Book picks similar to
First Across the Roof of the World by Graeme Dingle
4-star
india
indian-subcontinent
mountaineering
From Kargil to the Coup: Events that Shook Pakistan
Nasim Zehra - 2018
In her long-awaited study of Kargil, Nasim Zehra combines hitherto unknown information garnered from key players in the Pakistani military establishment involved in the planning of the incursion with a historically grounded and analytically nuanced analysis of the Indo-Pakistan conflict over Kashmir. She convincingly shows how the Kargil conflict accentuated Pakistan's relations with not only India and the United States of America but also brought to the fore age-old tensions between the civil and military arms of the state, resulting in the 1999 military coup. A gripping account of the Kargil war as it unfolded surreptitiously and then flagrantly, this study puts to rest myths about the relative strengths of the military decision-making process in Pakistan compared to its civilian counterpart, underscoring the imperative need to streamline both with a view to facilitating more cooperative relations between them, especially in the realm of strategic security. Well researched and persuasively argued, the book is mandatory reading for students of international relations and South Asia. (Professor Ayesha Jalal, Historian) Nasim Zehra s book is a remarkably honest, bold, diligent and well-researched account of the Kargil episode, a doomed initiative, conceived in shadows, without a thought-through institutional evaluation and based on a misreading of the international situation. The author combines a wealth of information and a good deal of fresh detail with scholarly insights and deep analysis. She has produced a comprehensive landmark case study- a must read- of great value to policy makers and scholars in Pakistan and to the wider readership interested in the history and political affairs of the country and the region. (Riaz M Khan, Senior Diplomat, former Foreign Secretary) The Kargil episode has remained an enigma both in Pakistan as well as India. Shrouded in secrecy, the deafening silence on this conflict has given rise to many conspiracies, rumours and ill-informed opinions on both sides of the divide, in India and Pakistan. In this book, the author has collated facts painstakingly and juxtaposed them into the regional environment. She establishes the context of this conflict in the light of the US-Afghan issues at the time, the international concerns in view of the potential of a Nuclear Conflict, the contradictions of the Lahore Declaration and the history of the Line of Control. An extremely well analysed study that will remain a reference point for any further study. (Lt General (retd) Tariq Khan, Pakistan Army Armoured Corps).
BILLOO AND KARATE KID ENG: BILLOO (1)
Pran Kumar Sharma - 2018
Thus he created a boy with a long hair covering his eyes and named him BILLOO. This lanky was liked by the readers so much that the editor of the magazine asked the cartoonist to increase the episodes from one page to two. Billoo is seen roaming the streets with his pet pup - Moti. When he is at home, he is stuck to the TV.Billoo and his gang which includes Gabdu, Jozi, Mono, Bishamber etc; are at loggerheads with Bajarangi, the wrestler and his aide Dhakkan. They are always in search of some excuse to showdown each other. Jozi is friendly to Billoo, but her dad Colonel Three - not - Three doesnot like the boy and always points his gun at him. Billoo and his friends are often seen playing cricket in lanes of the block, and their score is few smashed windows.
Three Women & A Murder
Chitrangada Mukherjee - 2020
Leaving behind three distressed women. The shocked mother, Sagota. The hapless wife, Kalpana. And the paranoid paramour, Shayantika.Sukanto wasn’t brutally murdered. On the contrary, he was found dead in his study, sleeping peacefully. His autopsy report too indicated organ failure. And, Sukanto left an intriguing letter under his favourite crystal jug, which reads like a suicide note.Baffled and clueless the about-to-retire Superintendent of Police, Mr Roy after spending months on the investigation reluctantly closes the case in absence of evidence. Even though his colleague Inspector Malakar is unconvinced.This is when the three women narrate their stories of loving, hating and wanting Sukanto.Only one of them is a killer.But the question is who and why?
Tangled: What Would You Do For Love: A Standalone
Kaylyn - 2021
The Sweetest Taste of Cyn
Kimberly Brown - 2021
Together they have two beautiful children and live quite a comfortable lifestyle. While Drew has always felt like she was it for him, Cyn has not and seemingly will not fully commit to him. Time after time, she has rejected his attempts to be a family. Ever persistent, Drew continues to be the man he has always been in hopes that one day Cyn will finally accept him whole-heartedly.Harboring years of pain from the abrupt departure of her estranged father, the only thing she has committed to was guarding her heart from the only other man she has ever really loved. Cyn is terrified of suffering the same fate as her mother, being heartbroken, left alone, and struggling to raise her children by herself. When a car accident lands her father right at the hospital where she works as a trauma nurse, Cyn must come face to face with the very source of her pain.In confronting her father, will she finally be able to let go of her hurt and allow herself to fully love Drew, or will her past hurt continue to be the deciding factor in their ongoing relationship?
