Four books for a weekend read

New Delhi: Read a mysterious tale around a pregnant woman, who loses her husband and is herself vulnerable because of her association with the country's intelligence agencies; read another mysterious story that deals with the disappearance of a young girl, who is eventually found at her own house, raising questions about the absurd town she lives in; know how listening is a radical new way of engaging with clients and customers; and get a guide on the concepts of life, explained through experiences, practical examples and the most accepted scientific theories.

The Last Attractor Of Chaos

(Author: Abhinav Singh; Publisher: Notion Press; Pages: 323; Price: Rs 349)

Trying to protect his pregnant wife, scientist Ashwin Rathore gets killed. A deadly force lurks in somewhere that wants her too. But why? Is it because she works with the military and intelligence teams in the country, or is it because she knows something that no one else does?

The Disappearance Of Sally Sequeira

(Author: Bhaskar Chattopadhyay; Publisher: Hachette; Pages: 238; Price: Rs 350)

With its pristine beaches and clear turquoise waters, the picturesque hamlet of Movim in Goa seems like a perfect holiday spot for detective Janardan Maity and his friend Prakash Ray. But when the father of a local teenage girl receives a letter asking for a large sum of money in exchange for his daughter, Maity and Prakash find themselves in the thick of a mystery. They discover that the girl was not kidnapped.

As they begin to investigate, they encounter mysterious characters, who inhabit the tiny village, each hiding a secret of their own - not least the frail and shy Sally Sequeira, who keeps to herself but steps out at night to dance to the notes of a piano.

What truth does Movim hide? And how will Janardan Maity solve a crime that has not yet been committed?

Sponge Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Clients

(Author: Ambi Parameswaran; Publisher: Westland; Pages: 180; Price: Rs 350)

The author says that he has relied on one process of learning above all others - powerful conversations with clients and customers. A challenging customer, in his view, goes from being someone who poses an obstacle to quality work to someone with eye-opening ideas and concepts. Approached as an exercise in listening and learning, these conversations can become long-term lessons.

He has worked with some of the respected brands and names in the Indian corporate world, and each of those assignments were for him master-classes.

In this book, Ambi recounts conversations with some of the iconic business leaders -- Ratan Tata, Azim Premji, S. Ramadorai, Karsanbhai Patel, M. Damodaran, V. Kurien among others. He soaked up these conversations, in his own words, 'like a sponge'.

This book is an attempt to walk us through some of those dialogues, both the illuminating and the difficult aspects of them to help us understand how they were learning sessions. For anyone looking at turbo-charging their business and career, the ‘Sponge Process' that emphasises listening is a radical new way of engaging with clients and customers.

IS

(Author: Sandeep Amar; Publisher: Prabhat Prakashan; Pages: 94; Price: Rs 200)

This book is an investigation into core concepts of life. These concepts are explained through experiences, practical examples and the most accepted scientific theories. The most significant resolution offered by this book is for 'pain' and the elements of pain.

The book not only provides clarification of life concepts but also gives a practical direction for knowing one's life's objectives. The book covers concepts like awareness, god, experience, purpose, money and love in life.

It can be a good read for people looking to resolve life, or looking for conceptual clarity of life concepts and get a real direction in Life.