My favorite childhood reads

I came across the blogpost called “Top 10 Books of My Childhood” a few days ago and got inspired to write a similar post for my blog too.

I was not always an avid reader and I had very limited exposure to books and reading in my schooldays. Nevertheless, I strived to quench my thirst for non-academic reading as much as possible by soliciting popular children’s magazines like Chandamama, Balamitra, Wisdom, Champak etc. I can’t really list my Top 10, obviously because I haven’t read much back then. But I’ll try to present a few of my memorable reads here:

- Ukrainian Folk Tales: Read this while I was 10 or 11. Just fell in love with the stories. All those treasures and riches coupled with magic and animals extremely fascinated me. Alas, I don’t remember much of those stories now. I just ordered a copy from Amazon (I never owned a copy of it) and am very much looking forward to re-read them (and hopefully read them to my son too).

- The Secret of Killimooin: Believe it or not, this is the only Enid Blyton’s book I’ve ever read. Found this in my grandfather’s bookshelf. It was a novel experience for me. I’ve never heard of the author or her books before at that time. I found it very enthralling and absorbing. I still remember some snippets of the adventure story and marvel at them. 

- Moby Dick: I read an abridged version of this classic (not an illustrated children’s version though) and loved it. Sadly, I lost the copy and have been trying to procure a new one ever since. The unfortunate thing is that I don’t remember any details about the book that would help me identify it like publisher, author, ISBN etc. What’s more, I don’t even remember the book cover simply because I never saw it (The book cover was wrapped in a brown paper). All I can recollect is that it had an elaborate introduction on Whale hunting. Can anyone out there help me find it? Please…!! I know I can find the original unabridged version anywhere and everywhere but I am kind of attached to that little book I read so many years ago and am very resolute to add it to my bookshelf (not virtual). And this time, I’ll not lose it. Other little things I do remember are a) it has a few illustrated pictures in balck and white b) it is around 200 pages.

- Children’s Knowledge Bank (Set of 6 books): Though this is not my favorite, I spent a lot of time on these books and even actually enjoyed them. I guess this is one category of books my parents had no problem with me pouring over. These books tell you the why, how, what, where, who etc of things. Ex: What causes bald head? Strangely, that’s the only topic I remember after all these years. Lol!

The remaining books are of my mother tongue, Telugu.
- Balala Ramayanam (Childrens’ Ramayana): This is perhaps the book, which I read the maximum number of times. Over the years I read it atleast a hundred times (literally!). I guess, I still have the copy, though the first 20 and the last 30 pages are missing. The book has some pictures in it, which greatly enhance the narration. Of the Seven Kandas, I like the first one – BalaKandam - the most. To let a little secret out, Lord Rama was my childhood hero. Ramayana is one book which is closest to my heart (always!).

 - Panchatantra: (Visalandhra Publications – Comes in a set of 3 or 4 books.) I absolutely love them. I mostly read only Mitralabha and Mitrabedha parts. The others were read less often. I’ve always been captivated by fairy tales and tales of animals and I still carry that feeling even in my late twenties. Panchatantra stories are classic and I guess every kid in India grows up hearing at least some of them.

- Baarister Paarvateesam: This is a classic literary humorous piece from Mokkapaati Narasimha Sastry, which describes the adventures of an Indian village guy as he emabarks on a journey to London, where he wishes to study law. The novel is divided into three parts of which only part 1 is hilarious. In the latter two parts, the guy – Parvateesam – having gained more experience and become more mature, tends to be less funny. It is only the most interesting Part 1 I read in my childhood (I read the other two only recently). It is something which I can read again and again and enjoy it with the same intensity every time.

I also read lots of other stories like Tenali Ramakrishna, Akbar-Birbal, Mulla Nasruddin etc. I cherished all of them.

Well, these are all I could remember now.

PS: I mentioned a magazine called – “Wisdom” in the beginning of this entry. I would like to say a few words about it here:
As the name implies, it had many pieces of wisdom about various things – happenings, animals, nature, science etc. It comes in both Telugu and English. I couldn’t find a reliable link to the magazine online but it still seems to be in publication. It has been a really long time since I’ve last seen it, let alone read it. I’ll make it a point to get one when I next visit India. I’m curious to see how the magazine might have transformed after all these years.

Century

Hurray! I scored a century. Before you start wondering, let me make it clear that it’s not about any game; it’s the number of books I’ve read this year. Actually it’s a surprise to me too as I haven’t consciously strove for it, not unless I reached the 90 mark. I know that some bookworms out there take the 50 or 100 a year challenges, but I wasn’t motivated by them.

In fact, when I discovered that I read 58 books in 2008, I thought it was very unusual and have decided to read a lot less in 2009 as I wanted to spend more of my time on other things. But alas! The reverse happened.

Of course the number doesn’t mean much, it is quality that matters. I could have easily read little comics to make the count 100. Actually count was never a big thing on my mind, even though I experience a secret pleasure as I update my “Books I’ve read” spreadsheet.

