If you are a bookworm – you are well-acquainted with the woes of being too broke to buy books. I remember my days as a teen bookworm who relied solely on her library subscription to get new books – and I had to wait for a full week to get a book! Getting cheap books under 100 INR was a dream – which has finally come true. In this article, I am compiling a list of books that are priced under 100 on major online shopping websites like Amazon and Flipkart.
Best Books Under 100 Rupees on Amazon!
Apart from being light on your pocket – these books will also be great if you are a reader with varied reading tastes. I’ll also suggest alternate reading recommendations – so let’s get started on making a huge TBR pile for you!
Kind Note: All these are under 100 INR, we are sure it won’t go above that price range, but if that happens, we’ll help you with another book edition on Amazon or other platforms. We will update this list with more books as we keep tracking the price range of certain books.
1. The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond
The simple charms of village life are well put in this story written by one of India’s most prominent fiction writers. We have all come across Ruskin Bond‘s short stories in school – so it is unlikely that you are unfamiliar with his name. The story follows the life of little Binya, who acquires a blue umbrella on an eventful day. Following this, the blue umbrella becomes the object of desire for every villager โ and Binya, their opponent. While some of them are playful about their yearning to possess the blue umbrella – a symbolic representation in my interpretation โ others go a bit too far to get it from her. You can get the book here! ๐
The charm of the silk blue umbrella is described as:
“The umbrella was like a flower, a great blue flower that had sprung up on the dry brown hillside.”
The end of this story is satisfying, heart-warming, and to some extent- reassuring of all the beauty that remains in the world.
Alternate Recommendation: You might enjoy Ruskin Bond’s The Room on The Roof – his first work of fiction novel – written when he was barely 17!
2. Short Stories of Rabindranath Tagore by Rabindranath Tagore
Maple Press has a big collection of short story compilations available at a very nominal price. Whenever I want to buy good books at an affordable rate – I look for their books on Amazon. This collection has some of the best stories from the man who wrote the song that makes you stand up before you can watch a movie in theatres.
This collection has a dozen from some of his best and most popular short stories like “The House of Cards”, “The Hungry Stones”, “The Postmaster,” and “The Kabuli Wala”. Tagore’s short stories tug on the emotions that you keep buried inside yourself and take you to a world of its own. His masterful characterization allows you to be aligned with the protagonists of his story โ often helping you go through a cathartic experience. You can get the book here! ๐
Alternate Recommendation: From Maple Press itself, you can get a copy of Jules Verne’s short story collection which is perfect for science or science fiction lovers!
3. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupรฉry
The Little Prince is my comfort read – and the magic of this novella is in the capability it has to transform your life each time it touches it. The depiction of ideas and the competent use of symbols to illustrate concepts – all designed carefully within a strange tale of coming across a peculiar little boy who claims to be from a different planet is sheer brilliance. You can get the book here! ๐
The Little Prince houses one of my favorites messages of literature:
“โฆWhat does that mean — tame?”
“It is an act too often neglected,” said the fox. “It means to establish ties.”
“To establish ties?”
“Just that,” said the fox. “To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world….”
Alternate Recommendation: This book is too unique to have any alternate recommendation.
4. The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
I’m certain you’re aware of Helen Keller and her story – but her autobiography is a lovely read in itself. Dealing with challenges of the inability to see – and the determination to overcome obstacles with the sole ingredient unique to all successful people: willpower. The impressive thing about Keller is her undying intent towards learning and education – a very positive spirit that I find unmatchable. You can get the book here! ๐
She shares a deep love for reading, as she notes:
“Literature is my Utopia. Here I am not disenfranchised. No barrier of the senses shuts me out from the sweet, gracious discourses of my book friends. They talk to me without embarrassment or awkwardness.”
Her language and tone make her relatable and likable – a very important factor in making this book so enchanting.
Alternate Recommendation: Becoming by Michelle Obama is yet another motivating piece of an autobiography I have read lately.
5. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Yet another all-time favorite of mine – The Great Gatsby is a tale of love, money, social status, and what does it really mean to be great? I am sure that once you read this novel – you will spend the remainder of your life pondering over the questions it poses. Is it worth it? Absolutely! Gatsby and his love for Daisy โ or rather everything that she embodies – are phenomenal and stay with you for a lifetime. However- the shine of Gatsby has to be credited to Nick’s fascinating narration. You also wonder how reliable he is as a narrator โ which adds a different dimension to the novel. You can get the book here! ๐
The lyrical lines are the charm of the book, with lines like:
“I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”
Or the one describing Gatsby’s smile:
“He smiled understandingly–much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life.”
I hope you enjoyed these suggestions. We will be updating this list with new cheap books soon as we keep searching for the best ones for you. Happy Reading!