Indian Readers discussion
READING PROGRESS 2016
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Reading and Reminescing. Reading Log of Syl and her Alteregos AND her Offspring
And no wonder u fell in love with Wodehouse, reading him in ur teens. That cutting out and mooning over was funny. I really envy you for having read 50 of his works!
Mod
The only Holmes I liked so much as to read twice or thrice is the Hounds of the Baskervilles.
Mod
Envy me more, if I say that I have all his works back at my Calicut home. All Vintage books.
I have only a couple of Christie mysteries, because I logically thought that a mystery story may not be read repeatedly whereas a humor will be.
Syl ʃʃ^.^ʃʃ wrote: "LOL, if you can imagine, I was more of a bookworm. My mother used to be so angry with me, because I could easily lie in bed and read the whole day through. She used to literally drag me down by my ..."Haha, I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum. My mom's often angry with me for perpetually storing books and magazines in every square inch of the house, but never getting to them.
Perhaps your Dad would find audiobooks comfortable?
Mod
He doesn't . He has this weird preconceived idea that earphones are bad for the ear... can't change that however much I try, and I dont think he will concentrate enough if read on the ordinary CD player with speakers.
Shall try once when he comes here.
Syl ʃʃ^.^ʃʃ wrote: "Vimal wrote: "And no wonder u fell in love with Wodehouse, reading him in ur teens. That cutting out and mooning over was funny. I really envy you for having read 50 of his works!"Envy me more, i..."
No, I envy you more for reading than having. However, PGW should be amongst the topmost of collector-worthy authors.So, Great job! :D
Syl ʃʃ^.^ʃʃ wrote: "Cheers to the woes of readers.He doesn't . He has this weird preconceived idea that earphones are bad for the ear... can't change that however much I try, and I dont think he will concentrate eno..."
Haha, he maybe right, who knows. Our earphone-wielding generation hasn't aged sufficiently enough to yield widespread evidence in favor or to the contrary:)
Mod
He doesn't . He has this weird preconceived idea that earphones are bad for the ear... can't change that however much I try, and I dont think he ..."
Actually studies say that every hour we use earphones, the sort that go into the ear canal, the bacterial count in our ears increases 700 fold . Plus too loud sound can lead to slowly progressive deafness. But it has not deterred me from using, as it is a convenient way of listening to books and music. :D
Syl ʃʃ^.^ʃʃ wrote: "Vimal wrote: "Syl ʃʃ^.^ʃʃ wrote: "Cheers to the woes of readers.He doesn't . He has this weird preconceived idea that earphones are bad for the ear... can't change that however much I try, and I ..."
Same here. I've read that too, but have become a complete audiobook addict these days, so unwilling or rather unable to quit :)
Mod
Thanks for sharing your memories with us! I really liked your tribute to books for St. Valentine.I'm really sorry I can't remember the title of the first book that brought me into reading. I was around 10 or 11, borrowed it from the library for a long train trip and it talked about a Native American boy. I also don't remember the author.
Mod
Nice reminiscences Syl. I had read a lot of Christie in my teens but very few Wodehouse. I was more into Denise Brown , Danielle Steele and Sydney Sheldon. Why doesn't your father use Kindle. ?
Mod
Rebecca, I have read a lot of Sydney Sheldon in my later teens. Haven't heard of Denise Brown.
Even in my formative years was not a fan of Romance, hence never did like Steele.
Lovely ode to your favourite authors, Syl! :)I read my first Christie when I was about 10 years old or slightly younger than that. Our school library had only classics and such books, so I was introduced very early to these wonderful authors. My first Wodehouse was when I was 11. My dad and aunt both love Wodehouse but it was my teacher who introduced me to this world.
My first Christie - Murder on the Orient Express and I loved it so much that I read all of them while at school. They were totally magical and introduced me to what I loved to call then 'adult reading'. LOL!
My first Wodehouse was one of the books from the Lord Emsworth series, don't remember the name. I got introduced to Bertie when I was in the 8th or so. I loved Emsworth and therefore Wodehouse. Bertie, I took some time to get into it, not sure why. But then I read all the books at that time.
Planning a re-read of all Christies and Wodehouses sometime in the future, with the hope that the magic still stays the same. :)
Among other authors to whom I was introduced to at a very young age, I loved Nevil Shute. His books were journeys into such wondrous lands that I was riveted! :)
Thanks to my school library, I also started reading Bronte sisters, Austen, Hardy, Alistair McLean, Dickens and the lot.
