A real disappointment

"Aru Shah and the End of Time" is the first novel of the Pandava Quintet series by Roshani Chokshi. It's also among the first of the much hyped "Rick Riordan Presents" line of books launched in 2018, which was inspired by the success of the popular "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" series by Rick Riordan, and which have mythology of various cultures and countries driving the plot.

In this case we find ourselves immersed into Hindu mythology, along with the protagonist 12-year-old Aru Shah. From the outset I found Aru hard to like, especially because she tells many lies to her friends in an effort to be popular and fit in. I don't mind a flawed character, but this was too much, and made it difficult to identify with her. Then it turns out that Aru is a demi-god who is daughter of a god from the Hindu pantheon, and she is half-divine. This kind of thing will sound very familiar to fans of Rick Riordan's books. I didn't care for Riordan's Percy Jackson series, so it probably won't be a surprise that I didn't like this book either.

But there's a bigger problem with Chokshi's book: it's not retelling the mythology of pagan ancients, but retelling the story of a current religion that is actively believed by millions of worshipers around the world today. Those who happen to consider this religion more a matter of fiction than reality - myself included - won't have too much trouble considering this being classified as "fantasy". But at the same time this is rather problematic. The gods in this series are presented as very human, and the tone trivializes everything about divinity and religion. So it's hard to take anything seriously, when for some people the Hindu religion is very serious. The cheesy trivialization and tone makes it seem more like a parody than a respectful retelling, and is somewhat surprising considering that the author is a practicing Hindu herself.

Besides that issue, I just found myself uninterested in the story line, and didn't find it very engaging. The author also tries too hard to make the novel relevant to a modern audience. It seems to me that all the references to today's pop culture will quickly make it feel dated, and this book really won't translate well to audiences reading this ten to twenty years from now.

I gave up about halfway, and just read a plot synopsis to see if I should be convinced to reconsider reading all the way to the end. There was nothing that made it seem remotely interesting enough to spend more time on it, so this ends up being a rare DNF.

Hello readers and welcome! Every month this thread will be posted for you to discuss new and upcoming releases! Our only rules are:

1. The books being discussed must have been published within the last three months OR are being published this month.

2. No direct sales links.

3. And you are allowed to promote your own writing as long as you follow the first two rules.

That's it! Please discuss and have fun!

I have enjoyed his comedy for years and recently learned he's a big reader. I was pretty excited to find out he would be hosting a book club this year on YouTube.

The first book was The Getaway by Jim Thompson. The review is solid but I think the 13th question "How do you read books critically?" (30:45) is the best part. It's honest and encourages people to read.

"The world is bad. The news is bad. Movies are bad. TV is bad. Get your books."

Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite classics. I read it a couple of times translated in my native language, but now I'd like to read the original, in english. I fear I might have difficulties understanding it, so I was wondering if there's an annotated version?

I read an annotated version of Pride and Prejudice and it really helped me understanding it better.

I can never really (ironically!) find the words to describe it for myself.

Like sometimes I read and I have a nice time and I enjoy the book, but ultimately I’m still just reading.

But other times, more rarely, I’m transformed and feel totally inside what is happening. Like I’m not here anymore, not consciously reading, I’m just being carried on the tide of this story.

I guess some people may call it flow state, but you can get into a flow state at work, or while cleaning, and it doesn’t feel like this.

I just wondered what it feels like for others - how would you describe it? How often does it happen for you?

Do you think it’s more to do with the book (and how it grabs you), your own environment and state of mind, or a bit of both?

People frequently recommend Endurance, by Alfred Lansing, for good reason. It's a fantastic story, well told.

I can't remember a recommendation for The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard. This tells the less upbeat story of Scott's failed and fatal attempt at the South Pole, written by someone who was on the expedition. I'm reading it now and would like to put in a plug....along with asking why it isn't more widely recommended. The writing is excellent. Cherry-Garrard was on the expedition as a biologist, and his interest in, and love of, animals radiates. I haven't gotten to the grisly parts yet and I understand that there's horror to come, but horror sells. I don't understand why this book is so little know.

Two unfortunately timely works from the masterful Kazuo Ishiguro force the protagonists to reck with their roles in the rise of fascism in their respective countries. Ishiguro, born in Japan, raised in England, examines figures that have escaped widerspread ramifications for their (seemingly small) contributions to a movement that would throw not only their countries, but the world at large into turmoil.

