The days are longer, the afternoons languid, and the air hums with that particular restlessness that only summer brings. There is no better season to lose oneself between the pages of a great book — whether it’s the cool refuge of an air-conditioned corner or a breezy evening on the balcony with something tall and cold in hand.
This May, we’ve gathered a selection of reads that are as expansive and varied as the season itself. From sweeping narratives that demand your full, unhurried attention to stories that slip by like a perfect afternoon — there is something here for every kind of reader and every kind of summer day.
So set aside the to-do lists, let the hours stretch, and let these books take you somewhere new. Summer, after all, was made for reading.
Discovery of New India – Aakar Patel, PenPencil Draw
Discovery of New India maps a decade of political change with wit and clarity — nationalism, governance, and public policy unpacked through conversation, companionship, and a beautifully illustrated graphic format that makes the complex feel refreshingly human.
Save Soil – Radhe Jaggi
One man, a motorcycle, and a mission to save the earth beneath our feet. Save Soil chronicles Sadhguru’s extraordinary 100-day, 30,000 km journey across the globe — a movement that rallied billions and placed soil health at the heart of the world’s conversation about our collective future.
Slow Burn – Amal Singh
A failed actor. A shattered mirror. A Mumbai where he’s a star. Slow Burn is a dazzling, disorienting journey into fame, illusion, and the life we think we want — until the glittering façade cracks and the real question surfaces: is failure truly worse than this?
India’s Most Dangerous Serial Killer – Rakesh Goswami
India’s Most Dangerous Serial Killer reconstructs the chilling true story of Shankariya Kanpatimar — drawn from police files and firsthand reportage — probing how a petty thief became a predator, and what his crimes reveal about the society that quietly enabled them.
Creator to Crorepati – Aaditya Iyengar
Going viral is just the beginning. Creator to Crorepati cuts through the noise with a clear, practical framework for building a content career that actually pays — because monetising your creativity isn’t a matter of luck. It’s a skill, and this book shows you exactly how to learn it.
The Girls Are Not Fine – Harnidh Kaur
Harnidh Kaur’s part-confession, part-critique gives language to what so many carry in silence — and that, finally, is where it all begins. The Girls Are Not Fine names the invisible labour, the emotional mathematics, and the quiet shrinking that women navigate every day.
Out of the Nest – Ambika Agarwal
Every parent is trying. But trying isn’t always enough — awareness is. Out of the Nest is a warm, honest guide that invites parents to examine how they were shaped, how they love, and how, with gentleness and intention, they can choose to do both a little better each day.
Memories on a Platter – Rohini Rana
From a colonial-era kitchen to a Nepali Rana household to tables across the world, Memories on a Platter is a cookbook steeped in heritage and travel. Rohini Rana revives lost recipes and weaves them into something entirely her own — food as memory, identity, and living, breathing craft.
Rootless and Restless – Shivya Nath
From the Arctic to Uzbekistan, Iran to the Pacific, Rootless and Restless follows Shivya Nath into the world’s most quietly extraordinary corners. A journey far beyond destinations — this is travel as transformation, a search for stories, traditions, and ways of life that remind us how vast the world truly is.
Root Leaf Fire – Luke Coutinho, Sheeba de Souza
Food as nourishment, medicine, and art. Root Leaf Fire blends Luke Coutinho’s wellness philosophy with Sheeba de Souza’s gift for beautiful, mindful cooking — a guide that returns eating to its truest purpose, weaving simple recipes into joyful, restorative rituals for a healthier, more present everyday life.
Your Body, Your Gym – Namrata Purohit
Your Body, Your Gym by Namrata Purohit is a straightforward, empowering guide to using bodyweight training to build strength, reduce stress, and feel genuinely well — proving that the most powerful fitness machine you’ll ever need is the one you already have.
The Wanderer Who Owns the World – Sri Yogi
What does it mean to truly own the world? The Wanderer Who Owns the World draws from ancient Indian philosophy to explore a quietly radical answer — that real freedom comes not from grasping, but from letting go. A profound, gentle guide for anyone seeking meaning beneath the noise of living.
Be Better Live Better – Dr Hansaji Yogendra
Change begins within. Be Better, Live Better distils wisdom from ancient texts and global thought leaders into 21 accessible practices for a more mindful, fulfilled life. Dr Hansaji Yogendra offers not just guidance, but a gentle invitation to reconnect with who you truly are beneath the pace of modern living.
The Founder Manual – Utsav Somani
No pitch decks, no mythology — just the unfiltered truth of building a business that sustains. The Founder Manual draws from 100+ hours of conversations with India’s most compelling founders to deliver the brutally honest, emotionally real field guide that every entrepreneur wishes had existed on Day 1.
Open Intelligence – Saikat Majumdar
As AI reshapes learning, what does it mean to truly educate? Open Intelligence by Saikat Majumdar navigates the critical intersection of human potential and artificial intelligence — a timely, research-grounded exploration of how education must evolve to remain genuinely human in an increasingly artificial world.
MicroStimuli – Biju Dominic
In the final millisecond before a decision, behaviour can be shaped. MicroStimuli introduces a groundbreaking framework drawing on neuroscience, AI, and design to craft precision interventions that influence human action — a transformative read for anyone whose competitive edge depends on truly understanding what drives people to act.
From graphic novels unpacking a decade of political change to cookbooks steeped in memory and heritage, from serial killer true crime to the quiet philosophy of letting go; May’s reading list refuses to stay in one lane, and that’s exactly the point. There is something here for the summer afternoon you want to lose yourself in, and something for the one that makes you think a little harder about the world you’re living in.
Pick up one. Pick up several. The best thing about a good reading list is that it has no rules.
Happy reading. 🌿
