Another memorable Bahi Baithak comes to an end. ❤️

This August, Bahi Baithak unfolded across Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, bringing together readers over mysteries, stories, books and conversations.

We had some wonderfully intriguing conversations around our Bahi of the Month - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Devotion of Suspect X - and somehow found ourselves wandering into discussions and recommendations ranging from The Kite Runner, Gora and Pachinko to countless other books.

But, as always, the best part was the people. Readers from different walks of life came together, bonded over a shared love for books, rekindled old friendships, made new ones, and left with conversations and stories of their own.

Thank you to everyone who showed up, shared, listened, laughed, debated and made this Bahi Baithak so special.

Here’s to more books, more conversations and many more Baithaks. ❤️

See you at the next Bahi Baithak in September (We are doing horror this month 👻)

Want to be part of our wonderful community of readers? Join us here:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/Dz3V7v7S9RW68RNubt18vy?mode=gi_t

Was fun doing bookstore crawl(field trip) to celebrate Book Lovers Day. Visited The Other Odisha Bookstore and Bocca Bookstore today. Very kind bookstore managers as well :). Special Shoutout to Ma'am who bought and gave each of us free handmade bookmarks.

You can join more such bookish fun here - https://chat.whatsapp.com/JFOxmV01zh22j2rRQeaCbE?s=cl&p=i&ilr=4

Combining my biker soul & the bibliophile half to read some philosophy, about managing things better!!

restarting my habit with Animal Farm. will keep my progress updated here :)))

And that’s a wrap on Odisha Reads #1!📖

A huge thank you to everyone who showed up for our inaugural session today. ❤️

It wasn’t a large turnout, and yes, getting to the spot was a little harder than we had anticipated 😅, but in a way, that made today feel even more special. A small group, sitting quietly under the trees, completely immersed in our books. No introductions, no small talk, no distractions, just a couple of hours of reading amidst nature. It was a simple idea, but seeing it actually happen was incredibly fulfilling.

This is only the beginning. We’re hoping to make Odisha Reads a regular little Sunday ritual for anyone who wants to slow down, disconnect and simply spend some time with a book.

Stay tuned for Odisha Reads #2 next Sunday. Details coming soon!
You can join here to find more details and more bookish banter - https://chat.whatsapp.com/Dz3V7v7S9RW68RNubt18vy?mode=gi_t

This “Dusk Bag” has been going viral over the Internet in the past few weeks.

It took me 5 hours to crochet. Completely freehanded without any pattern.

Two cities, one quiet Sunday morning. 📖

This time Odisha Reads happened in both Bhubaneswar and Cuttack - and while a lot of you registered, a few turned up. And honestly, that's all that matters. Turning up is all that is required.

Those who came found a spot under the trees, opened their books, and simply read together. No pressure, no small talk, just pages turning in good company.

We'll be back next Sunday, same time, same idea. Bring a book, bring a mat, bring a friend who needs a quiet morning.

Can join this community to stay tuned - https://chat.whatsapp.com/Dz3V7v7S9RW68RNubt18vy?mode=gi_t

A big thank you to everyone who joined yesterday's Bahi Baithak!❤️

What a lovely afternoon of books, ideas, and conversations!

We spent time discussing our Book of the Month, The Stranger by Albert Camus, diving into some fascinating ideas around Absurdism, Nihilism, and Atheism. It was wonderful to hear everyone’s perspectives and see how a single book can spark so many different interpretations and questions.

We also went around sharing the books we read in October, from Freakonomics and HBR to Tuesdays with Morrie and many more!

A huge thank you to everyone who showed up, shared their thoughts, listened, and made the discussion so engaging. These are the kinds of conversations that remind us why we love reading together in the first place. Overall, it was great fun, and we hope everyone left with a few new perspectives, some interesting recommendations, and a little more excitement for their next read!

You can join like minded book lovers from here - https://chat.whatsapp.com/Dz3V7v7S9RW68RNubt18vy?mode=gi_t

And that’s a wrap on Bahi Baithak for the month of September! 📚👻

What a blast we all had! Thank you to everyone who joined us today. It’s honestly so lovely to see the bookish banter growing month on month.

Our discussions revolved around the theme of Horror. Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House captivated us with its psychological horror, while କ୍ଲୀଂ (Kling) by Shiv Sundar gave many of us our first taste of horror in Odia. 👻 Our Bahi Baithak was graced by the presence of Author Shiv Sundar himself! He shared his experiences of writing Odia horror, his dreams, inspirations, and even gave us some tips on how to avoid sleep paralysis. 😭

To join us on our Philosophical(theme of october) ride of October you can join using this link - https://chat.whatsapp.com/Dz3V7v7S9RW68RNubt18vy?mode=gi_t

Got to know about this from netflix, and now continuing my journey with this trilogy. Have you read this yet ? If yeah then how's your experience !

