Good Reads

Published On: September 6, 2019 02:44 PM NPT By: The Week Bureau

The Unknown Kimi Raikkoenen by Kari Hotakeinen
Price: Rs 1118

In this authorized portrait of Raikkoenen, Kari Hotakainen reveals the side of the man that few beyond his close family and friends have ever seen. Enigmatic and private, Ferrari’s former world champion driver rarely opens up to outsiders, but he granted Hotakainen exclusive access to his world and to his way of thinking. Including never-previously-seen photographs from his own collection, The Unknown Kimi Raikkoenen takes the reader into the heart of the action at grands prix around the world, behind the scenes as race strategies are planned, and opens up the private side of his life that he normally guards so carefully. With all the cult appeal of I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the raw excitement of Formula One and the insight of the best biographies, this is a book every sports fan will treasure.

Race Course Road by Seema Goswami
Price: Rs 958

Set largely in the Prime Minister’s official residence, the Race Course Road complex, Race Course Road revolves around the aftermath of the assassination of a sitting Prime Minister and the battle for succession that ensues within his family, with the elder son and heir, Karan Pratap Singh, trying to fight off the challenge presented by his charismatic half-sister, Asha Devi.

As the search for the murderer continues, sex scandals surface, revelations about dodgy arms deals rock India and rival TV anchors shout and spar even as the country undertakes one of its most bitterly-contested general elections ever. Who will get to live in Race Course Road once the votes have been counted? Who will get to rule India for the next five years? Who will be the new Prime Minister of India?

S D Burma: The Prince-Musician
by Anirudha Bhattacharjee & Balaji Vittal
Price: Rs 1278

This well-researched biography – by the authors of the best-selling R.D. Burman: The Man, The Music – is both a tribute to a great artist, and a deep inquiry into what made his music great. The book is packed with insights into SD’s life, work and his astute understanding of Hindi cinema. Despite the fact that he was an outsider who spoke little Hindi or Urdu, SD was the man who introduced Sahir Ludhianvi to the world, and the one who gave Kishore Kumar’s musical brilliance its due. His readiness to adapt to modern sounds and techniques, his unwavering faith in Lata Mangeshkar’s virtuosity, his closeness to Dev Anand that was seen as nepotism, charges of plagiarism—S.D. Burman: The Prince-Musician provides unmatched insight into both the genius of one of India’s most significant composers and a crucial aspect of its glorious cinematic history.