Mumbai Bookworms discussion

Dear members,

It's with great honour that I start this thread - with a hope to get to know each of you. Please share a word or two about yourself:

- Your good name
- What do you do?
- How old are you?
- Which part of Mumbai are you from?
- Since when did you start reading?
- What genre(s) do you like to read?

Have fun on this group and please spread the word! :)

Hi,

I'm Rahul Ranjan. I'm a consultant at Ernst and Young (Financial Services - Technology). I live in Versova.

Mum always encouraged me to read books, but my first novel (her recommendation) was "Ice Station Zebra" by Alistair McLean. I was about 12 years old when i read it. On my 16th birthday, she gave me a copy of The Godfather and said "you're old enough now, start reading these books".

I have read many authors such as Jeffrey Archer, John Grisham, Dan Brown, Mario Puzo, Robert Ludlum, John Le Carre. But for the last four years, I have only read non-ficiton. Mostly history. I'm currently reading history of India (colonial to present day) as well as world history (WW1 to present day).

Hi Rahul,

That's a good list of books and authors there! :) The Godfather has been dusting my TBR closet for sometime now - although I did watch the first movie - does that count? What book are you reading at the moment?

I don't think the movie counts. The Godfather was one of the first books to reveal the working of the Mafia. I'd recommend the book to get a better understanding of hierarchy, functions, and some crazy facts about the mafia. For example, he explains how some mafia families specialize in facilitating negotiations.

I have a habit of reading multiple books at a time. Currently, these are what i'm reading -
1. The war that ended peace: road to 1914 by Margaret Macmillian
2. Plassey to Partition by Sekhar Bandyopadhyay
3. The origins of Political Order by Francis Fukuyama

Also, it doesn't count as a book, but i'm a fan of Dan Carlin's Harcore History podcast.

Oh, right - these books look pretty interesting. If I ever get to start reading non-fiction, then I'll message you for recommendations, Rahul! :)

Hi,

I am Puja. I just started to log into my otherwise inactive Goodreads account. Looking to get ideas about great books that people are reading and to experience the passion for reading that so many of us share.

Currently I am reading the Rice Mother by Rani Manicka. I love fiction and drama. My favourite author is Khaled Hosseini.

Hoping to connect with wonderful people here!

Welcome back, Puja! :)

Where in Mumbai are you from?

Even I am fan of fiction and drama - well, I've read more literary fiction than commercial ones as the latter are too mainstream.

Khaled Hosseini is my favourite too - in fact, I will be reading A Thousand Splendid Suns quite soon. Have you had a chance to read it?

If you want book recommendations, then I suggest that you post a topic on the We're happy to help! section :)

P.S. Please do visit the Book of the Month for July 2016 thread to drop in your suggestions for doing monthly group reads.

Happy reading! :)

Thanks Sharadha!

Originally from Kolkata, I am staying in Santacruz for over 4 years now.

Yes, I have read a Thousand Splendid Suns and loved it as much as the Kite Runner (which mostly everyone who knows Khaled Hosseini has read and appreciated). I will post my recommendations on the topic you suggested.

Cheers!

That's awesome to know, Puja. Hope you find the group to be a great experience :)

- Abhishek Beracah (Call me AB)
- Software developer
- 27
- Vila Parle (Work Bandra)
- 3 years back (Occasional reader)
- Romance fiction

I am Ritu
doing my CA Articleship .
21
Mulund
I think i started reading pretty young like 8 or 9 but back then i read comics

Welcome, Ritu! :)

Any personal favourite comics? I haven't read comics (other than Tinkle hehe), sadly, and maybe one of those people who confuses Batman to the guy in the Dark Knight Trilogy :P

hi am aivan from Kenya just joined in a couple of hours ago. am a nurse practitioner with big dreams for my future.
about reading novel, It a thing that started after completing secondary. and truly saying Danielle steel is my favorite author among other like John grisham, Stephenie Meyer etc. if anyone has his or her favorite novel then can share to me.

