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READING PROGRESS 2018
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dely's books and challenges 2018
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49)
L'arte di ricominciare by Fabio Rosini 4,5No English edition. This book has been written by a priest and it talks about how to see our life from another point of view, that of the Genesis. It's a flowing and interesting read.
Only Italian review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- religion
- wishlist
Books for my challenges till now:
religion: 15 (but one I read twice)
novel-cure: 6
IR: 7
wishlist: 13
far and wide through India: 4 (2 Maharashtra / 1 Himachal Pradesh / 1 with a fictional setting)
Mod
Which books are you lining up for Far and wide through India challenge?
Girish wrote: "Great going on the challenges so far! Which books are you lining up for Far and wide through India challenge?"
Thanks!
I don't know. I will read what I find on the way. I'm not good organizing my reads. A couple of weeks ago, for ex, I've heard from different sources about interesting books and I bought all the 6 books I heard about, though they are new and I didn't plan to read them.
And it is also always more difficult to find books set in the states I still have to visit through books. In the Italian translations I find usually always the same settings :/ I should read in English, but then it's difficult to find and buy these books because they aren't available on sites from which I can buy.
Mod
Aside we actually can buy kindle versions from Amazon US site. Do you shop on Amazon.in site as well?
Girish wrote: "A very practical problem indeed! Which all states are remaining? Aside we actually can buy kindle versions from Amazon US site. Do you shop on Amazon.in site as well?"
There are a lot I still have to "visit": Uttarakhand, Tripura, Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
Sadly I can't buy from Amazon India, US other countries. I can buy only from Amazon Italy and sometimes other European countries.
dely wrote: Sadly I can't buy from Amazon India, US other countries. I can buy only from Amazon Italy and sometimes other European countries. ."You can call Amazon Help and change your country setting on the Kindle. That will allow you to purchase books on Amazon.in
Jess wrote: "dely wrote: Sadly I can't buy from Amazon India, US other countries. I can buy only from Amazon Italy and sometimes other European countries. ."You can call Amazon Help and change your country se..."
Thank you! I called and they told me that I can change the setting on the Kindle only to US. Maybe there I can find more ebooks by Indian authors that aren't available on amazon Italy. I didn't know it was possible. Now, before doing the switch, I have to check if there are ebooks that I want to read. Sadly they told me again that there is no way I can buy from amazon India or to switch country to India.
50)
E Marx tacque nel giardino di Darwin by Ilona JergerNo English edition. It's a kind of fictionalized "biography" about Darwin and Marx. In the storyline they are already old and ill and both live in London. From the book blurb I thought that they would meet and talk about their theories, but in the book there is only a short meeting and they don't talk a lot. There is also much more about Darwin and less about Marx.
Not a bad book but also nothing special.
Only Italian review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
Gorab wrote: "the concept looks interesting. mixing 2 biographies and fictionalizing it. Congrats for your 50th book this year :)"Yes, in fact I bought it for that reason! In the blurb there was also written that they would talk also about the topic: is there a place for God in our theories? But there is only a little bit about Darwin thinking about it.
Thanks! I wasn't sure I would be able to read so much this year, so I kept my challenge pretty low.
51)
Curarsi con i libri: Rimedi letterari per ogni malanno 2*English edition: The Novel Cure: From Abandonment to Zestlessness: 751 Books to Cure What Ails You by Ella Berthoud
Finally, after 4 years, I managed to finish this book! It deserves only 2* because it was really too long though here and there it was funny. But I have to say that I could find interesting authors and books or I decided to read books that were since a long time in my "wishlist".
I have finished the book but not my challenge to read all the books listed in my review, those that should "heal" me.
Only Italian review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Update OctoberI've read 5 books this month and they are nearly all new books I didn't plan to read or that weren't in my wishlist. But I had some good discounts in bookstores so I decided to buy and read them.
Most important, I have finally finished after 4 years the book I use for my Novel-Cure-Challenge: The Novel Cure: From Abandonment to Zestlessness: 751 Books to Cure What Ails You. I have finished the book but not my challenge because there are still a few books I have to read. I don't think it will be easy because a lot are out of print or not easily available.
