Indian Readers discussion
READING PROGRESS 2017
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Sharadha's 2017 & Beyond: Incessant Chatter of a Compulsive Bookworm
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Current read: One Part Woman (translated to English by Aniruddhan Vasudevan) by Perumal MuruganStill going strong with the last few chapters.
The story seems to have slowed down in certain parts, while moving forward in few others. Overall, the pace has drastically slacked since the time Sengottan, Pavatha, and Ardhanadeeshwara were discussed. My expectations from the novel were something else, however, I'll wait patiently for the end before proffering a review.
Mod
Hiiii!!! Our log threads have the same birthday :PWill try to keep up spamming whenever possible ;-)
Hey!!! Will lurk and spam and join when possible.
Immediate TBR (not in that order):1. One Part Woman by Perumal Murugan
2. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
3. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (also read-a-thon)
4. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (thanks for the reco, Inny, et al.)
5. Reserved for Weekend Read winner
6. And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Kru wrote: "Hiiii!!! Our log threads have the same birthday :PWill try to keep up spamming whenever possible ;-)"
Twinnies in a sense ;-) Most welcome to spam to your hearts content :D
Rebecca wrote: "Hey!!! Will lurk and spam and join when possible."Sure Resh :D Some of your book recos (esp. by Daphne du Maurier is in my TBR for later this year) :-)
Sharadha wrote: "Kru wrote: "Hiiii!!! Our log threads have the same birthday :PWill try to keep up spamming whenever possible ;-)"
Twinnies in a sense ;-) Most welcome to spam to your hearts content :D"
Yup! Twinnyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy *hugs*
Mod
Nice reading list you've got here.
Shalini wrote: "will peek in, Sharadha.Nice reading list you've got here."
Thanks, Col :D :D Just a matter of striking them out lol
Kru wrote: "Have you started The Handmaid's Tale?"Started, at about 1% and it's going bonkers :-( I'll have to mostly re-read it more times like you :(
Read somewhere that you have started liking the plot 5 chapters in?
Sharadha wrote: "Kru wrote: "Have you started The Handmaid's Tale?"Started, at about 1% and it's going bonkers :-( I'll have to mostly re-read it more times like you :(
Read somewhere that you have started liki..."
Yes. It gets better around 50% of Chapter 3. More information after that. The terms are just thrown in and only as we proceed to the consecutive chapters it makes sense.
Kru wrote: "Yes. It gets better around 50% of Chapter 3. More information after that. The terms are just thrown in and only as we proceed to the consecutive chapters it makes sense. "Oh, good to know Kru :-)
Hi, Sharadha! Going to frequent this space☺
Akanksha wrote: "Hi, Sharadha! Going to frequent this space☺"Thanks, Aka <3
dely wrote: "Happy reading journey!"Thanks dely :-)
Sharadha wrote: "Immediate TBR (not in that order):1. One Part Woman by Perumal Murugan
2. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
3. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (also read-a-thon)
4. Neverwhere by..."
2. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - 10% in and enjoying the shift in genre!
Happy reading! Will be lurking often :)
Naveen wrote: "Happy reading! Will be lurking often :)"Most welcome, Naveen :-)
Currently Reading: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret AtwoodOn chapter seven and the story so far has been OK (aye, demoted from good).
The writing, however, is close to abysmal - Atwood has used commas in her sentences rather generously and that tends to disrupt my reading flow. Look at the below example:
Inside it you can see paintings, of women in long sombre dresses, their hair covered by white caps, and of upright men, darkly clothed and unsmiling. - Chapter 6
There are so many more instances that I am marking as I read. These exemplify poorly formed sentences, at least for me. It may also be me being pedantic, but such continued tone of voice definitely is a stars-slasher move for me. There deeper I dive into chapters the more impeding these darn commas are proving to be.
Mod
I pledge to not only lurk but also do a lot more BRs keeping an eye on your intended reads.
Cheers and happy reading!
Gorab wrote: "Hurray! One more reading log :)I pledge to not only lurk but also do a lot more BRs keeping an eye on your intended reads.
Cheers and happy reading!"
Yes yes, more BRs to come :D
Reading Progress:2. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
4. Norwegian Woods by (BR with Harry, Kru, Ineyaa from 15th)
5. Reserved for Weekend Read winner
6. And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
7. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (thanks for the reco, Inny, et al.)
Currently Reading: Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Will DNF it if the writing doesn't improve! I don't care if the plot is superlative or you-don't-know-what-you're-missing good, but this kind of writing not only distracts me but also pisses me off! Especially after reading The Shadow of The Wind, Handmaid just gets demoted to 1-star so far.
Mod
Gorab wrote: "Norwegian woods! Will surely join if I can knock off a couple of current reads. Else will have to just spectate with a drooling tongue :|"Do join in if possible, G.
DNFed Handmaid's *facepalm* - reviewed.One more down on the list, going to continue with Treasure Hunt (recommended by Indrani) as a part of translated mysteries read-a-thon, short read, translated from Italian to English. I should able to finish it in time for Norwegian Woods or Weekend Read winner, whichever comes first.
