Launched in August 2017 by The Book Fairies, The Fairy Book Club is a virtual book club on Goodreads. With over 450 members in more than 40 countries, the Fairy Book Club is open to both fairies and non-fairies, to discuss and dig deeper into a new book every month. This is a list of the books they’ve read and loved since they started.
Special thanks to Kadambari Mehta from the Mumbai chapter of the Book Fairies for compiling and sharing this list with us.
01
Born A Crime
Trevor Noah
Winner of the Thurber Prize, this collection of 18 stories recounts the life of the author as he grows from a mischievous young boy into a young man, looking for his place in the world. The title of the book comes from the fact that Noah was actually born a crime since the union of his white Swiss father and his black Xhosa mother was punishable with 5 years in prison. This book is personal, moving and, at the same time, peppered with humour.
Buy it here.
02
The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho
This is the tale of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy, who leaves his home to follow his dream of finding a treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. He meets many people along the way, each of whom helps him on his journey by teaching him the lessons he most needs to learn at that time. As with any quest, he faces several obstacles along the way and conquers his fears, all the while keeping his goal in sight. This is an inspiring story, designed to warm your heart.
Buy it here.
03
The Room On The Roof
Ruskin Bond
Ruskin Bond’s first book, written when he was barely 17, is the tale of an orphaned boy, Rusty, who lives with his English guardian in Dehradun. Although encouraged to shun India, Rusty is fascinated by the festivals, the people, and the bazaar. After he runs away from home, his friends help him survive and even find a job.
Buy it here.
04
Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury
For book-lovers, perhaps the most disturbing element of this dystopian novel is that it is set in a time when books are considered a burden and burnt along with the houses they were stored in. Guy Montag is a fireman entrusted with the task of burning the books. This changes when his neighbour Clarisse tells him about the importance of books causing him to start stealing books from burning houses and reading them until he too becomes a target. While on the run to save his life, he ends up meeting a network of book-lovers. Eventually, he returns to his now-destroyed city and helps rebuild it into a more literate society.
Buy it here.
05
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Anne Bronte
When a reclusive widow moves into the Elizabethan mansion next door, Gilbert Markham is intrigued and offers her his friendship. When she becomes the subject of scandal, Markham discovers her past by reading her diary. The details of her disastrous marriage and how she fled in order to save her son from her husband’s influence paint the picture of a strong woman. In many ways, this book is considered one of the first feminist novels as Helen Graham violates social conventions to escape marital strife.
Buy it here.
06
The Handmaid’s Tale
Margaret Atwood
This dystopian novel follows the life of Offred, a handmaid who is kept for reproductive purposes. Told in the first person, Offred paints a vivid picture of the patriarchal society she is a part of, and her life, which is dependent on two men- the Commander she is assigned to and his driver. This book is unnerving but replete with feminist themes.
Buy it here.
07
Women Who Run With The Wolves: Contacting the Power of the Wild Woman
Clarissa Pinkola Estés
This non-fiction book spent 145 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List. Jungian analyst, Dr. Estés analyses myths, fairy tales, folk tales and other stories from different cultures to reveal that the ‘wild woman’ inside us is healthy, wise, and passionate, and gives us our power. In a world where the female psyche has been dominated by a male-oriented value system, this is one book you will find yourself coming back to again and again.
Buy it here.
Devanshi has been reading ever since she can remember. What started off as an obsession with Enid Blyton, slowly morphed into a love for mystery and fantasy. Even her choice of career as a lawyer was heavily influenced by the works of Erle Stanley Gardner and John Grisham. After quitting law, and while backpacking around India, she read books on entrepreneurship, taught herself web design and delved into social media marketing. She doesn’t go anywhere without a book.
She is the founding editor of The Curious Reader. Read her articles here.
