Welcome to the second list in my Lockdown Reading List series! If you, like me, are bored and need a break from the laptop and mobile, why not check out some of these books and hunt them down in your local lending library, bookshop, or (worst case option) Amazon? I am providing links to these books on Amazon India and USA as well as in Flipkart (India), Snapdeal (India), Crosswords (India), and Barnes & Noble Booksellers (USA), but please please please do check if your local libraries or smaller bookshops have them in stock before buying from large online businesses. Small businesses have been suffering a lot during the pandemic and it is up to us to keep them afloat in these tough times! Thanks!

Many of these books that are printed and sold in India are also available in other languages. I’ve found them in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Gujarati while browsing online, so there’s something for everyone!

If you want to check out List 1, click HERE

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Mythological & Historical Fiction Books – List 2

For Older Readers:

The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan – Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (One of my all-time favourite books by a fabulous author! This is the story of Mehrunissa, better known as Empress Noor Jahan, wife of Jahangir and queen of the Mughal Empire. Mehrunissa is an amazing, relatable heroine and the allure of the Mughal court is well painted here. A must-read!)

The Feast of Roses by Indu Sundaresan – Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (Book 2 in the Taj Series, following The Twentieth Wife, this novel takes us into the harem of Jahangir’s court where Prince Shah Jahan is trying to win his father’s throne from his scheming brothers and falls for Noor Jahan’s niece, the alluring Arjumand Banu Begum, better known as Mumtaz Mahal. The story of a love that would go on to shape history in India and give us one of India’s most well-known monuments, the Taj Mahal)

Shadow Princess by Indu Sundaresan – Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (I actually adored this story of Princess Jahanara, daughter of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, who oversees the building of the Taj Mahal and discovers the dark side of her younger brother, Aurangzeb, who craves his eldest sister’s approval in his quest to rule)

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni – Snapdeal (India) | Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (The popular tale of the Mahabharat narrated in the eyes of the Pandava queen Draupadi, who was born from the sacrificial fire and faced multiple trials and tribulations throughout her life. One of my favourite books with a strong female lead)

The Immortals of Meluha series by Amish Tripathi – Snapdeal (India) | Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (A series following the journey of Shiva, a young man who is believed to be the Neelakantha, the saviour of Aryavart, and his struggles to realize his true self and powers and save the land)

Karna’s Wife: The Outcast Queen by Kavita Kane – Snapdeal (India) | Flipkart India | Crosswords (India) | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (The Outcasts Queen tells the extraordinary story of Karna, the unsung hero of the Mahabharata, through the eyes of his wife Uruvi, bringing his story to the reader from a unique perspective)

Lanka’s Princess by Kavita Kane – Snapdeal (India) | Flipkart India | Crosswords (India) | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (A fascinating twist on the Ramayana delving deep into the backstory of Surpanakha, Ravan’s famous sister. Kavita Kane explores the many facets of Surpanakha, who is often painted as a bloodthirsty monster. But was that all she was?)

Menaka’s Choice by Kavita Kane – Snapdeal (India) | Flipkart India | Crosswords (India) | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (I loved this story of Menaka the beautiful and intelligent apsara and her heady love affair with Sage Vishvamitra, who began his life as a prince and ended it as the most powerful ascetic in Hindu history)

Sita’s Sister by Kavita Kane – Snapdeal (India) | Flipkart India | Crosswords (India) | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (Most of us rarely hear about Urmila, the quiet sister of Sita who married Lakshman and was forced to remain in Ayodhya instead of joining her husband, sister, and brother-in-law in exile in the forest. But who was Urmila apart from being Sita’s little sister? I always love these stories of lesser-known female characters in mythology, and Kavita Kane never disappoints)

Ahalya’s Awakening by Kavita Kane – Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA (I’m yet to read this book but it’s on my to-read list. This is the story of Ahalya, the pious wife of Rishi Gautam who was coveted by Indra, king of the gods, and her life, wishes, and dreams. Sounds good to me! Also, this is her latest book so it’s not avaible in a lot of sites)

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series (6 books) by Michael Scott – Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (Note that I’ve linked to Book 1 in the series in all of the sites. This is a great series that pulls in characters from different mythologies and histories around the world to interact in the modern world. Highly recommend)

The Chrysomelia Stories series (3 books) by Molly Ringle – Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (Again, linked to Book 1 in the series across all sites. If you like Greek mythology, you’ll like this twist on the Hades and Persephone story…with a lot of Greek gods and a modern setting to draw in a wide audience)

The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni – Snapdeal (India) | Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (A lovely book by Ms. Divakaruni, who takes on the tale of Sita, the wife of Ram, and her life story. Sita is brought to life as a woman with hopes and dreams, not a mere spectator in the Ramayana and a puppet in the hands of men. I picked this up at the Bangalore Lit Fest in 2019 and am so glad I did!)

