The months of July and August feel like they went by quickly all I really did was unpack and try and get into my new home routine. I also began working on the website and all the hunger games books apart from the last one came all at once so I read less than I would like. Here are some of the books I read over the two months and my thoughts on them.

When Dimple met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

This was only available as an audiobook that I intended to listen to on my way back from Europe, but I ended up watching the Penguin instead so ended up listening to it on walks and runs. We have Dimple and Rishi who meet at a software summer camp where they must build an app together at UCLA, I think. Something that is a bit different is that Dimple and Rishi’s parents are old friends and are trying to set up their 18-year-old kids for marriage! Look I am not this book’s intended audience and found the portrayal of Indian families was a bit old-fashioned to me but that may be someone’s reality. This book unfortunately became too popular for its own good and so gets a lot of unfair criticisms. Like some of Dimple talking about her insecurities about being brown in high school are unfairly labelled as her not wanting to be like other girls. It was fine I wouldn’t read the others, but I didn’t hate it. One thing I remembered I liked was that Rishi was short like under 5’10 which is a reality for a lot of Indian men, so it was nice to see that represented. He had no hang-ups about it and was confident in his heritage which I admired, and I like how he didn’t judge Dimple for not feeling the same way. A lot of the books I read the Indian guys are 6ft 2 or something and it’s like who are we kidding, the women in those books are also like 5ft 8 but again who are we kidding.

Marriage & Masti by Nisha Sharma

This is the third book in the series and follows Veera and Deepak, two friends who fell out with each other and accidentally ended up getting married. When I read this book, I was so seated because I liked these two characters in the other books, and the drama was just so stupid and dumb that I wanted to continue. Veera also had just come home from travelling with her sister (remind you of anyone), so I found her navigating her life a bit interesting. Mostly, your problems don’t disappear while you are on holiday; they are waiting for you. I found that there was no internal conflict keeping the characters apart and the reasons for them not being together were just not convincing enough. The other issue was how rich these two were, like, hello, we are supposed to hate billionaires and nepo babies. I loved the ending and seeing all the characters end up together. I know this was probably not the author’s intention but having one group of Punjabi women end up with another group of Punjabi men seemed a bit like upholding caste institutions or at least not challenging them. There is relationship diversity through side characters, so this is not a scathing critique, merely an observation. Having said that I did love this book.

Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta

Maybe I am being too honest by including this book. But I watched a readwithCindy YouTube video and she argued that this was an allegory for late-stage capitalism, so I wanted to see how big of a reach it was and honestly it wasn’t a reach. Topics covered include criticism of late-stage capitalism, gentrification, and even racial fetishisation, I guess? Generally, I feel that these types of books, the male leads are very aggressive and dominating to the point that it is uncomfortable. The male lead here, a literal Minotaur, was endearing and thoughtful. I guess you don’t have to really compensate when you are a Minotaur.

Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica

I chose this book because it was part of the Goodreads summer reading challenge (so Northern hemisphere-focused), but it is about these two couples who are friends, and an altercation happens. Basically, someone goes missing, and then we follow two differing perspectives: one is focused on hiding the clues, while the other is focused on uncovering them. I read this book at the gym, and I have to say it didn’t grip me. I kept waiting for the book to start, and I remember being shocked that I was 70% through the book when the app refreshed. I felt there was a lot of anticipation for minimal payoff. At the end of it, I just didn’t care about who murdered whom or why, and I was left with more questions than answers. It made me wonder why I didn’t just go for a Michael Robotham book; at least those are consistent.

No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris

I listened to this audiobook on Spotify because it is under 15 hours, and it was one of those books eligible for the Goodreads Summer reading challenge. No more tears go into the dark history of Johnson & Johnson and their countless shady business practices that literally killed people. At the same time, it continues to have a reputable image due to the goodwill they have from their baby products, which also kills people! I think many of us know that J&J baby powder has been found to contain talc with asbestos and how it has been linked to cancer. But this isn’t even the full extent of their damage. This book goes through multiple malpractices, like how they knew J&J baby powder had asbestos back in the 70s, and instead of not selling it, they did their best not to make themselves look culpable. Hiding clinical research that showed severe side effects of their drugs while still selling them. This book moved me in that I felt angry and sad that so many people have died or are facing long-term complications from J&J medications. Whether it is Tylenol, Procrit, Risperdal, or Duragesic. J&J have a checkered past, but they are enabled each step of the way, from the FDA, to the justice system, politicians, and doctors. They have walked away with minimal fines while the shareholders and executives have cashed in at the expense of human lives. It felt so depressing, and so I appreciated that at the end of the book, the author talked about ways to fix some of the issues that led to a company like J&J to thrive. Worth a read if you are interested in shady businesses, pharmaceuticals, or just curious.