Download or read book The Henna Artist written by Alka Joshi and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-08-05 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own... Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone from her 1950s rural village to the pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the henna artist-and confidante-most in demand to women of the upper class. Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a young girl in tow-a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Vivid and compelling in its portrait of one woman's struggle for fulfillment in society, The Henna Artist opens a door into a world that is at once fascinating, stark and cruel.
Download or read book The Secret Keeper of Jaipur written by Alka Joshi and published by MIRA. This book was released on 2021-06-22 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A NEW NOVEL BY THE AUTHOR OF THE HENNA ARTIST, A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK Good Morning America’s “27 Books for June" PopSugar’s Best Summer Reads of 2021 In New York Times bestselling author Alka Joshi’s intriguing new novel, henna artist Lakshmi arranges for her protégé, Malik, to intern at the Jaipur Palace in this tale rich in character, atmosphere, and lavish storytelling. It’s the spring of 1969, and Lakshmi, now married to Dr. Jay Kumar, directs the Healing Garden in Shimla. Malik has finished his private school education. At twenty, he has just met a young woman named Nimmi when he leaves to apprentice at the Facilities Office of the Jaipur Royal Palace. Their latest project: a state-of-the-art cinema. Malik soon finds that not much has changed as he navigates the Pink City of his childhood. Power and money still move seamlessly among the wealthy class, and favors flow from Jaipur’s Royal Palace, but only if certain secrets remain buried. When the cinema’s balcony tragically collapses on opening night, blame is placed where it is convenient. But Malik suspects something far darker and sets out to uncover the truth. As a former street child, he always knew to keep his own counsel; it’s a lesson that will serve him as he untangles a web of lies. "Captivated me from the first chapter to the last page." —Reese Witherspoon on The Henna Artist Don’t miss THE PERFUMIST OF PARIS! The final chapter in Alka Joshi’s New York Times bestselling Jaipur trilogy!
Download or read book Under the Skin written by Linda Villarosa and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2022-06-14 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • "A stunning exposé of why Black people in our society 'live sicker and die quicker'—an eye-opening game changer."—Oprah Daily From an award-winning writer at the New York Times Magazine and a contributor to the 1619 Project comes a landmark book that tells the full story of racial health disparities in America, revealing the toll racism takes on individuals and the health of our nation. In 2018, Linda Villarosa's New York Times Magazine article on maternal and infant mortality among black mothers and babies in America caused an awakening. Hundreds of studies had previously established a link between racial discrimination and the health of Black Americans, with little progress toward solutions. But Villarosa's article exposing that a Black woman with a college education is as likely to die or nearly die in childbirth as a white woman with an eighth grade education made racial disparities in health care impossible to ignore. Now, in Under the Skin, Linda Villarosa lays bare the forces in the American health-care system and in American society that cause Black people to “live sicker and die quicker” compared to their white counterparts. Today's medical texts and instruments still carry fallacious slavery-era assumptions that Black bodies are fundamentally different from white bodies. Study after study of medical settings show worse treatment and outcomes for Black patients. Black people live in dirtier, more polluted communities due to environmental racism and neglect from all levels of government. And, most powerfully, Villarosa describes the new understanding that coping with the daily scourge of racism ages Black people prematurely. Anchored by unforgettable human stories and offering incontrovertible proof, Under the Skin is dramatic, tragic, and necessary reading.
Download or read book A Tiny Upward Shove written by Melissa Chadburn and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2022-04-12 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Wild and ambitious . . . [with] something ablaze at its core. It burns.” —The New York Times Book Review A Tiny Upward Shove is inspired by Melissa Chadburn's Filipino heritage and its folklore, as it traces the too-short life of a young, cast-off woman transformed by death into an agent of justice—or mercy. Marina Salles’s life does not end the day she wakes up dead. Instead, in the course of a moment, she is transformed into the stuff of myth, the stuff of her grandmother’s old Filipino stories—an aswang, a creature of mystery and vengeance. She spent her time on earth on the margins; shot like a pinball through a childhood of loss, she was a veteran of Child Protective Services and a survivor, but always reacting, watching from a distance, understanding very little of her own life, let alone the lives of others. Death brings her into the hearts and minds of those she has known—even her killer—as she accesses their memories and sees anew the meaning of her own. In her nine days as an aswang, while she considers whether to exact vengeance on her killer, she also traces back, finally able to see what led these two lost souls to a crushingly inevitable conclusion. In A Tiny Upward Shove, the debut novelist Melissa Chadburn charts the heartbreaking journeys of two of society’s castoffs as they make their way to each other and their roles as criminal and victim. What does it mean to be on the brink? When are those moments that change not only our lives but our very selves? And how, in this impossible world, full of cruelty and negligence, can we rouse ourselves toward mercy?
