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From my shelf to yours: 10 authors who will stay with you forever

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Anushka aka @chai.n.chapters jots down a list authors and what reading their works feels like and why one should check out more of their work.

There is so much in this world that we have yet to discover, understand, or even decipher. Whether it involves culture, language, places, or even the little intricacies of everyday life, we are constantly fascinated by things we haven't personally experienced. Satisfying our curiosity about these untouched elements of the world through stories told by characters is precisely what we seek from books. Much of this is made possible by the authors who create these narratives, allowing us to imagine and live out our fantasies. What better day than National Authors' Day to celebrate their work? 

As an avid reader, I often encounter stories that stay with me forever. I've been reading for so long that I feel like my soul has become a tapestry woven from fictional characters. My "To Be Read" pile has turned into a significant part of my home. After accumulating recommendations that feel like a century's worth, I've finally ventured into the bookstagram community. My first official assignment? To share the authors who reside in my mind rent-free and deserve a place in yours as well! The authors on this list have made a lasting impression with their books, which will stay with me forever.

Also Read: #Bookstagram: Author Nihal Parashar recommends Hindi authors worth exploring for a deep dive into Hindi literature!

Here are 10 authors I genuinely love and a piece of their work that embodies their essence:

Zoulfa Katouh - As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

Reading Katouh feels like an act of deep empathy. She has an extraordinary way of writing stories that will tenderly (or rather forcefully) break your heart to put it back together again. Katouh's writing is beautifully poetic, and her incredibly resilient characters will never leave you, even after you have read the last word.

Antra Dubey -Memory Stains on a Banarasi Dupatta

If you're looking for "healing romance", Antra Dubey's writing might be for you. Her stories are very soulful and feel earned, deeply earned. Dubey offers wonderfully atmospheric settings (the mystical city of Banaras, for example) as backdrops to characters working through real trauma. You put down Dubey's books feeling just a little more whole.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni - The Palace of Illusions 

If you enjoy reading retellings of mythology, Divakaruni is worth reading. Divakaruni has a marvellous gift for turning myths we thought we knew upside down, giving the women's voices and power. It feels as if you are discovering that the real story is something entirely new.

Sampreeth Shivaiah Neeli - Experience Death: From a Mandala Mindset

Reading Neeli is redolent of not so much reading a story, but instead perhaps entering an intense state of meditation. He's extraordinarily sparse and poetic in his writing but doesn't leave you unchallenged. He's not providing you with simple or easy comfort; instead, he's providing you with a kind of profound, quiet clarity. Neeli's books leave the reader with the sense of having become a little more transformed and a little more honest.

Tehmina Durrani - Blasphemy 

Durrani's writing is simply fearless. She dives into addressing oppressive systems with an almost breathtaking strength. She gives voice to women and their struggles in such a powerful way that it feels less like a story and more like an urgent appeal for justice. It's a powerful and memorable read.

Monika Bhatti - Life Not Lived 

Bhatti's writing engages profoundly with you emotionally. She writes about the female spirit and resilience to extraordinary suffering. You become so wrapped up in her characters that you feel their despair, their anger, and their quiet determination to survive in there with them. 

Sohn Won-Pyung - Almond 

This is one of those authors who just makes you think. She has a simple yet rare gift of writing about empathy in the most unusual ways (like a boy who cannot feel). Her books are really sharp and philosophical and make you think differently about your own life ,about what it's really like to be human. 

Khaled Hosseini - A Thousand Splendid Suns 

Hosseini is just a master at emotional, epic storytelling with a very human quality. You know that once you read a volumes of his, you'll get emotional. The pictures he paints of his homeland, atrocities, and resilience take shape in your mind vividly and are hauntingly impactful. His books are not merely stories; they squeeze empathy out of your heart in experiences that work with you and change you.

Kushagra Singh - Hanuman flies to Ravana's Lanka

Kushagra Singh has this amazing ability to make ancient mythology feel very present and deeply intimate. His storytelling is so immersive and devotional. It doesn't feel like you're just reading a story; it feels like you were invited to walk alongside the divine. It is a really unique experience.

Srishti Chaudhary - Once upon a curfew

I love the way Chaudhary tells stories that seem light and charming at the start, only to wallop you over with emotional heft. She has this perfect balance of humour with a really sharp look at women's choices and finding their voice. Her books are just heart-warming, moving pieces of work and the ultimate reminder that change can be beautiful.

Who are your favourite authors that you would recommend others give a try? Let us know in the comments below. 

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