Indian Readers discussion
READING PROGRESS 2017
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Kru's Journal 2017
Coming Up Next - Breathing Two Worlds
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Salt to the Sea
Frankenstein
Books in May-
✓ Clear light of Day
✓ Imperfect Chemistry (Imperfect, #1) - also as part of Blind date with a book - AMMP
Reading together
✓ Handmaid's tale - IR BOTM
* Master and Margarita - with Manu starting 7th
✓ Woman in white - with Rebecca and Inny starting 10th
✓ Norwegian Wood - with HP, Iniya and Sharadha
Weekend BRs
✓ Balzac and the Chinese seamstress
✓ White Nights
✓ Library of unrequited Love
Readathon
May 6 & 7 - Translated Mystery theme
✓ Irene - Camille Verhœven #1
✓ Alex - Camille Verhœven #2
May 20 & 21 - Friendship
✓ A Prayer for Owen Meany
Mod
P.S: I can post this later if you want more comments to reserve.
Books in June -Pick it for me-
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Salt to the Sea
Reading together-
*1. Sapiens - with Aka, Inny
✓ 2. Farewell My Friend (Sesher Kobita, Tagore - with Aka, Inny and Gorab)
3. Frankenstein - with Aka, Inny
4. The Bell Jar - Sharadha, Inny and Aka
Weekend BRs-
Readathon -
** Theme - Epistolary - Target 760
2. Flowers for Algernon - 311
** Theme - Twin
1. White Teeth - 448
Lovely list! Hopefully I will join in for some.
Manju wrote: "Yellow crocus on my tbr. ping me whenever you start. will join if i can. :)P.S: I can post this later if you want more comments to reserve."
We can start early too. ♥♥♥
Indrani wrote: "Lovely list! Hopefully I will join in for some."Yay! *thumbs up*
Mod
P.S: I can post this later if you want more comments to reserve."
We can start early too. ♥♥♥"
June is fine. :)
Kru wrote: "June6. I've Got Your Number
7. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
8. The Bell Jar
9. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
10. It Ends with Us"
If I may proffer, your June reads, viz. The Bell Jar and I've Got Your Number have caught my attention. The latter is a brilliant book which I enjoyed - will lurk around for your review. The former though, you're in for a surprise :-) Ping me if and when you start, it's been dusting my TBR closet for far too long.
Sharadha wrote: If I may proffer, your June reads, viz. The Bell Jar and..."Sure Sharadha, will ping you. It's in my TBR since long.
Guess what just a few minutes back I was checking your reading log too :D
Kru wrote: "Guess what just a few minutes back I was checking your reading log too :D"*hugs*
Clear Light of DayDate Completed :--/05/2017
thoughts at 42%- 04/05/2017
Raja's ranting is highly irritating - should I take it as effects of his sickness and move on? - Poor Bim, do her siblings think about her? - what's it with Mira maasi?
... sulked and looked as accusing as abandoned husbands in the gloom.
Desai, Anita. Clear light of Day (Kindle Locations 1668-1669). Random House Publishers India Pvt. Ltd.. Kindle Edition.
lol
thoughts at 62%-05/05/2017
The story is so splendidly layered, going back in time - the reverse timeline - Part I ended with issues between Bim and Raja - Part 2 expanded their good times of the past, with knots on Mira maasi's sickness and Part 3 now explains why this happened in the past.
Loving it more now.
Completed. 4 stars.
Very meticulous writing, I loved it the most during the last chapter around 85% every little thing adds up to the intensity of the story. I read about this aspect of Anita Desai in one of the review comments behind the book. But felt it absolutely while reading. Though at times like the concert/party which she describes towards the end was a little dragged.
In short it is both the strength and weakness of this book.
So many things can be associated with this plot - a family story with love lost between the siblings, their misinterpretations and guilt rides and self-imposed exiles or the partition of the country and the family plot analogous to the mindset of the people of these two neighboring countries or feminism and the boon and bane of being an independent woman. The theme is too varied and brilliant depiction.
