Ever since the 2014 challenge season started on Facebook, I've been bracing myself for the inevitable; being challenged. The Ice Water Challenge didn't perturb me as I was sure not to take it up. For two simple reason: (a) I don't see a point in undertaking this Public Display of Altruism and (b) My immunity has always been... well.. sketchy.
The '10 Books That Changed My Life' thingy, on the other hand, had me truly petrified. Because you see, there is a difference between appearing to be well-read and being well-read: a few thousand pages. On a good day, I may pass off for someone who has read Dickens and Dostoevsky and knows that Sidney Sheldon was a He and not a She. But here is the thing... Somewhere in the journey from a boring adolescence to a slightly more eventful adulthood, the voracious reader in me got satiated. As an adult, I developed the attention span of a 5-year old and grew suspicious of any book going over 200 pages.
I didn't stop reading altogether.. I just stopped reading books. I substituted the wonderful texture of a well-thumbed book with the glazed pages of weekly magazines and the eye-straining illumination of a computer screen. I still learn a lot about the wonderful and preposterous world that surrounds me, but the sources have changed.
That said, I'd rather put up a Public Display of Erudition (even if a little dated) than the aforementioned PDA. So.. Here is my list of '10 Books That Changed My Life'..
The remaining two books on this list are odd entrants. Odd, because although they remain important to me, I never actually managed to finish them! :-O
Addendum: On a different note, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my dad, Radhakrishnan Kumar, for bringing me all those books whenever he came back from a journey. You could have brought sweets, but you chose to bring books. Although I eventually became overweight on my own, at least I am a well-read overweight person today. Thank you Appa!!
The '10 Books That Changed My Life' thingy, on the other hand, had me truly petrified. Because you see, there is a difference between appearing to be well-read and being well-read: a few thousand pages. On a good day, I may pass off for someone who has read Dickens and Dostoevsky and knows that Sidney Sheldon was a He and not a She. But here is the thing... Somewhere in the journey from a boring adolescence to a slightly more eventful adulthood, the voracious reader in me got satiated. As an adult, I developed the attention span of a 5-year old and grew suspicious of any book going over 200 pages.
I didn't stop reading altogether.. I just stopped reading books. I substituted the wonderful texture of a well-thumbed book with the glazed pages of weekly magazines and the eye-straining illumination of a computer screen. I still learn a lot about the wonderful and preposterous world that surrounds me, but the sources have changed.
That said, I'd rather put up a Public Display of Erudition (even if a little dated) than the aforementioned PDA. So.. Here is my list of '10 Books That Changed My Life'..
- Selected School Essays (nondescript edition, author unknown): In 7th grade, this book introduced me to the structure of writing – The importance of a heading, the introduction, the body and the conclusion. My treatise on “Autobiography of a bench” and “My Favourite Festival” became a little more bearable through this book. It also introduced me to a definition I never managed to forget – a loose sally of the mind; an irregular undigested piece; not a regular and orderly composition. While writing this, I googled this sentence and came to know after more than 15 years, that the statement was made by Samuel Johnson. Dear Google, what would I ever do without you?
- Little Oxford English Dictionary: I find it a little odd that this book didn't feature in a lot of lists. I owe a lot to this book. I still remember reading this like a normal book, coming across new words and trying to frame them in a sentence.
- Young Scientist: This collection of hard bound and richly coloured books introduced me to science. Although Math cartel eventually ensured that I left science for good, I still retain a scientific bent of mind because of this series.
- World Book Encyclopedia: While Young Scientist introduced me to science, this book set introduced me to the world. The whole book set used to be exorbitantly priced but I managed to get my hands on some of the books through serendipity. Apparently a fire pretty much destroyed one of the libraries near my house and they were distributing partially burnt copies around. These partially burnt copies ignited a never-ending curiosity in me.
- To Kill a Mockingbird (by Harper Lee): Before I read this book, the history of USA started with Columbus and ended with cowboys. This book introduced me to a dark chapter in history. A chapter that, for me, draws parallels with India's caste system as well.
- Maximum City: Bombay Lost & Found (by Suketu Mehta): Before this book, Mumbai was just a city where my cousins lived. This book made me fall in love with the city (despite not painting a very rosy picture of it). I remember devouring this book from cover to cover. This book showed me Mumbai and Bombay.
- Night of January 16th (by Ayn Rand): Time for a revelation; this is the only Ayn Rand book that I have ever managed to finish. I loved the pace of this story and the brilliant way in which it ended. It got me hooked on to the American judicial system and it continues to this day (I love you, Good Wife)
- As The Crow Flies (by Jeffery Archer): One of the very few Archer books that I have actually read. The story introduced me to the East Side of London and taught me how an ambitious mind can triumph over destiny.
The remaining two books on this list are odd entrants. Odd, because although they remain important to me, I never actually managed to finish them! :-O
- The Fountainhead (by Ayn Rand): Yes, please take a minute to let this sensational breaking news sink in.... You alright?? Shall we move ahead? …. Well, The Fountainhead is to me what stairs are to Po – the ultimate nemesis. If there is one book I'd love to finish in my lifetime, it would be this. I have tried reading it four times, and every time I get lost in the last 100 odd pages! This book fascinates me, its characters intrigue me... this book remains the one that got away.
- Crime and Punishment (by Fyodor Dostoevsky): While Harper Lee introduced me to USA and Jeffery Archer introduced me to old England, Mr. Dostoevsky brought me face to face with Russia. I love the character of Raskolnikov... to some extent, I could even identify with the delirious state in which he did what he did. I just cant finish this book.
Addendum: On a different note, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my dad, Radhakrishnan Kumar, for bringing me all those books whenever he came back from a journey. You could have brought sweets, but you chose to bring books. Although I eventually became overweight on my own, at least I am a well-read overweight person today. Thank you Appa!!