Hi Aivan, welcome to our group! :)

I wish you all the very best to fulfill your dreams. John Grisham is a terrific novelist - I read Theodore Boone a while back and absolutely enjoyed it. Please do tell us the novels you have read of these authors :)

Hello. I am Yashna (pronounced as Yaashna), 22 years of age, from Kandivali. I just wrote my final years' paper for MA in Clinical Psychology. I have been using my past week of vacation for reading fiction, as haven't been able to due to two crazy, hectic years.

I love to read classics, books related to psychology, drama. I have been reading since my middle school as my father would tell me it's a good habit to cultivate. However, I developed my major interest in reading only after taking up English Literature at the undergrad level, also thanks to the amazing professors I had then. I vow to manage some reading over the coming year, despite the work, as I realize how much I have been missing it.

Glad to be in this group of seemingly warm individuals. Happy reading. :)

Welcome, Yashna - what a lovely name you have :)

Yes, your father is quite right about cultivating reading as a profitable habit - I am gutted for our youth who shrug at the thought of it otherwise.

In order to accomplish your vow, I recommend that you to take up the Goodreads' Reading Challenge - it is a great way to tick books off of your list - you can pledge a lower number of books if work interferes too often :)

Happy reading!

Hi, Priti here... n avid reader...

i think I stared reading when i was around 11-12.. our school had dedicated time slot once a week, to visit the library and read... bck then it was Enid Blyton, nancy drew,etc that ruled

Gradually this developed and there is no end to it... I am not a genre specific reader and pick up books that appeal to me be it fiction or otherwise.. however, have not read too many classics and would start doin the same...

I am glad that this group is now active... happy reading

Hi Priti, welcome to the group! Please do share some of your favourite reads with us :)

Hi,

Anit here.
I have had a keen interest in books, although it was something never encouraged. But true passion never dies, and when I could finally have the controls in my hand, started my journey.

In my school days, summer vacations were the only time I was allowed to read books, which dad brought from his office library.

I used to finish these books within the same evening or most by next day and return them. Dad often cited that it was difficult for him to go to the library every day, that it was quite far and hence i should take my reading a little slow.

Years went by and I joined for engineering at Dads office.
The place was Mazagon Dock Limited, and I was there doing Marine engineering. to my dismay i realised that this so called llibrary was just 150 metres away. barely a walk.

i started reading like crazy. the mere sight on so many books made me overwhelmed.
I became such a regular at the library, that they started eventually asking for me for suggestions on new books. it was truly life coming a full circle.

been going a lil slow with my reading, own a few, borrow some and someday hope to have a vast collection at home....

lil dreams!

Welcome to the group, Anit! Thank you for sharing your inspiring tale with us :)

I hope that you still are a regular at the library - it isn't often that one is blessed with a library at such close proximity to home/work. Please also share your favourite novels with us and nominate some of them in our BOTMs :)

Happy Reading!

Ever since completing my engineering, I do not visit the library anymore as it is within a high security premises and entry is restricted.

Neither do I bother dad anymore with the task. I am in the process of making my own collection and often pick up quite a few titles from book sales.

Currently, albeit a small one yet I have a collection of about 30 books, and many more e-books.

My favorite Novel:
Dracula - Bram Stoker
The Master of The Game - Sidney Sheldon
The Millenium Series - Steig Larrson

Hello to all the new members and welcome back to all old members :p

Hey all, I'm Frederick Foxx, an avid reader. I enjoy reading books in the Paranormal / Fantasy / Supernatural genres. I'm currently not a resident of Mumbai, though I've stayed there for half my life (in different areas) and have also written a book (short read) featuring a Mumbai Cop :)
FF

Welcome to the group, Frederick :)

Please share some of your favourite novels with us - I haven't really read books from the genres you mentioned because I am weak heart (often cannot contain ghostly stuff in me), but I would love to hear of recommendations to get inducted!

Frederick wrote: "Hey all, I'm Frederick Foxx, an avid reader. I enjoy reading books in the Paranormal / Fantasy / Supernatural genres. I'm currently not a resident of Mumbai, though I've stayed there for half my li..."

PNR Yay !

Hey, welcome Frederick !!!
Finally someone who loves paranormal :P
i thought i was the only weird one here :P

Nadeem wrote: "Hey, welcome Frederick !!!
Finally someone who loves paranormal :P
i thought i was the only weird one here :P"

Holy shit ! You like paranormal ?? Mee too !

