Reading for beginners
Psst! All you people who have just grabbed that amazing novel to begin reading. Are you reading the novel your geeky friends absolutely loved? The one they brag about on Facebook and occasionally quote some characters from it on Twitter? Is that the same book you saw was rated 4.5/5 on Goodreads? Are you reading it because of the above mentioned reasons? If the answer to these questions is yes, then, my friend, close the book with a heavy heart and do what you actually like doing because time flows by and we’re all going to die soon.
Was this too depressing? If so, the next sentence is going to break your heart: You’re under peer pressure. Doing something because everyone else is isn’t just a sign of peer pressure, but also of lack of self-determination. Do you like to eat spinach because Popeye does? Well, if you don’t think you’re under peer pressure but you still are reading a book that you don’t want to, it’s because you think you should. We’ve been taught for years, how reading helps increase our concentration, add words to our vocabulary, even help us save the world war 3! It becomes highly important for us to read and be the vigilante! And, anyway, reading does no harm! So why not skip dancing, or singing, or pursuing my beloved hobbies to read when it only has to serve me sooner or later?
Because “you should read” is a hoax. Reading, undoubtedly, expands your horizons and does all the good things one can ever imagine, but it sure isn’t necessary. Do not hesitate to not flip the page if you don’t want to, because you can choose not to read. We’ve been to school, and we’ve exercised reading as much as we should. Another very ridiculous myth about reading is that it’s necessary for writing. Reading and writing go like the chicken and the egg. You can write and you can write better by acquiring grammatical skills and having enough words in your vocabulary to express yourself better. Reading helps you with those. However, reading doesn’t ensure you a well-written piece, and it might intimidate some of the writers because OMG there are so many like them, sprouting on WordPress and Tumblr every freaking minute! If you still are adamant enough to give reading a shot, the first thing you must keep in mind is to not have any prejudice regarding any genre of writing. If you’re heartbroken, read crime and horror. But don’t call romance gooey and disgusting. Seriously, don’t. Different people have different tastes. Judging which genre is a better read is wasting your time. Give everything a try and decide for yourself. ONLY for yourself. Read for reading the book, not to finish reading it.
We all get busy with other things and we sometimes want the book to just end the dragged suspense. Cherish the moment you’re in, take time to seep in the characters’ emotions. Go with the flaw, pause when they do. Enjoy doing that. When there can be a 100 things in a page to be included in, 50 places to be at and 5 new people to meet, why rush? Don’t feel bad that you haven’t read a particular book because “It’ so cool! All my friends talk about it.” Prioritizing is the key. Because, who knows, you might make time for reading that oh-so-famous book sooner than you’d imagined, just by not wasting time in thinking about it!
So you don’t mind reading but you have a short attention span? Go for short stories. Some even find short stories cooler than those big novels. Are you too rich to buy books? Go for free e-books. Does your mother scold you for being in front of the computer screen for long? Go for audio books. Because, there is always a way out. If you want to read, you will. To challenge your reading skills, trying to read an eccentric genre novel is the best way. In fact, I know a book that fits in correctly: Raiders from the North by Alex Rutherford. It’s the first book from the trilogy “Empire of the Moghul”, and dwells in and around the life of Babur. The book pictures the 15th century Moghul Empire in a royal way, the way it should be. From Babur rising to the throne because of his father’s unexpected death, his mixed feelings about being the king because his father is dead, to his death; the book encapsulates it all. It tells us where the very traits of Babur’s personality hail from in an enchanting way. Some of the significant characters in the book are purely fictional, but it makes for a good read. Some people find history boring. I do, too. I can only suggest managing to read 20-25 pages, because it grows more interesting/ you then think of it as more interesting because it is. You might hop to read the next two books from this trilogy right after finishing this one.
Happy reading!
