Lost to the World
Author: Shahbaz Taseer
Publisher: Viking
Tough times never last, but tough men do. In this remarkable memoir, Pakistani author Shahbaz Taseer tells us about his five years in captivity and incredible escape from the clutches of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a Taliban-affiliated Uzbek terrorist group. On a rainy day in August 2011, Shahbaz Taseer was driving to his office in Lahore, when suddenly a group of terrorists dragged him out of his car at gunpoint and kidnapped him. They took him to the Hindu Kush region and tortured him daily. Seven months prior to Shahbaz’s kidnapping, his father Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab Province was shot by his guard for speaking out against Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. The author talks about the dark times in captivity and the highs and lows of his family.
Open Throat
Author: Henry Hoke,
Publisher: Picador
If you are a voracious reader and have an insatiable appetite for good fiction, then this unputdownable slim book should be on your bookshelf. Applauded author Henry Hoke’s Open Throat is a mouthful of myth, complex identities, vulnerability, human values, a mountain lion (cougar), and the society we all live in. The narrator of the story is an adorable hungry queer lion who lives under the HOLLYWOOD sign in Los Angeles. All hell breaks loose when one day a man-made fire engulfs the hills and the cougar is forced to clamber down to safer “ellay”. For the uninitiated, LA is the neighbourhood of the rich and famous. A place where the Who’s Who of Hollywood rub shoulders and break bread over champagne and caviar. The ravenous lion takes us on a tour and shows us the cruel inequalities of LA, the exploration of “otherness” and the joys of “humanness”.
The Devil’s Playground
Author: Craig Russell
Photo: Doubleday
It’s no secret that Hollywood is an industry built on the sweat, determination, and creativity of some true geniuses, who had their own share of tragedies and dark secrets. Celebrated author Craig Russell’s The Devil’s Playground transports you to the 1920s and then back to the swinging 60s of Hollywood. Paul Conway, a scribe cum film buff is on a trail of the sole copy of the terrifying film The Devil’s Playground. He knows about this 1920s spine-chilling film and the curse it brought about on its entire cast and crew. Circa 1927. Hollywood studio fixer Mary Rourke goes to superstar Norma Carlton’s palatial house for some work, only to find Norma lying dead. The author weaves in Hollywood secrets and sinister plans to take the readers on a tour de force in Devil’s Playground. There is a lot of darkness and half-truths behind the razzle-dazzle of the entertainment industry.
How to Dad
Author: T.M. Detwiler
Publisher: Media Lab Books
If you are thinking of an apt gift for a to-be father or a friend who has just become a dad, then think no further. How to Dad by renowned illustrator-cum-author T.M. Detwiler is the ultimate guide to fatherhood. The book is a visual treat for dads written by a dad. With his characteristic wittiness, Detwiler weaves in life scenarios to explain the finer nuances of fatherhood. Simply put, how to be a patient and endearing father. Right from pregnancy to delivery of the newborn, baby care, how to make your home children-friendly, and changing diapers, singing a lullaby, this book touches on all the aspects of fatherhood. The author shares tonnes of helpful tips, facts, and simple instructions. The language is simple and the book is sprinkled with interesting anecdotes and wry humour. By the time you turn over the last page of How to Dad, you will be a pro like the author.
Who Killed Moosewala?
Author: Jupinderjit Singh
Publisher: Westland
Hip-hop music fans do not need any introduction to Sidhu Moosewala, a Punjabi hip-hop artiste who was gunned down by gangsters on 29 May 2022 in broad daylight. In this latest book, investigative journalist turned-author Jupinderjit Singh dives straight into the events that led to the killing of Moosewala and the subsequent investigation by the Punjab police. Moosewala was a controversial figure, who had faced legal wrath for supporting gun culture and his hard-hitting lyrics. Was Moosewala, a product of the volatile history of the region or some enigmatic figure who tried to change the course of history? Through meticulous research, interviews, and interesting anecdotes, Singh brings to life, Moosewala, the village of Moosa in Mansa district, and the socio-cultural fabric of the region in this riveting book.
