I'm sorry. Why would you name one of your characters Rachel EPSTEIN Fox. EPSTEIN??? EPSTEIN!?!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME.

Hey guys! You might be wondering: what exactly is Raksha Bandhan?

But before that, it’s Raksha Bandhan, and I decided to create a playlist with some of the best sibling dynamics in books, in my opinion.

Raksha Bandhan is a festival celebrated in many parts of India where a sister ties a thread, called a Rakhi, around her brother’s wrist. Traditionally, it’s meant to ward off the evil eye and is essentially a way of asking the universe and the gods to look after him. In return, the brother promises to protect his sister throughout his life. But there’s no hard-and-fast rule that it has to be between a brother and a sister. While that’s the most common pairing, Rakhis can absolutely be exchanged between two sisters, two brothers, or really anyone in the family. So if you don’t have a brother, you can tie a Rakhi around your sister’s wrist too.

As far as I know, since this is such an ancient practice, there are probably several stories and theories about where it originated. But in my family, the story we associate with Raksha Bandhan is the story of Draupadi and Lord Krishna from the Mahabharata. There’s a moment when Krishna accidentally cuts his finger, and when Draupadi sees him bleeding, she tears off a piece of her saree and ties it around his finger to stop the bleeding. Krishna, touched by her kindness, promises to protect her whenever she needs him. And he does eventually keep that promise when Draupadi is publicly humiliated in front of her husbands. But that’s a story for another time.

I love this festival because I have a younger brother, and I tie him a Rakhi every year.

There are actually quite a few festivals like this in India that celebrate the bond between siblings. Another one is Bhai Dooj, where the sister performs a ritual for her brother’s protection from Yama, the god of death. There’s also a little chant that you recite while applying Tika to your brother three times.

But anyway, back to the playlist!

I’ve taken the liberty of including not just brother-sister dynamics, but also relationships between two brothers and between sisters. Basically, any sibling dynamic that I absolutely loved.

So, if there’s a book where you loved the sibling relationship, please, please drop it in the comments so I can add it to the playlist. And please tell me your favourite sibling dynamic! It can be books or a tv show!

And yeah, I hope you enjoy the books!

P.s. I completely forgot to mention. You don't have to be hindu or related to each other to celebrate this festival! My mom tied Rakhi to her Muslim colleagues and, my friend, to her Muslim friends.