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Rebel Sultans
Deftly and with great vividness, Manu S. Pillai takes us through 400 years of roiling history and returns the Deccan to the centre of our attention – where it belongs.’ SUNIL KHILNANI ‘Minutely researched and yet instantly accessible . . . Rebel Sultans will bring the fascinating history of the medieval Deccan to a whole new generation of readers.’ WILLIAM DALRYMPLE ‘In this lively study, Manu S. Pillai does a superb job of re-orienting the narrative of late medieval and early modern South Asia towards the Deccan.’ MUZAFFAR ALAM ‘In Rebel Sultans, the Deccan is presented in seven engaging chapters, each focused on a pivotal moment, character or symbol, that together trace the dynamic history of the region and convey its unique flavour.’ NAVINA NAJAT HAIDAR In 1707 when Emperor Aurangzeb went to his grave, the Mughal empire began to crack into a hundred fractured pieces. It was the lure of the Deccan that drained this conqueror’s energies, putting him on a course of collision with his most threatening adversaries. After all, the Deccan was a land that inspired wonder. Its treasures were legendary, and its kings magnificent. It was a horizon of rousing adventure, attracting talent from beyond oceans. A traveller here could encounter bands of European snipers, available for military hire, or forbidding fortresses where African nobles scaled the heights of power. Diamonds and pearls lay heaped in the Deccan’s bazaars, while in its courts thrived Persians and Marathas, Portuguese and Georgians, presiding over a world of drama and betrayal. A thousand fortunes were made in the Deccan, drawing the formidable envy of generations of Mughal emperors. In Rebel Sultans, Manu S. Pillai narrates the story of the Deccan from the close of the thirteenth century to the dawn of the eighteenth. Packed with riveting tales and compelling characters, this book takes us from the age of Alauddin Khilji to the ascent of Shivaji. We witness the dramatic rise and fall of the Vijayanagar empire, even as we negotiate intrigues at the courts of the Bahmani kings and the Rebel Sultans who overthrew them. From Chand Bibi, a valorous queen stabbed to death, and Ibrahim II of Bijapur, a Muslim prince who venerated Hindu gods, to Malik Ambar, the Ethiopian warlord, and Krishnadeva Raya on Vijayanagar’s Diamond Throne – they all appear in these pages as we journey through one of the most arresting sweeps of Indian history. Unravelling a forgotten chapter in our medieval past, Rebel Sultans reminds us of a different age and a different time in the Deccan – one that ended an empire and rewrote India’s destiny.
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Carry On, Jeeves
Wodehouse was an incomparable and tireless genius – perfect for readers of all ages, shapes and sizes!’ Kate Mosse From the moment Jeeves cures Bertie of a raging hangover with his own concoction of Worcestershire sauce and tomato juice, they become steadfast partners. Whether it is fixing a plan-gone-wrong, or solving his friends’ love lives, Jeeves is Bertie’s unfaltering aide through a series of accidental – and self-imposed – misadventures in this collection of ten uproarious short stories.
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Things We Never Got Over
A NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER! Knox Morgan doesn't tolerate drama, especially in the form of a stranded runaway bride. Naomi Witt is on the run. Not just from her fiancé and a church full of well-wishers, but from her entire life. Although if you ask her, Naomi's riding to the rescue of her estranged hot mess of a twin, Tina, to Knockemout, a rough-around-the-edges town where disputes are settled the old-fashioned way…with fists and beer. Usually in that order. Too bad for Naomi, her evil twin hasn't changed at all. After helping herself to Naomi's car and cash, Tina leaves behind something unexpected: the niece Naomi didn't know she had. Now she's a guardian to an eleven-year-old-going-on-thirty with no car, no money, and no plan. There's a reason this bearded, bad-boy barber doesn't get involved with high-maintenance women, especially not Type-A romantic ones. But since Naomi's life imploded right in front of him, the least Knox can do is help her out of her jam. And just as soon as she stops getting into new trouble, he can leave her alone and get back to his quiet, solitary life. At least, that's the plan.
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The Compound Effect
No gimmicks. No Hyperbole. No Magic Bullet. The Compound Effect is based on the principle that decisions shape your destiny. Little, everyday decisions will either take you to the life you desire or to disaster by default. Darren Hardy, publisher of Success Magazine, presents The Compound Effect, a distillation of the fundamental principles that have guided the most phenomenal achievements in business, relationships and beyond. This easy-to-use, step-by-step operating system allows you to multiply your success, chart your progress and achieve any desire. If you're serious about living an extraordinary life, use the power of The Compound Effect to create the success you want.
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Can't Hurt Me
In Can't Hurt Me, he shares his astonishing life story and reveals that most of us tap into only 40% of our capabilities. Goggins calls this The 40% Rule, and his story illuminates a path that anyone can follow to push past pain, demolish fear, and reach their full potential.
