Here’s a new place for bibliophiles in Hyderabad to explore

Hyderabad: “The first thing I do in any town I come to is ask if it has a bookstore.”— This quote by Robert Frost printed on the customised cloth bags of the new buzzing bookstore ‘Luna’ is exactly what it is anticipating — a vibrant bookstore culture in the city. Started by the Sudhakar sisters […]

Hyderabad: “The first thing I do in any town I come to is ask if it has a bookstore.”— This quote by Robert Frost printed on the customised cloth bags of the new buzzing bookstore ‘Luna’ is exactly what it is anticipating — a vibrant bookstore culture in the city.

Started by the Sudhakar sisters Shilpa and Sapna, the cosy and serene independent book store is named ‘Luna’ referring to the moon, and has eclectic books arranged on shelves and tables throughout in a series of three rooms.

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“We see that readers have moved to a more digital space, but we wanted to see if we could provide that physical browsing experience we had back when we grew up. While other cities still have a thriving bookstore scene, we thought we’d give it a shot in Hyderabad,” Shilpa says.

Coming from a family of voracious readers, Shilpa curates the books herself. The place carries books ranging from fiction to non-fiction, history to crime, underdog genres such as climate and environment, and many more hidden gems by both young and veteran authors.

Adding that the store will not be selling books online, Shilpa said that the store is for readers who want to experience the joy of visiting a physical book store and enjoy the experience of buying books after browsing the neatly arranged shelves.

“There’s some joy in physical bookstores — meeting fellow bibliophiles, physically browsing books, having discussions, and making new discoveries all along. There is no rush; the objective is to be among books,” feels Shilpa.

She stated that they have discovered that the city has a lot of readers and hopes that many such bookstores come up in the city as the culture grows, adding that she has been quite delighted by the city’s response to the new book store.

Shilpa, who previously worked in the investment and finance space, adds that they came up with the idea in June of this year and were able to execute it within months. The store, which is located at Road Number 63A, Jubilee Hills, is only two weeks old, but it is already bustling with book lovers from all over the city.