Indrani's reading adventures 2016

[Indrani]

That's all right. I think I am in the minority about this book. :)

[Indrani]

Currently actively reading

Midnight's Children
Love and Longing in Bombay
When the River Sleeps
The Weight Loss Club

Sporadically reading


Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation
The Name of the Rose

Hope to join in buddy reads for

The Picture of Dorian Gray
Beloved

Recently finished

Nirmala
The Man in the Brown Suit

Sadly not making a lot of progress in my popsugar challenge. While reading fantastically good Indian books and enjoying them thoroughly.

[Akanksha]

Why is The Name of the Rose so utterly difficult to read?! How far are you done?

[Ahtims]

Weight loss club in my radar. Just bought the ebook yesterday.

[Indrani]

Akanksha wrote: "Why is The Name of the Rose so utterly difficult to read?! How far are you done?"

I suppose the flow, the language - everything is different. Hope to be a bit more disciplined about it this time.

[Indrani]

Syl. A.k.a Topo di biblioteca wrote: "Weight loss club in my radar. Just bought the ebook yesterday."

Yes, it's a nice read. I am about 50% done.

[Girish, The Good cop]

I too checked your Ghachar Ghochar review (since it was 5 star for me too) :) A really nice review!

Felt maybe intentionally lesser 'depth' of characters because people are not so black and white in general. The transformation was so subtle that you did not see it coming.

[Indrani]

Girish wrote: "I too checked your Ghachar Ghochar review (since it was 5 star for me too) :) A really nice review!

Felt maybe intentionally lesser 'depth' of characters because people are not so black and white ..."

Yes.. I think you are right.. I was too emotionally involved when I wrote that review. :) I would read the book once more sometime...

[Indrani]

Need to do a summary to clear up my head about all that I am reading and want to read

Currently actively reading

The Name of the Rose
Love and Longing in Bombay
When the River Sleeps
Seriously... I'm Kidding

Sporadically reading

Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation

Want to start very soon

The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
A Christmas Carol
A Monster Calls
Neuromancer
The Alienist

Also nibbling from a few other books, as going through a minor reading slump. Need to get out of the blues soon.

[Gorab, TheGunman]

Get out of the blues?? Sure thing! Just hold this The Blue Umbrella ;)

[Gorab, TheGunman]

Good to see Ellen in your currently reading shelf. Will watch out for your review.

[Indrani]

Gorab wrote: "Get out of the blues?? Sure thing! Just hold this The Blue Umbrella ;)"

Yes. Drop the red rose and fly away holding the blue umbrella.. yes, sounds good..

[Indrani]

Gorab wrote: "Good to see Ellen in your currently reading shelf. Will watch out for your review."

Sure...

[Indrani]

Just finished -

The Name of the Rose - 4/5

While reading it was hard work, it was fairly rewarding too.

The Good Girl - 4/5

This was a fast read. Finished in a day while down with flu. It's pretty good but not in the mindblowing category.

Planning to focus on

The Alienist
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

[Ahtims]

Good ones.

[Indrani]

Just finished

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People - 5/5

Read this one, as was home today. Still recovering from a flu. I enjoyed this book thoroughly. A very sweet story based in Vizag. Loved the small town vibes. Loved the characters. Loved the positive outlook. While this is not a very deep book, it is very very enjoyable.

Tomorrow I will try to be virtuous and attempt one of the three tougher reads lined up for me.

[Rebecca]

Indrani wrote: "Just finished

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People - 5/5

Read this one, as was home today. Still recovering from a flu. I enjoyed this book thoroughly. A very sweet story based in ..."

I have that in my TBR. Will mark it for the days when I am in a reading slump.

[Indrani]

Rebecca wrote: "Indrani wrote: "Just finished

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People - 5/5

Read this one, as was home today. Still recovering from a flu. I enjoyed this book thoroughly. A very sweet..."

I am more and more surprised with just how many very enjoyable books are there by Indian English fiction writers.

[Rebecca]

True that.

[Ahtims]

That's because the good ones never promote their books.

[Indrani]

I am wondering if the publishing house could be an indicator of quality.

[Ahtims]

think so. Am quite vary of Green publications

[Girish, The Good cop]

Have had a couple of author friends who published decent books. They struggled with finding publishing houses..

Self publishing done by this online publisher called BeingShakespeare is good.. read couple of books which I later saw in Landmark

[Indrani]

Girish wrote: "Have had a couple of author friends who published decent books. They struggled with finding publishing houses..

Self publishing done by this online publisher called BeingShakespeare is good.. rea..."

Thanks Girish. Will look up BeingShakespeare.

[Indrani]

After a couple of light reads (romances), now time to organise my reading once more. I am so tempted to pick up so many books all the time.

