“Reading is my inhale and writing is my exhale” – Glennon Doyle Melton
Winner of the Best Book Club Award
The HWR Writers’ Book Club helps the writer in you inhale. We enjoy reading from a hand-picked book every month (mostly selected by member votes). At the end of each month, the community gets together and sorts through our varying understandings of what we read. We examine craft, understand inspirations, and reflect on how it informs our own writing.
On occasion, we invite the author/poet into our month-end calls and discuss the work with the author as well. Or maybe not, if we think that may make us more nice than honest.
Whether you’re looking to refine your craft, connect with fellow literary enthusiasts, or simply achieve your reading goals, the HWR Writers’ Book Club will help.
In September 2026, we’re reading
Beyond Our Births
by Antara Mukherjee
Fiction
The Courage to be Ordinary
by Ichiro Kishimi
Non-Fiction
Members of the HWR Writers’ Book Club will meet at 6 PM IST on the last Sunday of every month. We’ll talk about the book: what we liked, what we didn’t, specific craft elements, and what we can learn from the book.
Through the month we’ll chat on a WhatsApp group to share favourite lines, trivia about the book and insights as we read it. We’ll also use this group to select future reads (although on occasion the HWR team may pick a book).
Joining the HWR Writers’ Book Club is simple:
1. Fill this form
2. You’ll get a thank you message on submitting the form. Use the link in that to join the WhatsApp group.
Become a part of this interactive literary community from the comfort of your own home.
FAQs about the HWR Writers’ Book Club
Do I have to pay to join the HWR Writers’ Book Club?
No. The club is free at this point. (We cannot say about the future.)
Will I get the Book of the month free? Or do I have to I buy it?
You need to buy the book.
Do members have a voice in choosing what is read?
Yes, most books we select will be based on member suggestions and polls. On occasion, we might make an exception.
I am not a writer / have just started? Can I join?
Yes you’re welcome to. The Club is open to writers and poets of all levels.
“If you don’t have time to read,
you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.
Simple as that.”
~ Stephen King”
I am only interested in reading, not in writing, but I love the idea of reading 12 books in a year. Can I still join?
Sure. The discussions may include a lot of analysis of how the book was written but that may still be interesting to you.
I can read and write English, but I write in another language. Will this book club still benefit me?
The basic rules of the craft don’t change with the Language. As long are you are comfortable reading the book and discussing it in English, we believe writers of any language will benefit.
Can I request the admins to have my book read in this club?
We’ll select books by reader polls, or the HWR Team will carefully handpick books for this club. Unless your book is really making waves, it is unlikely.
Is there a physical meetup as well?
We are not organizing any physical meetups, but you can always plan a physical meetup in your city that Sunday evening and meet physically + join virtually.
What are the genres of the books being read?
The poll will determine this to a large extent. We expect we will read a range of genres including Fiction, Non-fiction, the occasional book on the craft of writing and also poetry. The books may be contemporary hits (like Butter by Asako Yuzuki) or old classics by Manto or Ismat Chughtai, or a craft book like Bird by Bird.
Will this Book Club also read Poetry?
Yes on occasion we may read poetry. Think Arundhathi Subramaniam or Ranjit Hoskote.
I am not on WhatsApp / don’t want to join another WhatsApp group. Can I still join this book club?
Yes you’re welcome to. We will also communicate with the HWR Writers Book Club members via email.
I read on Kindle and sometimes listen to audio books. Is that okay?
Yes, we’re format agnostic.
I haven’t read the book but I’ve seen the movie. Is that okay?
No. Movies can be very different from books, and you’re really not engaging with language the same way, so having seen the film doesn’t count.
Can I join the online discussion on the last Sunday even if I haven’t finished reading that month’s book?
Yes you may, but know that we will discuss the book in its entirety, so there will almost certainly be spoilers.
I am outside India. Can I still join?
By all means, as long as you can attend the Sunday Session from your time-zone.
Is there a code of conduct for the discussion.
Civility and respect is expected. We havent defined a specific code as of now, but one may emerge from the community over time.
Why is the Himalayan Writing Retreat doing this? Does HWR Make any money from this?
We’re doing it because we think there is much writers can learn from reading. We also love to stay engaged with the writer/author/poet community and we think this will help. If you use the Amazon link we provide to buy the book, we will make a small affiliate fee (usually 5% of the book price you pay). Besides that, we do not earn anything.