Books of the week: From Made in China to Hafeez Contractor's biography, 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 Sunday, 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 Made In China By Parinda Joshi HarperCollins India | Rs 250 | 352 pages Now adapted as a major motion picture starring Rajkummar Rao for which she has co-written the screenplay, Made in China is Parinda Joshi’s third novel. A journey charting the course of an entrepreneur willing to do whatever it takes to make it big, the novel follows Raghu Mehta whose handicrafts import business has suddenly collapsed. He’s also surrounded by a wife that doesn’t respect him, a society that thinks him irrelevant, and friends whose businesses are flourishing. He takes a trip to China, in the hope of finding new consumer goods, but instead gets sucked into the seedy back alleys of Beijing, entangled in black market trading. With morality signalling against such gains and a yearning for success tugging him toward it, the novel follows the way he navigates the situation. Read more about the book here. – BIOGRAPHIES AND AUTOBIOGRAPHIES Against the Wind: A Life’s Journey By Rajni Kumar HarperCollins India | Rs 599 | 356 pages Founder of the Springdales group of schools and recipient of the Padma Shri, renowned educationist Rajni Kumar details her life in her memoir Against the Wind. Born in 1923 in England, she married Yudhister Kumar, a fellow student, at age 23 and moved to India. From 1950 to 1955 she worked as the principal of a local school, after which she decided to found a kindergarten, starting classes in her living room and naming it Springdales. In a newly independent India, her style of teaching and education philosophy made her ethos instantly likeable. In this memoir, she starts with her beginnings and details how she grew the school group to the stage it is today, also outlining the education work yet to be undertaken in India. Read more about the book here. Becoming Hafeez Contractor By Harshad Bhatia HarperCollins India | Rs 699 | 312 pages Architect and teacher Harshad Bhatia narrates the story of Hafeez Contractor’s life, focusing on the man behind an illustrious career. Among Contractor’s buildings are the ones at the Hiranandani Gardens at Powai, the Imperial Towers at Tardeo, the ITC Grand Central hotel, and Infosys’ offices, among others. With innovation and creativity, his buildings have left an indelible mark on urban Indian architecture, being odes to modernity. Through research and personal interactions with Contractor, Bhatia puts together the story of Contractor, investigating the eccentric mind behind these works. Read more about the book here. – NON-FICTION She Dared: Women in Indian Sports By Abhishek Dubey and Sanjeeb Mukherjea Rupa Publications | Rs 295 | 296 pages Senior sports journalists Abhishek Dubey and Sanjeeb Mukherjea lay out stories of the leading women of Indian sports, including PT Usha, Shiny Wilson, Ashwini Nachappa, MC Mary Kom, Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Jwala Gutta, Dipa Karmakar, Dutee Chand, Deepika Kumari, Hima Das, and Apurvi Chandela among others. They also travel throughout India, collecting stories of the impact these women have had on the people. Read more about the book here. Phoolproof: Indian flowers, their myths, traditions and usage By Jhelum Biswas Bose Penguin Random House India | Rs 299 | 288 pages In Phoolproof, author Jhelum Bose discusses the power and meaning of different Indian flowers, divulging ways of using flowers in living spaces, food, beauty, and everyday life. She also discusses flower-related therapies like the Bach flower remedy and aromatherapy, detailing the use of flowers for healing and treatment. Read more about the book here. – YOUNG READERS 51 Accidental Inventions that Changed the World By Kimte Guite Rupa Publications | Rs 295 | 224 pages Teacher and author Kimte Guite tells the origin stories of 51 accidental inventions with illustrations. Each story highlights the mix of luck with a lot of hard work and perseverance needed. For instance, ice-lollies were invented when a young boy left a glass full of soda water out on a cold night; potato chips came about because a chef was trying to teach an annoying customer a lesson; sandwiches were created because an Earl did not want to get his hands dirty while eating. Guite picks more such beloved, everyday items, like high heels, tea bags, pencils, x-rays, and more, and throws light upon how they came into existence. Read more about the book here. 20 Greatest Self-Made Entrepreneurs By Kalyani Mookherji Rupa Publications | Rs 195 | 176 pages Writer and educator Kalyani Mookherji recounts the inspiring lives of 20 entrepreneurs across different industries, from finance and technology to infrastructure and culture and media. She narrates the childhood stories, struggles and successes of Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Henry Ford, Walt Disney, Warren Buffet, Dhirubhai Ambani, Giorgio Armani, NR Narayana Murthy, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and more. Read more about the book here.