It is 1963. When General Franco, right-wing leader of Spain, decides to take a short break in the small fishing town of Los Tidos – incognito, of course – a catalogue of events is set in motion that could never have been foreseen by his long-suffering security team. The outward appearance of Los Tidos is deceptive. Within the bougainvillea-clad exterior live a rich cast of characters, some of whom have love on their minds – others, murder. While local carpenter Jaime tries with limited success to find love using a dating agency, his friend Pepe plots to poison his harridan wife, and town drunk Uncle Pablo causes mischief wherever he goes. Pablo’s dog, Waldorf, becomes entangled in the poisoning plot with near-calamitous consequences and a honey trap intended to kidnap General Franco goes disastrously wrong when the honey in question mistakes Uncle Pablo for the Spanish dictator. And all the time, Los Tidos’ priest, Father Miguel, is worrying about where he might find two saintly figures for the town’s Feast of the Two Virgins – an event only celebrated in Los Tidos every 25 years... Set against the backdrop of 1960s Spain, The Tale of the Two Virgins is a rollicking tale of murderous plans, mistaken identities and convoluted affairs of the heart. It is ultimately a light, humorous read that will appeal to a wide range of readers.

The American President, on a State Visit to Britain is giving a major address to a top-level audience in Westminster Hall. Ferocious security is provided by a joint force of the United States Secret Service and Scotland Yard. Then a stolen ambulance runs into trouble with the Parking Authorities. A hapless Member of Parliament, having mislaid his crucial pass, is barred from Westminster, his bicycle regarded as a potential lethal weapon. And a man going by the name of Jones, although born in Karachi, successfully slips through the barriers, and whole new ball game starts

About the Book : - She tossed and turned, her body an alien creature full of strange, strong impulses beyond her control. Saroja lives in a village with her parents, aunt and beautiful elder sister Lalitha. Saroja s life is uncomplicated, and simple things give her joy like the birth of a calf or a taste of one of Chingleput s sweets. Lalitha, on the other hand, believes she is too good for the village. Ambitious and spoilt, she has dreams of being a movie star that are fulfilled when a film-maker casts her in his documentary on village life. Overnight Lalitha becomes the talk of the town; her latent sexuality manifests itself and she uses her elevated status to her advantage. Basking in Lalitha s reflected glory Saroja tries to imitate her womanly wiles, which results in confused ideas about sexuality and ambition. But when the family is faced with a scandal,Saroja emerges with a practical outlook on life. About the Author : - Kamala Markandaya (1924 2004) was born in Mysore. She studied history at Madras University and later worked for a small progressive magazine before moving to London in 1948 in pursuit of a career in journalism. There she began writing her novels; Nectar in a Sieve was the first of ten to be published in her lifetime. Nectar in a Sieve and A Handful of Rice continue to be taught in universities in India and abroad.

The Virgins is the story of Aviva Rossner and Seung Jung's erotic awakening at Auburn Academy re-imagined in richly detailed episodes by their classmate Bruce, a once-embittered voyeur, now repentant narrator, whose envy spurs the novel's tragic end. * A New York Times Editor's Choice selection * A Chicago Tribune Editor's Choice selection * A Best Book of 2013, The New Yorker * A Best Book of 2013, The New Republic * A Critics' Choice selection for 2013, Salon * A Best Indie Title of 2013, Library Journal * One of Redbook's "Top Ten Beach Reads of 2013" * One of O Magazine's "Ten Titles to Pick Up Now," August 2013 * Featured in The Millions's "Most-Anticipated" List 2013 * A "This Week's Hot Reads" selection, The Daily Beast * A Vanity Fair Hot Type selection * The Virgins was a finalist for the John Gardner Award * Publishers Weekly named The Virgins one of the best boarding school books of all time It’s 1979, and Aviva Rossner and Seung Jung are notorious at Auburn Academy. They’re an unlikely pair at an elite East Coast boarding school (she’s Jewish; he’s Korean American) and hardly shy when it comes to their sexuality. Aviva is a formerly bookish girl looking for liberation from an unhappy childhood; Seung is an enthusiastic dabbler in drugs and a covert rebel against his demanding immigrant parents. In the minds of their titillated classmates—particularly that of Bruce Bennett-Jones—the couple lives in a realm of pure, indulgent pleasure. But, as is often the case, their fabled relationship is more complicated than it seems: despite their lust and urgency, their virginity remains intact, and as they struggle to understand each other, the relationship spirals into disaster. The Virgins is the story of Aviva and Seung’s descent into confusion and shame, as re-imagined in richly detailed episodes by their classmate Bruce, a once-embittered voyeur turned repentant narrator. With unflinching honesty and breathtaking prose, Pamela Erens brings a fresh voice to the tradition of the great boarding school novel.

First published in 1993, The Virgin Suicides announced the arrival of a major new American novelist. In a quiet suburb of Detroit, the five Lisbon sisters—beautiful, eccentric, and obsessively watched by the neighborhood boys—commit suicide one by one over the course of a single year. As the boys observe them from afar, transfixed, they piece together the mystery of the family’s fatal melancholy, in this hypnotic and unforgettable novel of adolescent love, disquiet, and death. Jeffrey Eugenides evokes the emotions of youth with haunting sensitivity and dark humor and creates a coming-of-age story unlike any of our time. Adapted into a critically acclaimed film by Sofia Coppola, The Virgin Suicides is a modern classic, a lyrical and timeless tale of sex and suicide that transforms and mythologizes suburban middle-American life.