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The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant
GETTING RICH IS NOT JUST ABOUT LUCK; HAPPINESS IS NOT JUST A TRAIT WE ARE BORN WITH.These aspirations may seem out of reach, but building wealth and being happy are skills we can learn.So what are these skills, and how do we learn them? What are the principles that should guide our efforts? What does progress really look like?Naval Ravikant is an entrepreneur, philosopher, and investor who has captivated the world with his principles for building wealth and creating long-term happiness. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant is a collection of Naval's wisdom and experience from the last ten years, shared as a curation of his most insightful interviews and poignant reflections. This isn't a how-to book, or a step-by-step gimmick. Instead, through Naval's own words, you will learn how to walk your own unique path toward a happier, wealthier life.
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Deep Work
Deep work' is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. Coined by author and professor Cal Newport on his popular blog Study Hacks, deep work will make you better at what you do, let you achieve more in less time and provide the sense of true fulfilment that comes from the mastery of a skill. In short, deep work is like a superpower in our increasingly competitive economy. And yet most people, whether knowledge workers in noisy open-plan offices or creatives struggling to sharpen their vision, have lost the ability to go deep - spending their days instead in a frantic blur of email and social media, not even realising there's a better way. A mix of cultural criticism and actionable advice, DEEP WORK takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories -- from Carl Jung building a stone tower in the woods to focus his mind, to a social media pioneer buying a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo to write a book free from distraction in the air -- and surprising suggestions, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored. Put simply: developing and cultivating a deep work practice is one of the best decisions you can make in an increasingly distracted world and this book will point the way.
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The Midnight Library
THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING WORLDWIDE PHENOMENONREADERS' MOST LOVED BOOK OF 2021WINNER OF THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FOR FICTIONBetween life and death there is a library.When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren't always what she imagined they'd be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?
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Something I Never Told You
When in love, you tend to take each other for granted, and sometimes, that can cost you a lifetime of togetherness . . .Ronnie knew that his first crush was way out of his league, and yet he pursued and wooed Adira. Shyly and from a distance in the beginning, and more persuasively later. He couldn't believe it when the beautiful Adira actually began to reciprocate, falling in love with him for his simplicity and honesty. Slowly, as they get close and comfortable with each other, life takes on another hue. From truly magical it becomes routine. There are fights and then making-up sessions-a clash of egos and doubts.Things begin to change for the worst.It is too late.Ronnie and Adira will probably never find their forever after .
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RICHER, WISER, HAPPIER
Billionaire investors. If we think of them, it's with a mixture of awe and suspicion. Clearly, they possess a kind of genius - the proverbial Midas Touch. But are the skills they possess transferable? And would we really want to be them? Do they have anything to teach us besides making money? In Richer, Wiser, Happier, award-winning journalist William Green has spent nearly twenty-five years interviewing these investing wizards and discovered that their talents expand well beyond the financial realm and into practical philosophy. Green ushers us into the lives of more than forty of the world's super-investors, visiting them in their offices, vacation homes, and even their places of worship - all to share what they have to teach us. Green brings together the thinking of some of the best investors, from Warren Buffett to Howard Marks to John Templeton, and provides gems of insight that will enrich you not only financially but also professionally and personally.
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Heart Bones
Life and a dismal last name are the only two things Beyah Grims parents ever gave her. After carving her path all on her own, Beyah is well on her way to bigger and better things, thanks to no one but herself. With only two short months separating her from the future shes built and the past she desperately wants to leave behind, an unexpected death leaves Beyah with no place to go during the interim. Forced to reach out to her last resort, Beyah has to spend the remainder of her summer on a peninsula in Texas with a father she barely knows. Beyahs plan is to keep her head down and let the summer slip by seamlessly, but her new neighbor Samson throws a wrench in that plan. Samson and Beyah have nothing in common on the surface. She comes from a life of poverty and neglect; he comes from a family of wealth and privilege. But one thing they do have in common is that theyre both drawn to sad things. Which means theyre drawn to each other. With an almost immediate connection too intense for them to continue denying, Beyah and Samson agree to stay in the shallow end of a summer fling. What Beyah doesnt realize is that a rip current is coming, and its about to drag her heart out to sea. "This book deserves a whole galaxy of stars, but alas, five is all I can give." Shades of Rebecca
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Red, White & Royal Blue
What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius?his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse. Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through? Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn't always diplomatic. "I took this with me wherever I went and stole every second I had to read! Absorbing, hilarious, tender, sexy?this book had everything I crave. I?m jealous of all the readers out there who still get to experience Red, White & Royal Blue for the first time!" - Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners"Red, White & Royal Blue is outrageously fun. It is romantic, sexy, witty, and thrilling. I loved every second." - Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six
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Layla
When Leeds meets Layla, he &;s convinced he &;ll spend the rest of his life with her &;until an unexpected attack leaves Layla fighting for her life. After weeks in the hospital, Layla recovers physically, but the emotional and mental scarring has altered the woman Leeds fell in love with. In order to put their relationship back on track, Leeds whisks Layla away to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met. Once they arrive, Layla&;s behavior takes a bizarre turn. And that&;s just one of many inexplicable occurrences.Feeling distant from Layla, Leeds soon finds solace in Willow &;another guest of the B & 38;B with whom he forms a connection through their shared concerns. As his curiosity for Willow grows, his decision to help her find answers puts him in direct conflict with Layla & s well-being. Leeds soon realizes he has to make a choice because he can&;t help both of them. But if he makes the wrong choice, it could be detrimental for all of them.
