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✨ Shalini | Book Reviewer

@readingwithmuffy

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📚book reviews, recommendations
📸 aesthetic flatlays, bookish reels
🏆 host #readingwithmuffy
📚 Thriller • Romance • Fantasy
📩 review copies, collabs

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one thing i’ve realized over the years is that loving books doesn’t automatically mean you’ll love every book.

sometimes it’s just the wrong starting point.

i’ve seen so many people say they don’t like fantasy, literary fiction or japanese literature. then they pick up one different book and suddenly they’re obsessed. lowkey, i think finding the right first book changes everything.

that’s why i made these little reader starter packs.

instead of giving you ten random recommendations, i wanted to answer the question i get asked all the time: ‘where do i even start?’

so every genre has a beginner pick, something to read once you’re comfortable, a more challenging favourite, and one underrated gem that deserves so much more love.

i had way too much fun putting this together, and now i’m already thinking about the next one.

💌
qotd: what’s the book that got you into your favourite genre?

(book recommendations, recs, books, bibliophile, thriller, fantasy, Japanese literature, romance, literary fiction, dark academia, gothic fiction recs, reader, indian, write) taken in BOOKSTA by @readingwithmuffy

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2 months ago

here it is… the official 2026 reading with muffy challenge ✨🐾📚

a year-long cozy reading adventure hosted by me & my golden boy, muffy and i’m so excited to finally share it with you.

this challenge began as a tiny idea with muffy curled beside my books, and it’s grown into the warmest, kindest book community. thank you for making this space feel like home. 💛

here’s what 2026 looks like:

✨ 12 monthly prompts + 7 bonus prompts
fun, flexible, aesthetic, and perfect for all kinds of readers.

✨ how it works
• read 1 book/month
• any format, any language (reviews in english)
• post a photo, reel, or carousel
• tag @readingwithmuffy + use #readingwithmuffy
• comment on the monthly check-in so i don’t miss your review
• bonus prompts optional

✨ community vibes
monthly check-ins, quarterly spotlights, cozy conversations & recs in our 2026 group 💛

✨ free printables
bookmark • sticker • checklist • wallpapers • reading log • story templates
sent to everyone who signs up!

✨ prizes
book mail + goodies + surprise treats throughout the year ✨

✨ how to join
• follow @readingwithmuffy
• sign up using the link in my bio
• comment “i’m in!” below
• tell me if you’d like to join the 2026 discussion group
• share this post to your stories using slide 10 🐾

thank you for being here.
muffy & i can’t wait to read with you in 2026.
let’s make it our warmest, happiest reading year yet.

✨
qotd: are you doing any reading challenges in 2026? anything interesting that i should know of?

#readingwithmuffy #2026readingchallenge #readingchallenge2026
🐾✨📚 silhouette of shalini and her golden retriever muffy reading together in front of a green meadow with white doodles and text that says ‘2026 reading with muffy challenge.’ taken in BOOKSTA by @readingwithmuffy

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10 months ago

i think i’ve officially entered my ‘if i can’t buy a new kindle, i’ll just redecorate the one i have’ era, especially with the new kindle drop! they are gorgeous, aren’t they?

🍂
i LOVE fall. there’s just something about this season that makes me want to stay in, get cosy and read more. and for me, fall reading means fantasy, thrillers and cosy romances basically, dragons, dark secrets and people falling in love while it rains outside!

🍂
so my kindle obviously needed a little autumn refresh too.
i changed up the stickers, gave it a more fall-ish look and then there’s this gorgeous dragon grip. 🐉❤️

my sister got it for me from this beautiful shop in the uk @bindsandbookishbits and i’m obsessed. the dragon was basically inevitable considering how much fantasy i read once fall rolls around. 😂
and now i’m looking at my kindle like i don’t already have enough unread books on it and thinking what should i read first? 😭📚

qotd:
🍂
what kind of books do you find yourself reaching for more in fall?

or

🐉
if you could decorate your kindle around your favourite genre, what would it look like? taken in BOOKSTA by @readingwithmuffy

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a day ago

i wanted to make a fall reading list that wasn’t just books with orange covers and a pumpkin somewhere in the background. 🍂

i wanted the kind of books that make you want to put on a sweater, make something warm, turn on a lamp and disappear for a few hours.

🍂
so this list has cosy magic, mysterious houses, old secrets, dark academia, witchy romances, strange little worlds and stories that feel especially good when the days start getting shorter. these could be cozy, creepy or even a little strange.
but they all have one thing in common: they feel like fall to me.

