My love for reading has evolved over the years, largely thanks to my wife and daughter’s voracious reading habits. I used to be intrigued and awed when I saw them finishing up a new book week in, week out. It made me feel that I wasn’t smart enough and had a lot to learn.
Even though our house had books in every corner, ranging from the Vedas to 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, I just couldn’t get started. Looking back, I guess the mere sight of a weighty novel was enough to put me off. It was both the fear of not being able to finish the book and do justice to the author. Or maybe it were job-related considerations that kept my mind occupied. To be honest, although I found reading fascinating and knew its importance, my hectic corporate schedule was always a major hindrance to any little motivation I had to read.
Even so, I would always catch up on current affairs by skimming through newspaper and magazine articles. I even occasionally read novels by John Grisham and Jhumpa Lahiri. The legal genre captivated me to no end. Lahiri’s The Lowland remains one of my all-time favorites.
Now, having left the frantic corporate life for a freelance set-up, I have been able to read as much as I want to. This has helped me partake in the intellectual discussions at the dinner table with my daughter and wife. And I must say, it feels so good.
I recently read Eichmann in my Hands by Peter Z. Malkin and Harry Stein, and Eric Barker’s Barking Up the Wrong Tree on a few lazy afternoons. I have come to realize what I was missing out on all these years. The sheer knowledge and importance of seeing the world through these brilliant writers’ minds have left me astounded. The way a good writer can help a reader visualize is a surreal feeling! The saying that books enlighten us is so true. It is something I have experienced first-hand.
I now aim to finish a book every week. I hope I can live up to the commitment. Wish me luck, folks!
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