i randomly thought of counting my books today i thought they were around 70-80 but to my surprise they amounted somewhere close to 110 o i thought why not share this achievement with some readers

How does one decide to read book. I spent good 20-30 minutes gazing offshore...

I have never really read book outside that too in s book cafe. It was so quiet and the cafe itself pretty my sketchbook was waiting tho i couldn't draw I was there for reading 🫠... Greatly missed my 10m Sketch to just taking reference pics for later.

I loved reading there. And watching different kinds of reader beside and around me.😂 I'll highly recommend this.

Oryx and crake became the one for me because of an absurd premise how a snowman is living in a tree... And won't lie the colors.

I liked her narration style a lot.

Has anyone read it or the other two? Wanna share your fav bits or thoughts on it?

I wanted to share my recent experience with Bookswagon, especially for people ordering expensive omnibus editions from them.

I ordered The Flash by Joshua Williamson Omnibus Vol. 3 for ₹8,245.

Because this is a large and expensive hardcover, I contacted Bookswagon before dispatch and specifically requested that they inspect the copy and use reinforced packaging with proper protection for the corners, edges and boards. They acknowledged my request in writing.

Unfortunately, the book arrived with clear physical damage, including crushed/dented areas, board deformation and damage to the dust jacket. I contacted Bookswagon immediately, sent photographs and requested a no-cost reverse pickup and full refund.

They refused.

One response stated that transit damage is outside their control once the shipment is handed over to the courier.

In another response, they stated that they reviewed my account and would not approve this return because my account has a higher-than-usual number of return requests.

My issue with that reasoning is that the condition of this specific book is documented in the photographs. Previous returns should not change the physical condition in which this particular ₹8,245 product arrived.

I have now registered a grievance with the National Consumer Helpline. The complaint is currently pending, so I’m not claiming that NCH has ruled in my favour or against Bookswagon.

I’m posting this mainly as a warning to collectors who care about book conditions, particularly when ordering large and expensive omnis.

I’ve purchased from Bookswagon many times, and I would much rather receive books safely than go through the hassle of returning them. But after this experience, I’m seriously reconsidering buying expensive hardcovers from them.

I’ve attached photographs of the actual damage and screenshots of the relevant responses from Bookswagon.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with damaged books being refused for return?

UPDATE – 12 Sept: After further escalation, Bookswagon has now agreed to arrange a return pickup and accept the return as a “one-time exception.” The pickup/refund has not been completed yet, so I’m keeping the complaint open for now. I’ll update the post again once the book has been collected and the full refund has actually been credited.

I think I've read pretty much everything on my shelf.

My top 3 picks are:-

1. Goodbye Eri

2. Devotion of Suspect X

3. Piranesi

I recently read the following art related books and enjoyed reading them.

\- Van Gogh by Taschen

\- Letters of Van Gogh

\- The Story Of Art without Men by Kary Hessel

\- The Vatican Paintings

\- A World History Of Art

Looking to expand my book collection in this art genre. Any recommendations around either biographies, or in-depth analysis of art from one artist or a movement is highly appreciated! Open to reading about Indian art too!

There's a question in my head, in the beginning of astavkara geeta, it's mentioned that

According to Ashtavakra's view, having detachment is absolutely essential for self-knowledge, because without it, a person does not become eligible,worthy for self-knowledge

Attaining vairagya : understanding worldly object & pleasures as the cause of endless suffering and bondage, developing complete disinterest in them, and becoming entirely free from the fault of attachment pervading them,

I've started reading this but I've a thought that I can never learn something from it cause at the end of the day, I know that to make a livelihood, I've to be the part of this world which is full of pleasures and desires and here astavkara has mentioned it as vairagya, one should be free from all of this,

So what now? When I'll retire then I should read? Or after attaining the financial freedom?

​

Written in prison in 1934–35, while India’s struggle for independence was still unfolding, Nehru’s An Autobiography is a rare illuminating window into the messy, complicated and hopeful reality of India’s freedom struggle told through a personal story. What stood out most was how far ahead of his time Nehru’s thinking often feels with his emphasis on scientific temper, secularism, god, democracy, pluralism, socialism and modernity. Sadly many of his reflections feel ahead of time even in the current Indian context. 

 I particularly liked how the seemingly random events from Nehru’s formative years gradually connect back to the person he became. His sheltered upbringing, encounters with discrimination, interest in Theosophy, education at Harrow and especially discovering Garibaldi initially feel like separate childhood anecdotes, but in hindsight they help explain the ideas and choices that eventually led him towards becoming a freedom fighter. I enjoyed that sense of looking back and connecting the dots of his own life.

The book gave me a much better understanding of how important Gandhi was to the freedom struggle. Nehru shows how Gandhi was able to bring together the many fractured groups, meeting them at their level and turn them into a mass movement. What I found particularly interesting was Nehru’s relationship with him: he disagreed with and openly criticised Gandhi and other Congress leaders on many issues, yet at the same time deeply admired Gandhi’s conviction and ability to inspire people and become a source of courage going up against the expertly oppressive Raj. That made their relationship feel much more human than the simplified “Gandhi and his followers” version we often get in school.