Best book of the month: L'arte di ricominciare
Books for my challenges till now:
religion: 15 (but one I read twice)
novel-cure: 6
IR: 7
wishlist: 13
far and wide through India: 4 (2 Maharashtra / 1 Himachal Pradesh / 1 with a fictional setting)
And this month I joined an Italian group where we will do a challenge "around the world" with countries that are picked up randomly. Let's see if I will be able to finish this challenge though it will last till the end of next year.
52)
Il catalogo delle donne valorose by Serena Dandini 5*No English edition. In this book there are 34 biographies about heroic and courageous women from all over the world that fought for civil rights (woman rights, LGBT, rights for black people, etc) but also to lead a life following their passions and dreams in times when a woman had only to shut up and deliver children.
There are a lot of women I had never heard of and their self-will, stubbornness and courage are really admirable and praiseworthy.
An interesting book everyone should read.
Only Italian review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
53)
Uomini e topi 4*English edition: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Short but powerful.
Very very short (just a couple of sentences) review in English: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
54)
La preghiera del cuore 3*English edition: Prayer of the Heart by Jean Lafrance
This is one of those short books that takes you ages to finish because deep and/or difficult.
Well, it took me some time to finish it and I've learned that there doesn't exist a way to learn praying. It seems easy, but it isn't easy at all. Usually we pray with the lips or with the mind, but the place of the prayers is the heart. It isn't as easy as it seems.
- religion
Books for my challenges till now:
religion: 16 (but one I read twice)
novel-cure: 6
IR: 7
wishlist: 13
far and wide through India: 4 (2 Maharashtra / 1 Himachal Pradesh / 1 with a fictional setting)
55)
La cucina color zafferano 2*English edition: The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther
What a waste of time. Badly written, several non-sense details, there's no real story, don't understand the purpose of this book because I wasn't able to understand the real topic of the book.
Only Italian review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
56)
La vita e i giorni: Sulla vecchiaia by Enzo Bianchi 3*No English edition. It's a non-ficition about old age, how things change and how a person should change without sadness when he starts getting older. It's however a part of life that has to be lived, but a person has to accept old age and its problems and live accordingly. So we have to accept some pains here and there, that we could have hearing and sight problems, etc. There are a lot of elderly people that don't accept old age, so they do surgeries to remove wrinkles as if appearing young is the most important thing in life.
There's also written about the difference between old people who live now in a city and old people that once lived in the country, where they were in the family till the end. Now usually relatives don't have time for elderly people and put them in a hospice or call a caregiver that looks for them. There's written that the most difficult part in the old age is loneliness and that no one wants to listen to elderly people talking.
It was an interesting read.
Only very short Italian "review": https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
dely wrote: "56) La vita e i giorni: Sulla vecchiaia by Enzo Bianchi 3*No English edition. It's a non-ficition about ol..."
It is such a serious n important topic for debate . Old age homes is not a very kind solution , but joint families have their own problems . If we could have families maintaining close relationships , but not exactly being joint , if we could look after our young with a responsibility , n they be there when our old age arrives , if there could be an attitude of tolerance n understanding where adult children r concerned , maybe together the problems maybe solved
Savita wrote: "dely wrote: "56) La vita e i giorni: Sulla vecchiaia by Enzo Bianchi 3*No English edition. It's a non-fici..."
Yes, I never really thought about it till I've read this book, but maybe because my parents are still self-sufficient and I'm still too young to think what will happen with me once old.
I think it is something everyone has to think about, both old and young, and maybe also talk about it before that time arrives when parents aren't anymore self-sufficient.
57)
Amatissima 1*English edition: Beloved by Toni Morrison
Since the first pages I had problems with this book, but at the end I decided to go on and finish it. By sure It is the worst book of this year and most likely one of the worst books ever read. I'm sorry for who loved this book (and there are a lot) but it didn't work for me, not at all. If there are two afterwords to explain the book, then I think the author didn't do a good job. In my opinion a reader has to understand what he is reading. Of course I understood the main topic (I'm not that ignorant), but the writing style, the allegories, the metaphors, etc. there were too many and so it wasn't a flowing and comprehensible read. And then the "trick" to talk about things that haven't been eplained yet (most likely to make the reader curious), as if the reader should know about them, made me so angry because I had to wait till they were explained. No, this is a writing that doesn't work for me. Reading must be a pleasure, not a struggle among allegories, metaphors, and jumping from past to present or viceversa.
