E-Paper
HT Picks; New Reads
This week’s pick of interesting reads includes a murder mystery that features the death of a fiery school teacher, and a book that reveals the astonishing science woven into ordinary things
Drama and discord
A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing . . .
Mystery novelist Radhi Zaveri has a new job, teaching spoiled kids at Mumbai’s prestigious North Star High School. When fiery teacher Ms Venus is found slumped across her desk, the school insist she died of natural causes. But Radhi is not convinced. The Ms Venus she knew was in rude health, stirring up drama and discord at every turn.
What if someone – a disgruntled parent, a disgraced ‘D’ student – decided to silence her acid tongue for good? The last person to clash with Ms Venus is mysteriously missing. Can Radhi piece it all together – before the killer’s ruthless red pen strikes again?*
Looking closely
In Extra-Ordinary, Aparna Agarwal takes us on a journey through the everyday universe – apples on the kitchen counter, the colour blue in the sky, a flower on a windowsill, even the insistent tug of her dog Oreo’s leash – and reveals the astonishing science woven into each one of them.
With the curiosity of a researcher, the eye of an artist and the humour of someone who has learned to see wonder in the mundane, Agarwal unpacks how apples are cloned, why blue is the rarest colour in nature and why dogs and humans never quite look at the same world.
Vivid, brilliantly written and full of the unexpected, Extra-Ordinary is a joyful reminder that you don’t need a laboratory – or even to leave your neighbourhood – to encounter the astonishing. All you need to do is look closely.*
*All copy from book flap.
