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Your TBR Just Got Bigger: 23 New Books to Read This Month

Whether you’re looking to understand the world a little better, discover a story you haven’t heard before or simply find your next favourite book, these new releases have something to offer every kind of reader.

 

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The Undocumented — Nidhi Dugar Kundalia

Few accounts make migration feel as intimate as this one. Through one family’s journey from Bangladesh to India, Nidhi Dugar Kundalia explores what happens when survival demands that you leave behind not just your home, but parts of your identity.

Front cover The Undocumented
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A Mountain, A Lake and a Song — Manav Kaul & Vaibhav Sharma

Travel writing often tells us about the places we visit; this book is just as interested in what those places reveal about us. Manav Kaul moves through cities, music, memories and landscapes in a deeply personal journey between the outer world and the self.

Front cover A mountain, a lake and a song
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At the Speed of Flowers — Deepak Ramola

This is a book that asks you to slow down and notice. Through tender essays on memory, relationships and everyday encounters, Deepak Ramola finds wisdom in the ordinary moments we often rush past.

Front cover At the Speed of Flowers
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Cashless Nation — Santanu Paul & B. Sambamurthy

We use UPI almost without thinking about it, but the story behind it is anything but simple. This fast-paced account takes readers behind India’s digital payments revolution to uncover the technology, institutions and unlikely collaborations that made it possible.

Front cover Cashless Nation
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India at War — Col. D.P.K. Pillay

India’s military history is filled with battles we remember and stories we don’t. This sweeping account brings forgotten campaigns, soldiers and sacrifices into focus, offering a deeper look at the conflicts that shaped modern India.

Front cover India at War
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Is India Ready For The Next Crisis? — Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor (Retd) & Lt Gen KJS ‘Tiny’ Dhillon

The next crisis may not arrive at India’s borders—or look anything like the last one. Two decorated military veterans examine the geopolitical, cyber, maritime and disaster scenarios that could test India’s resilience in an increasingly interconnected world.

Front cover Is India Ready For the Next Crisis?
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Under a Saffron Sky — Ismat Ara

What happens when something as personal as love becomes a political weapon? Through the lives of interfaith couples and the systems surrounding them, Ismat Ara examines how ‘love jihad’ transformed love, marriage and identity into sites of fear and conflict.

Front cover Under A Saffron Sky
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The Story Map — Sandeep Nair

Good ideas don’t always travel as far as they should. Drawing on fifteen years of building global brands, Sandeep Nair breaks storytelling down into a practical system that anyone can use to communicate ideas with greater clarity and impact.

Front cover The Story Map
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The Big Book of Kashmiri Literature — Onaiza Drabu

Few anthologies offer such an expansive entry into the literary world of Kashmir. Bringing together poetry, songs, plays and stories spanning centuries, this collection introduces readers to the many voices and traditions that have shaped Kashmiri literature.

Front cover The Big Book of Kashmiri Literature
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The Ghost of the Mountains — Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi

What does it take to find an animal that has mastered the art of disappearing? Drawing on decades spent studying snow leopards in the Himalayas, Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi offers a thrilling account of wildlife, conservation and a landscape under pressure.

Front cover The Ghost of The Mountains
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Connection Before Correction — Schweta Merchant Gandhi

Parenting becomes easier when we understand what is happening inside a child’s brain. Schweta Merchant Gandhi combines neuroscience, psychology and practical frameworks to help parents respond to difficult behaviour while holding boundaries and preserving connection.

Front cover Connection Before Correction
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Will AI Murder Us All? — Aakash Singh Rathore

Forget the familiar question of whether AI will replace us. Aakash Singh Rathore asks something more unsettling: what happens when powerful technologies inherit the biases, ambitions and moral blind spots of the humans who create them?

Front cover Will AI Murder Us All?
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There Is Nothing That Wouldn’t Change — Perumal Murugan & Bezwada Wilson, with Kavitha Muralidharan

This is an unusually intimate conversation about some of India’s most difficult realities. Perumal Murugan and Bezwada Wilson move between caste, activism, politics, friendship and dignity, refusing easy answers along the way.

Front cover There is nothing that wouldn't change
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A Billion Bets — Aviral Bhatnagar

India’s startup success story didn’t happen overnight. Drawing on his experience inside the ecosystem, Aviral Bhatnagar traces the founders, investors, risks and improbable bets that helped turn India into a global hub of innovation.

Front cover A Billion Bets
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Tiger Memories — K. Ullas Karanth & Joshua Mathew

This is wildlife conservation from someone who spent a lifetime in the field. K. Ullas Karanth recounts six decades of tracking tigers, pioneering research and confronting the complex realities of protecting India’s wild spaces.

Front cover Tiger Memories
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Fiscal Fables — Sarthak Pradhan & Pranay Kotasthane

Government money is at the centre of some of India’s biggest political debates, yet public finance can often feel impossible to understand. This accessible guide breaks down taxes, freebies, federalism and spending through stories and examples that make the numbers click.

