Indian Readers discussion

Sorry, but I can't find the discussion Smitha had opened last year for the personal challenges. I hope it won't be a problem if I add it in this folder.

Here I will add only the personal challenges but I don't have a lot, only two: India and cats.
I started both of them last year and I want to continue.

Perhaps I will also make something like A-Z authors or A-Z titles or something else, will see!

India
(started in January 2013)



visited 13 states (37.1%)
Create your own visited map of India or Amsterdam travel guide for Android


States:
Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam
Bihar: India: A Wounded Civilization
Chhattisgarh
Delhi: The Wildings
Goa
Gujarat: The Algebra Of Infinite Justice
Haryana: Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu e Kashmir: Kashmir Saivism - The Central Philosophy of Tantrism
Jharkhand
Karnataka: India. Cinque racconti, sei reportage, tre fumetti
Kerala
Madhya Pradesh: Five Past Midnight in Bhopal: The Epic Story of the World's Deadliest Industrial Disaster
Maharashtra: Sacred Games
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Orissa: eFiction India Vol. 1 Issue 07
Punjab: Train to Pakistan
Rajasthan: India Was One
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh: Sea of Poppies
Uttarakhand
West Bengal: Freedom at Midnight; The City of Joy


India without a real setting:
Kamasutra
71 Golden Tales of Panchatantra
A Fine Balance

cats
(started in Dicember 2012 when my cat died and it is a kind of "in memory of". Will try to read at least 5 books every year)


2013

1) The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr by E.T.A. Hoffmann
2) James Herriot's Cat Stories by James Herriot
3) Racconti che fanno le fusa by Julia Deuley
4) Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic by Bill Richardson
5) Bébert, il gatto di Louis-Ferdinand Céline by Frédéric Vitoux
6) Una grande macchia a forma di cuore. I gatti contano con il naso by Laura Sergi
7) Il libro dei gatti tuttofare by T.S. Eliot

2014
1) Kafka sulla spiaggia by Haruki Murakami (it doesn't talk only about cats but they are an important part in this book)
2) La società dei gatti assassini by Akif Pirinçci
3) Gatti, gatti, gatti e altre storie by Giorgio Celli
4) Il condominio dei gatti by Giorgio Celli
5) The Wildings by Nilanjana Roy
6) Ketta & company. I gatti vedono attraverso i muri? by Laura Sergi

I want to start a new challenge for fun. Seen that I'm reading The Novel Cure: From Abandonment to Zestlessness: 751 Books to Cure What Ails You I want to try this "cure" for my diseases. I'm curious to see if the right book can really help. Of course now you will have a psychological profile of me but it's not a problem (I'll have to kill you!).
I start with the diseases that start with the A. I'm reading the book in Italian so if you see "low self-esteem" it's because in Italian the word starts with the A.


The Novel Cure

A
agoraphobia: The Woman in the Dunes
anxiety: The Portrait of a Lady ✔
apathy: The Postman Always Rings Twice ✔
ambition, lack of: The Crimson Petal and the White ✔
fall out of love: 1Q84 ✔
low self-esteem: The Shipping News and Rebecca ✔

bonus: Autonauts of the Cosmoroute (I don't have this disease but I liked the plot).


2014:
apathy: The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
This book was recommended for who suffers of apathy. To tell the truth I'm not apathetic, I'm perhaps idle but there is nothing wrong in idleness. With this book an apathetic should receive some adrenaline to "wake up" but I don't think it helps. Reading about the adventurous and dangerous life of the two main characters I would be glad to be apathetic at least my life is save!

anxiety: The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
This book is suggested for anxious people (I am). It was really a relaxing read (sometimes boring) but it was as if I was walking in the English meadows or among Roman ruins and this was relaxing. Also James' writing style was relaxing and very very slow, there are descriptions full of details.

low self-esteem: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
This books is suggested to people with a low self-esteem and it really helped. Compared to the main character, the second wife, I'm not a person with low self-esteem and I'm not a weak person like her. I feel much better after reading this book, I feel strong and my self-esteem increased a lot!

lack of ambition: The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
This book should help for people who suffer from lack of ambition. Well, after reading the story of Sugar, a prostitute who wants to come out of her misery, I'm really glad I'm a person without amibtions or targets. I live my serene life day after day and by sure I would never behave like Sugar to have something more from my life.

people who don't believe anymore in love: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
The story of Tengo and Aomame should help people to start believing again in love. When they were 10 years old Aomame holds tight Tengo's hand. She loved him but was never able to tell him and the only thing she could do is holding his hand for a long moment. From this day their lives take different ways because Aomame must move to another town. Now they are 30 years old but they have never forgotten each other though they were never brave enough to look for the other one. But their love is very strong and they will also make some important choices in their lives because of this love; it has influenced their lives though Tengo isn't aware of this while Aomame is.
The whole story doesn't talk about their love, but it is an important part of the book.
Did it help me to start believing again in love? No. I will continue to be the usual cynical person when something has to do with love.

placeholder for coming challenges

placeholder for coming challenges

No probs, dely. You can continue here.
Good luck with your challenges.

Smitha wrote: "No probs, dely. You can continue here.
Good luck with your challenges."

Thanks ;)

I have finished my cat-challenge!

Congratulations

Smitha wrote: "Congratulations"

Thanks ;)

updated #4

Could manage to finish the books with the "A" for my novel cure challenge. So next year will be dedicated to the letter "B" (but also more if I can).

I can't find two books so I hope to read them someday otherwise it's not a big problem.