Nominations for Our First Themed Read - Asia/India

[Zulfiya]

It is time to nominate books that you want to read for our first themed read. As the topic indicates, the theme is Asia/India, so any book that qualifies as a chunkster (500 pages or more) and is about India/Asia can be nominated. There are some interesting ideas in the Modern Chunkster Thread, and I am listing them below. Feel free to choose either from them or nominate your own novel.

I also want to remind you that we will NOT ACCEPT Shōgun (one of the most popular novels about Asia) because it was read as a buddy read twelve months ago. I see no problems re-reading some of the books with new members, but we at least should give two or three years to accept this nomination again, but you can still read it as a buddy read if you find a company

So, the novels about Asia/India that are mentioned in our Modern Chunkster thread are the following. (I deliberately do not link the title to its database in the goodreads because these are not nominations. If you want to nominate the books, you can choose any of these or any other novel, but you have to link it to its goodreads database, using 'add book/author' button or clearly express your wish in your post that it is your nomination, and the moderators will help with the link)

Red Earth and Pouring Rain by Vikram Chandra
Life and Death are Wearing Me Out by Mo Yan
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry


The nomination thread will be open for the next ten days.

[Zulfiya]

So, after a long deliberation because there are so many books that I want to read (and I own four out of five mentioned in the previous threads) , I would like to nominate A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. According to the opinion of people I really respect, it is a heart-wrenching drama with the nuanced setting and a profound feeling of place.

[Andrea]

All nice books to read. I would like to put forward The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye since it hasn't been mentioned.

[Quirks59m]

Andrea wrote: "All nice books to read. I would like to put forward The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye since it hasn't been mentioned."
I'll second "The Far Pavilions", it is sitting on my shelf just waiting.

[Delmy]

OK, well the only one i know and want to read--that is a chunkster-- is Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

[Zulfiya]

Andrea, I was deliberating The Far Pavilions. I have had for such a long time that it is already dusty;-)

Delmy, Battle Royale is on my audible wishlist:-)

So far, good nominations!

[Everyman]

Gandhi, The Story of my Experiments with Truth.

The Story of My Experiments With Truth

[Zulfiya]

A very solid book, Everyman. We all need serious soul-searching from time to time; I especially feel this urgency now when I am reading Les Miserables.

[Becky]

I would like to formally nominate The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

[John]

I'll nominate Red Earth and Pouring Rain by Vikram Chandra...although I'll have a tough time picking between that and Satanic Verses...

Also, I would like to throw another suggestion onto the table for anyone who can't decide on a nomination: I am a Cat by Sōseki Natsume. First published in 1905, this is a whimsical examination of turn-of-the-century Japanese society from the POV of a cat.

[Delmy]

Becky wrote: "I would like to formally nominate The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie"

I have been wanting to read this for a VERY long time but it's never at the library!
:(

[Zulfiya]

Excellent nominations, and the temptation to read all of them as an Asian/Indian marathon is so strong ... Sigh ...

[Mekki]

I'd like to read Midnight's Children

[Becky]

Bah I don't know if I could do a marathon of these, lol! That would end up being a three year commitment!

[Zulfiya]

Wishful thinking, Becky! :-)

[Deana]

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

[Delmy]

Deana wrote: "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami"

I have been wanting to read this one for awhile now as well!

[John]

I'm currently right in the middle of Wind-Up Bird Chronicles! Although my schedule has required me to put it on hold in the past week, it's really good so far. Definitely darker than the other Murakamis I've read. Can't wait to get back into it... I would be really interested in discussing it even if I'm done with it by that point.

[Marianne]

I second A Fine Balance Just picked it up!

[Zulfiya]

I will be closing this thread tomorrow, so you still have time to nominate the books you want to read. And hopefully, A Fine Balance wins, but there are so many excellent nominations. I wish I could read all of them, and maybe, one day I will.

[Everyman]

Zulfiya wrote: "And hopefully, A Fine Balance wins"

Nothing like a moderator's thumb on the scale! [g]

[Zulfiya]

Russians call it 'an administrative resource'. :-)

I am just a mortal, Everyman, and have a right to vote only once in the upcoming poll.

[Delmy]

is the poll going to be up soon?

[Zulfiya]

Yes,Delmy. I will post the poll today when I come home in the afternoon. I am travelling right now.

[Zulfiya]

I am closing this tread and will post the poll shortly.