Indian Readers discussion

Again my goal ( which is not a steadfast or strict one) is to read atleast 100 books this year. I changed the title from Literathon to Bookathon as unfortunately, I haven't read much literature books last year, and by the look of it, may devout more time to thrillers and suchlike this year too.
I started with Catalyst today, and there are a couple of slow books I am reading side by side as well

I think you should go extra mile Col.. 150+.. :)

but then I may compromise quality with quantity :)

In January, I am committed to read the following:
1. Storm Front - Jim Butcher (Fantasy challenge)
2. A Taste for Death - P D James (Book Club)
3. Three men in a boat - Jerome K Jerome (Book Club - and a much awaited reread)
4. A Fatal Grace - Louise Penny (mystery authors reading challenge)
Currently reading and enjoying Catalyst

Good Luck Smitha! I am still trying to decide if I should start a thread or not. Last year, I abandoned mine halfway, which is quite typical of me. I wanted to read 100 books, but only read 40 :(. I hope I'll read more this year.

Good luck Smitha. I can't comment on the numbers for myself but I decided to read more fiction and classics especially this year.

thanks and good luck to you both too, Harsha and Rosun

I want to finish Keys to the Demon Prison
Keys to the Demon Prison
Artemis Fowl
and some more fantasy series

-3/5
Initially promising start petered off into a just-so story, maybe due to the loads and loads of incidents occurring in the last few pages, which sort of undermined the main issue. Kate is an above average motherless student, with a priest for a father and an allergic, asthmatic younger brother. She has applied to the MIT and is eagerly awaiting their response. Each day increases her palpitations, as unknown to others, she has applied to one institute only, at the time almost being sure of her abilities . An added attraction is that this is where her dead mother had studied.

2. -4/5
I loved this book due to the following facts: I love reading about foreign culture, especially oriental and African, I like books which teach me psychology and philosophy in a roundabout way, I love to travel to exotic foreign places and get to know the local history and life style(via book, of course) and I love to read other book excerpts (though in this case, the excerpts were from a fictional book – which I came to realize only after I read the author’s notes at the end) and I love spunky women. This story deals with 3 generations of women – a Japanese lady who emigrated to America after marrying an Irish American naval officer after the second world war, her daughter and granddaughter. All three women are strong, resilient, and different yet, same as each other. Though the men in their lives are peripheral, they too come out as reckonable characters. On the whole quite enjoyable.

Three men in a boat had been in my to-read for long.

I loved it a lot the first time round, but this time somehow found it insipid.

3. -3/5
Am glad to discover another cozy mystery author. Overall, an engaging plot, though the last 1/4th was slow paced and dragging. I would have given this book 4 stars based on the middle half, but then the beginning and end weren't too dazzling. CC, an abrasive, ruthless woman is electrocuted in front of almost the whole village of Three Pines one winter morning near Christmas, while she was watching a Curling match. The suspicion falls on the whole village as she was disliked by all, with due reasons. Her passive husband and overweight recluse of a teenage daughter too are not above suspicion. And how are the three old dames of the village connected to her? Chief Armand Gamache and his team have a lot of questions to answer and a lot of secrets to eke out.

4. -3/5
I originally bought it for my son, but then on skimming through it found it inappropriate for a 7 year old and ended up reading it myself. The cartoons are cute, other than that there isn't anything much to hold your interest. But then I like books about preteens and teens - these help me to understand a bit about what kids are doing or thinking nowadays. This was a quick and easy read - finished the book in a couple of hours. I understand that there are 3 more books in this series, but am not in a mood to read those yet.(Sept 2010)

Reread it just to refresh my memory,(Jan 2013)so that I can read the whole series, as I find that my son has become an avid fan of Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, Goosebumps etc. He has read the whole series of Wimpy kid at least 5 or 6 times, laughing hysterically all the time. I don;t remember finding it that funny - so this second attempt to explore any hidden mirth.

5. -3/5
A romance/chicklit after a long time. I enjoyed reading the book, though it was quite long for a book of the genre. The story revolves around a 'fat girl' trying to lose her weight and having lots of inferiority issues in the meanwhile. I loved reading about the ways she tries to lose her weight, and about her determination (as I too am forced to 'actively' maintain my current trimness and fitness - how I envy those naturally slim ones), other than that the story line and emotions were too cheesy and too predictable. I liked the heroine, Neve and the hero Max, all their friends as well as enemies (all the characters had cute quirks) and enjoyed reading about them. There were steamy sex scenes and cheesy senitments, which I am not a huge fan of. On the whole, the book would have been much better if the sex, as well as rantings and ravings were cut down and it was made up into a compact 200 paged one rather than the sprawling 555 paged tome.

