A memoir of formative years spent on a series of communes: A "wonderful account of a frankly ghastly childhood . . . Hilarious and heartbreaking" ( Daily Mail).At the age of six, Tim Guest was taken by his mother to a commune modeled on the teachings of the notorious Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. The Bhagwan preached an eclectic doctrine of Eastern mysticism, chaotic therapy, and sexual freedom, and enjoyed inhaling laughing gas, preaching from a den...

In 1981 Tim Guest was taken by his mother to a commune in a small village in Suffolk. It was modelled on the teachings of the famous Indian "guru", Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who preached an eclectic doctrine of Eastern mysticism, chaotic therapy and sexual freedom. Both were given Sanskrit names, dressed entirely in orange and instructed to completely abandon their former identities.Tim - or Yogesh, as he was now known - spent the rest of his childhood in Bhagwan's various communes i...

We've always dreamed of perfect places: Eden, heaven, Oz - places over the rainbow, beyond death and loss.Now, through computer technology, we can inhabit those worlds together. Each week, between 35 and 50 million people worldwide abandon reality for virtual worlds. In Boston, Massachusetts, a group of nine disabled men and women inhabit one virtual body, which frees them from their lifelong struggle to be seen and heard. The Pentagon has begun to develop virtual worlds to help in...

Mumbai, mystery and a baby elephant combine in a charming, joyful cosy crime for fans of Janice Hallett, Alexander McCall Smith and Richard Osman.On the day he retires, Inspector Ashwin Chopra discovers that he has inherited an elephant: an unlikely gift that could not be more inconvenient. For Chopra has one last case to solve...But as his murder investigation leads him across Mumbai - from its richest mansions to its murky underworld - he quickly discover...

Winner of the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Fiction Award, Kiran Desai’s extraordinary novel of love and loss, now reissued with a new introduction by the authorPublished to astonishing acclaim, The Inheritance of Loss heralds Kiran Desai as one of our most insightful novelists. In a crumbling, isolated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas, an embittered judge wants only to retire in peace when his orphaned grand...

The magnificent new novel from the Booker Prize-winning author of The White Tiger:LONGLISTED FOR THE 2013 IMPAC AWARD.Ask any Bombaywallah about Vishram Society - Tower A of the Vishram Co-operative Housing Society - and you will be told that it is unimpeachably pucca. Despite its location close to the airport, under the flight path of 747s and bordered by slums, it has b...

The whole world has fallen in love with this international bestseller - hundreds of thousands of copies have been sold across 25 countries. Now it's Australia's turn to rediscover this jewel of a book on mindfulness.In times of uncertainty, words of comfort are essential, and the stunning overseas sales of this title are testament to its universal appeal. These modern tales of hope, forgiveness, freedom from fear and overcoming pain cleverly relate the timeless wis...

The second book in the heartwarming and charming Baby Ganesh cosy crime series, for fans of Janice Hallett, Alexander McCall Smith and Richard Osman.Now part of the British Crown Jewels, the priceless Koh-i-Noor diamond is a prize that many have killed to possess.So when the Crown Jewels go on display in Mumbai, security is everyone's principal concern. And yet, on the very day Inspector Chopra visits the exhibition, the diamond is stolen from under his nos...

The dazzling new book from the winner of the 2008 Man Booker Prize: one of the summer's most eagerly anticipated works of fiction.In his compelling new work of fiction, Aravind Adiga has imagined the small Indian city of Kittur, an everytown nestling on the coast south of Goa and north of Calicut. Through the myriad and distinctive voices of its inhabitants, an entire Indian world comes vividly and unforgettably to life.From a middle-aged Communist to an Is...

Travelling through a country he has always dreamed of visiting, the author is confused and perplexed by India; a land he does not understand, and one that does not conform to the rules of any society or culture he has yet encountered. This book is the story of his attempt to make sense of it all. Join him on his journey through the enigma that is India, and see what happens when a cynical neurotic western rationalist is confronted by the spiritualism, poverty and anarchy of India.Fr...

How far would you go to change your life?Sharell Cook is 30 years old and living a privileged life in Melbourne's wealthy suburbs. She has it all: the childhood-sweetheart husband, the high-powered job and plenty of cash to splash.And it's not destined to last. In a dramatic turn of events, Sharell's marriage breaks down and her perfect life falls apart. Sharell opts for a complete change of scene, travelling to India to do volunteer work.But reinventing herself is ...

'Crackles and sparks with life like an exploding box of Diwali fireworks' -William Dalrymple**'**One can only envy Monisha Rajesh as she embarks on this epic journey' -Tim ParksWhen she was a child, Monisha Rajesh's family uprooted to Madras in the hope of making India their home, but soon returned to England with a bitter taste in their mouths. Two decades on, Monisha turns to a map of the Indian Railways and takes a page out of Jules Vern...