Front cover Fiscal Fables
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When We Are Strangers — Vazira Fazila-Yacoobali Zamindar & Sarnath Banerjee

History often gets reduced to dates, leaders and borders. This striking graphic novel looks instead at the people and relationships caught within them, bringing forgotten stories of the anticolonial struggle, Partition and shared histories to life.

Front cover When we are strangers
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The Inner Charioteer — R. Balasubramaniam

What can an ancient conversation between Arjuna and Krishna teach us about leading in the modern world? R. Balasubramaniam draws on the Bhagavad Gita to explore self-mastery, purpose, ethical action and the difficult choices every leader must make.

Front cover The Inner Charioteer
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Spinning the Moments — Gulzar

Gulzar has always found poetry in the spaces between words. In this meditative collection, he turns to memory, identity, doubt and existence, creating poems that invite us to pause and sit with life’s quieter questions.

Front cover Spinning the Moments
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The Sixteenth Invasion — Vijay Gogoi

The Ahom kingdom resisted the Mughals for centuries, but some of its greatest victories remain surprisingly underexplored. Vijay Gogoi brings one chapter of that resistance vividly to life, revealing how strategy, terrain and extraordinary courage turned the tide against a powerful empire.

Front cover The Sixteenth Invasion
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The Six Soul Types — Dr Rajan Sankaran

Why do we keep repeating the same patterns even when we want to change? Dr Rajan Sankaran explores six ways of experiencing the world, offering readers a framework for understanding the deeper patterns behind their relationships, reactions and choices.

Front cover The Six Soul Types
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Ashwatthama — Ashutosh Garg

Ashwatthama’s curse is one of the Mahabharata’s most enduring mysteries, but what happens when we hear the story from his side? Ashutosh Garg reimagines the immortal warrior’s journey through guilt, suffering and the search for meaning, offering a fresh perspective on a familiar epic.

Front cover Ashwatthama
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Disappearing Faces — Sadhguru

Over two decades of journeys through Nepal and Tibet, Sadhguru turned his camera towards a world far removed from the familiar. These photographs capture the faces, landscapes and quiet lives encountered along the way, offering an intimate glimpse into the Himalayan communities that often remain unseen.

Front cover Disappearing Faces
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This month’s new book releases bring together compelling stories, fresh perspectives and ideas worth exploring—from the history of India and the stories of its people to wildlife, mythology, leadership, poetry, technology, parenting and more.

Happy Reading!

 

Ready to Build What’s Next? Start Here

Every big move begins quietly. A new idea. A career question. A side hustle you keep thinking about. A dream that feels exciting, but just out of reach.

That is where the Growth stack from Big Books, Bigger You comes in. Curated for students, founders, managers, creators and ambitious readers, these titles are for anyone ready to think bigger, move smarter and build with more confidence.

For readers who want business-school thinking without the business-school schedule, The Visual MBA is a sharp, accessible guide to strategy, finance, marketing and leadership — perfect for anyone searching for an MBA in a book.

Front cover The Visual MBA
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For founder energy and real-world lessons, The Diary of a CEO brings Steven Bartlett’s hard-won insights on ambition, decision-making and growth, including ideas from The 33 Laws of Business and Life.

Front cover The Diary of a CEO
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And for anyone wondering what their next chapter could look like, Simon Squibb’s What’s Your Dream? offers the push to find your passion, reconnect with purpose and turn a side hustle into something real.

Front cover What's Your Dream
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Together, these are not just business reads. They are momentum builders — for the reader who wants clarity, courage and a starting point.

Because growth does not begin when everything is figured out. It begins when you decide to start.

Hot Tea, Cold AC, and July’s New Reads

There is something uniquely comforting about July. As the monsoon settles in, the world slows down just enough to let us get lost in a good story.

This month’s collection is an eclectic mix designed for exactly that. Grab a warm cup of tea, find a quiet corner, and explore our favorite releases of the month.

Once Elephants Lived Here

Geetanjali Shree, Daisy Rockwell
Front Cover Once Elephants Lived Here
Once Elephants Lived Here || Geetanjali Shree

A captivating preview of Geetanjali Shree’s eleven experimental short stories, translated by Daisy Rockwell. It highlights the iconoclastic, genre-bending narratives that paved the way for her masterpiece, Tomb of Sand.

Dara Shukoh | The Faqir and the Throne of Thorns

Amit Ranjan
Front Cover Dara Shukoh - Penguin Random House India
Dara Shukoh – Penguin Random House India | Amit Ranjan

An essential re-examination of crown prince Dara Shukoh, the poet-philosopher who sought to bridge Hinduism and Islam. It explores his tragic downfall and ponders how history might have changed.

Everyday Creativity

Pavan Soni
Front Cover Everyday Creativity
Everyday Creativity | Pavan Soni

A practical guide to unlocking personal innovation, distilling lessons from world-class creators like A.R. Rahman and Leonardo da Vinci alongside over twenty-five structured methods to elevate everyday problem-solving.

