Book Talk Reading Challenge: May 2025 **RESULTS P.45** - Page 28

Originally posted by: LizzynDarcy

This is my TBR. I am throwing in lots of options to cast a wider net

1. Dramas:

OEDIPUS REX
ABHIGYAN SHAKUNTALAM
THE POT OF GOLD
DR FAUSTUS
HAMLET
TWELFTH NIGHT OR WHAT YOU WILL
HENRY IV PART I
MERCHANT OF VENICE
THE DUCHESS OF MALFI
VOLPONE OR THE FOX
THE WAY OF THE WORLD
THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL
ARMS AND MAN
LOOK BACK IN ANGER
WAITING FOR THE GODOT
THE ICEMAN COMETH
DEATH OF A SALESMAN
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
A DOLL'S HOUSE
TUGHLAQ
FINAL SOLUTIONS

2. Poems:

THE WASTELAND
THE LOVE SONG OF J.AFLRED PRUFROCK

3. Novels:

Robinson Crusoe
Tom Jones
Pride and Prejudice
Wuthering Heights
Hard Times
The Mill on the Floss
Tess of the d' Urbervilles
Sons and the Lovers
Nana
To the Lighthouse
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
A Passage to India
The Scarlet Letter
Lucky Jim
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Huckleberry Finn
The Portrait of a Lady
A Farewell to Arms
The Colour Purple
Kantha Pura
Untouchable
The Guide
The Shadow Lines
That Long Silence
Rosarita
The Mistress of Spices
The Twyborn Affair
The Handmaid's Tale
Things Fall Apart
Karmabhoomi
A House for Mr. Biswas
Midnight's Children

But apart from that, I love to read non-fiction (except for biographies of rich folks and crazy men), I also read fan-fictions depending on what strikes a chord in me.

I'm interested in reading Robinson Crusoe and A House for Mr. Biswas. We can buddy read these two books if you want. V.S. Naipaul's A House for Mr. Biswas was a part of my syllabus when I studied M.A in English literature in the past. It's a good book. Btw, did you read Chinua Achebe's No Longer at Ease too? It was a part of my M.A syllabus too. I like No Longer at Ease much more than Things Fall Apart.

Originally posted by: nutmeg7

I am in two minds whether to give audiobooks a try or not. I like reading in my voice. But thank you for your inputs.

Yes, I already said some people don't like audiobooks and that's completely fine. But in my case, the audiobook format did wonders.

Originally posted by: Shirsha

Yes, I already said some people don't like audiobooks and that's completely fine. But in my case, the audiobook format did wonders.

Originally posted by: Shirsha

I'm interested in reading Robinson Crusoe and A House for Mr. Biswas. We can buddy read these two books if you want. V.S. Naipaul's A House for Mr. Biswas was a part of my syllabus when I studied M.A in English literature in the past. It's a good book. Btw, did you read Chinua Achebe's No Longer at Ease too? It was a part of my M.A syllabus too. I like No Longer at Ease much more than Things Fall Apart.

Yes, I will buddy with you for both the books. They were not prescribed in my BA or MA, but my professors had extensively discussed their other works in the classroom. I liked the lectures on the authors but given their background, I am afraid to find their writing style a bit difficult to process.

@Bold - I haven't read it. There is always so much to read that I haven't chanced upon expanding my reading list of African writers works. But, I will give it a try if you are planning to re-read it.

Things Fall apart was in part of my BA reading list. My MA was wilding tbh. I did more writing in MA than reading.

Originally posted by: LizzynDarcy

Yes, I will buddy with you for both the books. They were not prescribed in my BA or MA, but my professors had extensively discussed their other works in the classroom. I liked the lectures on the authors but given their background, I am afraid to find their writing style a bit difficult to process.

@Bold - I haven't read it. There is always so much to read that I haven't chanced upon expanding my reading list of African writers works. But, I will give it a try if you are planning to re-read it.

Things Fall apart was in part of my BA reading list. My MA was wilding tbh. I did more writing in MA than reading.

Did you do honours and M.A in English literature too? Is re-reading allowed in the reading challenge? Then I can re-read No Longer at Ease. I normally don't re-read any book. But I read it many years ago. If I read the book now, I may analyse it from a fresh perspective.

Yes and now I teach at uni.

I think it should be allowed since you will be reading it from the beginning to end. But lets confirm it once with Lizzie.

Originally posted by: LizzynDarcy

Yes and now I teach at uni.

I think it should be allowed since you will be reading it from the beginning to end. But lets confirm it once with Lizzie.

Bold@ Wow! That's great! That's why you like classic literature so much! Lecturers/professors need to read a lot! So, you must be very knowledgeable.

Knowledge ka toh pata nahi but yes, decent profs need to read because college students love to challenge every idea they encounter.

And I have read more since I started teaching than I did in my college. I like reading but sometimes, I hate when I have to read bad texts. Now that I forced to finish reading the entire syllabus, there no way to skip a boring book.

Originally posted by: LizzieBennet

New month, new challenge, you guys!

Some of you were asking how to increase page counts & reading pace so just sharing some tips.

