Book picks similar to
Monkey Trouble and Other Grandfather Stories by Ruskin Bond
ruskin-bond
fiction
humour
indian-writers
The Penguin Book of Brexit Cartoons
Penguin - 2018
This generous selection of pocket cartoons captures the sheer bewilderment and exasperation which have bedevilled us all since the referendum. Some of the cartoons favour one side or the other, but most celebrate (or at least commemorate) a period of unique bafflement. With the emphasis much more on ordinary people than on the politicians, The Penguin Book of Brexit Cartoons will bring together at Christmas-time even the most riven families.
Ammi: Letter to a Democratic Mother
Saeed Akhtar Mirza - 2008
Combative and lyrical, moving and relentlessly inquiring, "Ammi" offers a way of seeing our history and our future that is impossible to ignore.
The Rabbit and the Squirrel: A Love Story about Friendship
Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi - 2018
Illustrated by Stina Wirsén, this poignant and moving fable for all ages was originally conceived by the author as a private gift of love for a beloved friend. Featuring a bisexual bunny and an heiress squirrel, by turns witty and absurd, endearing and brave, this little book harbours a fine ache that lends it a timeless quality.
Collector Bro: The Quixotic 'Thallals' of a Civil Servant
Prasanth Nair - 2021
An untold one that played out in the district of Kozhikode when a young IAS officer took charge as the District Collector in 2015. Over the next two years, he led the district and transformed the very concept of public administration with the use of social media, public consultation, usage of technology, volunteerism and public participation in governance. The two year tenure of 'Collector Bro' in Kozhikode transformed the landscape and narrative of district administration and communication with the citizens forever.Within a couple of months, 'Collector Kozhikode' Facebook page became a trendsetter in Kerala, and the most followed district administration page in India. It still is. With initiatives like Compassionate Kozhikode, Operation Sulaimani, Savari Giri Giri, Kozhipedia, Freedom Café, Yo Appooppa and Tere Mere Beach Mein, IAS officer Prasanth Nair, who was the District Collector of Kozhikode at that time, ushered in a new language of governance that endeavoured to bridge the gap between the district administration and citizens through the optimal employment of social media. The District Collector descended from the colonial ivory towers and mingled as one amongst the common man, totally dismantling the hierarchical stereotypes that the society was used to.This book traces the story of how exactly this happened and how and why the public responded so overwhelmingly to such an initiative. It also chronicles how these experiences transformed the young officer also - from a hesitant public speaker to a crowd-puller, from an introvert to a seemingly extrovert energetic leader. For the first time, the emotional roller-coaster of events that re-shaped the attitude and language of engagement by District administration is narrated with all the inside-stories. Straight from the horse's mouth. The author however takes pains not to take centre-stage in the book and manages that somewhat with wit and self-deprecating humour. This book has got nothing to do with government; but it is all about governance, life and compassion. At one level it is a collection of case-studies, the most readable and engrossing ones, narrated with fun and illustrations. At another level it is a chronicle of a personal journey of a compassionate administrator. This is not a typical arrogant bureaucratic ‘I did this’ book, but an ‘I went through this’ book. Not a high-horsed motivational ‘you can do it’ book, but a book that makes you think and prioritise what you want to do in life.As Dr. Shashi Tharoor says in the foreword, a must read for all civil servants, civil-service aspirants, students of public administration and all citizens who dream for a better tomorrow.
The Harappa Files
Sarnath Banerjee - 2011
Changes of such enormity that they would be barely comprehensible to civil society. And now, the decade-long findings are finally going to be made public by one Sri Sarnath Banerjee, who has created the Harappa Files, a series of graphic commentaries that analyse the cracks in postliberalized India. Although impressed by the far-sightedness of the government in setting up the GHRRRC, Banerjee has one niggling concern: he is worried that the consequence of his project will be the release of the dreaded Harappa recommendations, making it mandatory for all citizens to sign the draconian, ultrainvasive Form 28B, giving the government the power to decide the fate of every single citizen.