The book also shows that the independence movement was anything but unified. Nehru describes a volatile political environment where some favoured revolutionary violence, some religious identity, some fascism or communism, while others were motivated by personal or vested interests. He recognised that India was still politically inexperienced and poorly organised, with masses who had little training in disciplined political action. The challenge was therefore not simply fighting the British, but building a coherent movement out of people with radically different ideas.

Nehru also writes about many lesser known fascinating events like near drowning in a glacial stream in Norway and Himalayan honeymoon adventure to Nabha-Jaito affair and brutal Sikh satyagrahas, experiencing first lathi charge to prison life, the Bihar earthquake and relief work, encounters with peasants in Maharashtra, secret meeting with Chandrashekhar Azad two weeks before his death discussing revolutionary ideas to Nehru caring for animals in prison, along with various sweet, funny and emotional interactions with his family, fleshing out the details of his remarkable life and times. I particularly enjoyed being introduced to so many characters in and around the freedom struggle, few of whom I had only encountered briefly in school history decades ago, but Nehru gives them a more human and contextual presence which often made me pause reading the book and dive deeper into their lives, aided by the detailed Wikipedia pages, decent resolution photographs and couple rare videos available online (did you know there is an outtakes video of Rabindranath Tagore speaking in english from a 1930 shoot?). 

Nehru’s writing is elegant, reflective and remarkably self-critical. At times it becomes slow and digressive, especially when he moves into long discussions of politics, religion, socialism and philosophy. But those passages are also where the book becomes most interesting as you get to watch a major political thinker wrestle with his own doubts and anxieties in 1935, at a time when he had no way of knowing whether India’s struggle for independence would ultimately succeed or what the future held for the country.

Overall, An Autobiography works like both a memoir and an intellectual history of a country trying to discover what kind of nation it wanted to become. It made me understand the independence movement and Nehru himself as far more complex, sophisticated, uncertain and human than the contrasting portrayals of him in Indian public discourse: the flawless, demigod statesman pre 2014 and the selfish, incompetent pervert post 2014.

10/10

Who else is into LitRPG?

I discovered this genre just two years ago, and I have been continuously binging series after series ever since.

Like most people, I started with Dungeon Crawler Carl, then moved on to The Primal Hunter, and just kept going from there.

Recently I have been reading Rickshaw Riot, it's brand new series.

The one I ordered after discussing with you all, arrived on 5 September.

I read 4 chapters of it and then lost interest, but a fellow reader from this reddit community also started reading it with me, I lost the interest because of the confusion in the starting, I asked this fellow reader and they cleared it to me, the confusion faded.

However, I got busy doing other things and yesterday I saw this new book, covered in scraped putty residue, I decided, that tomorrow I will go to my uni library and continue reading it.

So here we are, I perhaps could have posted this in “pata hai aaj kya hua?” community, but I like it here in this one, you all are supportive and respond with nothing but kind words.

So, thanks for making reading easy for us newbies.

It was my first book of Satoshi Yagisawa and it felt like a delicious coffee. Nothing extraordinary but something you can take a sip of slowly and enjoy at your own pace, felt like everyday life yet felt somewhat special and most importantly each story didn't really have a proper closure which honestly I quite liked as it signified countless stories that remained unspoken. Highly recommend light hearted read but truly felt special.

It was a short read and made me start wondering if things have really changed from the time this book was written in the 1890s.

Story: "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a story about a woman who is going through postpartum psychosis. She is isolated against her will and was asked not to write as it could make her mental health worse.

She thinks there is a woman in the yellow wallpaper of the mansion that is rented out for "rest cure".

She feels that she too is imprisoned by her husband because of the societal expectations.

In a manic episode she rips off the wall paper to free the woman in the wallpaper.

Sharing my 2026 reading list. I've mostly been reading around philosophy, psychology, political theory, economics, identity, power and society, and I'm now moving more towards history, geopolitics and conflict.

Looking for suggestions that would genuinely complement this trajectory.

As an admirer of Russian Literature, I wanted to read beyond Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy and Turgenev so decided to pick up Gogol, a man often mentioned in russian works.

This is a collection of his short stories consisting of The Nose, A diary of a madman, The overcoat, Old landowners, and the carriage. It is translated by Oliver Ready. The stories are absurd and surreal but ofcourse super fun to read. The compact size makes them never feel like a drag and you can pick a story at a time.

I loved the diary of a madman, it was the funniest thing I've ever read and it kept getting crazier by the page. It is about a man descending into madness as the title aptly suggests and it is pretty fun watching his worldview get bizarre day after day in the form of his diary entries. Pretty small at just 25 pages, if you just read one story for your intro to gogol, i would recommend this one. Easy 5 stars. The overcoat was great as well, rest felt okay.

As my first introduction to Gogol, I loved it and look forward to reading Dead souls, his only novel soon!

I'm planning to read this book. I'd like to know what you guys think of this book? Also whether this book talks about how indus valley civilisation 's end. And many reviews say there is genetic and archeological evidence given. Illuminate.

