Books of the week: From Ken Follett's The Evening and the Morning to Geraldine Forbes’ Lost Letters and Feminist History, our picks

We love stories, and even in the age of Netflix-and-chill, there’s nothing like a good book that promises a couple of hours of absorption — whether curled up in bed, in your favourite coffeehouse, or that long (and tiresome) commute to work. Every week, we’ll have a succinct pick of books, across diverse genres, that have been newly made available for your reading pleasure. Get them wherever you get your books — the friendly neighbourhood bookseller, e-retail website, chain store — and in whatever form you prefer. Happy reading! For more of our weekly book recommendations, click here . *** – FICTION The Evening and the Morning By Ken Follett Pan Macmillan India | Rs 499 | 720 pages Author Ken Follett’s latest novel is a prequel to his 1989 bestseller The Pillars of the Earth. In 997 CE, during the end of the Dark Ages, England is being attacked on multiple fronts, and life is hard. In this uncertain world, three people meet: a young boatbuilder, a Norman noblewoman, and a monk at Shiring Abbey. As the Middle Age dawns, the three come into conflict with a ruthless bishop who will do whatever it takes to increase his wealth and power. Read more about the book here . Softly Dies a Lake By Akkineni Kutumbarao; translated by Vasanth Kannabiran Orient BlackSwan | Rs 425 | 224 pages Translated from the Telugu by writer and activist Vasanth Kannabiran, author and director Akkineni Kutumbarao’s novel revolves around Kolleru, a freshwater lake in Andhra Pradesh. Told through the perspective of five-year-old Seenu, it focuses on the villages and people whose lives are connected to the lake, and who struggle to keep up with an environment that’s as nurturing as it is unpredictable. It also details brutal destruction as the market triumphs over nature, and a way of life is lost. Read more about the book here . – MEMOIRS, BIOGRAPHIES, and LETTERS The Brass Notebook: A Memoir By Devaki Jain Speaking Tiger | Rs 599 | 232 pages Feminist economist and academic Devaki Jain records her life story, from a childhood in an orthodox Tamil Brahmin family to her time at Ruskin College, Oxford, and meeting and falling in love with her husband Lakshmi Jain. Professionally, she discusses working with women in the informal economy, and being part of the voices seeking to make themselves heard against powerful nations of former colonisers. She also discusses the various leaders and thinkers she’s met, from Nelson Mandela to Iris Murdoch, among others. Read more about the book here . Lost Letters and Feminist History: The Political Friendship of Mohandas K Gandhi and Sarala Devi Chaudhurani By Geraldine Forbes Orient BlackSwan | Rs 595 | 188 pages Distinguished Teaching Professor Emerita at Oswego’s State University of New York, Geraldine Forbes collates and analyses the letters exchanged between MK Gandhi and Indian nationalist and feminist Sarala Devi Chaudhurani during the 1920s, amidst the Indian National Movement. Their letters were as politically charged as they were filled with personal insights. Forbes places these letters in the time’s political context, and focuses on Sarala Devi’s ascent as a political leader. Read more about the book here . – NON-FICTION Of Oppressor’s Body and Mind: Essays on Language, Literature, and Cinema By Yogesh Maitreya Panther’s Paw Publication | Rs 350 Writer Yogesh Maitreya’s collection of essays is an attempt to explore the body and mind of the oppressors in India, through the literature, cinema, and literary discourse they produce. While there has been much discussion about oppression, there’s not much about the oppressor; while victims talk about victimisation, less often do we hear accounts about the source of their oppression. These are topics the book seeks to explore. Read more about the book here . Read more by the author here . Gandhi In the Gallery: The Art of Disobedience By Sumathi Ramaswamy Roli Books | Rs 1,495 | 224 pages Chair of Duke University’s History Department, Sumathi Ramaswamy focuses on visual representations of MK Gandhi by artists over the past century. Through their works, she explores questions about whether satyagraha, besides being a philosophy, can also be considered an aesthetic regime, and following on, whether Gandhi then can be considered an artist of disobedience. Read more about the book here . Piece of War: Narratives of Resilience and Hope By Meha Dixit SAGE Publications India/SAGE Select | Rs 450 | 284 pages Independent researcher of International Politics Meha Dixit, through the real-life stories she’s collected, attempts to uncover the human aspect of war by focusing on how people make sense of and cope with the pain and uncertainty of life in conflict areas. She documents her experiences of confronting such realities in regions like the Middle East, South Asia, and West Africa, including Afghanistan, Lebanon, Kashmir, and Jharkand, among others. Overall, the book tackles the question: is there ‘ordinary’ life beyond violence in conflict zones? Read more about the book here .