New stars falling on earth

A girl like me (Penguin, Rs 250) by Swati Kaushal has its protagonist, Anisha Rai or Annie, caught in the emotional whirlwind of adolescence. After her father’s death, Annie migrates from Minnesota to India with her mother and settles in Gurgaon. The shock of losing her father, the discomforts of the bustling town, above all her mother’s male friends, add to her teenage fury and confusions. However, soon Annie starts falling in love with her new life, thanks to her chirpy friends — Rani, Ragini and Rupa. The girlie gossip, the pleasant memory of Annie’s first kiss, her infatuation with Kunal, the drama teacher, and many more secret tidbits — undoubtedly make for peppy chick-lit, as does the predictable reconciliation between Annie and her mother in the end. The crisp language heightens the delight of light-hearted reading.

The secret benefits of Aroma Therapy (Sterling, Rs 75) by Sumeet Sharma offers a glimpse into the world of aroma therapy. There are detailed accounts of aromatic herbs, methods of preparing oils and applying them. However, it gets difficult to keep track of the processes as the chapters are rather randomly arranged. The book is otherwise informative and handy.

The cosmic detective: Exploring the mysteries of our universe (Puffin, Rs 199) by Mani Bhaumik is meant for non-adults, but grown-ups too can savour these well-written essays on astronomy. The slim volume elucidates some of the trickiest concepts — such as the birth of stars, the formation of black holes, the quasars or giant black holes, the Milky Way, the neutron stars and the solar family. Bhaumik encourages young readers to be “cosmic detectives” and explore the mysteries of outer space acutely. A brief introduction by Edgar Mitchell, an astronaut on Apollo 14, along with the images of stars, the surface of the moon and other planetary bodies taken by Nasa, add to the charm of this book.

Famous Indian women (Diamond, Rs 95) by Renu Saran may help budding quiz enthusiasts. But the book presents a series of tiny biographies of only 105 Indian women who acquired fame in politics, art, business, literature and entertainment. Historical names like Noor Jehan and Ahilyabai Holkar, and contemporary figures like Aishwarya Rai and Indra Nooyi, appear side by side. The tacky cover and the typographical error on it — the title says, Famous Indian Woman — are rather shocking.