Books For The Weekend: Take on urban youth, personal experiences and Bengal

New Delhi: We bring you good reads of the weekend with books pertaining to various genres- translated work of a self-declared anti-writer who uses montages and other cinematic techniques for his stories; and a teacher's memoir that takes the reader down memory lane of unconditional support from his students, among others.

There's also a journalist's understanding of the concerns of urban youth presented with puns and wit; finally, a real estate developer's memoir that takes a hard look at the sector in India. Here's what Books This Weekend has to offer you. Read on!

1. Book: Wild Animals Prohibited; Author: Subimal Misra, Translated by V Ramaswamy; Publisher: Harper Perennial; Pages: 265; Price: Rs.375

Originally written by Subimal Mishra who is a master of contemporary alternative in Bengali literature and known for his anti-establishment writing, the book is a record of the dark history of violence and degeneration in West Bengal of the 1970s and 1980s.

A collection of 25 stories translated by V Ramaswamy, the book unfolds the continuous evolution of Misra's writing as he searches for a form to do justice to the reality.

2. Book: Love Affection and Respect; Author: M S Neelakantan; Publisher: Notionpress; Pages: 259; Price: Rs.310

A beautifully written memoir, the book takes readers down memory lane of a teacher who shares best bonds with his students, who stood beside him no matter where they landed, who went out of their way to be there for a teacher when he needed support.

Replete with nostalgia and eloquence, the book compels you to make a call to your favourite teacher. A must-read memoir for any reader, the book takes you back to the 1990s.

3. Book: Name Place Animal Thing; Author: Mayank Shekhar; Publisher: FingerPrint; Pages: 414; Price: Rs.250

Today's urban youth have several concerns ranging from city, cinema, stardom and religion to cops, cigarette smoking, social drinking and social media. Mayank Shekhar's latest book is whacky yet insightful and takes on India's desi and popular culture.

The book captures the essence of urban youth's spirit with Shekhar's characteristic wit and razor-sharp observations to simultaneously inform, amuse and irritate. Written with profound observational depth on varied topics, the book is a must read!

4. Book: Inside Unreal Estate; Author: Sushil Kumar Sayal; Publisher: Penguin; Pages: 212; Price: Rs.499

Beginning his career with small-time players, the author was disillusioned with the shady dealings of the sector and started looking to work for bigger companies. In his work experience of 30 years, Sayal has worked with many established houses like Mahindra and Ansals.

The book recounts how the real estate sector went from being a 'dirty business' run by small time builders to the playing field of corporate powerhouses. Full of anecdotes, some witty and others disturbing, this fast-paced memoir takes a hard look at the real estate sector in India. (IANS)