Books from India

Mika Moon has spent her life obeying the first rule of witches: stay hidden, stay apart, never let anyone see what you can do. Orphaned as a baby in India and raised in England at arm's length by her guardian Primrose, she films tongue-in-cheek "witch" videos online as a private joke — until one of them draws a very real invitation. She is asked to come to Nowhere House, a rambling English estate, to teach three young witches to control their magic: ten-year-old Rosetta, eight-year-old Terracotta and seven-year-old Altamira. What she finds is not a school but a household — a retired actor, his husband, a housekeeper, and Jamie Kelly, the prickly librarian who is certain a stranger like Mika is a threat to the children he has helped raise.

• found family
• grumpy sunshine
• slow burn
• forced proximity

This collection of poems explores the complexities of love, loss, and self-discovery. Through raw and honest verse, the authors delve into the experiences of young women navigating relationships, identity, and the challenges of growing up. It's a powerful exploration of vulnerability and resilience.

Sera Swan, once a powerful witch, lost most of her magic and was exiled after resurrecting her great-aunt. Now, she reluctantly helps run an enchanted inn, dealing with quirky guests and a talking fox, all while longing for her lost future. When she discovers an old spell that could restore her powers, a handsome and icy magical historian, Luke Larsen, arrives and might hold the key to its secrets. Despite his initial disinterest, Luke finds himself drawn into Sera's madcap world, and together they navigate reclaiming her magic and staying ahead of a watchful Guild, discovering the strength of their unexpected family along the way.

• second chance
• found family
• grumpy sunshine
• slow burn

Rupi Kaur's second collection is organized around the life cycle of a flower — wilting, falling, rooting, rising, and blooming — using that arc to chart a passage through heartbreak toward growth. In spare free verse and accompanying line drawings, the poems move through the pain of a lost love and the slow work of recovery, then outward to larger themes: migration and displacement, the sacrifices of immigrant parents, ancestry and roots, womanhood, and the hard-won return to self-worth. Kaur honors where she comes from even as she reaches for who she is becoming. Warm, direct, and accessible, "the sun and her flowers" deepens the concerns of her debut into a wider meditation on loss, belonging, and renewal.

Arundhati Roy's "Mother Mary Comes to Me" is a novel that explores the complexities of faith, identity, and the human condition. The story follows a character's journey through personal trials and spiritual questioning. It invites readers to reflect on their own beliefs and the search for meaning in life.

A boy travels to a moon made of stories to save his father's gift of storytelling from a villain determined to silence it forever.

• quest

Two Indian actors, Gibreel Farishta and Saladin Chamcha, fall from an exploding jumbo jet over the English Channel and survive — one remade as an angel, the other as a devil. So begins Salman Rushdie's sprawling, controversial fable of migration, faith, and belonging, whose dream-chapters reimagining the birth of a religion sparked a global firestorm. A landmark work of magical realism.

Introducing a major literary talent, "The White Tiger" offers a story of coruscating wit, blistering suspense, and questionable morality, told by the most volatile, captivating, and utterly inimitable narrator that this millennium has yet seen.Balram Halwai is a complicated man. Servant. Philosopher. Entrepreneur. Murderer. Over the course of seven nights, by the scattered light of a preposterous chandelier, Balram tells us the terrible and transfixing story of how he came to be a success in life -- having nothing but his own wits to help him along.Born in the dark heart of India, Balram gets a break when he is hired as a driver for his village's wealthiest man, two house Pomeranians (Puddles and Cuddles), and the rich man's (very unlucky) son. From behind the wheel of their Honda City car, Balram's new world is a revelation. While his peers flip through the pages of "Murder Weekly" ("Love -- Rape -- Revenge!"), barter for girls, drink liquor (Thunderbolt), and perpetuate the Great Rooster Coop of Indian society, Balram watches his employers bribe foreign ministers for tax breaks, barter for girls, drink liquor (single-malt whiskey), and play their own role in the Rooster Coop. Balram learns how to siphon gas, deal with corrupt mechanics, and refill and resell Johnnie Walker Black Label bottles (all but one). He also finds a way out of the Coop that no one else inside it can perceive.Balram's eyes penetrate India as few outsiders can: the cockroaches and the call centers; the prostitutes and the worshippers; the ancient and Internet cultures; the water buffalo and, trapped in so many kinds of cages that escape is (almost) impossible, the white tiger. And with a charisma as undeniable as it is unexpected, Balram teaches us that religion doesn't create virtue, and money doesn't solve every problem -- but decency can still be found in a corrupt world, and you can get what you want out of life if you eavesdrop on the right conversations.Sold in sixteen countries around the world, "The White Tiger" recalls "The Death of Vishnu" and "Bangkok 8" in ambition, scope, and narrative genius, with a mischief and personality all its own. Amoral, irreverent, deeply endearing, and utterly contemporary, this novel is an international publishing sensation -- and a startling, provocative debut.