🍂
and yes, i included if it makes you happy because it was one of my favourite autumn reads last year. 🥹

save this for when you’re ready to get into your fall reading era. 🍂

qotd: what book instantly puts you in a fall mood? or are you already in your autumn reading era? 👀

fall books, fall reading, autumn read, book recommendations, recs, fiction books, bookish, reader, write, bookstagram, cozy read, fall tbr, readingrecommendations, dark academia, fall romance, gothic fantasy
pics from 1, 13,14 from pinterest taken in BOOKSTA by @readingwithmuffy

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2 days ago

i really, really wanted to love this one.

eden fox comes home from a run to find that her key no longer works. a woman who looks eerily like her answers the door and her husband insists that the stranger is his wife.

i’m a huge fan of psychological thrillers, and rock paper scissors is one of my favourite thrillers, so i went into this with high expectations. i wanted that same completely mind-blown feeling.

and there was a lot i enjoyed. the twists kept coming, i genuinely didn’t see some of them coming, and i was glued to my kindle because i needed to know what happened next. there were also some really clever little details that came together towards the end that made me go, ‘ohhh, i see what you did there.’

but somewhere along the way, the twists started feeling a little too much for me. i was entertained, but i wasn’t wowed. and towards the end, i was ready for it to be over.

so 3.5 ⭐️, rounded down.

not a bad thriller at all. it just didn’t hit the way i desperately wanted it to.

qotd:
have you ever read a book by a favourite author that you really wanted to love but just didn’t?

read this for #readingwithmuffy September. this is your check-in post.
#myhusbandswife #alicefeeney bookreview psychologicalthriller thrillerbooks bookstagramindia bookish taken in BOOKSTA by @readingwithmuffy

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3 days ago

what would you put in your reading journal? reading logs, favourite quotes, tbrs, monthly wrap-ups or a little bit of everything?

i’ve been wanting a proper reading journal for the longest time, so when this orange beauty arrived, i was very excited to finally have one.

🍊
this is the @atelierneorah b6 loop organiser in orange, and i love how compact it is while still giving me enough room to make it my own. and this colour is absolutely perfect for fall.

now comes the fun part: figuring out exactly how i want to use it.

🍊
qotd:
should i show you how i set up my reading journal?

(Reading journal unboxing reel, reader life, write, booksta, bookish) taken in BOOKSTA by @readingwithmuffy

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21 days ago

somehow, ‘books with a tiger or peacock on the cover’ turned into five very different books on my tbr.

🐅🦚
i read a tigress called machhli and really enjoyed discovering these true stories from india. her radiant curse didn’t happen this time, but i’m still very much looking forward to it.

and the three picture books: the tiger who came to tea was such a lovely read, the illustrations in cinnamon by neil gaiman were marvellous, and the crow and the peacock has already become a favourite with my little one. 🥹

this was august’s reading with muffy prompt and i clearly took the tiger or peacock part very seriously. haha.
😂

which one would you pick up first? 🐅🦚

if you are a #teadingwithmuffy participant, this is your check-in post. you know what to do! comment below if you’ve posted your review and with the book you read this month for the prompt.

(reading challenge, indian books, illustrated books, bookish, book recs, recommendations, reader, children’s books) taken in BOOKSTA by @readingwithmuffy

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a month ago

i have a soft spot for bookish things that are a little silly, and this one got me immediately

🍜
this crochet book sleeve from @knotifyyy looks like a giant packet of maggi, and i don’t think my books have ever looked this delicious!

the little noodles, the colours, and the tiny details are so cute! and i love that it’s actually useful too, because now i can throw my book in my bag without worrying about the cover getting battered.

thank you @knotifyyy for sending this my way! 💛
my book is protected, my maggi cravings are activated, and i’m very happy about both. 😂

qotd:
would you carry your book around in a sleeve like this?

(Crochet book sleeve, bookstagram, bookish, reader) taken in BOOKSTA by @readingwithmuffy

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a month ago

moving house is already stressful enough. then there’s the small matter of packing the books. both these trunks are already full, and this is what’s left. apparently i have some books to pack.

and if you’ve seen my stories, you’ll know i also have a full wall-to-floor bookshelf in kerala. (insert innocent face, hihi)

at this point, i’m not moving house. i’m relocating a library.
muffy, naturally, has decided this is my problem.

qotd: how many boxes of books would you need if you moved tomorrow?