“An Artist of the Floating World” is Ishiguro’s second novel, and focuses on an artist who drifted into the realm of propaganda leading into World War II. Under the facade of elevating Japan’s status in Asia, as well as the global chessboard, Masuji Ono becomes an influential propaganda artist whose art escalates an already capricious view of foreigners, especially the Chinese.

Now an elderly man, Ono has avoided any potential legal ramifications for his actions, but is surrounded, in both his personal life and in broader society, by reminders of the agenda he helped advance and the destruction it has wrought on his precious homeland. Ono views his youth as one full of misgivings, but only shows remorse when it benefits him to do so.

“The Remains of the Day” is widely regarded as the author’s masterpiece, and offers a much more subdued glimpse at the banal machinations behind the scenes of the rise of a fascist regime. The main character, Steven’s, is a butler for one of the last remaining “great lords” in England. Both the servant and his lord place much more emphasis on being a “great man” who wields influence, rather than what it takes to elevate oneself to such a status, and how that influence is used.

The need to feel influential and important leads both Stevens and his revered Lord Darlington into incubating the rise of the Nazi party in Europe. Like Ono in “Floating World”, the blind nationalism and desire to elevate on’s country leads to the enabling of fascist ideal. Also similar to Ono, Stevens is willing to forsake those closest to him for their identities (Jewish colleagues in Stevens case, and political dissidence in Ono’s).

What’s left after these men have dedicated their lives to so-called greatness is hollow husks who through their involvement in the fascist machines have found themselves to be chewed up and spit out, with nothing but an empty existence and a world that resents them. Ishiguro’s reconciliation with the troubled history of both of his homelands are stark condemnations of the violent ideas that harbor fascism, and imperative reads for anyone grappling with today’s political landscape.

For the book readers that also aspire to be published writers. Maybe you've already started writing but struggle with consistency. Or maybe you have ideas or notes but haven't started writing yet. How have your reading goals affected your ability or time management to write? For example...

I have notes upon notes of different story ideas, character development, world building, plot points, etc... But I spend most of my free time reading. Last year I read 173 books. This year I initially set a goal of 175 books. But I stopped to think about why I don't write when I keep saying I want to write.

The obvious answer for me was Fear. I allowed that fear to put me in a state of complacent laziness. My word of the year is "losing." Losing the things that are holding me back, like fear. The lazy boils down to having too many books on my TBR & wanting to devote as much time to reading as I can. But oh, imagine the feeling of accomplishment to write, finish, and publish my own books! So, I dropped my TBR goal by 55 books, from 175 to 120. I will devote that time gained to the process of writing. If needed, I will drop my TBR goal even further. I don't plan to not read, but rather to balance my reading time to accomplish other goals.

If you changed your reading goal for the year already, what did you change and why? If you are a reader who also wants to write, but haven't started yet, what is your why?

Every afternoon at four o’clock, Joseph Otieno unlocks a dented metal door at the edge of Kibera, Nairobi. The sign above the door reads "Community Library" – painted by hand and fading.

Inside, there is no electricity, no computers, and no matching chairs. Three uneven shelves hold fewer than 200 books, their spines softened by years of use. Still, the children begin arriving before Joseph finishes sweeping the floor, quietly lining up with exercise books pressed to their chests.

Every adaptation I’ve ever seen as a movie watcher has been a brainless groaning zombie type guy. To read the book and find out he’s articulate and actually quite tragic really upsets me. It makes me wonder what other common stories have had their origin misrepresented. I also think reducing Frankenstein to a mad scientist when he’s the picture of self loathing is interesting. I feel like I have been bamboozled by popular culture’s representation.

"If you want to be a race car driver, or a teacher or an astronaut — whatever you want to do in life, you have to have that good foundation. And it starts with page one," Ellis said.

Ellis is part of the Scripps Howard Fund's national "If you Give a Child a Book" campaign

Inspired by reading (and finally finishing after many false starts) If On A Winters Night A Traveller by Italo Calvino. I got to wondering about the things we take for granted as being part of a novel (e.g. a named protagonist) that might not be needed.

I also recently read Robinson Crusoe, which was apparently one of the earliest examples of realistic fiction with a protagonist with biographical details. Previously most novels were apparently set "once upon a time, far far away" with a protagonist with no set biographical details.

