Be Library

THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE: FRIENDS YOUR KIDS WOULD LOVE – CHARLIE MACKESY

A book for all ages! This Christmas bestseller is a simple, yet beautifully illustrated conversation between a boy and his four-legged friends about the meaning of life and the various ways they can get through it. Through the reflections of each character, you experience different perspectives and empathise with them all the same. It is a short and sweet journey that places value on companionship and kindness – traits we need to grow into a better world together.

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING: STORY FROM THE LIFE OF A GIRL RAISED BY THE WILD – DELIA OWENS

An emotional, thrilling and suspenseful tale of a girl who is abandoned by her family and goes seeking shelter in the wild. Raised by perennial trees, fireflies and strict nature, the ‘Marsh Girl’ becomes a hearsay for the nearby village. When a popular village kid is found dead, she immediately becomes the prime suspect and gets tangled with the civilised. As reality unfolds, she discovers her longing for human connection but is unaware of what the world has in store for her. Where the Crawdads Sing brings with it a message from nature as well as human behaviour, a story that will draw a range of emotions from within.

SHANTARAM: AN ADVENTUROUS TALE SET IN MUMBAI – GREGORY DAVID ROBERTS

Shantaram, a book based on the author’s life, takes you through the journey of an escaped convict from Australia who lands himself in the thick of Bombay city. What follows is a rollercoaster ride that ebbs and flows through slums, romance, action and the underworld. For a Mumbaikar the book paints a verbal picture of the popular spots in the city, ushering nostalgia. It shows how the city can hold and absorb people from any part of the world and make them its own. Its sequel, but a standalone novel, The Mountain Shadow, is equally engaging.

WHAT IF THERE WERE NO BEES – SUZANBREATHLESS IN BOMBAY: STORIES BY MURZBAN F. SHROFF

Breathless in Bombay is a concept collection of 14 stories set in contemporary Bombay featuring interesting characters in fascinating situations: from the wandering thoughts of a Chowpatty Beach massage wala to the heartwarming relationship between a carriage driver and his beloved horse. No book about Bombay is complete without its Bollywood angle and this one features a story about the doomed love affair between a schizophrenic painter and his Bollywood girlfriend. Each of these stories is beautifully crafted against the chaotic backdrop of the city, giving the reader an insider’s view of this fascinating city.

GREEN HUMOUR FOR A GREYING PLANET – ROHAN CHAKRAVARTHY

Nature through satire, what an interesting combination and who would have thought? Rohan Chakravarthy’s Green Humour For A Greying Planet is the need of the hour. It is perhaps a one of its kind book that is able to put forward hard truths about science, people and nature at a time when global warming, wildlife crimes and man-animal conflicts are at their worst.

The book showcases numerous aspects of the natural world and the threats to its conservation through satirical cartoons and comic strips. As journalist Faye D’Souza says, the author is a great advocate for Mother Nature and her voiceless children.

Green Humour For a Greying Planet makes great reading for both the general are scientifically inclined reader.

WHAT IF THERE WERE NO BEES – SUZANNE SLADE

Albert Einstein once said that if the bee disappeared from the surface of the globe, humanity would have only four years of life left, as food crops would have no one to pollinate them. Considering the alarming rate at which the survival of bees is getting affected, this is a serious cause for concern.

Countless animals and plants live in grassland ecosystems that can be found on nearly every continent. So would the loss of any one animal species make any difference?

Suzanne Slade’s What If There Were No Bees helps you follow the chain reaction, and discover how important honey bees are by explaining their importance to grassland ecosystems in a fun and intriguing way through easy to understand illustrations.

WHEN THE WORLD RUNS DRY: EARTH’S WATER IN CRISIS – NANCY F. CASTALDO

How often have you opened your tap, only to find either no water or highly contaminated water?

No matter what the size of the water and water bodies, right from a droplet to larger bodies, they all hold fascinating stories.

Over 72% of the earth’s surface is covered in water, but just 3% of it is fresh, the rest being too salty for drinking, growing crops, and most industrial uses except cooling.

Water is essential for life on this planet, but not every community has access to safe and clean water as we have seen in several cases across the world, not only in underdeveloped countries, but even in countries like America as seen in California and the Flint crisis.

In When the World Runs Dry, award-winning science writer Nancy Castaldo takes readers on a journey across the world from Flint, Michigan, and Newark, New Jersey, to Iran and Cape Town in South Africa, to explore the different ways in which water around the world is in danger and why we must act now to salvage the situation make a difference.

EVERYBODY LOVES A GOOD DROUGHT: STORIES FROM INDIA’S POOREST DISTRICTS – P. SAINATH

P.Sainat’s – Everybody Loves a Good Drought provides an intimate view of the daily struggles of the poor and the often failed efforts made to uplift them. The book reveals how a large section of India continues to suffer in the name of development so that a small percentage may prosper. Besides exposing rampant misgovernance, the book is also a devastating comment on the media’s failure to speak for the voiceless.