The minus one star was for the narration becoming a drag at certain places and also for the stand on the family business. I don't understand why Bim of all people should be behaving like a lame woman when it comes to decision making.
I had started the bell jar once and then DNF-ed. I would also like to give it another try. We also have Sapiens for June, right? these two together can get a bit too heavy. Let's see.
Indrani wrote: "I had started the bell jar once and then DNF-ed. I would also like to give it another try. We also have Sapiens for June, right? these two together can get a bit too heavy. Let's see."highly depressing right? Let's see
The Handmaid's TaleGlossary
Date Completed :--/05/2017
4/5/2017 - Completed till Chapter 7
Doesn't seem too bitter so far but sounds scary. In a way it is what these women fought for too says the narrator. There is a clear demarcation of who does what, what is to be asked and how to reply. And she clearly mentions Woman are safer now!!!
15/5/2017 - Completed till Chapter 26
The Commander asks in secret for a game of scrabble!
The Rightist or Conservative ideas on abortion and natural childbirth does give me the creep even now. So if it becomes a strict rule as in Handmaid's Tale, it definitely is hell. Even these days we have horrible ideas passed on about abortion. I think the parent's should be the ones to decide, with more powers resting on the female.
And what are they advocating? Living in harmony - a home with Wife, Handmaid and the Marthas??? It sounds disgusting.
18/5/2017 -
Soul Scrolls reminds me the texts received in WhatsApp and Facebook, that begins and/or ends with a tag on how you are supposed to be forwarding it to so many number of people and not break the cycle for some miracle to happen in so many hours. Also there are certain posts in Facebook with some image of a godman or deity asking to be shared in so many seconds after seeing in order to get some long waited good news, sometimes it is too wily that it curses you with something bad that would happen otherwise. These messages are quite effective in making many pious person an atheist ;-)
Kru wrote: "Indrani wrote: "I had started the bell jar once and then DNF-ed. I would also like to give it another try. We also have Sapiens for June, right? these two together can get a bit too heavy. Let's se..."I think I didnt hit the depressing bits in that try.. I was finding it a little wierd.. Still I was getting disturbed.. but I do want to read..
I know it's a juvenile thing but I generally need some sort of a redemption at the end.. knowing that the author commited suicide, I am a lot more worried about the book
Kru wrote: "Books in June -I've Got Your Number
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
It Ends with Us
Reading together
1. Sapiens - with Aka, Inny
2. Sesher Kobit..."
Want to sign up for Plath as well🙋
Akanksha wrote: "Want to sign up for Plath as well🙋 . ..."Most welcome. May be you should join Inny and me in our lifetime BR thread as a partner ;-)
Mod
Finally Kru has her reading log! Thanks for saving my effort in stalking through your shelves ;)
Kru wrote: "Akanksha wrote: "Want to sign up for Plath as well🙋 . ..."Most welcome. May be you should join Inny and me in our lifetime BR thread as a partner ;-)"
Yes, I am in for most :D
Gorab wrote: "4th May is the day!Finally Kru has her reading log! Thanks for saving my effort in stalking through your shelves ;)"
Yessss.
May the fourth be with me :P
Camille Verhœven series - Read as part of translated mystery themed readathon between May 6 and 7.
This is translated from French. Though Spanish is the language that always gives me the butterflies (Neruda ❤❤❤), choosing French nowadays due to the two Monsieurs at home, it is always a pleasure to ask the elder M, "how do I pronounce this? what does this mean? do you know?" and so on. One of the reasons I might very soon take up Les Miserables :-)
Irène
It was a love-hate relationship with this book. A very easy read due to the gory detailing that I didn't want to picture and so no time lost on imagining things. I guess this is what makes me a slow reader then
Loved Camille. His thoughts and actions are so me at times, especially being a shorty :-) The way he looks at people, the first thing that occurs to him and so on is something I could relate to. His love for Irene and the subtle ways in which he shares that is again awesome. Be it his sketching or the love for his mom or his anger over her... Camille is so lovable.
