BoTCast Episode 7 feat. Vivek Tejuja - Shitty Classics

Since they all grew up reading loads of classic literature, lit AF friend of Books on Toast, Vivek Tejuja joins Anuya Jakatdar and Sharin Bhatti for a lovely afternoon to talk about the books they absolutely hate and the ones they love.
List of books discussed:
1. War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy
BUY: amzn.to/2odzXdl
2. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
BUY: amzn.to/2nlDty7
3. A Feast For Crows (A Song Of Ice And Fire) by George RR Martin
BUY: amzn.to/2oaL0mW
4. Murder In Mahim by Jerry Pinto
BUY: amzn.to/2oaJscB
5. Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen
BUY: amzn.to/2nlwl4H
6. Pride And Prejudice And Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
BUY: amzn.to/2odGaFY
7. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
BUY: amzn.to/2nlDyBP
8. Pygmalion by ‎George Bernard Shaw
BUY: amzn.to/2niQlEs
9. William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher
BUY: amzn.to/2ojPDsp
10. Mrs. Shakespeare by Robert Nye
BUY: amzn.to/2niRM5T
11. The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck
BUY: amzn.to/2niRVGl
12. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
BUY: amzn.to/2niQLL2
13. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
BUY: amzn.to/2oaTx9P
14. Iliad by Homer
BUY: amzn.to/2niTS5N
15. The Stranger by Albert Camus
BUY: amzn.to/2nlmbBq
16. Meursault Investigation by Kamel Daoud
BUY: amzn.to/2odHp86
17. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
BUY: amzn.to/2odC40L
18. Emma by Alexander McCall Smith
BUY: amzn.to/2mRMkeT
19. The Home And The World by Rabindranath Tagore
BUY: amzn.to/2odq3bI
20. Such A Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry
BUY: amzn.to/2ob24cI
21. The God Of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
BUY: amzn.to/2oaPcTU
22. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
BUY: amzn.to/2ok6wDa
23. Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K Jerome
BUY: amzn.to/2oaVu5W
24. O Henry Short Stories
BUY: amzn.to/2mRDoGk
Shot and edited by: Sandeep Rajguru and Yohann Benson, Flarepath Solutions Pvt Ltd.
Sound Recording and Mixing: Nishant Agarwal, Culture Shoq Productions
Venue: Cuckoo Club, Bandra, Mumbai ( toocuckoo)
Follow Books on Toast on:
Twitter: @BooksonT
Facebook/ Insta: @BooksonToast

[@armeetindergill]

This guy knows his books. Favourite BoTCast.

[@MARISALOBO18]

Vivek is like the friends I've always wanted in terms of reading and discussing books

[@taarush2875]

Hey. I've been lurking all of your videos recently. And I'm 16 and I've realised how much of an ass I am for not reading books and what ive been missing out on. I've spend the last few years completely in the rat race (JEE preparation , boards and bunch of other bullshit). Now that I've been admitted to college and have an entire summer what books do you guys (or any of the viewers) recommend for an absolute beginner like me. I've decided to spend the summer reading books so if you guys can discuss something like books for beginners to get into reading it'd be awesome. Thank you for motivating me to read!! Looking forward to more stuff. 😊

[@BooksonToast]

Taarush, this makes us so so so happy, you have no idea. We're thinking of doing something for beginners, watch this space :)

[@taarush2875]

Thanks! Will surely be looking out!

[@tigerinthetunnel]

Go for ''A Horse walks into the bar''

[@Shayri01]

Taarush Start with Enid blyton, then alfred Hitchcock, then Harry Potter. You can read Ruskin bond, Panchatantra, jataka, Jane Austen and condensed versions of Shakespeare plays. Ooh and little women and the subsequent books. Jeffrey Archer, Dan Brown. These are fiction books ofcourse.

[@adrit5584]

Taarush try 'Replay' by Ken Grimmwood, time travel fiction

[@confengineevents1230]

Loved the episode ..you three have very good chemistry. Agree with mostly everything except: 1) War and Peace = Door Stopper ( big sobs !!) 2) Not all classics be preachy ( Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov ) PS: Please do a special on russian literature.

