But that is not all! This time, Suppandi also takes you with him on an adventurous Mexican holiday, a thrilling encounter with a witch, a disastrous visit to his grandmother, and more! Plus, revisit several (mis)adventures from his childhood, including one where he and Maddy meet for the very first time. Joining Suppandi in this Collection are guest appearances from the awesome foursome sisters Ina Mina Mynah Mo, and everyone’s favourite fangless vampire Billy Drain. So brace yourself because this Collection of stories is about to make your tummy hurt... with laughter! Suppandi is back and he is funnier than ever! Tinkle’s most beloved Toon has once again been rolling through all sorts of odd jobs in libraries and cafes to police stations and senior citizen centers. But that is not all! This time, Suppandi also takes you with him on an adventurous Mexican holiday, a thrilling encounter with a witch, a disastrous visit to his grandmother, and more! Plus, revisit several (mis)adventures from his childhood, including one where he and Maddy meet for the very first time. Joining Suppandi in this Collection are guest appearances from the awesome foursome sisters Ina Mina Mynah Mo, and everyone’s favourite fangless vampire Billy Drain. So brace yourself because this Collection of stories is about to make your tummy hurt... with laughter! Suppandi is back and he is funnier than ever! Tinkle’s most beloved Toon has once again been rolling through all sorts of odd jobs in libraries and cafes to police stations and senior citizen centers. But that is not all! This time, Suppandi also takes you with him on an adventurous Mexican holiday, a thrilling encounter with a witch, a disastrous visit to his grandmother, and more! Plus, revisit several (mis)adventures from his childhood, including one where he and Maddy meet for the very first time. Joining Suppandi in this Collection are guest appearances from the awesome foursome sisters Ina Mina Mynah Mo, and everyone’s favourite fangless vampire Billy Drain. So brace yourself because this Collection of stories is about to make your tummy hurt... with laughter!

    His mama was a rolling stone, and his pops was a player. He thought he’d be doomed just like them until he laid eyes on Zahara. It wasn’t love at first sight, but it was love after the first in-depth conversation and love at first touch. After one night together they were locked up. (FULL STANDALONE NOVEL)

    

     Timid and shy, Deliah Mason thinks she’s ready to tackle the life of a Mail Order Bride. She’s read about the West in dime store novels, but no novel prepared her for stepping off the stagecoach and into a group of roughhousing cowboys. When one grabs her from the road and sweeps her onto his horse, she’s terrified. And when she finds that he is her husband-to-be, she’s ready to turn around and high-tail it home. Since the death of both his parents, Kyle Conover has been living alone in his fine ranch house, and now he’s ready to bring a wife into his life. But Kyle did not expect this shy, but beautiful woman. In fact, he’s had to practically hog-tie her just to get her to come see his home. He knows his life is rugged, and his manners not the best—can he really hope to make this lovely woman happy? But Kyle and Deliah can’t deny their attraction to each other, so they set a bargain. Two weeks, and if one decides the marriage won’t work out, then the engagement is over. Can this wild cowboy and timid filly find their way to lasting love? Find out in this fifth book in the popular Benson Creek Mail Order Bride series.

    The heady mix of human depravity, humour, satire, tragedy, revenge and drama makes these stories an essential cocktail of emotions.Review:“Breezy, Flippant, Poignant... Tales of pleasurable wickedness.”-Salil Desai, author of Inspector Saralkar Mystery Series“Although not all sugar and sunshine, Dalvi's voice is an important one, because he chooses to tell stories that others would normally shy away from. There's a serene resignation in his tales, one that is completely devoid of both hope as well as regret. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories.”-Bhaskar Chattopadhyay, author of Patang, Penumbra, Here Falls the Shadow, The Disappearance of Sally Sequeira and Best Served Cold“Gripping short-stories by Rafaa Dalvi. I am both intrigued and scared by his plot-twists. Thrilled to have read this book.”-Sanhita Baruah, author of The Art of Letting Go and The Art of Healing“Some of the best stories I have read so far. Rafaa has a gift of telling complex stories in a very intuitive and straightforward and are easy to read. This book is the best thing that has come out during these current circumstances.”-S. G. Kabe, author of Everything is Normal“Rafaa Dalvi is a flash fiction expert.”-T.F. Carthick, author of Carthick’s Unfairy Tales and More Unfairy Tales“Taut, propulsive and riveting, Rafaa’s mesmerising stories pack a big punch. Chasing Nirvana has been carefully crafted for maximum impact. A highly compelling read.”-Vivek Banerjee, author of ‘The Long Road’ and ‘The Other Side’

    

    

    So, when the mysterious Sheetal enters his life, applying for the job of looking after Ayush, he is thrilled. All Sheetal has ever wanted, even as a child, is to be a mother. Circumstances mean that she might never be one. The almost instant bond between her and the young boy is balm to her soul and like a godsend to Abhay. Still, something about Sheetal nags at him. She seems perfect, but why is she so reluctant to show him her identity card? What is she hiding? What happens when Abhay finally discovers her secret? Does he stand by her side, or abandon her, as everyone before him has done? And what is the gift that she gives him, a gift that will change his life? In An Unexpected Gift, bestselling writer Ajay K Pandey brings to us an emotionally resonant story that questions everything we believe about friendship, love and motherhood.

