Wade through a journey from the dangerous heights of Mount Everest to the equally treacherous margins of Europe in the mid-20th century; read about ground-breaking new ideas; and navigate the maze of plot construction, narrative viewpoint, character development, dialogue creation and the like as a writer.The IANS bookshelf has some really interesting reads for the weekend ahead.
1. Book: Summit; Author: Henry Farthing; Publisher: Westland; Pages: 632; Price: Rs 350
In the autumn of 1938, Germany's Reichsfuhrer, Heinrich Himmler, grows frustrated at the British using their regional power in India to block passage of an SS expedition to Tibet. Determined to spite them, he plots to steal something the British hold dear and have failed for the seventh time that spring to achieve -- a first summit of Mount Everest.Seventy years later, seasoned mountain guide Neil Quinn's ninth visit to the top of the world's highest mountain in the charge of the 16-year-old son of a Long Island billionaire begins to unravel. As a desperate fight for their lives begins in the freezing air high above Tibet, Quinn stumbles across a clue to a story that questions everything he thinks he knows about the great mountain. When the bitter aftermath of Quinn's disastrous climb turns into violent tragedy in Kathmandu, his discovery pushes him into a relentless journey that takes him from the dangerous heights of Everest to the equally treacherous margins of a new Europe where history hungers to repeat itself. Amidst a rich and diverse cast of characters, each with their own reason to possess the mystery of his discovery, Quinn has to fight, increasingly desperately, for order and the truth.
2. Book: Ideas Are Your Only Currency; Author: Rod Judkins; Publisher: Sceptre; Pages: 260; Price: Rs 350
What skills and abilities will a student need to prosper in five, 10, or 20 years' time? In a world of change, where skills become out of date quickly, it is ideas that last.We all need to be prepared for a world that is fluid, global and interdisciplinary. Distinctions between specialties will blur and overlap. Change is happening at electrifying speed. In this vortex there are no maps.Featuring 100 interactive chapters to inspire ground-breaking new ideas, this is perfect for fans of Keri Smith's "Wreck this Journal", Paul Arden's "It's Not How Good You Are" and Rolf Dobelli's global bestseller "The Art of Thinking Clearly".
3. Book: Kissing The Demon; Author: Amrita Kumar; Publisher: Harper Collins; Pages: 247; Price: Rs 350
Do you have a great story to tell but don't know where to begin or how to give it shape? Whether you are an aspiring writer or a seasoned one, a writer of fiction or narrative non-fiction, "Kissing the Demon" will help you navigate the maze of plot construction, narrative viewpoint, character development, dialogue creation and description even while allowing your imagination to flow.Written by an editor and publisher who has, for over four decades, nurtured some of India's finest writers, it also tackles the insular world of publishers, agents, contracts and editors. It tells you how to find a publisher or agent, what gets a publisher's attention and what turns it off -- the stuff writers take years to learn.Finally, it offers solutions to the vexing issue of balancing everyday life with writing, a problem every author faces and the reason why so many books remain unwritten. George Orwell once described writing as a horrible, exhausting experience and that he wouldn't have written a single book were he not driven by some demon he could neither resist nor understand. "Kissing the Demon" will make your journey as a writer a little less painful and make you look upon that demon with a little more love.