Download or read book Crossing the Line written by Kareem Rosser and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2021-02-09 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A marvelous addition to the literature of inspirational sports stories." - Booklist (Starred Review) "This remarkable and inspiring story shines." - Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) "Crossing the Line will not just leave you with hope, but also ideas on how to make that hope transferable” - New York Times bestselling author Wes Moore An inspiring memoir of defying the odds from Kareem Rosser, captain of the first all-black squad to win the National Interscholastic Polo championship. Born and raised in West Philadelphia, Kareem thought he and his siblings would always be stuck in “The Bottom”, a community and neighborhood devastated by poverty and violence. Riding their bicycles through Philly’s Fairmount Park, Kareem’s brothers discover a barn full of horses. Noticing the brothers’ fascination with her misfit animals, Lezlie Hiner, founder of The Work to Ride stables, offers them their escape: an after school job in exchange for riding lessons. What starts as an accidental discovery turns into a love for horseback riding that leads the Rossers to discovering their passion for polo. Pursuing the sport with determination and discipline, Kareem earns his place among the typically exclusive players in college, becoming part of the first all-Black national interscholastic polo championship team—all while struggling to keep his family together. Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever is the story of bonds of brotherhood, family loyalty, the transformative connection between man and horse, and forging a better future that comes from overcoming impossible odds.
Download or read book These Ghosts Are Family written by Maisy Card and published by Simon & Schuster. This book was released on 2021-01-05 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: PEN/Hemingway Award For Debut Novel Finalist Shortlisted for the 2020 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize A “rich, ambitious debut novel” (The New York Times Book Review) that reveals the ways in which a Jamaican family forms and fractures over generations, in the tradition of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Stanford Solomon’s shocking, thirty-year-old secret is about to change the lives of everyone around him. Stanford has done something no one could ever imagine. He is a man who faked his own death and stole the identity of his best friend. Stanford Solomon is actually Abel Paisley. And now, nearing the end of his life, Stanford is about to meet his firstborn daughter, Irene Paisley, a home health aide who has unwittingly shown up for her first day of work to tend to the father she thought was dead. These Ghosts Are Family revolves around the consequences of Abel’s decision and tells the story of the Paisley family from colonial Jamaica to present-day Harlem. There is Vera, whose widowhood forced her into the role of a single mother. There are two daughters and a granddaughter who have never known they are related. And there are others, like the houseboy who loved Vera, whose lives might have taken different courses if not for Abel Paisley’s actions. This “rich and layered story” (Kirkus Reviews) explores the ways each character wrestles with their ghosts and struggles to forge independent identities outside of the family and their trauma. The result is a “beguiling…vividly drawn, and compelling” (BookPage, starred review) portrait of a family and individuals caught in the sweep of history, slavery, migration, and the more personal dramas of infidelity, lost love, and regret.
Download or read book Mehndi written by Carine Fabius and published by Harmony. This book was released on 1998-06-01 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The magical art of mehndi, or henna painting, has been practiced for centuries in India, Africa, and the Middle East, and now it has finally arrived in the West. Packed with inspirational photographs of traditional and contemporary mehndi, this complete resource offers everything you need to create your own beautiful henna designs, including: • dozens of practice exercises and sample illustrations • a foolproof recipe for mixing the henna paste • step-by-step instructions on how to apply your mehndi design • insider's tips from professional mehndi artists and more!
Download or read book Book Club Box Set written by Alka Joshi and published by MIRA. This book was released on 2020-07-20 with total page 1117 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Featuring two REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE book club picks, this exclusive collection includes compelling debut novels that will stay with you long after the last page. The Henna ArtistEscaping from an abusive arranged marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way from her 1950s rural village to the vibrant pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the henna artist—and confidante—most in demand to the wealthy women of the upper class. Trusted with their secrets, she can never reveal her own… The CactusFor Susan Green, messy emotions don’t fit into the equation of her perfectly ordered life. But suddenly confronted with the loss of her mother and the news that she is about to become a mother herself, Susan’s greatest fear is realized: she is losing control. As her dismantled world falls further into a tailspin, Susan might have a chance at finding real love and learning to love herself, if only she can figure out how to let go.
Download or read book The Henna Wars written by Adiba Jaigirdar and published by Page Street YA. This book was released on 2020-05-12 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Impossible to put down." - Kirkus, starred review Nishat doesn’t want to lose her family, but she also doesn’t want to hide who she is, and it only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life. Flávia is beautiful and charismatic, and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flávia and Nishat decide to showcase their talent as henna artists. In a fight to prove who is the best, their lives become more tangled—but Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush, especially since Flávia seems to like her back. As the competition heats up, Nishat has a decision to make: stay in the closet for her family, or put aside her differences with Flávia and give their relationship a chance.