Of course, each one's personal style is different, so you do you. I'm just sharing what works (or has worked for me)

Some ways you can increase your page counts:

When you find yourself waiting at a doctor's appointment, an airport lounge or for your child to finish their swimming lesson, pull out that phone or Kindle and read!

If you're walking your dog, or driving a long distance, plug in those earphones or connect to your car's bluetooth speakers and listen to an Audio book instead. Audiobooks are seriously a great option (for those who aren't visual readers like me), you can listen through a book a LOT faster than you can read it!

If you find a book isn't hooking you in the first few pages/ chapters, put it aside and pick up a different one. You don't have to DNF it, you can come back to it later, perhaps its the mood you're in or the setting that's not allowing you to get into the book. But it's also OK to DNF imo. Believe me, I was one of those people who absolutely hated to DNF a book, then I ended up reading so many duds which made me think it's not worth it - especially when there are so many great books out there waiting to be read. Why make yourself miserable reading a book when you don't have to? (Unless its for school or an assignment or work in which case you have my sincerest sympathies) When you can spend that time reading something that grips you or that you enjoy? I know tough reads don't automatically mean the book is bad. Some themes are hard to get into and sometimes the prose is such that you need to absorb the content and process it slower. I'm not talking about such books. What I do when I'm reading such books is pace them out. Read a chapter or two a day, and then switch to something lighter, a quicker read. Again, this is for those who can read 2-3 books simultaneously. This is something I thought I couldn't do, but it turns out I absolutely could! It also works very well for mood readers. Sometimes you want a gripping thriller and other times nothing but a sweet romance will work. So give yourself that luxury, of switching between books.

I do read-alongs with a Book club I'm in, and we read only one chapter a day. It's a lot of fun!

On that note, how many of you would be interested in doing read-alongs/ buddy reads?

It doesn't need to be a large group. And Buddy Reads are much easier.

For eg: You can announce you're reading The Housemaid by Freida McFadden, and ask if anyone is interested in a Buddy Read. Even if one more person joins you, the two of you can discuss the book in a new thread! It makes reading so much more fun!

To all our voracious readers: Please share your own tips!

I haven’t done buddy reads before so I’m not sure about how it works. But I’m interested in joining here in IF.

But yeah no tricks or tips as such. I have been a fan of reading and listening to music (now even podcasts ) right from kindergarten I read everything from newspapers, especially OP-ed pieces, political news, sports section, short stories, comics, random articles, anything that catches my attention/interest. I even read the posters that are outside small stalls / shops

Reading has been a passion so it feels like second nature these days.

The one thing I would like to say is if we are interested in whatever we read, it becomes a pleasure and not a chore. Pick a book that not only interests you but also something you can enjoy. Something that leaves you satisfied on completion.

To me books are something that I read whenever I get time, not just in my free time. Sometimes I make time I usually like physical books since the joy when we complete one is unparalleled, but I equally enjoy reading in my mobile/laptop. Audiobooks I enjoy when I cannot read on my mobile and when I’m travelling. I can read gory crime and sweet romance side by side so it really pays to read multiple books at the same time

Normally if I don’t feel like reading romance, I switch to some thriller so it’ll be a change. If you have multiple genres of interest, that’ll be a huge boost since you’ll not be bored reading the same genre time and again.

I’m also a person who hates to DNF a book, in fact I still do but I have learnt to read the blurb carefully, sometimes reviews and judge how the book would be before jumping in to avoid getting disappointed.

Originally posted by: missFiesty_69

I haven’t done buddy reads before so I’m not sure about how it works. But I’m interested in joining here in IF.

But yeah no tricks or tips as such. I have been a fan of reading and listening to music (now even podcasts ) right from kindergarten I read everything from newspapers, especially OP-ed pieces, political news, sports section, short stories, comics, random articles, anything that catches my attention/interest. I even read the posters that are outside small stalls / shops

Reading has been a passion so it feels like second nature these days.

The one thing I would like to say is if we are interested in whatever we read, it becomes a pleasure and not a chore. Pick a book that not only interests you but also something you can enjoy. Something that leaves you satisfied on completion.

To me books are something that I read whenever I get time, not just in my free time. Sometimes I make time I usually like physical books since the joy when we complete one is unparalleled, but I equally enjoy reading in my mobile/laptop. Audiobooks I enjoy when I cannot read on my mobile and when I’m travelling. I can read gory crime and sweet romance side by side so it really pays to read multiple books at the same time

Normally if I don’t feel like reading romance, I switch to some thriller so it’ll be a change. If you have multiple genres of interest, that’ll be a huge boost since you’ll not be bored reading the same genre time and again.

I’m also a person who hates to DNF a book, in fact I still do but I have learnt to read the blurb carefully, sometimes reviews and judge how the book would be before jumping in to avoid getting disappointed.

Bold@ Can you please explain this sentence? If someone thinks a book interesting, he/she will automatically enjoy that book. In my opinion, both are interconnected. But I think you wanted to convey something slightly different through this sentence. I'm willing to know what you to wanted to convey.