80 good books to read on my shelf sorted by genre


I am going to jump into this list without any introduction, the title being self-explanatory. and my goal in making this list being I am accountable for reading most if not all of these books before the end of 2022, before I jump into my next book haul. 🙂

Note: majority of his books are available for FREE on Kindle Unlimited Subscription by Amazon in India and those books that are paid (a handful few) are available for a very small fee.

 30 day free trial available. 

Some of these books are also available for free on Audible. 

 Start your 90 day Free trial. 

* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases


Biographies/Memoir Books to read


What you hold in your hand when you hold this book is not ordinary. It is a spiritual treasure. To read its message of hope to all is to begin a great adventure.


Would you like a window into the mind of the greatest revolutionary pre-independence India had? What made Mahatma Gandhi – Mahatma Gandhi? What was his childhood like, his philosophy of life, his emotions? Find out all this and more in the Story of my Experiments with truth.


A delight on every page, Yes Please is a chock full of words, and wisdom, to live by. Amy’s hilarious and candid book that is a collection of anecdotes, essay, ideas, lists haikus.


A book you should probably gift all your girlfriends. Its touted to be an amazing autobiography of a woman in search of peace and happiness. 


A beautifully written memoir of a young girl living amidst the most horrific periods in human history, The Holocaust. The book is a testament to the indestructible human spirit that survives and perseveres and remains hopeful even in the most adverse situations.


Contemporary Fiction Books to read


This is not a world of easy answers but one in which intentions don’t match actions and expectations don’t match consequences, where it is possible to mean something partly good and do something mostly bad.


A witty and subtle family drama that is also a painful, funny, and humane novel that is beautifully written and addictively readable. The story of a fifty-seven year old George that is warm-hearted and entertaining.


A beautifully written narrative about a woman trying to survive the grief of a brother lost to addiction and a mother trapped in depression while simultaneously trying to pursue her ambitions.


The story of a woman who finds her husband dead in the bathtub with a strange drawing beside him. The incident takes her into the past where she begins to see her future.


Allan Karlsson is about to celebrate his 100th birthday in an old people’s home with a party. Only he doesn’t want to be in the party. So he climbs down his bedroom window into the flower beds outside and so begins his adventurous and entertaining journey.


Perfect for fans of Crazy Rich Asians or Daisy Jones and the six this book is an eye-opening story of female friendship set against the brutal beauty standards of South Korea.


A man considered barely human is trying to be a son, a brother, a partner and a father. A book about the Chinese-American experience that skewers stereotypes.


An affecting and haunting story of a kid and his mom who live in a locked room. The kid believes that the world is his ma, the room and the cartoons he watches on TV. But one day his Ma tells him there is a world outside the room.


A ferocious but funny study of modern womanhood set in the Ghana. The story talks about the search for independence and the rules that might have to be broken along the way.


Did a child burn down the family house? Is perfection dangerous?

A fictional story that will have you glues to your reading corner through day or night. Essentially a mother daughter story.


Fantasy/Sci-Fi Books To read


I love the famous lines about this book – The Circus arrives without warning, no announcements preced it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

These mysterious and thrilling lines are so compelling, it is my most anticipated read of the year.


The war between gods, demons and humans continues in the epic story of Lore a goddess after her family was brutally murdered by rivals.


They killed my mother, they took out magic, they tried to bury us, now we rise. This introduction was enough motivation for me to get my hands on this book.


The cat who saved the books is a heartening story about finding courage, caring for others and the remarkable power of books.


The writer imagines the life of a popular devotional poet, Andal, whose uplifting and sensual verses remain beloved and controversial to this day.  


A retelling of the Iliad – this book is a legendary love story of Patroclus and Achilles told with passion and accuracy. Set in Greece among the Trojan wars this a captivating romance you cannot miss.


Before the Matrix, before Star Wars, before Ender’s Game, there was Dune, one of the greatest science fiction novels to be written. It won the Hugo Award, The Nebula Award and now adapted into a movie.



Literary Fiction Books to Read


Winner of the 1997 Booker Prize, God of Small things is a rare book that effectively cuts through the layers of nationality, caste and religion to reveal the bare bones of humanity.


A highly observant book about writers. Winner of the Pulitzer in 2018, Less is a novel about mishaps, misunderstandings and the depths of the human heart.


The story is about three siblings living in South Africa. It details their daily personal lives while being written with so much depth and clarity that it lives on inside our heads long after we’ve read it.