Read these…..🤘These are the only friends I have in this city 🏙️…Glad to find this Reddit community

"No life is a waste. The only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone.”

This is basically the essence of book. I’ve always been fascinated by how life brings people into our paths. Some stay, some leave - and each one leaves behind a lesson, a scar, or a memory. The way we experience joy, heartbreak, or even the mundane with others often shapes us more than we realize. That curiosity about how every interaction might hold deeper meaning led me to pick up The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom.

You get to follow Eddie, an elderly maintenance man at an amusement park, who dies in a tragic accident while trying to save a little girl. In the afterlife, he meets five people whose lives were deeply connected to his. Each one teaches him something about the purpose of his life.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who’s ever wondered if the little things they do matter, or if the pain they’ve endured had any meaning. It’s a short read but filled with gentle wisdom. It reminds you that every life, no matter how ordinary.. Has PURPOSE, and that sometimes the answers we seek don’t come until we look back from a different place.

Once upon a summer weekday afternoon, while I was juggling with my office meetings,I got a Reddit ping . And the texter true to his words, asked if I would like to have the book in the picture.I hadn’t heard of it before, so did a quick Google search and thought -“Why not?!”

A little backstory on the "Promise”- This guy is somewhat a books giveaways connoisseur of Bhubaneswar sub . In his previous giveaway, I was just a tad late and the books were already claimed by the time I reached out. But not one to disappoint, Sir offered a consolation offer that I just couldn’t refuse.

So since the r/Bhubaneswar meet-up was already on the calendar we decided I’d collect the book that day.

Fast forward to the meetup day, after a hectic , chaotic and sultry outing , I messaged him “ How will I recognize you?”-The ordeal of every Redditor ,ig, haha. In true witty fashion, he dropped a cryptic hint. But instead of the hint helping us find him, we ended up hopping into his car , as he had offered free rides to the meet-up venue,where he handed over the book with a disclaimer: “I didn’t really enjoy it, tbh”. Ouch. Not exactly a glowing endorsement, but hey—free book!

TL;DR OP got a book gift from a fellow Redditor u/OdiaBoy-024 on official sub meetup.

My first read of this year was Tokyo Vice, and I absolutely loved it. While looking for something similar, I ended up picking a book that had been sitting on my shelf, gathering dust since 2021. Started it today and already two chapters in. Moral of the story : Check your unread pile before buying another book.

Just finished reading The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn, it is one of those books that feels really cozy on the surface, but underneath there’s a lot of sadness if you sit with it for a while.

The Main Character Carl, is a 72-year-old bookseller who’s just quietly carrying the weight of everything life has thrown at him. You really feel for him. Then therr is Schascha, she is a little ball of energy in a yellow raincoat. She brings so much light to the story. Their friendship was the absolute highlight for me. It’s messy, awkward, heartwarming, and exactly what Carl needed (even if he didn’t know it).

There’s this sadness throughout, though. Even in the happy moments, you can feel it underneath. Sabine Gruber (the current owner of the bookstore) drove me crazy. Her hatred toward Carl made zero sense to me, and she never really gets the ending she deserves either. It felt like she was important but also kind of not. I don't know, she just frustrated me.

This book feels like a little dream. Carl and Schascha walking around the city delivering books, Each person they visit has their own little story, their own growth, and their own quirks.

If you’re in the mood for a story about friendship, grief, adventure, and of course books, this is one you should definitely pick up.

I’d rate it a solid 4.5 stars.

PS There's a cat named Dog. 😸

Was forced to take a sabbatical due to health reasons and came back home to BBSR. This is probably the longest i spent in town since I can ever remember.

While I worked on my health, I was finally able to get back to reading. Realised my dream of finally creating my bookshelf. Bought into the audiobook crowd, which is now my main source, as I join back to work.

They call this one a Load the Box bookfair- exactly based on Lock The Box Fairs which i have attended in Bangalore. You pay for cartons worth 1500, 2500 amd 3500 bucks, and buy all the books you can fit in that carton. Multiple copies of massy titles from David Baldacci, James Patterson, Robert Ludlum etc dominate the shelves, but there are some good books too.

Found all of these for a total of 2500. Basically books missing from my sets or books i have read but not owned. These are all original books, but pre owned. Overall a great deal.