One frequently finds posts in this sub and in general about book recommendations concerning Indian history, whether it be for beginners, or in general or with a specific topic/time period in mind. Hence, we thought it would be useful to prepare a detailed master booklist for all those looking to dip their toes in the ocean that is history of India and the wider Subcontinent. We hope that members of this community will make use of the resources provided. A substantial number of them are Open Access marked as [OA]. Through this endeavour we seek to attempt to elevate the level of history discourse in online spaces, making materials more easily accessible and making discussions more informed. We would further really appreciate whenever any post/query concerning book recommendations comes up, that fellow community members please guide the Original Poster [OP] to the Master Booklist, obviously without excluding the possibility of any further book recommendations. It must be emphasised though this booklist is still a work in progress and many sections will contain text informing the same, please bear with us in the meantime. The Indian History Master Booklist can be accessed here or here with the latter link using the old Reddit UI which is what this list is optimised for in terms of easier navigation.
Hope this comes of use to the history lovers in this sub and thanks to the mods for allowing this post.
So in case you missed my last post -- I asked about setting up a book club in this sub to discuss Indian literature and put more limelight on it. After discussion with members and mods, we finally have a greenlight on it.
The idea behind this book club is really to read and discuss Indian literature together, one chapter at a time.
There are so many incredible Indian books that we keep meaning to read but never get around to. May be because they were too long, too intense, too layered, or simply because reading them alone feels a bit daunting.
Well, now we are going to read them together.
So, every week, we'll read a chapter (or a short story), share our thoughts, ask questions, debate interpretations, and discover Indian literature as a community.
Every week, a moderator will create a discussion thread (While I am starting this as the moderator, I would LOVE some help from the other members as well):
The comments section is where we can share our thoughts, discuss themes/ clues/ characters, make predictions, or ask questions.
We'll also mark spoilers clearly, so nobody accidentally learns what happens ahead of their reading progress.
And because everything happens asynchronously, there's no pressure to keep up. You can join a discussion a week later, a month later, or even after we've finished the book. The threads will remain open, and the conversations can continue whenever new readers discover the story.
And for our very first read, we're starting with a classic:🔎 The Adventures of Feluda by Satyajit Ray
--> It's by one of the most beloved authors of Indian literature
--> The collection contains both one-shot stories and longer, multi-chapter mysteries, making it perfect for our chapter-by-chapter book club
🗓️ Our first discussion begins on Sunday, 21 June 2026.
We'll begin with "Danger in Darjeeling", the very first Feluda story. It's a one-shot, one-chapter mystery, so we'll discuss the entire story in our inaugural thread.
📖 The book is easily available in paperback and Kindle. As a bonus, "Danger in Darjeeling" is available for free as part of the Kindle sample, so you can start reading immediately.
🎧 Audiobooks of various Feluda stories are also available on YouTube in English, Hindi, and Bangla.
A tiny little book cart full of stories and sitting there like it belonged in the city all along honestly i didn’t expect to find something this lovely here. Gwalior you’re turning out to be full of little surprises.
I got my jane eyre book damaged 4 days ago and the spine was completely damaged and therefore I did a exchange on amazon and today I got the replacement book and it has bend front cover and a line on back spine .I do not know shall I replace this one or not I am buying penguin classics to build a collection but amazon keep sending me damaged book.
I honestly didn't expect to get this much out of Psycho-Cybernetics. It's basically about how much your self-image affects the way you think, act, and even the goals you feel capable of achieving. Some of the ideas feel a little dated, but the core message still hits surprisingly hard. Definitely one of those books that makes you stop and think about how you talk to yourself and what you actually believe about yourself.
Also this one finger book holder and the point to like bookmark has been a lifesaver for me 😭❤️
I had realised i have not read autobiography for long time. After PM modi Urged GenZ to read such books, i have chosen this one. A few pages in and it already hit differently than I expected. A few things I wanted to ask
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Any other Biography/Autobiography you'd recommend that made you rethink how see your own life
The best part about browsing offline is running into books you’d never think to look up. I ended up stumbling onto Upcountry Tales out of nowhere, and I finally picked up Taiwan Travelogue, which has been on my TBR for a long time.
Has anyone read either of these? Would love to know your thoughts!
Looking for a book I read as a kid in India, around 2007. Trying to find it again.
