Here are a bunch of books which cured my rather tragic & unfortunate reading slump. Enjoy.

Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series by Louise Rennison

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s OK, I’m Wearing Really Big Knickers: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Where do I even begin? Both these books were a hoot! Georgia Nicholson had me cackling every other page. Oh, to be 14 again. A 14 year old GIRL. When your body is changing, you *hate* authority and just want to kiss guys all day, every day. Well, a decade later – all these points are still valid!

I love how ridiculous Georgia is. She’s like a moody teenager on her 10th virgin mojito. It’s a cringey tv show come to life. Angus, who is a cat delivered straight from Hell (Satan’s favourite kitty), had me snickering all the way. Georgia’s disdain for all adults… I could feel it in my soul. Just read it. No amount of praise would ever be enough. Masterpieces. Truly.

I cannot wait to make my way through the other eight (EIGHT!) books in this series.

The Queen of Jasmine Country by Sharanya Manivannan: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sharanya Manivannan’s short story collection The High Priestess Never Marries left a lasting impression on me. There was no way I could miss this novel. She writes about women and women’s sexuality so well, I could drown in a well of her writing.

The Queen of Jasmine Country is about a Bhakti saint named Andal who lived during 8th century Tamilakam. Andal, or Kodhai as she was called, was taken in by a Brahmin family who were childless. She was an inquisitive child, deeply religious and taught how to read and write by her father.

It was quite revolutionary for a woman to be literate back then. She used this power to fuel her poetry. She wrote deeply sensuous poetry dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his avatar, Krishna. Andal marries Vishnu. In conclusion, I want like to smoke whatever the Bhakti saints were smoking back in those days.

Hell, I want to marry a literal God.

Seeing Like a Feminist by Nivedita Menon: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5 Stars)

Now for some serious stuff. Feminism. Nivedita Menon, a professor at JNU, was one of the most prominent figures during the 2016 JNU protests. She gave fiery speeches about the state of nationalism in India, criticising the government and its push towards ‘Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan.’

Seeing Like a Feminist is a good introductory text to anyone interested in Indian feminism. It is a fairy comprehensive book, with a wide variety of topics like marriage, rape, queer politics, sex work, abortion etc. Pretty heavy stuff but she manages to put across her viewpoints efficiently and effectively. For example, while discussing the Women’s Reservation Bill (in the Parliament), she brings up an important point about how “women” are not a monolith but are divided on the basis of class, caste, and religion. So would that mean ‘a quota within a quota’, so that every woman is equally represented?

Overall, I’d say the book was an eye opener. I learnt quite a few things and read fresh and new perspectives on certain issues. Despite that, I felt that Menon could have included the experiences of disabled women, old/ageing women, Muslim women, and rural women. Seeing as how the book was published in December, 2012, I am interested in reading about feminism in a post-Nirbhaya context and the state of Indian feminism after 2014, when the current government came to power.

Read all these books! They get a thumbs up from me.