Only Italian review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- wishlist
Books for my challenges till now:
religion: 16 (but one I read twice)
novel-cure: 6
IR: 7
wishlist: 14
far and wide through India: 4 (2 Maharashtra / 1 Himachal Pradesh / 1 with a fictional setting)
dely wrote: "57) Amatissima 1*English edition: Beloved by Toni Morrison
Since the first pages I had problems with this book, but at t..."
Dely , I haven't read this book , but in general I do agree that if the author's language is too complicated , the reader gets put off . A good story , a beautiful message , can be given by an artistic arrangement of powerful words , without losing the reader because of unfathomable sentences , which may impress but leave the reader in a labyrinth . Already life is a labyrinth !
Savita wrote: "Dely , I haven't read this book , but in general I do agree that if the author's language is too complicated , the reader gets put off . A good story , a beautiful message , can be given by an artistic arrangement of powerful words , without losing the reader because of unfathomable sentences , which may impress but leave the reader in a labyrinth . Already life is a labyrinth ! "Yes, the author has been too pretentious and there were really too many metaphors and allegories to understand what she wanted to say. Of course the main topic is clear (slavery and how strong and deep the love of a mother can be), but all the rest around this is too foggy.
58)
Il mio amico Padre Pio: Diario di Trent'anni vissuti accanto al padre di Pietrelcina by Giovanni Siena 3*No English edition. It's a kind of biography about Padre Pio.
Only Italian review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- religion
Update November7 books read this month and best book of the month is: Il catalogo delle donne valorose.
There is also a new most hated book: Beloved by Toni Morrison
I've read 2 books for my religion challenge. The others have been new bought books.
Books for my challenges till now:
religion: 17 (but one I read twice)
novel-cure: 6
IR: 7
wishlist: 14
far and wide through India: 4 (2 Maharashtra / 1 Himachal Pradesh / 1 with a fictional setting)
Mod
Girish wrote: "Most hated book is savage comment coming from a book lover."I really hated it. It doesn't happen often with books. There are books that we don't like and then other books that are a real torture. Since the first pages I've seen that this book wasn't for me and I should have stopped. But seen that everyone is raving about it, I decided to go on hoping it would become better. At the end, trust me, I really hated the book. I know, not very nice from me, but I think that in all my life as a reader there are only 3 books or so I really hated reading (this because usually I give up before I start hating it).
dely wrote: "Girish wrote: "Most hated book is savage comment coming from a book lover."I really hated it. It doesn't happen often with books. There are books that we don't like and then other books that are ..."
Maybe , Dely , you could add one or two points as to why you didn't like the book at all . Did you have a difference of opinion with the author , or was the language objectionable , or was it something else ?
Savita wrote: "dely wrote: "Girish wrote: "Most hated book is savage comment coming from a book lover."I really hated it. It doesn't happen often with books. There are books that we don't like and then other bo..."
I wrote pretty everything in message 172: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
There are too many metaphors and allegories that don't add anything to the story. The author wanted to talk about slavery in the US and how far the love of a mother can go. So the topic was interesting. There was really no need to add useless metaphors to complicate the reading experience. She uses also too many tautologies, another rhetorical figure that was totally useless. Some are ok, of course, but there were really too many of all of them.
Then I also didn't like that she talked about things that didn't happen as if the reader should know about it. Because of this I had to read some chapters twice to see if I missed something. This drived me nuts!
dely wrote: "Savita wrote: "dely wrote: "Girish wrote: "Most hated book is savage comment coming from a book lover."I really hated it. It doesn't happen often with books. There are books that we don't like an..."
Sorry , Dely , I didn't realize that the comment was for the same book ! Actually , the theme seems to be nice , but reading is too strenuous .
