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The Care Taker
One harsh winter, Ranjit illegally moves his family into an empty, luxurious vacation home belonging to an African-OAmerican Senator. Ensconced in the house, he tries to forget his brief affair with Anna, the Senators wife, and focuses on providing for his family. But one night, their idyll is shattered when mysterious armed men break into the house, searching for an antique porcelain doll. Forced to flee, Ranjit is hunted by unknown forces and gets drawn into the Senators shadowy world. To save his family and solve the mystery of the doll, he must join forces with Anna, who has her own dark secrets. As he battles to save his family, Ranjits painful past resurfaces and he must finally confront the hidden event that destroyed his career in the Army and forced him to leave India. Tightly plotted, action-packed, smart and surprisingly moving, The Caretaker takes us from the desperate world of migrant workers to the elite African-American community of Marthas Vineyard and a secret high-altitude war between India and Pakistan.
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Prophet Of Love
An ashram in northern India becomes the arena for a tale of love and intrigue, against the backdrop of communal Achants and exaggerated paraphernalia of public spirituality. It begins with the appearance of a traumatized young woman, Diamond or Ma Vidhyadhari, at the doorstep of a rookie journalist, Farrukh Dhondy. She has been banned from the ashram, but her daughter, Sapphire, has been held hostage to ensure her silence. She seeks justice and the return of her child; he is an idealist who wants to get to the truth and help the woman in distress. Thus begins an adventure that pits them against the might and concealed horrors of a bigoted world where bodies and minds are equally dispensable. Will their quest end in triumph? Or will the writ of the guru prevail? Centred on the fictional Bhagwan Saket, this is a novel that dares to explore the corridors of spiritual power in India.
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Buddhaland Brooklyn
A lively meditation on cross-cultural acceptance through the story of a reclusive Buddhist monk and his eccentric New York flock Odas boyhood is spent fishing in clear mountain streams, picking plums, and helping his parents run the familys village inn on the slopes of Mount Nagata. But at age eleven, his parents hand him over to the monks at the nearby Buddhist monastery. Separated from his family and deeply lonely, the acolyte adjusts to monastic life by devoting himself to painting, poetry and prayer and avoiding human contact. This safe and quiet existence is unexpectedly upended, however, when he reaches middle age and is ordered by his superior to open a temple in Brooklyn. Now, Reverend Oda must spiritually lead the ragtag army of eccentric New York Buddhists. This motley crew and their misguided practices provide for a host of hilarious cultural misunderstandings and mishaps. But when tragedy strikes, Odas rigid worldview is shattered and he finally understands his own long-buried sadness and personal shortcomings. It is only when he comes to appreciate the Americans, flaws and all, that Oda finds in Brooklyn the home he has always sought. Lively and vivid, Buddhaland Brooklyn is a meditation on the meaning and rewards of true acceptance.
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Trust Works!
Trust Works! How to build it—How to keep it In this enlightening guide developed from his popular Trust Works! training program, #1 bestselling author and management guru Ken Blanchard turns his vast knowledge and insight to one of the most timely and complex issues that affects all areas of our lives. Once upon a time, a dog and a cat lived together with other animals and the humans who cared for them. But canine and feline did not trust each other—a situation that led to fighting, backbiting, and sabotaging that soon affected the whole household. Unless their conflict was resolved, all of the pets would lose their home. Fortunately, a wise old parrot stepped in, teaching dog and cat the ABCDs of trust. As each became aware of the unconscious behaviors at the root of their hostility, dog and cat discovered how to change their behavior—a mutual transformation that created a happy, productive environment for all. In Trust Works! Ken Blanchard applies that fable to real-life situations to show anyone how to get along better with those around them. He outlines his ABCD trust model and uses it to address the factors that lead to discord, including low morale, miscommunication, poor response to problems and issues, and dysfunctional leadership. In today's polarized society, building trust—and sustaining it—has never been more important or seemingly elusive. Trust Works! provides a common language and essential skills that can replace dissension with peace and cooperation and help us all work together productively and in harmony.