Regarding the story, the gory details seem to be taken from other books, it set me thinking on the power of imagination of these authors and the other crime fiction writers. It was scary and I wonder all the negativity these might spark in a reader, and also if the reader falls in love with such writing and details what could possibly happen to the world at large?
Though the murderer was predictable, the final moments were quite fast paced and kept up the momentum. Liked it and so proceeded to the next in the series though I was a little uncomfortable with certain details.
Best suited for a readathon....
AlexStarted reading this due to the obsession to complete the series and for 102 pages to complete the readathon. Started slowing down after the readthon completion :-(
at 56% - 05/09/2017
The gory detailing is comparatively bearable... or am I getting used to it? But there are more twists than I ever expected. It is awesome, who is the victim, I wonder. At this rate I may complete the third book in the series too.
Date Completed 05/10/2017
Sympathies keep shifting between various characters not knowing who is the victim and who is the victimized. At some point when the knots open up one after another it is so harrowing and one question looms large... What a finale!
Read a few reviews to decide whether to continue with the series and one of the reviews mentioned a relation to Gone girl but that the reviewer liked this in a better way. I adore Gone girl and I totally agree with the reviewer towards the climax, though I kept comparing Amy and Alex and partial towards Amy, the final pages changed my opinion, in fact I don't find Amy awesome. Alex is an absolute sweetheart.
Imperfect ChemistryAs part of the AMMP group's Blind date with a book. This will be my first blind date and it is already imperfect chemistry :D
around 8% on 05/04/2017
Started well, mildly hilarious and seems a fast and easy read with some 3 stars for sure. Will continue after Alex.
The Master and MargaritaBuddy read with Manu and Smi.
Will be starting tonight, hopefully.
Total Page count - 564
Discussion here
Book structured as Part 1 and 2
The Master and Margarita - Book 1This seems to be a satirical take on atheism.
There are so many footnotes too :-(
Chapters 1 - 6
09/05-
✓ Chapter 1 - Never talk with strangers - happens in Moscow
- introduces the editor, the poet and the stranger.
* Chapter 2 - Pontius Pilate - happens in Jerusalem
The Master and Margarita - Book 1Chapters 7 - 12
The Master and Margarita - Book 1Chapters 13 - 18
The Master and Margarita - Book 2Chapters 19 - 24
The Master and Margarita - Book 2Chapters 25 - 32
The Woman in WhiteTotal Pages - 672
Divided into 3 Epochs
Epoch 1 - 3 chapters - up to 31% - around 208 pages
Epoch 2 - 4 chapters - up to 65% - around 229 pages
Epoch 3 - 5 chapters - balance 235 pages
Bookriot's Read harder
8. Read a travel memoir. -
13. Read a nonfiction book about technology. -
14. Read a book about war. -
16. Read a book that has been banned or frequently challenged in your country. -
17.Read a classic by an author of color. -
18.Read a superhero comic with a female lead. -
19.Read a book in which a character of color goes on a spiritual journey. -
20. Read an LGBTQ+ romance novel. -
21.Read a book published by a micropress. -
Popsugar List
3. A book of letters - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
6. A book with one of the four seasons in the title - The Sword of Summer
9. An espionage thriller - The Secret Agent
*10. A book with a cat on the cover - The Master and Margarita
16. A book that's published in 2017
21. A book from a nonhuman perspective - Charlotte's Web
24. A book set in the wilderness - Salt to the Sea
34. A book with a month or day of the week in the title - Monday or Tuesday
35. A book set in a hotel - Hotel Iris
38. A book set around a holiday other than Christmas
40. A book you bought on a trip -