Nadeem & Ritu, you both should suggest PNR novels on BOTM nominations!

Hello, people. I'm Sumeet. I'm 25, an IT auditor of sorts and live in Andheri West. I don't even remember what got me hooked on to reading but books have always kept me company since my formative years. Encouraged by my mother and a few teachers to read good books, I had read every Sidney Sheldon book before I had turned 14. (I may have (clearly) misinterpreted what they meant by good books but as a kid, I loved Sheldon's works). And of course, Harry Potter!
Over the years, my love for fiction has been on the wane and I've found solace in history(Indian, mostly), sports and technology. There's a special place in my heart for Kashmir and everything that surrounds it.

I look forward to interacting with you guys! :)

A warm welcome to the group, Sumeet!

I'm glad to have found a fellow Sidney Sheldon fan, but I sure wasn't old enough to understand his works at 14 :P What's your favourite Sheldon novel(s)? My all time favourites are The Stars Shine Down, Rage of Angels and Other Side of Midnight.

Speaking of Kashmir, I wonder if you've had a chance to read Curfewed Night by Basharat Peer?

Hi Shraddha,

My favourite Sheldon works are Windmills of the Gods and If Tomorrow Comes. I did enjoy Rage of Angels too!

Yes, I have read Curfewed Night and found it to be a decent read. Although if Kashmir really piques your interest you should read Our Moon has Blood Clots by Rahul Pandita and The Meadow by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark.

If anyone wishes to recommend any other books on Kashmir that I may have missed out on, please do so. :)

Hey all!

This is super exciting. I've just dived into reading again after what seemed to be a sabbatical (even though I did on an average read 22-28 books a year), so I'm super excited to talk to people from the Bay! :)

I'm Smriti and I'm 25 years old. I am a 'marketeer' by profession and I live in Parel.

I have been reading ever since I remember. My parents were the kind that bought books over toys so I always was surrounded by them. In fact, there's this cute story of how as a toddler I would call books 'Suno' because my parents would say 'Suno' (or 'listen' in Hindi) each time they would start reading a book.

Before this year started, I was a pure fiction girl. However, I am now super open non fiction as well and am really open to read pretty much anything!

I'm currently reading The Graveyard Book and I'm LOVING IT.

Anyway, that's all from me. :)

Welcome to the group, Smriti! :) It's often relieving to reconnect with books after a break - I myself had laid off of them when I was in University for almost 2 years.

Thanks for sharing the super cute anecdote with us here :) Your book does look intriguing but I am petrified of ghosts haha you'd probably find company in a few other PNR junkies on here. Please put these up for nominations in BOTMs!

Sharadha wrote: "Welcome to the group, Smriti! :) It's often relieving to reconnect with books after a break - I myself had laid off of them when I was in University for almost 2 years.

Thanks for sharing the supe..."

I mean it's originally a book for children, so I'm sure you'll be fine! :)

Ritu wrote: "Nadeem wrote: "Hey, welcome Frederick !!!
Finally someone who loves paranormal :P
i thought i was the only weird one here :P"

Holy shit ! You like paranormal ?? Mee too !"

Naiiiice...i have this two books on my to read list
1. The Last Dead Girl (David Loogan #3)
2. Blood Harvest by S.J. Bolton

not a complete paranormal, but spine chilling thriller and mystery with violence !!! *spoooooooky*

Hey Smriti,

Welcome to the group :D

Nadeem wrote: "Ritu wrote: "Nadeem wrote: "Hey, welcome Frederick !!!
Finally someone who loves paranormal :P
i thought i was the only weird one here :P"

Holy shit ! You like paranormal ?? Mee too !"

Naiiiice....."

LOL i was talking about paranormal romance likeDark Lover.

Hey! I am Mayank, 27, and I am into Investments. Apart from boring job I like to attend concerts and spend my lazy weekends in some cafe or listening to some good music with whisky and books.

I like to write short stories and my favorites authors are Ayn Rand, George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Vladimir Nabokov, John Steinbeck, Mikhail Bulgakov, Kafka, Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahnuik etc.

