a collection of some of the best ruskin bond books
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ruskin bond stands out amongst the best known writers and authors in india.
His first novel was The Room on the Roof, which he composed at the age of seventeen and won the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957.
His works can also be found in reading material in relatively all schools.
with a writing career spanning over 50 years, he has explored different paths in a variety of types; In addition to novels, he has composed some exhibitions, short stories, novellas, children’s books and poems.
in 1992 he won the sahitya akademi award, padma shri in 1999 and padma bhushan in 2014.
bond has been composing for his Indian fans since the 1950s, but scholars have tended to carefully consider expatriate Indian writers rather than indigenous ones.
With this article we intend to convey to our readers a list of 35 of the best books by Ruskin Bond from the more than 500 books, exhibitions and stories composed by him.
ruskin bond book reviews on bookgeeks can be found here
1. the room on the roof
room on the roof is about a seventeen-year-old orphaned Anglo-Indian boy named Rusty who has no real family after the death of his parents.
although he lives with his tutor mr. John Harrison, she doesn’t feel at home and due to the strict ways of his tutor, she runs away from home to live with his Indian friends.
While you see many things about India, such as customs, bazaars and diversity, you feel good to be in India. Soon, she gets a job teaching English to a boy named Kishen, in exchange for a small room on the roof.
This book won the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Award in 1957.
2. the blue umbrella
The Blue Umbrella is a 1980 Indian novel written by Ruskin Bond.
In a small village in Himachal Pradesh, a little Binya girl exchanges her lucky leopard claw pendant for a pretty blue frilly umbrella.
there were many who envied binya his prized possession, and the most envious of them all was old ram bharosa, the merchant, who decided that he should be the owner of the blue umbrella, by hook or by crook.
In 2005 it was adapted into a Hindi film of the same name, directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, which later won the National Film Award for Best Children’s Film.
3. the night train in deoli and other stories
the night train at deoli and other stories is a collection of 30 beautiful short ruskin bond stories.
The collection of simple, moving and thought-provoking stories will take you to the heavenly grounds of Dehradun and Mussoorie.
‘the night train at deoli’ is the story of a boy who sees a girl on the platform of deoli station. he wants to meet her, but will he find her again?
‘a guardian angel’ is the story of a boy who is raised by a sex worker. unlike others who despise the guardian, the boy considers her a true guardian angel.
“the monkey” is a typical ruskin bond story with a mix of horror and humor. Packed with small doses of heartwarming stories, this book offers you the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
4. Delhi is not far away
delhi is not far away it is located in the small and boring town of pipalnagar.
The protagonist Arun is a struggling writer of cheap thrillers who looks to the most unlikely of characters for inspiration: the orphan Suraj, a drifter and an epileptic, but surprisingly optimistic about the future, and the young prostitute Kamla, resigned to the fact. that both she and pipalnagar would never change.
This is a memorable story of small lives, with all the hallmarks of classic Ruskin Bond prose.
5. rusty, the boy from the hills
ruskin bond created rusty to weave stories about his own past; Rusty’s adventures are Ruskin’s own.
rusty, the child of the hills tells the stories of rusty, a quiet, imaginative and sensitive boy who lives in the custody of his grandparents in pre-independence dehradun.
Although he is not the adventurous type himself, the strangest and most extraordinary things continue to happen around him, so the stories he has to tell are simply fascinating.
This book follows the most exciting years of Rusty’s life: from early childhood through adolescence.
6. time stands still in shamli and other stories
time stands still in shamli and other stories is a charming collection of stories from the little-known heartland of india.
shamli is a small place where the ruskin bond train stopped every time it traveled to delhi. Bond narrates how this nondescript place became very important to him when he met his first love there.
The characters are simple people who live for the most part in small towns and villages in the Himalayas.
They’re not the type to make the headlines, but they’re nonetheless notable for their quiet heroism, their grace under pressure, and the way they continue to hold on to old values.
7. our trees still grow in dehra
Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra is a collection of fourteen engaging stories from the life of Ruskin Bond.