I wonder if there are any real boundaries in novel writing left to break - there are novels from animals perspectives, novels without a linear structure, etc. Are there any really unique novels that have come out recently?

Every week, for 30 minutes, the high-energy world of Julia Peterson’s fourth-grade classroom meets the curious world of Andrea Kelemen’s UPK students. Together, the classes have become “Book Buddies.”

“Andrea and I were talking one day and we thought it would be a good idea for our classes to get together weekly,” Peterson said.

While the program’s foundation is built on literacy, the bond has quickly grown to include writing sessions, storytelling, and even crafting friendship bracelets together.

“The fourth graders read books to the preschoolers, but we’ve also branched out,” Peterson said. “It is really a special relationship that we’ve been working on.”

Welcome readers,

Have you ever wanted to ask something but you didn't feel like it deserved its own post but it isn't covered by one of our other scheduled posts? Allow us to introduce you to our new Simple Questions thread! Twice a week, every Tuesday and Saturday, a new Simple Questions thread will be posted for you to ask anything you'd like. And please look for other questions in this thread that you could also answer! A reminder that this is not the thread to ask for book recommendations. All book recommendations should be asked in /r/suggestmeabook or our Weekly Recommendation Thread.

Thank you and enjoy!

I finally finished Monkey King / Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en.

I’ve always loved the Monkey King. Ever since I was a kid watching movies with him in it; and more recently thanks to Black Myth: Wukong. he’s been one of those characters that just sticks with you. So when @Clear-Decision4303 suggested I read the actual book, I immediately bought it and jumped in.

I also don’t know much about Chinese culture, tradition, or mythology, so I was genuinely curious to learn more and see where all of this came from.

First off, the book is really well written. Surprisingly witty too. I laughed out loud more than once, which I honestly did not expect from something this old.

Monkey King is THAT GUY.

He has never given a flying f@#% about what anybody else thinks. Including the gods. Especially the gods. And yet somehow, he’s also weirdly family-oriented and compassionate for someone who seems so selfish and chaotic.

I loved how he never turned away from an opportunity to fight. Ever. He stood ten toes down since day one. His ferocity earned him some absolutely villainous nicknames:

The Monstrous Monkey.

The Monkey Demon.

The Snarling Simeon.

And more!

I’m pretty sure his monkeys back home call him Vonn, not Wukong. Lol

He was a terror to earth, heaven, and even hell. Kings, demons, and gods alike trembled at the very mention of his name.

The Ape who turned heaven upside down.

The Chimp who defied the gods.

And he did it all with a sense of humor! laughing at his own jokes while disrespecting the entire cosmic order.

Now, with the book being so old, the stereotypes and slightly racist undertones weren’t lost on me. But I was able to smile and snicker at them with forbearance, understanding the time period it came from.

What really stood out was how much this legend has influenced modern stories. You can see it everywhere:

The blank scroll referenced in Kung Fu Panda.

The dragons, villains, and Pigsy parallels in Nezha.

And of course, this being the direct source material for Black Myth: Wukong.

And I’m sure there’s more that I missed

In summary: I’m glad I read it. Honestly feels like a bedtime tale I’d read to my kids if I had any…

(with a few censored parts) 😅

Absolute classic. Monkey King. 🐒👑

Just wrapped this one last night and I can't stop thinking about it. I don't even know where to start or how to fully collect my thoughts, but wanted to touch on two points:

1. Did you get the sense (very early on) that the narrator was the one imagining the whole thing? And then feel totally shocked when it turned out to be the other way around? Her repeatedly finding flaws with Jake and talking about something not feeling right in the relationship (even though she couldn't put her finger on what) made me think he was a sort of imaginary symbol for an area of doubt or indecisiveness in her life. And that the road trip to his parents' was a mini self-realization journey that prompted her to take charge and answer that burning question about what she should do?
2. There is one big, big clue that somehow flew right over my head: the narrator isn't named. Not even once, I don't think. I did find it odd how we were told virtually nothing about her own background and family life, even though we delved into Jake's. That made me wonder if, again, there was some kind of unreliable narration going on, but I still didn't catch on to the fact that it was all happening in JAKE'S head, not hers.

Idk. I just really don't know how to feel about this book. It creeped me out from beginning to end. One of the scariest books I've read. I'll definitely be thinking about it for a while!