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The Enlightened Entrepreneur
It is easy for an entrepreneur to look at data and charts to arrive at a business decision, but extremely difficult to look within his soul to find answers. Bhavarlal H. Jain happens to be someone who can do both with ease. He is the founder and chairman of Jain Irrigation, a $1 Billion company which was presented with 'The Good Company Award' by Forbes, in 2012. His is a company that nearly went bankrupt four times in the last thirty years of its existence, only to rise again. Despite these ups and down, however, Jain has not wavered from a business model that is based on Gandhi's notion of trusteeshipwherein wealth belongs not to an individual but is used for the benefit of the community. Which is a compilation of lectures that he has given over thirty years. Replete with instances and expositions of what constitutes 'enlightened entrepreneurship' a notion that, Jain iterates, must be embraced by each and every entrepreneur. This book provides invaluable insights into what successes and failures mean to a business-person, the tenets of effective leadership and transformational businesses.
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Seducing the Accomplice
Socialite Sadie Mancini is a horrible judge of men. Case in point: her latest boyfriend has just abandoned her in Albania. Now, to her chagrin, Calan Friese, her sexy new protector, is a self-confessed killer, serious about terrorists and casual about women. Despite their sizzling chemistry, she knows she must leave him before he leaves her. But can she pull off a dangerous escape? To his surprise, the insecure daddy's girl has become braver, bolder and wicked with a weapon. Sure, she's a complication he wasn't counting on, but he enjoys keeping her safe. Perhaps she's just the kind of woman he can get serious about….
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Needed: One Convenient Husband
Eva Atraeus must marry. But every suitor is bought off by the will's formidable trustee: Kyle Messena. He has made himself the last available groom! Kyle broke her heart years ago. Now the dark, dangerous banker is the last man she'd marry-even in name only. . . If Kyle can't have Eva, no man will. No, he won't fall for the fiery, passionate Eva, but he'll keep her safe from men who would use her. Then, after the will is satisfied, he'll walk away. But Kyle makes one mistake: he sweeps his wife to their marriage bed. . .
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What the Prince Wants
Stefan Bianco is a man with one thing on his mind. Revenge. And the last person he expects to see hanging on the arm of his nemesis is the stunning Clio Norwood - the only woman ever to resist his near-lethal brand of seduction. Clio's life has become a mere shadow of what it once was. But Stefan's searing gaze returns her to the fiery, passionate woman he once knew. Clio has the key to his revenge, and Stefan has the key to her freedom; but only if he agrees to her shocking proposal!
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Scandalously Expecting His Child
Will he renounce his birthright for the woman who carries his child? Find out in this novel from USA TODAY bestselling author Olivia Gates! Self-made billionaire Raiden Kuroshiro escaped a dark past vowing to reclaim his heritage. But when the woman who once betrayed him returns, his desire for her threatens his plans. So he swears he'll purge her from his system and be done with her… Scarlett Delacroix believes she's sinned beyond forgiveness. So she accepts Raiden's offer of temporary passion as her last chance with him. Then she becomes pregnant. But she and her baby have no place in Raiden's future—unless he walks away from all he's ever wanted…
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In Love with a Sleeping Beauty
Business tycoon Ved Kashyap cuts short a business trip to interviewa woman for the post of companion for his aged, frail grandmother,the only family that he has. The candidate fails to appear for theinterview. That night, Ved discovers an unknown young beauty fastasleep in his bed in his hotel suite. Who is the sleeping beauty? With a name as exotic as Ishiqa, the girl turns his worldupside down. Not only does Ved act in a manner that isuncharacteristic of him, but he arm twists Ishiqa to be his pretendfiance. She is a stranger to his world, and Ved is fascinated as hegets to know her better. But is she as entranced by him as he is of her?
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The Secret The Italian Claims
She kept his child hidden…Now he’ll claim them both!Cristiano Moretti is furious that Hallie hid the consequences of their hot night together! He will not inflict his own childhood abandonment on his son, and demands that Hallie marry him. Soon they realise the passion between them is as powerful as ever…but when all Hallie wants is a real family, will Cristiano’s seduction be enough to secure his legacy?