Lalitha’s Book Nook houses more than 2,500 books.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Tucked away in Kallumantapa, Horamavu, is a book shop that evolved from a humble online store to a thriving brick-and-mortar haven. The store has now launched innovative initiatives to cultivate a reading habit among Bengalureans.
Founded by Lalitha Murugesan, Lalitha’s Book Nook was the solution to her “midlife and identity crisis”. In 2021, as a SAP consultant with a leading IT venture, she was going through a challenging period. “I wanted to take a break from my career and be more involved with raising my two sons. I stumbled upon the book ‘The Midnight Library’ by Matt Haig, which opened my eyes to lost chances and made me realise that we must live in the present,” she recalls.
The bookhouse started as an online store on Instagram. “I also tried selling books at flea markets. These included titles by international authors like Herman Hesse, Paulo Coelho, and Han Kang, and Indian authors like Kavitha Rao, K R Meera, Anand Neelakantan, P Sainath, Ruskin Bond, Roopa Pai, and Sonia Mehta. I had to give up eventually as stall rents were too high,” she says.
It was during an evening walk with her family that Lalitha spotted the store’s current location, which opened in 2023. “It was a peaceful spot in the neighbourhood. The moment I stepped into the building, I could envision how the store would be,” she adds.
In the last two years, her venture has grown, with around 30 customers every month, aged between 6 and 60-plus.
The bookseller has kickstarted 2025 with a new initiative, ‘New year, New book’, which is a variant of Secret Santa. Thirty-five people participated from all over India. They “started the year with a new book as a gift from a stranger”.
Another new initiative, ‘Lit Leap’, is like a “blind date with books”, where readers will receive a bundle of books every month from the store.
The store houses more than 2,500 books across genres. Customers can also pay a monthly fee of Rs 1,000 (for adults) or Rs 750 (for kids) to browse and read books at the store.
Focusing on young readers, the bookstore hosts storytelling sessions, reading events, field trips for preschool children, and book exhibitions at schools.
The store delivers books across the country.
Check @lalithasbooknook on Instagram.