    Since 9/11, terrorists in Pakistan have killed over 40,000—and counting. Often risking his life, Qasim Rashid journeys into the heart of that terrorism to unearth the untold story of those silenced by Taliban suicide bombings, secret police torture, and state sponsored religious persecution. Rashid exposes the horrifying truth about growing radicalism in Pakistan and its impact on Western security. But most importantly, Rashid uncovers the inspiring untold story of millions fighting back—and winning.

    Calling on a line or phrase from fellow poets, Ali salutes those known and loved—W. S. Merwin, Mark Strand, James Tate, and more—while in other searingly honest verse he courageously faces his own mortality.

    It was the perfect place for young nonconformists to drop out, hang loose, and channel their energy into climbing the valley's largely untouched walls and cracks. Many of these "misfits" were the finest rock climbers in the world. Some even shaped the future of the sport. And by the end of the decade, climbers from around the globe were coming to Camp 4 - gathering spot for the creators of the "Golden Age" of Yosemite climbing - to see what all the fuss was about. Climber and author Steve Roper spent most of ten years living in Yosemite Valley with its intriguing inhabitants. Camp 4 is his take on the era's top climbers and the (sometimes whimsical) influences behind their achievements.

    These two names have been inextricably joined since the two climbers disappeared on Mount Everest more than 75 years ago. Could they have been the first to reach the summit of the world's highest mountains-some 30 years earlier than Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay? Mallory's story has been well chronicled, but Irvine has always been overshadowed by his more famous climbing partner and little has been written about him. Who was he? Why was he invited by the British Everest Committee to join the 1924 expedition despite his limited mountaineering experience? And why did Mallory, 16 years his senior, select Irvine as his partner for the final assault on the summit? Julie Summers, great niece of Sandy Irvine, has been fascinated since childhood by the story of Uncle Sandy. In May 2000, Julie made an astonishing discovery: a long forgotten and unopened trunk containing Irvine's letters and photographs from Everest. Drawing on these and other material, Julie writes a revealing story of a fearless young adventurer whose life and death linked him with one of the greatest mountaineering legends of all time.

     The Soul of the Rhino is the spirited yet humble account of Mishra’s unique personal journey. Fresh out of university in the 1970s, Mishra embarks on his conservation work with the help of an ornery but steadfast elephant driver, the Nepalese royal family, and handfuls of  like-minded scientists whose aim is to protect the animal in the foothills of the Himalayas. Yet, in spite of decades spent creating nature reserves and moving rhinos to protected areas, arm-wrestling politicians, and raising awareness for the cause, Mishra is still fearful about the future of the Indian Rhino. To this day, Nepal is overrun by armed insurgents, political violence, and poachers who could kill off this magnificent creature for good.   Filled with candor and bittersweet humor, Mishra re-creates his journey on behalf of the rhino, an ugly yet enchanting, terrifying yet delicate creature. The first book of its kind to delve into the multi-layered political labyrinths of South Asian wildlife conservation, and one man’s endurance in the face of it all, The Soul of the Rhino is sure to win over yourheart and soul.

    Their goal was to reach the summit via the infamous West Ridge, to climb it without the aid of supplementary oxygen and to do it in winter, at the time of year when the Himalayan climate is at its worst. On 30 January 1981 Joe Tasker and Ade Burgess stood on the crest of the West Ridge of the mountain, at a height of 24,000 feet. Below them were their companions, some exhausted, some crippled by illness, all virtually incapacitated. Further progress was impossible. The expedition retreated. Everest the Cruel Way is Joe TaskerOCOs story of this attempt to climb the highest mountain on earth ? a climb which proved too much for even a group of BritainOCOs finest mountaineers. First published in 1981, and available now for the first time as an ebook, TaskerOCOs epic account of the Everest West Ridge expedition vividly describes experiences which no climber had previously encountered or endured ? and in doing so Tasker weaves a gripping narrative, not only of one manOCOs quest to climb Everest but of the whole challenge of what motivates men and women to search for conquests hitherto unachieved. Joe Tasker was one of BritainOCOs best mountaineers. He was a pioneer of lightweight, Alpine-style climbing in the Greater Ranges and had a special talent for writing. He died, along with his friend Peter Boardman, high on Everest in 1982 while attempting a new and unclimbed line. Both men were superb mountaineers and talented writers. The literary legacy of Tasker and Boardman lives on through the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature, established by family and friends in 1983 and presented annually to the author or co-authors of an original work which has made an outstanding contribution to mountain literature. For more information about the Boardman Tasker Prize, visit: www.boardmantasker.com"

    There would be no funeral. He had donated his body to the local medical college. It was part of his script, his fantasy about death. He would show his hospital donation certificate to anyone who came to our house. No rituals for me, he would announce. To his mind there was some justice in being cut up by medical students. He had wanted to be a doctor. There is his corpse, lying on the floor, people constantly milling around, talking about his untimely, unfortunate death, while I stare at everyone in dry-eyed annoyance. He had always been a popular man, much loved, generous to a fault to his neighbours, even if angry towards his own family. I just want him gone from the house. When the van from the morgue comes to pick him up, everyone urges us to touch his feet, to ask for his blessings. It is expected from children of dead parents. Everyone watches us. You first, an old man points to me, my father s first-born. I bend down, my fingers touch his feet. In my mind the words form, loud and distinct I forgive you.