- Advanced
* 8. A book that's more than 800 pages - The Brothers Karamazov
9. A book you got from a used book sale
10. A book that's been mentioned in another book - The Postman Always Rings Twice
Buddy Reads
Completed
♥ The woman in white
♥ The Idiot
♥ Norwegian Wood
♥ Pottermore Series
♥ Count of Monte Christo
♥ Farewell my Friend
♥ The Lifecycle of Software Objects
♥ The library of unrequited Love
♥ The Handmaid's tale
♥ A house to Let
♥ Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress
♥ My man Jeeves
♥ The merchant and the Alchemist's Gate
♥ When I hit you
♥ Miss Laila - Armed and Dangerous
♥ The Three Sisters
♥ A room of One's own
♥ The Pedant in the Kitchen
♥ The Outsiders
♥ Like water for Chocolate
♥ The Hobbit
♥ Disgrace
In Progress -
*The Master and Margarita
*The Brothers Karamazov
*Three Bags full
Due
Age of Innocence
The IdiotCompleted till Part 1 - 29%
* Prince offers to marry Nastasya and pay her his inheritance
* Nastasya is happy about it but refuses, asks him to marry Aglaia instead and goes away with Rogozhin
* Ganya is perplexed and it comes to the fore that he was not one to lose his pride for money as was thought by everyone before
message 39:
by
Em Lost In Books, EmLo is my Name, PIFM is my Game
(last edited May 10, 2017 10:27PM)
(new)
Mod
Manju wrote: "you've resumed it?"Yes. Hope I complete it this time. Target this Sunday - 14th ;)
Mod
Mod
Or better you post the summary, and I'll see if it can be skipped :D
Gorab wrote: "Thanks for the recap Kru. I might resume it after you finish it :)Or better you post the summary, and I'll see if it can be skipped :D"
I completed Part 1 in January itself. Memory is not that bad, but still, going through the character list again.
I might resume it after you finish it - Very tricky this :D
But sure will keep posting summary of each part.
2017 Reading Challenge - II - MMD Reading for GROWTHBooks Read: 14/14
Completed ♥♥♥
✓ a Newbery Award winner or Honor book - The Bad Beginning - Honor book 2001
✓ a book in translation - Irène - translated from French
✓ a book that’s more than 600 pages - வால்காவிலிருந்து கங்கை வரை - 608 pages
✓ a book of poetry, a play, or an essay collection - An Ideal Husband - Play
✓ an immigrant story - Inside Out & Back Again
✓ a book published before you were born - The Outsiders - 1964
✓ a book by an #ownvoices or #diversebooks author - Milk and Honey
✓ a book with an unreliable narrator or ambiguous ending - The Crying of Lot 49
✓ a book of any genre that addresses current events - The Handmaid's Tale
✓ a book nominated for an award in 2017 - The Underground Railroad
✓ a Pulitzer Prize or National Book Award winner - Breathing Lessons
✓ three books by the same author - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
1. Poor Folk
2. White Nights
3. The Idiot
2017 Reading Challenge - I - MMD Reading for FUNBooks Read: 8/12
Reading in Progress: 0/4
Due -
☐ a juicy memoir - Just Kids
☐ a book you don’t want to admit you’re dying to read - Any Bukowski
☐ a book in the backlist of a new favorite author -?????
☐ a book you were excited to buy or borrow but haven’t read yet - Cobalt Blue
Completed -
✓ a book you chose for the cover - Forbidden - Part of a challenge, so :D
✓ a book with a reputation for being un-put-down-able - My Man Jeeves
✓ a book set somewhere you’ve never been but would like to visit - Like Water for Chocolate - Central America
✓ a book you’ve already read - The Lightning Thief - Part of a challenge, so :D
✓ a book about books or reading - Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
✓ a book in a genre you usually avoid - Mr. President - Erotic Romance
✓ a book about a topic or subject you already love - Chess Story
✓ a book recommended by someone with great taste - The Library of Unrequited Love
Popsugar 2017* 1. A book recommended by a librarian - The Handmaid's Tale http://www.listchallenges.com/the-100...