Chand Bibi

Sarah Waheed
Front Cover Chand Bibi
Chand Bibi | Sarah Waheed

A vivid exploration of the 16th-century Deccan ruler and military strategist who defied an empire. Historian Sarah Waheed pieces together palace intrigue and battlefield legends to resurrect an extraordinary queen.

The Blue Book

Siddhesh Gautam
Front Cover The Blue Book
The Blue Book | Siddhesh Gautam

An evocative, anti-caste graphic novel tracking a protagonist’s surreal, dream-sequence conversations with iconic subcontinental activists, drawing inspiration from their tireless fight to carry the movement forward.

Ashes to Light

Priyadarshini Bhattacharya
Front Cover Ashes to Light
Ashes to Light | Priyadarshini Bhattacharya

An nuanced anthology exploring gender-based prejudice and quiet endurance through lived experiences. It features reflective personal essays from prominent figures, offering hope and a conscious commitment to imagining a gender-attuned world.

What Happened to Me? vs What’s Wrong with Me?

Gunjan Y Trivedi, Riri G Trivedi, Hemalatha Ramani
Front Cover What Happened to Me? vs What’s Wrong with Me?
What Happened to Me? vs What’s Wrong with Me? | Gunjan Trivedi, Riri Trivedi

A research-backed guide shifting the conversation from self-blame to self-understanding. Grounded in 3,000+ Indian interviews, it explores childhood trauma within unique family dynamics and offers practical tools for recovery.

Love Jihad

Sameena Dalwai
Front Cover Love Jihad
Love Jihad | Sameena Dalwai

A bold, irreverent feminist retelling that dissects the “love jihad” narrative as a surveillance tool. Using humor, personal stories, and legal analysis, it fiercely examines interfaith romance and control in modern India.

Air Warriors 2

Arijit Ghosh
Front Cover Air Warriors 2
Air Warriors 2 | Arijit Ghosh

A thrilling look inside the Indian Air Force’s most daring operations, including the high-stakes Operation Sindoor. It delivers deeply researched, untold stories of raw bravery and aerial feats to inspire every citizen.

Ghosts on Peepal Trees

Peepal Baba
Front Cover Ghosts on Peepal Trees
Ghosts on Peepal Trees | Peepal Baba

The quietly transformative memoir of Peepal Baba, one of India’s most respected environmentalists. It traces his journey from childhood folklore in Dehradun to planting millions of trees through simple, faith-driven conservation.

Simple Thinking

Mukesh Sud
Front Cover Simple Thinking
Simple Thinking | Mukesh Sud

A practical guide to cutting through the noise and making smarter decisions. It challenges our obsession with complexity, showing how finding clarity amidst chaos can unlock simpler, highly sophisticated solutions for work and life.

Your Perfect Dream Girl

Sukhnidh Kaur
Front Cover Your Perfect Dream Girl
Your Perfect Dream Girl

A generation-defining feminist debut exploring what shapes young women’s lives online. Through real stories and insider interviews, it exposes how technology and AI commodify girlhood, desire, and the digital experience.

A Quest for the Perfect Rice – Biryanis, Khichadis, Teharis & Pulao

Zubin D’souza
Front Cover A Quest for the Perfect Rice
A Quest for the Perfect Rice | Zubin D’Souza

A witty, cultural epic framing India’s rich rice traditions as a surreal midnight conversation with the spirit of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. It traces 5,000 years of culinary evolution, flavour, and folklore.

Did You Ever Love Me?

Rithvik Singh
Front Cover Did You Ever Love Me?
Did You Ever Love Me? | Rithvik Singh

You left ghazals in my bones. I bartered my heart for them. 

Life-Changing Maha Mantras

Sakshi Shree
Front Cover Life-Changing Maha Mantras
Life-Changing Maha Mantras | Sakshi Shree

An accessible guide distilling the Bhagavad Gita into ten practical principles for modern life. It translates ancient spiritual wisdom into a compact toolkit for building resilience, finding clarity, and cultivating inner strength.

Uprising

Tahmima Anam
Front Cover Uprising
Uprising | Tahmima Anam

A harrowing, earth-shattering drama of female power and resistance. When an educated city woman is forced onto a desolate island prison, she sparks a ferocious, unforeseen rebellion against a sadistic madam.

Wedding on the Maharaja Express

Prakhar Vishwani
Front Cover Wedding on the Maharaja Express
Wedding on the Maharaja Express | Prakhar Vishwani

An opulent, week-long destination wedding aboard the Maharaja Express turns into a high-stakes murder mystery. When a guest is found dead, every passenger becomes a suspect in a train full of family drama and betrayal.

Women-O-Pause

Lenaa Kumar
Front Cover Women-O-Pause
Women-O-Pause | Lenaa Kumar

A practical yet reflective guide reframing menopause as a powerful rite of passage. Blending personal memoir, holistic wellness practices, and clinical perspectives, it empowers women to navigate midlife health with vitality and awareness.

The Second Orbit

Shubhanshu Shukla
Front Cover The Second Orbit
The Second Orbit | Shubhanshu Shukla

An inspiring space memoir that strips away the spectacle of space travel to reveal the inner battle of human resolve. Carrying the hopes of 1.4 billion people, it offers a powerful mindset upgrade on discipline and holding on when things get hard.

