“Books are the best friends.” I read it hundreds of times. But, it was in the last decade, when I actually understood the meaning of it. I was always a bookworm. Before 2011, all I read were academic material and reference books. My journey as a reader started in 2012 when I started reading the first book “The Way of the Samurai- Yamamoto Tsunetomo”. I didn’t find the sense of going to Mom and asking for a book for 500 bucks, as it was recommended by one of my dear friends. For me, books were a luxury and I’ve decided that I’ll spend on such luxuries when I will have a princely sum in my pockets. I explored the link and wrote an entire book on paper. I know that was a bit crazy move. Obviously, that’s something I can never forget, and that’s when my craze began for reading.
Yes, I still have that copy with one chapter missing that wasn’t available on the link. Amazingly, I had a Samsung Corby text with me at that time and I couldn’t save the book. It was all my summer thing of 2011, I still keep reading that book whenever I feel lost.
There has been no turning back since then, I have finished reading my 100th book in 2017 over my usual back-and-forth way to college. My serious apologies to all the writers whom I read, but wasn’t able to purchase their books of inspiring plots. I always preferred books over people, because stories literally stick.
I am still unable to understand the reason behind my connection with stories. There were moments of happiness, romance, feeling all blues and butterflies, and literally sobbing for hours, just because the characters of the story I was reading were upset or had some setbacks.
I know, today when I am writing it in this post, it feels so sick of me. And, I am literally laughing at all those habits. But, that’s what reading and writing gave me. I am among those writers who have started writing much before they started reading. I was referred to read, as I was always using typical academic language in my content.
Today, I proudly say that writing is my love, books are an inspiration to give new perspective to my thought process, and it’s the ink of the feelings that help me manage my emotions.
As a kid, I was determined to read Hindi only. But, books were the first change in preference in my language taste with which everything changed around me and within me. It started from nowhere, but it helped me a lot in becoming the updated version of me, that I am today.
I would like to share some of the most respected writers I read in the last 5-6 years, about whom I remember:
- The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
- Who Moved My Cheese – Spencer & Johnson
- Monk Who Sold His Ferrari – Robin Sharma
- The Noticer – Andy Andrews
- The Traveler’s Gift – Andy Andrews
- Mujhe Chaand Chahiye – Surendra Verma
- The Notebook – Nicholas Spark
- Someone Like You – Nikita Singh & Durjoy Dutta
- The Gift – Preeti Shenoy
- Hundred Little Flames – Preeti Shenoy
- Zindagi Gulzar Hai – Umera Ahmed
For over 2 years now, I have started and ended my day with a nook or now a physical book in hand. Amazon Kindle, ebooks, and PDF versions played a huge role in my life. Now, I started adding hard copies to my library, though the collection is way less than that of Google Drive, I am committed to making it equal.
A lot of thanks to all the writers and creative brains out there to create spell-binding stories. I believe that everyone has the ability to write, but some are capable of creating a magical world with that. I am not talking about the world of hearts and roses, but the world that can show the reality of the world and compel us to think about all those things that we have ignored.
For now, I urge everyone to write for at least a few days. As writing is the best form to let you empty your heart and mind. If you don’t want to write, but consider someone to write it, you can discuss your story with me, I will try my best to pen it down.
Above everything, please read at least 1 book in a month or 6 books a year. I am telling you to set a target. Just start it today, that book on your shelf has been waiting for you for years. Please don’t disappoint it.
Happy Reading!
Happy World Book Day