I’m glad that I never had to compromise on the quality of the books I read in favor of the quantity. This year I read some really amazing books. While I can’t make a good job of picking up the top 10 (I tried, but soon saw the futility of it) or something like that, I would like to mention here some of the remarkable ones.

“The Great Indian Novel” by Shashi Tharoor was an exhilarating experience to me. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed its wit and humor. I had the honor of reading and appreciating George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” and “1984”.  Arundhati Roy’s “God of Small Things” was a pleasant surprise for me. It’s a prose that is so poetic and beautiful. “Bridges of Madison County” was a heart touching love story, which left lingering thoughts behind. I also thoroughly enjoyed my favorite author Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Never Let Me Go”.

“Woman in the Dunes” had been a deeply affecting novel. Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “Love in the Time of Cholera” was an enigma. “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy was another disturbing but wonderful work.

I thought that I couldn’t appreciate the Pulitzer Winner, “Olive Kitteridge” much. I got bored at some points. But I’m sure I would enjoy and appreciate it more on second reading.

There also were some mysteries and thrillers in the list mostly of Agatha Christie, James Hadley Chase, Ken Follett and Michael Chrichton, which were quick-reads and a pleasure to read anytime.

“Inheritance of Loss” leads the list of disappointments. It was a sheer torture. Others include, among others, “Sea of Poppies” by Amitav Ghosh, “Between the Assassinations” by Aravind Adiga (The White Tiger fame) and “Six Suspects” by Vikas Swarup (Q & A fame).

I must say that I’m very happy about the non-fiction books I’ve read this year. Though they constitute less than 20% of the total, each one is remarkable in its own way. “I Don’t” narrated the history of marriage right from Adam and Eve. “The Japanese Mind” explained, of course the Japanese mind (for the benefit of westerners, especially Americans). “Planet Google” was really very informative. I read all four of Malcolm Gladwell’s books, which of course were brilliant. Another useful book I read was “What do you want from me?” by Terri Apter on how to handle in-law relationships. “Freakonomics” was awesome, also was “Overthrow”. “The Accidental Billionaires” and “Games Indians Play” were among the not so amazing ones.

All in all, I feel happy about the books I’ve read this year and look forward to read more good books next year. But this time, I really want to cut down the quantity and take it slow. It’s seems funny that I have to make a resolution to read less, but given my addiction it actually makes sense. Also I have an idea to read only huge books in 2010, because I have an innate phobia for any book with more than 600 pages. I know this seems absurd but I just can’t make myself pick up such a monster, however good it might be. Consequently, I haven’t read Ayn Rand or Alexander Dumas or Margaret Mitchell till now. I just hate to hold onto the same book for long periods of time (more than a few weeks at the most) . But I’m not sure whether I’ll overcome this fear/aversion just now. Hmm…

The most hated popular books

Nothing is liked by everyone. However great or popular a thing might be, there will be at least a few who are not impressed by it. Likewise there are some popular books, award winners and best sellers, which are hated by a significant number of people.

From what I’ve observed in some of the online book communities and groups, the most hated books seem to be -

• Alchemist by Paulo Coelho(Bestseller)
• The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy(Booker Prize winner, 1997)

Others include -

• Paulo Coelho’s other books like Eleven Minutes
• Chetan Bhagat’s literary attempts etc.

Also I’ve heard more negative reviews than otherwise about Kiran Desai’s Inheritance of loss (Booker prize winner, 2006).  But still I decided to try it, going by it’s literary recognition and ignoring the fellow readers’ bitter experiences. And that was a decision I greatly regret. Reading that book was a sheer torture.

So, when I recently picked up The God of Small things from the library, it is not without much hesitation. But, there’s  a surprise waiting for me. I’m enthralled by her writing. I was not at all prepared for her highly delectable prose, which swept me off my feet (or so I felt). I’m really enjoying the book and even before I finish it, I have a feeling that I would read it again and again.

Me and my 2009 reading

I have seen this on a book blog – Book Bath. Looks like it’s going around a lot. Just thought – “why not give it try?”

Using only books you have read this year (2009), answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. It’s a lot harder than you think!

Describe yourself:  The Reader (Bernhard Schlink)

How do you feel: Yellow on the Outside, Shame on the Inside (Anson Chi)

Describe where you currently live:  Revolutionary Road (Richard Yates)

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:  The Bridges of Madison County (Robert James Waller)

Your favorite form of transportation:  Blink (Malcolm Gladwell)

Your best friend is:  Sister of my Heart (Chitra Divakaruni Banerjee)

You and your friends are:  Everyone Worth Knowing (Lauren Weisberger)

What’s the weather like:  Hardboiled and Hardluck (Banana Yoshimoto)

You fear:  White Tiger (Aravind Adiga)

What is the best advice you have to give:  Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less (Jeffrey Archer)

Thought for the day:  Chicken Soup for the Soul (Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen)

How I would like to die: Murder at the Vicarage (Agatha Christie)

My soul’s present condition: Never Let me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)

This one definitely made me think – lots of fun!