Days with My Red-Flag Girlfriend

Kajol Aikat
Front Cover Days with My Red-Flag Girlfriend
Days with My Red-Flag Girlfriend | Kajol Aikat

A raw, unfiltered look at modern love and toxic patterns in the digital age. What begins as a college dare and an Instagram DM grows into a whirlwind romance and engagement, until online insecurities and messy red flags force a couple to face reality.

The Heart of Jainism

Kamlesh D. Patel
Front Cover The Heart of Jainism
The Heart of Jainism | Daaji

An accessible exploration bringing ancient Jain wisdom into the modern world. Through stories, reflections, and late-night conversations with a spiritual teacher, it redefines core principles like ahimsa, karma, and dhyana as practical tools for navigating ordinary life, anger, and suffering.

Books for When Life Feels Too Loud

Some days, the goal is not to do more. It is to breathe easier, think softer, let go of what is weighing you down and find your way back to yourself.

The Calm + Wellbeing stack from Big Books, Bigger You is made for those moments. Whether you are looking for a stress relief book, a mental wellbeing book, a self help book for anxiety, or a thoughtful gift for someone who needs comfort, these books offer gentle but powerful ways to reset.

 

Front Cover How to Let Things Go: Free Yourself Up for What Matters | 99 Empowering Tips from a Zen Buddhist Monk to Relinquish Control | Perfect for Gifting
How To Let Things Go || Shunmyo Masuno

Start with How to Let Things Go, the how to let things go book by Shunmyo Masuno. This Shunmyo Masuno book is a calming book on letting go and a beautiful zen mindfulness book for anyone carrying too much.

 

Front Cover Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: Everyday Tools for Life’s Ups and Downs | Over One Million Copies Sold
Why Has Nobody Told me This Befor || Dr Julie Smith

For practical emotional tools, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? is the Dr Julie Smith book readers keep recommending — a clear, compassionate and practical mental health book for everyday overwhelm.

 

Front Cover It's Not You
It’s Not You || Dr Ramani Durvasula

For anyone healing from difficult relationships, It’s Not You is the Dr Ramani book that speaks directly to toxic patterns, making it an essential narcissistic abuse book, healing from narcissistic abuse book and toxic relationships book.

 

Front Cover Yoshuku by Azumi Uchitani
Yoshuku || Azumi Uchitani

And if you are ready to invite in hope, Yoshuku by Azumi Uchitani is the Yoshuku book, Japanese manifestation book, gratitude manifestation book and manifestation rituals book that turns possibility into a daily practice.

 

Because calm is not a luxury. Sometimes, it is the first step toward becoming bigger.

Why India Needs to Stop Asking ‘What’s Wrong With Me?’ By Dr Gunjan Y Trivedi, Wellness Space

From The Author’s Desk

We’ve heard it hundreds of times at our centre in Ahmedabad.

‘We were beaten and abused, and we still became successful. So this is all nonsense.’

It’s said with pride. Sometimes irritation. Often with conviction. And the people saying it aren’t entirely wrong. Indian parenting, with all its toughness and silences, has produced generations of capable, resilient adults.

But across 3,000 childhood trauma assessments and 14 peer-reviewed studies at Wellness Space, we’ve also seen what gets masked beneath that success: the anxiety that arrives without warning. The relationships that keep repeating the same painful patterns. The exhaustion no sleep can fix. The quiet, persistent sense that something is fundamentally wrong with you.

Most people ask: What’s wrong with me? Our book asks a different question.

And that difference, we believe, is where healing begins.

Why the global ACE framework misses India

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), stressful events before age 18, are now firmly linked to adult anxiety, depression, PTSD, and even physical illness. But it was built in America in the 1980s. It doesn’t capture the emotional pressure of constant comparisons: Why can’t you be more like your cousin? It doesn’t account for joint families where a child has no privacy, no safe space, no language for what they’re feeling. It doesn’t measure parenting that equates love with obedience and strength with silence. And it ignores the verbal fights between parents who, in a culture of low divorce rates, force themselves to stay together.

You don’t need to prove your childhood was bad enough to deserve recovery. Many people dismiss their struggles because someone else had it worse. But trauma isn’t measured by comparison. It’s measured by impact.

Why time alone doesn’t heal trauma

‘It happened so long ago. Why is it still affecting me?’

Because trauma isn’t stored only in memory. It lives in the body, the nervous system, and what the Indian Knowledge System calls the Pancha Kosha, the five layers of being: Annamaya (body), Pranamaya (energy), Manomaya (mind), Vijnanamaya (intellect), and Anandamaya (the blissful core). Trauma may disrupt all five, surfacing as body tension, disordered breathing, distorted beliefs, low self-esteem and disconnection from inner peace.

This is why talking alone isn’t enough. Recovery must reach all five layers.

