HT Picks; New Reads

This week’s reading list includes a book of classic occult short stories translated from the original Bengali, another on embracing the Japanese idea of Wabi Sabi, and an actor’s evocative memoir of her childhood

The ghosts of ideas, feelings, memories

Occult short stories, embracing the Japanese idea of Wabi Sabi, and a memoir of a childhood in 1960s Amritsar - all that on this week’s list of interesting new reads. (HT Team)

232pp, ₹499; Speaking Tiger (The shiver of supernatural frisson)

The ghosts are everywhere.Most are ghosts of ideas, feelings, memories. These are our personal ghosts, and they follow us alone.But there are other ghosts, in which we share a common fear. Thickening shadows pooling at the corner of the room, unexplained breathing in the dark, the child who steps out of an old photo — the shiver of supernatural frisson, a thin crooked finger of ice tracing its way down your spine. This fear, and thrill, is rightfully the domain of the kind of ghost you will meet in this book.In Taranath Tantrik, Devalina Mookerjee translates nine stories of the uncanny and occult by legendary Bengali storyteller, Bibhutibhushan. Seven are short stories of séances, curses, return for revenge, and the desire for things that have no place in human lives. Two are about tantra, of necromancy, spiritual power, goddesses, and ghosts.The borders of reality are porous in this world.*

The wonder in the imperfect, unfinished and impermanent

160pp, ₹499; Tuttle (How to apply the concept of Wabi Sabi in the context of daily life)

Be the best imperfect person you can be! Wabi Sabi is the Japanese Zen philosophy that all things are imperfect, unfinished and impermanent. It is a fresh way of seeing and moving through the world when our lives, literally and figuratively, feel cluttered. This book shows us how to apply this concept in the context of daily life and offers ideas on how to see it, embrace it and incorporate it into everyday thoughts, objects and situations. In a simple and accessible style, Wabi Sabi: The Wisdom in Imperfection shows you how embracing imperfections and impermanence frees you to become a better person, by revaluating what “better” means ― what really matters and what you truly want. A few simple challenges and exercises encourage you to get creative ― such as a Wabi Sabi diary, a haiku exercise and a “make art” challenge ― plus some tips on minimizing and decluttering (mentally and physically) for a simpler life. It allows you to mindfully make space in your head, home and with your time.*

Stories of an unforgettable childhood

379pp, ₹999; Aleph (A memoir of growing up in Amritsar)

A Country Called Childhood is a beautifully told memoir of growing up in Amritsar in the tumultuous 1950s and 60s by award-winning actress Deepti Naval. In extremely visual and evocative prose, Naval describes an unforgettable childhood filled with love, adventure, mystery, tragedy, and joy. She uncovers, in great detail, life in an unconventional Punjabi family while plunging the reader into the distinctive sights, smells, and sounds of a fast-vanishing India. Starting at the moment of her birth on a rainy night, she tracks her journey to adulthood, a path punctuated by many personal turning points as also momentous events of national importance, such as the Sino-Indian War of 1962 and the Indo-Pak War of 1965.Moving and illuminating, A Country Called Childhood shows how Naval’s early love affair with cinema and the experiences of her childhood shaped her career as one of the country’s most admired actors.*

*All copy from book flap and promotional material.