Farwa Khalid Novels List

This discussion is pretty pointless, in that all I ever want from a reader is the story itself. Whether or not Ilqa publishes it, or whether HarperCollins publishes it, is quite beside the point. And how wonderful it is that ebooks have brought such accessibility to the published word. I bought ‘Mere Humdum Mere Dost’ by Bilal Tanweer on Kindle a few days ago. Within five minutes, this had downloaded and I was reading the wonderful words of this US-published book within minutes. Publisher listed, and I assume they will get their cut. A triumph, and the institutional ‘who’ rather less important than the functional ‘how can I read this?’

Recently finished ‘The Sialkot Saga’ by Ashwin Sanghi. Beautifully written love story amidst a historical epic. Author has done a great job of merging romance with the history of partition in a very new-school way. On the other hand, I’m stuck in Half Love by Shyam Selvadurai. The way he has written a queer romance set in the Delhi art world is beautiful. The tender and sensitive way in which he has portrayed closeted love to its utmost is breathtaking. Both these books are proof that in India, romance is no longer restricted to a bunch of saris and samosas. Both these authors are doing great work by breaking all sorts of stereotypes in these novels, page after page.

Choti golpo, or short stories, hold a special place in my heart because they pack so much emotion and insight into such a compact form. One of my all-time favorites is 'Feluda Somogro' by Satyajit Ray—though it's a collection, many of the Feluda stories are standalone gems that blend mystery, adventure, and wit. Ray's writing is crisp, and the way he builds tension in just a few pages is masterful. Another standout is 'Golpo 101' by various authors, curated by Anindya Chattopadhyay. It’s a fantastic anthology that showcases the diversity of Bengali short fiction, from haunting ghost tales to slice-of-life vignettes. Each story feels like a tiny universe, complete and satisfying.

If you’re into darker, more philosophical themes, 'Kolkata Noir' by Nabarun Bhattacharya is a must-read. His stories are raw, surreal, and often unsettling, but they linger in your mind long after you’ve finished. For something lighter, 'Chhotoder Sarat Chandra' adapts Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s classic themes into shorter, more accessible pieces—perfect for dipping into during a busy day. And let’s not forget 'Chhotoder Sukumar Ray,' which brings Ray’s whimsical nonsense verse and stories to younger readers (though adults will adore them too). The beauty of choti golpo is how they capture life’s big moments in small packages, and these books do it brilliantly.

I’d go with Nano Machine. If you already like murim, it’s one of the better ones out there.

‘Just Three Words’ by Melissa Blue is another very popular WLW book in the community. It’s a fun little cheerleading story with great characters. A lovely romantic read that brings the sparks in a cute and sweet way.

I also want to bring up ‘The Gravity Between Us’ by Kristen Zimmer. I believe this book is so loved because it manages to handle some very serious issues with such lightness and that makes it so enjoyable to read. As well as connecting to many of the characters in the book, readers also love a good friends to lovers romance, and this book has become one of the staples of WLW novels.

Follow a story around the digital landscape. “Loathing You” started life on Wattpad, before being completed and put up on the author’s WordPress blog (which no longer exists). Now it’s available to purchase on Amazon. If you search for the title of “Loathing You” on reading sites as well as on Twitter and Instagram (the author’s also posted chapters and updates of the story there) you can find the links the author’s posted with the chapters, all listed under the hashtag #Wattpad (and #Webnovel too). It’s a bit of a long shot, but I found a couple of missing stories by the authors of “Loathing You” by following old tweet threads.

The main characters in this story are Haalim the artist, Zoha his neighbor, and his parents. The majority of the story takes place between the four of them and brings to light the many unsaid words between Haalim and Zoha. This is a quiet book about loud inner conflicts and the artist has created wonderful characters to bring this to life.

Just because something’s on Wattpad doesn’t mean it’s any good (although, it’s worth noting). Quality can be a bit of a gamble, but then again, that’s all part of the fun. If you want to increase your chances of discovering a great story, see if it’s been shared on book Twitter or BookTok. Look for praise in a story on Reddit – there are even whole subreddits dedicated to discussing Romace Books and Fantasy, such as r/RomanceBooks and r/Fantasy. I use these sites to look for Wattpad recommendations, and usually when I find a story I love that has been recommended on one of these sites, it’s on Wattpad too – and it’s free. Often the best stories on the site are connect to the more critical fandom spaces on the web, such as the offline fanbase of lynnrivers’ ‘The Do-Over’ (a free Wattpad novel).

Free Indian e-books can be found on Kindle’s Free Section, where from time to time, books from Indian authors are listed for free download. Also, e-book readers like Kobo and Rakuten Kobo list free Indian novels during festival sales or promotions. A lot of children’s literature is offered for free by publishers like Pratham Books. For free academic or non-fiction books by Indian authors and scholars, try Academia.edu and ResearchGate where they upload their papers and books. This is a convenient and legal way to read good quality e-books for free!

I found this on Reddit (unexpected source of books for me). r/FreeEBOOKS is a constantly updating list of free Amazon books and others. I follow that subreddit and every now and then I download a book that catches my eye when it shows up at the top of my feed. It’s a firehose of content, but there are a lot of great books in there, too. I now have hundreds of books on my Kindle that I never would have found on my own.