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The Valley of Masks
The Valley Of Masks is about, as Tarun Tejpal states, the story of the people he has known over the years. The novel provides a powerful reimagining of power structures and belief systems which can be scary but also redemptive in terms of fashioning a better future. The narrator’s name keeps changing as the novel progresses. At one point he is called Karna and at the next he is called X 470. The story is controlled by him. The narrator flees from the Aum Mountains and its doctrines. Through these allegorical devices, the book touches upon issues of the human race, dogmas, and class systems. The story searches for humaneness through the annals of inhumanity. It is not a simple allegory but leaves a deep impact on all readers. This work also deals with extremist institutions where children and young adults go through violent warrior training. This is not about understanding priesthood, but about taking it to the next level. Things become so violent that killing becomes the only means of survival. The question remains whether it is enough to escape from Aum to avoid such violence. A rare piece of literature, The Valley Of Masks has been well received critically and commercially. Critics like Ashis Nandy have pointed out the disturbing yet brilliant way in which Tejpal manages to transcend all the social boundaries imposed on various aspects of people’s lives. The Valley Of Masks comments on the way various trends fashion the way one reads, one views culture, and various other mundane aspects. About Tarun J. Tejpal Known for his journalistic approach in most of his works, Tarun J. Tejpal is a renowned author, publisher, and editor of Tehelka magazine. He has written several novels such as The Story of My Assassins and The Alchemy Of Desire. His works have received global recognition. He has always been associated with his brand of public interest journalism. He has extensively researched on defense scams and naxalite movements for his newspaper, Tehelka. He founded a publishing company called India Ink which published the award-winning novel, The God Of Small Things. He currently lives in New Delhi with his wife.
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Looking For Alaska
First drink, first prank, first friend, first girl, last words... A poignant and moving crossover novel about making friends and growing up from American author, John Green. Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words – and tired of his safe, boring and rather lonely life at home. He leaves for boarding school filled with cautious optimism, to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps. Looking for Alaska brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another.
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Three Letters: A Father's Love is the Greatest Gif
Three Letters: A Father's Love is the Greatest Gift of All (Paperback) Price: Rs.269 The brand new dramatic novel about the power of a father's love, a little boy's journey,and the desperate search for a place to call home, from Number 1 best-selling author Josephine Cox. Eight-year-old Casey's mother Ruth is a cruel woman, with a weakness for other women's husbands. Casey's father is gentle and hard-working and, though Tom Denton has long suspected his wife of having sordid affairs, he has chosen to turn a blind eye to keep the peace. But then, out of the blue, Tom's world is cruelly shattered when he receives two bits of devastating news. Because of this, Tom realises that from now on their lives must change, forever. A broken man, Tom is made to fight for his son, determined to keep him safe. But, when fate takes a hand, life can be unbearably cruel, and Casey is made to remember his father's prophetic words... It's done. The dice is thrown, and nobody wins. But, unbeknown to Casey, there are three letters penned by his father, that may just change his destiny forever.
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Agatha Christie's Murder in the Making
Agatha Christie’s life and career told through the decades, from the never-before-published original ending to her first book to the unused ideas for her last, complete with two unpublished Agatha Christie stories - including a lost Miss Marple. In this follow-up volume to the acclaimed Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks, Christie archivist and expert John Curran leads the reader through the six decades of Agatha Christie's writing career, unearthing some remarkable clues to her success and a number of never-before-published excerpts and stories from her archives. Starting his investigation in the 1920s, John Curran examines the conventions of detective novels as they existed then and how Agatha Christie's publisher talked her into changing the ending of her very first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, a move that almost certainly changed the fortunes of not only her career but the future of the whole crime writing genre. For the very first time, this book prints Agatha's original ending, painstakingly transcribed from her notebooks. Every decade saw Agatha Christie's success grow to new heights. The emergence of the world-famous Collins Crime Club in 1930 brought with it the very first Miss Marple mystery, the austerity of the 1940s had Agatha Christie preparing to kill off Hercule Poirot, and the 1950s saw her experiment increasingly with formats influenced by more modern thrillers. Focusing on the detail of more than 20 Christie novels to illustrate this, John Curran shows the evolution of Agatha's writing through the decades, including the influence of the swinging sixties and seventies, concluding the book with a look at Agatha's last notebook, using his Christie knowledge to speculate about what she had in mind based on her brief notes for an unwritten final book. Also includes a number of short stories from the archives reproduced in full, including the unpublished The Man Who Knew, How I Created Hercule Poirot, and an early draft for a Miss Marple story, The Case of the Caretaker's Wife.
