With plenty of time at hand, youngsters are finally able to enjoy all the shows, movies, and books on their wish lists. NT KURIOCITY asked them what they are currently reading or watching, and why

I bought five books – ‘Karna’s Wife: The Outcast’s Queen’ and ‘Sita’s Sister’ by Kavita Kane, ‘The Girl in Room 105’ by Chetan Bhagat, ‘The Perils of Being Moderately Famous’ by Soha Ali Khan and ‘The Zoya Factor’ by Anuja Chauhan – out of which I finished reading the two books by Kavita Kane. I got hooked on these books after I learned that the author picked female characters from Indian mythology who are rarely spoken about or have been in the background. I am currently reading ‘The Perils of Being Moderately Famous’.

Agnes Fatima Pinto, Vasco

With the pandemic offering time for leisure, an introvert like me – happy to be in the comfort of my home – has been reading work by Indian authors like Novoneel Chakraborty, Chetan Bhagat, Dujoy Dutta and many more. But recently the show ‘Vampire Diaries’ based on the novel by LJ Smith caught my attention. The name of the show itself indicates that it’s a supernatural television series not only dispensing the genre but also offering much more than entertainment. The characters portray the importance of family, friendship, love, and humanity. The show has left me obsessed with improving my vocabulary and improving my personality.

Rachel Pinto, St Xavier’s College, Mapusa

Being an animal lover and travel enthusiast, I was happy to catch up on some of my favourite non-fiction shows. I was intrigued by shows like ‘TED Talks’, dog trainer Victoria Stilwell’s ‘It’s Me or the Dog’ and many more. In the age of technology, online DIY videos also allowed me to learn new skills and tricks.

Rebecca L Pinto, assistant professor, Mapusa

I have been collecting books and bookmarking TV series for a long time now. Over time the list has gotten longer and the free time has gotten shorter; then 2020 happened and I had relatively more time than usual. I have been reading a mix of fiction like ‘Gone with the Wind’, ‘The Mistress of Spices’, ‘The Pagoda Tree’ and non-fiction like ‘Educated’, ‘Women’s Oppression Today’, ‘The Second Sex’, etc, and actively publishing book reviews on my Instagram page. I am currently reading ‘The Last Woman’ by Nadia Murad. I have also been guiltlessly binge-watching TV shows like ‘The Mindy Project’, ‘This Is Us’, ‘Never Have I Ever’, ‘You’, ‘Special Ops’ and so on. Right now, I am watching ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ and I plan to watch ‘Lucifer’ and ‘The Office’ after this. I am so addicted to TV shows and I just can’t stop. I think 2020 will be the year I read and watch the most. I love how there is so much variety in the books and TV shows available; there is something in every genre to suit you and keep you hooked. They have proved to be the silver lining to an otherwise drab year.

Esha Nadkarni, Porvorim

I have been a long-time fan of sitcoms like ‘Friends’ and ‘How I Met Your Mother’ but I was yet to watch the all-time hit, ‘The Office’ which I’m currently watching. I have finished six seasons and am currently on the seventh. The level of humour is on a whole new level. It is in a lot of ways a complete sitcom with all different kinds of emotions and relatable daily-life incidents that get people hooked. It surely has become my favourite.

Srinidhi Bhat, Goa Engineering College, Farmagudi

I’ve been reading ‘The Silent Patient’ by Alex Michaelides. There was a lot of hype about this novel so I always wanted to read it but only got around to doing so a few days ago. I’m glad I decided to because it has got me completely hooked since it’s a psychological thriller and there’s also a murder that takes place right at the outset. The alleged murderer refuses to say anything after the murder occurs let alone about the murder itself which makes it a suspenseful read and leaves one wondering what to make of the character’s silence. Thus, it keeps the reader on the edge almost at all times. I can’t wait to get to the end and find out the truth about this story.

Senova Fernandes, Taleigao

In the beginning of the lockdown I wasn’t pretty excited since travelling was not allowed and I love being outside, but eventually I got used to being home. I almost finished watching a lot of films and some shows as well. ‘Patal Lok’ was one of the films I watched; ‘Friends’ and ‘Rashbhari’ were some of the shows that I watched on Prime/Netflix. Shows and movies to do with horror or detective shows are what interests me.

Shikha Lagali, Verna