The shelf / 7 Asian healing fiction recommendations for rainy days

Supriyo, my son, is too small To understand anything;

Men are not rivers, yet in their hearts Burns the raging thirst of rivers.

Come, let us wrest our liberty, The liberty to speak, The liberty to place one letter to the right of another And make up words,

A long time ago, when BTV was the only channel available, I remember watching a drama where some teenagers were planning a picnic on 21st February. They had been given the day off from college and decided to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather. Overhearing these plans, their politically conscious uncle gave them a stern scolding and told them to go read their history books. Shame-facedly, they walked away. The story ended.

I have not come, where they laid down their lives Under the Krishnachura trees...

Such a wonderful day today, Nobody laments for the dead, none Fears death's grim face. A strange gleam Lights the weary body and face; in each footstep The glittering light of determination is aglow.

All the people got united in a second, They anointed their sinews, ribs and muscles With a new-born pledge.

CONSIDER these lines, as quotations or as a paraphrase: “Bengali Muslims of East Bengal/Pakistan were a vitally important audience for the Bengali film industry of Calcutta during the “golden age” of this industry (that is, from the 1930s to the 1950s).”

PAULO Coelho is currently the best-known Brazilian novelist. His novels The Alchemist, The Fifth Mountain, Eleven Minutes, Veronika Decides to Die, Brida have ornamented his profile with eminence and glory. Some of his non-fictional books are highly acclaimed too like Confessions of a Pilgrim and Manual of the Warrior of Light. This illustrious author came up with a catchy tale of despair, lust and sin in 2014 that sparked off considerable degree of sensation among readers and critics in the wake of its publication. The novel's title is Adultery which is suggestive enough to help readers prognosticate its thematic points. Linda, the Swiss narrator of this novel introduces herself as a woman who apparently seems complacent with everything she possesses. In her 30s, Linda has quite a well-off husband who loves her.

PROFESSOR Nizam Ahmed, a teacher of Chittagong University, has continuously been carrying out research on the functions of our Jatiya Sangsad. His latest book "The Bangladesh Parliament: A Data Handbook" is an excellent and massive research work. This timely handbook provides insights into understanding the functions of Parliament as an institution. It covers nine parliaments constituted in between the period 1973-2011.

The New York Public Library shared their top ten picks for the greatest love stories of all time. They can melt your heart, make you laugh and leave you longing for a tissue. Whether you are looking for that special someone or blissfully in love, these ageless classics know just how to pull on those heartstrings. So, jump under the covers, turn down the lights and tuck into the most sought-after romantic novels of all time.

In the garden of transformations, a man and a woman meet. They are misfits in the world but when together, they remember who they are deep inside, and feel free to say and do things they haven't done in years.

I am laying all my cards down at the table. I'm laying them down and letting you know how this game is going to play out. We won't play poker, won't bluff. We won't Beggar My Neighbour or each other. No need for Blind Dons because my cards will be face up, for you to see clearly. We'll do no Crazy Eights, desperately trying to get rid of what we have at hand by throwing it into a discard pile. We've been discarded once. We know what it feels like. Let's pick ourselves up from there, shall we?

Sanjana was more than happy today; she was ecstatic and hopelessly in love. Abir had taken her on a river cruise. She couldn't believe her luck. She pinched herself to check whether she was dreaming.

Love is a many splendoured thing.