Its been 20 episodes!! (YAYYY!)

In this week's episode, I'm celebrating the ride thats been The Guilty Reader Podcast! In this rather vulnerable episode, its less about the books and more about what I've learnt along the way as I've tried to build and create a podcast to make a small slice of the internet for myself.

Tune in!

P.S.: I am pre-expressing my gratitude to you for listening to this week's episode despite some patchy patches of audio. A better mic shall happen soon!

As a reader in India, I'm kinda guilty of making blanket statements like "There's no good Indian Fiction works". And at the time just because of a stunning lack of awareness, i just knew two spectrums- massy (didnt enjoy the stories or writing) and classy (which felt wildly inaccessible because they weren't themes I enjoyed).

It was only when I decided to write that I started down the rabbit hole of Indian Fiction writing and realised that there's some stunning works out there in every genre. In this week's episode I share some of my favourite desi fiction books across the triller, memoir and mythological fiction genres.

Books I talk about in this episode:

1. Kanpur Khoofiya Pvt. Ltd by Richa Mukherjee

2. Club you to death by Anuja Chauhan

3. The Fast and the Dead by Anuja Chauhan

4. Truck De India by Rajat Ubhaykar

5. The Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi

6. Ram- Scion of Ikshvaku by Amish Tripathi

7. Sita- Warrior of Mithila by Amish Tripathi

8. Raavan- The Enemy of Aryavarta by Amish Tripathi

9. War of Lanka by Amish Tripathi

10. Chanakya's Chant by Ashwin Sanghi

11. Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi

12. The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by CL Miller

13. Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

In this week's episode, I talk about the wishes I'd want a book-ish fairy to grant me. You know, the kind of all wish granting fairy-genie situation we read about, but just for books? I talk about the wishes and dreams I want my fairy to grant me. Whether its sequels, or erasing some stories out of existence, I have no filter on my opinion in this episode and the discussion is largely spoiler free!

Because the big question always remains: If you could have any book-ish dream fulfilled, what would it be?

Books I talk about in this week's episode:

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

2. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

3. The Martian by Andy Weir

4. The Cursed Child by JK Rowling and others

5. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

6. The Cat Who Caught a Killer by LT Shearer

7. Funny Story by Emily Henry

In this week's episode, I launch a new series where every month, I talk about a self help book that I read patiently and tried utilising. This series "Self Help That Worked" is my attempt at being more mindful about reading a genre that I have way too many books in.

Rather than popping them like M&Ms, I've decided to take some time, absorb them and really come out with lessons and ideas that stay with me much beyond the end of the book.

In this series I share the key ideas from the book that stayed with me and will be something I carry into my life. I also share my experiences with actually having used those lessons.

Books I talk about this week:

1. The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Schfaler

2. The 5-Second Rule by Mel Robbins

3. The works of Brene Brown

In this week's episode, i talk about a new internal struggle I've been facing: Do i read my reads right or am i just too lenient with my ratings?

And if you've ever had to rate anything, you may identify with my struggle! Tune in as i talk about how i'm trying to get out of this mindset and rate books the way I want to, even if its not the most 'professional'.

Books I talk about in this episode:

1. The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

2. Book Lovers by Emily Henry

In this week's episode, I talk about my almost life long fear of book clubs and how a recent experience changed my perception of not just book clubs but also about how I approach my reading and life.

Books I talk about this week:

1. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

2. The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra

3. The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

In this week's episode I share my experiences with reading classics (or the lack of it). I share my journey where with influence of adults while I may have read a fair number of classics, as an adult I've really chosen my own path as a reader and not too many classics have been stops along the road.

Does that make me a 'non'-serious reader? or can one truly enjoy the craft of reading by giving this amalgamation of genres a complete miss?

Books I read & reviewed this week:

1. Kanpur Khoofiya Pvt Ltd by Richa Mukherjee

2. Finlay Donovan is Killing it by Elle Cosimano

In this episode, I take inspiration from Taylor and reminisce my eras as a reader. I talk about my journey from a fantasy fanatic to a more literary fiction buff over the years. I speculate over why my preferences may have changed and why it's okay for your reading to evolve with time. I even bring in a bit of my Learning background and talk about T shaped learning & its implication on my reading.

Books I read and reviewed this week:

1. The No-Show by Beth O Leary

2. As Good as Dead by Holly Jackson

In this episode, I share my experience of breaking two reading 'rules' that i've imposed on myself for years and years. We all have these rules that we impose on ourselves to be taken more seriously as readers or be more 'mainstream'.

But what if i told you, some of these rules are less helpful than you'd think? And that breaking one of them helped me find one of my favourite books this year? Tune in to find out.

Books I talk about in this episode:

1. Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quin

2. Days at the Mirosaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

In this week's episode, I address my abrupt month long break from the podcast and why even if getting back to something is hard, it's better than not coming back at all! This episode is about life's turns and how you don't need to be ready for everything to dive in.

Books I talk about in this episode:

1. How to be the love you seek by Dr Nicole LePera

2. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.