I wonder if you've read Gone With The Wind ( brief idea of the American civil war makes it more enjoyable ) , The Citadel ( A J Cronin ) , Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte . Good books , you'll enjoy
Mod
I really hated it. It doesn't happen often with books. There are books that we don't like an..."
Ouch! Sounds pretty painful. I've had a few books that I felt really sorry for the author. That's when I stopped reading newbie books.
Though, of course I did hate a few 'mysteries' from accomplished authors where the only mystery was how did anyone publish it!
Savita wrote: "Sorry , Dely , I didn't realize that the comment was for the same book ! Actually , the theme seems to be nice , but reading is too strenuous . I wonder if you've read Gone With The Wind ( brief idea of the American civil war makes it more enjoyable ) , The Citadel ( A J Cronin ) , Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte . Good books , you'll enjoy"
Lol, don't worry! :D
About the books you recommend, I have to admit that I don't read a lot of American literature or books set in the US. As usual, with the little time we have, we have to make choices and through books I prefer to travel in Asia or in Europe (also because I think that history of these places are much more interesting. Of course I hope no one gets offended because of this!).
Girish wrote: "Though, of course I did hate a few 'mysteries' from accomplished authors where the only mystery was how did anyone publish it!"Hahaha :D
I have to learn to stop as soon as I see that a book doesn't work for me. Usually I do this, but it is more difficult with books that everyone likes because I think that maybe it gets better and at the end I will like it.
Some books are so bad that in me there is a masochistic "click" and I have to see how bad an author can write and how many stupid things he/she is able to write, so I continue reading till the end.
59)
In viaggio con Erodoto 3*English edition: Travels with Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuściński.
It was interesting though not exactly what I imagined, but this doesn't mean that I liked it less. I thought the author, a reporter, would talk above all about this travels. He talks how his job as a reporter started but the main topic are the travels of Herodotus 2000 years earlier, and how the job of the historian started. So it was one quarter about Kapuscinski's first travels and his first impressions of these countries (there is no deep insight in the politics of the countries he goes to) and three quarters about Herodotus and his history telling about the Persians and Greek.
It was very interesting: now I want to read other books by Kapuscinski but also The Histories by Herodotus.
Short Italian review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
60)
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 3,5No need to add the English edition!
Though I love Russian literature, I was never interested to read Anna Karenina. I don't know why. Well, I decided to read it for a challenge in another group. I liked it, but it is the one I liked the less of Tolstoy's books.
Only Italian review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Update DecemberThis month I've read only 2 books but one had over 800 pages. Both have a rating of 3 stars so I really don't know which could be the best book of the month. I'm glad to have read both these books and I don't know if I will manage to read more books till the end of the year.
Books for my challenges till now:
religion: 17 (but one I read twice)
novel-cure: 6
IR: 7
wishlist: 14
far and wide through India: 4 (2 Maharashtra / 1 Himachal Pradesh / 1 with a fictional setting)
Update of the Year 2018My year in books: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_i...
My reading challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challe...
Best book of the year:
The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary: From the Visions of Ven. Anne Catherine Emmerich and
Più forti dell'odio (no English edition)
I've read 61 books.
I've read 16,355 pages.
Shortest book, 20 pages: The Boundary by Jhumpa Lahiri.
Longest book, 840 pages: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
All in all I'm satisfied with my reading year, but I have the feeling that when I read less, I could remember better what I had read. I mean the content of the book and details of the book. I don't know if this depends on the number of books read, or by me getting older and having a less good memory.
I'm also satisfied with my challenges. Next year I will continue with them (India and Novel Cure) and I will add also a new challenge with books set in each state of Africa.
And about my wishlist: I started the year with 560 books on this shelf and despite I've read 14 books listed there, I end the year with 632 books :-(
Mod
Girish wrote: "Congratulations on a great reading year Dely!"Thank you! Let's hope next year will be even better :D
dely wrote: "Update of the Year 2018My year in books: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_i...
My reading challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challe...
Best book of the year..."
Congratulations , dely ! Regarding the quantity , I think you are right - the quantity should not be such that the quality gets sacrificed ( and , dely , I am very sure you don't have any memory problem !! 😊 ) . Good books generally do have something useful to say about life , or just a beautiful description which stays on in the mind . Hurried reading may miss what the author is trying to say .