Should finish shortly

The Picture of Dorian Gray
When the River Sleeps
Seriously... I'm Kidding

Want to read for popsugar challenge

Seriously... I'm Kidding
A Monster Calls
Neuromancer
A Christmas Carol

Indian reader BOTM

Neverwhere

Buddy Reads

Poirot Investigates
Dark Matter


Pick-it-for-me August

The Alienist

Library books

Girls of Riyadh
Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation

That list is an advertisement for gluttony.

[Ahtims]

Good luck :-)

from one glutton to another.

[Rebecca]

Indrani wrote: "After a couple of light reads (romances), now time to organise my reading once more. I am so tempted to pick up so many books all the time.

Should finish shortly

[book:The Picture of Dorian Gray|..."

What about Hitchhiker?

[Indrani]

Rebecca wrote: "Indrani wrote: "After a couple of light reads (romances), now time to organise my reading once more. I am so tempted to pick up so many books all the time.

Should finish shortly

[book:The Picture..."

Dropped Hitchhiker for now.

[Gorab, TheGunman]

Message 75! That's a BIG bunch! Kudos Indrani.

[Indrani]

Gorab wrote: "Message 75! That's a BIG bunch! Kudos Indrani."

Thanks... hope I don't get distracted in to even more reads..

[Indrani]

My current reads

Seriously... I'm Kidding (almost finished)
Gora (BR, pleasure read, slowly reading)

want to read next

Burial Rites (BR likely)
A Monster Calls (for challenge)
Neuromancer (for challenge)
A Christmas Carol (for challenge)
Poirot Investigates (doubtful)(for Christie carnage)
Dark Matter (BR)
The Alienist (pick-it-for-me)
The Luminaries (to move it from my CR list)

Girls of Riyadh (library book - dont know when)
Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation (library book, very thick, non-fiction - lets see)

[Rebecca]

That is some update

[Indrani]

Rebecca wrote: "That is some update"

I am actually reading only the first two now :)

[Ahtims]

Burial Rites is awesome.
Poirot Investigates - wont recommend it
Luminaries is good, but slow paced. I took a long time to finish.

[Indrani]

My current reads

Gora (BR, pleasure read, slowly reading)
Burial Rites (BR, just started)
A Christmas Carol (for challenge - started and lost interest. will finish)
Poirot Investigates (for Christie carnage - have read one story and wasn't impressed. I think this will be abandoned)

want to read next

Neuromancer (for challenge)
Dark Matter (BR)
The Alienist (pick-it-for-me)
The Luminaries (to move it from my CR list)

Girls of Riyadh
Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation

I am just dragging my feet with alienist. Will pick it up now. As almost half of August is over.

[Ahtims]

Phew! :P

[Indrani]

Gora - slow and steady progress happening. I am generally not good in reading slowly. Mostly once I plan to come back to a book, I dont. But for once, this slow reading is working brilliantly. Either because Tagore has filled the novel with debates and theories or (more likely) because of my brilliant buddies for this one - Gorab and Vikas.

The Alienist (pick-it-for-me) - this is the one I am reading now. Plan to finish it before starting anything new. I keep saying this but will say once more - so far liking it. Hope I am not jinxing myself.

A Christmas Carol- must finish for the challenge. I promise myself - soon.


Next ups
Neuromancer (for challenge)
Dark Matter(BR)
The Luminaries (to move it from my CR list)

Girls of Riyadh - don't know why I am shying away from this one. It should be a light read.
Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation - I know why I am shying away. :) It's not that it's difficult to read, just the size is daunting me. In a hard copy book, it is even more difficult to manage a nearly 3 inch thick book.

[Gorab, TheGunman]

For Gora, totally agree that the slow reading and discussions are making it more interesting :)

[Indrani]

I am going a bit haphazardly now.

Dark Matter - finished
The Alienist - finished

Gora - around 3/4th mark. enjoying hugely, so in no hurry here. Perhaps time to read/re-read more Tagore now.

Goat Days - was planning to read after heard the rave reviews from friends. Had some time yesterday, so finished this. A superb book. Mindblowing.

Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation - read few more pages. Very nice and informative. very well written too.

Demian / Siddartha - started on a whim.

Girls of Riyadh - most probably will go back to library unfinished. Does it happen to you when your own prejudices stand in the way of enjoying a book? For some reason, I can't latch on to this book. The translation is not very good. Also finding it difficult to empathise with the girls.

I agree to the girls' point that they are restricted way too much. But it's easy to empathise when someone wants to study or work rather than collecting guys' numbers en mass (these 4 girls manage to go to a mall without a male chaperone in a SUV. as soon as the guys realize that, there's a cavalcade of guys in bikes and cars around this car, guys recite their phone numbers (putting their heads inside the cars while driving a bike) for girls to take down, hold placards with phone number in their car windows, give out business cards). Well, this is a culture very very different from what I know and I should be sympathetic to their plights. but the incessant (well, read two chapters only) focus on fashion and beauty is paling big time. Here's the prejudice I was talking about. Maybe I have bought too much in to the good-girl thingy.

