10 Books That Will Make You Fall In Love With The Author

There are few authors whose books you love and adore despite how the book turns out to be. And then, there are authors whose single book makes you fall in love with them. You know you are going to read more of their work after that one single book. It has left such an impact on you that you can’t stop thinking about it and the books that author has written. How do you remember a book? Is it because of the story or because it has been written by so and so author? I happen to fall in the former category. Sometimes I even forget the name of the author after reading a book but, there have been exceptions where the book doesn’t let me forget who wrote it. In this post, I’m going to talk about those books which are close to my heart. These books have managed to open a different door in my mind which I didn’t think existed. I’m not one of those people who go gaga over a book so easily, but when I do I’ll be recommending it to every passing soul that they got to read it. So, without further ado, let’s start.

1) After The Quake by Haruki Murakami

When I bought this book some 5-6 years back, I knew nothing about Murakami but have heard a lot about him. It is a short story book and back then I wasn’t keen on reading short stories. Surprisingly, this book changed it. I have only read it once, and I still remember a few stories despite after so many years. So, you do know how it made an impact on me. The story majorly revolves around human connections with things and people alike. These are short and simple but full of magical realism.

“The six stories in Haruki Murakami’s mesmerizing collection are set at the time of the catastrophic 1995 Kobe earthquake, when Japan became brutally aware of the fragility of its daily existence. But the upheavals that afflict Murakami’s characters are even deeper and more mysterious, emanating from a place where the human meets the inhuman.

An electronics salesman who has been abruptly deserted by his wife agrees to deliver an enigmatic package—and is rewarded with a glimpse of his true nature. A man who has been raised to view himself as the son of God pursues a stranger who may or may not be his human father. A mild-mannered collection agent receives a visit from a giant talking frog who enlists his help in saving Tokyo from destruction. As haunting as dreams, as potent as oracles, the stories in After the Quake are further proof that Murakami is one of the most visionary writers at work today.

2) Confess by Colleen Hoover

I stumbled upon this book randomly. Thank god! I did because I loved the way the story has been portrayed. Also, you might encounter some beautiful paintings along your reading journey. I remember after finishing this book, I read some 2-3 books by this author back to back. It still stands as one of my fav books. She is one of the best authors who talk about contemporary issues in a beautiful manner that you would want to read more and more.

“Auburn Reed is determined to rebuild her shattered life and she has no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to become deeply attracted to the studio’s enigmatic artist, Owen Gentry.
For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is hiding a huge secret. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything Auburn loves most, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it—but can she do it?

3) Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
Ah! What do I say about this book? It was love at first line or perhaps the first paragraph. I knew I was going to love the book even when I was just 10 pages in. I was not disappointed because as I went further into the story my reading experience was enhanced with the beautiful details about Istanbul. Now, it is in my wish list to visit Istanbul. Also, there is something special about this book which I’m yet to figure out how to express as I become speechless whenever someone asks me what is it that sealed the deal for me. I still cannot pinpoint what I liked the best, perhaps every single thing about this book; from the cover to the characters.

“From one of Turkey’s most acclaimed and outspoken writers, a novel about the tangled histories of two families.
In her second novel written in English, Elif Shafak confronts her country’s violent past in a vivid and colorful tale set in both Turkey and the United States. At its center is the “bastard” of the title, Asya, a nineteen-year-old woman who loves Johnny Cash and the French Existentialists, and the four sisters of the Kazanci family who all live together in an extended household in Istanbul: Zehila, the zestful, headstrong youngest sister who runs a tattoo parlor and is Asya’s mother; Banu, who has newly discovered herself as a clairvoyant; Cevriye, a widowed high school teacher; and Feride, a hypochondriac obsessed with impending disaster. Their one estranged brother lives in Arizona with his wife and her Armenian daughter, Armanoush. When Armanoush secretly flies to Istanbul in search of her identity, she finds the Kazanci sisters and becomes fast friends with Asya. A secret is uncovered that links the two families and ties them to the 1915 Armenian deportations and massacres. Full of vigorous, unforgettable female characters, The Bastard of Istanbul is a bold, powerful tale that will confirm Shafak as a rising star of international fiction.”

4) Goat Days by Benyamin
You read the first chapter of the book and wonder why such a statement has been made. Why the protagonist has such strong feelings? This suspense keeps you hooked. It will not let you relax but make you sit tight to unravel the truth which might seem peculiar but can be true. Be ready for a rollercoaster ride that shows the technicalities of human survival!

“Najeeb’s dearest wish is to work in the Gulf and earn enough money to send back home. He achieves his dream only to be propelled by a series of incidents, grim and absurd, into a slave-like existence herding goats in the middle of the Saudi desert. Memories of the lush, verdant landscape of his village and of his loving family haunt Najeeb whose only solace is the companionship of goats. In the end, the lonely young man contrives a hazardous scheme to escape his desert prison.
Goat Days was published to acclaim in Malayalam and became a bestseller. One of the brilliant new talents of Malayalam literature, Benyamin’s wry and tender telling transforms this strange and bitter comedy of Najeeb’s life in the desert into a universal tale of loneliness and alienation.”

5) Lessons in Forgetting by Anita Nair
This book tugs at heart by its heart-wrenching story. I loved the father-daughter relationship in it. I had no clue about this book or author but the inner instinct to read this became fruitful when I ended up loving it. She is one of my fav authors whose work I love.