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California Girl
In this emotionally wrenching tale set in 1960s California, the lives of three brothers are forever changed when the body of a lovely and mysterious teenage beauty queen is discovered in an abandoned orange packing house. The times, they are a-changin' ... The Orange County, California, that the Becker brothers knew as boys is no more -- unrecognizably altered since the afternoon in 1954 when Nick, Clay, David, and Andy rumbled with the lowlife Vonns, while five-year-old Janelle Vonn watched from the sidelines. The new decade has brought about the end of the orange groves and the birth of suburban sprawl. It is the era of Johnson, hippies, John Birchers, and LSD. Clay becomes a casualty of a far-off jungle war. Nick becomes a cop, Andy a reporter, David a minister. And the decapitated corpse of teenage beauty queen Janelle Vonn is discovered in an abandoned warehouse. A hideous crime has touched the Beckers in ways that none of them could have anticipated, setting three brothers on a dangerous collision course that will change their family -- and their world -- forever. And no one will emerge from the wreckage unscathed.
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Nothing But Trouble
Trouble . . . Chelsea Ross's acting career has been a total bust. The closest she ever came to stardom was her brilliant performance as "Pretty Dead Girl #1." But leaving Hollywood to become the personal assistant to a famous hockey player could be her stupidest career move ever. More trouble . . . Injured superstar Mark Bressler's glory days are over. The bad-boy ex-jock could at least be civil to the pint-sized, pink-haired bombshell who the Seattle Chinooks hired to be his P.A. If Chelsea didn't need the money, she'd be running from the world's biggest jerk as fast as her feet could carry her. Big trouble! Chelsea can deal with Mark's rotten attitude and dark moods. The problem is those biceps and that red-hot bod! And when the bad boy starts to put the moves on her, Chelsea knows it's time she banished him to the penalty box . . . if only she could resist the kind of trouble he has in mind!
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Dawn of Empire
An enthralling debut historical novel set in the Bronze Age, "Dawn of Empire" tells the story of one fearless villages epic battle against a clan of invading barbarians. I couldnt put it down.--John Lescroart. Five millennia ago, on the eastern bank of the river Tigris, the course of human history changed forever . . . The people of Orak cherish their peaceful village and the life they have made. Though not proficient with the bow or sword, they possess a weapon far stronger: the ability to coax food from the ground. This is why the barbarian leader Thutmose-sin hates and fears them. As his marauding clan of bloodthirsty warriors readies itself for the plunder and the kill, the fate of the village rests with the outcast barbarian Eskkar and the woman he loves, the wise and beautiful slave girl Trella--and on a bold, remarkable, never-before-tested plan of defense. For those who have known peace must turn their hands to war, to save from the savage invaders not only their families but their way of life.
