What do serial killers, small-town carpenters, and college hockey players have in common? They're the stars of Neela's current romance reads. She's on a break from "Read of the Week" (to return next episode) and indulging in some binge-able palette cleanser romances. Listen for spoiler-free series recommendations that you can get lost in!

Immortal Longings transports readers to the fantasy city of San-Er, with corrupt royals, a plot to kill a king, and a game with only one victor. The book has a full cast: a murderous princess, an exiled aristocrat, and a calculating prince complete with magic skills and shady pasts. Listen to the episode to hear Neela's reviews (spoiler-free) on the book's discussions of morality and loyalty, along with its Shakespearean veins.

Anita de Monte Laughs Last follows two heroines intertwined by art, love, racism, and murder. Based on the true story of the murder of Cuban American artist Ana Mendieta, this book has plot twists and spiritual turns. Listen to the episode to hear Neela's reviews (spoiler-free) on the simplicity of these parallelisms and all the details lost in between.

Holiday Country focuses on matriarchs and family lines, country loyalty, second languages, and more - all through the eyes of 19-year-old Ada, a half-Turkish teenager whose life is split between America and Turkey. Listen to the episode to hear Neela's reviews (spoiler-free) and thoughts on who the book is perfect for.

Introducing a new TMB series: Read of the Week! Neela gives a spoiler-free review of a (non-romance) fiction book and gives her thoughts and recommendations. Outline discusses motherhood, marriage, men versus women, writers, and more through dialogue-heavy chapters. This episode provides a small glimpse into Outline to help listeners decide whether to read it, without feeling like they've read the whole book!

Happy (almost) summer! In this episode, Neela discusses the upcoming summer's ins and outs, or "mini-goals" as she puts it. She also discusses her summer book club, which is about to start. The first book will be The Heiress by Rachel Atkins, which she encourages you to find at your local library. Stay tuned for more book club content and head to the TMB Instagram bio for the link to the online book club!

Woah woah woah. Is this another (extremely micro) influencer claiming to be "that girl"? Not to fear because Neela is always about the process, never claiming the label. In this episode, she talks about little steps to "becoming that girl", which has gone from an aesthetic picture of matcha to becoming the best version of you you can be. No book content in this episode, but a summer book club will be coming soon!

It's been a while...

Welcome to a new series at TMB! In this series, Neela will be addressing the world around her, outside of books of course. In this episode, Neela talks about her running journey that started in August and continues today. She addresses wellness, eating habits, and society's treatment of human bodies. If body image discussion isn't for you, try out another episode!