Reading Progress:2.
4. Norwegian Woods by (BR with Harry, Kru, Ineyaa from 15th)
5. Reserved for Weekend Read winner
6. And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
7. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (thanks for the reco, Inny, et al.)
4. White Nights by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
5. Norwegian Woods by (BR with Harry, Kru, Ineyaa from 15th)
6. And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
7. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (thanks for the reco, Inny, et al.)
Will tackle 4, 5, 6 together as part of weekend, buddy, and individual reads respectively.
Finished Reading: Treasure Hunt by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen SartarelliMild Spoilers
1. Pros:
- Enjoyed the Italian setting, especially the food (have always been a fan of Italian cuisine) and, to be fair, Montalbano does gorge often on salivation-worthy dishes.
- Secondly, I liked the idea of burying clues ingeniously in poems - they were the bits that I cherished in the text more than the mystery itself.
- The humour, literally salvaged the slow pace in the middle few chapters. My first time reading a mystery with humour, a great experience at that.
- The supporting characters, particularly Catarella, Ingrid, and Fazio were well-developed. They proved to be a solid support system to Montalbano. There is a mention of a Ms. Rachele who must've been Montalbano's prominent love interest in the past (this is the 16th book in the series), and there's also less focus on the relationship with his current love interest, Livia. I may have to back way up and excavate some history.
Cons:
- Pace slump in the middle few chapters where I couldn't muster interest, until the events found relevance toward the end, could've been edited better.
- Detested Livia with a vengeance.
- The ending: Main culprit's attitude is laughable, considering how fiendish he is portrayed to be in the earlier chapters (view spoiler), the only respite being that the author refrained from dragging it (there was scope, a whole 12 pages short of 300), pace also picked up here so bonus points.
Upcoming Reads: Will start with And The Mountains Echoed before White Nights and Marukami BR.
Progress: Finished White Nights and And the Mountains Echoed. Now onto Murakami.Reading list:
6. Norwegian Woods by Haruki Murakami (BR with Harry, Kru, Ineyaa from 15th)
Upcoming reads (in the next couple of weeks)7. Flashback by Michael Palmer
8. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (friendship read-a-thon)
9. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (waiting for my never-arriving paperback *sigh*)
Sharadha wrote: "Upcoming reads (in the next couple of weeks)7. Flashback by Michael Palmer
8. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (friendship read-a-thon)
9. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (waiting for my never-arriving p..."
I've read all of the above and then strayed a bit into non-fiction (Heavier Than Heaven by Charles R. Cross). After a mini hiatus, I returned to reading my first women's fiction novel of the year with The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain. An overall heart-warming mystery with good family drama, motherhood, and friendship. My review here.
I'm currently reading Malice and American Gods (BR with Akanksha) simultaneously. I have been able to procure an audiobook for the latter where, supposedly, Gaiman has narrated sections of the book. Auidobook has definitely improved my pace of trying to finish it.
Next few books on my list are (in no particular order):
~ The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
~ A Pale View of the Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro (also audiobook)
~ Goodnight, Beautiful by Dorothy Koomson
Phew, that was a rather longgggggg hiatus (even from this thread haha). Need to up my logging skills.
Mod
Sharadha wrote: "Sharadha wrote: "Upcoming reads (in the next couple of weeks)7. Flashback by Michael Palmer
8. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (friendship read-a-thon)
9. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (waiting for my..."
Long time Sharadha <3
I have read and loved both The Remains of the Day and A Pale View of the Hills
Hope you like them too
Gorab wrote: "Willing to join for any of Kazuo Ishiguro which you read in 2018. Have read only "Never Let me Go" and was quite impressive!"Sure, G, I'll ping you when I'm going to start either of them. I'll probably start with Pale View of the Hills as it's the smaller of the two and his debut (I think) so that'll help me decide if I like him. Then get on to Remains.
Kru wrote: "Long time Sharadha <3I have read and loved both The Remains of the Day and A Pale View of the Hills
Hope you like them too"
Yay, that sounds encouraging, Kru <3
Completed Malice, a lukewarm mystery gone awry. 2.5 stars and reviewed.Now onto Never Let You Go and American Gods on the side. Pitching in another light read here in Goodnight, Beautiful.
I'll also start A Pale View of Hills with Gorab (if he joins) around mid-month.
Indian Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
Malice (other topics)Never Let You Go (other topics)
Goodnight, Beautiful (other topics)
A Pale View of Hills (other topics)
Norwegian Wood (other topics)
More...
Lurkers more than welcome and appreciated, and recommendations are my go-to source to add books to my TBR, so please keep 'em coming. I realise that this activity was long due, so you can imagine the power of my procrastination.
I'll also keep track of the miscellaneous challenges that I enter (and endeavour to complete, but don't really, most of the times). Other enjoyable ramblings (largely about my love for Classics) and articles shall also feature.
Thanks for visiting :-)