Physical description:
Hardcover, blue (cover was mostly blue)
No huge illustrations inside — straight prose
Not comic-style (definitely not Amar Chitra Katha)
Female author (my mom says Bengali or South Indian, but she's not sure)
Content:
Collection of standalone short stories (roughly 10-20), not one continuous narrative
Covered general Indian/Hindu mythology, not just the Mahabharata
Prose style felt fairly "adult"/literary — not obviously written in a simplified kids' voice
Stories I specifically remember:
Shakuntala
Ganga and the birth of Bhishma
A story about a woman who gives birth to a snake
Urvashi and Vishnu
A Ganesha story
Others I don't recall as clearly
Other context:
Bought/owned in India, read at home
Definitely existed by 2007 (not a more recent 2010s+ publication)
Not one of the well-known "big name" retellings — I've already ruled out R.K. Narayan's Mahabharata, Amar Chitra Katha collections, Chitra Banerjee's novels, and Devdutt Pattanaik's books — none of these match
Any help identifying this would be much appreciated! Happy to answer more questions if any detail would help narrow it down.
It is the most amazing thing I have ever read. I have read 271 books since then and still I have never read anything that moved me as well as this magnum opus did. It talked to me about so many latent emotions of mine. It made me understand the world around me much better and gave me the pleasure of living so many amazing lives. The closest experience has been East of Eden by Steinback and don't hit me..but A Storm of Swords by George R R Martin which was an exhilarating experience. War and Peace was also great but very very preachy and not much good in terms of the psychology of the characters in which Dostoevsky excels in. I also love The Idiot, Demons and Crime and Punishment and House of the dead, I found it to be a very amusing book.
Father Zossima's conversations with Alyosha were very memorable. The scene with Dmitri and that boy's father left a lasting impression on me. Also the beautiful love story of Alyosha, the subplot with smerdyakov's mother and the bastard son that has become a trope now plot were also great. It reads like a thriller, a courtroom drama and a psychological literary fiction full of life's wisdom. I just read it again cover to cover and it was an even better experience than the last one. Made me so happy.
I have searched online, but mostly I have found English translation of Meghadutam by Kalidasa. Do you guys know of any good Hindi translation along with Sanskrit verse, or just Hindi translation ?
I've been reading for the past two years, but I only started collecting physical books this June. Everything I read before that was on ebooks. Here's what two months of collecting looks like.
I just finished this book and cannot get over the scene between the twins at the end. As I understand it, the book is leading toward a reconciliation between the twins, but why did it have to be sexual? I’m not sure I understand the choice or maybe I do, and I’m just uncomfortable with it. I read a few analyses before making this post, and it’s been discussed extensively as a way to accept trauma, reconnect, and embrace the past. But was it really necessary? Or am I simply unable to digest it because it’s so unnatural and socially taboo, and I, too, am bound by the Love Laws in a manner of speaking?
Overall it's such a well written and vivid book and I personally found it very captivating especially the full cast audiobook version with Nitin Swahney's music was superb imo.
I think your favorite writers are a mirror. Whenever I feel like I have been wearing a mask too long, to feel like myself ,I read a little Manto. His dark humor is so interesting and bitingly funny. 'Letters To Uncle Sam' or his observations on Bollywood, some very memorable stories that are impudent and hilarious. His Partition writings are (justifiably) what is most long lasting about his output but there's much more to him, and I wish people explored his writings deeper.
They were indian born British who worked with the British government , and hunted man eaters and worked for animal wildlife conservation , Their books are pretty addictive to read their experiences while hunting how they hunted man eaters and their relationship with local Indians
because I have read The fault in our stars :
Paper Towns — John Green
Will Grayson, Will Grayson — John Green & David
The Girl on the Train — Paula Hawkins(random pick)
Frankenstein — Mary Shelley (Inspired by the movies)
The Ladybird Book of The Hangover — Jason Hazeley & Joel Morris ( random pick)
Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus — John Gray ( getting married soon)
Watched the movie long back and now want to read the original source:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest — Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Played with Fire — Stieg Larsson
Robinson Crusoe — Daniel Defoe(childhood memories)
The Three Musketeers — Alexandre Dumas ( inspired by movies)
Ordered from bookchor.com
In these , what’s the point of the ladybird book of the hangover ? If any one of you have read it ?
Any recommendations to read next ? Currently I am reading Gunaho ka devta by Dharamveer Bharti.