Stonedogs
Craig Marriner - 2002
A novel, which won the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, to make you cringe and shudder, then wet yourself laughing. Its raw and scathing prose breaks new ground against the backdrop of a world-view as chilling as the nightly news. In between drug deals and binge-drinking, reckless driving and street fights, the delinquents of the Brotherhood wage the holiest of wars. Yes, they will derail the Juggernaut before it can suicide … or have a ball trying at least. But when one of them falls prey to Roto-Vegas gang members, the cultural terrorists mobilise in earnest. Revenge takes them on a road-trip - a coming of age from hell. It is a journey to the corners of a collective psyche peopled by nightmares as real as the headlines of today, a New Zealand the tourists and executives had better pray they never stumble upon. Alone and gut-shot, the Juggernaut closing in, the Brotherhood will rally for an audacious final stand, a last ditch fight for their minds and their lives … and perhaps for the future of us all.
Crystal Horizon: Everest: The First Solo Ascent
Reinhold Messner - 1989
His vivid account of this extraordinary achievement forms the core of "The Crystal Horizon." Messner describes with passion his journey through Tibet, a mysterious country of snow peaks, ruined monasteries, and yak caravans. He identifies with the legendary mountaineers who have gone before him: Mallory, Irvine, and Wilson come to life as he makes his ascent to the "root of the world."In the glittering light and oxygen--starved air, facing the exhaustion, exhileration, danger, and despair of climbing Messner reflects on "why" a Himalayan mountaineer is driven to great risks. Diary entires by traveling comanion Nena Holguin further reveal Messner'slife and motivations. Stunning photos of the trek across Tibet and climb of Mount Everest bring this fascinating account alive.
Lucky Break
Mark Stone - 2019
He's even more happy when that ticket wins the lottery and he can take himself and his Army bud Davey down to Florida so they can live the good life in the paradise that is the Gulf Coast. Drinks, girls, and good times take a backseat to trouble, though, when 'Lucky John' (as the papers dubbed him) finds himself entangled in a murder investigation that might send the luckiest man in the world down the river for a crime he didn't commit. Fans of Travis McGee, Wayne Stinnett, and Randy Wayne White will love Lucky John and his friends' misadventures in the Gulf Coast. Pick up a copy of this edge of your seat, fun-soaked adventure today!
Falling In Love...
Neeraj Mishra - 2016
She was traditional. He was happy go lucky. She was adorable next door girl. He instantly fell in love with her. She cocooned her feelings. He wanted her. She refused him. Who wins? Why she refused him? Will they meet? Will he be able to sweep her from her feet? Are love stories really for forever? Does love happen only once? How far can someone go to get his love? Come, be a part of this eternal saga, a journey. A journey of two souls falling for each other where you will find funny one liners, punches and oodles of romance. If you have ever fallen in love, it's your story, it's our story. Relive, cherish and be a part of those moments, once again! About the Author Neeraj Mishra is a 2004 batch Hotel Management graduate from Institute of Hotel Management, which is one of the pioneer institutes of India. He is a hotelier turned banker turned writer. "Falling In Love..." is his debut novel and he hopes to write many more. He believes in the philosophy of- "When your passion turns into profession, your work becomes worship." He is currently working in Banking Industry. When he is not sanctioning loans or writing, he picks up his Royal Enfield and goes on long rides. He is a writer who cooks well. He enjoys travelling and is a complete foodie.You can connect him via: E-Mail: authorneerajmishra@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorNeeraj Twitter: @neeraaj85 Instagram: @neerajmishra85
The Earl and Mrs. Dalloway
Charlotte Darcy - 2017
Was she right or have they only just started? Find out in this sweet and clean Regency romance for FREE on KU. Ruined by a Duke and thrown from her home Josephine knows she has nowhere to go and nothing left to live for. When she wakes on the bank of the river she is about to start on a new life and a new adventure but where will it all lead? Austin Dalloway The Earl of Pennington is quite unable to settle back into society following his years at war. A face chases him through his dreams, one that he cannot see, one that he does not dare. When he finds a body on the river bank he fears the worst only she is alive. Now he knows he must help her and so he sneaks her back to his home but how long can he hide her and what must happen next? Josephine is afraid of her parents and of the wrath that they will bring down on her for the shame she has caused. Only it was no fault of her own. Pushed by her father towards an immoral man who took advantage she now believes her life is over. Austin will not hear of it and sneaks her away to a quiet town while he tries to decide what he must do. As the days turn to weeks Josephine falls for the damaged Earl and wishes to help him but what can she do? Soon he must leave her to her own devices and she fears it will be the poorhouse for her and her unborn child. When the dastardly duke turns up in her life will he claim her as his own or can she find a way to true happiness? Find out in The Earl and Mrs. Dalloway a sweet and wholesome regency romance
The Kaunteyas
Madhavi S. Mahadevan - 2016
At fourteen she is pressed into the service of the temperamental sage Durvasa who grants her a boon. Its first use, however, only brings her adversity and a shameful secret. With marriage to Pandu, Kunti dreams of a better future, but a curse makes him leave the throne of Hastinapur to his sibling, the blind Dhritarashtra, and retreat to the forest. The births of the five Pandavas rekindle Kunti’s hopes of returning to Hastinapur, but these are destroyed once again when Pandu dies suddenly. Kunti journeys to the kingdom, no longer its queen but a widow, a dependant as are her sons. She must now take up the task of guiding them through the long struggle to get their inheritance, a struggle made harder by the discovery that the illegitimate child she had abandoned long ago is alive and a sworn enemy of the Pandavas. Recasting the Mahabharata from the viewpoint of Kunti, The Kaunteyas replaces the idealized mother figure with a fully three-dimensional woman, providing new insights into the epic.
