10 Book Titles That Will Make Great Diwali Gifts in 2019, and Why Choose Books as Diwali Gifts

When you become a mother, aunt, uncle or grandparent, whether you like it or not you’ve signed up for a life-long contract of giving gifts. It can get expensive, repetitive and tedious too for the recipient when you run out of ideas on what to buy. However, there’s one category that will never run dry – books! Books are a good gift options for anyone of any age. Be it kids or adults, you can never go wrong with books.

Books have the power to spark curiosity, open opportunities, and introduce innovation. Moreover, the options are endless, and good books last for a long time and can be enjoyed over and over again.

When you’re thinking of buying a book as a gift to your loved ones, you want them to actually read it and not just throw it away into the back of a drawer and forget about it. You want it to be a genre that they would love to read, and there are hundreds of them. From mystery and science fiction, to romance and thrillers – there are so many to choose from. Before you buy a book, find out what they would like to read and then choose a book from that genre, there’s no point in giving an autobiography to a person who loves sci-fi books. Doing a little bit of research to understand the recipient’s likes and dislikes will definitely show them how much you love and care about them. Book lovers rarely hide their passion and will often be seen toting a book or two, simply take note of the kind of books they read or take a peak into their bookshelf.

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body,” wrote Richard Steele in the 1700s. Books make a perfect Diwali gift as opposed to giving kurtas or sweets. Everyone is going to go that route, this Diwali be different and gift books to your loved ones. Books will empower people and educate them, be it a fictional adventure to imaginary lands or a biographical piece with lessons from history. Anyone who reads knows the power of a good piece of literature. If you are not sure what to buy, explore the bestseller list from Amazon, New York Times, India Today or Barnes and Noble. You can even select based on categories, like fiction, history, nonfiction etc.

You have a friend who doesn’t really like to read, but you do and you’d love to gift them a book? We’ve got the perfect idea for you – coffee table books. Books are great, and it’s even better when they double as homeware, and coffee table books are just that. Whether it’s a book on birds or food, coffee table books come with amazing pictures and make an easy read for your guests too.

And for those who love reading books, you could consider buying a collector’s edition of their favourite books and authors. It’ll be a perfect addition to the library that they’ll have at home. Some of the books a simply too beautiful not to have in anyone’s library, so go ahead and help your loved one set up a library with beautiful books.

Calling Sehmat, written by Harinder Sikka, is an espionage thriller set in the year 1971 when there’s tension brewing between India and Pakistan. Inspired by real events, this book brings to life the story of an unsung heroine of war, Sehmat Khan. As part of her father’s dying wish, her patriotic father convinces Sehmat to marry the son of a high-ranking Pakistani army general.

This is the beginning of her transformation from an ordinary girl in to a deadly spy who gathers vital information and passes onto her beloved country. She does this with courage and bravado, until she stumbles upon a piece information that could destroy the naval might of her country. The story has been made into a film, the Alia Bhatt starrer Raazi.

Buy this thrilling book from Amazon for Rs.135.

Is the person you’re buying a gift for a great cricket lover and who avidly follows the Indian cricket team? A Century is not Enough: My Roller-coaster Ride to Success written by Sourav Ganguly with Gautam Bhattacharya will make a perfect Diwali book gift.

It’s about Sourav Ganguly’s life, one of India’s greatest cricket captains, and how he gave his team the confidence to win, re-energized them and took the team to spectacular overseas victories. He also talks about the greatest challenges he’s faced – the four longs years he had to wait before he was included in the team, and the fight he had with the Australian coach Greg Chappell. It’s a must read to understand how Sourav overcame all his challenges and came out a winner time and time again.

You can buy a hardcover copy of this book on Amazon for Rs.591.

Are you looking for Diwali gifts for children? If you want to introduce kids to books, we’ve got the best book for you – Diwali: A Cultural Adventure by Sana Hoda Sood.

It makes a great Diwali gift since it gives an introduction to the wonderful festival of lights, Diwali. It gives an outline of the story, the virtues it celebrates and the traditions. What’s more, it’s got beautiful illustrations, colourful and bright, making it perfect for a snuggle-read with the little ones.

