Skip to main content

Books read this year

If I had to pick one good thing happened to me this year, I would say it was my reading list which made me happy. I was lucky enough to read several authors writing in different genres who inspired me to write and read more. 

The year started with a reading challenge sent via Whatsapp by an acquaintance who I knew would never serious about a reading challenge unless it was a fad propagated by popular culture. I promptly dumped that one. 

 The reading challenge that I follow rigorously is the one I set up for myself at Goodreads. Last year I had taken the challenge to read 90 books and easily surpassed the number (I closed 2015 with 93 books). So this year I decided to go for 120 books, averaging 10 books per month. As of writing this blog, I have already achieved my target and read 128 books. Hopefully I should be able to reach the 130 mark. No idea yet, what my goals would be for 2017, but then, the year has not even started yet. 

Another reading challenge I took this year was with the weekend edition of Hindustan Times Brunch. Brunch Book Challenge  required its readers to read and tweet about 24 books, with a certain percentage of them being written by Indian authors. Done and dusted that one as well.

The point of setting these reading goals should be the discovery of new authors and new styles of writing. I was able to complete my reading of almost all Perry Mason books written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Another writer of the bygone era who has always been at top of his game was James Hadley Chase. I have read a part of his collection but some books still remain on my to-read list. I never believed that I would relate to Jodi Piccoult's writing style but her books did make an impression. I had read one Spenser novel way back and I was surprised upon reading more Robert Parker books as to how much I enjoy his writings. Yet I had not even glanced at his collection of work before. Michael Connelly and David Baldacci still remain on my regular reading lists. This year I tried to catch up on as much old Harry Bosch novels by Connelly as I could.

Among Indian authors I was happy to discover Rahul Pandita's books. His second book, Our Moon has Blood Clots is a must read for anyone interested in Kashmir or Kashmirayat.  Other non-fiction books which vowed me included My Korean Deli and When Breath becomes Air. 

All in all, an excellent reading year gone and I hope 2017 comes with more surprises and new discoveries to read and enjoy.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Also read

Cutting people off isn’t strength—It is a trauma response

Your ability to cut people off and self-isolate is not a skill you should be proud of—It is a trauma response Cutting people off and self-isolating may feel like a protective shield, but it is often rooted in unresolved or unhealed trauma and an inability to depend on others. While these behaviors seem like self-preservation, they end up reinforcing isolation and blocking meaningful connections. Confronting these patterns, seeking therapy, and nurturing supportive relationships can help break this unhealthy cycle. Plus, a simple act like planting a jasmine plant can symbolise the start of your journey towards emotional healing. Why do we cut people off and isolate? If you’re someone who prides themselves on “cutting people off” or keeping a tight circle, you might believe it’s a skill—a way to protect yourself from betrayal, hurt, or unnecessary drama. I get it. I’ve been there, too. But here’s the thing: this ability to isolate yourself is not as empowering as it may seem. In fact, i...
1 comment
Read more

Trail of Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab – A joke!

Who do you trial? Who does this? What is this all about? Is this playing with justice or is it just a mockery of the whole thing? Well, there are lots of questions and I find very less of answers to all these. Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab is the only survivor from the pack of Pakistani terrorists who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008 (better known as 26/11). He was captured while he was on a rampage killing scores of people and injuring hundreds, on that dreadful night in Mumbai. There was a lot of fuss in the last few months about him being a Pakistani or his age to be prosecuted in an adult court or with his captivity. Recently, the long awaited trial started and everyone is waiting to see what the court will decide on his fate. Ridiculous! What is there to decide? Hang him!! Simple… Well, I do not want to hang him without getting all the information from him and only after proving that the attackers were all from Pakistan and the whole incident was built up by the Pakistani Army, Go...
12 comments
Read more

Dumb Indians?

Some more thought on EDUCATION. This was originally written by me on my personal blog... but i think this will go very well in this arena too. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The fundamental issue that India has and not easily solvable is average IQ being low. India's average IQ is 81, while that of most progressed countries is above 97. China surprisingly has an average IQ of 100. India being a truely democratic country, the government is represented by majority, and majority has an IQ below 70 (IQ distribution is vast in India). Hence you get a government elected by morons, representing morons, and full of morons. And since these morons govern justice system, education system, healthcare, you name it, a person with an engineering degree, or a doctor, or a lawyer from India on average has an IQ of 81 as well. While the requirements of bec...
4 comments
Read more