5 new books to add to your February reading list

Barry RodgersPublished on Feb 08, 2023

From a guide on love to a college campus story that explores themes of unrequited love, this month’s book haul is diverse

Love in its many incarnations is featured prominently in this month’s book round-up. In some selections, it’s a prominent theme; in others, more subtle. From a campus love story with an unlikeable protagonist to Jay Shetty’s manifesto of love rooted in Vedic wisdom to a potential love affair gone wrong in an edge-of-the-seat thriller, here are five new books to read in February.

The Laughter by Sonora JhaThis is a story you will remember. Jha has seamlessly incorporated most of our cultural woes into a sharp story set on a campus in America’s midwest. It’s hard to root for Dr. Oliver Harding, the protagonist and antagonist of the book. In some ways, it’s even harder under Jha’s deft hand as you completely (and unwillingly) hear all of his thoughts. Harding is the type of man who is truly just a juvenile boy. He uncannily says the worst possible phrases in an argument. He’s the man who never learns from his mistakes and recreates them repeatedly.Jha juxtaposes him with an up-and-coming law professor from Pakistan who seeks tenure and change on campus. Oliver is obsessed with Ruhaba and never considers why or if it will be reciprocated. Jha takes time to create a beautiful portrait of the young visiting nephew Adil and then brings all three of them into an epic crash. If you love campus novels or want an unforgettable story, The Laughter is for you.Publisher: Penguin Random House India. — **The Laughter** **by Sonora Jha**
This is a story you will remember. Jha has seamlessly incorporated most of our cultural woes into a sharp story set on a campus in America’s midwest. It’s hard to root for Dr. Oliver Harding, the protagonist and antagonist of the book. In some ways, it’s even harder under Jha’s deft hand as you completely (and unwillingly) hear all of his thoughts. Harding is the type of man who is truly just a juvenile boy. He uncannily says the worst possible phrases in an argument. He’s the man who never learns from his mistakes and recreates them repeatedly.
Jha juxtaposes him with an up-and-coming law professor from Pakistan who seeks tenure and change on campus. Oliver is obsessed with Ruhaba and never considers why or if it will be reciprocated. Jha takes time to create a beautiful portrait of the young visiting nephew Adil and then brings all three of them into an epic crash. If you love campus novels or want an unforgettable story, *The Laughter* is for you.
**Publisher:** Penguin Random House India.

Rebel Bodies: A guide to the gender health gap revolution by Sarah GrahamThis is one of the better written books documenting the gender health gap and women’s healthcare, with impactful patient case studies, anecdotes, and informed and accurate statistics. The chapters are clearly laid out, with “toolkits” at the end of each section that provide helpful tips without being too preachy.The book is also inclusive and intersectional, making it an engaging and informative read for those who want to understand the perils of health inequalities.Publisher: Green Tree — **Rebel Bodies: A guide to the gender health gap revolution** **by Sarah Graham**
This is one of the better written books documenting the gender health gap and women’s healthcare, with impactful patient case studies, anecdotes, and informed and accurate statistics. The chapters are clearly laid out, with “toolkits” at the end of each section that provide helpful tips without being too preachy.
The book is also inclusive and intersectional, making it an engaging and informative read for those who want to understand the perils of health inequalities.
**Publisher:** Green Tree

Tears of the Dragon by Ankush SaikiaThe fourth installment in the Detective Arjun Arora series, this novel centres around Arora’s failing personal life. But then, a young widow visits him and presses him to take on a new case: to investigate her husband’s mysterious death. Rohit Vats was a pharmaceutical company executive who had recently returned home to Delhi from a work trip to China. But, soon after, he turned up in a seedy part of Kolkata—dead.Was it a love affair gone wrong, geo-political intrigue, or corporate rivalry which led to Vats’ death? Arjun finds that Vats might have been looking into illegal wildlife trafficking and zoonotic diseases like SARS. And the answer to the mystery might lie in China.Publisher: Speaking Tiger — **Tears of the Dragon** **by Ankush Saikia**
The fourth installment in the Detective Arjun Arora series, this novel centres around Arora’s failing personal life. But then, a young widow visits him and presses him to take on a new case: to investigate her husband’s mysterious death. Rohit Vats was a pharmaceutical company executive who had recently returned home to Delhi from a work trip to China. But, soon after, he turned up in a seedy part of Kolkata—dead.
Was it a love affair gone wrong, geo-political intrigue, or corporate rivalry which led to Vats’ death? Arjun finds that Vats might have been looking into illegal wildlife trafficking and zoonotic diseases like SARS. And the answer to the mystery might lie in China.
**Publisher:** Speaking Tiger

8 Rules of Love by Jay ShettyThis revelatory guide to every stage of romance draws on ancient wisdom and new science. Instead of presenting love as an ethereal concept or a collection of cliches, Shetty lays out specific, actionable steps to help you develop the skills to practise and nurture love. He shares insightful rules such as win or lose together, how to define love, and you don’t break in a break-up. Inspired by Vedic wisdom and modern science alike, he tackles the entire relationship cycle, from first dates to moving in together to breaking up and starting over. Publisher: Thorsons — **8 Rules of Love** **by Jay Shetty**
This revelatory guide to every stage of romance draws on ancient wisdom and new science. Instead of presenting love as an ethereal concept or a collection of cliches, Shetty lays out specific, actionable steps to help you develop the skills to practise and nurture love.
He shares insightful rules such as win or lose together, how to define love, and you don’t break in a break-up. Inspired by Vedic wisdom and modern science alike, he tackles the entire relationship cycle, from first dates to moving in together to breaking up and starting over.
**Publisher:** Thorsons

My Subconsciously Feminist Father by Yashika SinglaThe book imagines a world where parents, especially fathers, yearn for and attempt to raise feminist sons. Singla writes about how she and her two siblings (a sister and brother) were accidentally raised as feminists by her ignorant-in-the-matter father, simply because he believed in the concept of fairness and, together with her mother, made an honest attempt to raise their three children equally. Recounting examples from her childhood and young adulthood, Singla shows how even the smallest actions undertaken by parents can impact the world they create for their children. She discusses how the feminist ideals she unthinkingly absorbed as a child ultimately came to the fore in her adult relationships and gave her the confidence to stay true to herself. Part memoir and part manifesto, the book is peppered with “unsolicited suggestions” that remind fathers (and mothers) that they can build a better society by inculcating the right values in their children.Publisher: Aleph Book Company — **My Subconsciously Feminist Father** **by Yashika Singla**
The book imagines a world where parents, especially fathers, yearn for and attempt to raise feminist sons. Singla writes about how she and her two siblings (a sister and brother) were accidentally raised as feminists by her ignorant-in-the-matter father, simply because he believed in the concept of fairness and, together with her mother, made an honest attempt to raise their three children equally.
Recounting examples from her childhood and young adulthood, Singla shows how even the smallest actions undertaken by parents can impact the world they create for their children. She discusses how the feminist ideals she unthinkingly absorbed as a child ultimately came to the fore in her adult relationships and gave her the confidence to stay true to herself. Part memoir and part manifesto, the book is peppered with “unsolicited suggestions” that remind fathers (and mothers) that they can build a better society by inculcating the right values in their children.
**Publisher:** Aleph Book Company

Also Read: Karen Anand’s book ‘Masala Memsahib’ tells culinary stories from five Indian states

Also Read: A guide to four book-to-screen adaptations

Also Read: The launch of ‘Jaipur Splendor’ confirms coffee-table books are here to stay

5 new books to add to your February reading list

From a guide on love to a college campus story that explores themes of unrequited love, this month’s book haul is diverse

Read Next

Subscribe for More