• epistolary
• unreliable narrator
• morally grey
• anti hero

Arundhati Roy's Booker Prize-winning debut, in which fraternal twins in 1960s Kerala watch their family come apart over a forbidden love that crosses caste lines — and over the Love Laws that decide who should be loved, and how, and how much.

• forbidden love
• family saga
• dual timeline
• coming of age

An 80-year-old woman in northern India finds a new zest for life after her husband's death, much to the bewilderment of her modern daughter. Defying expectations, she embarks on a journey to Pakistan to confront the unresolved trauma of her teenage experiences during the Partition. Geetanjali Shree navigates these serious subjects with a playful spirit and inventive language.

• family saga
• coming of age

Ashwin Sanghi's "The Krishna Key" delivers an electrifying blend of mythology, history, and suspense. The story follows a quest where ancient secrets linked to Lord Krishna's legendary wisdom are uncovered through a modern thriller. This book bridges the past and present with imaginative twists, offering a compelling mystery.

• quest
• mystery box
• dual timeline

Experience the spiritual depth and lyrical beauty of Rabindranath Tagore's "Gitanjali" (Song Offerings). This collection features devotional songs that explore the heart of Bengali poetry and spiritual expression. It includes both original Sanskrit verse and English translations, offering a journey into profound themes.

A ten-year-old schoolboy in the fictional town of Malgudi navigates friendship, cricket matches, first crushes, and the growing pains of adolescence under British rule. As his circle of friends shifts and he matures, Swami's adventures capture a timeless sense of childhood wonder set against the backdrop of colonial India.

• coming of age
• found family

Two young people, Sonia and Sunny, are drawn to each other on a train, despite a past attempt by their grandparents to set them up that backfired. Sonia, back in India after studying in Vermont, fears a dark spell, while Sunny, a journalist in New York, is escaping family conflict. Together, they navigate the alienations of the modern world in search of happiness.

• second chance
• fish out of water

For more than thirty years, the insights of Osho have delighted and challenged spiritual seekers. Everyday Osho represents the essence of these insights an understanding that synthesizes a wide range of spiritual and philosophical traditions -- with the contributions of modern science and psychology. This inspirational volume offers readers daily choices by living fully in the here and now, challenging them to embrace a new way of being that integrates body, mind, and spirit.

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Man Booker Prize: An "extraordinary" novel "lit by a moral intelligence at once fierce and tender" ( The New York Times Book Review ). In a crumbling, isolated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas, an embittered old judge wants only to retire in peace. But his life is upended when his sixteen-year-old orphaned granddaughter, Sai, arrives on his doorstep. The judge's chatty cook watches over the girl, but his thoughts are mostly with his son, Biju, hopscotching from one miserable New York restaurant job to another, trying to stay a step ahead of the INS. When a Nepalese insurgency threatens Sai's new-sprung romance with her tutor, the household descends into chaos. The cook witnesses India's hierarchy being overturned and discarded. The judge revisits his past and his role in Sai and Biju's intertwining lives. In a grasping world of colliding interests and conflicting desires, every moment holds out the possibility for hope or betrayal. Published to extraordinary acclaim, The Inheritance of Loss heralds Kiran Desai as one of our most insightful novelists. She illuminates the pain of exile and the ambiguities of postcolonialism with a tapestry of colorful characters and "uncannily beautiful" prose ( O: The Oprah Magazine ). "A book about tradition and modernity, the past and the future—and about the surprising ways both amusing and sorrowful, in which they all connect." — The Independent

Krish, a Punjabi boy, and Ananya, a Tamilian girl, fall in love while studying in Delhi. Their relationship faces a major hurdle: their families, deeply rooted in their distinct cultural traditions, are not ready to accept their inter-caste marriage. This story follows their determined efforts to bridge the cultural divide and win their families' approval.

• forbidden love
• forced proximity

A year after his ex-girlfriend Anika's mysterious death, engineer Kishore can't shake the feeling she was murdered. When he starts digging into her past, he uncovers a dangerous conspiracy that forces him to confront powerful enemies and shocking truths. Can he find justice for Anika before he becomes the next victim?

• revenge

Many everyday discomforts and tensions arise from the fact that we are alienated from our bodies. With the help of Body Mind Balancing, readers will learn to talk to and reconnect with their bodies. After just a short time, readers will begin to appreciate how much the body has been working for them and supporting them, and from this new perspective one can find new ways to work with the body and create a more harmonious balance of body and mind.The guided meditation and relaxation process, "Reminding Yourself of the Forgotten Language of Talking to Your BodyMind" is a CD that accompanies the text. Developed by Osho, this meditative therapy guides the listener in reconnecting with his or her body and creating a new and greater sense of well-being.The voice on the CD belongs to meditation teacher Anando Hefley.