[@sumitshetty42]

i love Anuya's erratic humour & out-of-nowhere jokes. Loving the series guys.Host them up on Soundcloud or other podcast provider too, so we can listen on the go. Keep up good work. Cheers!

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

Yep, working on it.

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

And also THANKS! :D

[@Lavenderia554]

Sumit Shetty and

[@swapnilchavan1]

Anuya Jakatdar have you read Marathi literature?

[@apoorva8357]

Too bourgeois perspective on Indian Classics.

[@vertikasharma4842]

Hey, just a thought - the sequence and further consequence of events in The Stranger isn't the tool that drives the narrative in that book. Camus almost always banks on the unspoken interstices between the "events" in his "story", which are left entirely up to the reader's sensibilities.

[@sharinbhatti1920]

Vertika Sharma yeah we get that! But I think as people we couldn't fathom his drone like pace . But good POV and thanks for sharing

[@avaneethnambiar2495]

Kite runner is manipulative but it clearly showcases the horrors of terrorism very well by presenting it in a child's eye.It had to be manipulative .

[@Shayri01]

I think I'm in love with this guy. He reads Jane Austen and loves Pride and Prejudice.

[@icybear9259]

I loved Anuya mentioned 'A thousand splendid suns'...I LOVE that book!!

[@sach1012]

Listen, you guys are doing a great job and I just love the BotCasts. Couple of suggestions for new episodes: 1. Book suggestions for casual readers. E.g. I find books like Hunger games, Five point some one or Ken Follett books extremely engaging and easy to read for casual readers. Salman Rushdie would be the opposite. 2. Author themed discussions like episodes dedicated to one author, say Jeffery Archer, Agatha Christie or JK Rowling discussing their books writting style, major themes in their books etc.

[@arpitnayak]

I disagreed with almost everything on this episode but love that people are talking about books on KZbin

[@oli.chatterjee]

Adored this podcast because you guys called out some of the worst classics like Great Gatsby, War and Peace, Game of Thrones and books by Tolkien . I was going to press the unlike button because you guys shat on The Kite Runner which I love so much! But you redeemed yourselves by your love for Tagore. #bengalirepresent I love Tagore's stories and unlike other Indian authors they aren't too depressing. Also, how can you hate Three Men in a Boat?!! I love that book so much! But the books that you did love, I totally agree with you on those although there are some that I haven't read and I will definitely check them out. Two of my favourite classics are - The Picture of Dorian Gray and To Kill a Mockingbird Thanks for all the recommendations Can't wait for the next episode P.S - Sharin, I totally get your love for Shakespeare. The language might be outdated but his plays are a great read P.P.S - I really hope you guys do an episode on Poetry :3 P.P.P.S - Anuya I love your jokes

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

Hahah, I love A Thousand Splendid Sons though, and Vivek loves And The Mountains Echoed. Different Strokes for Different Folks :)

[@sharinbhatti1920]

Oli Chatterjee so happy to have you here oli. There's so much to read and all our reading preferences are varied. Really want to do poetry and I just get tongue tied talking about Shakespeare, he's such an inspiration

[@RavneetKaur-vw2jl]

Great book recommendations. Also, I love how Anuya cracks lame jokes in between.

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

I crack lame jokes in between life, bruh. In between life. They are my punctuation marks.

[@zodiacmanan]

Deep!

[@SakshiSharma-fd6vs]

The Gift Of Magi- O Henry.💚

[@gokul8882]

But, isn't that what Existentialism challenged? The likes of Nietzsche questioned the moral paradigm that existed? (Doesn't justify the killing of the Arab) Meursault was honest throughout the book, there was no break in character. I don't think Camus tried to talk about the existential angst in this work. The lead character didn't play by the rules of the society. It's my favorite piece of work. Feeble attempt at defending it. :'(

[@sakshi446]

I like Sharin a lot! She seems very nice and warm. I love these episodes :D

[@HarnidhKaur]

Kitna nice episode tha yeh. Well done u guiz!

[@nithinlakshmanan328]

Guys Shantaram !!! Classic, exposed me to the underbelly of India for the first time....