I would wait for me to be in a slightly better mood and give this another try.

[Girish, The Good cop]

Way to go! You almost seem like an assassin knocking off from the kill list :)

Seriously envy how structured you are able to manage so many parallel reads!

[Indrani]

I am not at all good in documenting reads (not surprising at all). I love marking a book complete in GR, as I find ticking counter fun.

Anyway, here is the list of books I would like to complete

1. Beloved - Apart from being a great book, this one is hanging around in my CR list for long now. This guest needs to leave soon after we have a satisfactory meet.

2. Tigana - A fantasy. A BR. A pleasure read. This will be happening with no effort.

3. ফার্স্ট পার্সন - A collection of magazine articles or perhaps editorials by the renowned late Bengali film director Rituparno Ghosh. I keep reading a few articles at a time. They are so good. Savouring this one. While the political ones were very good, just read one about his travel in a delayed Kingfisher flight and it was super cool.

4. Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation - again a very good book. each time I read it, I love it. Just because it is non-fiction, it is taking me a while. There is an inertia against picking it up. Anyway I need to focus and complete, especially because this is a library book.

5. Catch-22 - the pick-it-for-me for September. Also this is one of the few books I bought and left it unread for years. Really want to correct this situation.

6. Dojakhnama - No rush as this is waiting for the BR to start.

7. Lessons in Forgetting - this is a library book. As such there is no rush. But these days, I keep giving away a bunch of old books, each time they come to pick up the read library book. So just for free shelf space, I need to read this. The fact that I have heard very good things about the book, has almost become beside the point.

8. Em and The Big Hoom - Nothing. Just need to find the book.

9. Possession - want to read this as saw a whole BR group raving about it. Soon.

Well, this is it. I am sure I would get distracted a million times by the time I reach #8. Also I want to read more from my own TBR to reduce the size of that pile. I will also remove the books that don't seem too interesting any more. And I also know these resolutions are not worth the keystrokes being used to type them. I suppose it's just fun to plan and anticipate the reads. That's all.

[Ahtims]

Beloved in my TBR too
Enjoy, one of my favorites,
Catch 22 my Waterloo
Lessons in forgetting - title is interesting, shall,check it out asap

[Rebecca]

Are you reading Rituparna Ghosh in Bengali. ? is there an English translation. ? I loved Abita Nair's Mistress and Ladies Coupe but was disappointed by the third one I attempted forgot its name. Anyway have a hard copy of alphabet soup for lovers waiting for me.

[Gorab, TheGunman]

Your past couple of updates have been phenomenal! Really good to see that.

Indrani wrote: "I am sure I would get distracted a million times by the time I reach #8"
Can't help but give an unwanted suggestion here. Why not start with #8? :P Have just started it yesterday, haven't read much... and would love to read it with you.

Dojakhnama - We are going to BR it. Can't say much about the timeline. Probably during Nov-Dec this year? Or if you have plans starting it before that, I'll just jump in :)

[Indrani]

Rebecca wrote: "Are you reading Rituparna Ghosh in Bengali. ? is there an English translation. ? I loved Abita Nair's Mistress and Ladies Coupe but was disappointed by the third one I attempted forgot its name. An..."

Yes. I also have read Ladies Coupe and liked quite a bit. I also read her "cut like wound" a murder mystery and liked this one much more. Lets see how I find it.

Yes. Reading Rituparna Ghosh in Bengali. No, there's no English translation as far as I see. :(

[Indrani]

Gorab wrote: "Your past couple of updates have been phenomenal! Really good to see that.

Indrani wrote: "I am sure I would get distracted a million times by the time I reach #8"
Can't help but give an unwanted ..."

I don't have any concrete plans at all. Let's read it around Nov-Dec - no probs at all. I am sure we will BR other books before that.

[Girish, The Good cop]

I will egg you on on Catch -22 (you will need it). And Em and the Big Hoom is one of the best reads of this year.

Since I haven't read the rest, will wait for your recommendations. But 2 good books is a lot to ask for..

[Indrani]

Girish wrote: "I will egg you on on Catch -22 (you will need it). And Em and the Big Hoom is one of the best reads of this year.

Since I haven't read the rest, will wait for your recommendations. But 2 good book..."

I am going to pick up catch-22 next. Right now spellbound by Beloved. :)

[Indrani]

Indrani wrote: "Gorab wrote: "Your past couple of updates have been phenomenal! Really good to see that.

Indrani wrote: "I am sure I would get distracted a million times by the time I reach #8"
Can't help but giv..."

Gorab, my last reply was about Dojakhnama. Completely missed out your mention about Em and the big hoom. Let me try to find the book. Will ping you if I find it.

[Gorab, TheGunman]

Glad to BR Em with you :) Please do join in.