The Tudor series by Philippa Gregory (find the reading order HERE) – Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (I’m linking to The Other Boleyn Girl, which is my favourite in the series. You can read them out of order, though the order is listed above. Delving into historical fiction now! This is one of my absolute favourite series of historical romance books on the Tudor dynasty of England. Philippa Gregory is a masterful writer (though she has a lot of R-rated scenes in her books; don’t say you weren’t warned) and her books span the Plantagenets and the War of the Roses, to the many queens of the Tudor King Henry VIII, who was well-known for getting rid of his wives once bored of them. Told from the perspectives of the female characters, these books are gripping, well-written, and I learnt a lot of history from them)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – Snapdeal (India) | Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (So I’ve actually not read this but it’s one of the highest-rated historical fiction books of all time. Set in Nazi Germany, it’s about a young girl who steals books from Nazi book burnings amidst a terrifying period in history. Tons of people have recommended this book, so check it out)

Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin – Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (Back to Greek and Roman mythology we go! This book explores Lavinia, heroine of the Aeneid, an ancient text set in the aftermath of the Trojan War when Rome was a fledgling city-state. I’ve heard good things about this book and I can’t wait to read it)

Ashwatthama’s Redemption by Gunjan Porwal – Amazon India | Amazon USA (Over a hundred years after the Mahabharata War, an ancient power threatens to destroy the new Age of Men, by establishing the Age of Terror of the asuras, long believed to be extinct. The only hurdle in its path is Guru Dronacharya’s son, the mighty but accursed warrior Ashwatthama, who lost all his powers following Lord Krishna’s curse, and who unwittingly finds himself drawn into the quest of the lost bow of Lord Rama—the Kodanda. I am really excited to read this book and am waiting for it to get delivered to my doorstep!)

For Younger Readers:

Note: For any series listed below, I will be linking to the 1st book

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (5 books) by Rick Riordan – Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (What if the Greek gods were real and had children on Earth? What if these children were demigods, imbibed with the powers of their godly parents? Follow the adventures of one such demigod, Percy Jackson, and his friends in a war against the evil titan Kronos. This book is great for young readers but I love it even today. Child-friendly language and content)

Heroes of Olympus series (5 books) by Rick Riordan – Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (A sequel series to Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The gods have gone silent and some are strangely confused between their Greek and Roman personalities. It is up to the 7 heroes of the Great Prophecy to come together and restore peace. This series takes our favourite characters from the first series and adds more to the list, making it a welcome change of pace. I loved the addition of Roman gods into the mix too, and seeing how different the Greek and Roman counterparts of gods could be. Child-friendly language and content)

The Kane Chronicles series (3 books) by Rick Riordan – Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (Enter Egyptian mythology, woven in Rick Riordan’s modern, humerous style! Meet Sadie and Carter, siblings who could not possibly be more different but who are thrown headlong into a world full of Egyptian gods! Sadie and Carter must master their powers as magicians and work alongside the gods to restore peace and order and revive the sun god Ra. Child-friendly language and content. I loved this series a lot, especially Anubis and Zia!)

The Pandava Quintet by Roshani Chokshi, presented by Rick Riordan – Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (Roshani Chokshi takes on Hindu mythology in this funny children’s series about an Indian schoolgirl in the USA who awakens an ancient curse and must awaken the spirits of the sleeping Pandavas from the Mahabharat to solve the curse. I liked the main character, Aru Shah, and I think it’s great that American audiences are getting an exposure to Hindu mythology at a young age. Child-friendly language and content)

Nobody’s Princess by Esther M. Friesner – Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (The traditions of ancient Sparta would have Helen know her place: a beautiful princess, a loyal daughter, a perfect bride. But Helen wants adventure, and she’s not looking back. Not one to count on the gods to take care of her, she sets out to see the world and seek her own fate with steely determination. I loved Helen’s portrayal here, a far cry from the melodramatic portrayals of her as the catalyst of the Trojan War, and I enjoyed exploring her childhood. Child-friendly language and content)

Nobody’s Prize by Esther M. Friesner – Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (We continue the adventures of Helen of Sparta and learn more about life in ancient Greece, where mythology meets history. Child-friendly language and content)

Sphinx’s Princess by Esther M. Friesner – Flipkart India | Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (Although Nefertiti is the dutiful daughter of a commoner, her inquisitive mind often gets her into situations that are far from ordinary, like receiving secret lessons from a scribe. And her striking beauty garners attention that she’d just as soon avoid, especially when it’s her aunt, the manipulative Queen Tiye, who has set her sights on Nefertiti. The queen wants to use her niece as a pawn in her quest for power, so Nefertiti must leave her beloved family and enter a life filled with courtly intrigue and danger. But her spirit and mind will not rest as she continues to challenge herself and the boundaries of ancient Egyptian society. I loved Nefertiti as a protagonist and admired her spirit and her refusal to be just a pretty face. Child-friendly language and content, although it does involve the concept of child marriage since it is set in ancient Egypt)

Sphinx’s Queen by Esther M. Friesner – Amazon India | Amazon USA | Barnes & Noble (USA) (We follow Nefertiti’s journey and learn more about this strong-willed future queen of Egypt. I highly recommend Esther Friesner’s Princesses of Myth series, which follows 4 princesses over 8 books. I have mentioned the first 4 books here, but there are 4 more for those who are interested. Child-friendly language and content)