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The new travel memoir ‘Jaganmukti’, authored by veteran journalist Dharmendra Jha, was officially released during the Baglung Media Mela-2082. The book was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Gandaki Province, Surendra Raj Pandey, at a special ceremony organized by the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) Baglung Chapter. Known in the literary world as ‘Dharmendra Bihwal,’ Jha chronicles his spiritual and cultural journey from the sacred heights of Muktinath in Mustang to the coastal Jagannath temple, aiming to bridge the cultural and religious ties between Nepal and India.

According to the author, this 102-page travelogue marks the first book written in the Maithili language regarding Muktinath. Jha expressed confidence that the work will serve as a vital guide for Maithili speakers, noting that the Shaligram stones worshipped in Mithila households originate from the Muktinath region. The book is structured into three sections: the first focusing on Muktinath across the Himalayas, the second on Jagannath by the sea, and the third detailing his experiences at the Mahakumbh and the Kali river.

Dharmendra Jha brings a wealth of experience to this publication, having served as the former Central President of the Federation of Nepali Journalists and the immediate past Executive Chair of the National News Agency (RSS). A prolific writer with numerous titles in poetry, drama, and journalism history, Jha has also held leadership roles in the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Nepal Press Union. This latest work adds to his extensive literary portfolio, which includes titles such as Mithila Mithak and The History of Nepalese Maithili Print Journalism.

I have read so many books in my life but I don’t remember the last time I enjoyed something as much as I enjoyed ‘The Correspondent’ by Virginia Evans. I was overjoyed when I found out it was longlisted for the Women’s Prize in Fiction as I was reading it. I’m hoping it will make it to the shortlist which will be announced later this month. I’m rooting for it to win the prize though I hear other books on the list are quite good as well, such as Lily King’s ‘Heart the Lover’ and Susan Choi’s ‘Flashlight’, which was shortlisted for The Booker Prize 2025.

I know I should probably read the others before making such a strong case for The Correspondent but I really don’t care. The Correspondent is brilliant. It’s a joyous celebration of life and it made me so happy. I have been recommending it to everyone I know and feeling jealous of them because they are in for a treat. Sybil, the protagonist, has my heart. She always will. But trust me, if ever there’s been a glorious work of hope, love, and wisdom, it’s this book by Evans. The writing is stunning, and the plot even better. 

I have always said that I don’t have a favorite genre but I recently realized that’s not true. I do and it’s epistolary. I love letters. I’m a nosy parker that way. One of my favorite books is the letter exchange between Paul Austre and J.M. Coetzee. I’m also randomly picking up Franz Kafka’s ‘Letters to Milena’. There’s something so comforting and honest about letter exchanges that you can’t help but be captivated. 

The Correspondent is basically the story of 73-year-old Sybil told through the letters she writes–to her brother, her best friend, her son, and to authors she loves to tell them what she thinks of their works. Sybil is someone who finds it easier to express herself through the written word. There are many things that she can’t bring herself to say out loud that she can put into writing. She’s witty even when she’s being serious. She’s sometimes downright brazen and offends people easily. But Sybil is human, with flaws that she readily owns up to, and that makes her very endearing. 

I loved getting to know her, through the letters and emails she writes to just about everyone, including her neighbor. I might not have necessarily agreed with her on certain things but I found excuses for her behavior and she never, ever put me off. I want to grow up and be Sybil, make the mistakes she has made and learn the lessons she has learnt. The Correspondent is the most charming contemplation of life and aging and it’s the book I’m recommending and giving to everyone this year. 

Fiction

The Correspondent

Virginia Evans

Published: 2025

Publisher: Penguin Random House UK

Pages: 270, Pages

Alice Feeney’s book ‘His & Hers’ has a Netflix adaptation that I really enjoyed watching. Though I had heard quite a bit about the author before watching it, I hadn’t actually picked up any of her books. But His & Hers, a mindbending thriller about a murder in Blackdown village where the primary suspects of the case are DCI Jack Harper and his ex-wife, newsreader Anna Andrews, both of whom are investigating the case and suspect each other, had me on the edge of my seat. I wanted to read the book despite knowing what happens in the end. 

Initially I couldn’t get my hands on a copy of ‘His & Hers’ but I came across ‘My Husband’s Wife’ at the bookstore and despite the book not being my preferred size (book lovers will understand that there is always a preferred size and font, and maybe even paper), I couldn’t resist getting it. I wanted to read more of the author’s works after having such a good time watching His & Hers. The British novelist and former journalist has quite a few books to her credit and I pretty much intend to read them all. On my list are ‘Daisy Darker’, ‘Rock Paper Scissors’, and ‘Sometimes I Lie’. But I digress. 