In his groundbreaking book Do Epic Shit, Warikoo dropped this truth bomb: ‘Three relationships determine our life's course - time, money, and ourselves.’ Now, in his third book, Make Epic Money, he dives deep into the complex world of money to provide you with the ultimate personal-finance blueprint. Drawing on a lifetime of experience of financial highs and lows, he shares everything he has learnt about money that he wishes someone had taught him when he was young. Prepare to unlock the secrets to financial well-being with this no-nonsense guide. Say goodbye to confusing jargon and hello to practical advice. Discover how to earn, spend and make your money work just as hard for you as you do for it.

A Pallava prince sails to Cambodia carrying a secret that will seed wars centuries later; a Buddhist monk treks from China to India in search of knowledge that could make an emperor invincible; a Neolithic tribe guards a sacred inheritance. Centuries on, as troops mass along the Indo-China border, reclusive scientist Dr. Raja Rao deciphers ancient texts under the watch of foreign agents, and Wing Commander Paramjit 'Pam' Khurana is thrown into a mission whose true prize is far older than she knows. Sanghi links the Pallava kingdom, Cambodia, and China across time, cutting between Xuanzang's seventh-century pilgrimage and a present-day military crisis in a thriller about power, heredity, and forgotten science.

• quest
• mystery box

"The bastard son of Kaushal has returned. And along with the royal estate, wants to claim his half-brother's widow...Shunned as a child by his father's royal family, Hiten is requested to return and inherit the well-known Kaushal estate because of his half-brother's death.But the self-made rich, powerful and ruthless businessman isn’t interested in the inheritance. All he wants is revenge. Closure. And his target is his half-brother's widow, the woman he once deeply loved and worshiped before she betrayed their love.Ten years ago, Meenakshi Mahasena broke the heart of the handsome orphan boy who grew up with her at her modest family estate. Instead of marrying him as she had promised, she married the rich heir of the neighboring prosperous estate.And now, on the verge of losing everything, Meena must somehow stop the man she had once promised to love until forever from destroying her.A PASSIONATE TALE OF REVENGE, LOVE & REDEMPTION.Note: This is a full-length, standalone romance novel.

When fire meets gasoline... sparks fly. But will they burn together in HATE or DESIRE?Naina didn't believe in love or marriage. And then, she met a handsome, charming stranger who drew out her passion and stole her heart. She almost fell in love, when shocking truth got revealed.Naina's power-hungry politician father had promised her in marriage to Shiv Jaipal, a ruthless, powerful man also known as the devil. Forced into a hasty marriage, Naina is taken away and held as the devil's captive.She hated and feared the devil, but why did she also feel angry and betrayed by him?And when he vowed to possess her body, heart and soul, why did she fear he might succeed?Will she fight the devil? Or will she give in to his dark desires... even though she knows she is going to escape him no matter what?The Devil's Desire is a standalone passionate romance and book two of The Devils Series.

Deepak Chopra presents a unique portrait of the Prophet Muhammad. This historical novel explores his life not just as a religious icon, but as a man chosen for an extraordinary purpose. The story follows his journey from orphan to leader, offering a human-centered perspective on one of history's most influential figures.

• chosen one
• quest
• coming of age

In the university town of Allahabad during the 1940s, Chander and Sudha's intense love story unfolds with tragic consequences. Chander's idealistic choices for Sudha lead him down a destructive path, forcing him to confront the complex nature of desire and purity. This novel explores the devastating impact of passion when it clashes with societal expectations and personal morality.

• forbidden love
• morally grey

A twenty-one-year-old named Prithvi goes looking for Om Shastri, an aghori who was tracked for more than two hundred years before being captured and taken to a high-security facility on an island off the Indian coast. Drugged and hypnotised for interrogation, Om tells his questioners he has lived through all four yugas and stood in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and that he has spent those centuries hunting the other immortals scattered across those ages. What he gives up under questioning threatens both the settled version of the past and what comes next.

Ankur Warikoo is an entrepreneur and content creator whose witty and brutally honest thoughts on success and failure, money and investing, self-awareness and personal relationships have made him one of India’s top personal brands. In his first book, Ankur puts together the key ideas that have fuelled his journey. This is a book to be read, and reread, a book you will give your family and friends and strangers. Ankur hopes for this book to become the most gifted book ever!

Deepak Chopra's 'The Book of Secrets' offers practical wisdom for personal and spiritual growth. This guide provides insights to help you navigate life's complexities with more understanding and inner peace. It's a resource for anyone seeking a more meaningful existence.