Advice from books

Books offer much to readers – entertainment, knowledge, information and advice among other things.  The genre “Self-help” specifically deals with advice: advice on varied topics such as relationships, behavioral issues, success etc. The question is, how effective such books are. Can people really benefit from them?

I’ve heard many opinions in the line of “they are impractical”, “it’s all bookish knowledge” etc. I know people who believe that one can’t really follow all that advice, in fact it’s not possible to do so. Some think that all those tips will not lead to the projected results. While some decide that the contexts offered by the book do not reflect their unique situation. I even know people who dismiss the wise knowledge right away.

Sure there are some bad books out there, but I’m here concerned with the good, authentic ones.  I usually depend on two criteria to identify the later ones:

• Bestseller (there must be some reason for it, and it’s usually that it is good)
• The profile of the author (his/her field of expertise and accomplishments)

I truly believe that we can benefit from a well-written, relevant self-help book. In my opinion, the effectiveness of the book depends on the reader’s:

• Awareness of his or her own need
• Openness to ideas and advice
• Willingness to change
• Commitment and effort

A person may pick up a self-help book for a number of reasons:

• Just curious
• Because a friend has recommended it
• Because everyone else is reading it
• To judge the book and/or author
• Hoping to find answers to his problems

In order to get and benefit most from the book, one should approach it with a genuine need. Only when a person is aware of his/her need will he/she be open to advice.  And what would mere knowledge count for, if the person doesn’t act on it? Often, one may not like what one learns from such books. One may be required to accept one’s own faults or deficiencies. Realizing and accepting them is the next step. It requires lots of will-power and determination to bring a change in one’s behavior or thinking – most solutions to problems demand it. And being ready and determined to put the effort needed in order to bring out that change is the crucial step. Incorporating those tips into day-to-day life and/or problem situations is the final step.

If one happens to gain nothing even after all this, I accept and agree with one’s remarks that self-help books are impractical and/or useless. I like to think that all those who doubt the helpfulness of self-help books are those who haven’t tried enough to use them.

Most of the times, one may not be able to relate to everything mentioned or discussed in a book, because it is meant for wider public. In those cases, I just absorb what is relevant to me, leaving out the rest instead of rejecting the book as a whole. I feel that there is always something good and useful in every book. In fact it’s true for everything, not just for books.

As I think about it, I realize that the way we react to self-help books isn’t much different from our response to advice from people: friends and well-wishers. It’s a well-known fact that one seldom follows the advice one receives. Here, the advice we receive may be customized and personalized, but still we often end up dismissing it. I think this reflects our general attitude towards any advice. But if we compare advice from books and people, there is no doubt as to which we’ll prefer.  May be this lack of direct human contact is what makes us skeptical about and less receptive of the advice from the books.

I admit that most of the times, I too lack the determination to follow all that good advice to the word. Nonetheless, I try to as much as I can. In my case, even if my conscious effort sometimes doesn’t measure up, the insights gained act subconsciously and make a difference.

Mother’s Day

 

 

 

Mother’s day, which is celebrated in honor of the mother by her family, is a relatively modern practice. As per wikipedia, it is celebrated on different days in different countries. India follows United States, and celebrates it on the second Sunday of May.

When I first heard about it, the concept of celebrating Mother’s Day and/or Father’s Day seemed a little weird to me. Honoring and respecting one’s parents is part of our Indian culture. We are taught right from the beginning to worship our parents and teacher as God every day (all the time).

Maatrudevobhava
Pitrudevobhava
Aacharyadevobhava

We also live with our parents most of our lives. It seems a bit absurd to decide to honor them on a particular day every year. But later I began to like it partly because it gives me another occasion to celebrate: have a cake and coke. Also with the ever-increasing trend of nuclear families, such occasions would provide more opportunities to connect with one’s parents.

I have been celebrating Mother’s Day since 2007, when my son was born. Only after I became a parent that I could fully comprehend my parents’ love for me. I’m grateful to my son for that. He made me love my parents even more than before.

On this day, besides wishing my mother a great day and possibly giving her a treat, as a mom I buy gifts for myself and feel special. I usually buy a book (I’m a voracious reader). I somehow started this tradition, which I wanted to carry on for the rest of my life: to buy a random book in a store. And the book should satisfy the following criteria:

    * Written by a female author
    * About women
    * Preferably something which I haven’t heard of before

It’s a bit difficult to find a really good book, which I haven’t heard of before but I want to stick to this rule as much as I can.

After much browsing, I chose Lisa See’s “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” this time. It’s a story set in China about female friendship. The choice seemed so perfect, especially when viewed in light of my previous self-gifts:

• The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd – set in America
• Brick Lane by Monica Ali – set in Britain (protagonist is a Bangladeshi immigrant)

The above two were just mediocre. But I have high expectations from this year’s selection. I’m sure I’m gonna love it. Can’t wait to devour it.