Well, every day could be #BookshopDay in my case! And if I say I love reading after that euphoric statement, it would be underplaying it, no? So, I will start from the very beginning. As a child, books intrigued me. I don’t know about you, but every time I read a storybook, I’d have a movie running parallel to the storyline in my head. Complete with a soundtrack, exotic locations and stellar star cast. I was always the protagonist. Those days belonged to Enid Blyton, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Fairy tales and such. Desi comics like Amar Chitra Katha, Tinkle, Champak and Chandamama were the only ones that met with parent approval. They encouraged us to read newspapers instead of wasting our time on comic books. (Yes, those were the days when a newspaper editor was a superhero.)
Those were also the days when every neighbourhood had at least one library if not more. And everyone you knew was a member. In short, a whole new world was always just a parent-approved book away! Sharing was caring, and we milked our money’s worth. We devoured books in record time and competed to top the who-read-the-most-books-race. It was only in grade 11 that I got introduced to a full-fledged novel by my best friend, an avid reader herself. Remembrance by Danielle Steele. Ladies and gentlemen, I had just discovered a whole new galaxy.
I’ve read all kinds of books.
If I start a book, I have to finish it, no matter how good or bad it is. I might skim a few pages, ok more than a few, but I finish the book. I also have an unwritten rule ever since I became a writer of sorts. I never buy pirated books. To be honest, those books sold at the signals and street corners saw me through during budgeted college days, I won’t lie. However, now, I insist on buying a true copy as a mark of respect for a fellow writer. You are free to judge me, but c’est la vie.
Books influence you, your life, your choices and your dreams. Many books have made an impression on me, and I have loved many characters, but Howard Roark from The Fountainhead remains a man after my own heart. No one has been able to take his place, yet. The opening lines remain etched in my memory just like the man is in my soul.
HOWARD ROARK laughed. He stood naked at the edge of a cliff. The lake lay far below him. A frozen explosion of granite burst in flight to the sky over motionless water. The water seemed immovable, the stone — flowing.
I am happy to have passed on my passion for reading to the daughter. Even as libraries have now been replaced by retail outlets and overflowing bookshelves have morphed into well-stocked Kindles, we remain old-fashioned. We love the joy a book brings. Right from the cover to the blurb to the turning of the page on a cliffhanger. I am glad some things didn’t change for us. Both of us love to scout for deals online for books. But what we also love is rummaging through bookstores and second-hand book shops. Why just last week we travelled from one end of the city to the other to buy books by the kilo. Whenever we need to celebrate anything, we buy a book. I told you, every day in our case could be a potential #BookshopDay We live a hundred lives through our books. More recently, thanks to the HT #BrunchBookChallenge, I have taken to styling books and I quite enjoy that.
So, are you buying any books today? Or have you bought any books this past week? How about a #BookshopDay party, then?
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