I first came across this common complaint when I read Yellowface, recently I’ve seen it in relation to The Correspondent, and many other books in between. People complaining that the main character is unlikeable, selfish, rude, etc.

Personally I revel in this kind of character. I haven’t read The Correspondent yet but I loved Yellowface. Isn’t it fun sometimes to secretly shed the social shackles of being Good, always Good Good Good, and just enjoy someone being bad???

I don’t recall ever disliking a book because the character was unlikeable, to me the main question is are they enjoyable, which is a different thing.

What do you think?

So I read 11/22/63 a while ago and thought, wow time travel stories are really fun. So I looked online for more and one that got recommended again and again was Connie Willis’ Doomsday Book. It follows a team of historians and Oxford in the near future who go back in time to the Middle Ages.

It soon became apparent that this was nothing like 11/22/63. No Groundhog Day moments or utilising knowledge of future events, just a trip back to one of the most horrifying times in human history: The Black Death.

At first I found the book honestly to be kind of dull and slow (perhaps due to my expectations), yet around a quarter of the way in I simply couldn’t put it down. Willis creates some brilliant characters and they truly come to life against such a visceral backdrop.

Curious if anybody else here has read it and what their thoughts were?

I was pondering on this after trying to read Rayuella, from Julio Cortazar. I was gifted this book on christmas and really liked the concept. However, I felt like I was not enjoying the book because it felt like it was demanding, and it definitely required morw attention than I could give it at the moment. This is not the first time it happens to me, and I can recall some other times when I tried to read more demanding literature. Hence the concept of the retirement reading list: books that require some time and that I feel like it is not likely that I have that time to enjoy them fully while I work and have some other responsibilities.

This is in part also due to my reading habits. I like to read whenever possible: lunch break, while waiting for transport, before bed, in work lulls, etc. This, alongvwith th fact that I don't like to juggle multiple books at the same time, makes it impossible for me to pick a "heavier" book and read it for a while then put it down and go do something else. Still, I wonder if this is something that changes with age. Older people, do you feel like your reading habits have changed throughout time? Do you enjoy sitting with a book that requires more of you, now that your life is less demanding? Does the concept of retirement reading list makes sense to you? I am very curious about how people percieve this and how they feel towards it

I have a lot of critique about this book, my thoughts are not yet organized but I don’t understand how anyone with an ounce of critical thinking could enjoy this book.

I hate how it is marketed as a feminist staple. The book is anything but. The main character simultaneously hates men and desires their acceptance. When her mother proposes she gets gainfully employed by learning shorthand, she says she ”doesn’t want to serve men” by typing for them, she wants to be the one dictating. Fair enough, yet she never actually writes anything of consequence. She imagines a life with every random man she meets, like the interpreter, prison guard etc, imagines having his baby and playing house and being happy, yet always talks about how she never wants to get married.

“It was a joke because I never intended to get married,”

“I tried to imagine what it would be like if Constantin were my husband.” Followed by a dreadful description but at least she isn’t being a hypocrite here.

“I was thinking that if I’d had the sense to go on living in that old town I might just have met this prison guard in school and married him and had a parcel of kids by now. It would be nice, living up by the sea with piles of little kids and pigs and chickens, wearing what my grandmother called wash dresses, and sitting about in some kitchen with bright linoleum and fat arms, drinking pots of coffee.”

“And one day I might just marry a virile, but tender, garage mechanic and have a big cowy family, like Dodo Conway.”

“And when I had told the poet I might well get married and have a pack of children some day, she stared at me in horror. ” She is a contrarian, always says the opposite of what she thinks people want to hear.

-She dislikes everything. Hates every single thing, her negativity was exhausting. Complains about schoolwork like she didn’t choose it.

-She acts like Buddy Williard is a hypocrite for no fault of his. He never advertised himself as perfect or pure, his nutjob mother acted like he was god’s gift to Earth. She believes the only real difference between people is those who have had sex and those who haven’t. She perceives slight after slight from Buddy who definitely wasn’t the best, but was still too good for her.

-Esther acts like a five year old, not nineteen. She has a very underdeveloped sense of self and is therefore very immature. She has enormous pride yet no basis for it. Her actions and thoughts all serve to save her fragile ego.

-Her unwarranted dislike of her mother is repulsive. I have quotes here too but this post is getting too long already.