Anita Agnihotri’s sickle takes us through the lives of migrant laborers and farmers living in Maharashtra, India and subsequently takes us through grave concerns and issues like female feticide, sexual assault, cast violence, suicides of farmers, among many others.


Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017, Exit West is the story of love amongst war. It offers hope and compassion from within bombs, executions and death.


The Booker Prize winning book of 2019, Girl Woman Other narrates the experience of Black Women in a heart-breakingly funny and breath-takingly honest way. Set in Britain it takes readers through the lives of twelve different women with distinct characters and voices. 


Historical Fiction Books To Read


Written with Reid’s signature talent for cerating complex, likable characters this is a mesmerizing journey through the splendor of old Hollywood into the sobering realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means to face truth.


A shimmering and monumental epic, The Glass Palace paints a picture of the tension between the Burmese, the Indian, and the British. It not only grasps the reach and fall of empires across the century, but also maps the unerring skill the rival geography of the human heart.


This is the remarkable story of a brave Rajput princess, Meera and her legendary devotion to Lord Krishna. This retelling of Meera’s story is a celebration of her life as a princess, a daughter-in-law, a poet, and a seeker of divine union. 


If you’ve read and loved Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko or Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing you’re in for another treat. The Mountains sing is an warm, emotive portrayal of a country at war and a family’s conflict to survive the war.


 I loved the Nightingale by the same author, and here’s another book by her that portrays the remarkable strength of women. This is an epic story of human survival and love reflected through the struggles of a family.


Imagining leaving behind a life of luxury to live in house arrest indefinitely in the attic of a hotel. That is what our central character is confined to by the Bolshevik tribunal. But the question is can a life without luxury be a rich life?


Unforgettable characters, beautiful story-telling and difficult but mature themes with real human concerns make this a must-read. A passionate, heart-touching story of a household and through their lives the story of America.


Winner of the Women’s Prize for fiction in 2020, Hamnet is the story of Shakespeare’s son whose life is forgotten but his name has become immortal due to being titled to one of the playwright’s most celebrated plays.


A slow-burn story of sisters’ hat explores the emotions of guilt, shame and anger in a brilliant way. What happens when you commit a crime when you were young and spend the rest of your life atoning for it?


A heart clenching story of love and betrayal and the loss of love and friendship in times of war. It reflects on the dehumanization of Kashmir without losing sight of the truth.


From the award winning author of the Underground railroad comes another searing novel exploring America’s racially troubled past. A story of courage, cruelty and perversion. 



Horror/Thriller/Mystery/True Crime Books To Read


The Turn of the Screw is James’ best known and most widely read story. It is the story of a governess and takes us on a fascinating journey into the recesses of her subconscious mind.


The Shining is a prime example of how King knows how to write stories that draw you in and are impossible to put down. The haunting and terrifying story proves why King is one of bestselling writers of the world.  


The story revolves around some dark themes – child abuse, violence, incest and such. But it surfs through these and gives the readers a wildly entertaining ride. At the end of the story you might just want to turn into an alien.  


The Queen of mystery strikes again with this thrilling story of ten strangers stranded on an island who are living amidst a murderer who is finishing them off one by one. Will any of them manage to survive?


One of the most intriguing, assured and unputdownable debuts to come out of Scotland in recent years. The elegiac, elegant and atmospheric book is an original and compelling first novel.


Supposedly beautifully written and incredibly powerful, Girl A is a story of redemption, of horror, and of love.


The mysterious story of a detective. This book is the first in the new Jeffrey Archer series where William Warwick plays detective. The story is full if twists, triumphs and tragedies, perfect for detective story lovers.


You are boarding a flight to New York with more than a hundred other people. But what you don’t know is that your pilot’s family has been kidnapped and either they survive of the passengers survive. Now, have a safe flight.


Based on the real-life voyage of a convict ship, Dangerous Women is a thrilling and deeply moving mystery, narrated by a group of women as unforgettable as the events they describe.  


A modern detective story that is very much atmospheric like Agatha Christie stories. Christie fans are in for a treat. Only instead or an experienced Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot we have an energetic and resourceful teen doing the investigation.


Yu-jin is literally that – the good son. But one day he wakes to find himself covered in blood and with a body downstairs. The body of his mother. But he remembers nothing. What should he do?


Believed to be one of Karin Slaughter’s best works, Pieces of Her is a darkly addictive psychological thriller. It’s thoughtful. It’s addictive and it’s very compelling.