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Jimmy the Hand
Jimmy the Hand, boy thief of Krondor, lived in the shadows of the city. Though gifted beyond his peers, Jimmy is merely a pickpocket with potential—until he aids Prince Arutha in the rescue of Princess Anita from Duke Guy du Bas-Tyra, and runs afoul of "Black Guy's" secret police. Facing a choice between disappearing on his own or in a weighted barrel at the bottom of Krondor's harbor, Jimmy chooses the former. Forced to flee the only home he's ever known, Jimmy finds himself among the unsuspecting rural villagers of Land's End, where he hopes to prosper with his talents for con and thievery. But Land's End is home to many who tread the crooked path—and to a dark, dangerous presence even the local smugglers don't recognize. And suddenly Jimmy's youthful bravado and courage are leading him into the maw of chaos . . . and, quite possibly, to his doom.
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Day Of The Scarab
In this final book of the Oracle Prophecies trilogy, Mirany is in hiding, and the Nine are scattered. Will Argelin's obsessions bring the Rain Queen's wrath down on them all? Who's sinister new power is hidden in the sign of the Scarab? Since the destruction of the Oracle, madness reigns in the Two Lands--and his name is General Argelin. The self-appointed king is destroying his enemies, human and god alike. Seth and the Jackal secretly gather a group of resisters, risking all in an attempt to save the Two Lands from Argelin's tyranny and from the new power he controls in the sign of the scarab. Their last hope lies in the Underworld. Mirany, the young priestess, can lead them on their journey into death, but can she lead them back?
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One Hundred Names
Journalist Kitty Logans career is being destroyed by scandal and now she faces losing the woman who guided and taught her everything she knew. At her terminally ill friends bedside, Kitty asks - what is the one story she always wanted to write? The answer lies in a file buried in Constances office: a list of one hundred names. There is no synopsis, nothing to explain what the story is or who these people are. The list is simply a mystery. But before Kitty can talk to her friend, it is too late. With everything to prove, Kitty is assigned the most important task of her life: to write the story her mentor never had the opportunity to. Kitty not only has to track down and meet the people on the list, but find out what connects them. And, in the process of hearing ordinary peoples stories, she starts to understand her own. About the Author Before embarking on her writing career, Cecelia Ahern studied journalism at university. Her first novel, PS, I Love You, became an instant international bestseller and was adapted into a major movie. Her subsequent novels have also all been bestsellers. Cecelia co-created the ABC series Samantha Who. Her books are published in 46 countries and have sold over 15 million copies. Cecelia lives in Dublin with her family.
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The Hidden Assassins
As Inspector Jefe Javier Falcon investigates a faceless corpse unearthed on a municipal dump, Seville is rocked by a massive explosion. An apartment block is destroyed, and when it's discovered that its basement housed a mosque everybody's terrorist fears are confirmed.
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Just Married, Please Excuse
Caution: Marriage Ahead … Yashodhara, a quick-tempered gal from the big city, is hitched to Vijay, a laidback desi boy from a small town – in one word, trouble! The young couple must learn to adjust to married life and to each other – whether it is Yashodhara’s ‘tamper tentrums’ or Vijay’s foot-in-mouth syndrome – with a little help from their idiosyncratic staff Zarreena and Vinod, their nutty friend Vivi and, of course, their respective families. With the unexpected arrival of baby Anoushka a.k.a Peanut, the battles escalate, fuelled by their vastly divergent views on raising a child. Will their many differences – so endearing at the start of their romance – actually turn out to mean that they are just incompatible? Will they ever manage to agree on anything? Or have they just bitten off more than they can chew? A fresh and honest take on marriage and parenthood, this is a story of self-discovery that will have you laughing out loud – and sympathizing wholeheartedly with its quirky and likeable cast of characters.
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Pantheon
The darkest secrets of World War II finally revealed. Europe is ablaze. America is undecided about joining the fight against Nazism. And James Zennor, a brilliant, troubled, young Oxford don is horrified. He returns one morning from rowing to discover that his wife has disappeared with their young son, leaving only a note declaring her continuing love. A frantic search through wartime England leads James across the Atlantic and to one of Americas greatest universities, its elite clubs and secret societies right to the heart of the American establishment. And in his hunt for his family, James unearths one of the darkest and deadliest secrets of a world at war