My teachers were very strict and they would allow general fiction only after the 10th. So it was in my 11th standard that I started reading romances (think M&B), Jeffrey Archer, Sidney Sheldon, Robin Cook and many others.
Thanks you to, I reminisced my own reading journey. It has put a big smile on my face! :)
Mod
I read my first Christie when I was about 10 years old or slightly younger than that. Our school library had only classics and such books, so I was in..."
You were indeed a precocious reader! Cant imagine Wodehouse at 11! And am envying you for the school library
I had a horrible school library, in fact, not having a library is better than having such a library. There were books grouped haphazardly in cupboards, once a month or perhaps not as frequent, one of the teachers will come and distribute books without even looking at the titles to the whole class during our library hours. We were allowed to exchange books. English and Malayalam titles were there. But the content was not scrutinized. I remember one of my classmates getting a pornographic book with weird practice, reading it first with shock and then showing to the rest of us, who were quite innocent of such facts then [by todays standards]. Someone told the teacher, she snatched it back.
Once in a bluemoon we will be allowed to take books home. This too distributed in the same way. I dont remember reading anything interesting from the school library.
But fortunately I was a member of two local private libraries. They used to charge 10% of the total value of books, but there was a variety.
British library came to my home town much later, but by then I had grown into the habit of buying rather than borrowing the books I like.
I was - both precocious and extremely lucky. We had a wonderful library in school, where we could go once a week and pick up a book and keep it with us till the next week. I devoured a lot of books that way. I still remember reading one of those classics (not sure which one) and using the words that i had learnt from that book in an essay. My teacher called me to meet her during lunch and gently explained to me that while she was proud of me for using such big words, I was using them wrongly and that I should learn before using them in sentences! Lol.. I was embarrassed at that time but it was a valuable lesson to me, one that I keep in mind even today! :)I was in Pune at that time but we used to live in the outskirts where we didn't have a good library, so I had to depend on my school for books. Also my father is not a very avid buyer of books. He prefers borrowing them from the library and reading them, so never got a chance to build my own library in the early stages of my reading. However, I joined the buying band wagon after I started 11th standard. I still remember saving up all my pocket money to get a book! Sigh...those days were just beautiful! :)
Mod
All of us readers should collectively publish a book "Bookstalgia" :-P
#Nostalgia :D Mumma you do have a bigggg library now. Donate some to beginners like us -__
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I agree Syl! It would make for a wonderful reading! :)And yeah, I had some very good teachers who taught me a lot of lessons that I remember even today. :)
Hahaha. That's possible that they didn't check; else I would have to be envious of you for using the words correctly! :P
Hi Harry! Hmm most of my library is in the form of Kindle books, so they can't be given! :P :P
Mod
Finished Marrow - a five star read
Finished the very short book, almost a novella -Flowers for Algernon, another five star read.
Started Hot Tea Across India, which looks promising.
Surfed a lot in GR.
A leisurely day after long, which I cherished to the utmost.
Mod
But wont compromise quality for quantity...
In my opinion, there's nothing in numbers.
Mod
1. It fulfils one of my criteria in personal challenge - read a classic romance
2. I used to love Georgette Heyer books
3. It is after all Feb, and I had promised to read a soppy book for Valentine... one day late, but better late than never.
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Am so happy... hope he resumes his reading habit.
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Am currently out shopping, shall be back by 7 or 8 pm
Mod
I upped my challenge to 100 books this year, because I thought I am in high steam. (touch wood).
Total 21 books so far.
Have left Grand Sophy at 75% as Misery, true to name has put me in this miserable situation of not doing anything else, or perhaps the barest minimal to survive in this materialistic world, till I finish her off.
Hats off to Stephen King.
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The Grand Sophy - though initially humorous and intriguing, was disappointing towards the end. This book was my tribute to Valentine.
Am glad I could finish it today, because till 7 pm or so I was busy with something else, which precluded reading.
And now back to my gory/dark books :)
I see that I am ticking off quite a few challenges too. Do not want to clutter my messages with the challenges updates, so updating only in the respective challenge posts.
Mod
Hence decided to read a light book in between. I was scrolling through the titles in my Kindle and my eyes alighted upon Scandalous Housewives: Mumbai - a juicy title. Admit I was curious and started reading it. Was a bit inhibited to add it to my 'current reading' list, as perhaps some atavistic sense of shame/guilt in reading what is termed as pulp fiction.