Savita wrote: "Congratulations , dely ! Regarding the quantity , I think you are right - the quantity should not be such that the quality gets sacrificed ( and , dely , I am very sure you don't have any memory problem !! 😊 ) . Good books generally do have something useful to say about life , or just a beautiful description which stays on in the mind . Hurried reading may miss what the author is trying to say . "For next year I will try to read more slowly. I think that respect to the past I have also less patience with difficult or complicated books. Or I get into them, or I give up. Well, not always, but often. I've seen it also now reading Anna Karenina: some long parts dedicated to peasantry and their laws were so boring that I read through them very fast. In the past I would have also checked online to find more informations to know more about the topic!
dely wrote: "Savita wrote: "Congratulations , dely ! Regarding the quantity , I think you are right - the quantity should not be such that the quality gets sacrificed ( and , dely , I am very sure you don't hav..."Everyone has their own reading preferences , dely , undoubtedly . I hope , however , you appreciated the difference in the course of events that occur in Anna Karenina's life , compared to those in Kitty's . Life does require us to conduct ourselves with some discipline and etiquette , and I think L . Tolstoy illustrated this issue very well , through the lives of Anna and Kitty .
Savita wrote: "Everyone has their own reading preferences , dely , undoubtedly . I hope , however , you appreciated the difference in the course of events that occur in Anna Karenina's life , compared to those in Kitty's . Life does require us to conduct ourselves with some discipline and etiquette , and I think L . Tolstoy illustrated this issue very well , through the lives of Anna and Kitty ."I've seen much more the difference of life between Anna and Levin. I think Tolstoy used these two characters to show two different ways of life, but I could be wrong.
61)
Lasciami andare, madre 4*English edition: Let Me Go by Helga Schneider
I managed to read another book before the end of the year! :D
This was pretty short but really very very tough because of the content. It is an autobiographical WWII memoir.
At the bottom my short English review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
dely wrote: "Savita wrote: "Everyone has their own reading preferences , dely , undoubtedly . I hope , however , you appreciated the difference in the course of events that occur in Anna Karenina's life , compa..."I think , dely , ultimately we both mean the same thing . You're referring to two characters in the novel , while I am referring to two situations wherein the lives of five people are involved , their respective characters determining the course of events narrated . In trying to avoid spoilers , I think I've made the explanation quite complicated !! Hope you'll get my meaning !😊
Savita wrote: "dely wrote: "Savita wrote: "Everyone has their own reading preferences , dely , undoubtedly . I hope , however , you appreciated the difference in the course of events that occur in Anna Karenina's..."Yes, it could be :D I liked Anna Karenina and usually I like Tolstoy's books, except long descriptions that are too slow and boring for me. In War And Peace I had a hard time with the descriptions of the battles, and in Anna Karenina I had some problems to the parts dedicated to peasantry. They were interesting, but too long for my tastes. But I liked the whole part dedicated to the characters, their lives, their behaving, emotions and psychology.
dely wrote: "Savita wrote: "dely wrote: "Savita wrote: "Everyone has their own reading preferences , dely , undoubtedly . I hope , however , you appreciated the difference in the course of events that occur in ..."I , too , avoid reading war scenes , dely . I have not read War and Peace as yet , but I'll do so some day .
Indian Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
Lasciami andare, madre (other topics)Let Me Go (other topics)
Anna Karenina (other topics)
The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary: From the Visions of Ven. Anne Catherine Emmerich (other topics)
Più forti dell'odio (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Helga Schneider (other topics)Leo Tolstoy (other topics)
Jhumpa Lahiri (other topics)
Leo Tolstoy (other topics)
Ryszard Kapuściński (other topics)
More...
No English edition. It talks about the years when Italians emigrated to Switzerland for seasonal jobs and they weren't allowed by the Swiss law to bring with them their children (and it was this way till 1996). These children had to live hidden in attics or basements and weren't allowed to go out or to be noisy, otherwise they would have been caught and sent in orphanages. Very interesting topic because nearly no one knows about it.
Only Italian review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- wishlist