The book is a compelling read, even 20 years after its publication and has been prescribed in over 100 universities and colleges, and included in part in The Century’s Greatest Reportage, alongside the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Studs Terkel and John Reed.

How To Read Water: Clues and Patterns from Puddles to the Sea – Tristan Gooley

Water is the earth’s most abundant resource and you see it everywhere. Right from rain filled puddles to ponds, streams, rivers and lakes, eventually ending into the mighty seas and oceans.

No matter what the size of the water and water bodies, right from a droplet to larger bodies, they all hold fascinating stories.

The author with his breath-taking observational skills, teaches you to read water patterns anywhere water gathers. He helps you understand your surroundings and interpret the messages water offers to aid in everything from navigation to weather forecasting.

Who would have thought water would be so fascinating? We guarantee you that you’ll never look at water the same way after reading this book!

Tristan Gooley is a New York Times bestselling author and is the only living person to have both flown and sailed solo across the Atlantic. In his two decades of pioneering outdoor experience, he has led expeditions across five continents, climbed mountains in three and has participated in research among tribal peoples in some of the remotest regions on Earth.

Outdoor Survival Skills – Larry Dean Olsen

If you’ve ever wondered what it would take to survive out in the wilderness, then this book is for you. Right from learning how to make cordage, to starting a fire from scratch, this book teaches you everything from how to make a bow, dig a solar still and have great fun while doing so.

This book not only discusses survival skills, but also presents the material in a manner that is conducive to practicality in the field. With several color photos for reference and an easy to use layout, this book is an absolute delight.

The author, Larry Dean Olsen has devoted a lifetime to learning and mastering outdoor survival skills. His concepts have been proven by the more than 10,000 students who have participated in his wilderness laboratories.

Grow Your Soil! Harness the Power of the Soil Food Web to Create Your Best Garden Ever – Diana Miessler

One of the biggest challenges of our times has been decreasing soil health. Increasing temperatures and decreasing ground cover have been leading to decreasing soil health which in turn affects the growth of plants and the ability of soil to hold water.

If you’ve ever tried growing your own flowers or veggies, you would have figured (through eventual trial and error) that the quality of what you grow is only as good as the soil you grow it in. Healthy soil is home to healthy microbes, teaming with life.

Diana Miessler’s Grow Your Soil! Harness the Power of the Soil Food Web to Create Your Best Garden Ever is a great way to understand how you can make easy to follow changes and see its impact on enriching soil in a space as small as your home garden.

The author shares the techniques such as cover crops, mulching and simple supercharged recipes for compost tea — that can transform any home garden.

Diana Miessler is a certified permaculture designer, a soil science enthusiast, and a gardener with more than 50 years of experience.

Mangoes, Mischief and Tales of Friendship: Stories from India – Chitra Soundar

Chitra Soundar’s Mangoes, Mischief and Tales of Friendship is inspired by traditional Indian folktales that are sure to delight you.

The book takes you on a rollercoaster ride as the two protagonists, Prince Veera and his best friend Suku are given the opportunity to preside over the court of King Bheema. They soon discover that being a just and wise ruler is no easy task as they are faced with numerous challenging situations from dealing with a greedy merchant who wants to charge people for enjoying the smells of his sweats to solving the mystery of the jewels that have turned into pickles.

Illustrated by Uma Krishnaswamy, the book contains eight original tales by Chitra Soundar who tasks Veera and Suku with outwitting the kingdom’s greediest and wiliest subjects. Find out if the two clever boys up to the challenge.

THE GREAT MANGO BOOK – ALLEN SUSSER

The Sanskrit word for mango is Amra, meaning ‘of the people’, hence the word Aam and the context to aam aadmi. If you thought that it was just Indians who loved mangoes, then you’re absolutely mistaken. With over 350 varieties of mangoes to choose from, we’re surely spoilt for choice.

While we may have our own biases towards our favourite mangoes, now would be a good time to also learn more about this much loved fruit from other regions in the world, many of which are now being cultivated across India too for exports.

Allen Susser’s The Great Mango Book features over 50 photographs, illustrating the many wonderful mangoes varieties. As one of America’s leading chefs and a pioneer of New World Cuisine, Allen’s book is a treasure trove of juice history and mouthwatering recipes ranging from cocktails and chutneys to the Mango Martini.

Try it out to give a new twist to your mango cravings this summer.

HOW NOT TO KILL YOUR HOUSEPLANTS: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO PLANT PARENTING – TRISHA BORA

Remember the first time you tried growing a plant? Did it survive? Likely not. Did that send you on a guilt trip and put you off trying to grow another one? Likely, yes!

We’ve all killed a house plant at some point in life. After overcoming the guilt, we’ve likely gotten into some sort of an introspection mode to analyze the reason why it died. Was it too much water or too little, too much sunlight or too little? Did I feed it the right nutrients or none at all? The answers to many such questions could set you on the path to grow plants that can thrive for years.

With ‘Every Creature Has a Story’, Janaki Lenin draws us towards the wonders of the natural world with her thought provoking and witty words. We promise that you’ll never look at nature in the same way again after reading this book.