Then remembered that I am a 'liberated', tolerant adult and there is no shame in letting the world know that I do occasionally read such 'fluffy' books.
The book is a pleasant surprise. I had expected the worst, but the story has thoroughly gripped me. A story of 4 middle aged females living in a colony in Mumbai - all reasonably well off, 3 of whom are home makers, who share their small joys, small disappointments, in the meanwhile trying to hide major flaws of their family and personal life.
Am at 50%, and I find that three out of four are already having extra marital flings, and all are having dysfunctional families. But their woes are put in such a realistic way that I have only empathy and sympathy for them.
I could see the dark side of Indian culture hiding in each flat of the colony I came across. I could identify with the problems of the women, if not personally, by what I have observed in women around me.
I envy those 4 their close friendship(despite their problems) as I never has had a woman friend, what is called as a BFF, ever since I finished my studies. Sometimes it gets lonely without a close person to talk to, but then I presume being reticent by nature, I may not entertain a close friend.
Hence to all, their own.
Hereby I end my gurgle.
Syl - I was randomly going through your profile and saw you were reading 13 books. And then I saw this thread. You are officially my inspiration :)
Mod
Have reached 65% of Cloud Atlas, and am at a passe.
Started The Graveyard Book, but found it insipid and childish [sorry, ye 4 and 5 star donors]
Same was the fate of The Provincial Lady in Russia, a book I started with great hopes thinking the Provincial lady will put me into peals of laughter - but, NADA
Then started on A Room of One's Own and almost committed suicide
The Year of the Runaways - at 20 pages it seems okayish. So haven't abandoned as of yet. Plus I have invested in a hardcopy, so I will think thrice before giving up.
Started The Opportunist in the evening, and this is the most promising of the lot. Though I dont much like YA romance, I am impressed by the author, who I know can write dark, gothic stuff. And my mind craves dark... and the beginning line was not at all disappointing ""I am Olivia Kaspen, and if I love something, I rip it from my life" . But it deals with post accidental amnesia - a subject which has been utmostly exploited and drained the juice of. Hence I am a bit apprehensive.
Waiting for a saviour book which will drag me within its pages, never to come out till I finish it.
Mod
These days I am not really interested in the books I read. I need a book to take me up by storm, and make me lose myself in it.
Currently reading The Opportunist - picked this up as I was impressed with Marrow, my first book by the same author, which was deliciously dark and spooky. This one, though started in a good way, soon deteriorated into romance and self centered egoistic teens. Am just plodding on with it as I want to find the truth behind one or two incidents.
Syl ʃʃ^.^ʃʃ wrote: "I need bibliotherapy to come out of my slump.These days I am not really interested in the books I read. I need a book to take me up by storm, and make me lose myself in it.
Currently reading [boo..."
I hate to be in a reading slump so I understand your feeling. It's terrible when we can't find a book that engages us. It seems that every book we pick up isn't good enough and sometimes I'm also afraid to start a new book because I have the feeling that it won't be the right one. But as soon as I find a good book, I forget about everything!
Mod
I am trying to counter it by going through book lists, and adding new books to read to my ever growing TBR. :P
Syl, recommend me a short but good book. I don't know what to read after Never Never. CoHo books are so overrated. I don't want to read a YA. Recommend me something good :P
Mod
Three Wishes
Come, Tell Me How You Live
The Quiet Riot of Robin Shute P.
The Adrian Mole Diaries
Just William
About a Boy
Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America
Mod
And none are romance.
Syl ʃʃ^.^ʃʃ wrote: "There are more, but I dont want to confuse you with too many books. These are quite different in their own ways.And none are romance."
Thanks! I will check all of them! :D
Mod
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I used to read under the blanket with torch at night - easy for mother to spot as otherwise I never used to cover myself with blanket.
And a very funny thing is that my mother is an M.A Eng. Lit, who stopped midway through PhD coz of getting marriage (the plight of girls in the 70's) and she was the one who used to read the least. She prefers newspapers, and an occasional philosophy, both of which I never touch.
My father is a Pediatrician, but a literature lover, and we were a bookclub of two. Nowadays his reading has come down as he needs books with big fonts, and I am forever on the lookout of a magnifying device for him.
My brother took after my mother - newspaper and sports magazines.
As I am not at work today, lots of time to reminisce and feel like writing it down before I forget again.