10 Best Fiction Books to add to your reading list

If you are looking for a hobby to pursue, reading could be a perfect match for you, and reading some good fiction books is the best way to develop such a habit. Reading books provides knowledge and entertainment and offers numerous benefits for our brain, especially for senior citizens.

We all need a good book to escape from everything wrong, going around us. So, if you are looking for some amazing book recommendations to get you started, then this blog post is for you.

We know that you must have seen this list of best fiction books numerous times on many platforms, and surprisingly despite the overlap, all of them are different and are not exactly alike, and I think that is the beauty of Art. So, this is ours, born out of our passion for books.

But first of all, let’s take a glimpse of the benefits that this habit is going to offer us.

Benefits of reading books

• Sharpens decision-making skills
• Reduces stress
• You can sleep better after reading books instead of using a phone.
• Delays the onset of Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
• Enhances Memory.

As there are many books in the market, it sometimes becomes difficult to choose from such a big stalk. But luckily, we narrowed down all the Best Books to 10 to get you started. You can also read short plot summaries below to get some idea of the genre you would love reading.

Here is our list of Top 10 fiction books of all times:

1) Banaras Talkies by Satya vyas:

बनारस!!

घाटों का शहर, ज्ञान और ज्ञानियों का शहर, मंदिरों का शहर और सुकून भरी सुबहों का शहर.

Assi ghaat santo ka ghaat| chanto ka ghaat| kaviyo ka ghaat| chhaviyo ka ghaat| ganjediyo ka ghaat| bhangediyo ka ghaat| Mera ghaat| Tera ghaat| Hmaara ghaat! Sbkaa ghaat|

Yes, the book is about Banaras.

Banaras can’t be explained in words that can fulfill your thirst, it is a whole new world, but writer Satya Vyas tried to explain it well in his book “Banaras talkies” and it gave me a blend of nostalgia and longing to visit Bhola Nath ka sheher. Nostalgia because the book is about college life, hostel life, and to be specific, Bhagawan das hostel of BHU, and I was constantly thinking about my hostel life and longing because we cannot get enough of this place by just reading and listening about it.

It is a perfect book for the elderly because you can get a glimpse of college life when you were younger, and you can again enjoy all of that by just sitting in your house. For young adults and teenagers, it has everything they can imagine in a single book -A perfect college, Three imperfect students, friendships, love, cigarettes, cricket matches, bunking lectures, stealing exam papers, binge-watching movies, eating at Lanka, and then a tragic bomb blast, which will give you chills in the spine.

Many beautiful stories you can read in this book, fascinating stories about kasha like- Brahma once weighed the heavens against Kashi. And Kashi, being heavier, sank while the skies, despite all the gods who lived there, rose upwards. – Adi Shankara, Manikarnikastotram.

The whole language of book is typical Banarasi and I absolutely loved this thing – Sharing with you some insights-

कमरा नम्बर-88 में नवेन्दुजी से भेंट कीजिये. भंसलिया का फिलिम, हमारा यही भाई एडिट किया था. जब, इनका नाम नहीं दिया तो भाई आग ये ‘लॉ’ पढ़ने कि ‘वकील बनके केस करूँगा.’ देश केहर जिला में इनके एक मौसा जी रहते है.  

डॉक्टर-मौसा, प्रॉक्टर-मौसा, इलेक्ट्रिशियन-मौसा, पॉलिटिशियन-मौसा. घोड़ा-मौसा, गदहा-मौसा. ख़ैर, मौसा महात्मय छोड़ दें तो भी नवेन्दुजी का महत्व कम नहीं हो जाता. फ़िल्म का ज्ञान तो इतना है कि पाक़ीज़ा पर क़िताब लिख दें. शोले पर तो नवेन्दुजी डाक्टरेट ही हैं. अमिताभ के जींस का नाप, धन्नो का बाप, बुलेट पर कम्पनी का छाप , सब उनको मालूम है!  

By now, you must have understood the amount of fun element in the book, and just in case you don’t understand Hindi, the book is available easily in English also. But we will suggest you choose Hindi to get the best out of the best fiction book in Hindi.

If anybody asked me to sum the book in 1 line, I would say- Welcome to life through the gate of BHU!

1) Mitro Marjani by Krishna Sobti:

“”Mitro Marjani” is one of the most controversial Indian novels of all time written by “Krishna sobti”, the receiver of the Sahitya Akademi Award, Fellowship, and Jananpith Award for her contribution to Indian literature.

This is controversial because the plot of the novel revolves around the open desires of bold women “Sumitra vanti” or called “Mitro” with love, who never feels shy in doing whatever she wants. Being a middle-class woman of 1966, instead of remaining silent as most of the women even today, she speaks openly as her husband was unable to full fill her desires.

