Indian Readers discussion

Intended reads for 2019

Autobiographies:
Amrita Pritam - Raseedi Ticket
Maharani Gayatri Devi - A Princess Remembers
Captain Gopinath - Simply Fly
Open
Amrish Puri - Jeevan ka Rangmanch

Non-Fiction:
Rain in the Mountains
From Heaven Lake

Awards:
Dhai Ghar
Kitne Pakistan
Tamas
something non-Indian (and non-booker :P)

BRs:
1Q84
Tantu
Persepolis
Oscar Wilde short fiction collection

Others:
Pyre
Maximum City
Manto stories (continued from past two years)
Books on Bollywood - Picture Abhi Baaki Hai; 40 Retakes; Delhi 4 shows.
Books on Cricket

January:
01. रसीदी टिकट - ★★☆☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
02. Chitra - A Play in One Act - ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
03. Palestine - ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
04. The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling - ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Feb:
05. रावी पार - ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

March:
06. Azadi mera brand - ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

April:
07. कितने पाकिस्तान ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
08.ज़िन्दगी आइस पाइस ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

May:
09.Namak Swadanusar ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
10.Chroniques de Jérusalem ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
11.October Junction ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
12.Tantu ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
13.The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
14.Buddha, Vol. 1: Kapilavastu ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
15.Chai Chai ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
16.From Heaven Lake ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

June:
17.Buddha, Vol. 2: Four Encounters ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
18.Pyre ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
19.Munnu: A Boy From Kashmir ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
20.Siddartha ★★☆☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
21.The Lamp is Lit ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

July:
22.Pandeymonium ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
23.The Future of Humanity ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
24.The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami ★★☆☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
X.Notes From a Small Island - DNF at 10%
25.Karmachari short stories ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
X.Homo Deus - DNF at 10% (and 4 months!)
26.Why I Assassinated Gandhi ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
27.Death Note Vol1 ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
28.Picture Abhi Baaki Hai ★☆☆☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Aug:
29.Death Note Vol2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
30.Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
31.Tales of Young Gandhi ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
32.No Presents Please ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
33.A Princess Remembers ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Sep:
34.Such A Long Journey ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
35-37.Death Note Vol3 Vol4 Vol5 ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
38.The Thief ★★☆☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
X.The Inn - DNF at 10%
39.Yaan ★★☆☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
40.Exhalation: Stories ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Oct:
41-44 Death Note Vols6-9 ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
45.The Rabbit and Squirrel ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
46.Undelivered Letters ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Nov:
47.10min38sec in this strange world ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
48.Andha Yug ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

49-54 Amazon Forward Series
49.The Last Conversation ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
50.Ark ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
51.Summer Frost ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
52.Randomize ★☆☆☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
53.You Have Arrived at Your Destination ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
54.Emergency Skin ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

55.The Historian ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
56.Wuthering Heights ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
57.Eating Wasps ★★★★☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Dec:
58.A Horse Walks into a Bar ★☆☆☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
59.Bhali Ladkiyan, Buri Ladkiyan ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
60.The Perils of Being Moderately Famous ★★★☆☆ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
61.A Streetcar Named Desire ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

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Nice list :) All the best!

All the best, Gorab!

Looks like an wholesome list. All the best,Gorab bhai.

Wow..you've already structured your reading 🤓

your challenges looks amazing. Good luck, Gorab! hope you read many more. :D

Let me know when you start Tamas

Wow!

Looking forward to some great BRs with you this year.

Good luck Gorab😻 looking forward to our 1Q84 buddy read

Thanks everyone.

The list was created by what came to the top of my head (and top of my physical shelf)

Jaya wrote: "Let me know when you start Tamas"

sure thing! we'll pick it up whenever the book calls and whoever it calls first :)

Akanksha wrote: "Wow!

Looking forward to some great BRs with you this year."

Interesting! Which are the ones in your list too?

Swathi wrote: "Good luck Gorab😻 looking forward to our 1Q84 buddy read"

ditto :)

Strange beginning of the year.... I'm browsing through lots of books and somehow adding them in "currently reading"... without even finishing one of them....
and now I want to start a few more.