[@NavalKishoreBarthwal]

I agree Premchand stories are great but they relate to the strong rural environment. Today even villages won't find relatable. But one can read them just to time travel to a time where such problem existed and might find new versions of similar problems in mordern context.

[@1025sukanyaananth]

Don't keep the videos short. Make them longer if possible to be honest :P The video was great! Keep the sense of humour coming, it gives a nice and airy feel to everything. Also, actually do a LGBT themed one, and hopefully a YA and Fantasy themed one is in the near future as well :) You guys were great again, keep em coming!

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

Would you prefer if we break them into 2 parts and upload both at the same time? We're just experimenting with lengths at the moment.

[@1025sukanyaananth]

Anuya Jakatdar I personally don't see the appeal of two parts to be honest, people who want to see it will anyway watch it irrespective of two parts or only one, and the amount of time would be the same regardless.

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

Fair.

[@NavalKishoreBarthwal]

For me "Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde be one and only best classic until I find another.

[@mecytotoxic]

Shakespeare's wife = Gwyneth Paltrow ..I died 😂😂😂

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

NO COME BACK TO LIFE!

[@nandinihegde8729]

You guys didn't mention Thomas Hardy. Khoon ke aansun royi hoon main. Depressing books ka baap.

[@AdityaMadduri]

Guys, in Indian classics, you missed out on R K Narayan.. But great BoTCast.... :)

[@dabas-12]

Incredibly shallow perspectives on most of the books mentioned here, especially Anuya's views on The Stranger and a man who reads 100 books a year hating a book because it talks about poverty and despair? Tolstoy is preachy but GRRM is a genius? But the good old argument that these are your cute little personal opinions. to-each-his-own is a bitch

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

Aditya Dabas We're sorry that our opinion doesn't match with your opinion and you're having such a tough time with it. It's truly a shame. If only we could do something about it. Sigh.

[@soum630]

Aditya Dabas Absolutely agree with you.

[@ubaidimtiaz1]

Maybe they lack the requisite philosophical background needed to understand "The Stranger". You can't actually dismiss and call something shitty when you don't even know about it. P.s: You can't really talk about that book without mentioning "Absurdism".

[@pavelroy5080]

Agreed! They called it existentialist! Wtf!

[@giitanjalichiya2116]

Loved the episode, even though I don't agree with you guys on a LOT of books. KEEP IT COMING! :)

[@NimishNadgere]

Vivek just gave another dimension to this show! Much thanks for the recommendations. Love that he gave alternatives after "shitting" on the classics. I love ASOIAF and I think the reason you guys may not have liked it and found it conclusive is because it is a work in progress and requires an element of fan fiction or just simply discussing it on online forums about possible interpretations and links.

[@sharinbhatti1920]

Nimish oh I love ASOIAF, just didn't like feast for crows

[@codenoob]

Who is the guest? Some intro about the guest surely wont be bad

[@sharinbhatti1920]

jatin1234 Vivek Tejuja is an avid reader and has his own book club too. Follow him on twitter.

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

He is also a book reviewer + blogger and consults with Flipkart in their Books section, of course.

[@alexad2022]

Hey have you guys seen the web series version of pride and prejudice?? It's called 'the lizzie bennet dairies' co created by Hank green... You guys should watch that..

[@jyothisridhar]

What about Little Women by Louisa May Alcott? That was one of the first classics I read and absolutely love!

[@sharinbhatti1920]

I love Little Women. This will come up in a different podcast I am sure :-) Keep watching.

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

I love Little Women too. I looked up to Jo so so much. I was gutted when she didn't choose Laurie.

[@vedantsrivastava5754]

Vanessa Ives from Penny Dreadful is best female character i came across though I am not able to find a book regarding this.

[@shantanupardeshi7286]

Surprised that Vivek didn't mention Catch 22.

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

If you give Vivek a mic and let him go on for hours he'd mention every possible book in the world and the Podcast will last a few months. The man's an encyclopedia. It's impossible to cover everything he knows in one sitting. It's incredible.

