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Reading report for November 2009

As might be expected I finished only a small (for me) number of books in November. They were mostly read in hotel rooms after dinner to delay sleep so I wouldn't wake up at 4 a.m. and on long train journeys when the company was less than convivial (or I had no company) and I was tired of looking at unchanging landscapes.

6 of these books are about India in one way or another. 2 are travelogues, 2 are collections of articles, and 2 are novels by Indian authors.

One of the friends I visited on my trip introduced me to R.K. Narayan – in fact she gave me the book, and I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to Malgudi. Satyajit Ray I discovered on her bookshelves and subsequently bought another book by him that I have just finished reading. They are written for children but are thoroughly enjoyable for adult mystery lovers and beautifully translated.
My friend also recommended Bill Aitken to me and I bought one of his books that I still haven‘t read. Dalrymple and Shand are old acquaintances of mine. I have enjoyed other books by both of them and will continue to buy their books.
Tully I was new to. I found his analysis of Indian society and politics very convincing. As to the remaining 2 books, Eeyore is my favourite Milne character and Nora Roberts never fails to deliver a good dose of thrills and romance.

Bill Aitken: Divining the Deccan - A motorbike to the heart of India (travelogue)
William Dalrymple: The Age of Kali - Indian travels and encounters (collection of articles)
A.A. Milne (and others); Ernest H. Shepard (drawings): Eeyore´s Gloomy Little Instrustion Book (self-help, humour)
R.K. Narayan: Swami and Friends (novel)
Satyajit Ray: The Curse of the Goddess (mystery)
Nora Roberts: Birthright (romance)
Mark Shand: River Dog - A journey down the Brahmaputra (travelogue)
Mark Tully: No Full Stops in India (collection of articles)
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