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You are here: Home / Asia / India / Best Books About India

Best Books About India

Update 25/11/2019 By Alyson for World Travel Family. Any post on this site may contain affiliate links. If you use them, they cost you nothing extra. We make a small commission.

With your India trip still months off, what better way to indulge your love for a country and learn a little more about it than by getting lost in a great book. Travel books are a wonderful way to prepare for a trip or to learn more about a country without ever leaving your armchair. Learn about Indian culture, history and traditions with these amazing books about India. India and books about India are a particular love of mine. Here are some of my favourites, high-brow, funny, factual and fantasy, I hope you enjoy them too.

If you need our full India content archive, it’s here.

Contents show
1 Best Books About India for Adults
2 Lonely Planet India (Travel Guide)
3 Are You Experienced?
4 Travels on my Elephant
5 Midnight’s Children: A Novel
6 City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi
7 Shantaram: A Novel
8 Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire
9 Autobiography of a Sadhu: A Journey into Mystic India
10 Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi
11 Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure

Best Books About India for Adults

Lonely Planet India (Travel Guide)

Yes, people read Lonely Planets for fun. I do.

I’ll read them from cover to cover before a trip, starting with the food, progressing to the pictures then reading in depth to plan where I want to go. These guides are pure escapism.

You can start learning the language, check out health requirements and get an idea of costs before you leave home. This is probably the most comprehensive book about India you could buy. We would always recommend taking on of these with you to India, but be warned, it’s a brick.

Are You Experienced?

This is one of those rare books that once started, I had to finish all in one go. I stayed up most of the night, pulled along by laughs and the adventures of backpackers making their way around India. Some want to find their spiritual selves, some are barely getting by and would really rather just go home. It’s fun, modern, a true reflection of the trials of Indian travel and a glorious caricature of the types of travellers you’ll meet on the road.

Travels on my Elephant

 Travels on my elephant is a wonderful insight into the relationship between mahout and elephant. 

If you’ve read this book, you’ll want to read the sequel Queen of the Elephants

Midnight’s Children: A Novel

Midnight’s Children is a controversial modern classic, part historical novel, part allegory, it deals with India’s transition from British rule to independence post partition.

City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi

By William Dalrymple

Dalrymple’s classic travelogue City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi, the characters this couple meet during their time in Delhi make fascinating reading.

Shantaram: A Novel

I must admit, I didn’t love this one and lost interest towards the end, but everyone else seems to love this book so I’m including Shantaram. It’s a look at the darker side of Indian city life, slums, crime, prison, jails, drugs and Mumbai. Written by an Australian man about his life in India after escaping prison in his home country.

The parts of the book dealing with life in Mumbai’s slums were fascinating.

Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire

Another book about the end of British rule in India and partition.

tells us what went on behind the scenes with the Nehrus and Mountbattens.

Autobiography of a Sadhu: A Journey into Mystic India

how a white westerner, became a holy man, a sadhu. A glimpse of mystical India.

Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi

A biography of this fascinating woman, sometimes described as India’s Maggie Thatcher.

 gives us an insight into the extraordinary Nehru dynasty and growing up with Gandhi.

Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure

Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure

This one has the best cover and is another fun read. A young woman returns to India, against her better judgement, almost dies and searches for the meaning of life and death through nightclubs, Bollywood and spirituality.

There are many more fabulous books on India, fiction and factual, these are just a few favourites. We hope you enjoy them and hope that one day you make it to India, it’s our favourite country to travel. Visit our India Travel Homepage here, to find all our India posts along with plenty of tips and information.

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Tagged With: Places to Visit in IndiaFiled Under: Asia, India, Travel Books

About Alyson for World Travel Family

Alyson is a former medical scientist who jumped ship to chase dreams. She is now a full-time blogger and travel writer and owns several websites. A lifetime of wanderlust and over 6 years on the road, has given her and the family some travel expert smarts to share with you on this site. Our site covers over 50 countries, cultures, and cuisines, from the trekking routes of the high Himalayas to Ancient Egypt and beyond. Read more about us and our trave story here.

Comments

  1. Brooke says

    02/08/2015 at

    I totally agreed with you on Shanturam and I was so surprised to hear you say you didn’t devour it all the way through. I didn’t even finish the book. There were parts very interesting for sure. I did question whether or not it was the whole truth. Maybe it is the cynic in me or maybe it was a little embellished??

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      02/08/2015 at

      I just thought the bloke was unlikeable , that was my issue Brooke.

      Reply

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