[@priya2535]

It's apparently the No. 1 classic readers abandon

[@nirnayroy4533]

Finally.....someone who agrees its pathetic!!!

[@MsHorcruxes]

I'm not surprised in the slightest.

[@MsHorcruxes]

I'm not surprised that it's a classic most readers abandon haha. It wasn't a very fulfilling read at all.

[@rahulbishnoi5318]

Hey Anuya , when you're lonely and miss reading your favorite books , do you touch your 'shelf' ? (sorry for the bad pun)

[@aashnabakshi1996]

Vivek you're amazing. So delightful to watch. Loving these episodes guys, greaaaat work❤️

[@ayushitrivedi4759]

So glad this channel exists. My heart broke when you guys dissed Premchand and Rohinton Mistry, but then you said you hated Catcher in the Rye so we're cool.

[@sharinbhatti1920]

Ayushi Trivedi

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

Ayushi, we don't hate Rohinton Mistry, he's an unbelievable writer, we just wish Such a Long Journey wasn't so sad :D

[@apurvam921]

You Must read A Fine Balance! Still extremely sad but so relevant. Also how can you guys hate Jane Eyre!! She was a true feminist who stood her ground and had an amazing sense of humour.

[@meghanashukla6251]

Great job on this one guys! What do you'll think about Russian literature? What are your thoughts on Lolita by Nabokov and Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky?

[@shrute4999]

I love you guys and I agree with most of what you guys said except KITE RUNNER guys. Why did you guys not like it? I Loved it. Maybe it's the timing which is why I liked it and why you guys didn't like it.

[@sharinbhatti1920]

Shruti appalla the story was too predictable. It started off really well with building the scene in Afghanistan, the date trees and the wide roads :)

[@kuchgane]

you just broke my heart by not liking premchand :(

[@shivanisanyal0203]

Anuya.. you have such a quirky sense of humour... love your puns! :D

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

Thanks Shivani :) What I lack in intellect I make up in puns :D

[@AkshitaShah1611]

This was by far the best episode, I could relate to EYERYTHING! You guys are

[@sharinbhatti1920]

Good feedback, we will look into doing this

[@mugdharedkar4870]

I am a literature students and I felt grateful when you guys agreed that Shakespeare is difficult and classics can be shitty. I really am going through this aversion for Shakespeare because I am being forced to read it, despite the fact that I do love the plots and analyzing it, but the language is just too difficult.

[@nikhilreddy713]

I liked David Copperfield because of the fact that I knew the writer wrote it in the POV of David Copperfield himself and throughout the story, his thought matures along with him. Like in his childhood, he thinks like how a child thinks and that changes with his age and also because of the fact the writer projected him in a way that you can tell if he's exaggerating a certain event. Thoughts?

[@vatsalamolly]

I agree with almost all of your views (for all the books that I have read) except for Jane Eyre. I read it for the first time when I was 18 and was kinda meh about it but when I reread it 25 my thoughts on the book completely changed. Maybe my own experiences have informed my second reading but i would now consider it one of my all time favorite books.

[@aryasenapati8157]

MUST DO AN EPISODE ON FAVOURITE AUTHORS./ WOULD WAIT FOR IT. YOU GUYS ARE DOING A LOVELY JOB. I HAVE WATCHED ALL THE VIDEOS AND IT REALLY FASCINATES ME TO KNOW THAT I HAVE MISSED READING A LOT OF GREAT BOOKS

[@prekshajain3343]

Loved your choice of classics. Can we have Vivek in more BoTcasts? For recommendations or reviews coz his perception really aligns with choice of books one would prefer to read. One of the best BoTcast.

[@zaynemalik1233]

Now there's a perfect shade of lipstick to go with the witch hair!

[@adelaideneels8587]

Please make Vivek a constant on the show!!! He makes botcast more awesome and fun.

[@harshghosh6431]

Watching this for the second time around! So delightful!

[@TheArypoo]

What is the fantasy classic Vivek mentions after dissing Game of thrones and Tolkien? Couldn't grasp the name.

[@shivamvyas3767]

What are your thoughts on the 'Beat Generation' literature, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and so on. And how do you rate Wuthering Heights as a classic.

