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The Book Thread

nightprowler10

Global Moderator
I ordered a crapload of books over the last few weeks and I don't know when I'll read them. Some of them I added to my list for reasons I don't recall, but I decided trust younger me's judgement and buy them anyway.

The Untouchables by Dr Ambedkar (thanks Teja)
Three Kingdoms by Guanzhong Luo (thanks RIS)
War is a Racket by Butler
Biased by Eberhardt
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Witcher Series (8 books) by Andrzej Sapkowski
King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Soloist by Steve Lopez

Think I'm missing a couple of them. I'm hoping to get through American Psycho by the end of next week and start on all of these.
 

vcs

Well-known member
I've heard a lot about Ponniyan Selvan (which is supposed to be the GOAT tamil novel) from my tamil friends and have always wanted to read it but could not due to not being able to read the langauge and the qualities of translations not being the best.

It is historical fiction set in 10th century AD Tamil Nadu (or the state with Chennai as CW knows it) with a heavy focus on political intrigue, espionage, religious conflicts of the time, just everything I love - spanning over 2300 pages.

Finally I've been recommended an English translation which is actually great to read and doesn't lose the historical detail or the spice of the book. I'm sure it won't be quite as good as the original Tamil but really really pleased tbh: https://www.projectmadurai.org/pm_etexts/pdf/pm0278_01.pdf
Teja, have you read The Pillars of the Earth? It would be right up your alley. Cannot recommend it highly enough - it has all of what you've mentioned above and more (some fascinating stuff on cathedral architecture as a bonus).
 

Teja.

Global Moderator
Teja, have you read The Pillars of the Earth? It would be right up your alley. Cannot recommend it highly enough - it has all of what you've mentioned above and more (some fascinating stuff on cathedral architecture as a bonus).
That sounds great. I think my dad owns the book as well. Will check it out, thanks.
 

Teja.

Global Moderator
I've heard a lot about Ponniyan Selvan (which is supposed to be the GOAT tamil novel) from my tamil friends and have always wanted to read it but could not due to not being able to read the langauge and the qualities of translations not being the best.

It is historical fiction set in 10th century AD Tamil Nadu (or the state with Chennai as CW knows it) with a heavy focus on political intrigue, espionage, religious conflicts of the time, just everything I love - spanning over 2300 pages.

Finally I've been recommended an English translation which is actually great to read and doesn't lose the historical detail or the spice of the book. I'm sure it won't be quite as good as the original Tamil but really really pleased tbh: https://www.projectmadurai.org/pm_etexts/pdf/pm0278_01.pdf
I'm 10 chapters in (chapters are really short) and it's so ****ing good. I have just read the part pertaining to the first secret political meeting and have just started the chapters of the second strong POV character who is now going with her girlfriend to a shady astrologer which is giving me serious Cersei witch prophecy vibes.

I already have a really firm sense of the geography, political situation, religious conflicts and culture of the era that the book is set in.

The 9 chapters by the first POV character have been really excellent. I feel like I've been transported in time in a way which is rare when the character was at the riverbank and after entering the fort, it has a very ASOIAF kings landing vibe in the best way possible - the political intrigue so far as been absolutely top notch.

It's just beautiful. vcs, I 100% recommend it.
 
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vcs

Well-known member
Dude, I read the first 8 chapters in the morning, finding it really hard to get past the fact that it probably loses a lot in translation.
 

Teja.

Global Moderator
Haha yep it probably does even though it's still excellent. The midnight meeting between the Finance Minister and the other generals that our guy spies on and the big reveal at the end was thrill-a-minute stuff.
 

vcs

Well-known member
Kandamaran said to his men, "You idiots! Move aside. Your brains are like budding shoots on a pounding block."
This insult probably sounds so much better in Tamil. My Mom has likely used it on me at some point but I can't recollect this phrase at all haha
 

Line and Length

Well-known member
Currently reading "Green Sun" by Kent Anderson. It's the story of a Vietnam vet, Hanson, who joins the US police force and highlights many of the current tensions between white cops and the black community.

I liked the following observation (after a character behaving suspiciously tells Hanson, "It's a free country!" when questioned why he was in the area).

"A free country, Hanson thought. Nothing free about it. It wasn't even a country anymore. If it ever had been. It was a corporation and at his age he'd been lucky to get hired as a professional ass-hole by the OPD."
 

Heboric

Well-known member
'Back in the game coach'

Nice to be back on a good reading streak:

Eye of the World - Robert Jordan
Grave Peril - Jim Butcher
The Last Argument of Kings - Joe Abercrombie
 
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