The best thing about books is the more you read them the more you learn to look at things from a completely new perspective. For, every book is a transformative journey where we put ourselves in the shoes of its characters and experience life as they do. Over the years, you must’ve read great books by English authors, but reading the latest Indian books written by Indian authors is an altogether different experience. Some of the best Indian books of 2023 brings you stories, narratives and ideas from the perspective of this diverse nation.
For one, their topics are more relatable and based on local and national topics which touch us directly or indirectly. These books play an important role by either challenging our set beliefs or giving us reasons to accept them. And sometimes show us some of the most interesting but otherwise ignored slices of history that played a significant role in shaping our present.
So, without further ado, we present to you some of the best Indian books of 2023 in the list below:
Also Read: 15 Best Books Of 2023 So Far You Should Read
1. Energize Your Mind – Gaur Gopal Das
It is an established fact that amidst the hustle- bustle of our daily life our internal peace is fleeting. The popular Indian Guru, in his latest offering, comes with solutions that’ll help us manage our chaotic life better and live stress free by using meditation and other mind tools. You can use it to understand your mind better and work with it in a way that will help you live a productive, stress-free, and calm life. Energize Your Mind is a book you should definitely read and is one of the best Indian books of 2023
2. The Kargil Story – Deepak Surana
As the name goes, the book is a comprehensive compilation of Kargil war stories. It covers the five crucial Indian assaults of the war, namely, Battle of Khalubar, Capturing pt. 4875, Battle of Tololing, Three Pimples and Tiger Hill. In this intriguing book, you’ll get to read never heard before stories of the Kargil war. They were collected from over hundred jawans who were a part of the war. The Kargil story is undoubtedly one of the best books of 2023 especially for those who love history and stories of wars.
3. Bipin: The Man Behind the Uniform – Rachna Bisht Rawat
General Bipin Rawat is one of the most brave and audacious army officers that our country has seen. Although controversies surrounded him through out his military career, his accomplishments outshine them. And as a nation, when we lost him to a tragic copter crash in 2021, our grief was insurmountable.
This book is a tribute to him and follows his life story. The best selling author of the defense segment, Rachna Bisht Rawat, brings to us this book with details of his life by interviewing his friends and family members. It covers his not-so-smooth journey to the top in the armed forces. And then there are bitter-sweet yet interesting anecdotes from his life to inspire every Indian who cherishes to be in the Army.
4. Smoke and Ashes – Amitav Ghosh
This book is like a treasure trove hidden at the bottom of an ocean. As Amitav Ghosh pens down the history of Opium in the Indian subcontinent, and the world, we open our eyes to an alternate history that was hidden for so long. We get to know how Opium was and still is, the driving force behind some of the biggest empires, conglomerates and families. But, that is not all, he also makes a shocking discovery that if it were not for the Opium trade, the Britishers would not have been able to rule us that long.
5. Victory City – Salman Rushdie
The Booker Prize winning author is back with a novel that stirs our imagination with adventure, mythology and magic. The story follows a nine- year-old-Kampana, who has been granted a boon to create one of the best cities of the ancient world. But, Kampana’s excessive obsession with the city, even decades later, turns her boon to bane and causes the city to perish.
6. The Bandit Queens – Parini Shroff
Parini Shroff’s debut novel, The Bandit Queens, is so good that it restores our faith in the beginner’s luck. A woman lives up to the rumour of being her husband’s killer and makes full use of it. However, when other women approach her for solutions to get rid of their useless husbands, the problem starts. The funny, witty and unusual feel-good story is hard to forget, and you must read it, or you’ll be losing out on one of the best Indian books of 2023.
7. Homeless: Growing Homosexual and Dyslexic in India – K Vaishali
This book is K Vaishali’s autobiography where she opens up about herself, her life and choices. Being completely honest, this is her bold attempt to open up to a prejudiced world. She discloses about her being a homosexual and problems with learning. And despite all the surmounting challenges, she finds courage to leave her house, breathe free and live life on her own terms.
8. I Hear You- Nidhi Upadhyay
Nidhi Upadhyay’s latest psychological thriller is unlike anything you’ve read before. The gripping tale is about Mihika carrying the world’s first genetically altered foetus to save her marriage. But little does she realize it has superpowers, and unlike other unborn, can respond to her. The gripping suspense novel and its unpredictable ending will take you by surprise, that we can promise.
9. R.A.W. Hitman – Hussian S Zaidi
Like most of his previous works, Zaidi’s latest novel is based on actual events too. It revolves around a mysterious R.A.W. Agent Lima, who was behind the death of dreaded gangsters Raju Pargai and Amit Arya. But, what does N.S.G. commando Lakshman “Lucky” Bisht, personal security officer of LK Advani and then CM Narendra Modi, have to do with the case?
10. Aryaa – Shivakumar GV
Shivakumar’s thought-provoking novel has ten short stories based on strong-willed women from the Vedic age. This book is a closer and deeper look at the lives of these women as it demystifies the mystery surrounding them. While we’ve often read about different aspects of their lives in various mythologies, there was nothing concrete about them until now. The book depicts their eternal wisdom, bravery and unconventional choices that seem almost unreal.
11. A Dark and Shiny Place – Pragati Deshmukh
Pragati Deshmukh’s suspense thriller is about a happily married woman whose life turns upside down as the pandemic hits her. Confined within the four walls of her home, she’s experiencing the paranormal as she loses a sense of reality. The edge-of-seat thriller will immerse you in Maya’s dark and broken world. With only her sister Meera in her support, will Maya gain a grip on her reality, or will she succumb to her darkness? Don’t miss out on this gem. Read it.
12. Sahela Re: A Novel – Mrinal Pande
One of the benefits of reading the best Indian books is that they connect us with the glorious aspects of our culture. Sahela Re is an ode to one such treasure, Hindustani classical music. It follows a music teacher’s journey as she unravels the beautiful musical traditions of the past. We get to know of glimpses of its glorious mehfils and ghazals as she keeps travelling around the world and meeting people who’ve still kept the tradition alive through their performances. Though the book was originally in Marathi, Priyanka Sarkar has beautifully translated it in English.
13. Nala Damayanti – Anand Neelakantan
This novel is based on an epic love story straight out of the timeless mythology Mahabharat. When Brahma had second thoughts about creating humans and decided to end them, a Swan intervened. Brahma gives him the most difficult task of uniting tribal King, Nala and eternal beauty, Damayanti. Read the enchanting story about how love emerged despite many hostile situations and evil lurking in the shadow.
14. The Indian Metropolis – Varun Gandhi
The thought provoking book is like an open debate about the real scenes bugging the urban India. As a politician and an Indian, Varun Gandhi, aptly questions our development models that simply ape the West but have no human touch to it. He shows us that there are downsides to it and provides solutions as well.
15. The Invisible Enemy – Girish Kuber
The book traces the origin of bio-chemical weapons and how they’ve been used over time by warring nations. The Invisible Enemy is an eye-opener that warns us about how these dangerous weapons are a threat to humanity a large. After having lived through the pandemic, whose origin is still debatable, this book is what we need to read to know more about what goes behind the scenes. The book was initially published in Marathi and translated into English by Subha Pande.
The best Indian books of 2023 in the above list range from spy and suspense thrillers, non-fiction(including self-help) and romance novels. You can easily find these on Amazon, Kindle or in bookstores near you.