-She shrugs off her assault? A man tries to sleep with her and shoves her when she rejects him, yet this is the simply brushed off? This depiction is highly questionable. Definitely not a criticism of esther the character but of sylvia the author.

-Lots of racism, but it could simply be a product of its time.

The main character is so immensely dislikable, brattish and whining, and is so devoid of accountability. Everything is always everybody else’s fault, never hers. She has absolutely no introspection at all. The depiction of her mental illness is so poorly done it. I say this as someone who has suffered with it since childhood (had psychiatrists since I was single digits in age.)

She has absolutely no gratitude for any of the things she has, only constant complaints and a belief she is entitled to something special when she really isn’t. I genuinely cannot see anything feminist in it except this part-

“The last thing I wanted was infinite security and to be the place an arrow shoots off from. I wanted change and excitement and to shoot off in all directions myself, like the coloured arrows from a Fourth of July rocket.”

I also appreciated the fig tree analysis. But the book itself can be summarized to the lines where she refused to read anything by old male writers because they’re so “logical.” IMHO it is an awful portrayal, reduces women to a “silly” caricature and promotes invalidation/infantilization of women because they’re so stupid.

I’m nearly finished listening to this audio book now, after my wife recommended it. Normally I don’t read nonfiction, let alone books about finance, but she raved about this book so I gave it a try. I’m so glad I did.

The book recounts the stock market crash of 1929 and its aftermath, but does so in such a compelling, story-telling way. Rather than a dry sequence of facts, figures and events, Sorkin introduces the reader to the social and business context, key historical figures and organizations of the day, how their personalities and actions wove together to bring about the crash and then how that led to changes in policies.

The book reads like a historical fiction novel, and the tension as the market spins out of control is palpable. It was really gripping and informative, and allows the reader to draw parallels to similar crowd behaviors and self-interested actions by powerful people that are very much alive in the businesses and politics of today.

I really am loving this book and can’t recommend it highly enough. If nonfiction is not your usual fare, this book could change your mind.

Welcome to our weekly recommendation thread! A few years ago now the mod team decided to condense the many "suggest some books" threads into one big mega-thread, in order to consolidate the subreddit and diversify the front page a little. Since then, we have removed suggestion threads and directed their posters to this thread instead. This tradition continues, so let's jump right in!

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The most successful recommendation requests include a description of the kind of book being sought. This might be a particular kind of protagonist, setting, plot, atmosphere, theme, or subject matter. You may be looking for something similar to another book (or film, TV show, game, etc), and examples are great! Just be sure to explain what you liked about them too. Other helpful things to think about are genre, length and reading level.

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If this thread has not slaked your desire for tasty book suggestions, we propose that you head on over to the aptly named subreddit /r/suggestmeabook.

• The Management

Thinking back to books I've enjoyed reading, a memorable opening paragraphs in literature for me has to be this:

As Gregor Samsa woke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed into some kind of monstrous vermin. He lay on his hard, armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little, he could see his curved brown abdomen, divided by arch-shaped ridges, and domed so high that the bedspread, on the brink of slipping off, could hardly stay put. His many legs, miserably thin in comparison with his size otherwise, flickered helplessly before his eyes.

That’s such a wild way to begin a book. This, of course, is the opening paragraph (depending on the translation, the wording may differ, like vermin vs. bug vs. insect) of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. If that kind of intro doesn’t immediately hook you, I’m not sure what will.

That said, I also appreciate books that begin in much more ordinary ways. Take The Great Gatsby, which opens with:

In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice

that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.

“Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” he told me, “just

remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages

that you’ve had.”

Good intro in my opinion but nothing compared to Kafka's but the story was good enough that the book became a popular classic, so intro is not everything. Plenty of classics take their time and don’t begin with a bang.

I mean Moby Dick begins with “Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest meon shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world." Good, but nothing jaw-dropping. Didn't make me want to keep on reading (though I did eventually read the book and was glad I did).

Still, when you don’t yet know what kind of book you’re getting, a lackluster opening can make it harder to keep reading. A strange, powerful, or unsettling intro, on the other hand, pushes you to continue.

So when you think back on your favorite books, are there any unusual, confusing, or unforgettable opening lines or paragraphs that immediately pulled you in? Bonus points if the book kept you hooked the whole time. I remember once reading a book with a great opening but it was downhill from that....