You can purchase this hardcover book on Amazon for Rs.3,313.

The Boy Who Loved, written by Durjoy Dutta, is the first of a two-part romance. It’s a warm, dark, quirky and edgy book that is wonderfully realistic and dangerously unreal. It’s a book about Raghu who likes to believe that there’s nothing remarkable about his life.

He’s always wanted everything to remain that way, middle-class parents, a brother he looks up to and studying in IIT. Deep down, however, the guilt of letting his closest friend drown in a swimming pool gnaws at him. He punishes himself by hiding from the world and shying away from love and friendship, until he meets Brahmi. No matter what he does, he can’t help but begin to care for her. Then life throws him into the deep end and he has to face his worst fears.

You can purchase this book on Flipkart for Rs.166.

A Murder on Malabar Hill, written by author Sujata Massey, is a mystery fiction with touches of historical references. Set in 1921 Bombay, Perveen Mistry joins her father’s law firm to become the first female lawyer in India. Armed with a legal education from Oxford, Perveen also comes with a tragic history that makes her especially devoted to championing and protecting women’s rights.

Mistry Law, her father’s law firm, is handling the will of a wealthy mill owner Mr. Omar Farid who has left three widows behind. As Perveeen goes through the documents, suspicions are aroused by a curious provision which could disinherit Farid’s three widows, leaving them vulnerable. Perveen tries to investigate, but when tensions escalate to murder it becomes clear her life could be in danger too. It’s her responsibility to find out what happened in Malabar Hill and to make sure no one else is further danger.

This book is available on Amazon for Rs.319.

Everyone Has a Story, written by Savi Sharma, narrates the stories of four individuals who are all waiting for their own story to begin. Meera, a young writer is in search of a story that can touch millions of lives. Then there’s Vivaan, assistant branch manager at Citibank, who dreams of travelling the world. Café manager Kabir who desires something of his own. And Nisha, the despondent café customer who has secrets of her own. Everyone has a story, but what happens when the lives of these four people are woven together?

This book is available on Snapdeal for Rs.125.

A Princess Remembers: The Memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur provides an intimate look at the extraordinary life of the world’s most fascinating and one of the most beautiful women – Gayatri Devi. It narrates the story of Gayatri Devi, the daughter of the Maharaja of Cooch Behar and the widow of the Maharaja of Jaipur, and allows her readers to get glimpses of her life of excess and extravagance.

You can get your hands on this book on Flipkart for Rs.339.

Five women, who are forced to go on a corporate retreat, go on a hike. However, only four return. Force of Nature written by Jane Harper asks the question: how well do you know the people you work with?

When the five colleagues are forced to go on a corporate retreat in the wilderness, they reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking down the muddy path. But one of the women doesn’t come out of the woods. And each of her companions tells a slightly different story about what happened. For those who love a mystery-thriller novel, this will make a great Diwali gift.

You can get this book on Amazon. The paperback goes for Rs.409 while the hardcover is priced at Rs.302.

Do you know someone who absolutely loves to bake? Then Cakes, Desserts and More by Achu Kurian will make a perfect gift for this Diwali. Achu Kurian, who has over thirty years of experience in baking, has penned down a comprehensive collection of recipes for delicious cakes and desserts and much more in this book. Form citrus cake and coffee gateau to coffee soufflé and yoghurt cream pudding, name it and you can find a recipe for it in this book.

You can buy this book on Amazon for Rs.309.

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness written by the famous Arundhati Roy, is an aching love story and a decisive remonstration. It is told in a whisper, in a shout, through tears and sometimes with a laugh. Its heroes are people who have been broken by the world they live in and then rescued, mended by love – and by hope. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness takes us on a journey of many years,

Buy a hardcover on Amazon for Rs.327.

If the friend or family member you’re buying a gift for is a voracious reader and has actually read most of the books listed here, you might think you’re doomed. But don’t worry, we’ve got a solution for that too – give a beautiful journal. If you’re not sure which book to buy them, the simple answer is give them a journal for them to write and fill up with beautiful thoughts, lines and maybe even poems.