Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts

Monday, April 21, 2014

Reading trail

I & my brother would fight for comics like Mandrake-the magician ,Phantom -the Ghost who walks, & Bahadur.We read Amar Chitra Kathas in school library.I read children’s magazines like Chandamama,Champak,Nandan & Parag.Chandamama’s illustrations have stayed with me, ever since.

Later ,I graduated to reading Nancy Drew & Hardy boys series.I would, borrow these, from the school library.I would not budge an inch, till I had devoured the book completely.

I attended secondary school in a smaller town & to facilitate & encourage reading ,the school library was kept open, even during holidays.The librarian was a teacher named Mr. Lal. Sometimes ,he would get bugged by our antics & noise .We would whisper ,”Mr.Lal is getting red ! “

This reading habit was further strengthened by my dad, as he wanted us, to read ,to  get enriched.He would buy books & borrow for us .He subscribed to Shankar’s magazine ,’The Children’s  world “  for us.I also recall  magazines like Filmfare,Star & Style,Movie,Cine Blitz ,Stardust ,Femina,the Illustrated Weekly of India ,India today & the like.

In College,I started reading novels by Agatha Christie , Sir Arthur Conan Doyle & Ruskin Bond .I started working & during this time,I felt the need to read self help books though my well wishers vouch,  that I have hardly improved ! I read books by Tony Buzan on speed reading ,using our brains,effectively etc.I have also read Deepak Chopra.

I buy many books & even borrow from acquaintances ,friends & relatives.The space crunch in my modest flat, has dampened my urge of buying books.I better join a library now.

I have started loving humour & this has made me read books by P.G.Wodehouse .I also find reading “Yes Minister “ & “Yes Prime Minister “more fulfilling, than watching the televised shows.My legal inclination, has made me read John Grisham & Leila Seth’s autobiography.”We, the people,” by Nani Palkivala & M.C.Chagla’s “Roses in December “ have been inspiring . Medical novels by Robin Cook  are interesting too . Newspapers are read  to keep myself updated .I read increasingly  on the net & “share “ as well.I read recipes, travelogues & about environment,art,culture etc. also.In fact ,my reading has grown  as wide, as it can get.

Slowly & surely ,I must upgrade & start reading classics.Presently,I feel insecure, after completing a book.That is why,nowadays, I take breaks in reading so that I can read it for some more time.I feel lost, after finishing a book.What next , in the book queue ? !


This is my blog post for letter "R" for the A to Z Blogging Challenge.

Sharing blog posts of fellow bloggers :


Saturday, October 27, 2012

Elixir of life !

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

I love books & so do many others.Books provide us companionship at all times & places.When we read books ,we are not alone.We have a friend and a confidant in the book.

Books give us immense joy as we read them . Confucius rightly said ,"You cannot open a book without learning something".They help us with learning & educating ourselves.Books help us in getting creative &  get us thinking.Books divert our attention & relax us.They may give us solutions to problems & by this, I do not mean guides & keys ! 

There are self help books,books on crafts & arts ,story books,books on facts & figures,account books,science books ,etc.There are so many varieties to choose from.There are coffee table books & books with illustrations and lovely photographs !

We may not be able to own all books we want & need.We can borrow from friends & the library to  read & stare.In this age ,our matchbox like houses, seldom have space to accommodate all the books we would love to read & store to re read.

Unconditional acceptance is what books give us.There are no demands by books,isn't it ? We, of course, demand to be enlightened as also  entertained by books.Seldom, are we disappointed by books.

Ernest Hemingway said "There is no friend as loyal as a book ."I think the best thing in life is / are  books as they are for a lifetime ! Many book can be read many times over.Each time ,we may come across some new idea which the author intended & we failed to  get it the last time we read it.



In this age of the internet,books seem to be losing to the net.Many books are downloaded on electronic devices & can be read online.Many book stores are closing down.People seem to have decreasing attention span to appreciate books.Still ,all is not lost.

The fact, that books are being downloaded on the web, proves that there are readers who feel printing on paper is anti green & prefer the net !

I am lucky, as I have started reviewing books gifted to me by BlogAdda. I get to read the latest books by so many writers.Incidentally ,book reviewing may get other wannabe readers interested in reading ! In essence,I stay in touch with  what is happening in the world of letters.Hence,I am in tune with  the times, on the net ,with the net & by the net, by blogging reviews of books  !
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...