(bookstagram, reader problems, moving out, books to pack, bookish, book reels) taken in BOOKSTA by @readingwithmuffy

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a month ago

i think every reader has a few very specific little quirks they’d never put in their goodreads bio.

so here are some of mine.

i’ll own the physical and kindle copy of the same book. i’ll judge a book by its cover. i absolutely cannot break a spine. i’ll carry a book everywhere “just in case” even when i know there’s probably zero chance i’ll get to read it.

i love romance, but i’ll happily skip the spicy bits. i’ll fight my way through a book before admitting defeat and dnf-ing it. and yes, i have forgotten the plot of books i absolutely loved. apparently my memory has room for new books only.

then there’s motherhood, which has made me exceptionally good at reading in tiny pockets of time and Muffy, who has made sure none of my books remain completely fur-free. 😂

basically, this is a little collection of my reader confessions, the things that make me me as a reader.

qotd:
tell me one reader confession of yours that would absolutely make it onto this list.

reader confessions, reader life, bookworm, bookish, write, read taken in BOOKSTA by @readingwithmuffy

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4 days ago

@Chapter.Chatter.Collabs presents to you our collab with the theme: Reading Is In Session 📚✏️🍎

Books out, reading is officially in session!
Whether you’re sharing a book that taught you something, a favorite school setting, your current read, or just embracing the back-to-books vibe, today is all about getting lost in a good story. 📖✨

📚✏️🍎📖✨📝

i sat down with a book, and muffy obviously had other plans.

this is how a normal reading session around here looks like: a little reading, a little pampering, and a very important interruption in between (mind you, i have a very active toddler too!)

currently reading the liberation of sita for a little women in translation reading, and loving the excuse to slow down for a bit.

📚✏️🍎📖✨📝

See what everyone brought to reading class:

📚 @alexsbookseason
✏️ @booked_with_taylor
🍎 @reading_likeavoss

❓QOTD - what does your reading session usually look like: uninterrupted reading or a hundred little distractions?

📸 Check out the hashtag #readingisinsessionchapterchattercollabs
Want to join in on future collabs? Follow and DM @chapter.chatter.collabs 💙✨

(reading in session, indian bookstagrammer, bookstagramindia, bookish mom, saree aesthetic, bookish, lifestyle)

reading sessions rarely stay just about reading around here.
there’s always some cuddling, pampering or a very important muffy break.

priorities are priorities. 🐶✨

because apparently sitting beside me isn’t enough.
attention must be provided immediately.🐶🥹 taken in BOOKSTA by @readingwithmuffy

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a month ago

i have a weakness for books that make me want to move into the town they’re set in, and the pumpkin pie book nook absolutely got me.

happy publication day! 🎉

the story follows robyn who is taking a sabbatical from yale and ends up in maple falls, where she works at the local bookstore with tyler, a single dad. when they discover pieces of robyn’s great-grandmother’s unfinished romance manuscript, the two set off on a little town-wide scavenger hunt to find the missing pieces, all while trying not to fall for each other.

🍂
i absolutely loved this one.

robyn and tyler are both such lovely, mature characters, and i really appreciated that their relationship felt like two adults actually communicating instead of creating unnecessary drama. there was a sweetness to them that made it very easy to root for them.

🍂
and then there’s emma. the father-daughter moments between tyler and emma were some of my favourite parts of the book. watching their little family take shape alongside the romance made the story feel so warm.

i also enjoyed meg’s role where the bookstore actually belongs to her who is considering selling it. and robyn finds herself getting involved in the effort to keep the beloved shop and the community alive.

🍂
the scavenger hunt was such a fun addition too. it gave the story something beyond the romance to follow and brought the whole maple falls community into it. i loved watching everyone get involved, and it added just the right amount of mystery and adventure to an otherwise very cozy read.

🍂
this was the perfect feel-good romance i was in the mood for which has a charming bookstore, small-town life, found family, a sweet romance, and enough going on to keep me turning the pages. it’s a very easy yes from me.

i’ve clearly found another series i need to catch up on because now i can’t wait to read more of maple falls!

🍂

thank you to @netgalley and @bookouture @harpergrahambooks for the arc in exchange for my honest review. ❤️

on amazon ku if you’re looking for your next cozy romance!

💌 qotd:
if you owned a bookstore, what would you name it? if you’re adding it to the tbr, don’t forget to wish the author a happy release day! taken in BOOKSTA by @readingwithmuffy

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2 months ago