Shaddy reads his way through 2024

Hi everyone,

My name is Shadab, and it's my first year in this group. I very recently discovered this platform and its wonderful community, and I'm excited to be a part of it.

I'm currently working on my Master's thesis, so most of what I read these days consists of research papers, but when I really need a break, I turn to my favorite modes of respite: books and films. I have been more drawn towards books recently, but I have managed to combine these hobbies by reading books that have been adapted on screen, and watching the adaptations once I'm done reading.

The quest to finish my Master's degree this year will hinder my reading frequency, but I'll still try to read as many books as possible, and update this thread as the months pass. January is almost over and I've read a meagre 3 books this month, but I hope to pump those numbers up, now that I'm in this group. Here's hoping for a great 2024!

Welcome to the 75ers! Cool math in the top book in your pic - what are you studying? Looks like maybe plasma physics?

Hi and welcome! It's my first year with this group too. It's never too late to list your books and share with the group.

>2 drneutron: Thanks, drneutron! It's a research paper on numerical combustion modelling in a GT combustor, and I'm reading it for my thesis literature review.

>3 elorin: Thanks, elorin! I will be sharing my progress here soon. Hope you have a great first year as a 75er!

****** List of books read in January ******

January is almost over, and I've arrived just in time to mention the 3 books that I read in this month:

1. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
   
2. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
   
3. Women Talking by Miriam Toews
   

I'm hoping I triple this number by the end of february, fingers crossed!

Hi Shadab, thanks for your support! I like long stories: I read most of Game of Thrones before it turned into a television series. I am very sad that George R.R. Martin could not keep up with it. Will he ever finish the story of the novels? I would like that...
However, your choice of reading isn't light entertainment either ;). I wish you every success with your Master's thesis!

>7 Camaho: Thanks for the wishes! The entire drama surrounding the GoT books and TV adaptation turned it into a mess, but I hope George R.R. Martin still finishes the series and gives his own unique ending to the story, it is much needed (I vow to read the GoT books if he concludes the series). I too plan on reading long book series in the future (once life gets more relaxed, haha).

About my reading choices, I just keep collecting books that have notable TV or film adaptations, and watch those adaptations once I finish the books. I'm about to watch Women Talking now, since I finished the book last night.

Due to academic and research requirements, I spend most of my time away from my home, but I'm visiting home these days and in front of me is something that gives some personality to my monotonous room, and that is my mini-library, a small bookshelf which is still in the process of being filled, and I thought to share it, since most of my reads (and unread books) from the last couple of years are on this shelf.



It was a spontaneous addition to my room, but it does wonders to my mental health. I hope to expand this collection further!

Visit to a book fair in my city, and my biggest haul of books so far

I had spent the last few days on relatively low energy, and nothing special was planned for today - until I realized that I had totally forgotten about a book fair happening in my city. Today was the last day of the fair, so I got ready and left for the expo center, where it was being held.



It was refreshing to see such a high turnout, even on the last day of the event. Such gatherings make one realize that the love for books among people still exists.

I browsed through the stalls looking for the books on my reading list, and after about 3 hours of roaming and being fascinated by seeing a diverse range of books all in one place, I simply couldn't decide (despite my ample budget) what books to buy and what books to compromise on for the time being.



Eventually, I managed to select and buy a few books, and left some behind with a heavy heart. The books that I bought are now part of my biggest one-time purchase of books, shown in the picture below.



Some great books that had been on the TBR list for a long time, while a few of them were bought solely based on the reputation of their respective authors, but overall, I'm really happy with my haul. While wandering around books today, I felt truly at home, and my purchase capped off an absolutely wonderful day.

Nice haul! And a great looking festival.

Welcome to the group Shadab.

>10 shadabejaz: That is a nice mini haul there - a very quality dozen if I may say so.

>11 drneutron: Thanks a lot, Jim!

>12 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! Hopefully I'll read all of these (and 63 other books) by the end of the year.

Hello Shadab, how art thou today?

>15 Owltherian: Hello again, Owl! Trying to finish the book that I'm currently reading (Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy), but it's proving to be an exhausting read.

>16 shadabejaz: I bet, i have to read My Life With The Walter Boys and i keep being told to read the prologue but i almost always skip them.

February's first read

As the first day of February arrived, I finally afforded myself the joy of starting Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy as a birthday gift to myself. It had been on my bookshelf for quite a while now, and for some reason, as tempting as it was, I hadn't opened it yet.

I finally opened the book, and as entertaining as it was, it also proved to be my most difficult read in recent memory. It had been quite a while since I'd read British literature, and this was also the first time I was reading an unabridged British novel set in Victorian times. The prose, though profound, seemed hard to decipher at times, which was quite evident with the amount of times I consulted the dictionary. By the end, however, my decision to read the book was validated based on the great insight it offers on some important matters of life while also being a masterclass on characterization. I have written a brief review of the book here.

It took longer than expected to finish this book because of the reading difficulty, but now I'll be marching on towards my reading target for the rest of the month. Also, having finished the book, I also plan on watching its 2015 adaptation directed by Thomas Vinterberg. I really admire his more mainstream work, so I'm pretty sure he would have done justice to this story.

That's all for now, Hopefully I'll update this month's reading log soon!

I adored Far from the Madding Crowd; I'm happy to see that you enjoyed it, too. I haven't watched the movie, but I just looked it up and it has Michael Sheen in it, so onto my list it goes!

>19 scaifea: I just finished the movie, and I was blown away by the cinematography. I didn't expect the depiction of the Victorian countryside to be so realistic in a film that isn't very well known, but it was such a visually soothing experience. Michael Sheen's portrayal of Boldwood was pretty spot on too, so you'll enjoy the film.

