Books we are reading right now

[Xas]

I, Claudius by Robert Graves.  It is a great read and I'm this close getting interested in Roman history.

Have you read Graves' 'Goodbye To All That'? A pretty eye-opening account of life during WWI, especially his time in the trenches. Really well written, and brutally honest to the point that Graves doesn't come out of it too well, as a person. He certainly doesn't portray himself as any kind of hero(quite the opposite, in fact), nor does he romanticise war/army life in any way.

[elizabethbennet]

Have you read Graves' 'Goodbye To All That'?

No I, Claudius is the first book I have read written by him. Your description of Goodbye to All is very interesting, war is my least favorite genre though but he is such a good writer that this may just be one of the exceptions.

Currently reading Lives of the Noble Romans by Plutarch. This is an edited version which only includes 10 people. It is very interesting.

I'm also reading The Law of Similars as a lighter side reading and am very happy with it.

[JabIMetBollywood]

Fantasies of a Bollywood Love Thief by Stephen Alter. I enjoyed this so much! Such a great insider's look at the inner workings of Bollywood. Put a brief review on the blog.

http://queuingupbollywood.blogspot.com/2013/03/another-brief-bollywood-book-review.html

[Dariya]

The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh.  It seems like ages since I've read anything not required for a class!  I've picked up several books without finishing them over the past few months (very unlike me, I usually finish any book I start).  But this one, I like.  It reminds me of The God of Small Things because of the setting, but it's a lot more lighthearted (and some might say less wordy, though I love the language in Arundhati Roy's book) in comparison.  I'm already looking forward to reading Ghosh's other stuff.

[Ms. Chandni]

I read Sea of Poppies by Ghosh, and loved it.  It's part of a trilogy but I haven't read the other books yet.

[Xas]

Haven't been reading much recently, because I've been too busy watching movies, but I managed to pick up a book that had been on my wishlist for a wee while - Sutton by JR Moehringer. I'm only seven chapters in, but I'm loving it so far. It's a "guessed at" account of what happened when Willie Sutton was released from prison in 1969, with flashbacks to his earlier life. He was a notorious, but publicly popular, bank-robber back in the day, but I'll fess to never having heard of him. I think the fact that it's 'all new' to me is making the ride that much more enjoyable, along with the fact that it's very well written.

[alexaha]

I read Sea of Poppies by Ghosh, and loved it.  It's part of a trilogy but I haven't read the other books yet.

I gave up on this halfway through, don't remember why, though - it's been two or three years. Maybe I should give it another go.

Currently reading "Indian Summer - The secret history of the end of an empire" by Alex von Tunzelmann. She's a historian who sometimes reviews BW movies for The Guardian, that's how I found her and eventually this book which is her first. Despite the bulky title it's a very good read. For someone like me who draws her knowledge about partition mostly from BW movies it is really informative. It also puts into focus the personal relationships between  Lord Mountbatten, Lady Mountbatten, Nehru, Jinnah, Patel, etc. Edwina Mountbatten seems to have been one very fascinating lady.

ETA: Did I really forget to mention Gandhi....?

[bella]

Tried to read Sea of Poppies a while back and also gave up on it but now and listening to it (doesnt count as reading)  and enjoying it much better. Never could read any of Ghosh  books.
Last year I read Edwina Mountbatten: A Life of Her Own by Janet Morgan. She was fascinating true and plenty spoiled. There was always an unproven rumour she had a dallience with Nehru but even his sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit said they were close but nothing untoward happened to her knowledge.

I gave up on this halfway through, don't remember why, though - it's been two or three years. Maybe I should give it another go.

Currently reading "Indian Summer - The secret history of the end of an empire" by Alex von Tunzelmann. She's a historian who sometimes reviews BW movies for The Guardian, that's how I found her and eventually this book which is her first. Despite the bulky title it's a very good read. For someone like me who draws her knowledge about partition mostly from BW movies it is really informative. It also puts into focus the personal relationships between  Lord Mountbatten, Lady Mountbatten, Nehru, Jinnah, Patel, etc. Edwina Mountbatten seems to have been one very fascinating lady.

[elizabethbennet]

Somebody loaned me The Chronicles of Narnia and I wish I read them when I was a kid (well, I was more into Enid Blyton then) but they are working for me as an adult too. I'm almost through The Voyage of The Dawn Treader.  I have seen the film that is based on one of the books and to be honest it didn't carry that special something the books had (I never bothered with the second film). 

[alexaha]

Last year I read Edwina Mountbatten: A Life of Her Own by Janet Morgan. She was fascinating true and plenty spoiled. There was always an unproven rumour she had a dallience with Nehru but even his sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit said they were close but nothing untoward happened to her knowledge.

Well, from what I gathered so far, Jawarhar Nehru and Edwina Mountbatten had a very unique relationship that went way beyond a physical affair. And she seemed to be her best self when doing relief work, both during WW2 and after partition.

[SRKluvver]

My little sister who is 12 loves the Hunger Games and after she watched the movie, I promised her I would give the books a try since she liked the so much... 
I read all 3 books during reading week, I liked the fact that in my mind I had the movie characters (since I had watched the trailer) lol 
Overall I enjoyed the books even though some parts were really boring... AND I wish Katniss ended up with Gale instead of Peeta!!! 

[odadune]

Cold Days.  I dunno, I'm really losing interest in the Harry Dresden books.  A couple years back I wandered into the middle of the series with White Night (which is still probably my favorite), then went back and read all the earlier ones, and have more or less followed the post-White Night books as they came out.  The latter have been increasingly grandiose and complicated and interested in the mythology for its own sake, and have been pushing the characters into deeper, darker waters than the author seems really equipped to write.  The last few at least still had the humor going for them, but this one was kind of weak in that department.  I found myself skimming alot.

[elizabethbennet]

The Pillars of The Earth - I'm very much into it. Not only the world of the period is created expertly but also the story has heft and layered nicely. Even though I'm at the beginning I can safely recommend.

[elizabethbennet]

I have just finished Inferno and it is the same formula only this time he crammed a bit more into it and tried a different ending. Now it is nowhere as good as Angels & Demons or Da Vinci Code (which are basically the same book) but it is still entertaining and I think will make a nice airport book.