What’s inside the book

The book explores how childhood experiences affect adult mental health, introduces the Pancha Kosha framework as a lens to understand trauma, and offers evidence-based approaches to recovery, including breathwork, nervous system regulation, guided visualisation, and self-hypnosis. It also provides mental health professionals with clinical frameworks and tools developed through years of research and practice in India.

Who this is for

For anyone who has spent years quietly wondering what’s wrong with them. For parents repeating the patterns they promised they wouldn’t. For therapists whose academic training didn’t quite prepare them for real clinical complexity. For anyone told, ‘Everyone had a tough childhood — move on,’ and quietly knew that wasn’t the whole truth.

You don’t need to remember everything.

You don’t need to blame anyone.

You don’t need to prove your childhood was bad enough.

You only need the courage to ask a different question.

Not: What’s wrong with me?

But: What happened to me?

That’s where recovery begins.

What Happened to Me? vs What’s Wrong with Me?: Indian Perspectives on Childhood Trauma and Recovery by Dr Gunjan Y Trivedi, Dr Riri G Trivedi and Dr Hemalatha Ramani is published by Ebury Press on 22 June 2026.

Also by the authors: This Book Won’t Teach You Parenting: But It Will Make You a Better Parent — Dr Riri G Trivedi and Anagha Nagpal (Penguin Random House India, 2025).

 

Big Books. Bigger You.

Calm. Focus. Growth. People. | Pick Your Problem. Find Your Book.

There comes a point when books not only adorn your shelf but also provide you with a way to articulate your feelings, build frameworks of understanding around them or help you in implementing changes in your daily routine.

So, we bring 13 selected books for the Indian reader to reset, recalibrate, evolve, heal and make better choices. If you are a student wanting to improve your habits, a founder chasing a big dream, a parent grappling with too much screen time, a manager trying to understand the human mind, or just someone who wishes to get peace in your noisy head, this curated list of books is based on real problems faced by readers.

Calm

For days where the aim isn’t to do more, but instead feel less, there are the books dedicated to calm and wellbeing. How to Let Things Go by Shunmyo Masuno is a zen mindfulness book and stress relief book, offering wisdom on letting go. Why Hasn’t Nobody Told Me This Before by Dr Julie Smith provides guidance on mental wellbeing and is a self-help book for people struggling with anxiety. It’s Not You by Dr Ramani offers insight into toxic relationships and healing from narcissistic abuse, and finally, Yoshuku by Azumi Uchitani is an introduction to the Japanese practice of manifestation based on gratitude, ritual and possibility.

Focus

Here is everything you need in your focus and habit change era. Atomic Habits Workbook offers the much-needed implementation techniques while Visualise by Maya Raichoora provides visualization techniques that can help you reach a level of confidence for peak performance. Throw in the powerful decision-making and mental model book called Clear Thinking by Shane Parrish and the list is complete for everyone who wants to think clearly, do better and execute.

Growth

For career-oriented individuals, businesses, or even second acts, the growth stack on business and founders is full of momentum. For business school thinkers who are looking for the best MBA books outside of the classroom, the Visual MBA is the perfect MBA in a book for newbies. On the topic of founder books, the Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett captures the founder mind and the 33 Laws of Business and Life. Lastly, What’s Your Dream? written by Simon Squibb is an inspiring life purpose book and a side hustle book all rolled into one.

People

However, some of the books worth reading are those that give insights into how we relate to other people. For instance, Surrounded by Idiots is a popular personality types book and a great communication skills book for when things become complicated at work, home or in our team settings. Additionally, Games People Play by Eric Berne is an evergreen transactional analysis book that delves into the dynamics of human relationships. The last book of interest here is Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation which is critical for educators and parents today.

 

Regardless of your needs at any given point of time, be it greater focus, better decision-making, improved relationships, career direction, calmness or an inspirational gift for someone else, we have the perfect book for each one of you.

Reset. Stack. Start Better.

National Young Authors Challenge

Featured Stories from the National Young Authors Challenge

The National Young Authors Challenge, conducted by Big Red Education in partnership with Penguin Random House India, was created to give students in Grades 8–12 a unique opportunity to share their stories, develop their craft, and experience the journey from writer to published author.

What began as a writing challenge quickly grew into a nationwide celebration of young storytelling talent. More than 800 students from over 250 schools across 45+ cities participated, submitting over 1,000 original stories that reflected the creativity, imagination, and diverse perspectives of young writers across India. Participants also had the opportunity to learn from Penguin authors, editors and publicists at the publishing house through an exclusive writing bootcamp designed to strengthen their storytelling and editing skills.

Following a rigorous multi-stage evaluation process, 100 stories were selected as the top national entries. Furthermore, the top 50 stories are being published as a special anthology by Penguin Random House India, curated and edited by acclaimed author Vibha Batra. In addition to the stories selected for publication in the book, these next set of 50 stories were recognised and featured on Penguin’s website.

These young authors have distinguished themselves through originality, creativity, and excellence in storytelling, earning national recognition for their work. We are delighted to showcase these stories on Penguin Random House India’s platform and celebrate the remarkable achievement of these young writers.