3. A book of letters - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
6. A book with one of the four seasons in the title - The Sword of Summer
9. An espionage thriller - The Secret Agent
*10. A book with a cat on the cover - The Master and Margarita
16. A book that's published in 2017
21. A book from a nonhuman perspective - Charlotte's Web
24. A book set in the wilderness -
32. A book about an interesting woman -
34. A book with a month or day of the week in the title - Monday or Tuesday
35. A book set in a hotel
37. A book that's becoming a movie in 2017 - The Circle
38. A book set around a holiday other than Christmas
40. A book you bought on a trip
- Advanced
2. A bestseller from 2016
3. A book with a family member term in the title
6. A book from a genre/sub-genre you've never heard of
* 8. A book that's more than 800 pages - The Brothers Karamazov
9. A book you got from a used book sale
* 10. A book that's been mentioned in another book - The Postman Always Rings Twice
BookRiot's Read harder challenge - 2017
Due:
8. Read a travel memoir. -
13. Read a nonfiction book about technology. -
14. Read a book about war. -
16. Read a book that has been banned or frequently challenged in your country. -
17.Read a classic by an author of color. -
18.Read a superhero comic with a female lead. -
19.Read a book in which a character of color goes on a spiritual journey. -
20. Read an LGBTQ+ romance novel. -
21.Read a book published by a micropress. -
MMD for Fun
☐ a juicy memoir - Just Kids
☐ a book you don’t want to admit you’re dying to read
☐ a book in the backlist of a new favorite author
☐ a book recommended by someone with great taste
☐ a book you were excited to buy or borrow but haven’t read yet - Cobalt Blue
MMD for Growth
☐ three books by the same author - one remains by Kazuo Ishiguro
☐ a book of any genre that addresses current events
☐ a book nominated for an award in 2017
The Brothers KaramazovBook 1 - Chapters 1 to 5
Book 2 - Chapters 1 to 8
Book 3 - Chapters 1 to 14
Part 2
Book 4 - Chapters 1 to 7
Book 5 - Chapters 1 to 7
Book 6 - Chapters 1 to 3
Part 3
Book 7 - Chapters 1 to 4
Book 8 - Chapters 1 to 8
Book 9 - Chapters 1 to 9
Part 4
Book 10 - Chapters 1 to 7
Book 11 - Chapters 1 to 10
Book 12 - Chapters 1 to 14
Epilogue
Chapters 1 to 3
Book 1 The History of a Family
Summary-
(view spoiler)
Book 2 An unfortunate gathering
Summary -
(view spoiler)
Mod
(Sorry to spam. Would delete this comment tomorrow)
Gorab wrote: "Most systematic log ever!(Sorry to spam. Would delete this comment tomorrow)"
Let it be there Gorab. Something to brag about ;-)
Mod
Indian Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character (other topics)Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (other topics)
The Library of Unrequited Love (other topics)
Ghostwritten (other topics)
Train to Pakistan (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jo Nesbø (other topics)Jo Nesbø (other topics)
Fyodor Dostoevsky (other topics)
Index to posts
Up Next
Monthly Lists
May
June
July
Challenges
Completed
♥ MMD Reading for GROWTH - Books Read 14
♥ Read Women 2017
♥ Build a Bouquet
♥ IR Armchair Travels 2017
In Progress -
Popsugar 2017
BookRiot's Read Harder 2017
MMD Reading for FUN
Game Time Challenge
Books
Completed
♥ Clear light of day
♥ The Handmaid's tale
♥ Irene - Camille Verhœven series#1
♥ Alex - Camille Verhœven series#2
♥ Imperfect Chemistry
♥ The woman in white
♥ The Idiot
♥ Norwegian Wood
♥ Pottermore Series
ARCs
Completed
♥ Finders Keepers - due 25/05/2017
♥ The Highway Man
♥ Breathing Two Worlds