She loves herself so much and fights for her moral rights, and never felt shy in demanding what she deserves and what was her.

I am quoting a few of her savage comments:

“ऐसा नहीं है कि वो खराब है. जब उसे पता लगता है कि उसके पति सरदारी लाल को पैसे की जरूरत है तो वो उसे अपने पैसे देने में भी नहीं हिचकिचाती है. सुनकर एक बार तो जी हुआ, घरवाले को एक करारी सुनाकर चित करदे, पर ज़बान पर काबू पा मित्रो बोली – महाराजजी, न थाली बाँटते हो, न नींद बाँटते हो, दिल के दुखड़े ही बाँटलो.”

After everything, when her brother in law asked her if she is having some sort of affair outside. In her answer, she said over openly that the rumors you have heard about me are equally true and false and explaining that she said:

“सचतो यूं , जेठ जी, कि दीन-दुनिया बिसरा मैं मनुक्ख की जात से हंस खेल लेती हूं. झूठ यूं की खसम का दिया राजपाट छोड़ी मैं कोठे पर तो नहीं जा बैठी.”

By now, you must have understood how the book, when written, was very ahead of its times. I think it is a must-read for everyone.

After 50 years of such a bold novel, in an interview, Krishna Sobti Ji said, “Mitro is now not a character of a book, she has turned into nature of the women, who want to live on her own terms, expresses her desires openly and take actions too”. But the journey is still very long.

2) Pokhran by Uday Singh

“It is in the service of others that you will find true joy and happiness”.

“Pokhran” by Uday Singh is a page-turner that has explored several elements through a single story. This novel teaches us very beautifully to serve society, to focus on our doings while taking care of others nearby. This novel demonstrated that the pursuit of the greater good could and will lead to career success and not the other way around. I learned this beautiful idea of “Paracracy”, which was truly enlightening to read. Particracy is an idea of a perfect society that neither supports communism nor capitalism. A society in which parents money or property is not given to their children after 21 years of age for the sake of removing the gaps between the haves and have-nots. This idea of the perfect society is so fascinating, and I think it is elucidated very well with the help of this story of “Rebuilding Pokhran”.

It will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. It has everything from love, physical disabilities, culture, separation, nuclear testing, and desserts to kidnapping, riots, and deaths.

I really liked how each character in the story was different and unique from each other and yet had the same passion of doing something for others, whether it be Paramveer, fighting for the rights of people affected by nuclear radiations from “smiling buddha” in Pokhran or Chaitanya, wanting to build a wholly new city in the middle of the dessert for refugees or be it Zara, fighting all her life for Yazidi’s rights or be it even Samarjit and his father, acting like robin hoods to their village for giving justice to the poor.

This novel teaches us to find the root cause of the problem rather than treating the symptoms. It teaches us to celebrate death, not out of disrespect for the dead, but rather from the belief that death is a happy and joyous culmination to a life that was lived.

It was worth reading, and I think is the most underrated fiction book by an Indian author.

3) Brida by Paulo Coelho:

It was just another Paulo Coelho’s spiritual, philosophical book with the tadka of Witches and magic. It is about the search for the meaning of life and soul mate…

It is a one-time read, but you will fall in love with the character of the magus, and you will start craving to find your soul mate, a part of yourself… The book teaches us to never be ashamed,’ accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.’ A

‘How will I know which is which?’

‘By the taste.’

You can only know a good wine if you have first tasted a bad one. There is a thing about Paulo Coelho, he either disappoints you or you will be his fan. But how to decide it totally depends upon your understanding and taste.

4)Sita by Devdatt Patnaik:

Devdatt Patnaik is like Father of Modern Indian Mythology. From Jaya to My Gita, he has written some amazing books on Indian Mythology. In this book too he tried to give answers of some amazing questions related to Mahabharata and I think it should be read by everyone to have some basic understanding of our culture.

Why do we call King RAM “Ram CHANDRA” if is a Suryavanshi?

Why we apply vermilion on hanuman’s body in mandir?

If ram was in exile and lived as a hermit in forest, how come he managed to give a ring (his ring) to hanuman to show it to Sita as proof in Lanka?

If the ram is considered as Maryada Purushotam, how can he abandon his own wife?

If Rama was a great king, who is known for his justice and wisdom, why people’s gossiping about sita’s chastity bothered him that much?

Devdatt very beautifully explained all such things in a very simple and thoughtful manner.

5)Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami:

This is a magical fiction book.

Sputnik sweetheart is a story of “k”, Miu and my favorite Sumire.

This a sort of love triangle between a school teacher K, a naive writer sumire, and a Korean woman, Miu, 17 years older than sumire.