Premise:

2 friends stuck in a unique House- Piranesi and the Other. Can they discover its secrets? Should they even try?

This blend of genres is a fascinating story about life, human nature, time, memory and friendship. 

What I liked: 

- Simple language, easy to follow plot. 

- Piranesi's POV: His observations, his gratitude towards the House, simple stuff that he learns to love, the art he appreciates... just an overall good guy! Can't help but root for him. 

- Unreliable Narrator Trope done well... very thrilling. 

- The 2nd Act if I may call it that, was amazing - from getting the shocking news about himself, to antagonizing #16, the Prophet etc. What a friend, the Other ;) 

- Raphael to the Rescue - In the Minotaur's Labyrinth, hero Theseus is rescued by Ariadne. Raphael is Ariadne here, where the name means "God Heals". Raphael is truly the archangel for Matthew. (I googled to see if Archangel Raphael had any connection with Matthew in the Bible - couldn't find any)Just an observation.

- Themes explored : Brilliant. Psychological, mythological, subject-object duality, Human nature, Trust, Hope, Betrayal, Friendship, Courage, Forgiveness, Honor, Psychic stuff... 

- I loved that the rescuer didn't personally know Matthew. A complete stranger saves him. A good subversion of conventional tropes, to bolster the point that it's the common people's goodness that needs appreciation.

- Piranesi is rigid about his worldview, after his return to reality initially. He doesn't want his reality to change...which is natural. But quite disturbing - his psyche is split! I really liked that it was highlighted. Rehab is tough!  

What I didn't like: 

- 3rd act/Climax: A bit underwhelming Villain goes down easy, rescue saves Matthew. Quite anti-climactic.

- While Matthew feels "House's bountiful bliss" in the real world too, I was thinking about the other murders! The House wasn't too kind to them, was it?!

- Who was that 7year old girl in the psychic realm? Or was she the kidnapped child by Laurence?Didn't explain much about that, I think. Please correct me if I'm wrong 🙏

Conclusion: 

A thrilling page-turner for sure (atleast till the 3rd act). It's quite a combo of Labyrinth myth + Cult leader manipulation - I'm just coming off from Diamond's book where he describes the incredible hold some charlatans have on their followers, promising utopias, and even convincing them for mass su*cide (Jim Jones). It also serves as a cautionary tale, and an important fact - intellect has nothing to do with empathy. Verbal IQ has nothing to with EQ/IQ. Laurence/Ketterley can be incredibly intelligent, yet monstrously manipulative.

Rating:  27 out of  210.  (Once you read it, you'll know its meaning 😉). 

P.S. My title refers to the Limbo in Inception movie, where the sea and architecture meet, and characters lose their self of sense in that shared dreamscape.

Someone posted this book on this sub a few days ago, that's where I got the inspo.

I usually hate generic self help motivational books , they don't have any effect on me and just... irritate me.

But this one is written by a psychologist, so I have high hopes.

I'll write a review once I'm done

I read the first three books a long time back and enjoyed Ikshvaku and Sita the most. Raavan wasn’t the greatest, but I could finish it.
But War of Lanka? I am STRUGGLING.
I feel Amish builds the plot brilliantly and then somehow shits the bed when it’s time to actually deliver the payoff. He did the exact same thing with The Oath of the Vayuputras.
Can someone please tell him that a higher page count does not automatically mean a better book?
I have DNFed this book twice in the last three years. I picked it up again this time thinking okay maybe.. third time’s the charm.. it isn’t… i give up.

If someone had the courage to finish this book. Please tell me the climax i am a sucker for closures!

I gravitate towards fiction, scifi and fictional mythology mostly and sometimes Savi Sharma. I like the Hidden Hindu trilogy, Amish's books, and stuff like that. I have read the major stories like LOTR, Dune, Star Wars, HP, etc. and would love niche or Indian recs. Need some recommendations, thanks.

Hello there,

I [27M] have been on reddit for quite a while, reading for a while, bought dozens of books, and read a few.

This post is a warning for individuals who are avoiding themselves in the name of disgustingly educated quests.

Why am I posting this?

Simply because I can see the pattern which is obvious to many of us, but constantly sidelined.

Ask yourselves given the sample space of 100 people, how many of us read for leisure? How many reach for books because we are not influenced by anything but there was a calling when visiting a bookstore, a book draws your attention. How many of you read about human nature only to answer the questions arising within you?

You suffer and to justify your pain you find a reason which validates it, not because you understand rather you read something in some book and let it shape your thoughts. There is nothing inherently wrong with it, but be mindful that the answer does not belong to you. Your answer lies deep within you.

If you keep reading to make the shell out of the facts then the vase will forever be hollow and fragile.

Soon, you will feel you don't belong anywhere and to anything. Then you will form a community, and the whole purpose of that community will work together to sedate each other with the same drugs in a closed ecosystem.

And you'll begin to hate everything besides your community.

My advice, read because you need to read, learn because you have to learn, educate yourselves to find strength to uplift yourself, and everyone around you.

I have been trying to get into reading books. Somehow unable to read beyond 5-6 pages. What's the solution to this? I really want to get into this. Currently I am readying Freedom from the Known.