Don’t we all just love Dashain? I mean, what’s not to like? An extended holiday period, some quality family time and erm…. lots and lots of food. Except that for thousands (millions perhaps?) of over nourished people like me, with a tendency to put on weight at the mere sight of food, the festival of Dashain is a minefield that is getting increasingly harder to negotiate. At the best of times, my weight fluctuations are quite enough to make Oprah Winfrey blush but while Dashain comes around once a year, it never really leaves me – if you know what I mean.

Never a patient reader, I cannot sit in a place with a book for more than half hour, tops. On a typical Saturday I am home, invariably laboring through a godforsaken book, the same book I would have plodded through for better part of a fortnight. I start out at the little tea table and chair out on the porch.

Sanskriti Rijal, a school student, went on a Annapurna Base Camp trek during the recent Dashain holidays. She says her parents didn’t object as this is the only long holiday she gets at her school and she wanted to ulitize it properly, and not by carrying out rituals she barely even understands.

The season of family gatherings and get-togethers is here. So we know we can look forward to a lot of chatter and a lot of good food in the coming days. And as is the case every year, we can also bet on one more thing: Mutton. It’s a tradition after all.

Do No Harm: Stories of Life and Death and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh Price: Rs 638 What is it like to be a brain surgeon? How does it feel to hold someone’s life in your hands, to cut into the stuff that creates thought, feeling and reason? How do you live with the consequences of performing a potentially lifesaving operation when it all goes wrong?

Writing your first book is no mean feat, as all aspiring authors out there will know. All credit, then, to these super-talented writers, who achieved fame, fortune and some even a dizzying array of literary prizes all from their debut novels. And there can be no better time to grab some inspiration from such fantastic authors than Dashain holidays. We suggest you pick a novel from the following list of debut novels to read this festive season.

What with all the Himalayan Roadies posters around town it’s hard to miss the rapper, Laure (Asis Rana), these days. As it is, it wasn’t like he wasn’t well known and well admired already; his recent releases and album launch party was testament to his fan following. Views on YouTube are more than two million and the crowds’ attendance was tremendous.

Kanchi Maya Koju has represented Nepal in more than 19 international sports competitions as a runner. She created her personal best in the 2004 Olympics and bagged the silver medal in 10th South Asian Games. In the national front too Koju has been honored with various titles and awards. Just a year ago, she was awarded with People’s Choice in Pulsar Sports Awards for her 21 years long career in sports.

Who knew a wholesome, creamy, flavored milkshake would be the best way to end a shopping spree. Keventers at LABIM in Pulchowk, Lalitpur has certainly spoilt us in this regard. During our recent visit some customers lounging around the stall with the now iconic Keventers bottles were certainly ready to vouch for it.

Suryaman Shakya has over a hundred watches in his collection and he plans to keep adding to it for as long as he can. He believes adding watches to his ever growing collection adds value to his life as well. “Every watch has a story to tell and brings back fond memories. My collection inspires me to collect more watches and preserve the ones I already have,” says Shakya.