Cracking India
Bapsi Sidhwa - 1988
Young Lenny Sethi is kept out of school because she suffers from polio. She spends her days with Ayah, her beautiful nanny, visiting with the large group of admirers that Ayah draws. It is in the company of these working class characters that Lenny learns about religious differences, religious intolerance, and the blossoming genocidal strife on the eve of Partition. As she matures, Lenny begins to identify the differences between the Hindus, Moslems, and Sikhs engaging in political arguments all around her. Lenny enjoys a happy, privileged life in Lahore, but the kidnapping of her beloved Ayah signals a dramatic change. Soon Lenny’s world erupts in religious, ethnic, and racial violence. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, the domestic drama serves as a microcosm for a profound political upheaval.
The Hill Station
J.G. Farrell - 1981
For Emily, romance is in the air. For the mysterious Mrs Forester, there is scandal brewing. And for the Bishop of Simla, rainclouds are not the only storms on the horizon...The Hill Station is the novel on which J.G. Farrell was working at the time of his tragically early accidental death. It demonstrates powerfully what a great loss to world literature this was.
The Forest of Stories
Ashok K. Banker - 2011
Here, at the ashram of Kulapati Shaunaka, a dustry traveller arrives with sad tidings: Maharishi Krishna Dweipayana Vyasa has passed on. Yet the great collator of the Vedas has left behind a fabulous legacy, the epic narrative poem called Maha Bharata. At the urging of the ashramites, the traveller Suta begins to recite the great composition, starting with the incredible creation myths and tales of god and giants, snake-mothers and gargantuan eagles. And as the night wears on and the tale grows darker, he senses the presence of countless ghostly beings in the shadows beyond the flickering oil-lamps, the restless souls of the many millions butchered in the climactic war that ended the great tale itself, gathering now to hear the epic saga that led eventually to their destruction and the decimation of the Kuru Bharata race.
NEVEREST New Insights: Inside Scott Fischer's Mountain Madness Expedition (Mountain Mania Book 1)
Nick van der Leek - 2015
His distillation was described at the time by THE CLIMB co-author, Weston DeWalt, as ‘the clearest exposition of the 1996 disaster I have ever seen’. Now, nine years later, having honed his penmanship within the rigors and deceits of the True Crime genre, Nick van der Leek is taking on the Everest narrative once more but with a fresh approach. Compared to his 2006 article, NEVEREST is a much larger and deeper analysis of the events leading up to ‘the deadliest day on Mount Everest [May 10]. Van der Leek makes no bones about the purpose of this narrative: “We’ll be treating the 1996 disaster as a criminal investigation; and the mountain itself as a crime scene.” From this unique and fascinating vantage point the reader is dragged back into a deadly ‘storm over Everest’, one that brings readers and amateur climbers face to face with something more terrifying than the mountain itself. What are the motives of the men climbing the world’s tallest mountain? What Van der Leek manages to achieve in NEVEREST is to show the naked ambition and base morality of many of the men and women who returned from the dismal heights to a hero’s welcome. What if some of them weren’t heroes? Using the psychology ‘it takes a thief to catch a thief’ professional photojournalist and one time climber of Kilimanjaro, Nick van der Leek demystifies the heroism of climbing. “The question is whether climbing a real mountain is an authentic process towards growing ones symbolic self, and the question is whether climbing the world’s highest mountain means accessing the highest parts of the self.” Would we climb that mountain if there were no picture taken at the top? Would we still push for the summit if it meant coming back and not telling a soul? By following the narrative of the MOUNTAIN MADNESS team, Van der Leek investigates and cross references what Scott Fischer’s mostly American crew and clients did right as opposed to their rivals on Everest: Adventure Consultants [five members of Hall’s team died on the mountain including Rob Hall]. As Van der Leek pursues an explanation to account for this incongruity he finds and then mines the golden thread buried within the great mountain. Were the teams locked in a deadly rivalry, or did they just run out of oxygen and time? Was it the weather or human error or the result of something else? What role did hubris play in Everest’s deadliest day, and what role does it play in your life?