Hello everyone! Today I have a very special post that I have worked very hard on with the help of Aamna @TheInkSlinger! If you know me, you know I’m desi and basically, I love anything desi and so, when Aamna suggested recommending books based on Bollywood songs, I knew I had to do it! Anyway, here’s 10 book recommendations and you can find 10 more over at Aamna’s blog!
Samjhawan – This Is How You Lose The Time War
Main tenu samjhawan ki
Na tere bina lagda jee
Tu kee jaane pyaar mera
Main karaan intezar tera
Tu dil tuyyon jaan meri
Translation: How do I explain to you, my heart is nowhere without you, what do you know about my heart, I am waiting for you for, you are my heart and soul
This song is just about longing and being separated from the person you love and it completely fits This is How You Lose the Time War, a book about two sapphics who are on different sides of the war who start writing each other letters and fall in love in the process.
Heer – The Gilded Wolves
Uhade jehi main te woh mere varga
Hasda ae sachchra savere varga
Akkhan band kar le
Te thande hanere varga
Translation: I am like him and he is like me only, He smiles like it’s morning, and if he closes eyes, it’s like cold dark
This book is all about love love and yearning and wanting it back and it pretty much reminded us of Laila and Majnun from The Gilded Wolves, The Gilded Wolves is a book with a complicated heist with a found family featuring 6 main characters, out of which two are Laila and Majnun who have a truly tragic and sad love story full of desire and love and yearning and I just — they’re definitely a couple to read for, and the story is amazing too!
Makhana – Heartstopper
Jab se mila hai tu
Dil ko mila sukun
Tu hi raah meri, tu hi safar hai
Teri baahon mein ab mera ghar hai
Translation: Since I have met you, my heart is at peace, you are my road, you are my journey, my home is in your arms
This song is basically about two people hopelessly in love who want to be together and are meant to be together and please don’t tell me this isn’t exactly Nick and Charlie?? They’re cute and wholesome and perfect together and I absolutely love them and their romance and if you somehow still haven’t read this graphic novel, you absolutely should!
Sooraj Ki Baahaon Main – The Falling In Love Montage
Sooraj ki baahon mein,
ab hai yeh zindagi
Kirnay hain saanson mein,
baaton mein roshni
Translation: In the arms of sun, there is life now, There are sun rays in our breathes and sunshine in our words
The Falling in Love Montage is definitely the embodiment of this song which a lot of happiness, adventures and fun. The main characters of this book recreate some iconic romcom dates and they’re so so much to read about as they fall in love!
Ik Vaari Aa – Love From A To Z
Dhal rahi shaam hai
dil tere naam hai
iski aadat bani hai teri yaariyaan
chaand hoon main, tu hai taara
ik vaari aa
Translation: The sun is setting, my heart is yours, your companionship has become its habit. I am the moon and you are the star, come once…
This song is just so sweet and lovely and full of happy love and yearning and wanting the other which is a huge part of Love From A to Z. I don’t know why but I see this song as much of a friends-to-lovers trope which is quite true of Adam and Zayneb who slowly become friends and fall in love before finally getting together and so, they exactly fit the vibe of this song!
Radha- Rasha and jai’s recipe for romance
Gopiyon Sang Ghoome Kanhaiya
Raas Rachaiya Radha Na Jaaye Re
Ab Saanwra Na Bhaaye Re
This is well, based more off of the general vibes of the song than the actual lyrics which don’t really matter much, This song is a lot about dancing and falling in love with someone who’s already with someone else (or so you think) and that quite fits Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance which has a lot of dance and complications in the romance between Radha and Jai.
Challa (Mai Ladh Jaana)- The Poppy War
Main lad jaana main lad jaana
Hai lahoo mein ek chingari
Zidd se junoon tak hai jaana
Har qatra bol rahaa
This song is loud and fierce and about war and fighting and it perfectly fits the vibes of The Poppy War! The Poppy War is a fantasy story based off of the Opium Wars which deals with a lot of hard truths about war and living through it and fighting in it. It’s a beautiful and heartbreaking story and you should check it out!
Baarishein – The Song of Achilles
Sunn zara mere pass aa
Ab baithe hain hum bhi yahaan
Dil ke darmiyaan
Baarishein hain Baarishein hain
Translation: Listen, come close to me, I am sitting here waiting for you. between our hearts are rains and more rains
Well, this song is a little hard to explain except its about two people in love who for some reason can’t be together but would be perfect together. Patroclus and Achilles definitely fir that description. They both fit each other like pieces of a puzzle and yet, they can’t be together though they should be.
Jeete Hain Chal- An Ember in the Ashes
kehta ye pal
khud se nikal
jeete hain chal
jeete hain chal
jeete hain chal
This song feels like fighting back and resisting and not accepting the given situation which basically describes the entire plot of An Ember In The Ashes which follows Laia, a scholar girl who has been subjugated by the Martial Empire. She is strong and fierce and wants to save her brother and so, the book starts off with her resisting and being fierce and going on fighting and finding her path along the way.
Haareya- The Sun is Also a Star
lagta hai nigaahon mein teri
bin Doobe rehna hi nahi
mujhe ishq ye karne se
ab koi bhi na rok sakeya
Translation: It feels like I can’t live without drowning in your eyes, no one can stop me from falling in love with you
Instantly falling in love? Yeah it sounds like The Sun Is Also A Star which follows two teenagers who fall in love at the first sight and proceed to spend most of the rest of the day together before Natasha is set to be deported back to Jamaica. It’s a fun, cute love story which is kind of unrealistic but still nice to read!
Do you agree with our picks? Do you think the books fit the songs we picked out for them! Let us know in the comments below!
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this is such a creative idea! lovely post 💖
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Thank you! ❤
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I’ve read three of the contemporaries on this list– heartstopper, love from a to z and the sun is also a star and all the songs/lyrics you’ve picked out match SO incredibly well. The words are perfect for all these sweet couples *warm feels*. I love it even more because love from a to z and the sun is also a star are two of my favourite YA contemporaries. Wonderful post !! 💛
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yessss so glad you agree! and omg yes love from A to Z is definitely one of my all time favourite contemporaries too!
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YES I literally started singing these songs while reading the post, that’s how familiar they are to me haha. I love those recs, the vibes totally match!!
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haha glad you agree and omg same! I was just completely vibing when writing the post and more than often I got lost singing them as I wrote down the key lines and translated them!
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Love the recs even if I don’t know half the songs… my Bollywood song game is so bad these days ☹️☹️☹️
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Thank you! and ahhh that’s mood for em too seeing as I don’t really watch Bollywood anymore 😦
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I may watch some movies but I don’t bother much with listening to the songs anymore …. I am rather more familiar with the ost’s of cdramas I watch 😂😂😂
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shjsahhas I mean fair enough tho
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Baarishein is literally the perfect song for tsoa, also havent read this is how you lose the time war but that song, this is perfect
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yess glad you agree!
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OH!! The Heartstopper one is ADORABLE!! I loved this!! 😍
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IT IS!! thank you! ❤
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Omg this is like so cool and such a creative idea 🤩. And I’m so proud to see bloggers doing something related to Bollywood songs because they’re good! I mean, used to be at least. I’ve read a few on this list and might check out the others, thanks!
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thanks!!
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