Nessie's "yay, let's get back to reading again" corner ^^
Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2026
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1useristryingtoread
Starting with this challenge late (only by five months.....lol) and here is how it is going so far
1. Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai- Absolutely had me hooked from the beginning to the end. A coming-of-age queer story set in a conservative culture in tumultuous times. Made me think about desire, sexuality, performativity, formal education, and governmentality, and how these are all interconnected
2. Sad Tiger by Neige Sinno- What set this apart for me from other semi/autobiographical narratives by rape victims was the pluraity in perspectives provided in this narrative and it's rich intertextuality
3. The Faster I Walk, the Smaller I Am by Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold- This one did not do much for me to be honest? The thought of having to die alone after the only person who knew you and you knew has passed is definitely haunting, but I guess the theme dealt with in the narrative is an everyday reality for almost all the women around me who are sentenced for life with their husbands, having no identity of their own, so the existentialist crisis feels a bit more real when I see it play out in front of my own eyes everyday.
4. Mother of 1084 by Mahasweta Devi- A perfect short read. A glimpse into the youth uprisisngs inspired by the naxalite movements and how it plays out in an urban upper-middle class set up
5. Heart Lamps by Banu Mushtaq- I did thoroughly enjoy the short stories; I enjoyed some more than the others though. A pretty realistic mirror to the lives of women who are oppresed by culture, religion, and families.
6. Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya- I sort of picked this one up to understand the intersections of gender and economics. Child Marriage, Girl Child Syndrome, Serfdom, Poverty, Food, Economics; it has everything.
7. Pattunoolpuzhu by S. Hareesh- Read this one in my native tongue. My graduate thesis looked at how the protagonist of this story used his literary exchanges as a quasi-economic structure to make up for the financial lack and ruin that his dad had left him in.
8. East of Eden by Steinbeck- I am still reading this; has me hooked onto it so far. However, I have been getting intimidated by longer books so I am not sure; let's see how it goes.
9. Herscht 07769 by László Krasznahorkai- A good read, though I am not sure if I would be picking up another one of his anytime soon. It was a bit too slow-paced for my liking, but nevertheless, a read that I do not regret.
1. Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai- Absolutely had me hooked from the beginning to the end. A coming-of-age queer story set in a conservative culture in tumultuous times. Made me think about desire, sexuality, performativity, formal education, and governmentality, and how these are all interconnected
2. Sad Tiger by Neige Sinno- What set this apart for me from other semi/autobiographical narratives by rape victims was the pluraity in perspectives provided in this narrative and it's rich intertextuality
3. The Faster I Walk, the Smaller I Am by Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold- This one did not do much for me to be honest? The thought of having to die alone after the only person who knew you and you knew has passed is definitely haunting, but I guess the theme dealt with in the narrative is an everyday reality for almost all the women around me who are sentenced for life with their husbands, having no identity of their own, so the existentialist crisis feels a bit more real when I see it play out in front of my own eyes everyday.
4. Mother of 1084 by Mahasweta Devi- A perfect short read. A glimpse into the youth uprisisngs inspired by the naxalite movements and how it plays out in an urban upper-middle class set up
5. Heart Lamps by Banu Mushtaq- I did thoroughly enjoy the short stories; I enjoyed some more than the others though. A pretty realistic mirror to the lives of women who are oppresed by culture, religion, and families.
6. Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya- I sort of picked this one up to understand the intersections of gender and economics. Child Marriage, Girl Child Syndrome, Serfdom, Poverty, Food, Economics; it has everything.
7. Pattunoolpuzhu by S. Hareesh- Read this one in my native tongue. My graduate thesis looked at how the protagonist of this story used his literary exchanges as a quasi-economic structure to make up for the financial lack and ruin that his dad had left him in.
8. East of Eden by Steinbeck- I am still reading this; has me hooked onto it so far. However, I have been getting intimidated by longer books so I am not sure; let's see how it goes.
9. Herscht 07769 by László Krasznahorkai- A good read, though I am not sure if I would be picking up another one of his anytime soon. It was a bit too slow-paced for my liking, but nevertheless, a read that I do not regret.
2useristryingtoread
Oh Also,
10. Ulysses by James Joyce: Can I really say that I have read it? No. Can I really say that I have understood it? Nope. Can I review it? Nah uh. Can I give you even a brief summary of what I think might have been the plot line? Also, no. But I guess I can say that I read it over the course of four months for a class, and I am glad that I signed up for it because I can never even imagine having picked it up otherwise.
10. Ulysses by James Joyce: Can I really say that I have read it? No. Can I really say that I have understood it? Nope. Can I review it? Nah uh. Can I give you even a brief summary of what I think might have been the plot line? Also, no. But I guess I can say that I read it over the course of four months for a class, and I am glad that I signed up for it because I can never even imagine having picked it up otherwise.
