Diplomatic travails, airlines & odd balls on bookshelf

New Delhi - This week's bookshelf is way off the often-walked track, full of unusual tales and surprises. Browse with IANS...

1. Book: "The Ambassadors' Club: The Indian Diplomat At Large", Edited by Krishna V. Rajan, Published by Harper Collins India; Priced at Rs.599

The role of the Indian diplomat is varied. In 1972, when former Ugandan President Idi Amin had declared that all Asians, holding citizenship of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the UK would be expelled, Niranjan Desai, who was sent as officer on special duty to tackle the crisis confronting the Indians in Uganda found that rules and laws were secondary. It was common sense that counted to help people in distress. The period was one of a nightmare for Desai. The anthology brings together the experiences of seasoned diplomats to shed new light on the ecstasies and agonies of the Indian Foreign Service.

2. Book: "United Breaks Guitars: The Power of One Voice in the Age of Social Media"; Written by Dave Carroll; Published by Hay House India; Priced at Rs.299

Musician Dave Carroll was not the person to be abused by the United Airlines - but he was the first to show that armed with creativity, some friends, $150 and internet, one person was enough to turn the industry upside down to seek compensation for abused baggage and raise awareness about abuse of travelers' rights by airlines. The airlines had broken Dave's guitar while checking baggage. A YouTube video 'United Breaks Guitar' created by Carroll sent United Airlines stocks plummeting in a brazen display of the power of the social media.

3. Book: "Torn"; Written by Amanda Hocking; Published by Pan Macmillan; Priced at GBP 7.99 (Rs.500)

Acknowledging that she was different from anyone else was not difficult for Wendy Everly - like an outsider. But a new world and new family is a little hard for any girl to accept. Leaving behind the mysterious country of her birth, she is determined to fit back into normal life. But the world she had left behind would not let her go that easily.

4. Book: "Chennaivaasi"; Written by T.S. Tirumurti; Published by Harper Collins India; Priced at Rs.299

When Tamil Brahmin boy Ravi and American Jewish girl Deborah fell in love, they decided to come to Chennai to seek Ravi's parents consent for the wedding. While they did not expect ready acceptance, they are unprepared for how the announcement stirs the vitals of the joint family. While Ravi's mother is won over, his father remains opposed to it. After his mother's sudden demise, the father lands at the young couple's doorstep. This is the tale of an odd bag family in the conservative canvas of Chennai.

5. Book: "Revolt of the Fish Easters"; Written by Lopa Ghosh; Published by Harper Collins India; Priced at Rs.299

The manipulative philanthropist ghost of a chairman's mother, a footless whore in Siberia who has mastered the art of love making; Rita of the sexual politics lessons; the witchcraft practising mother of a village prodigy who tries to ensnare the world's richest man. This is an anthology of narratives about renegades of characters set in the dystopian world of late-stage capitalism, recession struck businesses and individuals, lovers, ghosts and Communists threatened by rogues from within - the crumbling system.