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✨ Shalini | Book Reviewer

@readingwithmuffy

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💔Evidence of the Affair is a short book but packs a lot in the letters exchanged.
This book was my pick for October prompt for #readingwithmuffy.
A book featuring letters, diaries, or mixed media.
💞The story unfolded as I expected by the author #taylorjenkinsreid narration made it a fast, crisp read.
💖❤️‍🩹The ending and the characters added a depth to this story about an affair.
Truly, the heart works in mysterious ways and love ❤️ is most powerful.
Recommend reading this one!
#evidenceofanaffair
indywrites eloquentarticulation readwithinderpreet

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✨Book Review✨

Title: Ghachar Ghochar
Author: Vivek Shanbhag; translated from Kannada by Srinath Perur
Genre: Literary Fiction
📚Book 305 of 2026
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This short but powerful story follows an Indian family whose lives change after a successful spice business brings them newfound wealth. But as their financial situation improves, their family dynamics, relationships, and moral compass begin to shift in ways that aren’t always pretty.

And the meaning behind the title? Ghachar Ghochar is a made-up phrase used to describe something so tangled that it can’t be undone. The more I think about it, the more fitting it feels for this family’s situation.

What really stood out to me was how much this book explores beneath the surface. It’s about money, family loyalty, power, and how easily people can justify questionable behavior when it benefits them or protects the people they love. It’s not an in-your-face kind of story. It quietly gets you thinking, and I think that’s what made it so profound.

I also loved getting to read a book originally written in Kannada and experience a story from a different cultural perspective. I’m always grateful for recommendations that push me beyond my usual reading choices and introduce me to literature I might not have picked up on my own.

A short read with a LOT to unpack. Definitely one that will stick with me!

✨I used this for my bonus prompt: translated from an Indian language for #readingwithmuffy @readingwithmuffy

💬 QOTD: Have you read a book in translation that completely changed your perspective or stayed with you long after you finished it?

🏷️ #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreview #bookish

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I read #FunnyStory for my September prompt for #readingwithmuffy 🐕🐶
It was a good read but I took some time getting into the book.
Emily has tackled some difficult topics in Funny Story.💞💔
Relationships and love are never easy and this book proves it.
Miles and Daphne make a case for love and learn to love themselves as well.
Overall, Funny Story @emilyhenrywrites has penned a love story and a story about love: self love.
The most important kind of love.
We all are flawed and finding a partner who cherishes us is the hope.
Love is all you need ❤️ ♥️
#indywrites #eloquentarticulation #readwithinderpreet
fiction lovestory relationships
Love romance

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/**** BOOK REVIEW ****/

Because You're Worth It by Sally Jenkins

Because You're Worth It is the story of sixty something Michelle who lost her husband and her mother within a year. Unsure and underconfident, she lives in with Doug, her elder brother's best friend, and someone she had a crush on as a teenager. Michelle is surprised when her mother leaves her half a million pounds. Determined not to take money that she didn't work for, Michelle decides to donate the full amount to charity. This leads her to dashing Luke, who makes charms her. Add a suitcase full of her mother's diary, and Michelle's life takes an unexpected turn.

Because You're Worth It is what the trade circles call, a later-in-life romance. The protagnists are not in the first blush of youth, and there are no meetings cutes or spicy bedroom scenes. However it would be wrong to say that there is not chemistry, though it would be mild.

Because You're Worth It has many things going for it. Michelle is idealistic and yet very believable. Her insecurities, and her fraught relationship with her mother (and consequently her daughter) is very relatable. Her finding herself during the course of the book is predictable and yet, strikes a chord. Many women lose themselves into the roles they play, forgetting who they really are.
Luke reminds one of Mr. Wickham and while Doug is no Darcy, he does make an impact.

My main problem with the book was the POV. Written in 3rd person, while most chapters are from Michelle's POV, there are a few from Luke and Sophia( Michelle's daughters POV) too. If I had read the book 3 years before, I don't think it would have bothered me, but since this is the problem many of my beta-readers pointed out in my book, I thought I should mention it.

I also think a little bit of tighter editing would have made the book crisper.

The final verdict, a heartwarming book with a dash of old world romance. Perfect for those who want to read something simple and hopeful.

I read Because You're Worth It for the October prompt of #ReadingWithMuffy

#bookreview #microbookreview #laterinliferomancebooks #bookstagramreels

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The story follows Rose Edelstein, a young girl who discovers that she can taste the emotions of the person who prepares her food. She first experiences this unusual ability when she eats her mother’s birthday cake and tastes the loneliness and dissatisfaction her mother feels with her life.

As Rose grows older, this ability begins to shape her relationship with food and the people around her, leading her to question what goes into the food we eat and how much of ourselves we leave behind in the things we make.

I really liked the concept of this book and found the idea of tasting emotions through food quite intriguing. However, I didn’t enjoy the story as much as I had hoped. The narrative felt aimless at times, and I struggled to connect with the direction it was taking. While the premise had a lot of potential, the execution didn’t quite work for me.

Overall, an interesting concept, but unfortunately, not a book I particularly enjoyed.

Have you ever loved a book's premise but felt disappointed by the story?

