A Hundred Days Of This - Day 21
How about we talk about books today? This post should have been here ages ago.
Hello, I am Soumya Inavilli, a book hoarder. This is definitely going on my resumé! (how I wish)
"You
know you could actually start a library with all the books you have here." said a friend of mine who chanced on taking a quick look at my
not-so-little book collection at home. She maybe right, yes, after all, building
my very own personal library is what I have dreamt of since forever. Not
to mention that I almost always catch myself wishing that I would get
locked up in the Beast/Prince Adam's library. (No, not in the Stockholm syndrome fantasy way)
To me everyone is a reader, an avid one, all they have to do is just find their favorite book. You and I have heard a lot of people talking about how essential is reading as a part of man's routine and how wonderful it is to have a book impact your life even in the tiniest way possible. But there is also another sect in this world who do not get to speak much but silently collect one book after another to fill every nook and corner of their houses. Have you ever seen Cormac McCarthy's library? And I write this for them, to all the hoarders like me around the world who simply cannot resist buying one more book because it is more than love, it is an obsession. Running around the aisles of a bookstore as a kid and thinking that I would get to own all the copies excited me more than the idea of going to the Disneyland. It still does! A large part of my collection is still stuck on my to-read list. Some of them are stacked up neatly in their polythene covers waiting to be opened. None of this has ever stopped me from adding up more books to my shelves. And it never will.
To me everyone is a reader, an avid one, all they have to do is just find their favorite book. You and I have heard a lot of people talking about how essential is reading as a part of man's routine and how wonderful it is to have a book impact your life even in the tiniest way possible. But there is also another sect in this world who do not get to speak much but silently collect one book after another to fill every nook and corner of their houses. Have you ever seen Cormac McCarthy's library? And I write this for them, to all the hoarders like me around the world who simply cannot resist buying one more book because it is more than love, it is an obsession. Running around the aisles of a bookstore as a kid and thinking that I would get to own all the copies excited me more than the idea of going to the Disneyland. It still does! A large part of my collection is still stuck on my to-read list. Some of them are stacked up neatly in their polythene covers waiting to be opened. None of this has ever stopped me from adding up more books to my shelves. And it never will.
Most of these book hoarders I amtalking about have silently built an empire of magnificent works of various authors. This is not an easy job like it may sound. Nah. There will be days when our friends will sneak up on our library to note down which book is missing, roam around the city to buy a copy, wrap it up in a fancy paper and leave it on our doorsteps. There will be days when as soon as the salary gets credited into our bank accounts, we immediately swipe our cards to bring that graphic novel box set home. There will be days when we save our pocket money every month, forgoing movies and that perfect fit dress, just to grab a haul at the annual book fairs in town. And on other days, the bookstores announce a freak sale and we're left with not a single penny. You know how difficult it is to walk past a bookstore when you are so broke that you cannot even afford to look at its windows? Self control is not something we practice a lot. Hours and hours of browsing websites, checking for deals on Amazon, loading up our WishLists in a hope that someday we will get a notification about a huge discount and painstakingly organizing our Goodreads shelves. Phew! It is never that easy. Yet, it is all worth it when we have reached the last page of the book and hoping that there'd be more to it.
I was probably 8 years old when my mother first got me signed up with a local lending library, a rare thing to find these days. And since then I have not been able to hold myself back from daydreaming about libraries and books. And if life ever gives you a chance to read and lures you in with the stories of your liking, take that call seriously and pursue it. You have no idea where it can take you. One day at Hogwarts, another in Manhattan, another in Auschwitz, another in Amaravathi, another in God knows where. It is my humble plea, pick up a book and read.
Right now, I am stuck in a reading slump but from tomorrow the reading continues. You can always find me on Instagram under the name @book.jedi12 and drop a message if you like talking about books or would want me to recommend something for you to read.
Not going to end the post with a few links, I guess.
1. The 51 Best Fantasy Series Ever Written - the one list that I have been revisiting ever year for a decade now.
2. Favourite comedian recommending books? Of course, I will lap it up.
3. Perfect gifting ideas for bibliophiles. https://www.thebookishpandora.com/?fbclid=PAT01DUAOoKC9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAafOWf2HEc-dX_xEHSkk6lYxO5OytKGXDDzp7gqsijKRBexW85JFEI6vWvXD9g_aem_II2R8j3-cvAUuwon6dSfwQ
4. Most people think this is just a children's book but do not judge the book by its cover. It has a great depth and a power to fix your mindset.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/191139.Oh_the_Places_You_ll_Go_ and oh, if you have never heard of Goodreads before, try and explore it. Now is a great time to set up a reading challenge for the coming year.
5. Another rabbit hole
6. And for the people in Hyderabad or who can travel there, the annual Hyderabad Book Fair is going to begin on the December 19th this year. Please do visit and have fun!
And that's Day 21 for you!
Comments
Post a Comment