4 min readAug 24, 2026 09:40 AM IST First published on: Aug 24, 2026 at 09:34 AM ISTWelcome to Quick Verdict, a fortnightly column where every book gets a hit or miss.This week: Why Minakshi Thakur’s Grief Burns Like Fever, despite tackling the important topic of life during Covid, fails to strike a chord; how Jasreen Mayal Khanna’s Bullet Nani and Other Badass Grandmas teaches a lesson in feminism; and why Belle Burden’s much-awaited Strangers avoids tackling the very messes that made readers pick it off the shelves.