Men at sea face a new danger off the coasts of Africa and in the Indian Ocean, in the form of piracy. This is the theme of Captain Norbert Rebello's second novel set at sea. Cloaking this serious issue in the garb of fiction, Capt. Norbert takes the reader from the south-eastern Bangladesh and its Karnaphuli river, to the Ivory Coast, and off the coast of Indonesia. But the main action is set off the Somalia coast, where the partly-Indian crew -- a growing reality in the merchant navy these days -- gets caught up with a racy story of desperation, violence, mid-sea piracy and love. Capt. Rebello has been writing since his school-days, and happens to be the nephew of the pioneers who ran the Konkani weekly 'Cine Times' in Bombay. His earlier novel Memories of Another Day, published in 2008, is set in Eastern Europe, after the 1999 sinking of an oil tanker off the Atlantic coast and the Bay of Biscay in France, causing an economic loss of $500 million. The fleet owner abandoned three other vessels with hundreds of seafarers on board in Montenegro. His next book, now being worked on, is set amidst seamen, and is to be called 'Cruise the Horizon' about the hardships faced in a supposedly cheerful cruise line industry.

After winning hearts via her Konkani, Espi Mai is stuck again. Now, she's into speaking fluent Konkani, with her new book. It is written in a very engaging and inclusive style.

Mapusa was once a sleepy small town in Bardez and grew out of the settlement known as Gaunsavaddo that was by the river, and Angodd. Today, the bustling city is the commercial capital of North Goa, has a colourful market, and has produced a number of proud sons of Goa. Former Saudi-based expat, a resident of Anjuna and a writer who honed his skills in cyberspace, Domnic PF Fernandes released his book in October 2012. Fernandes' book is more his own personal reminiscences rather than a formal history. To contrast the change that has come about, he takes a walking tour through the urban area, describing what he knew of it in the late 1950s and what exists today. Many names, both prominent and humble, people its pages. Right from the Viscount of Bardez, to one of the most famous jewellery designers across the world Ambaji Shinde, the Mapusa-linked Aquino Braganca who was aide of former Mozambique President Samora Machel, bishops who trace their roots to Mapusa and the many merchants and businessmen who make Mapusa what it is.

Without doubt, Irene Heredia lived amidst priviledged times. A quick glance through the 28 pages of photographs would tell you that. She was a University of Bombay gold medalist at the B.A. in 1938, rare indeed for a woman student then. Her husband, the late Jimmy Heredia, was the sheriff of Bombay and honorary consul of Brazil. She rubbedshoulders with ambassadors, consuls, the Pope, Cardinal Gracias, President Radhakrishnan, the then Emperess of Iran, queens and Gandhians. Her relatives include missionaries to Malacca and Charles Correa.But she knew tough times too. Then there's early deaths in the family, migration, and the sudden fluctuations between doing well and instant poverty were the stories that many Goan families carry in their hearts. The author's mother was widowed in her 20s. Her father again died quite early too.

Brenda Rodrigues, once known as the 'Connie Frances of Bombay', is as adept in building word-pictures of places she visited. In this travelogue, she takes us across India and the rest of the globe, with her charming mosaic of episodes and sights that she encountered in four decades of being an avid globe trotter. From her visit visit abroad, to London in 1970, we encounter fascinating stories of people and instances that keep the reader glued to her work. Stories come in from France, Goa, Nagaland (The Scotland of the East). To North America and London. We reach North East India again, and then Italy and the UAE. France, Scotland, the rest of the UK, Thailand, Egypt, Israel, Italy, Switzerland, even China, Gilbraltar, the Netherlands...

The definitive work on the history of Goan food. Understand why you eat what you eat. An impressive study, well appreciated already. Goan cuisine contains alluring Christian, Hindu and Muslim strands. It is an interesting fusion from several cultures -- Arab, Portuguese, Brazilian, French, African, Chinese, Malaysian, British, Anglo-Indian and Konkani. In Goa, East did meet West... on the dining table. This book offers an encyclopedic vision of a cuisine with a global touch -- how it was, how it is, and how it came to be. It is written by a veteran Goan historian who knows her food. Cozinha de Goa is one of the outstanding books on the food of a particular Indian region, coming close to Banerji's outstanding book on Bengal. Like that book it had recipes, but it is not primarily a cookbook, focussing more on history and description, for which it brings together what is clearly a huge amount of scholarly research and reading, but combined with warm personal memories that helps bring the subject alive.

