My Husband and Other Animals – Janaki Lenin, Lee Durrell (Westland, Rs. 250)

Every day is an adventure when you live with herpetologist and wildlife conservationist Rom 'The Dude' Whitaker, as wife Janaki Lenin has found out. Discovering a new species of snakes, frogs and crocodiles or studying Gila monsters and porcupines is always a cause for celebration for the couple, who made the Madras Crocodile Bank their home for many years.

Some of those adventures found their way into The Hindu's Metroplus supplement as a column. This is a compilation of some of those witty and entertaining anecdotes which, coupled with plenty of insights about people and animal behaviour from across the world, makes for some endearing reading. Specially so for animal lovers.

That Rom prefers the company of king cobras is well known. Janaki, an animal enthusiast herself, gives us a peek into their zany and unpredictable world. Read about how they battle tree frogs that insist on colonising their house, find out how they lost their dog Karadi to a hungry leopard and the excitement on spotting a Malabar civet. Janaki says, "I embraced the expanse of natural history... and in the process learnt a lot." The thought holds good for every reader as each story is a revelation about the glory of Nature and its inhabitants.

The foreword by Lee Durrell, wife of the legendary Gerald Durrell, adds weight to the book, as do the compliments by the likes of conservationist George Schaller, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Rahul Dravid and Timeri Murari.

As you journey with Janaki, you are compelled to ask the question, "Why are we destroying this beautiful world? The creatures, big and small, are unique in every way but together they create an ecosystem that maintains a balance in Nature. By systematically destroying our natural resources and claiming the homes of the creatures (like the once ubiquitous but now rare sparrow), we are forgetting that we too are just but one small part, a link, of this ecosystem. Anyway, read it… you will fall in love with the small and big creatures around us!

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Saina Nehwal: An Inspirational Biography – T.S. Sudhir (Nimby Books, Rs. 250).

Sporting legends have always been a motivation for people all around the world. They stand for endurance, courage and that spirit of triumph. At a time when cricket takes up pages of newspapers and plenty of airspace on TV and radio, here was a young girl from another sport who attracted much attention. That she's a pretty gal is definitely an added attraction.

This is the story of Saina Nehwal, a small town girl with big dreams.

This is the tale of a badminton player who made her parents – Dr. Harvir Singh, an agricultural scientist, and Usha Rani – and coaches and the country proud when she stood on that podium and wore the Bronze at the London Olympics 2012.

But her journey was tough. Waking up early, travelling 20 km to reach the courts and practising for two hours before heading for school is not routine for an eight-year-old. But it was, for this Jat girl whose father played a large part in her rise to stardom. Money was not enough but that did not stop Dr. Singh from ensuring that his talented daughter took to the court. Obviously, all the troubles have paid off. Today, Saina is a name to reckon with in the sporting world, and sponsors are willing to spend crores on her.

Candid but at the same time caring, Sudhir, once a NDTV correspondent, tells Saina's story with emotion but maintaining a certain objectivity.

Saina is an icon for the young. Hers is a story that will help budding sportsmen and women to hone their skill and face adversity with courage and reach for the stars. Just like Saina has done.