No Amazon links this time, in the aftermath of what's happening to Westland Publishing House. Please consider buying from an indie bookstore near you, if possible. Happy reading!😇
Dear reader,
Did you realize January went by without any update from me? This means we are back to being a bi-monthly newsletter! 🤡
But I come armed with my list of excuses, so please hear me out (after all, taddi tan tuhanu pata lagugga, right?!!)
January was a long, lightless stretch of time, when most of north India stood longing for a ray of natural light. I really did mean to write you a letter then, if only to whisk away some of the gloom.
But every time, I was led astray. By a maniacal urge to do the randomest of things under the sun- zealously hoarding on makeup supplies 💄💅, clicking aesthetic pictures of books 📚, and dolling up for an impromptu photo-op 📸 - instead of actually writing.
It’s true how they say-
Sigh. I promise I will try to stick to a regular-ish posting schedule. At least as close to once a month as possible. In the meantime, I hope you can pardon my tardiness. And let bygones be bygones. And just-
SINCE TIS THE SEASON OF LOVE!! [smooth segue, right?]
But what can I say about love that’s not already been said, way more eloquently? And my mother reads this. So, I can't be seen here waxing poetic. Lest she should get the wrong idea!🥴
Let me tell you a story, instead. Back when I was a kid, my school would feed us the propaganda that Valentine's Day was originally meant to be celebrated as 'Family Unity Day' 👨👩👧👦 and its present day meaning is but a ‘distortion’.
However, moral policing/crackdown notwithstanding, 14th February would inevitably bear witness to the usual drill - exchange of V-Day paraphernalia 🌹, dramatic declarations and clumsy hand-holding 🤝. Basically, everything that ensues pyaar and its iqraar.
Makes one wonder how that was and continues to be the case, despite belligerent opposition from certain forces. What escapes notice, though, is that you cannot resist love, or the celebration thereof.
Because love itself is the ultimate act of resistance.
After all, Shakespeare didn’t write ‘love is not love which alters when it finds alteration, or bends with the remover to remove’ for nothing.
Nor did Kailash Kher mean anything but business when he crooned ‘ishq ka jaadoo sar chadh kar bole, khoob laga lo pehre, raste rab khole…’ in Teri Deewani.
On that note, reader, do not let anyone tell you how ishq, mohabbat, pyaar ki baatein are bekaar ki baatein. Do not let them dictate who/where/how/when to love.
And certainly, do not let lit snobs tell you how reading romance is not worth your while.
If ishq di gali vich no entry is their war cry, let us meet it with our own stentorian roar - Pyaar do, Pyaar lo!
Okayy, time for recs now!
💖 1. The ‘tedha hai, par mera hai’ trope
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
The embodiment of ‘sugar and spice and everything nice’, Hazelwood’s debut novel is the ideal starting point, if you are a romance noob. You might want to suspend logical thought for a bit, though!
It follows the story of Olive, a PhD. student at Stanford, whose carefully constructed theories about love turn to utter chaos, when she finds herself fake-dating Adam Carlsen, a young professor-cum-tyrant who enjoys making students dropout from their degree programs.
Here, Hazelwood smartly sidesteps the problematic aspects of the dynamics, leaving the bits that will have you squealing like a teenage girl.
Two things I especially appreciated- firstly how Hazelwood expertly employs an opposites-attract pairing 💑 - while Olive’s personality shines with the force of a thousand suns 🥰🥰, her piya Adam is what you would call kabhi neem neem, kabhi shahad shahad. A grumpy asshole sakht launda 😒😠 who softens like dough for none but his girl!
Secondly, TLH also takes care to develop its rich premise- the world of STEM academia. It highlights the struggles women in STEM face in a male-dominated curriculum- research funding deficit, being considered an inferior and career-damning #MeToo episodes.
This makes the book all the more authentic, adding life to the romance. There’s a strong focus on friendships, which, again, prevents the love story from becoming all-consuming.
💘 BOTTOM LINE- From the meet-cute to the smut, you wouldn’t want to give up reading it, come what may!
💖 2. The pehle kyun na mile hum trope
Beach Read by Emily Henry
The cover of this book practically screams shining in the setting sun 🌅, like a pearl upon the ocean 🌊. So, this is perfect to head out with (not necessarily to the beach), on a sardi ki dhoop. Or a garmi ki shaam. Or like, right now?!!😤
It’s about rival writers, January and Gus, who happen to be living as neighbours one particular summer. The former pens romcoms, while the latter churns out literary fiction. They have had that spark (aka UST 🥵) since college days, but choose not to act upon it, indulging instead in snarky banter and one-upping each other professionally.
What happens when they strike a deal to break out of their writing slumps, and comfort zones?
I recommend it for the simple reason that this is so much more than your stereotypical 🐣-lit. Henry fleshes out relatable, raw and nuanced main characters by deep diving into who they are and why. Themes of childhood trauma, domestic abuse, physical illnesses, tragedies, infidelity, etc. are impressively sprinkled over the tongue-in-cheek hilarity 😋😆 and tease fest.
You can’t help but vacate the thodi khaali si jagah in your heart for January and Gus, as they meander through family secrets, town history and their own feelings, to acknowledge the undeniable connection between themselves.
💘 BOTTOM LINE - This books is the namak isq ka your life desperately needs right about now! Go, get it!
💖 3. The pyaar dosti hai trope
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
REMINDER REC since I have already talked about this friends-to-lovers masterpiece in the very first issue itself. Read it here. And you shall come to know how I worship at the altar of Ms. Henry 🛐. And how I lament every day the fact that her work is merely fiction. And not the reality I live.😢😓
Need I say more?
💖 4. The taqraar mein pyaar trope
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
Reader, are you keeping the chahat ka diya aflame for an ex?
So is Vivienne Jones from Sterling’s The Ex Hex. But did I tell you she placed a life-threatening curse 🧙♀️🧹 on him, during a drunken stupor, after their bitter breakup? The curse is taking effect now that Rhys, the ex in question, is back in town, 9 years later.
I listened to this in the audiobook format. And for a while thereafter, I couldn’t keep my deewana dil still. For, it felt like I had found the spookiest, goofiest, sexiest romcom to ever exist! 🔮✨
This is the kind of book you can waltz through in one sitting. Every page is bustling with chaotic energy- humour, horror, suspense, attraction and love. The paranormal elements like the witchy town called Graves Glen, the witchy college 🏫, biting skull toys 💀, a talking cat 😼, a ghost let loose from a candle 🕯, etc. make things really enjoyable.
The chemistry between the lead pair is sizzling. The sexual tension is off the roof. The banter is as foul-mouthed as it is witty. This promises the lightest and most comforting reading experience!
💘 BOTTOM LINE- Plunge into this one, if you are in a reading slump with impenetrable gehraiyaan!
That’s it for Part I. More to come in Part II-
💖 5. The train wali pehli baar dekhi trope
One Last Stop by Casey MaQuiston
💖 6. The pyaar ek dhoka hai trope
The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon
STAY TUNED!