I love Indian authors as well like Kiran Nagarkar, Amitav Ghosh, Vikram Chandra, Rohinton Mistry etc

Welcome to the group, Mayank! :) Please do share some of your favourite novels with us.

Ritu wrote: "Nadeem wrote: "Ritu wrote: "Nadeem wrote: "Hey, welcome Frederick !!!
Finally someone who loves paranormal :P
i thought i was the only weird one here :P"

Holy shit ! You like paranormal ?? Mee too..."

No offense...but i really dont like romantic novel :P
they all sound same with same kind of plot
teenage girl, falling in love with a weird guy....a little shyness first, but they fall in love eventually...and when everything is going fine, one of them die !!! :P :P :P

Hey Buddies,

This is Nitesh. On the most used acronym asl from Yahoo chat days.. 28, M, Thane.
I have been seeing lot of action nd traction in this group. Thanks to new moderators. I love reading both fiction and non fiction. I usually read one book at a tiem but have recently been experimenting with several books at a time. This setting really works when you are reading fiction or you top up your non fiction with a fiction. I have also experimented with audio books, but soon gave it up for a successful experiment of reading a book and listening to its audio book parallel at 1.5x speed. Sine two senses(eyes and ears) are involved at a time rather than one (eyes), it really helped.

I don't remember when did I start reading but it is generally on and off. During peak times I read like a book every week and sometimes I don't even read anything for months. However, recently it has changed, Thanks to kindle :)

I am looking forward for buddy reads and group reads. Moderators I hope we begin something soon.

Cheers!
Happy Reading to all

Hi Nitesh and Shubendra, a very warm welcome to the group! :)

Nitesh, thank you for the kind words :) We hope to keep the activity going and hopefully get good response in return. Buddy reads have taken place in the past when Abhishek and I read Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult. It was a great read for me then, although I am unsure if Abhishek finished the book yet. We could do a buddy read if you want to :) I am currently reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, so let me know :) Even I tried audiobooks (especially for the Classics) and loved the experience - it was quite different to the regular reading stint as I could now read the dialogue and narration with expressions and understand the character's emotions innately better. Yet to get onto Kindle though.

Subhendra, I haven't read travelogues yet but want to start - would you happen to have any suggestions or point me to some of your works? :)

Sharadha.. where are you on A Thousand Splendid Suns? Already began?

Just only started, great to see a thread created. You joining in, I presume?

Welcome to the group Shubhendra!

Hi all,

Piyush here. At 31, I am super old; have just moved from Prabhadevi to Chembur, in search of shorter commute time to work (Fort) and bigger place :)

What do I do?
Boring answer: I head the Risk function at the BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) group.

Not-so-boring answer: I run a book club by the name Bound Together Bombay :)

I kind of read everything, other than telephone directories (do they still print them?).

Smriti wrote: "Hey all!

I'm currently reading The Graveyard Book and I'm LOVING IT.
"

Hi Smriti, welcome to the surreal world of Gaiman, "The Graveyard Book" is one of my favourites :)

Piyush wrote: "Smriti wrote: "Hey all!

I'm currently reading The Graveyard Book and I'm LOVING IT.
"

Hi Smriti, welcome to the surreal world of Gaiman, "The Graveyard Book" is one of my favourites :)"

Haha, I have no idea why I hadn't read him all this while!

Smriti wrote: "Piyush wrote: "Smriti wrote: "Hey all!

I'm currently reading The Graveyard Book and I'm LOVING IT.
"

Hi Smriti, welcome to the surreal world of Gaiman, "The Graveyard Book" is one of my favouri...

"

I have read 2 more, Coraline and Stardust, they are all different, and are all awesome. I have a couple more of them sitting on my shelves, I will hopefully read one of them this year (with the ever expanding TBR, hope is the best one can do!).

Hi everyone,

Here goes my intro

I am Indrani. I build software. I am 42. Live in Thane.

I have been reading since I was about 3 I guess. :) It started with my parents reading to me and somewhere I started to read myself as well. Have had books for ever.

I read everything, at least pretty much everything I can get. I read non-fiction a lot less than fiction. Would like to improve the ratio a bit.

Happy to be here.

Happy reading.

Indrani