[@sharinbhatti1920]

Shivam Vyas didn't like withering heights. But Allan G was quite good

[@shivamvyas3767]

Touche Vivek Touche! I think Heathcliff is by far the best written tortured romantic hero. :D @Sharin: I plead you to give it another shot. It may surprise you.

[@anushkabarthwal8933]

Yes!! I hated Three Men In A Boat so much. Never before have I screamed in unison with a podcast, thanks for validating my opinion 😂

[@VarunRamamohan]

Was surprised to see no mention of Midnight's Children as far as Indian classics are concerned. Or did I miss it? :)

[@mitalibapat8429]

Picked up Murder in Mahim, thanks to this episode. Just finished it. Would love to know Vivek's thoughts on it

[@loukitmyname]

Read only one Dickens: Great Expectations because I had to. I never touched Dickens again.

[@AbcDef-px2rs]

The one Khaled Hosseini book I didn't enjoy was And the Mountains Echoed Kite Runner is the book I recommend to everyone who asks me 'i want to start reading but I don't know where'. And they've all loved it. Because it's an experience and you have to allow yourself to feel it Yes it emotionally manipulative, yes it's predictable but the realisation that there is a possibility of someone out there having led this life is what made the book a great read for me

[@AbcDef-px2rs]

Basically please don't let this video deter you from reading the book

[@Snehlata-jj8cd]

I read Camus' The Stranger' long back and remember how profoundly it affected me. I am glad I stumbled upon this channel, with genuine discussion on books.

[@priyankameena2018]

glad to be his friend.

[@arnavgrover8301]

It was a very good episode but it was frustrating and annoying as Vivek was only talking to Anuya and ignored Sharin completely.

[@sampadadeshpande7414]

I agree with Vivek's take on George R.R Martin's literature and the series.

[@stormgirl2cs]

Tulsidas was poet and the times he lived in which was the 16th century, I think, he was a progressive philosopher. He did not just write Ramayan it was a re-interpretation of the earlier versions, it is interesting from a certain perspective because his was possibly the only Ramayan which had a 'happy ending' indicative of a possible cultural shift. An anachronistic perspective towards literature can reduce it to just a 'story' and not the context which gives rise to the story. Isn't reading also a process of transposing oneself into different times and contexts? Maybe it is not possible to look at historical writing without being anachronistic but the ignorance of it can be worse.

[@ZafarSatyavan]

BoT is incomplete until they uploaded an episode featuring the greatest of the great - Zafar Satyavan! (coming soon to sit between the ladies..)

[@Shayri01]

I think Shivani and Mrinal come under Hindi Classics, but I could be wrong. Also the guy who wrote parineeta? And pretty sure shakuntala is a classic.

[@mikeSmith-sr2bn]

Haven't read any book. But liked the conversation.

[@9439027588]

I agree so much with ASOIF. It's sooooo draggy. It felt like reading a history book, but I didn't care about what happened.

[@vineetv]

Would like to know which books does vivek recommend that are better than song of ice and fire in the fantasy genre. He doesn't actually answer that question

[@sudheerkumar4421]

dickens' tale of two cities is an awesome read.. another funny episode....anuya's jokes are spot on!!

[@rooster3300]

I love Vivek and his recommendations so much! Please get him back for an LGBTQ episode! I sorely need reccos for great lesbian fiction :')

[@krutishah851]

I love this channel! thanks for the great book recommendations! *Orders Murder In Mahim*

[@icybear9259]

Please do a bot cast on classics worth reading

[@1025sukanyaananth]

And really liked Vivek! Knows his stuff

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

He's a genius!

[@NishatEqbal]

if i ever meet anuya she will surely crack a joke on my name- tera ek hi baal hai kya eqbal.

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

It's like you've already met me.

[@gunnervijay3838]

Anuya and Sharin, Love your podcast!! Never read a single book in my life. Always believed movies are better than books. But, you guys inspired me to read books, Will surely read books in future whatever you guys have suggested on the podcast. Peace out!!