Tales of Ethshar
Lawrence Watt-Evans - 2012
“Ethshar” is the invented world that has been the setting for almost a dozen novels from the pen of Lawrence Watt-Evans. Its inhabitants don’t call it that; they call it “the World.” For readers, though, that’s not specific enough. The dominant nation on the World is the Hegemony of the Three Ethshars, while the largest, richest city, where most of the stories are set, is Ethshar of the Spices, so “Ethshar” is close enough. The name itself comes from words meaning “safe harbor.” You don’t need to have read any of the novels to enjoy the stories herein; each one should stand alone. And if you've read the novels, you will enjoy this return to the world of Ethshar with 11 stories... This is the first time they have all been collected in one book!
Expecting Jeeves
P.G. Wodehouse - 2016
Originally published in The Strand magazine from 1918 to 1922 and later collected as The Inimitable Jeeves, these ten tales by comedic master P. G. Wodehouse abound in sparkling wit. "Scoring off Jeeves" recounts a lunch with Aunt Agatha ("A pretty frightful ordeal … Practically the nearest thing to being disemboweled."), who insists that Bertie propose to Honaria Glossop ("simply nothing more nor less than a pot of poison"), necessitating Jeeves' rescue of the perennial bachelor ("and according to my nearest and dearest, practically a half-witted bachelor at that"). Other stories include "The Delayed Exit of Claude and Eustace," featuring Bertie's frolicsome cousins ("as innocuous as a pair of sprightly young tarantulas"); "Aunt Agatha Takes the Count," involving our hero's formidable relative and her intrusion upon his vacation in the south of France; and "Comrade Bingo," in which Bertie's school chum masquerades as a Bolshevist and Jeeves comes very near to being rattled.
100+ Halloween Jokes for Kids: Funny Halloween Joke Book for Children (Funny Halloween Joke Book for Kids-Children)
Johnny B. Laughing - 2014
Laughing and jokes have been proven to have positive mental and physical effects on the body!This books is especially great for long trips, waiting rooms, and reading aloud at home.- 100+ funny Halloween jokes- Excellent for early and beginner readers- Hours of fun and entertainment for kids and children- Great for long trips, waiting rooms, and reading aloud
5 Minute Bedtime Stories for Children Vol.2 (Classic Fairy Tales & Bedtime Stories Collections for kids ages 6-12)
Beatrice Wood - 2015
Favorite Classic Fairy Tales Retold in Simple Language! Having raised three children and spent countless evenings and weekends with her 5 grandchildren and their neighboring little friends, Beatrice Wood knows exactly what it means to be a busy parent. She advises parents that no matter how busy they are at work or at home, they ought to spend a little quality time with their children every day. Reading a story to them for 5 or 10 minutes is a wonderful way to do this. In this Book Series you will find her personal collection of 32 famous fairy tales and stories from around the world, voted by her children and grandchildren to be the family’s most favorite. Fairy tales from the greatest storytellers that have ever been as well as folk tales and lesser-known stories from unknown authors. These family favorites were shortened and re-written in a simple language that kids will understand. Moreover, all 4 books of the collection have illustrations to keep children's attention. 4 Good Reasons to Buy this Book! This book contains some of the most favorite classic fairy tales which are:
Shortened to 5-7 minutes in length, for the busy mom or dad’s convenience.
Formatted for ease of use on your Kindle.
Appropriate for ages from 6 to 12 and also very pleasantly readable for grownups!
Rewritten in a simple and attractive style, but still containing words that will encourage your children’s vocabulary development.