3useristryingtoread
I guess my first message should have been a tiny introduction, but I'm dumb, so here goes:
Hiii, I am Nessa, a 23-year-old Literature graduate trying to get out of my reading slump and burn out. When I am not reading or watching series, I am not doing anything else. I enjoy studying, taking long walks, getting into arguments with my parents, and watching Schitt's Creek for the 200th time. I hope to make good friends here.
Anyways, here is a snap from one of my trips this year to Pondicherry!
Hiii, I am Nessa, a 23-year-old Literature graduate trying to get out of my reading slump and burn out. When I am not reading or watching series, I am not doing anything else. I enjoy studying, taking long walks, getting into arguments with my parents, and watching Schitt's Creek for the 200th time. I hope to make good friends here.
Anyways, here is a snap from one of my trips this year to Pondicherry!
6SirThomas
Happy new thread, Nessa - it is never too late to start something...
By the way - in this group, you'll find lots of great book recommendations.
By the way - in this group, you'll find lots of great book recommendations.
7useristryingtoread
>4 elorin: Thank you Elorin!
8useristryingtoread
>5 drneutron: Thank you! It means a lot!
9useristryingtoread
>6 SirThomas: Thank you! Yes, I have been going through a lot of the threads and I have been finding great stuff to add to my tbr (:
11useristryingtoread
>10 scaifea: yesss, thank you!!
12useristryingtoread
Started my day with some essays on political theory and I came across this poem, which I have noticed being cited a lot across various social media platforms:
First They Came
-Martin Niemöller
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
...
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
(Included in the collection "On Fascism and Neo Fascism" by M.A. Baby)
It also reminded me of this one very powerful line from the songs of "Pottan Theyyam" (A subcultural ritual in northern Malabar where boundaries of caste and class are temporarily suspended and worshippers bow down to a lower-caste deity)
നീങ്കളെക്കൊത്ത്യാലും ചോരല്ലേ ചൊവ്വറ്?
നാങ്കളെക്കൊത്ത്യാലും ചോരല്ലേ ചൊവ്വറ്?
It roughly translates to something like this:
Isn't it the same blood that comes out
of you or me
when we are struck down, Chekvare?
("Chekavare" used to be the caste associated with elite militia)
Power exists in the capillaries, and I am reminded every day about how relative it is. Always reminded not to take my privilege for granted and aim for my knowledge to be used for good by myself.
Happy Monday!
First They Came
-Martin Niemöller
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
...
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
(Included in the collection "On Fascism and Neo Fascism" by M.A. Baby)
It also reminded me of this one very powerful line from the songs of "Pottan Theyyam" (A subcultural ritual in northern Malabar where boundaries of caste and class are temporarily suspended and worshippers bow down to a lower-caste deity)
നീങ്കളെക്കൊത്ത്യാലും ചോരല്ലേ ചൊവ്വറ്?
നാങ്കളെക്കൊത്ത്യാലും ചോരല്ലേ ചൊവ്വറ്?
It roughly translates to something like this:
Isn't it the same blood that comes out
of you or me
when we are struck down, Chekvare?
("Chekavare" used to be the caste associated with elite militia)
Power exists in the capillaries, and I am reminded every day about how relative it is. Always reminded not to take my privilege for granted and aim for my knowledge to be used for good by myself.
Happy Monday!
13useristryingtoread
Having said that, I am still on "East of Eden" and I think I may get the chance to purchace a relatively old copy of O' Neil's plays so I am excited to start on that as well (if I get it; fingers crossed)|
Also, I have been thinking about this a lot recently, but do you think LLMS and AI-assisted browser extensions like Gra*marly play a role in dumbing down language and taking away the choice of the writers? I see myself clicking on those words and lines a lot to see the alternative that is provided and then sit and overthink about whether my sentence construction is good enough or if the spelling of a word is wrong. Why does it matter? Wouldn't a prolonged use of tech like these just reach a point where language and literature lose their idiosyncrasies?
Recently a self-claimed influencer turned writer in India very proudly talked about her use of Ch*t GPT in her book. I don't know, the entire interview sounded dystopian given that the book was a best seller in the country. What do you guys think?
Also, I have been thinking about this a lot recently, but do you think LLMS and AI-assisted browser extensions like Gra*marly play a role in dumbing down language and taking away the choice of the writers? I see myself clicking on those words and lines a lot to see the alternative that is provided and then sit and overthink about whether my sentence construction is good enough or if the spelling of a word is wrong. Why does it matter? Wouldn't a prolonged use of tech like these just reach a point where language and literature lose their idiosyncrasies?
Recently a self-claimed influencer turned writer in India very proudly talked about her use of Ch*t GPT in her book. I don't know, the entire interview sounded dystopian given that the book was a best seller in the country. What do you guys think?
