Saturday, December 10

Read-a-holic Bliss

“I never asked her to. I expected her to do it on her own. I wanted her to make that decision without my prompting her. When she didn’t, I was hurt and even angry with her. It is only now that I realise how foolish I was. I never told her how much I needed her. It seemed like admitting to a weakness. My face can wear any emotion except that of a needy man.”

Thus ends a spectacular journey, Anita Nair’s “Mistress”

Can’t keep myself from sharing some more lines that held me spellbound…

“There is nothing wrong in making a mistake and admitting it. But it is unpardonable to continue making that mistake.”

“If he can live with himself, who am I to condemn what he’s doing?”

“What can I say to make you feel better? Perhaps it is best that I don’t make you feel better. If you are angry, you will hurt less.”

For those of you who’d like to savor some more “Mistress”-isms, click here.
The impressive lines that strike a chord are posted, to read and to enjoy…


Reading is such a beautiful thing. It whisks you away into a world that non-readers never know to exist. And it’s a shame when people say things like “I only read books related to my profession.” Or “I like reading newspapers and magazines”. Hey! That’s not reading. That’s only quenching your thirst for knowledge. Which can be done as you surf the web or go to the library. Education is not reading, but reading can certainly add to your wisdom.

Oh the bliss of seeing someone or being the one who is immersed in a novel, oblivious to the world!

Unfortunately, reading is not something you can "take up" or "give up". It needs careful effort and diligent drive. Otherwise, it's just something you do to put in your resume in order to make an impression...

A writer’s power over the reader’s mind is the most incredible thing ever. It needs no acquaintance, it calls for no introduction between the involved entities. Just words, and a thought that flows lucidly from the author’s pen to the connoisseur’s heart…

Patience, yes. That’s kinda required. You ought to allow the writer the time to settle into the story. Not too many writers can put in writing a compelling tale that engages a reader right at the first sentence. Not everyone can be a Jeffrey Archer or Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, or Wodehouse even. Besides, it may even be a ploy so that none but the serious reader can get to the crux of the book. A writer’s got all rights to have some expectations after the effort that goes into jotting down an experience.

Yet, I can’t forgive the “bestsellers” – The Monk who sold his Ferrari and The Secret.

I abandoned the books midway, and trust me, that’s saying a lot. Being the systematic and perseverant person that I am, I never leave anything half done. However, I just could not push myself to finish these 2 “wondrous” paperbacks. Thanks, but no thanks. You may be read by a million people a zillion times worldwide, but to me, you didn’t make an impact. Better luck next time…

However, I must express my heartfelt gratitude to Natashya Phillips, my ex-manager at IBM and a dear friend, for introducing, no, pushing me, to read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. Merely a few pages down, and I am already enamoured.

I read The Fountainhead by the same author many years ago, a little hesitatingly if I might add, given its bulk and reputation of being a serious, boring book, incomprehensible to many and praised to the skies by some “critics”. (Critics, to me, are crazy people who find boring things interesting and fun ones silly.) Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and I still think about it fondly.

The beauty and the curse with awesome books is that the one time you read them, you are floored, and you don’t dare to read them again for fear of it losing its charm. Hence, I have only read once, novels like Shantaram, Mistress, Fountainhead, No Onions No Garlic to name a few…

Thanks to BlogAdda, I’m now getting to read and review books for free. It’s fantastic! The initiative, I mean. The books dillydally between “wow” and “duh” – I’m afraid most authors aren’t too imaginative or original...

Well, that’s all for now… I thank you. 95 followers, hundreds of anonymous readers, and millions of visitors for stopping by and hearing me rant. It pleases me no end when I know that you know me through my blog, and appreciate what I write. Even if you criticize, I’m thankful. It’s better than to be ignored :-)

G’day, and keep reading… Coz a reader never lives a lonely moment…

Cheerio!
Anuja

3 comments:

Vishal Bheeroo said...

hey
I'm hooked and really wanna read mistress. Good point made. Though I would like to say that I love Sharma's books. Never read Secrets coz I feel I am not psychologically ready for the book. Same goes for Deepak Chopra books.One point: I am amazed how the world of bloggers has strengthened the book between the author and the readers and something which perhaps may not have been possible through one-to-one human interaction.
Cheers

Natashya Phillips said...

Hey :-) Im glad you enjoy it and I share the same feeling for the monk who... I could not read through the book either, the secret well I like the movie better and I truly belive it works , the books is not as interesting.
You seem to like books that have a strong Individuality to them so once your done with this one try - Vernon God LIttle - DBC Pierre , I love that book too, its much a much lighter read compared to Atlas Shrugged.
Il tell you more about Atlas on sametime later on :-)

Vishal Bheeroo said...

slight correction. The word book has been wrong written instead of bond between author and readers. It should be read as bond.
Error regretted

Shadow

He looked at her like she was the air he breathed, Without, he would collapse.  He lived to see her smile, Her dimples, his prized possessio...