What the What by Nipun and Mohit from the Arepatahai YouTube channel is one of those books that randomly enters your life and then stays there. I first came across them when a friend of mine shared one of their videos, and I remember instantly liking it. I’ve always been into trivia and puzzles, and their content just clicked. It was smart but not intimidating, fun but not silly. When they later mentioned that they were writing a book and started documenting the whole journey, my interest went from “oh this is cool” to “okay I NEED this”.
This was actually the first book I ever pre-ordered, which says a lot. I was genuinely excited waiting for it to arrive. When it finally did, opening the package felt weirdly special. Since I had pre-ordered it, I got bookmarks, a signed copy, and a crosswired puzzle that I am still staring at because I haven’t solved it yet. Even before reading, it already felt like more than just a book.
The book takes you to an island called Whatworld, and honestly that’s the best way to describe the experience—it feels like exploring. There are eight places on this island, but the best part is that you don’t have to follow any order. You can open any page, start anywhere, skip around, and it still works. Every page feels different. There are puzzles, trivia, mini-games, bingo-style things, and random fun stuff that keeps pulling you in.
One thing I really appreciated was how the questions and answers were designed. Normally, books like this make you flip to the last page again and again just to check answers, which gets annoying fast. Here, you read the question, turn the page, and boom—answer. Such a small thing, but it makes the whole experience so smooth. The book isn’t very big, but it’s designed really, really well.
The topics they cover are all over the place in the best way possible. Food, environment, geography, finance, history, discoveries, sports, art, movies, series—nothing felt boring or repeated. You can tell they’ve put in serious effort to find interesting facts and trivia. Even the table of contents is fun, which is something I never thought I’d say about any book. You get checkboxes to track what you’ve completed and little totems to collect after solving quizzes, which somehow makes you want to keep going.
And then there are the QR codes. Randomly placed, easy to miss, and very cool. When you scan them, they take you to short unlisted videos on their YouTube channel. These are not public videos—only people who have the book can see them (unless someone leaks them, which I hope never happens). They’re just one or two minutes long but add extra context and make you feel like you’ve unlocked something secret. That idea alone deserves appreciation.
Finally, the thing that still lives rent-free in my head—the missing page. Page 79 does not exist. After page 78, the book jumps straight to 81. They’ve teased this missing page in their videos and hidden hints inside the book, and I tried to figure it out but failed miserably. And honestly, I love that. Even while writing this, I’m trying hard not to spoil anything because this book deserves to be experienced fresh. What the What isn’t just something you read and put away. It’s an experience, and I really hope Nipun and Mohit keep making more things like this—because I’d happily sign up again.
Before I wind up, I'd like to give a mention to the authors and creators of the channel, the brains behind this clever word game on: https://hardword.co I’ve been playing it for almost 100 days straight with a 97% win rate (humble brag). It’s one of those rare games that doesn’t just kill time but actually sharpens your vocabulary and thinking. Simple, addictive, and genuinely educational—perfect for a daily brain workout. If you love words, this one hooks you fast.
Until next time, keep smiling and keep that curiosity alive, y’all!
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