“When we first see Meera, she is a carefully groomed corporate wife with a successful career as a writer of cookbooks. Then one day her husband fails to come home after a party and she becomes responsible not just for her children but her mother and grandmother, and the running of Lilac House, their rambling old family home in Bangalore. Enter Professor J.A. Krishnamurthy, or JAK, a renowned cyclone studies expert, on a very different trajectory in life. In a bedroom in his house lies his nineteen-year old daughter Smriti, left comatose after a vicious attack on her while she was on holiday at a beachside town. A wall of silence and fear surrounds the incident— the grieving father is helped neither by the local police, nor by her boyfriend in his search for The truth. Through a series of coincidences, Meera and JAK find their lives turning and twisting together, with the unpredictability and sheer inevitability of a cyclone. And as the days pass, fresh beginnings appear where there seemed to be only endings.”

6) An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
It was like my daily dose of coffee that I would like to have without fail and sit in peace to enjoy every sip of it. I don’t want more of it because I know I’ll come back to it day after day despite my super busy schedule. It was enchanting and soothing where life takes place in slow motion.

“ The author of the international bestseller A Suitable Boy returns with a powerful and deeply romantic tale of two gifted musicians. Michael Holme is a violinist, a member of the successful Maggiore Quartet. He has long been haunted, though, by memories of the pianist he loved and left ten years earlier, Julia McNicholl. Now Julia, married and the mother of a small child, unexpectedly reenters his life and the romance flares up once more.
Against the magical backdrop of Venice and Vienna, the two lovers confront the truth about themselves and their love, about the music that both unites and divides them, and about a devastating secret that Julia must finally reveal. With poetic, evocative writing and a brilliant portrait of the international music scene, An Equal Music confirms Vikram Seth as one of the world's finest and most enticing writers.”

7) When God Was A Rabbit by Sarah Winman
It is all about family bonding and the brother-sister relationship. This is something that I love to read about. It talks about friendship, love, mundane issues of the day to day life, bonds that go beyond blood ties and the incidents that acts a milestone in our life.

“When God was a Rabbit is an incredibly exciting debut from an extraordinary new voice in fiction.

Spanning four decades, from 1968 onwards, this is the story of a fabulous but flawed family and the slew of ordinary and extraordinary incidents that shape their everyday lives. It is a story about childhood and growing up, loss of innocence, eccentricity, familial ties and friendships, love and life. Stripped down to its bare bones, it’s about the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister.”

8) Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
It revolves around a dark theme where a daughter kills her mother and this has been told in the first chapter itself. So, there is more to the story that needs to be absorbed and understood. I believe not many will tend to agree with the thought process but if you keep an open mind I’m sure you’ll reason things out. It is a difficult book discussing a mother-daughter relationship. It is one of those under-rated books that should be read without any prejudice of the other books written by the same author.

“A woman steps over the line into the unthinkable in this brilliant, powerful, and unforgettable new novel by the author of The Lovely Bones and Lucky.

For years Helen Knightly has given her life to others: to her haunted mother, to her enigmatic father, to her husband and now grown children. When she finally crosses a terrible boundary, her life comes rushing in at her in a way she never could have imagined. Unfolding over the next twenty-four hours, this searing, fast-paced novel explores the complex ties between mothers and daughters, wives and lovers, the meaning of devotion, and the line between love and hate.

It is a challenging, moving, gripping story, written with the fluidity and strength of voice that only Alice Sebold can bring to the page.”

9) Purple Hibiscus by Adichie Chimamanda Ngozi
This belongs to one of my prized possession as I bought it when I had just started reading. And now I know the value of such books even more. I have always loved woman-centric books but this is more than that. It talks about colonialism, Christianity, taboos that still prevail in society, customs of Nigerians and many other aspects of it.

“Fifteen-year-old Kambili’s world is circumscribed by the high walls and frangipani trees of her family compound. Her wealthy Catholic father, under whose shadow Kambili lives, while generous and politically active in the community, is repressive and fanatically religious at home.

When Nigeria begins to fall apart under a military coup, Kambili’s father sends her and her brother away to stay with their aunt, a University professor, whose house is noisy and full of laughter. There, Kambili and her brother discover a life and love beyond the confines of their father’s authority. The visit will lift the silence from their world and, in time, give rise to devotion and defiance that reveal themselves in profound and unexpected ways.

This is a book about the promise of freedom; about the blurred lines between childhood and adulthood; between love and hatred, between the old gods and the new.”

10) Blue by Danielle Steel
You went to a new place and met a stranger there, but you happen to stumble upon that person often.  It evokes such emotions that will leave you with an eerie feeling. I read it last year and still, it lingers in my mind. It’s a heart-wrenching story of a female and a boy, who she meets by chance. It deals with adoption, tragedy, foster-home, child abuse and a few more issues. It took me a while to get over this book, but I feel you do not get over stories that you love.

“Ginny Carter was once a rising star in TV news, married to a top anchorman, with a three-year-old son and a full and happy life in Beverly Hills—until her whole world dissolved in a single instant on the freeway two days before Christmas. In the aftermath, she pieces her life back together and tries to find meaning in her existence as a human rights worker in the worst areas around the globe.

Then, on the anniversary of the fateful accident—and wrestling with the lure of death herself—she meets a boy who will cause her life to change forever yet again. Thirteen-year-old Blue Williams has been living on the streets, abandoned by his family, rarely attending school, and utterly alone. Following her instincts, Ginny reaches out to him. Leery of everyone, he runs from her again and again. But he always returns, and each time, their friendship grows.

Blue glows with outsized spirit and an irresistible mix of innocence and wisdom beyond his years. Ginny offers him respect as they form an unusual bond and become the family they each lost. But just as Blue is truly beginning to trust her, she learns of a shocking betrayal that he has been hiding. Is it a wound too deep to heal, or will she be able to fight the battle that will make them both whole again?”