6.Dangerous Games -4/5
Enjoyed the audio version of this thriller almost exclusively during my evening jogs and walks and was much impressed. This is my first book by M Prescott and it was a roller coaster. A taut plot with female protagonists, a sociopathic killer with an accomplice who is revealed only towards the last and the sparring between the female FBI agent and the female detective, mostly at loggerheads with each other with interference by the headstrong lady they both are trying to save was interesting. I came to know a lot about the LA underground drainage system, spent many an anxious moment in it (via mind travel) and just enjoyed the adrenaline - from fear as well as from jogging. I would definitely read more of Prescott

i'm yet to read anything of Michael Prescott. This looks like a good book to start

if you are a psycho/other crime thriller fan, there's a good chance that you'll find it enjoyable.

Smitha wrote: "if you are a psycho/other crime thriller fan, there's a good chance that you'll find it enjoyable."

LOL.. First I read it as "If you are a psycho u ll find it enjoyable".. :P

Smitha wrote: "2. -4/5
I loved this book due to the following facts: I love reading about foreign culture, especially oriental and African, I like books which te..."


Reminds me of a similar story in
The Joy Luck Club

Anbu wrote: "Smitha wrote: "if you are a psycho/other crime thriller fan, there's a good chance that you'll find it enjoyable."

LOL.. First I read it as "If you are a psycho u ll find it enjoyable".. :P "

:D

LOL, Anbu...
I have read the Joy Luck Club, too. Its different, though the central theme is the same.

7. -3/5
An unusual set of anthologies. It was totally different from the stuff I usually read. Can't say I liked it much as almost all stories were powerful, though sombre, depressing and dealt with loss of one kind or the other. The stories are set in Nigeria as well as the US of A and mostly deal with aftermaths of war, death and loss of loved ones. Would recommend it to those who love reading about sad, thought provoking stuff and about Africa and local customs. One thing I noticed was, most endings left something for the reader to speculate upon.

8. -4/5
it was a thrillin' thriller. Remember having read this book many years ago, but when I started again, there was not even a vestige of memory. Thoroughly enjoyed the initial 3/4 of the book, last 50 pages were not that good, as is usual in my case whenever I read a mystery/thriller. The tension builds up, builds up and then goes flat. This is the first of the Alex Delaware series. Alex is a 32 year old jaded child psychologist who is in a deep funk and has retired to enjoy a life of solitude, when his detective friend Milo drags him into a case involving murder of a psychiatrist and his current girl friend, the perps of which were supposedly witnessed by a seven year old girl, who's not divulging anything. His role is to psychoanalyse and hypnotize the girl and get to the bottom of the truth. He starts reluctantly but is soon pulled into the cycle of events, and finally almost single handedly solves the case. There are surprising twists towards the end. All in all a very good book, but not for the faint hearted as it involves brutality towards children.

9. -4/5
Loved it better than the first. Maybe I am getting more involved with Greg and his circle. I even had laugh out loud moments with this book, especially the last cartoon which involves a 'mammoth' science experiment carried out by Rodrick and Greg. Manny the youngest, is quite a cute, though precocious kid. I am waiting to read the rest of the series. Finally, my son has succeeded in converting me to a Wimpy Kid fan. We have ordered all the books in the series, including the Movie tie in and Do it yourself book and are eagerly awaiting those.

Did I tell you I am a fan of you? Already 9 books? Wow. You are incredible!

thanks, Harsha. Good to know that even poor ol' me has fans :P

10.The Last Straw-4.5/5
Am in a flurry of 'wimpy kid' reading and have completed the third book (chronologically), which I feel is the best I read so far. Am now on to the fourth in the series. I am getting more and more involved with the characters - the wimpy kid, Greg, his siblings Rodrick and Manny (oh so cute), his "best friend" Rowley, their parents and acquaintances. There are laugh out loud moments as well as contemplative moments. On the whole, a very good book - I dont know whether to call it a 'graphic novel' or not - not sure what category it belongs to- novel with cartoons?