Download or read book Song of a Captive Bird written by Jasmin Darznik and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A spellbinding debut novel about the trailblazing Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzad, who defied society's expectations to find her voice and her destiny. "Remember the flight, for the bird is mortal." All through her childhood in Tehran, Forugh Farrokhzad is told that Persian daughters should be quiet and modest. She is taught only to obey, but she always finds ways to rebel, gossiping with her sister among the fragrant roses of her mother's walled garden, venturing to the forbidden rooftop to roughhouse with her three brothers, writing poems to impress her strict, disapproving father, and sneaking out to flirt with a teenage paramour over café glacé. During the summer of 1950, Forugh's passion for poetry takes flight, and tradition seeks to clip her wings. Forced into a suffocating marriage, Forugh runs away and falls into an affair that fuels her desire to write and to achieve freedom and independence. Forugh's poems are considered both scandalous and brilliant; she is heralded by some as a national treasure, vilified by others as a demon influenced by the West. She perseveres, finding love with a notorious filmmaker and living by her own rules, at enormous cost. But the power of her writing only grows stronger amid the upheaval of the Iranian revolution. Inspired by Forugh Farrokhzad's verse, letters, films, and interviews, and including original translations of her poems, this haunting novel uses the lens of fiction to capture the tenacity, spirit, and conflicting desires of a brave woman who represents the birth of feminism in Iran, and who continues to inspire generations of women around the world.--Amazon.
Download or read book Secrets of the Henna Girl written by Sufiya Ahmed and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2012-03-01 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life as Zeba knows it could be over for good . . . Zeba Khan is like any other sixteen-year-old girl: enjoying herself, waiting for exam results . . . and dreaming of the day she'll meet her one true love. Except her parents have other plans. In Pakistan for the summer, Zeba's world is shattered. Her future is threatened by an unthinkable - and forced - duty to protect her father's honour. But does she hold the secrets that will help her escape? ** Sufiya Ahmed's stunning debut teenage book explores the illegal practice of forced marriage in Britain. ** 10 million under 18s in the world become child brides every year. ** The UK government's Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) receives over 1,700 calls from at-risk annually. Up to 15% of victims of forced marriage are male.
Download or read book Henna House written by Nomi Eve and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-08-04 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In Yemen in 1920 ... Adela Damari's parents desperately seek a future husband for their young daughter. After passage of the Orphan's Decree, any unbetrothed Jewish child left orphaned will be instantly adopted by the local Muslim community. With her parents' health failing, and no spousal prospects in sight, Adela's situation looks dire until her uncle arrives from a faraway city, bringing with him a cousin and aunt who introduce Adela to the powerful rituals of henna tattooing"--Amazon.com.
Download or read book Teach Yourself Henna Tattoo written by Brenda Abdoyan and published by Fox Chapel Publishing. This book was released on 2016-12-01 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Color your world with the fabulous art of henna tattoo with this book of patterns and instructions for the body and even home decor objects! Learn how to combine the 5 basic henna shapes into a variety of exotic mendhi designs.
Download or read book DIY Henna Tattoos written by Aroosa Shahid and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-06-12 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learn how to create beautiful mehendi designs using an entirely-natural, simple paste made from the leaves of the henna plant with this step-by-step guide. The easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and gorgeous photographs in DIY Henna Tattoos make learning henna art simple and fun. In no time, you will master the basic techniques and designs, including: • Flowers • Leaves • Swirls • Vines • Paisleys • Netting • Petals • Mandalas . . . and more! Whether you want to sport something quick and simple or decorate a large area, you can easily choose how much of your skin to adorn with these stylish motifs. And because the tattoo is from henna, next month you get to try a new and different look!
