How Aashi got Goosebumps from her school library

Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life.

Fernando Pessoa

I guess it’s true that books and reading take you to a whole new universe, which subsequently helps you escape and avoid reality. I don’t exactly remember what got me into reading in the first place, but I clearly remember that I was in the seventh grade when I was issued my first book by the school library – Goosebumps. I was absolutely fascinated by it. I’m sure all of us have that one book that we hold dear, one that sparks countless memories in the deep recesses of our mind. For me, that book is Goosebumps.

I still clearly remember ordering Goosebumps online, mostly 5-6 at a time because we were entitled to just a one issue for a week, which obviously seemed too long a time to wait. I was so fond of it that I would finish it in a few hours. I’m sure anyone that is as big a fan of the series as I am would not blame me for my impatience; the mystery, suspense and adventure contained in those books were too hot to handle for a twelve-year-old. Whenever my copy was delivered, I would always run to the door and then sit for hours, not blinking an eye until I was done reading. My mother often made the futile attempt to inquire why I was in such a hurry, and I would give her the vague reply that I just couldn’t wait, to which she would just smile. Having lost her a couple of years ago, this is one of my warmest memories of her.

Reading has always been an escape for me. George R.R. Martin has quite rightfully said:

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.

I earnestly hope that everyone will find the book that will carve out a special place in their heart, and that they will get to live the life of the characters they admire the most.