11.Dog Days-4/5
Another cute novel with pics delving deeper into the lives of Greg and co. It was a quick and easy read, not as good as book 3, but close to it. I would certainly recommend this series to all kids aged 10 and above, though with a warning to take life more seriously than Greg does. :D

12. -3/5
A sensitive book which deals with the issue of divorce and its effect on the family in general and children in particular. I felt bad for the children who develop their own coping strategies when they come to know that their parents are getting divorced. Was a sad book, so didn't enjoy much , and hence 3 stars.

13. 4/5
Another installment of Greg and Co.'s (mis)adventures. THis book too was hilarious. I was transported into Greg's town, home and school and watched him create mischief.

I was skeptical about the Wimpy kid.. Now I'll give it a try :)

14. - 54.5/5
It was a fantastic read. The story revolves around Amina, a Bangladeshi muslim woman and George, a US citizen, a Christian by religion who decide to tie the knot after interacting through an internet based online dating agency. They have many misgivings and doubts and face many minor hurdles but finally end up being wed. The book takes us through their married life, their interactions, the way they adjust to alien cultures and beliefs and how they finally come through despite misgivings and misunderstandings. Their respective relatives also had to adjust a lot. I love reading about Asian culture. I came to know a lot about Bangladesh and its people through this book - their outlook is quite similar to the ordinary Indian citizen's. I was disappointed when the book ended as I wanted to keep on reading

Sherin wrote: "I was skeptical about the Wimpy kid.. Now I'll give it a try :)"

I love it, but cant vouch for it, it depends on whether you like slapstick comedy or not

In Feb, am planning to read
1. Body in the library
2. Dragonfly in amber
3. Any mystery by Colin Dexter
4. Left for Dhakeshwari

all these are parts of my various reading group challenges. hope ma able to finish these

15. -4.5/5
Another good one. I am totally enraptured by this series. Only one more to go, and am feeling a tad sad. Anyway, I can reread the whole thing whenever I want to

16. -2.5/5
Was an okay read. Not my genre. I started it not knowing that it was YA dystopia. I was lured by Faye Kellerman's authorship. She has actually co-authored it with her daughter, but by the look of it, I feel she must just have edited the final product as the writing style is quite different from usual (or so I surmise). Three teens are involved in a nasty accident while going on a school trip, and are transported to a parallel world. Initially they don;t realize where they are, but then things get clear as (view spoiler)[ this world is totally barbaric in matters of health care and end of life care. Here, people are just disposed off if they are ill, and administrators are quite evil. The rest of the story shows how they befriend a couple of people there, and finally transport back. (hide spoiler)]

17. The Third Wheel-4.5/5
The last of the series. Loved the whole series. Now I know why its my son's favorite. Am now onto the movie diary. After that, I'll just have to wait patiently for the next installment. Greg and his friends (and foes) will remain evergreen in my mind.

18. -4/5
this is a re-read, this time in audio. Had read this book atleast a couple of decades ago, and didn't even remotely recollect the story, though I deduced the killer rightly even before Hercule Poirot did (Poirot is not the only one who boasts :D).
Gist: Poirot and Hastings are vacationing in a seaside village, where a local house owner, a young girl is subjected to many near-to-death accidents. Poirot starts investigating, a lady ends up murdered and the heat is on for the killer.
Was a good book, crisp plot, a few red herrings, and the end neatly wrapped up. The BBC serialization was well done, with apt background music and sounds. Am looking forward to more of CHristie reread in audio.

19. -4/5
It was an engaging young adult romance with serious undertones. I liked the couple - Mikey and Ellie who come together after his sister is raped by her brother after a party gone out of bounds. Mikey initially approaches Ellie with the sole purpose of finding out what happened that fateful night as she was at home when the incident happened, but is attracted by her, and Ellie too can't stay away even after she comes to know who he really is. Both have a set of dysfunctional parents, Mikey's much more so. Even Tom, the rapist was a pitiable character and Karyn, the victim somehow didnot much impress me. On the whole a good read, though the end keeps one guessing.

