Thursday, December 24, 2009

Books to read in 2010

It is the time of lists. Instead of looking back at the best and worst of '09, let me try to put down a list of books I want to read in 2010. My reading habit has always been haphazard. I read whatever I can lay my hands on. It is only in the last few years have I started looking out for specific books.

Tamil books I want to read in 2010:

ஜெயமோகன் - ரப்பர், காடு, கொற்றவை, சிறுகதைத் தொகுப்பு. (His novel Vishnupuram was the best I read in 2009, I am almost a fanboy now. Have to write a post on the novel and a visit to Thiruvattar temple after reading the novel.)

நாஞ்சில் நாடன் - தலைகீழ் விகிதங்கள் (I have read his collection of short stories and was able to relate to them at a personal level. This is supposed to be his best novel)

ஜி.நாகராஜன் - குறத்தி முடுக்கு (Have read a lot about him, but haven't read him S.Ramakrishnan's write up on this novel made me add it to this list).

சு. வெங்கடேசன் - காவல் கோட்டம் (This is a 1000 page wrist breaker. S Ramakrishnan lambasted it as a 1000 page absurdity, Jeyamohan considered it as one of the great historical novels in Tamil, sort of Tamil's first War and Peace. With such conflicting reviews, my interest was piqued)

எஸ். ராமகிருஷ்ணன் - யாமம் (Though I am regular reader of his blog, I haven't read much of S Ramakrishnan's fiction other than a few short stories. So want to start with this novel. An added bonus is that it is about the history of Madras)

தேவதேவன் - கவிதைகள் (I have read a few of his poems and read a lot about him by Jeyamohan. So this is the poetry book of the year I am planning. He is from Tuticorin too, though I haven't met him. Am wondering how he could write such one-with-nature poems living in this dry and dirty town.)

ஜோ டி க்ரூஸ் - ஆழி சூழ் உலகு (Have heard a lot about this novel. Last two years have brought me in close contact with the fishing community, about whom this novel is.)

Completing the above list will take some time as some of them are 1000 page wrist breakers. Hope to finish them by Jan 2011.

As far as English is concerned, I am far removed from the contemporary scene. There are more than enough classics that I am yet to read. I plan to read Amitav Ghosh's early novels and try my hand again at Ulysses.

The idea for this post came from here.

5 comments:

Krishnan said...

Chenthil, Good luck good health good cheer. I wish you a happy New Year.

Ravages/CC said...

Good list sir! I hope to finish reading all the classics and the neo-classics I bought in 2008 and 2009. That is, academia permitting.

rameez4l said...

i too wonder how devadevan 'live' in that dry town. i wonder how one could live in a city like chennai too. kerala seems to be the apt place where devadevan should be.

ஆர். அபிலாஷ் said...

அன்புள்ள செந்திலுக்கு
விஷ்ணுபுரம் குறித்து: இந்நாவலில் காதல், இலக்கியம், பக்தி போன்ற பல்வேறு நோக்கங்களுடன் திரியும் லட்சியவாதிகளின் வேறுபட்ட முடிவுகள் ஒரு முக்கிய கரு. ஆனால் அத்தகைய மனிதர்களின் காலத்திலா நாம் தற்போது வாழ்கிறோம். சமகால லட்சியமற்ற வாழ்வுச்சூழலில் விஷ்ணுபரத்தின் பொருள் என்ன? நான் அதை போன நூற்றாண்டின் நாவலாகவே பார்க்கிறேன்.

இனியாள் said...

Even i want to read the first two books, esp kuraththi mudukku....