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

Oh man. This makes me so happy I could cry. Thank you :)

[@sharinbhatti1920]

gunner vijay yay. Keep telling us what you're reading :)

[@gunnervijay3838]

Sharin, I started with Killer angels which was suggested by an american frd. I ain't much interested in fiction, So with the little time that I actually invest in reading, I'm slowly making it a habbit. :)

[@sanket7191]

Anuya and Sharin Good Going guys!! Super content!! I'm binge watching all your episodes. Just one suggestions please keep the pop ups a bit longer👍👍

[@champflowahbomb7630]

I've really come to love this channel. Have been watching one video every day 😁

[@bhaa1theway]

Waiting for the new podcast!!! :(

[@anmolnigam9409]

Guyz u ignored Agatha Christie. She is the second best selling author after Shakespeare and u just ignored her like she is no one. Highly disappointed !

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

We can only cover so much in a given time period, and don't worry, we'll do Agatha Christie in detail soon.

[@anmolnigam9409]

ye i hope. THANKS for replying

[@madhurjyagoswami2397]

You guys left out VS Naipaul.

[@seandenny6430]

I love your channel! But could you guys make some effort on not giving out the spoilers, please :)

[@sunilpatel5558]

I just watch for Anuya Have never read a book

[@garhwalinauna]

Premchand is a little difficult for urban people to grasp. He wrote rural stories.

[@tanvijha4245]

I loved The Silmarillion. But I agree with his assessment of GRR Martin. I prefer Robert Jordan. Much more.

[@hrushikeshtalankar7583]

I love that you two reply to every comment

[@AnuyaJakatdar]

We appreciate every comment :)

[@apoorvasingh6238]

Umm ok, so I had no idea who Vivek Tetuja was until I saw this podcast and now I absolutely adoreeee him !! He just reminds me of soooo manyy of my gay friends and this is exactly how we all sit and chat in college. Nobody cracks the kind of puns that Anuya does tho xD Shucks! But it was indeed a crackling podcast !! I was waiting for some review of the Rushdie's you guys hadkept on the table ..Pls do cover him in the next podcast or when ever you can !

[@nishkaraman2402]

WIDE SARGASSO SEA IS NOT AN ADAPTATION . it's a creative response to jane eyre, attempting to create context for that extremely closed book.

[@pratikshyamishra2919]

Hitting like for the CBSE bitchez!!

[@pawanbreez]

Anuya one date please. In the same dress. I'll buy you books!

[@shrutiv1471]

Please try to mention *all* the books you talk about

[@shirsha8]

Romeo's friend was Mercutio

[@shiwangi787]

This fountainhead joke 🤣🤣🤣🤣 hilarious

[@susurrus23]

bring vivek back please? these obscure book reccos are so fun

[@zodiacmanan]

Thank you for pointing out this shit.... The Great Gatsby, I agree - its dated and the Fountainhead is absolute horse manure...... and a lot of great suggestions from this episode.....

[@shafaqueansari5940]

Omg I used make my friend issue books in school as well, so I can read them

[@BooksonToast]

Fancy Dreamer School libraries are so rigid for no reason at all. If the kid wants to read give them MORE books IMO

[@shafaqueansari5940]

I can’t agree more....specially being a bibliophile from a small town, my only source of good ‘English’ books was my Convent school library. Where btw you can have mills and boons but sweet valley high was not permitted ......go figure

[@shafaqueansari5940]

Btw I love your podcast girls which I discovered last night and am on episode 8 RN....so huge love from Houston....please keep it coming....you girls are doing a fab job

[@bhaveshnaphade99]

waiting for this week's botcast :(

[@MrTwangstaable]

Love your channel but please start using a compressor on your audio.

[@AjeetSingh-uj4tk]

I agree that Anna Karenina was a revolutionary novel...

[@shubhamkanade7010]

will you please do an episode on Marathi suspense/horror books !!??

[@cybershadowX]

Anuya's reaction at 36:05 is cute LOL

[@bhavnasultana]

Would really want someone to discuss Sir Arthur Conan Doyle while talking about classics :D

[@v9ish9li]

Guys read God of Small Things and the Fine Balance. You won't regret!