20. -4/5
It was a good book, though there are a few grammatical and editorial blips. I loved the 'weaving of modern into ancient' narration style. Came to know a lot about the 16th century kings and fiefdom. I was hampered by the fact that I dont have much knowledge of South Indian history of that time, and I couldnot recollect all their names, alliances and enmities. SO it was pretty confusing. I came to know a lot about the devadasis of the time, and surprisingly there was much sexual freedom in those days, or was it only for devadasis? The gist of the book is the interrelation between murders which occured 450 years apart, the ancient one, a widow spurned by society and the modern one, a would-be-divorcee. There are many similarities between both ladies and their circumstances, and at culmination of the book, we come to (almost) know why.

21. -3/5
It was an okay cozy mystery, not as good as many of the Agatha Raisins I'd read so far. I positively loathed James Lacey in this book (I was not a great fan of his even before). He is too childish and self absorbed, I dont know why Agatha keeps on running after him. Synopsis:Agatha and James are finally married, though not as happily as she anticipated, and the drags of matrimony are having a negative effect on both their psyches. James starts an affair with a local belle, Agatha throws a fit, the belle turns out dead and James turns out missing with a massive injury with his blood all over his cottage. Sir Charles and Bill Wong step in and they all set about to solve the crime.

@Smiyha...just wondering ...ur daily page reading average :)... Anyways ...nice reviews ..

thanks, but I never keep a count. It considerably varies. Last two days I was sick in bed, so read a lot.

22. -3.5/5
Was an okay sort of cozy mystery - my first one by this author. I listened to the audio while at my routine household work and walking trips. Gaby and Steve are planning to marry, and Steve's mother Caroline, a type A personality, is worried about wedding arrangements and a possible reconciliation with her wimpy ex-husband David, which she doesn;t want and her only son Steve urges her to. Then she comes to know that Gaby's family is surrounded with murder and mysteries, which turn sinister within weeks leading to murder of her father, her brother's disreputable friend and threats to Gaby and even Caroline. What does a 30 year old murder have to do with present circumstances? Caroline, with the help of her quaint neighbour Jude, and Jude's houseguest, a recovering journalist, tries to find out.

23. -3/5
it was a story of simple villagers, mostly fishermen and their family living in a small village in coastal Maharashtra, maybe in the eighties or nineties. It revolves around Leela, Hari, their 2 other siblings, a frail mother and drunkard of a father. The burden of maintaining the family falls on the shoulder of two elder children. Leela tries to cope up the best she could, whereas Hari runs off to Mumbai. The story culminates with their triumph over nature and circumstances.

24. -4.5/5
my first book on Morse by Colin Dexter, and incidentally first in the series. I initially loathed Inspector Morse, thought he was too conceited and cocky. But later on grew to like him a bit. After all, he too is human! The mystery was gripping - two girls who miss the last bus to Woodstock plan to hike a ride and one of them ends up dead and mauled beside the dingy wall of a pub. There are many twists and turns and finally the killer is revealed. One thing that disappointed me was that the motive for the killer was very flimsy. Someone in their right mind would not have killed for such a petty reason, and nowhere the book states that the killer has a disturbed mind. He/she seems too normal to do such a crime. Still, an enjoyable book, with moments of wit.

Smitha wrote: "2. -4/5
I loved this book due to the following facts: I love reading about foreign culture, especially oriental and African, I like books which te..."

sounds interesting- its on my "to read" list

25. -4.5/5
was an exciting roller coaster of a thriller. immensely enjoyed it. felt bad for poor Lispeth. am waiting to meet and compare her twin. would recommend this book to any thriller fan, but with a word of caution-lots of violence here. This book started off shaky, as I had already forgotten much of the incidents occurring in the first one of the series, and took some time to remember the characters and natures of the main characters. The second book is better than the first, or is my memory playing tricks on me? Anyway I sympathized and empathized with Lispeth, though I never could imagine interacting with a character like her in real life, without feeling frustrated or losing my cool. Human trafficking (the core theme in this book, though nothing much is done to save the real victims here) is a real issue, and I was compelled to spent a few minutes thinking of all the real life souls who lead miserable lives without any hope for rescue and rehabilitation. How I wish justice really existed.

26. -4/5
It was a good romantic YA book. I liked the couple - Jacqueline and Lucas. Jacq's friend Erin too was a likable character. Like any other YA book this book too is full of secrets of the past, moody heroes and heroines, intense love, study lists, binges, college pecking orders etc. There's a subtle difference between a book which is so-so and a book which really captures your attention - I can;t explain what. This book belonged to the second category, though the broad outlines of the story are just like any other YA romance I've read.