In India, the arrival of a child is not very different from a wedding. It is a family event that every one looks forward to with great eagerness and enthusiasm. Each family member also knows of an age-old custom or belief they know to have benefited expectant mothers and newborns. But how does a first-time mother balance quirky community-based rituals alongside New Age, scientific norms? For Bumpier Times is an attempt to capture the complexities of being pregnant in our society and to arm you with information that enables you to make empowered decisions. By recording 101 practices from across the country, and by having them reviewed by an eminent panel of doctors and experts, the book hopes to dismiss your doubts and fears, trace the origin behind these myths and beliefs, and keep up with the latest in childbirth and care to help you achieve that balance crucial to welcoming your little one into your culture and world. Written in an easy-to-understand Q&A format, Ramanathan has managed to create an elaborate guide on pregnancy and childcare specific to Indian mothers.

Young and ambitious Meenakshi Iyer has better things to do than tie the knot, a decision her family had better get used to. Living in Mumbai, the trainee journalist is determined to find the perfect beat and, maybe, the perfect man - but on her own terms.The charismatic Arjun Rathore, head of the sports desk with the newspaper she works at, is the obvious candidate until she runs into Rakesh Ramakrishnan - a former suitor and a brilliant chef at his own restaurant, where business is booming.When Meenakshi and Rakesh visit Chennai to attend a wedding, the rain - and her feelings - become increasingly difficult to ignore. As floods threaten to swallow the city whole, prompting Rakesh and her family to throw themselves into relief work, emotions begin to pour over. Meenakshi must brace herself for the adventure ahead and discover what, and whom, her heart truly desires.

"One hell of a ride."—Nick Offerman, actor, woodworker, New York Times bestselling author "Candid and often moving reflections . . . make for absorbing reading. . . . [This is] a memoir of a journey that was more than just a chase after numbers."—Booklist (starred) At a personal and professional crossroads, a man resets his life and finds sobriety, love, and 618 bird species, cycling his way to a very Big Year. In Birding Under the Influence, Dorian Anderson, a neuroscience researcher on a pressure-filled life trajectory, walks away from the world of elite institutions, research labs, and academic publishing. In doing so, he falls in love and discovers he has freed himself to embrace his lifelong passion for birding. A North American Big Year—a continent-spanning adventure in which a birder attempts to see as many species as possible in twelve months—is a massive undertaking under any circumstances. But doing it on a bike while maintaining sobriety? That’s next level. As Dorian pedals across the country, describing the birds he sees, he confronts the challenges of long-distance cycling: treacherous weather, punctured tires, speeding cars, and injury. He encounters eccentric characters, blistering blacktop, dreary hotel rooms, snarling dogs, and an endless sea of smoking tailpipes. He also confronts his past struggles with alcohol, drugs, and risky behaviors that began in high school and followed him into adulthood. Birding Under the Influence is a candid, honest look at Dorian’s double life of academic accomplishment and addiction. While his journey to recovery is simultaneously poignant and inspiring, it is ultimately his love of birds and nature that provides the scaffolding to build a new and radically different life.

As an activist, Raday ran away from cops dressed in riot gear. Then, much to her surprise, she fell in love with one. "Love in Condition Yellow" tells the story of their uncommon marriage.