Together, these authors represent the remarkable talent, creativity, and literary promise of young people across India. We invite you to explore their stories and discover the imagination, skill, and originality of a new generation of storytellers.

Read the 50 Featured Stories here 

Keep Reading. Keep Writing.

 

What Are We Reading This Month

Fresh Reads for June

New releases to add to your reading list this month

June brings a rich and varied harvest of new books — from political histories and spiritual journeys to business playbooks, wellness guides, and musical biographies. Here are the titles we’re most excited about this month.

 

Gurudev: On the Plateau of the PeakBhanumathi Narasimhan

Few books offer the kind of intimacy this one does. Written by a student who has spent decades in close proximity to Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, this is a portrait of a spiritual teacher drawn not from the outside but from within — through lived experience, quiet observation, and deep devotion. For anyone curious about the inner life of a master, this is an essential read.

Front Cover Gurudev on the plateau of the peak
Gurudev || Bhanumathi Narasimhan

Chasing Like DhoniAayush Puthran & Samod Sarngan

What makes a finisher? What does it take to chase, under pressure, with the game on the line? This book draws lessons from MS Dhoni’s legendary approach to high-stakes cricket and translates them into a framework for how we might handle pressure in our own lives. Brisk, entertaining, and surprisingly instructive.

Front Cover Chasing Like Dhoni
Chasing Like Dhoni || Aayush Puthran, Samod

 

The Skincare Guide That Will Change Your LifeDeepali Bhardwaj

Dr. Deepali Bhardwaj, one of India’s most trusted dermatologists, cuts through the noise with a no-nonsense guide to understanding your skin. From ingredients to routines to myths, this is the book for anyone who wants to make sense of what actually works — and why.

Front Cover The Skincare Guide That Will Change Your Life
The Skincare Guide That Will Change Your Life || Dr Deepali Bhardwaj

Swayamsewak: The Lives of Ten RSS Foot Soldiers—Malini Bhattacharjee

One of India’s most consequential organisations is often discussed at the level of ideology and leadership. This book does something rarer: it goes to the ground. Through ten ordinary lives, Malini Bhattacharjee examines what it means to be a swayamsewak — the motivations, the sacrifices, and the quiet conviction that drives those who keep the machinery running.

Front Cover Swayamsevak
Swayamsevak || Malini

Unlocking SuccessManish Maheshwari

A former Twitter India MD and NewsLaundry co-founder, Manish Maheshwari has navigated some of the most turbulent corridors of India’s media and tech world. In this book, he distils his experience into an honest and accessible guide for those looking to carve their own path.

Front Cover Unlocking Success
Unlocking Success || Manish Maheshwari

The Inspired LeaderAnil Sachdev

What separates a good manager from a truly inspired leader? Anil Sachdev, founder of SOIL Institute of Management, brings decades of learning to this question, offering a model of leadership grounded in purpose, empathy, and the courage to build cultures that actually work.

Front Cover The Inspired Leader
The Inspires Leader || Anil Sachdev

The Girl in ChainsDevashish Sardana

A gripping work of fiction that keeps you turning pages well past your bedtime. Sardana writes with urgency and precision, crafting a thriller that is as emotionally resonant as it is propulsive. Pick this one up only if you have nowhere to be the next morning.

Front Cover The Girl in Chains
The Girl in Chains || Devashish Sardana

Wealth NetworksAkshay Chavan

Personal finance with a twist — Chavan argues that wealth isn’t just about money, it’s about the networks you build. A fresh perspective on financial success that takes seriously the social and relational dimensions of how people actually grow prosperous.

Front Cover The Wealth Networks
The Wealth Networks

One Insane Idea: 15 Ideation Techniques to Spark Breakthrough Business IdeasApoorv Singhal

Every great business begins with a single strange idea. In this energetic and practical book, Singhal unpacks fifteen proven techniques for unlocking creative thinking — giving readers the tools to generate not just good ideas, but genuinely transformative ones.

Front Cover One Insane Idea
One Insane Idea || Apoorv Singhal

Who Owns the Past?: How Historians Rewrote India’s Past & PresentShaan Kashyap

History is never just about what happened — it’s about who gets to say what happened. Kashyap’s bold and meticulously researched book examines the ideological forces that have shaped the writing of Indian history, and asks what it means to reclaim a more honest understanding of the past.

Front Cover Who Owns the Past?
Who Owns The Past || Shaan Kashyap

I Died Too EarlySumitra Manda

Intimate, surprising, and quietly devastating. This work of literary fiction explores loss, time, and the unlived life with a sensitivity that lingers long after the final page. Sumitra Manda announces herself as a writer of genuine power.

Front Cover I Died Too Early
I Died Too Early || Sumitra Manda

Strategy For LifeSurya Ramkumar

What if you applied the same rigor to your personal goals as a CEO applies to a business strategy? Ramkumar makes a compelling case that clarity, planning, and iteration are not just corporate tools — they’re the building blocks of a well-lived life.

