I have stopped reading. I hate to admit it but that’s the truth, simple and plain. I tried hard to read some recommended books a few months back. Somehow I lacked the patience to complete any one of them and as a result, returned all of them to the library, partially unread. It is strange, in a sad sort of way. Geetu and I were the kids who were brought up on the joy of reading. Mummy had read all the well-known books in her teens and Dad was the king of logic, philosophy, Kant and Russell. We were so crazy about reading that we didn’t need a TV during dinner but a book, that we needed. Daddy was not in favour of us buying novels and fiction. According to him, those books were not worth buying at all. In any case, between Pinch and I, we had a good collection. All the works of R K Narayan, all of John Steinbeck, a couple by Irving Stone, Robert Pirsig, James Herriot, Shashi Tharoor, Sartre, Kafka and so many more that I don’t even remember. Of course, I didn’t get all of them to USA. In any case, these days, I cannot last an entire book. Within a chapter or two, either one of two things happen. Either I race through the chapters, unable to control myself. Or I lose my attention, draw it back, then lose it again and after some unsuccessful attempts, return the book to the library. Thus, my list of unread/partly read books grows.
Now I’d like to read again but somehow I can’t find the confidence within. I’d hate to start on another book and then have to put it back into the bookshelf. Guess I should accept this as a strange but natural course of events and let it go. If I am destined to read another book in this lifetime, I probably will.
thefirstidiot says:
Since when did you become so fatalistic?? 🙂
But I agree, as I get older, it becomes more and more difficult to read. For me its not the book, its finding the time to read.
I still read, but its nothing like what I used to…
August 23, 2005 — 8:18 pm
Lakshmi says:
Oh, that’s just a manner of speaking.
August 24, 2005 — 11:46 am
radhika74 says:
oh,of course you’ll read a million more books..think of when the kids go off to college 🙂
August 23, 2005 — 11:21 pm
Lakshmi says:
🙂
Didn’t think of that!
August 24, 2005 — 11:46 am
rparvaaz says:
My reading depends on a] my mood, b] my emotional well-being. I just can’t read fiction if I’m worried, and I find it hard to read when I’m too tired to keep my eyes open…
Why don’t you try reading something which appeals to you? I am not sure what would fall into the category but there is so much to choose from!
And do stop worrying about not being abl to read. Things will fall into place sooner or later. 🙂
August 24, 2005 — 1:12 am
Lakshmi says:
I know! Right now, I can’t even figure out what appeals to me… 🙂
August 24, 2005 — 11:47 am
rileen says:
You’ll read when you want to – don’t worry about it.
Of course, other details like having time etc. have to be satisfied too, but essentially, you’ll read when you’re ready to 🙂
August 24, 2005 — 2:01 am
Lakshmi says:
Rightly said.
August 24, 2005 — 11:47 am
sat_chit_anand says:
It also depends on what you do if you are not reading. If what you do in that time is fulfilling an enriching then why bother ? Certainly reading has its own joy but then there are so many things which give joy …infact do what you do with complete enthusiasm and joy and see how it brightens everything. And you can try that with reading too.
August 24, 2005 — 6:53 am
Lakshmi says:
Just that at one point reading seemed like it was so important and now months have gone by without reading a single book.
August 24, 2005 — 11:47 am
arunshanbhag says:
Hey, learn to let things slide. Don’t rush it. It will come back to you in a few years.
As a kid I used to read on average “a book a day” !!! Then similar to your experience, did not read/complete a book for several years. After nearly an 8 year hiatus, I have picked up reading again. Now I am at about 2-3 books a month. Not bad. Also I read primarily non-fiction which I can only read about 20-30 pages a day.
Listening to audiobooks got me started sometime last year, and I now switch between audiobooks and hard books. Also, reading was painful and difficult for my eyes and only last year I realized I needed reading glasses. Now that I have three pairs distributed strategically at home, in the office and in my bag, I enjoy ‘reading’ again!!!
… and so will you.
August 24, 2005 — 6:55 am
Lakshmi says:
Inshallah!
August 24, 2005 — 11:48 am
sat_chit_anand says:
Audio Books
I’d love to try out audio books. I know purist will try to say its not as good as reading an actual book..but modern technology has been used in so many places…so why not in the world of books…
August 24, 2005 — 1:02 pm
arunshanbhag says:
Re: Audio Books
In the history of humankind, scriptures and knowledge has generally been passed on through oral tradition. The guttenburg press was invented in the 15th century making printing a bit more common and it was only in the 18th and 19th century that reading really took off. So I think evolutionarily we are still wired to ‘listen.’ (this is the rationale I give the ‘purists’).
You should try out audiobooks. it is just fantastic. Try Audible.com
Also, check your local library, they may already have a large collection of CDs which you can convert to mp3s. Enjoy!
O, I particularly love it when the authors themselves narrate the book. Simple Awesome!
August 24, 2005 — 2:08 pm
paappaan says:
Re: Audio Books
That is an interesting point of view (audio books and the storytelling tradition). I have the same problem as sat_chit — somehow the audio books do not seem like real books. Another problem with audio books was that one can’t sniff between the pages — how else is one to tell whether a book is good or not? 🙂 Still, following Arun’s suggestion, I might give them a chance.
As for me, the single biggest detriment to my reading habit has been the Web. I used to read books to fill the time between the dinner and the arrival of sleep. In the post-Internet world, I browse.
October 20, 2005 — 7:58 pm
arunshanbhag says:
Re: Audio Books
i agree completely, internet for some and the TV (idiot box) for many are big time sinks!
and re. audiobooks: in some cases I so loved the audiobooks, that I have gone ahead and bought the hard covers too – just so I could get a whiff of the excellence and place it on my shelf
🙂
Enjoy! Try audible.com
I think they have a trial offer you can signup for.
October 21, 2005 — 6:25 am