Semi-autobiographical in nature, these stories span the period from the author’s childhood to the present.
Departing from Java, he travels to India, where he lands first in Bombay and then in Delhi before finally arriving in the Himalayas and here begins a nostalgic story of the writer’s stay in the Himalayas.
We meet the author’s family, friends, and others who left a lasting impression on him.
one story from this collection, a flight of pigeons, became the movie junoon.
8. roads to mussoorie
roads to mussoorie is ruskin bond’s ode to his home for over forty years: his beloved town mussoorie.
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starts the book backwards (instead of a prologue) urging the reader to read the last chapter first before deciding to move on with the book.
ruskin writes vividly about his many travels to, from and around mussoorie and then delves into the daily scandals surrounding his life and his friends in the (not so) sleepy hill town.
9. the ruskin bond boys bus
A vividly illustrated book for children and adults alike, the Ruskin Bond Bus for Kids is a collection of some of the author’s best-loved stories.
Most of these stories are set in the hills, but their appeal is universal.
This volume includes Grandpa’s ever-popular private zoo written over twenty-five years ago.
Other stories included are Raging River, Blue Umbrella, Road to the Bazaar, Ghost Trouble, Cricket for the Crocodile, and Dust on the Mountain.
Witty, charming and quietly evocative, these stories highlight the allure of the simple life.
10. rain in the mountains: notes from the himalayas
Rain in the Mountains is a collection of stories, excerpts, essays, and poems written by Ruskin Bond after living in many small Himalayan villages.
strikes a chord with an urban dweller when he describes the beauty of the Himalayan wilderness, surrounded by singing birds, clear blue skies and sparkling streams.
Some of the stories that appear in the book are Once upon a time in the mountains, sounds I like to hear, how far is the river and after the monsoon.
This book is an excellent companion for contemplation and quiet reading.
11. a simple life book
a book of simple living is a personal journal in which ruskin bond records the many small moments that make up a life of harmony with oneself, the natural world, friends, family, and passers-by.
provides a sneak peek into her routine, letting one see the beauty in simplicity.
the book tries to convey a message very subtly: do not let the beauty of nature go unnoticed, unrecognized and unrecorded because it is the simplest and purest form of beauty.
let it tickle your every sensory nerve.
12. A Face in the Dark and Other Apparitions: Collected Stories of the Supernatural
ruskin bond once commented that while he doesn’t believe in ghosts, he sees them all the time: in the woods, in a bar, in a crowd outside a movie theater.
It’s no surprise, then, that in A Face in the Dark and Other Apparitions, a collection of paranormal tales, makes the supernatural seem completely natural and therefore harder to ignore.
This book opens with the unforgettable, a face in the dark, set in a pine forest on the outskirts of Simla, and ends with the night of the millennium, where the scene of the action is an abandoned graveyard.
if you love reading ghost stories, this ruskin bond anthology is definitely a treat.
13. fun side up
funny side up offers fascinating reading not only for children but also for readers of all ages.
With a unique ability to analyze the most ordinary circumstances with exceptional wit and insight, Ruskin Bond takes his readers into his home, into his field, into his life.
Filled with fun and colorful characters: monkeys, boars, a flower-phobic aunt, an eccentric cousin who thinks he’s the great cricketer Ranji, the seven-year-old sage Gautam, this collection is an absorbing collection. read.
14. Maharani
maharani is the story of neena, the spoiled, selfish, beautiful and elderly widow of the maharajah of mastipur.
She has inherited a considerable amount of wealth from her late husband, and the narrative focuses on her luxurious life in the 1960s and 1970s.
He lives in a huge old house in Mussoorie with his dogs and his handler.
She is also a classmate of Ruskin Bond, who disapproves of her antics: taking lovers and discarding them, drinking too much.
is a delightful novel about love, death and friendship.
15. susana’s seven husbands
Initially written as a 5-page short story, Ruskin Bond expanded Susanna’s Seven Husbands into a full-length novel destined to be made into a film, 7 Khoon Maaf by Vishal Bhardwaj.