Front Cover Strategy For Life
Strategy for Life || Surya Ramkumar 

Wisdom that WorksMadan Sundar Das

Drawing from ancient tradition and lived practice, Madan Sundar Das offers spiritual wisdom that is rooted, practical, and applicable to the everyday. For readers looking to bring more depth and meaning to their daily lives, this is a thoughtful companion.

Front Cover Wisdom that Works
Wisdom That Works || Madan Sundar Das

Made in Fire: A Playbook for Builders, Believers and Future FoundersRajnish Kumar 

From one of India’s most respected banking leaders, this is a book for those who build — and for those who dream of building. Rajnish Kumar shares the lessons, setbacks, and convictions that have shaped a remarkable career, offering a candid guide for the next generation of founders.

Front Cover Made in Fire
Made In Fire || Rajnish Kumar

 

Zubeen Garg: The Voice that Bridged WorldsProsenjit Nath

A deeply felt tribute to one of Assam’s most beloved musicians. Prosenjit Nath traces Zubeen Garg’s extraordinary journey — from the Brahmaputra Valley to the hearts of listeners across India and the diaspora — exploring the music, the man, and the bridges he built between worlds.

Front Cover Zubeen Garg
Zubeen Garg || Prosenjit Nath

 

All titles available at penguinbooksindia.com and leading bookstores from June 2026.

What To Read This Month

Some months arrive with a book or two worth talking about. April arrived with fourteen. This month’s new releases span centuries and continents, moving between Maratha battlefields and Mumbai’s marathon roads, between Everest base camps and the boardrooms of Hindustan Unilever — and somehow, every single one of them has something urgent to say.

Gangrene – Akshaya Kumar, Navdeep Singh

Akshaya Kumar & Navdeep Singh Rot beneath the surface makes for the most arresting literature. This anthology excavates Punjabi Dalit life with unflinching honesty — stories where caste wounds fester quietly and explode loudly. Searing, essential, and long overdue, Gangrene is the anthology that refuses to let comfortable readers stay comfortable.

Front Cover, Gangrene
Gangrene || Akshaya Kumar, Navdeep Singh

A CEO’s Brew Stirred with Passion, Purpose and Humbition – Sanjiv Mehta

Sanjiv Mehta Twenty-one years, five continents, sixty billion dollars — and Sanjiv Mehta still believes humility is a superpower. Part memoir, part masterclass, this is the story of how a man with ‘Humbition’ turned Hindustan Unilever into a global gold standard. Served strong, no sugar-coating required.

Front Cover, A CEO’s Brew Stirred with Passion, Purpose and Humbition
A CEO’s Brew || Sanjiv Mehta

 

The Star from Calcutta – Sujata Massey

Bombay, 1922: a movie censor is murdered, a leading lady vanishes, and India’s first female lawyer Perveen Mistry has front-row seats to early Bollywood’s darkest drama. Glamour, intrigue, and a courtroom mind — Massey’s fifth Perveen Mistry mystery is a blockbuster in every sense.

Front Cover The Star from Calcutta
The Star from Calcutta || Sujata Massey

 

A Fire over Mount Everest – Siddharth Kak

Siddharth Kak Everest doesn’t care about your ambitions. It chooses who climbs it. Documentary filmmaker Siddharth Kak embedded with an expedition and returned with a story no camera could fully capture — of triumph, obsession, rivalry, and a mountain that humbles even the best-prepared humans.

Front Cover A Fire over Mount Everest
A Fire over Mount Everest || Siddharth Kak

 

India’s Forests: Revisiting Nature and History -Arupjyoti Saikia, Mahesh Rangarajan

Trees have long memories. This richly researched volume recasts India’s forests not merely as ecology but as history — arenas of colonial ambition, peasant resistance, and ecological reckoning. A book for anyone who thought the jungle was just scenery.

Front Cover India’s Forests
India’s Forests || Arupjyoti Saikia, Mahesh Rangrajan

 

Glimpses of a Golden Childhood – Osho

Before he became the most controversial mystic of the 20th century, Osho was a magnificently rebellious small boy in Madhya Pradesh. This memoir of his early years is funny, irreverent, and surprisingly tender — the origin story of a man who never once obeyed an instruction he hadn’t interrogated first.

Front Cover Glimpses of a Golden Childhood
Glimpses of A Golden Childhood || Osho

 

Mumbai Marathon – Aarambh M. Singh

42.195 kilometres. One impossibly chaotic city. Millions of stories pounding the pavement. Filmmaker-turned-author Aarambhh M Singh captures the Mumbai Marathon as only a storyteller can — not just as a race, but as a mirror of the city’s relentless, breathless, magnificent spirit.

Front Cover Mumbai Marathon
Mumbai Marathon || Aarambh M. Singh

 

Building India’s Upstarts – Narasimhan Raghavan

No VC money. No safety net. Just grit, jugaad, and a refusal to quit. Drawing on India’s most resourceful founders, this playbook is for entrepreneurs who’d rather build something real than pitch decks endlessly. Practical, honest, and proudly bootstrapped in spirit.