Here are a few shots from the movie:

Oh, lovely! And I'm not surprised about Sheen - he's one of the best actors out there right now.

February's second read
Having finished what was a slow-burner as my first read of February, I picked up a newly-bought book, which seemed to have all the hallmarks of a quick read - Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux. I managed to finish it in one sitting, and I'm just blown away by the way Ernaux conveyed her state of frenzy so aptly in this memoir. It's unlike anything I've read before, and what impresses me the most about this book is that it gives me exactly what I seek from character studies in general - the hope of there being some coherent thought process behind seemingly impulsive behaviour. I have written a short review of the book here.

On to the next book now!

Consistent reading has been briefly put on halt as I work on my thesis write-up these days. These final stretches of my thesis are making me realize how much I've fallen out of love with technical writing. I'm fully burned out, but I must get to the finish line to be done with it once and for all.

The very small breaks that I can afford these days are being spent doing reading. I've recently started Exile and the Kingdom by Albert Camus, which is a collection of short stories revolving around people who are journeying through, or trapped in areas completely foreign to them. It's the first time I'm reading Camus, and his narration style will take some getting used to, but I'm sure I'll be fully acquainted with it once it get to the end of this book.

>23 shadabejaz: If anyone ever figures out how to get to the end of their thesis without feeling completely burned out, they should bottle and sell it. As it is, I think it's impossible not to feel that way. It's a grueling thing. Good luck with the final stretch!

>24 scaifea: Thank you so much, Amber!

February's third read
Just finished Exile and the kingdom by Albert Camus and it has proven to be a nice entry into the world of French existentialist literature. The book is a collection of 6 short stories that show, from different perspectives, the struggle for escaping the state of "exile" and finding one's "kingdom".

Touching themes like liberation, surrendering of ego, solidarity, and solitude, the central idea of the book is that each individual's quest to end their state of exile (whatever state it's manifested in) and finding their kingdom would lead them on a unique path on which success is never guaranteed, but there is always a great potential for personal rediscovery on every such quest.

While I couldn't resonate with all the 6 stories, I liked the overall exploration of the central theme. The Guest and The Artist at Work proved to be my favorites, with the latter story hitting closer to home since it features an individual who can't maintain a balance between his personal, professional, and social life, leading them all to merge together, which eventually causes him to burn out and look for an escape.

A unique reading experience overall, and I'm excited to read more of Camus in the future.

February's fourth read
Carrying on the spirit of my last read, I finally read my first Franz Kafka book. Metamorphosis was compact and full unnerving moments, none of which felt forced. I never thought I'd be fully immersed in a story like this one, but I was surprised by the profoundness and coherence of it all. I hadn't experienced surrealism in the form of text before, and this was quite an introduction. I wasn't really in the mood for something so strong today, but having finished the book, I'm just full of bewilderment about the frailty of the human condition.

What's next: I'll try to finish another book before the month ends (something milder than the last one perhaps), and hope for more productivity on my thesis work (all these unread books in front of me are really hard to resist tho).

Reading in the small pockets of time
Much of the last month was spent catching up with unfinished work, while I was also guilty of socializing a lot more than I should have. My reading consistency took a bit of a hit, but I believe I can still recover to get to the target of 75 books for this year. After the last update, I finished 2 books:

The Stranger by Albert Camus
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

which brings the total number of books read this year to 9. Still a lot of time left to read 66 more

I read The Stranger for an honors class in high school, many moons ago. I have been considering re-reading it recently. How did you like it?

>29 elorin: I've realized that I have a soft corner for existentialist literature so I've liked what I've read so far from Camus. The Stranger really clarified the difference between immorality and amorality for me and its description of the contrast between freedom and captivity really moved me as well.

April's first read
Just finished my third Fyodor Dostoevsky read, one of the most severe depictions of inner conflict that I've read, Notes from the Underground. I had to take a few pauses because a few recollections and ramblings took me down my own memory lane, but at the end of it, I'm just in awe of how brilliantly Dostoevsky describes the protagonist's state of mental anguish.

April's second read
Just added another entry to the existentialist literature I'm reading these days in the form of The Fall by Albert Camus. It wasn't as engaging as the other 2 books I've read by the same author, and proved a bit difficult to follow compared to his other works, but I managed to draw an interesting parallel between this book and the last book I read (Notes from the underground).

While the leads of both books are bothered the most by the judgement of others and have massive egos, the protagonist of The Fall looks to get around this by constantly trying to woo others and proving that he's superior to them. Notes from the underground's protagonist, however, tries to solve this issue by escaping beneath everyone's field of vision and disappearing from the society for prolonged periods of time. In that sense, The Fall could be called an antithesis to Notes from the underground.

Visit to the old book market
One of the oldest areas in my home city has a long-standing tradition of housing a mini-fair of old/used books every Sunday. All the major old book shop owners exhibit their stock on a street adjacent to one of the city's biggest markets, attracting book lovers from all over the city. It had been a while since I'd been there, so I took off during the early hours of previous Sunday to see what was in store.

To my dismay, it started to rain as soon as I got there, which caused me to take shelter, and the books to be covered under sheets. However, the weather soon cleared, and I managed to move back-and-forth from one end of the street to the other, surrounded by books and making the most of this free therapy.





After thoroughly searching all the stalls, I bought a total of 5 books, and as I rode the metro back home, I was quite happy with my haul, and overall, quite uplifted with how the Sunday went.

Looks like a nice haul!

>34 drneutron: Thanks!