It is the story of Susanna who has a weakness for falling in love with the wrong men.
Over the years, Susanna becomes notorious as the merry widow who moves from one marriage to another, leaving behind a trail of dead husbands.
This book includes the original short story, the novel it was expanded upon, and the screenplay by 7 khoon maaf which was based on the novel.
16. angry river
In the middle of a large river, on a small island, she lived with her grandparents.
Their only possessions were 3 goats, some chickens, and a small orchard that provided them with enough food to go on, and there was their only tree, a peepal tree.
Once, due to unforeseen circumstances, Sita is left alone on the island. that’s when the river gets angry and slowly the island begins to drown in the river.
how it survives the wrath of the rain and the river forms the crux of angry river.
17. vagabonds in the valley
Tramps in the Valley is a sequel to the Ruskin Bond masterpiece, A Room on the Roof.
Returning to town with Kishen, Rusty discovers that his beloved room is no longer his.
Undaunted, he forges new homes and new friendships as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that spans the beautiful foothills of the Himalayas.
meet new people, revisit her past, find out more about her real parents, and continue wandering around in search of answers.
surprising, evocative, witty and wise: this book is an ode to youth and all its complexities.
18. a season of ghosts
ruskin bond’s anthology of ghost stories, aptly titled a season of ghosts, is set in the majestic mountains of the himalayas and includes nine short stories and a novella such as on fairy hill, the prize , the black cat, the wilson bridge, the rakshasas, the night of the millennium etc.
With this book, Ruskin Bond shows that ghost stories are not only terrifying, but can have different nuances that can sometimes give goosebumps and other times also bring a smile to the lips of readers.
19. lonely fox dancing
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In this brilliantly read autobiography, The Lonely Fox Dancing, Ruskin Bond shows us the roots of all he has written.
It begins with a dream and a gentle obsession, before taking us to an idyllic childhood in Jamnagar by the Arabian Sea, where he composed his first poem, and New Delhi in the early 1940s, where he found material for his first short story.
20. Looking for the rainbow: my years with daddy
As the title suggests, Looking for the Rainbow centers on the two years Ruskin spent with his father in Delhi in the early 1940s.
his time in the capital is filled with books, visits to the cinema, music, walks and conversations with his father: a dream life for a curious and wildly imaginative boy.
Along with endearing illustrations, Looking for the Rainbow marks the first bond memories for children.
21. fall in love again
Featuring classic stories like The Eyes Have It and The Girl From Copenhagen, Falling Again is a collection of all the love stories Ruskin Bond has written throughout his career.
Filled with warmth and passion, each story showcases the myriad variations of romance and heartbreak.
22. death under the cedars
Set in the mussoorie of a bygone era, Death Beneath the Cedars is a collection of stories recounting the mysterious cases of a murdered priest, an adulterous couple, a man born wicked, the body in bed, a mysterious black dog, and the strangler daryaganj.
Though a mystery, this book contains flashes of mild humor in Bond’s trademark style.
23. tales of fosterganj
tales of fosterganj is set in a fictional suburb outside of mussourie.
This book chronicles the journey of a writer from Delhi, who lands in Fosterganj by chance. the writer hopes to live like a recluse in this sleepy town and maybe finish a book or two, but fate wants otherwise.
He soon finds himself swept up in a series of amazing and hilarious adventures: encounters with a leopard and a sinister black bird; a drunken afternoon in the company of several hens and a pitiful prince; and a long night locked in an enchanted palace.
24. dust on the mountain
Dust on the Mountain tells the story of a boy, Bisnu, who lives in the hills, right in the lap of nature, toiling on his farmland.
but one year, the lack of monsoon forces him to travel to the big city for work.
On this journey, he meets many interesting characters who come and go from the pages, but nature remains the most important character throughout the story.
25. love between the shelves
love between the shelves is a look at the life of ruskin bond through the books he has loved and an introduction to some forgotten classics.
