Are you looking for books by Indian authors that are easy to read and perfect for beginners? Are you tired of recommendations that are as thick as bricks and just want to read something that is light on both the mind and the hand?

As a beginner, we often tend to lean toward books that are easy to get into, with fewer pages, and a writing style that doesn’t require us to sit with a dictionary. We look for books that can be completed quickly and make us feel like we have achieved something. For beginners, even those books with captivating stories though more in page count can work like a charm. And of course, we love that hit of happiness when marking a book as completed on Goodreads or Storygraph or our own personal reading tracker, don’t we?

Well, we have just the right recommendations for you. These books written by Indian authors are not only the best ones you could pick up as a beginner but also the ones you’ll remember for years like fond memories of childhood.

{How many of these Controversial Indian Books have you read?}

Collection of Short Stories or Anthology

1. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
   
   A collection of nine short stories about characters who are caught in a space where it’s complicated to hold on to one’s roots while living away from their culture. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award in 2000, the book brings out the nuances of navigating through the dual nature of being an Indian American.
   
2. The Legends of Pensam by Mamang Dai
   
   In the language of the Adis (a tribe in Arunachal Pradesh), the word ‘pensam’ means ‘in-between’ – hidden spaces of the heart where a secret garden grows. This collection of stories is woven through the legends, myths, and local folklore that are rich and deeply rooted in these tribes of the land of dawn-lit mountains. Not only does this book read like a long-needed vacation, but it also highlights how rapid changes have been affecting the lives of even the remotest of places in this northeastern state of India.
   
3. Magical Women (edited by Sukanya Venkatraghavan)
   
   An anthology of fourteen magical short stories written by women and inspired by the rich legacy of tales of women from old myths and legends. These stories are quite easy to grasp as they are captivating on their own and possess a collective power to draw you in for a quick escape.
   
4. The Complete Adventures of Feluda by Satyajit Ray
   
   These stories are available in collections (Volume 1, Volume 2, etc) as well as separately for each story. Originally written in Bengali, these stories are about the adventures of Mr. Pradosh Mitter (aka Feluda) from the perspective of his younger cousin, Topshe as the famous detective goes on solving riveting murder mysteries all across the Indian landscape.

Non-Fiction Books

1. Three Thousand Stitches: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives by Sudha Murty
   
   In this collection of eleven stories, the author draws inspiration from her own life and compiles her experiences to pass down the lessons learnt. She writes about her struggles as the only female student in her college, and about the work she did for the Devadasi community. She covers various life events from her youth to becoming a grandmother and packages a message in each of the stories neatly.

2. Life’s Amazing Secrets: How to Find Balance and Purpose in Your Life by Gaur Gopal Das
   
   This book is a conversation between the world-famous life coach and ISKCON monk, Gaur Gopal Das, and his young millionaire friend, Harry, as they’re both stuck in city traffic. This book is perfect for beginners who want to read more about personal development and how to find some respite in the everyday battles of today’s life. If you’re looking for an easy-to-read book but not in the mood for fiction, go for this.

3. Landour Days: A Writer’s Journal by Ruskin Bond
   
   Most books written by Ruskin Bond are beginner-friendly. His lucid and engaging writing style transports a reader quite smoothly even if it’s a non-fiction title. His wit and humour come out in the pages of his journalistic book, Landour Days, and you’ll feel like you are living in the mountains for a few days. If you are completely clueless as to which book to read as a beginner, always pick a Ruskin Bond.

4. The Shooting Star: A Girl, Her Backpack, and the World by Shivya Nath
   
   The world is full of travel storytellers who quit their corporate jobs and wander the nooks and crannies of this world. But what’s special about Shivya Nath is her mesmerizing storytelling skills. She’s not just wandering but also wondering and her award-winning travel blog is a testament to that. Her words hold power and purpose but are also extremely accessible to beginners who are starting their journey of being readers.

{Looking to add more south asian books to your reading list? We have you covered with a list of Books written by South Asian Authors.}

Timeless Classics

1. The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond
   
   Another Ruskin Bond recommendation!
   Ruskin Bond is one of the authors to explore if you want to read comforting reads that remind you of mountains and nature while you sip on your cup of coffee on a monsoon weekend in the city. This is Bond’s debut fiction book which he wrote when he was seventeen and also snagged the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1957. This is a heartwarming coming-of-age tale of a boy in the mountains.

2. Malgudi Days by R. K. Narayan
   
   A prime collection of stories set in the enchanting town of Malgudi will make you travel back in time to the simple days of India. This book is a sure fit for beginners because of its vivid imagery and the nuances of Indian culture captured by the author. It is a must-read book for readers who want to explore the works of classic Indian authors.

3. Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh
   
   This book is a historical novel that is based on the Partition of India in 1947 and set in a fictional village that borders India and Pakistan. There’s a huge collection of books by Indian authors based on partition literature which covers the chaotic separation this country has been through. But as a beginner, this book is the perfect one to start exploring this section of Indian literature. Touching on the lives of the villagers affected by the partition and the resulting religious hate and riots, Khushwant Singh’s raw writing and simple worldbuilding will ensure to evoke the pain of partition.

4. Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand
   
   One of the best books depicting the caste system in India, this book is about a young sweeper who is an untouchable because of his work, i.e., cleaning toilets. Published in 1935, this book is sharp and quite a quick read, especially for beginners looking for short books on unpopular themes.

{We have compiled a list of 10 Best Books by Anita Desai for you.}

Contemporary Fiction

1. Those Pricey Thakur Girls by Anuja Chauhan
   
   Set in the 1980s, in a posh neighbourhood in New Delhi, this is the story of Debjani, one of the five Thakur sisters who have been named alphabetically. Inspired by the author’s own upbringing, this book also gives out a vibe of living in an Austen-istic world where most of the story revolves around the search for the right suitors. Several readers find this book and many others by Anuja Chauhan quite charming and witty. A definite recommendation for a beginner.
   
2. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
   
   A fresh take on the concept of “arranged love” but with young adults. Even better, one of them has no idea about it. A nominee for Best Young Adult Fiction in 2017 for Goodreads Choice Award, this book is a super-fun summer read that one might gobble up over a weekend. Follow the chaotic romantic comedy of Dimple and Rishi as they navigate the lanes of web development while getting stuck in the complicated web of love.
   
3. A Match Made in Mehendi by Nandini Bajpai
   
   Matches are made in heaven. You must have heard this phrase countless times. But what if that heaven is actually a long line of Indian matchmaker family with a starry history of helping parents find perfect matches for their children? Simi, the fifteen-year-old protagonist of this story, starts a matchmaking service via an app with her best friend, Noah, for an important purpose – to help with their popularity at school. When trying to get into a habit of reading, picking something upbeat and optimistic like this book always helps.

4. Paper Moon by Rehana Munir
   
   A book about a young girl and her bookshop in an old Bandra mansion. The story is about how the protagonist, Fiza, deals with the loss of her estranged father and his dream for Fiza to open a bookshop someday while at the same time handling the bubbling emotions of meeting a charming new recurrent customer.

5. Lallan Sweets: Where Food Leads to Love by Srishti Chaudhary

Small-town Indian families and their secret recipes are always a super fun premise to read. In this book, Tara Taneja, the main character is pulled into a literal treasure hunt to find out the magic ingredient which is only known to Lalaji, her grandfather and the owner of Lallan Sweets in the fictional town of Siyaka.

{We have a recommendation post about 10 Best Books by R.K. Narayan that you may want to check out}

Mythological Fiction

1. The Liberation of Sita by Volga
   
   This collection of necessary mythological retellings is mainly from Sita’s perspective. The first four chapters touch upon the evolving relationships Sita has, with Surpanakha, Ahalya, Renuka Devi, and her sister Urmila. Each story gives a much-needed voice to these women who are often shunned and demonized in the widely known Indian epic of Ramayana. The stories shed light on the themes of female friendships and the bond of sisterhood.

2. The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
   
   Quite popular among regular readers of Indian mythological fiction, this book is a perfect pick for beginners. The epic of Mahabharata, bound in beautiful prose and written from the viewpoint of a very important character of the epic – Panchali aka Draupadi. Apart from the struggles of a woman in a patriarchal world, this book is also a lot about divine friendships and complicated relationships.

3. My Gita by Devdutt Pattanaik
   
   If you’re one of the new mytho-enthusiasts who wants to start reading and decoding The Gita, this is a good place to start. The author is well-known for demystifying complex mythological concepts into bite-sized and easily digestible narratives. However, the author says this book is how he perceived the lessons of The Gita and is not to be confused with a literal translation of the original text.

4. The Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi
   
   Amish Tripathi’s sensational mythological fantasy series, The Immortals of Meluha, is widely popular and for all the right reasons. Especially for a beginner, this book stands as a gateway to fascinating worldbuilding and memorable characterization inspired by Indian mythology.

{If you’d like to be a part of a larger reading community – do check out our list of Book Clubs in India}

If you’ve exhausted this list of books, then pat yourself on the back for successfully starting your journey as a beginner in reading books by Indian authors. Moreover, if you find any such author in this list whose book you loved to read, make sure you check out their other books as there’s a high chance you’ll be loving them as well.