Update Your Reading List: Here are the Most-Anticipated Indian Books of 2024

Those who know, know. We book lovers can’t keep ourselves from grabbing the latest book when we walk past a Crossword. Instead of grabbing one that looks exciting but falls short of expectations, let us help you make good choices. On the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day, scroll through this list of the top most-anticipated Indian books of 2024. We know your cart’s about to be full!

1. Wonderland of Words by Shashi Tharoor

Yes, the wizard of words and a renowned politician brings us an expected gift. India’s greatest wordsmith, Shashi Tharoor’s Wonderland of Words is published by Aleph Book Company. Here, he takes readers on a journey of discovery through a treasure house of astounding words.

2. The Architecture of Modern Empire: Conversations with David Barsamian by Arundhati Roy

Best known for her novel The God of Small Things, which won the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997, Arundhati Roy is a phenomenal writer. This book is a searing reckoning with the mechanics of power, in all its forms, and the role of imagination and creative expression in envisioning a radically different world. 

3. The Hill of Enchantment: The Story of My Life as a Writer by Ruskin Bond

500 short stories, essays, and novels which includes 69 books for children. That’s the work of beloved author Ruskin Bond. As he turns 90 in May 2024, he gifts the readers a new memoir, published by Aleph Book Company. This book includes never heard before tidbits, events that were his inspirations and the experiences that have shaped him.

4. The Authorised Biography of Shabana Azmi by Satyarth Nayak

Can you believe that the powerhouse performer Shabana Azmi has completed fifty glorious years of her career? Nayak manages to capture her career, from taking on hatke characters to her evolutions as an actress and so much more. This Penguin Random House India biography nails a perfect portrait of the iconic actor.

5. An Uncommon Love: The Early Life of Sudha and Narayan Murthy by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

How did Kulkarni’s daughter, who was TELCO’s first woman engineer, fall in love with the serious, idealistic, and brilliant would-be-entrepreneur? Divakaruni takes the readers deep inside the minds, hearts and values of the Murthys, with exclusive access to them. This Juggernaut Books publication tells their story with emotional depth, bringing them and their worlds vividly alive.

6. Baal-o-Paar: Collected Poems by Gulzar

Gulzar is known for his mesmerising poetry that has enchanted generations. HarperCollins India brings us a definitive collection of Gulzar's poetry with Baal-o-Paar. The poems are all newly translated into English by Rakhshanda Jalil, and appear in bilingual form with the original poem in Devanagari script and the English translation on facing pages.

7. Knife: Meditations after an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie

Internationally renowned writer and Booker Prize-winner Salman Rushdie is back with something new. Having lived under threat of assassination since 1989, the author was stabbed ten times as he was about to give a public lecture in New York in August 2022. This Penguin Random House India publication is a meditation on life, loss, love, art and finding the strength to stand up again.