Download or read book Elliot Allagash written by Simon Rich and published by Diversion Books. This book was released on 2016-05-24 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Fellow high school losers, use your video game money to buy this book! Simon Rich will make you relive the dread, the hilarity, and the insanity of those formative years like no one else. Open at your own peril!"—Gary Shteyngart There are things money can’t buy: integrity, honor, discipline. Unfortunately for Seymour Herson, he’s got a more pressing matter at hand: surviving eighth grade. He’s dead last in just about everything at Glendale, the Manhattan private school his parents are working so hard to keep him in. His grades are so low a C warrants a celebration. His athletic skill is limited to how much chocolate milk he can drink in one sitting. You’d think someone with such a natural knack for underachieving could at least have a pretty good social life, but Seymour’s more familiar with the lockers he’s been stuffed in than the kids they belong to. To top it off, being bullied constantly lands him in detention along with his tormentors. His newest? Elliot Allagash, heir to the Allagash fortune, descendant of the inventor of paper, particularly talented at pushing kids down the stairs. But Elliot’s interest seems to go beyond run-of-the-mill bullying. Bored with being forced to study alongside commoners, Elliot sees a golden opportunity to bring chaos to Glendale’s entire social order: Seymour. Set on transforming Seymour into the most popular and successful kid in school, Elliot takes matters into his own evil little hands. With his vast amount of money and questionable connections, making Elliot a superstar should be a piece of cake. If a few lives get ruined in the process, that’s just a happy little coincidence. If only Seymour wasn’t so dead set on being nice. “Reading this hilarious morality tale about the cost of that popularity makes me happy that I went through my high school years as an outsider. And it makes me even happier that Simon Rich did.”—Seth Meyers "I found Simon Rich's first novel, about an evil teenage billionaire, to be suspenseful and hilarious. I am so glad I don't have to lie in this blurb like I usually do."—Judd Apatow
Download or read book Ayesha At Last written by Uzma Jalaluddin and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2018-06-12 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pride and Prejudice with a modern twist AYESHA SHAMSI has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been set aside for a teaching job so she can pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle. She lives with her boisterous Muslim family and is always being reminded that her flighty younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to rejecting her one hundredth marriage proposal. Though Ayesha is lonely, she doesn’t want an arranged marriage. Then she meets Khalid who is just as smart and handsome as he is conservative and judgmental. She is irritatingly attracted to someone who looks down on her choices and dresses like he belongs in the seventh century. When a surprise engagement between Khalid and Hafsa is announced, Ayesha is torn between how she feels about the straightforward Khalid and his family; and the truth she realizes about herself. But Khalid is also wrestling with what he believes and what he wants. And he just can’t get this beautiful, outspoken woman out of his mind.
Download or read book The Man I Loved Before written by Anna Mansell and published by Bookouture. This book was released on 2020-03-10 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘Heartbreakingly good… An emotional, powerful and insightful story that should not be missed… Do not start before bed because you will be up half the night finishing it... Wonderfully believable characters, heart wrenching.’ Shelley’s Book Nook ‘Dear Ben, I can only write you this letter because I know you’ll never read it…’ When Jem writes to Ben, it’s to explain everything. All the secrets she kept from him in their relationship – from the innocent little white lies right up to The Terrible Thing that happened on the night that changed everything. But she never expects he will actually see what she’s written. She is writing because she thinks it will help to get the words out. Later, she resolves, she’ll burn the letter, and then the past will be in the past for good. Because Jem’s ready to move on. She’s even met someone new… But the letter is accidentally posted to Ben. And Jem’s life begins to unravel in ways she could never have imagined. Then her mother falls ill and Jem suddenly begins to fear she will have to say goodbye to the only person who has ever truly loved her for who she is. Jem knows she will have to decide who has the key to her future. But is it the man she’s falling in love with now? Or the man she loved before? A heartbreaking, beautifully honest, and ultimately uplifting novel that will stay with readers long after they finish it. Perfect for fans of Diane Chamberlain, Amanda Prowse, and Susan Lewis. Readers are loving The Man I Loved Before: ‘Evoked more emotions than I knew were in me… Amazing… A beautiful, well-written, all-consuming novel. There was absolutely nothing about it that I did not love and highly, highly recommend… This author blows me away.’ Dandelions Inspired, 5 stars ‘OH WOW, what a read… It has stirred so many emotions and I devoured the book in one sitting… A complete rollercoaster of emotion.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars ‘A compelling tale of our time… Gripping and powerful… Brilliantly written… Entertaining, funny in parts and even romantic… After I finished, I couldn’t pick up another book for a week because I found myself stuck in this story.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars ‘I loved this, just finished it and was crying buckets. Happy tears though… This was a brilliant read, funny in parts, heartbreaking in others… Fantastic.’ NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars ‘In one word… wonderful. It made me happy, sad and totally overwhelmed at times… I finished this book with a tear in my eye… Written from the heart.’ StefLoz Book Blog, 5 stars ‘Emotional, moving, heart-wrenching a novel that kept me turning the pages. I was so emotionally involved I needed a box of tissues near me at all times. So well written. Highly recommend this beautiful novel.’ NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars ‘This book brought so many feelings to life… All I can say is Wow!’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars ‘Gorgeous… This is a beautiful and at times hilarious story about learning to get to know yourself and even more important learning to accept who you are.’ B for Bookreview, 5 stars ‘Loved this book!!! Wow! Talk about relatable characters!… Such a great story. Finished it in two sittings. Anna Mansell has a new fan!’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars ‘WOW!!!! Anna Mansell you are now one of my go to authors… Full of suspense, heartache, a bond between mother and her daughter, and some laugh out loud moments.’ Heidi Lynn’s Book Reviews, 5 stars ‘Every aspect of this book is brilliant. It's written from the heart… Absolutely gorgeous and very much guaranteed a top spot in my Books of the Year list for 2020.’ Tishylou’s World, 5 stars
