Holi is the Indian festival of colors that marks the advent of spring. Growing up in India, it was a day of utter revelry. Every year on the morning of Holi, I remember meeting up with friends to paint one another with vibrant colors. Red, yellow and blue pigmented powders flying in the air and rubbed into skin. Pools of water dyed pink and green to dunk unsuspecting friends in. Water pistols and water balloons that we spent hours filling for water balloon fights. An entire nation blanketed in color for half a day.
Afterwards, I remember returning home soaked to the bone, every inch of my body saturated with color. Then a long, hot shower followed. It took an age to scrub the dye off skin, but you emerged from it with a sense of such renewal that you have to experience it to understand. It was a day you got to set aside your inhibitions and connect with friends in a wildly free way, then clean yourself up from the mess until you felt fresh and shiny. A day filled with the kind of intense community and drama that colors South Asian stories.
Here is a list of books that will immerse you in the vibrant colors of life, and hopefully leave you with a sense of hope and renewal befitting Holi.
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal | William Morrow Paperbacks
A young British Indian woman is hired to teach English to women in Southhall, a Punjabi neighborhood in London. The class soon turns into a space where a group of widows, repressed by their conservative society, find their voice through writing erotic fantasies. In turn hilarious and poignant, this is a story of finding yourself in the most unexpected of places. (Learn more in BookTrib’s review.)
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
A Taste of Ginger by Mansi Shah | Lake Union Publishing
This warm and heartfelt debut follows a Los Angeles lawyer as she returns to India, the country of her parents’ birth, in the wake of a tragedy. Rife with sights and smells that make you feel like you’re there, this is a story about getting lost between two homes and two identities and then piecing your way back to finding a whole new version of yourself.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
Kamila Knows Best by Farah Heron | Forever
A delightful retelling of Jane Austen’s classic, Emma, this fun and romantic romp is sure to make you smile and swoon and crave Indian food. A successful accountant is never taken seriously enough because she also loves fashion and throws great parties. Heron has a witty, fresh voice that takes you through the journey of a woman rethinking her self-image without losing her spirit.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
First Comes Like by Alisha Rai | Avon
Rai takes you into the often messy, sometimes hilarious world of modern dating. An ambitious Instagram influencer gets catfished and chases down the hot Bollywood star who someone has impersonated to trick her. The fact that he chooses to help her out to save face sets off the kind of hot romance dreams are made of.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words by Annika Sharma | Sourcebooks Casablanca
One of my favorite things about this story is that it is an immigrant’s love song to New York City. A young woman who never meant to rebel against her traditional parents, unwittingly ends up questioning the beliefs she was raised with when she falls in love with someone she knows her family will never accept. The way the characters learn to see themselves and others across boundaries and preconceived notions will warm your heart.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
SONALI DEV NOVELS
- Tall Poppy Review: Marrying Jane Austen to Contemporary Cali Charisma (“Incense and Sensibility”)
- Tall Poppy Review: Spice Up Summer With Austen-Flavored Romance (“Recipe for Persuasion”)
- Tall Poppy Review: Love is on the Menu in “Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors”
- Tall Poppy Review: Love, Heartbreak and Samosas (“The Bollywood Bride”)
- Tall Poppy Review: Love and Afterlife in “A Change of Heart”
- Tall Poppy Review: “A Distant Heart” Draws All to India
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal
A Taste of Ginger by Mansi Shah
A young British Indian woman is hired to teach English to women in Southhall, a Punjabi neighborhood in London. The class soon turns into a space where a group of widows, repressed by their conservative society, find their voice through writing erotic fantasies. In turn hilarious and poignant, this is a story of finding yourself in the most unexpected of places. (Learn more in BookTrib’s review.)
First Comes Like by Alisha Rai
This warm and heartfelt debut follows a Los Angeles lawyer as she returns to India, the country of her parents’ birth, in the wake of a tragedy. Rife with sights and smells that make you feel like you’re there, this is a story about getting lost between two homes and two identities and then piecing your way back to finding a whole new version of yourself.
A delightful retelling of Jane Austen’s classic, Emma, this fun and romantic romp is sure to make you smile and swoon and crave Indian food. A successful accountant is never taken seriously enough because she also loves fashion and throws great parties. Heron has a witty, fresh voice that takes you through the journey of a woman rethinking her self-image without losing her spirit.
Rai takes you into the often messy, sometimes hilarious world of modern dating. An ambitious Instagram influencer gets catfished and chases down the hot Bollywood star who someone has impersonated to trick her. The fact that he chooses to help her out to save face sets off the kind of hot romance dreams are made of.
One of my favorite things about this story is that it is an immigrant’s love song to New York City. A young woman who never meant to rebel against her traditional parents, unwittingly ends up questioning the beliefs she was raised with when she falls in love with someone she knows her family will never accept. The way the characters learn to see themselves and others across boundaries and preconceived notions will warm your heart.