A legal thriller, The Innocent man, explores small town justice system gone terribly wrong. This is the author’s first and most extraordinary work of nonfiction.


In 2011 an RTI activist was shot dead in Bhopal by contract killers. She was trying to uncover some ugly truths about bureaucrats and politicians. But her death was conveniently made into a suicide until the CBI was made to uncover the truth, which is both fascinating and riveting.



Non-Fiction-Self Help Books To Read


In Landmark Judgements that changed India, former Supreme court judge and eminent jurist, Asok Kumar Ganguly analyses the cases that led to the formation of new laws and changes to the legal system.


Packed with unforgettable wisdom and penetrating insights your mental gears will be working overtime. The almanac is an incredible source of wisdom that teaches us that getting rich is not about luck; happiness is not just a trait we are born with.


Explode myths around getting rich, challenge age-old beliefs regarding money, find out why the school system in unreliable in teaching students abut managing money and learn what to need to teach your kids and yourself about money.


The book forces us to apply a more selective criteria for what is essential, the pursuit of less allows us to regain control of our choices so we can make the highest possible contribution towards the things that really matter.


In The Power of Habit, award-winning NYT business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us into the thrilling and surprising world of the scientific study of habits. By harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.


A guide for understanding male-female relationships and the varied communication styles of men and women. This book offers hope and insight into having wholesome fulfilling relationships.


Inner Engineering is a concept developed by Sadhguru over several years that serves to align the mind and body with energies around and within to create a world of limitless power and possibilities.


This is a book that has been a bestseller since its publication in 1936. The fundamental idea in the book is that it is possible to change other people’s behavior towards us by changing our own behavior towards them.


Whether your goal is quitting the rat race for work, experiencing first-class world travel, earning a six-figure monthly income or just living your life to the fullest while working less, this book is your handy guide and essential reading.


Indistractable focuses on one of the biggest difficulties in the current times – managing our attention. The author gives us a practical and realistic approach for balancing technology with our own well-being. The best guide for reclaiming our life.


The world moves fast but that does not translate to we move fast. How do we remain calm in a busy world? Explore these tips from a Zen monk and boost your life in all aspects.


Denmark is often said to be the happiest country in the world, that’s down to one thing – Hygge. You can incorporate Hygge in every aspect of your life – from lighting to planning parties to how to dress and so much more.


A collection of essays on love. Each love and lover unique and different and yet beautiful. The novel portrays eleven kinds of love through eleven individuals who have had their lives transformed by this love.



Short Story Books To Read


Selected and edited by Suhatha Vijayaraghavan and Mini Krishnan, the book showcases some of the best short fiction to emerge put of Tamil Nadu, dating from the last century to the present day.


In Sudha Murty’s most celebrated work of non-fiction, fifty vignettes showcase the myriad shades of human nature. The book will encourage you to look at the world around you with new eyes.


Ratno Dholi brings together the first substantial collection of Dhumketu’s work available in English. These much loved stories in their original language remain remarkable and relevant even today.


A city thrums with murderous intent, family treacheries, and gloomy desires in this brilliant contemporary Gothic set in Argentina.


The unforgettable men and women in Prabhakaran’s stories have an uncanny ability to expose the fault lines between the real and the unreal, the normal and the mad, as they explore their own worlds.


Poetry Books To Read


 A poignant poetry book.


This book is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read that explores the family history beginning from when the narrator was born. The letter also reveals parts of the author’s life the mother is unaware of.


Romance Books To Read


A great many love stories came forth from the pens of writers from time to time. However, this one is said to be the greatest of all, and enjoys the fame of being an all-time favorite.


 A heartwarming tale about truth, friendship and feeling a connection. A feel-good story that offers hope and teaches us the value of honesty.


This book by the bestselling Indian author of The Zoya Factor and Battle for Bittora is spot on funny and toe-curlingly sexy. This is romcom specialist ANuja Chauhan at her best.


History Books To Read



YA Books to read


If you want the story of an unforgettable character, here’s the book you must read. If you are different and trying to fit in, here’s a book you must read. If you are depressed or upset and looking for an uplifting read, here’s a book you must read.


An evergreen classic in the Marathi language is now available to wider audiences through this translation by Shanta Gokhale.


Jonas lives within a community with no war or hunger or pain. Then he is selected as the Reeciver of Memory. Then he discovers the underbelly of his perfect world and sets him on an incredible journey.




Happy reading!

Sign Up for more great content and Book Lists!

This post contains affiliate links.  Read my Disclosure Policy.