Contents: THE FISH AND THE RING RIQUET WITH THE TUFT (THE UGLY PRINCE) RUMPELSTILZCHEN THE BREMEN TOWN MUSICIANS THE FROG PRINCE THE ROSE TREE THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA THE GYPSY QUEEN Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ with illustrations! Buy Now with 1-Click! More Books in the Fairy Tales Collections 5 MINUTE BEDTIME STORIES FOR CHILDREN VOL.1 --> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W22Q7WO Contents: HOW THE OLD WOMAN GOT HER WISH THREE SILLIES THE MILLER, HIS SON AND THEIR DONKEY ARMADILLO’S SONG JACK HANNAFORD TIKKI TIKKI TEMBO LAZY JACK THE STORY WITHOUT AN END THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES WHAT WE PLANT, WE WILL EAT Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ <
Magic Square
Salini Vineeth - 2020
scholar, practically living in her research lab, leading an uneventful life. Amudha’s life takes an adventurous turn, when she finds a puzzle in an old Mathematics book. Surprisingly, the puzzle has nothing to do with Mathematics. Amudha embarks on a journey to solve the enigma. Every twist and turn in her journey is filled with suspense and surprises. The journey challenges and threatens Amudha. Whenever Amudha solves a part of the puzzle, a new one presents itself. Will Amudha solve the puzzle? How far does the rabbit hole go? What awaits her at the end of it? Will Amudha be the same person if she comes out of it? Read on Magic Square for answers.
अपनी अपनी बीमारी
Harishankar Parsai - 2000
The stories are satires on Indian political and social climate of 1960s and 70s.
Siege Mentality
Christopher Brookmyre - 2017
Those trapped inside the castle are used to dealing with the volatile mix of light-fingered teens and obnoxious tourists; less so a truckload of explosives and a hidden agenda. For Catherine and her team, it's a recipe for a potentially deadly day off.
Tense, twisted and laugh-out-loud funny,
Siege Mentality
is a day-trip you won't forget.
For more from Catherine McLeod, read the Jasmine Sharp trilogy, beginning with
Where the Bodies are Buried
, a sample from which is included with this short story.
PATNA BLUES
Abdullah Khan - 2018
His once prosperous landowning family has slipped low down the class ladder. Arif ’s sole ambition in life is to crack the civil service examination and become an IAS officer. He believes this will restore the family’s fortunes and works hard at his studies. Until his first glimpse of Sumitra, a voluptuous long-haired beauty. Married, Hindu and several years older than him, she is wrong for him in every way. It is the beginning of an infatuation that will consume his life.‘Reading Patna Blues is like pedalling your way through a littleknown India. It is certain to fill you with inexplicably candid and absolutely stunning tales. Patna Blues marks an impressive debut and brings us an important voice.’ —Anees Salim‘I am familiar not only with the places where this novel is set, the cramped rooms, the names of shops, or the streets, but, it seems to me, even the people, their little joys, their struggles, their often irrational hopes and desires, their guilt, and their beauty. Part literary novel, part-pulp fiction, Patna Blues is a report from a rarely seen world in Indian writing in English, the contemporary lives of provincial Muslims.’ —Amitava Kumar
The Five Dollar Smile and Other Stories
Shashi Tharoor - 1993
In the title story—written in a lonely hotel room in Geneva soon after the author began his work with the United Nations—a young Indian orphan is on his way to visit America for the first time, and his anguish and longing in the airplane seem hardly different from those of any American child. Tharoor’s admiration for P. G. Wodehouse makes “How Bobby Chatterjee Turned to Drink” a delightful homage, while “The Temple Thief,” “The Simple Man,” and “The Political Murder” bring to mind O. Henry and Maupassant. His three college stories, “Friends,” “The Pyre,” and “The Professor’s Daughter,” are full of youthful high jinks, naïve infatuations, and ingenious wordplay. “The Solitude of the Short-Story Writer” is a smart, self-aware, Woody Allen-esque exploration of a writer’s conflicted relationship with his psychiatrist.
Take Us To Your Trump
Andrew Stanek - 2018
Okay yes, all that stuff too, but I'm not talking about that right now. The government has also been lying to us about space aliens. Aliens have landed on the National Mall and are asking to speak with the President of the United States. For the sake of the planet, diplomat Michael Wallenson is tasked with keeping them away from Donald Trump at all costs. Will Michael succeed? Or will these heavily armed, easily offended aliens succeed in reaching our leader? Building the border dome, coal-powered missiles, and the true identities of the men in black - all in Take Us To Your Trump, another hilarious satirical comedy from author Andrew Stanek.