Guess I'm influenced by father-in-law's reading style... to just read something from here, something from there, *without* the intent to keep a track of what you've been reading or what you want to read :)
Difficult for me as I love keeping track of the books I read...

Finished one book so far:

1. Raseedi Ticket - ★★☆☆☆
Review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

2018 ended with an autobiography (Bhyrappa), and 2019 began with one. Was happy and pretty excited for that. But this one was disappointing to say the least.

Currently reading:

The *proper* ones:
Tantu by Bhyrappa: 4 stars. (at 20%)
Hindi tome at 784 pages! English one is 1200+!!!
Started the translated version, and the Hindi is adding fun to the story. Was initially disappointed by the look and feel of paperback. Content has won my heart over. Nothing extraordinary plot wise so far.... still loving it.
BR with Smi and Arvind,

Dhai Ghar: 4 stars (at ??% - i don't know!)
Maybe around 80 pages out of 400. Reading since Oct 2018.
Sahitya Akademi winner. Not an easy read. Too many characters. And not reading at a stretch is making it more difficult. Last time I picked it, created a family tree to recollect and reference whenever I pick it next.

Those Pricey Thakur Girls - DNF at 30%
Night time read on Kindle. Too dull for my taste. Finding it non-sensical. Still haven't given it up... but hesitant to pick it up. Not adding to my GR shelf.

Palestine by Joe Sacco:
Graphic Novel. Abstract narration. Lovely art. Reading since a month now. Contradictory point of view from previous graphic novel on Israel. Cherishing this POV too, though I loved the Israel one better in terms of imparting knowledge.

The *short-story* ones:
Manto Stories: 4 stars so far.
Started in 2017, still going one story every month... sort of.

Premchand Stories: 5 stars.
Started Mansarovar 1 in mid 2018... now reading stories from different collections.

Khushwant Singh Stories: 5 stars
Irregular breakfast companion since a couple of months now. Have read 5 stories so far and somehow read it only if i'm having breakfast in office.

Raavi Paar:
Short stories by Gulzar. Reading Hindi version on Kindle. A story a week.

Truth of fact, truth of feeling:
Short story by Ted Chiang. Always love reading excpetional new ideas by him. A great read so far - at 15 of 30 pages.

Chitra - A Play in One Act by Ravindranath Tagore.
Reading from Kindle. English translation. Lovely prose and familiar plot. Loving it.

On Freedom by JD Krishnamurthy:
Trying the audio book. Not my cup of tea - the theme as well as format. Helps to cure insomnia. Once I was listening while riding a two wheeler. Had to park at the side of road and stop it in between.... as I started feeling sleepy even while riding! This will definitely be a DNF. Not adding to GR.

Just started:
Simply Fly - Autobiography of Captain Gopinath. About how he made a significant impact in the aviation industry.

Kathputli - Hindi short stories by a new self published author.

Servants of India by RK Laxman

Have picked up many other books on impulse which I'm not fully aware. Locks and Mahabharata or something like that....


And still the wish is to keep tasting different books on a whim :) :) :)

Don't know whether this reading log will help or create more dilemma!

Came back here to reflect on what I had planned to read at the beginning of 2019 [Updated message 1]

Glad to see I could read 30-40% of what I intended to read.
In between there was a time when I could read only 4 books in 3 months!
Thanks to the latter half of the year and more reading time that I could manage a satisafctory reading year overall :)

Notable reads from 2019:
Kitne Pakistan

Graphic Novels I loved:
Death Note series (read 9 of 13)
Buddha series (read 2 of 8)
Munnu
The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up (didn't like the book much but the habit of rolling the clothes instead of folding has stuck through till date!)

Science:
The Future of Humanity
Exhalation
Emergency Skin (The whole Amazon Forward Series was fascinating!)

Classics (The genre I'm most scared of):
Wuthering Heights
A Streetcar Named Desire

Around 50% books were read from a physical copy.
And realised my inclination towards memoirs\biographies. Have read 12 of them this year.

Notable ones:
A Princess Remembers
Jerusalem
Munnu
Pandeymonium
Nathuram Godse's

And yet again, have purchased more books than I could read this year too :) :) :)
Major one was a bulk order of 62 books during Flipkart Sale.

