Pranjali Wakde, Author at Booked4Books

09 May

Cancel Culture in Literature

Pranjali WakdeUncategorized

Authors like JK Rowling, Roald Dahl, and Dr. Debra Soh come from different sides of literature. But they do have one thing in common – being the target of something called cancel culture! Dr. Debra Soh, in her book The End of Gender, made some unnecessarily condescending statements about the LGBTQ+ community. It led to people canceling her by actually attempting to discredit her professionally. As for Roald Dahl, he was canceled for the controversial content in his books, causing them to go through thorough sanitization. It is evident that cancel culture can have a lot of consequences for the…

30 Mar

9 Fantasy Subgenres You Must Read!

Pranjali WakdeArticlesArthurian Fantasy, Bangsian Fantasy, Comic Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Fairytale fantasy, Fantasy of Manners, Fantasy Subgenres, High Fantasy, Low Fantasy, Portal Fantasy

From epic magical worlds to just a splash of magic; from supernatural beings to humans having superpowers; from mythical quests to historical legends. Truly, out of all fiction genres, it is fantasy fiction that offers a variety of literary possibilities! Thankfully, the fantasy genre is further divided into subgenres to keep track of what it offers. While there are many sub-genres (more than fifteen, mind you!), most of them overlap with each other a lot. As a result, I have rounded up the popular yet still fascinating subgenres of fantasy. Interestingly, you might have already read these genres without knowing…

21 Mar

The Controversial Existence of Trigger Warnings in Books

Pranjali WakdeArticlesTrigger Warnings

The blurb of the book is not enough to tell readers what exactly the story will bring to you. There could be some themes that you may not like or the way the characters may talk to each other. More than just disliking it, it can stir up some ugly emotions and cause you to spiral. What was supposed to be a relaxing read can become a book of nightmares! This is exactly why books these days come with trigger warnings (TW). What Is A Trigger Warning in Literature? To talk about trigger warnings, one must focus on triggers…

13 Mar

7 Quirky Tropes Found in Romance Fiction

Pranjali WakdeArticlesAmnesia, AU Pair, Jilted Bride, Lovers in Denial, One Night Stand Pregnancy, ONS, Pen Pals, Romance Fiction, Romance Tropes

Tropes are something every reader knows – they provide the structure for the book’s plot, after all! They are even more essential in romance fiction as they help the authors decide how their characters will meet and fall in love. Naturally, readers gravitate towards some tropes – think of enemies to lovers, billionaire romance, and fake dating – more than the rest. But these tropes appear in romance novels so frequently that they make the stories predictable and boring. If you think the same and are tired of reading the same romances with different characters, check out these offbeat tropes.…

08 Mar

Ergodic Literature – The Most Interactive Book Genre Ever

Pranjali WakdeArticlesDimitris Lyacos, Espen J. Aarseth, Hopscotch, House of Leaves, S.

Any book you browse is published and consumed in a structured manner. The story is printed line to line, flowing from one page to another. And you read it the same way as well, never actively interacting with the characters. But what if you find out there exists a niche genre of literature that sheds the shackles of this exact structure? It is called ergodic fiction and it’s the coolest genre ever! Ergodic fiction is a type of literature where you must make actual, non-trivial efforts to move along the story. The word non-trivial is important here because when it…

28 Feb

True Crime Novels to Read Right Now!

Pranjali WakdeArticlesCrime Novels, Fiction, New Arrivals

Reading crime fiction, suspense, and murder mysteries is undeniably thrilling. But you have to admit it doesn’t match the experience true crime offers! This non-fiction genre – where authors explore real crimes and their aftermath – is sought out even by fiction readers. Why? Not only does it cover sensational crimes, but also explores the criminal’s motives and their ultimate incarceration. These novels let you look at thrilling cases closely without even getting involved. In a way, reading true crime is cathartic. And if you want to experience that catharsis, here are some must-read true crime novels you should read…

26 Feb

Sarcasm, Wine and Everything Fine – 7 Sassiest Protagonists of all Times

Pranjali WakdeArticlesBooks, Fiction, Literature, Novels, Protagonists, Sarcasm, Sassiest

Well-written protagonists are so hard to come across. You’ve to scour through hordes of novels (and spend sleepless nights in the process, because night-time equals reading time) to find one that you can hopelessly fall in love with. Imagine if this is the case with well-written characters, what would be the process to find the sassiest personalities in between the printed pages? It’ll be lengthier, that is for sure. But don’t worry, I have done the hard part for you eager readers; compiled down below are the sassiest, snarkiest protagonists of all times. Proceed at your own discretion though –…

21 Feb

Weird Fiction – How Weird is this Weird Genre?

Pranjali WakdeArticlesFranz Kafka, Lord Dunsany, Robert W. Chambers, Weird Fiction

Novels have always followed a structure – there is a cause, and then follows the outcome. If it’s romance, the cause is the shenanigans of the protagonists, with the outcome being their happily-ever-after romance. Or if it’s a mystery, the cause happens to be a character-specific conflict, with a nail-biting mystery as its effect. But there exists a genre that doesn’t exactly follow the structure. Instead, it clubs together genres like fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and speculative fiction to create the strangest characters existing in the wackiest plots. Very aptly, it is also called weird fiction! What is Weird Fiction? Weird…

19 Feb

Elements of Enigma – Popular Tropes in Mystery Novels

Pranjali WakdeArticlesAlibis, Elements of Enigma, Fake Death, Tropes in Mystery Novels

With the perfect blend of intrigue, suspense and thrill, the genre of mystery fiction hold your attention for an unlimited time. But the way this blend is presented changes with each book. And that depends not only on the author and their writing style but also on the tropes used. That’s right! This shifty genre also has a ton of tropes, peeking through the mystery stories. These tropes may sometimes come across as cliché, leading to some of those being parodied. However, they help push the suspense up a notch if the author uses them well. And what is better…

15 Feb

Why Are Monster Romances So Popular Right Now?

Pranjali WakdeArticleshorror-laced curiosity, Smut galore, Wild yet tame

Monsters used to be synonymous with horror and nightmares, and literature was no exception. Hideous and grotesque entities were used as the villains, while humans were their victims. Think of Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Guy Endore’s The Werewolf of Paris – the monsters in there appeared to be evil incarnate. While the monsters are still the same all this time, their perception has changed in the literary world now. What used to be terror-inducing entities have now become an indisputable part of romance novels. This change has been gradual, as the romance genre welcomed more and more monsters. Vampires and…