How things work between them and how they handle their strange relationships, parallel world, etc. this magical book is all about that, giving you Goosebumps every now and then, making you fall in love with a strange girl who is neither beautiful nor have any dressing sense but still, you would crave of her. This is how Murakami penned her… I have come to realize that reading a Murakami book is not quite an act of reading itself but an act of dreaming with your eyes open.

The ending is not so vivid same as “Norwegian woods” and would leave you in your own thoughts. This is what makes him the most different and most popular writer in Japan.

6) Great Gatsby by Scot F, Fitzgerald:

O dead Gatsby,

No “The Great Gatsby”

THEY’RE A ROTTEN CROWD… YOU’RE WORTH THE WHOLE DAMN BUNCH PUT TOGETHER.”

I will say this loud every time I am going to read a love story, and probably you would do the same after reading this classic romantic fiction book.

Old sport, you took my heart away with the hope you had with your loved one. How your sole goal was the happiness of your partner, how you earned everything just for her, how you used to say “I love her, and that’s the beginning and end of everything,” how you used to throw big parties in the hope that one day may be she would come, and how you sacrificed yourself just for her …I don’t know how to appreciate, but all I can say is I have never seen a love like that before.

Even if nobody sent a flower to you, but whoever hears your story shed tears even today. “The Great Gatsby” is a masterpiece of Scott Fitzgerald, and if you are also searching for an amazing old-world classic love story, here you go, old sport.

7) A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini:

“One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,

Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls”.

I am sure that you must have heard about this book at least at some point in your life. This book is the best for beginners, and a must-read for people of all ages.

This book is the complete version of any form of writing I have ever read.

You would love Mariam for being what she is to feel pity for her when betrayed by her father, feel angry when she betrayed her mother, feel sympathetic when Laila enters her life, feel powerful when she befriends Laila, feel like a warrior when she kills her own husband and weeps when she died, a legitimate end to a life of illegitimate belongings.

And how can we forget about that letter? I feel shattered while reading that letter of Jalil to Marium and how Khaled Hosseini ended the novel with Laila completing her dreams after so much suffering; how he beautifully mentioned Afghan and women’s whole scenario of Afghanistan is incredible.

PS: I really liked a quote from the book that says, Acc to a Chinese proverb, “Better to be deprived of food for three days than tea for one”

8) The God Of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.

I will not say that I haven’t read a story like this, but I would say that how the story is told to us is unique and strange in every possible way.

It is written so boldly.

You will learn many Malayam words after reading this, and I am sharing a few with you here.

The story revolves around the family living in Ayemanem, Kottayam, Kerala, having Pappachi (grandfather), Mammachi (grandmother), Chacko (uncle), Margaret kochhamma (wife of Chacko from London), baby Kochhamma (unmarried sister of Pappachi), Ammu (mother), Velutha (an untouchable carpenter), our Sophie mol (daughter of Chacko), Kochu maria (midget servant) Estha mon (Elvis the pelvis)and Rahel mol (the most naughty one and almost 18 minutes younger than Estha).

The main thing highlighted in this book is is “who and how much a person should be loved”.

The scenario of dizygotic twins ambassador ESTHA and REHAL (love-in-Tokyo on her fountain) doing something with each other when they don’t find anyone who can understand them better than each other shocked me a lot and made me a bit awkward to read further.

It is about childhood memories and “how a woman AFTER marriage is treated in her father’s house”.

“How a DIVORCED woman after marriage is treated in her father’s house”.

“How a divorced woman after LOVE marriage is treated in her father’s house”.

“How a divorced woman after INTERCASTE love marriage is treated in her father’s house.”

The way the love story of Ammu and Ammukutty (our very own Velutha-The God of loss, the God of small things) told is so mesmerizing.

We all should read it once in a lifetime to broaden our mindset.

I hugged my mother when I completed the story.

The relation Rahel shares with Ammu is so pure and real and would remind us of the bond we share with our living God (our mother).

I laughed, I cried, I thought, I checked the dictionary many times, and I loved the book due to its unique way of storytelling.

10) The unsolved case of an Indian woman by Puneeth JH

This is a book about riots of perspective. It is said that “There is no truth, but only perception”, and this book is all about it.

This is a psychological thriller set in Daman, revolving around three characters -Ms. Tandel, a brave lawyer but scared that someone out there wants to kill her, a frustrated teenage girl, Sneha, who attempted suicide many times, and an eight-year-old girl, Meenu, who yearns for love from her mother.

These three unparallel storylines will collide via a terrifying issue, and then their life changes for forever.

This short book is a page-turner, and you can complete it in a single seating. If you love thriller books with twists, go for it.

I hope you will enjoy the books as much as we did.

Please let us know how much you liked it or any specific book you want us to add or review.

The Team of Emoha is doing its best to help you cope with the struggles of life. We write blogs on a lot of different topics for your entertainment and awareness.

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