#readingwithmuffy2026 #readingwithmuffy
#theparticularsadnessoflemoncake #bookreview #bookstagram

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#NewPost

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther is a tour de force of emotional intensity and German Romanticism. Written as an intimate series of letters, the novella draws you directly into Werther’s soul—a passionate, sensitive artist consumed by an unrequited love for Lotte. Goethe’s prose is vibrant and deeply lyrical, capturing the sublime beauty of nature as powerfully as the agonizing depths of heartache.
Werther’s descent can feel dramatic to modern sensibilities, which keeps it from being an absolute five-star read, but that raw melodrama is precisely what makes it so historically magnetic. It captures the quintessential Sturm und Drang spirit: an unapologetic rebellion against cold rationality in favor of overwhelming human feeling. At around 150 pages, it remains an essential, deeply affecting classic that lingers long after the final page.

My rating: 4/5 stars. @readingwithmuffy #readingwithmuffy

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✨Book Review✨

Title: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion
Author: Beth Brower
Genre: Epistolary historical fiction
📚Book 290 of 2026
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I kept seeing this one everywhere so I was excited to finally read this. The good news is that it’s short and easy to read since it’s epistolary and in journal form. Overall, it was not my favorite book but I did find the story interesting. I think personally the time period and the plot were a little too slow for my taste.

I can see why people would enjoy it because it’s quirky and unique and definitely has a found family dynamic but I tend to enjoy darker books with more action suspense.

✨I used this for #readingwithmuffy challenge for October’s prompt: book written in journals, letters, or mixed media @readingwithmuffy

💬Have you jumped on this craze yet? What did you think? If not, have you ever read an epistolary book (written like a journal or in letters)?

🏷️ #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreview #bookish

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THE BOOK:
Unfortunately, 'Vodka Sambar' wasn't the right read for me. I decided to DNF it quite early on because... well, life's too short and my energy (as a toddler mom) is often running on low.

I really wanted to enjoy it, but the writing felt fragmented and somehow incomplete. Since it’s a self-published effort, I respect the time and heart that went into writing it, but the lack of editorial polish made it too tough for me to stay hooked.

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THE LOOK:
While the story didn't quite land, the cover (designed by Alicia Souza) was an immediate vibe. The colours, the animals, the font!

So I translated the palette into a look: a flowy hot pink saree paired with a brilliant blue blouse, featuring animal motifs. The hints of gold added to the vibrant colour contrast.

🌺What do you think?
Yay or Nay?

THE BOOK:
I picked up 'Year of the Tiger' wanting to understand what an activist's life looks like, and to gain a deeper insight into the unique challenges faced by those living with disability.

While I was expecting a memoir filled with personal narratives, what I got was a mix of essays, blogs, transcripts, and interview excerpts! Even though they were supposedly edited for clarity, I really struggled to connect with them. The discussions relied heavily on US-specific laws and policy provisions that required prior knowledge I didn't have, making it difficult to fully grasp or engage with the conversations.

I absolutely loved the intro, though!

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THE LOOK:
I was already wearing this outfit the day I picked up the book: a red Chikankari kurta with yellow and green paisley patterns, paired with mustard yellow pants featuring playful pom-poms at the feet.

When I put the two side by side, I realised how perfectly the palette aligned. Even the contours of the tiger on the cover matched the patterns on my kurta! ��

🐅What do you think of this accidental match?
Hit or Miss?

Could not get through the books but at least the looks turned out pretty great! ✨

Welcome to 'LookBook', a new series featuring looks inspired by book covers!

This is the DNF edition.

Swipe through to see why these two books didn't work for me, alongside the outfits their covers inspired!

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And here’s my October planned reading! I’ve got my @blackwellsmcr weird book club pick (we meet every 3rd Thursday at 5pm - come join us!), I’ve got @waterstonesmcr dead on deansgate’s book club pick (next meeting is 31st October at 1:30pm), I’ve got my @readingwithmuffy pick, I’ve got a @goodbooksandbevs pick. I love a challenge! 😂📚

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Oh, I’m developing a beautiful character! It droops a bit, under cold and frost, but it does grow fast when the sun shines.” ☀️

Book: Daddy-Long-Legs
Author: Jean Webster

What a charming, effortless little escape this turned out to be!

Jerusha Abbott’s spunky voice had me smiling from the very beginning. From renaming herself Judy and slipping into broken French, to the way she signed off each letter depending on her mood—I loved it all!

I also loved how she filled each letter with the tiniest details of everyday life: her Christmas shopping lists, what she studied in class, and how each animal on the farm was doing. Somehow, she managed to make even the most ordinary happenings feel interesting.

This book, built almost entirely out of letters, honestly made me want a secret penpal of my own; someone I might never meet, but could write to about absolutely everything! 💌

Here's where this story COULD have done better:

- I had a strong hunch about Daddy’s identity quite early on and was sincerely hoping I’d be proven wrong. So, the ending was a little icky for me. (Don’t worry, not giving out spoilers!)

- I also found myself expecting a reveal of Daddy’s letters at some point, but was left a little disappointed that we never got to read them.

But overall, this was such a fun little find. Thanks, @audible_in! 🎧

This was my entry for the October prompt of #ReadingWithMuffy, a book with letters, diaries or mixed media. @ReadingwithMuffy

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📚'The Memory Bookshop' Quick Review Book 📖

Rating ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

👍🏻 Slow Gentle read

👍🏻 Painfully beautiful portrayal of grief

👍🏻 Unique concept of stories memories

👎🏻 Less character depth

👎🏻 Confusing rules

I'm participating in #readingwithmuffy, and the prompt for September - book I bought for the vibes

Books, reviews, emotions, feelings, bookshop, memories, time travel

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