This Season’s 10 Must-Reads

From gripping thrillers and bold graphic narratives to wellness guides and timeless poetry, this season’s must-reads span genres and ideas that inspire, challenge, and entertain. These books are set to spark conversations and capture imaginations.

1. The Museum Detective

Maha Khan Phillips

The Museum Detective is a riveting new crime thriller inspired by a real-life antiquities scandal. Set in Karachi, it follows Dr Gul Delani, a museum curator and archaeologist, who is thrust into a dangerous investigation after a drug bust uncovers an ancient mummy linked to Persia. As Gul unravels a web of corruption and conspiracy, her search intertwines with a personal quest to find her missing niece. Fast-paced, gritty, and layered with history, the novel combines crime, archaeology, and suspense. A must-read for lovers of intelligent thrillers, it offers both gripping action and thought-provoking insight into heritage and justice.

2. Hand Mudras: Transformative Yoga for Health and Wellness

Premlata Haralaka

Your mental well-being at your fingertips, isn’t it amazingly easy? This book by Premlata Harilalka introduces the ancient Vedic practice of hand mudras that can heal and calm one’s body and mind in minutes. It includes step-by-step instructions with illustrations for healing mudras, specific mudras for common health issues, practices to enhance intuition and mental clarity, and quick stress relief techniques for busy professionals. It omits the need for complex equipment and lengthy time commitments.

3. Between Worlds: The IF Anthology of New Indian SFF VOL 1

Gautam Bhatia

Gautam Bhatia, well known for his own celebrated speculative fiction works and his thoughts as a public commentator on civil rights, has thoughtfully curated this collection of stories to offer unexpected and powerful perspectives from the edges of Indian speculative fiction.

This anthology masterfully blends genres with reality, presenting fantastical tales tackling climate, AI and capitalism. It amplifies the voices of the margins, offering diverse, queer and radical perspectives of the future that challenge conventional narratives.

4. I Think, Therefore I Ask: A Handbook for Intelligent Living

Mukunda Rao

I Think, Therefore I Ask is a simple and practical guide that encourages introspection and self-examination as a means of questioning the roots of one’s beliefs and assumptions. By going beyond abstract questions and concisely putting forth its arguments, this book encourages people from all backgrounds to lead peaceful and fulfilling lives.

5. Abundant Sense: Rahim: Selected Dohas

Chandan Sinha

A new and substantial translation of Rahim’s Dohas for a new generation of readers, offering a fresh, rhythmic translation of over half of Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan’s timeless couplets.

In the book, Chandan Sinha, a former IAS officer, pays tribute to Rahim by thoughtfully compiling his verses, alongside insightful explanations and Devanagari text. Chandan strongly evokes the originality and memorability of Rahim’s work through rhyme and meter, making his profound wisdom accessible and engaging.

6. Uprooted: A Graphic Account of the Struggle for Forest Rights

Ita Mehrotra

With the documented life of Van Gujjar, bringing together the notes from 2021 - 2024, this powerful graphic account bears witness to the unrelenting struggles of Van Gujjars and Taungyas. This novel is an urgent and visually stunning graphic

narrative, using the comic medium to shed light on the complex issue of land rights, conservation and political displacement costing human life.

7. The Time Energy Toolkit: Design Your Life, One Day At A Time

Apekshit Khare

The Time Energy Toolkit is an essential guide, more than being a mere time management book this is a practical guide for energy management. By aligning actions with one’s core purpose and increasing Bright energy, the book provides practical techniques to help individuals slumps, take ownership of their time, and lead a more fulfilling Bright Life. Unlike typical books, it is deeply rooted in the Indian context, drawn from his 15+ years of experience in HR Leadership, and introduces his personal philosophy of Bright Energy and Dark Energy.

8. Your Body Already Knows

Nidhi Bhanshali Pandya, NAMA Certified Ayurvedic Doctor and Educator

Your Body Already Knows by Nidhi Bhanshali Pandya is a 21-day guide to aligning with your body’s innate intelligence through Ayurveda. Centred on the concept of the Inner Climate™, coined by Pandya, it explores how the balance of Vata, Pitta, 

and Kapha influences health, emotions, and energy. With simple yet powerful practices, the book connects daily choices to the body’s circadian rhythm, helping readers optimise digestion, sleep, and emotional balance. Pandya translates ancient wisdom into a modern context, showing how awareness of your inner climate can restore harmony. A thoughtful read for those seeking holistic, sustainable wellbeing in just three weeks.

9. The CEO Mindset

Shiv Shivakumar

Top CEOs have a winning attitude, powerful habits and know how to ask the right questions to deliver the right results. But what does it really take to make it as a CEO? This book, penned by veteran corporate leader and management guru Shiv Shivakumar, serves as an indispensable guide to adopting the right mindset to become a successful CEO. From building trustworthy engagements with clients and Board members to building a collaborative culture and inspiring the next generation of aspiring managers, this book covers everything needed to achieve a CEO mindset and leave a lasting legacy as a CEO.

10. Jujutsu Kaisen Vol 25

Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol 25, marks a dramatic turning point in Gege Akutami’s bestselling series. The volume delivers intense action as Sukuna seizes control of Fushiguro’s

body, targeting Tsumiki in a devastating clash with Yorozu. Meanwhile, Yuji and his allies race to unseal Gojo, setting the stage for the long-awaited battle between Sukuna, the King of Curses, and Gojo, the strongest sorcerer of the present. With its mix of heart-wrenching emotion, brutal battles, and masterful artwork, this volume pushes the story into its climactic final arc. A must-read for fans, it balances raw action with deep emotional stakes brilliantly.