring the truth in the ancient adage that the whole knowable world is Vyasa s leftover. 

The Great Epic of India encompasses an awesome interplay of human effort and destiny, set against the backdrop of inexorable Time. Marvels and Mysteries, with its lucid and engaging narrative, seeks to unravel some of its enigmas: the characters of Vyasa, Krshna, Yudhishthira, Arjuna, and Draupadi; aspects of the Mahabharatha s historicity; its medley of interpretations; the stupendous text-critical project to sift its perceived accretions; its inter-relationship with the Ramayana and other epics; and its universal relevance brought home through a series of trans-cultural comparisons. 

This is the one book about the Mahabharatha which everyone will love to read and gift.

Potluck by Various

Blurb (from the jacket):

Potluck is a collection of short stories and reflections by a group of writers who came together after attending Creative Writing Courses by Renu Balakrishnan at Xavier's Institute of Communications, Mumbai.

Working mothers, single women, a Catholic priest and a Hindu monk, executives and yes, even newlyweds; it's a diverse group that has brought out this collection. Written during office hours, travelling Mumbai trains, while the baby slept and the spouse snored, Potluck took shape. Over years of writing, re-writing and mutual critiquing.

In Potluck you will find a variety of styles and writing; first person accounts fiction, travel and mystery pieces that make it an experience to savour.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Foreword:

If you are a regular follower of my reviews/blog you would be already aware of my fetish for Dystopian novels.

I have already described for fascination for Dystopian novels by stating, I don't read them out of fear of running out of them. Or something like that. That exactly defines my obsession for them.

Well, that doesn't mean that I love every Dystopian-themed story. For example, consider my Dystopian favourites - Anthem, Fahrenheit 451 and The Road, for now. Though they all are based on some Dystopian future, they all have a hidden meaning and a worthwhile twist at the end.

And then, there are other Dystopias, too. Like Hunger Games - which I haven't read yet, but hate it anyway for its romance and all. I haven't seen the movie yet, so I can't be certain about my ideology, but I could comment by its blurb.

My kind of Dystopias are the movies like The Road, The Colony, Equilibrium, etc...

Other Dystopias you could find here... (regularly updated)

Karma by Jeffrey Armstrong

Blurb (from the jacket):

In this compelling description of the ancient science of karma, award-winning author Jeffrey Armstrong explores reincarnation, the deeper mysteries of the soul, the laws of nature, and the ways in which cause and effect control our lives.

In Western culture, we frequently attribute events to science or to mechanical cause and effect. However, the Enlightened Masters have long taught that such events are actually brought about by the purposeful action of countless devas, or divine beings. These devas surround us in all we do and are constantly deciding upon and delivering to us the results of our actions.

These long-secret laws of karma, excavated from the Vedic wisdom of India, will inform your decisions and broaden your spiritual vision, revealing the profoundly interconnected nature of all that exists.

Domechild by Shiv Ramdas

Blurb (from the jacket):

A suicidal machine. A child with a secret that can change the world. The man trapped between them.

In the City, where machines take care of everything, lives Albert, an ordinary citizen with an extraordinary problem: Hes being blackmailed into becoming the first person in living memory to actually do something.

What begins as a chance encounter with an outlaw child swiftly spirals out of control as Albert is trapped between the authorities and the demands of his unusual blackmailer. Forced to go on the run for his life, he finds himself in a shadow world of cyber-junkies, radicals and rebels, where he discovers the horrifying truth behind the City, a truth that will make him question everything he has ever known.