A book about books and reading, Bond begins with the first book he discovered on the shelf, p.g. Wodehouse’s love among chickens, and she goes on to reminisce about her school days in Simla, where she discovered Shakespeare, Emily Bronte and H.E. bats.
26. the sensualist
the sensualist is the story of a man enslaved by his libido and spiraling towards self-destruction.
gripping, erotic, even brutal, the book explores the demons its protagonist must face before he can come to terms with himself.
A compelling read, The Sensualist is a must for all fans of Ruskin Bond.
27. the india i love
the india I love is a collection of nineteen heartfelt poems and essays.
ruskin bond has filled the chapters with some nuggets of wisdom that he has processed over the years through keen observation of people and their environment.
28. tigers for dinner: tales from khansama by jim corbett
Tigers for Dinner is the collection of stories told by Mehmoud, the Khansama, or Cook, from the great Shikari Jim Corbett to a young Ruskin Bond.
As skilled with his stories as he is with koftas, lamb chops, tarts and milkshakes, Mehmoud has a fantastic tale for every occasion: from wrestling a cobra in his bed, to being dragged into the river by a mugger , until when a tiger came looking for the cook.
29. the hidden pool
The Hidden Pool is the first Ruskin Bond children’s novel.
is the story of three friends: laurie, an english boy who moved to a mountain village with his parents, anil, the son of a local cloth merchant, and kamal, who lost his parents during the partition of India and now sells buttons and laces.
One day, the three discover a secret pool in the side of the mountain, and it is there that they plan their greatest escape yet: a trek to the Pindari Glacier, where no one from their town has gone before.
30. the perfect murder
This book is a collection of 8 short stories from various acclaimed authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Wilkie Collins, Edgar Allen Poe, WW Jacobs and a Ruskin Bond story with the title – The Perfect Murder .
is the story of two brothers, paul and henry, who are waiting for the opportunity to kill their aunt so they can inherit the property left to them by their uncle.
Can they plan the murder without violence, without clues and without leaving a trace? Can they plan the perfect assassination?
31. the comet: stories
the kite maker begins with ali, mehmood’s grandson, snapping his grandfather, the old kite maker, out of his reverie when the boy’s kite gets stuck in the branches of the old banyan tree.
mehmood sits under the banyan tree and thinks of his old profession as a master kite maker; about the good old days of his and laments the loss of those days of leisure and joy, as men today are trapped in the labyrinth of time and have no time or interest for hobbies like kite flying.
32. all roads lead to bargain
all roads lead to bargain is a travel memoir in which ruskin bond captures the astonishing beauty of the magical landscape of the himalayas, describing with nostalgia and affection the places and people with whom he has lived for more than forty years.
writes about the picturesque charm of dehradoon, about the village of manjari in garhwal where a tributary of the ganga flows; write about mussoorie, rudraprayag, agastamuni, guptakashi, etc.
33. no man is an island: stories of friendship and union
Told in the simple yet moving style of Ruskin Bond, the stories and poems of No Man Is an Island thoughtfully explore the many shades of friendship and camaraderie.
each story shows that man is a social animal and always needs company.
featuring classic tales like ‘the woman on the platform no. 8’, in which a mysterious stranger befriends a young boy, and ‘The Crooked Tree,’ in which a writer and a traveling salesman form an unlikely bond, this heartwarming collection is a must-read.
34. Indian tales and legends
Indian Tales and Legends is divided into three sections: Tales from the Epics, Tales from the Jataka, and Regional Tales and Legends. all sections have between five and twelve stories.
The book is an ideal read for children and adults alike as it helps connect Indians to their roots.
35. a song of many rivers
Little more than 100 pages, a song of many rivers is a collection of 12 essays, anecdotes and stories whose central theme is rivers.
Along with their waters, these rivers are also a source of folklore, legends and stories that are more than centuries old.
From Bhagirathi and Alaknanda to Mandakini and Suswa, Ruskin Bond beautifully captures the essence of these rivers and the people who thrive in their waters.
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