Gorab wrote: "And yet again, have purchased more books than I could read this year too :) :) :)
Major one was a bulk order of 62 books during Flipkart Sale."

62 books in one go! Bhot Hard !

Nice stats. Our taste is so very similar. Whenever I am short of book recommendations, I always turn to your reading shelf :)

Arpit wrote: "Nice stats. Our taste is so very similar. Whenever I am short of book recommendations, I always turn to your reading shelf :)"

Yes our reading taste matches much :) I'm eyeing that Exhalation Stories on your shelf... to discuss whenever you read ;)

Even our profile pic matches :D

wow !! I am drooling over your book collection. How many of them have you read?? You have quite a lot from Indian authors. I always wanted to read the books by contemporary Indian authors. Do recommend some good books. The beauty of all my days, Eating wasps, life over two beers.... would love to hear your reviews about.

Gorab wrote: "Arpit wrote: "Nice stats. Our taste is so very similar. Whenever I am short of book recommendations, I always turn to your reading shelf :)"

Yes our reading taste matches much :) I'm eyeing that E..."

Hhehe. added after reading your reviews. Totally on top of my soon-to-read list.

Arpit wrote: "wow !! I am drooling over your book collection. How many of them have you read?? You have quite a lot from Indian authors. I always wanted to read the books by contemporary Indian authors. Do recom..."

Indian authors esp regional languages are my passion. I try to find Emglish\Hindio translations if available and looove exploring new regional authors.

Haven't read most of them... as these were bought only a couple of months back...
Haven't read many even from those bought last year and the year before :) :)

Some pics of book bought before last year:

Gorab wrote: "Even our profile pic matches :D"

Kindle Buddies :D :D

Arpit wrote: "wow !! I am drooling over your book collection. How many of them have you read?? You have quite a lot from Indian authors. I always wanted to read the books by contemporary Indian authors. Do recom..."

Eating Wasps is very good! This was my first from Anita Nair and planning to read Ladies Coupe next... followed by all her books.

Do try if you haven't read already:
The Illicit Happiness of Other People
One Part Woman

Couldn't stop myself from sharing my bundle of books that I got in Load-the-box sale this year. :D

Gorab wrote: "Arpit wrote: "wow !! I am drooling over your book collection. How many of them have you read?? You have quite a lot from Indian authors. I always wanted to read the books by contemporary Indian aut..."

Thanks for the reco. I have read illicit happiness.. even his 'serious men' was very good.

Goat days and jasmine days are also on my radar.

Waah! Awesomeness loaded in a box!
Have only read Shutter Island which was too good.

Will be reading Gentleman sometime this year. Do ping me if you're reading it anytime this year.

Gorab wrote: "Waah! Awesomeness loaded in a box!
Have only read Shutter Island which was too good.

Will be reading Gentleman sometime this year. Do ping me if you're reading it anytime this year."

Yeah sure, heard lot of good reviews about the book.

Arpit wrote: "Goat days and jasmine days are also on my radar."

+1 for Jasmine. Goat Days was also very good.

Gorab wrote: "And yet again, have purchased more books than I could read this year too :) :) :)
Major one was a bulk order of 62 books during Flipkart Sale."

Oh my! 62 is really a lot but I think that on this site you find a lot of buddies that buy more than they can read :D

Hey, Salmon finishing in Yemen is a really beautiful movie. Didn't know there was a book too! Now I would want to buy that !!!

Oh really!? Didn't know about that. I even hadn't heard about the book before buying.

@Arpit
It's a bit of a romantic movie. Quite peaceful!

@Gorab
Sorry for bombing your reading log buddy. LOL

Hey Gorab, Congratulations on a great 2019! The acquisitions you've had this year - hope you get a chance to complete them all in 2020 :D

dely wrote: "Oh my! 62 is really a lot but I think that on this site you find a lot of buddies that buy more than they can read :D"

Yes there are loads of them... And i keep getting more inspired every year :)

Makrand wrote: "Hey, Salmon finishing in Yemen is a really beautiful movie. Didn't know there was a book too! Now I would want to buy that !!!"

Same here. Loved the movie. Didn't know it was a book.