Blog Article By Avileena Dutta | Guest Post

 Reading List 2021: Through the Eyes of a Forgotten Bibliophile by Avileena Dutta

“A first reading is something special, like first love.” –Graham Greene.

It surely was, for me. When I first laid my hands on the evergreen literary masterpiece, Harry Potter, I fell in love with reading. And consequently, I delved deeper and deeper into the world of reading, finding solace, inspiration, and entertainment inside it. Although I wrote my first poem in grade two and have been a reader ever since I remember existing, it was when I read Harry Potter I truly found myself entering through the doors that led to a world of magic, letters, and meanings; the world of bibliophiles.

But it all came to a screeching halt three years later, as I started to focus on boards, the pandemic, doing other things. And gradually and knowingly, I forgot about books. The role they played in my life, their magic, their importance. My shelves remained lonely, coated in dust and longing, while I moved on with my life. And now that I’m finally free of my duties, I realized the word 'reading' has started to disgust me. 

Everyone advised, asking me to read books to kill my boredom, but the truth is; I hated books. I hated words. The idea of reading would make me nauseous. I realized it was my traumatic experience with studying for class 10 boards under unfavorable conditions of the pandemic that made me view books as nightmares. It’s been almost two years since I read books, and I never planned to get back anytime soon. 

But then, one fine day, I pulled out all the books I ever owned and stacked them on my bed. Out of boredom and feeling a sense of hopelessness. And this was the day, the magic of my books was back. 

As I segregated them into different piles, I felt a newfound interest growing in me. I first separated my books into two; the ones I read and ones I did not. And then out of them, I separated books that I had outgrown. Books that no longer served me and my goals. Next, I fished out books that would help me academically, and those written by Preeti Shenoy and Chetan Bhagat into different piles. From the ones I did not read, I separated those which I felt were not my types. I also kept aside those books I felt I would enjoy later, maybe when I’m a bit more mature.

I cleared myself of all the books that I didn’t feel like I needed and found books that I would read, from across all disciples. Some of those books, I’ve kept them for later. Perhaps, some books just make sense when you are of a certain age or at a certain time. 

Never hesitate to wait to read a book at the right time. People read Harry Potter when they are nine or ten. I didn’t. I waited until I felt I was ready. And it changed my life. 

My current list, it’s something I never anticipated would turn out this way. I’m finally ready to embrace some of my books, even if they seemed irrelevant to me a few months ago. 

Here’s a glimpse:

• Overland to India by Gordon G. May: A book by an Englishman about his trip from the UK to India and around it, on his classic old motorbike. This excites me as a travel enthusiast. It’s perfect for those under the struck by wanderlust, especially in times like these.

• Rusty Runs Away, Rusty Comes Home by Ruskin Bond: Teen life shenanigans in the first and embracing adulthood in the second, this duo by the iconic old man surely has my heart.

• 1001 days that shaped the world: A big fat facts and history book, this is something I never really thought in my wildest dreams would catch my attention. I guess a thing called the perfect time does exist.

• Bride at 10, Mother at 15 by Sethu Ramaswamy: Just as she calls it, the autobiography of an unknown woman, this book explores the life and times of a girl turned woman before child marriages were declared illegal in India.

• The Dalai Lama’s Cat and The Art of Purring by David Michie: This book is filled with philosophy and wisdom, narrated through the eyes of a cat, and explores the reason behind a purr. Very Interesting. 

• 50 greatest short stories: With stories by literary masters included, this is a classic must-read.

• 50 ways the world could end by Alok Jha: Science, but interesting. From concepts like death by euphoria to dysgenics, this just hits my curiosity on a different level.

• 6 Shakespeare plays: I bought these a long time ago, and I’m finally making an effort to read, understand and analyze them. I’m sure this will be a wholesome experience for me.

• Everyone has a story by Savi Sharma: A story about four lives that get entwined through friendship and love, this commercial and modern fiction is something I’m looking forward to as a quirky read.

• A face in the dark by Ruskin Bond: A horror story compilation, I’m only reading this to understand Bond’s life a little better.

• The Kipling Road by Ruskin Bond: A story of unconventional journies and action stories, the traveler in me screams to get this book read. 

• The Abandon Trilogy by Meg Cabot: A fantasy creation dealing with life in the underworld and personifying Hades in the modern world, this book series is an interesting grab. Fantasy is my favorite genre, you may have guessed.

• The Lovely Bones by Alice: Another fantasy where the protagonist watches her family grieve her death and demystifies her own murder, this book I picked up from a clearance sale in the book fair explores a unique concept and is worth a try. 

• The Mister by EL James: An erotica and romance novel by one of my favorite authors, this book surely is packed with more thriller than one can imagine. 

This declutter and cleansing of my library was needed. It helped me awaken my forgotten bibliophile, and taught me some important life lessons. 

Maybe someday in the future, I’ll do this again. Andthe books that I have found unreadable today, might make it to my top list. That’show the magic of words is.

It never fails you. 

Guest Author: Avileena Dutta is a 16 y/o writer, bibliophile and travel enthusiast from Assam India. She wrote her first short poem in grade 2, and hasn't stopped until now. Her interest in books are unparalleled. She is also a die hard Potterhead and believes there should be a little magic in all aspects of life.