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Of 900 new entries to the Oxford English Dictionary this quarter, 13 are from South Asia.

From out of station to nihari, desi English gets its Oxford stamp

July 08, 2026 6:09 pm

Alpana from Bengal, the once-ubiquitous PCO, the dish nihari, and the Mughal-era Nazim are among 13 terms added from South Asia.

The Great American Novel has been an elusive idea that a single novel would somehow capture the experience of being an American.

On its 250th, 25 novels that chase the white whale of a Great American Novel

July 07, 2026 10:22 pm

A reading list for the America's 250th birth anniversary

Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear explores the present, past, and future.

The chilling, charming mystery of tradwife Natalie Heller Mills in Yesteryear

July 07, 2026 10:22 pm

Caro Claire Burke's new novel sends an Instagram-famous trad wife back to the 1850s, but the real story is about a woman who never quite finds herself, in any century.

A pictorial depiction of the books on the shortlist of the Women's Prize in Fiction.

Susan Choi, Lily King, and Virginia Evans make the cut: 2026 Women's Prize shortlist revealed

May 15, 2026 10:50 am

From the Mississippi Delta to 1960s Bradford, the six shortlisted novels this year span geography and generation, but share a preoccupation with what women endure, and how they escape.

Audiobooks vs reading: A woman with headphones reading a book. (Generated using AI)

Audiobooks vs reading: What is better for your brain? Neurologists weigh in

May 06, 2026 8:10 am

A neurologist's Instagram post has popularised a 2019 brain scan study, reigniting a debate that has divided reading circles for years. What does science actually say?

An illustration of a well-stocked library and coffee table books placed in a drawing room. (Generated using AI)

Don't mind the pages, notice the palette: Inside India’s love affair with gorgeous bookshelves

April 16, 2026 6:58 pm

In drawing rooms, cafes the book has found a calling, not to be read but to be seen.

Why Reading on the Toilet is Ruining Your Digestion

'Do not disrespect the gut and brain axis': Rujuta Diwekar shares vital warning against reading in the toilet

April 04, 2026 6:00 pm

By turning the toilet into a reading space, we risk turning a natural process into a sedentary habit, which can negatively affect digestion, gut motility, and even microbiome balance over time.

An image showing a man reading Shy Girl surrounded by human and AI writing.

Are we developing ‘sixth sense’ for AI writing

May 21, 2026 10:41 pm

Is your "AI-radar" tingling? From the Shy Girl controversy to the "emotional iceberg" of human prose, explore why AI-generated text sounds "off"—and why humans are starting to sound like machines.

NeOwn book rental service Five books a month, 12 months a year, means 60 books passing through a child's hands, whether or not each is finished.

A Mumbai mother's solution to kids' screen time: An app-based book rental service

December 18, 2025 7:57 pm

How a Mumbai mother became an entrepreneur, building an app-based book library covering 300 towns to swap screens for storybooks

Contemporary books are filled with characters who rarely appeared earlier—queer protagonists, children from different regions. (Freepik)

The silent revolution: Why today's children's books aren't what you remember

December 16, 2025 5:43 pm

Authors, illustrators and book festival organiser reveals how Indian children’s books are becoming more inclusive, experimental and emotionally honest.