Everything you needed to understand one of post-Independence India's most empowering laws, and how to use it to solve your grievances and build a more transparent, efficient nation. This book contains an FAQ on the Right to Information Act, sample applications, success stories, details about the RTI movement, RTI and the media, the Act itself, appeals and more. It starts with the basic and leads you to knowing much what you'll need to seriously deploy this law to the citizen's benefit. This simple, no-nonsense guide is authored by two persons with both the knowledge and credentials in this field. Nandini Sahai is a former developmental journalist, and Director, Media Information and Communication Centre of India (MICCI). Vishnu Rajgadia is the State Chapter Head of MICCI Ranchi (Jharkhand) and also involved with rti.net.in and rtistory.blogspot.com

Five decades after the Portuguese language suddenly lost its prominence in Goa, a researcher-priest is to come out with a detailed study of the literature that influenced the minds and hearts of 19th and 20th century Goa. Dr. (Fr) Eufemiano de Jesus Miranda's 322-page book focuses on the "reality, fiction, history and imagination" of the writings from Goa's past. It looks at the work of prominent writers of the yesteryears -- Francisco Luis Gomes, Orlando da Costa, and themes such as the image of Mother India in the poetry of the Portuguese-speaking Goan, the figure of the dancing-girl in Goan Lusophone literature, and the works of "Gip" and Augustinho Fernandes. Dr Miranda looks at the creative output of other Goans writing in Portuguese -- Floriano Barreto, Nascimento Mendonca, Mariano Gracias, Adolfo Costa, Paulino Dias, Adeodato Barreto, Sanches Fernandes, Lino Abreu, Vimala Devi, Laxmanrao Sardessai and R.V. Pandit.Miranda did his PhD at the Goa University on 19th-20th century Indo-Portuguese Literature -- a study of major themes in the socio-historical background. In 1988, he won a Gulbenkian scholarship to work on the thesis under the guidance of the late vice-principal Fr. Ivo de Mascarenhas. He has continued to teach, and as a priest is involved actively in the pastoral ministry. He has a classical formation from the seminary from 1954 to 1960, having learnt Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, Marathi and Konkani. Music is his other passion; he founded the Music Lovers' Society and the Goa String Orchestra, and is also president of the Stuti Choral Ensemble.

Goa's heart beats in its charming villages. This book is on Saligao, one of Goa's many colourful and scenic villages. This book is authored by a priest from the village who has served in diverse parishes across Goa. Fr. Mascarenhas has an abiding passion for Goa's history -- specially Church history and has authored half-a-dozen books so far. The book's goal, says the author, is to provide "readers with an enlightening snapshot of the history, culture and traiditions of Saligao". "Saligao abounds in dustry lanes and naorrow pathways which will take you to quaint shrines and half-hidden gardens, old crumbling houses next to brightly painted modern structures or well maintained so-called 'Portuguese' houses," says a foreword to the book by Yvonne Vaz Ezdani. Offering a good amount of local history, the book keeps its style informal and catchy, and intersperses its text with attractive illustrations. It talks about unusual institutions and individuals that make up the village. For instance, the village-crier of the yesteryears was called the 'parpoti'. Way back in the 1920s, expat villages took the initiative to set up a local club that took care of the locals' entertainment and intellectual nourishment. Today, in distant regions -- Bombay, London and Toronto -- expat villagers keep their flag flying by organising events and cultural get-togethers, as do expats from some other villages of Goa. Saligao has had its traditional schools. Later on, its neighbourhood was also one of the first to play home to English-medium schools in Goa. This perhaps explains why so many of the people from around here migrated to the English-speaking world.

Lando is a ten-year-old Goan boy in Nairobi, and the book starts with him being scolded by his mother. Lando's pet dog, Simba, has been creating Matata for Mrs. Gelani. Matata is Swahili for trouble, and the dog has been chasing the neighbour's pyjamas on the clothesline! From the first para, you're likely to get hooked. The story is catchy, told in an easy style, and gives us a young boy's perspective of what it meant to be growing up in colonial Africa (and Goa) during the middle part of the last century. In the first few pages itself, we encounter life in Nairobi. From the Asian-only colonies to the clubs, the Dr. Ribeiro Goan School, Catholic religious life there, and more.