Set in a village called Hope Falls, My Husband’s Wife is a far-fetched story full of intricate twists and turns. Eden Fox goes for a run right before her painting exhibition is set to take place and comes back to find that her key doesn’t fit the lock in the home she has recently moved into with her husband. A woman who looks like her opens the door and claims to be her. Worse, her husband says this stranger is his wife and that he doesn’t know who she is. It’s a convoluted plot that gets even more confusing as different narrators tell the story. It doesn’t help that the characters are unreliable and shifty. 

Spoiler Alert: I wasn’t satisfied with the hurried and incredulous ending. Nothing about the plot led to it. The plot and the ending, in my opinion, seemed like they belonged in two separate books. The problem with thrillers with too many twists and turns is that they stop being believable when there are just too many of them. It’s the same with jump scares. They lose their effect. To be honest, I’m still not sure what exactly happened and how it unfolded. I would give it a two and half out of five stars though it could have been a five out of five stars with a little more character development and fewer twists. 

Thriller

My Husband’s Wife

Alice Feeney

Published: 2026

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Pages: 310, Paperback

If there is one thing I enjoy as much as reading, it’s listening to people talk about the books they love. And there is no better place for it than BookTube where you will get to watch some phenomenal people talk about books that they have enjoyed. I have discovered many books through BookTube, and I must confess that I’m a tad bit addicted to it. I probably watch several videos daily. Some, I rewatch, just to hear people talk passionately about books or authors they can’t get enough of. 

There is a girl called Charu from Kitabi Cabins who talks about poetry with such warmth and enthusiasm that I have been inspired to read more poems. She has also introduced me to poets I would have perhaps never come across, like Shiv Kumar Batalvi and Amrita Pritam. I Will Meet You Again (Main Tainu Phir Milangi) is one of my favorite poems by Amrita that I have saved on my phone and read every other day. I must credit the channel for sparking a love for poetry in me. Even though I might not necessarily understand everything I read, something about how the words flow makes me feel at ease. My mind calms down and I feel recharged. And I might not have given poetry its due had it not been for Kitabi Cabins. 

If you like to read but don’t consume content from BookTube then I must say you are missing out. Not only will you come across new books and authors you will also be able to hear multiple viewpoints about books you have read through reviews and discussions or better yet, sometimes even be a part of those discussions, if you register in advance. If you want to explore this fascinating side of YouTube but don’t know where to start or what’s good, I’m recommending three channels I’m hooked on at the moment. Maybe these can help you kickstart your BookTube journey that is sure to open up a whole new world for you. 

Kitabi Cabins

I absolutely love Kitabi Cabins. It’s a channel dedicated to books that is run by Chalchitra Talks.  I recently came to know about them but I must have watched all their content and there are around 400 plus videos. I love Vaani and Charu. The way they talk about books is so intriguing and I have discovered many books and authors through them. Their love for reading is evident in the way they speak about the books they have read. Both of them are into slow, deep reading. They don’t read to reach an annual target of say like 50 books a year. They read to learn, and to understand the world and themselves better. There are also some interviews with authors and actors who are readers where they actively discuss books. These are mostly hosted by the channels’ founder. I love the one with Prajakta Koli (also known as MostlySane on YouTube) and the actor Namita Dubey (on Chalchitra Talks). I highly recommend this channel if you want to hear readers discuss books they have read in a way that makes you want to pick them up too. 

Read A Day Club

Run by two sisters, Read A Day Club can be your fix if you are into classic literature. Though the channel has been running since 2020, there are only 126 videos and most of them are under 20 minutes. But Amreen and Ayesha discuss classics with an unmatched fervor. I discovered Fernando Pessoa, a Portuguese poet and writer, through the channel and I’m forever indebted for it. I can assure you that Pessoa’s ‘The Book of Disquiet’ has life altering powers. The fragmented lifetime project that was published posthumously is a diary of sorts filled with thoughts, observations, and ruminations. It’s a great book for introspection and reflection. You can read it cover to cover but you don’t have to, choosing instead to dip in and out as you please. Read A Day club can be your entry point into a world of literature that you haven’t explored till date. 

Service 95

Service 95 is Dua Lipa’s website and it has a YouTube channel as well. The Service 95 book club is where you will find Dua Lipa discussing books she has read with writers who wrote them. It’s so interesting that you will be torn between wanting to binge watch the videos and saving them for later, not wanting to run out of content too soon. Most of the book discussions are well over the 40 minute mark but they still feel short. Some conversations that I have loved are ones with Margaret Atwood, David Szalay, and Ocean Vuong. Atwood is the master of her craft and Vuong’s ‘On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous’ is a phenomenal book as is his poetry collection ‘Time is a Mother’. Next on my watchlist is a conversation with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi. I’m saving it for a mundane day when I need something to inspire me. Service 95 Book Club is where many bestselling and award-winning authors are discussing their work and it’s definitely worth checking out.