So I have absolutely no hesitation in highly recommending both the #DeadTreeBook and #audiobook versions of

Ivan Turgenev's 'A Sportsman's Notebook,' also more popularly known as 'Sketches from a Hunter's Album.'

#books 📚 #Bookstodon #reading #2023ReadingList
#audiobooks #ShortStories #RussianClassics #ScanmanRecommends

The next #book that I've finished #reading in my #2023ReadingList is;

William Dalrymple's first book, written in 1986 when he was a 21-year-old Cambridge undergraduate. The #travelogue / #memoir / #history book, In Xanadu: A Quest.

Though I had misgivings about the author's opinions in several places, I liked the book. Though it happened less than 40 years ago, such a journey would be inconceivable now. That alone makes it a unique read.

#Bookstodon #books #AsianHistory #ScanmanRecommends

Oh, btw, I used @SerialReader app to finish my last book - the Arundhati Roy book mentioned in my immediate last post. I think I put the app to good use. That's the first book that I finished using the app. This will definitely continue. Especially to clear up the unfinished books in my reading list. I'm finding it very useful and productive.

#ReadingApps #AppRecommendation #ScanmanRecommends #books #Bookstodon #reading

https://www.serialreader.org/

Serial Reader | Classic Books in Daily Bits for iOS and Android

Read classic books in bite-sized bits delivered every day. 'If you have always wanted to read a classic novel... this is the perfect app for reading one in daily bite-sized pieces'

Just finished Arundhati Roy's The Doctor and The Saint.

This is a good read even for those who are familiar with Ambedkar and Gandhi's debate on caste. It gives a lot of context, more than just Ambedkar's 'Annihilation of Caste,' speech.

So, it will be an eye-opener for those who are not aware of the debate. Highly recommended if you want to know more about that part of #ModernIndianHistory

🇮🇳 #Bookstodon #books #2023ReadingList #reading #history #IndianHistory #ScanmanRecommends

#AchievementUnlocked. Gave my first nasty review in #goodreads. And I don't feel bad. That book deserved it. I went in expecting a archaelogical/historical analysis but it just happened to be speculative historical fiction.
For those curious, it's a #Tamil book available in #kindleunlimited. But my strong recommendation is to avoid it. #ScanmanRecommends #reading #books 📚 #Bookstodon

My book number 6 of the #2023ReadingList was also inspired by #PoongaBookClub @poongabook. Specifically @chenthil's theme of "Classics. With a twist. any work written before 10th century CE." I read

Kalidasa's Kumarasambhavam: The Origin of the Young God.

I went with Hank Heifetz's translation which includes the controversial 8th canto. I really liked Kalidasa's sensuous imagery.

Highly recommended.

#Bookstodon #books #reading #poetry #translations #ScanmanRecommends

I picked up book 7 of the #2023ReadingList on a whim to satisfy this month's "colours" theme in @poongabook.

The Queen Of Jasmine Country by Sharanya Manivannan.

I was pleasantly surprised by the writing and I really liked the book. TBH, I was moved when reading the part where Andal writes the first Thiruppaavai. I especially liked how the author ended the book. Respecting the myth, but making it her—and Andal's— own.

Highly recommended.

#Bookstodon #books #reading #ScanmanRecommends

Book number 4 of the #2023ReadingList is a #GraphicBook The People of the Indus, by Nikhil Gulati and Jonathan Mark Kenoyer.

This was recommended to me by members of @poongabook

Short work, very interesting. Nicely presented. I liked it a lot. Highly recommended. I read the #kindle version in an iPad with the nice interactive zoom functions. I'm actually gifting hardcover copies to a couple of friends. #history #IndusCivilisation #archeology #Bookstodon #books #reading #ScanmanRecommends

This is one of the unfinished #books of 2022 that automatically got added to the #2023ReadingList.

Anatomical Oddities by Alice Roberts is a weird little book. Of course, it lives up to its name and talks about anatomical oddities. But it's more of an exploration of anatomical naming conventions and etymology. That's not to say it's not good. It is. I liked it. A lot. It's a fun read. Recommended for all lovers of #anatomy and medical terminology.
#bookstodon #reading #ScanmanRecommends

Book 2 in the #2023ReadingList. Haruki Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, translated by Philip Gabriel. What a lovely book! Hugely enjoyable and highly recommended. I listened to the #audiobook version in #Scribd. Yet another great narrator, Ray Porter.
#bookstodon #books #reading #ScanmanRecommends