Front Cover Building India’s Upstarts
Building India’s Upstarts | R. Narasimhan

 

From Mundane to Meaningful – Nasir Zaidi

Twenty-eight years in banking taught Nasir Zaidi that the extraordinary is hiding inside the ordinary — you just need the right lens. Part self-help, part memoir, this book coaches professionals to stop sleepwalking through their careers and start crafting lives worth actually living.

Front Cover From Mundane to Meaningful
From Mundane to Meaningful || Nasir Zaidi

 

Queen Tara – Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran

Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran From the ashes of defeat, a warrior is forged. Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran brings us another blazing chapter of Maratha history through a woman who chose to fight when surrender would have been easier. Vivid, immersive, and resolutely feminist — Queen Tara earns its throne.

Front Cover Queen Tara
Queen Tara || Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran

 

Almost Sixteen – Arsh Verma

A serving IPS officer writes about the treacherous terrain of being almost — but not quite — sixteen. Part coming-of-age, part dark comedy, Arsh Verma turns the universal awkwardness of adolescence into something unexpectedly luminous. A page-turner that remembers exactly how strange youth feels.

Front Cover Almost Sixteen
Almost Sixteen || Arsh Verma

 

From Guerrilla Fighter to Chief Minister: A Memoir – Zoramthanga

From armed insurgency to the Chief Minister’s chair — Zoramthanga’s life is one of India’s most remarkable political transformations. This memoir charts Mizoram’s journey from conflict to peace with rare candour, and reminds us that conviction, not compromise, is what endures.

Front Cover From Guerrilla Fighter to Chief Minister
From Guerrilla Fighter to Chief Minister || Zoramthanga

 

Hawk’s Quest – Deepa Agarwal

NCERT award-winning author Deepa Agarwal takes young readers on an adventure as swift and sharp-eyed as a hawk in flight. A quest story that soars across landscape and legend, reminding readers of all ages that courage is simply curiosity that refused to turn back.

Front Cover The Hawk’s Quest
The Hawk’s Quest || Deepa Agarwal

 

Upanishads and J Krishnamurti – Sri M

What happens when ancient Vedic wisdom meets the most rebellious philosopher of the 20th century? Sri M — yogi, Padma Bhushan laureate, and personal acquaintance of Krishnamurti — finds surprising harmony between tradition and transcendence. Quietly radical, deeply thought-provoking.

Front Cover Upanishads and J Krishnamurti
Upanishads and J Krishnamurti || Sri M

 

At Penguin India, we believe reading is never just an escape. It’s a way of paying attention. And this April, we’ve given you fourteen new ways to do exactly that.

Happy Reading!

Turn The Bharat Chapter

History Unpacked: The Why, When and What of Ancient India

Forget dusty dates and yawning over dynasties. This witty guide unpacks Ancient India—from the Stone Age to the Golden Age—through hilarious stories, quirky maps, and baffling connections. History finally makes sense (and stays fun) for curious minds aged ten-plus.

Front Cover History Unpacked: The Why, When and What of Ancient India
History Unpacked: The Why, When and What of Ancient India || Saisudha Acharya

 

The Padmas

From the football field to the laboratory, these fifty illustrated biographies celebrate seven decades of India’s highest civilian honors. A stirring collection of grit and greatness, it proves that perseverance turns ordinary dreams into extraordinary legacies for readers aged eight-plus.

Front Cover The Padmas
The Padmas | Neha J. Hiranandani

The People of the Indus

Unravel the enigma of the Indus through this meticulously researched graphic narrative. From 3200 BCE to its mysterious decline, experience a visually stunning journey that replaces dull dates with the vibrant, everyday lives of a civilization that reshaped human history.

Front Cover The People of the Indus
The People of the Indus | Nikhil Gulati, Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

The Incredible History of India’s Geography

From ostriches roaming the plains to being related to a blond Lithuanian, this trivia-packed journey explores the “unbelievable” in India’s geography. Full of quirky illustrations, it turns complex history into a fantastic, fact-filled adventure for curious minds aged twelve-plus.

Front Cover The Incredible History of India’s Geography
The Incredible History of India’s Geography | Sanjeev Sanyal

A Children’s History of India in 100 Objects

From prehistoric hand axes to the iconic HMT watch, discover the vibrant pulse of India through 100 extraordinary objects. This colorfully illustrated journey captures the voices of both rulers and commoners, weaving a rich tapestry of history, identity, and culture for young readers.

Front Cover A Children’s History of India in 100 Objects
A Children’s History of India in 100 Objects | Devika Cariapa

The Constitution of India for Children

From the colorful Republic Day parade to the seventeen-day countdown of its creation, this essential handbook brings India’s foundational document to life. Packed with cheerful illustrations and surprising facts, it transforms legal complexity into an engaging, witty guide for every young citizen.

Front Cover The Constitution of India for Children
The Constitution of India for Children | Subhadra Sen Gupta

 

Whether you’re tracing the Indus or discovering why your ancestors might be Lithuanian, these stories prove that the past is anything but boring. Dive into these essential reads to see India’s legacy in a whole new light—because understanding where we came from is the ultimate adventure.

Happy Reading!

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