Books and ME

Suddenly I found there’s a good lending library near my home and I went in to join there.  And what with the younger one going crazy with the Twilight series, the elder one with the Shopaholic series and me with a big list from Smita, Smitha, Monu, Swaram, the library is richer by a few thousands now. They have even invested in buying some new books for us, for the amount of circulation we give to the books. And many more of my friends have been referred to that library and they have many new customers because of me. 😉

I found the Harry Potter series quite interesting, even though it was aimed at the teenagers.  I loved the magical ventures, the daredevil trials with Voldemort and the way every piece of puzzle was fitted to perfection, with the final book in the series. I admired the author J K Rowling for that kind of writing.  But somehow, I couldn’t relate to the vampire tales of Twilight. Just after I started reading, I somehow stopped myself. From my young age, I liked magic, but never vampires. Maybe all those make a difference, while identifying myself with the characters in the book.

I’ve been a fan of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (CBD), from the time I read Sister of my Heart, long time back.  The reading of this book was actually instigated by the tamil serial which was made based on this book. That serial was one of the best serials the TV has seen in its entire life….and I loved the serial for its strong and wonderful portrayal of the characters in the book.  And the actors were chosen with care and each one fit into the role beautifully.  Sister of my Heart captured my heart, then and now, too.

Now, when I read it again, it made me identify with ease to the characters, Sudha, Anju, Gowri, Pishi and Nalini.  WOW, each one of them is such a strong personality and how their lives are interwoven and how Sudha and Anju react to their upbringing…each and every scene is so vivid in my memory still.  I cried and laughed with the sisters, in their sad and happy moments.  I understood, when Sudha decided to get married to Ramesh instead of eloping with Ashok, which I never thought was possible to do.  Pishi with her gentle story telling, stole my heart.

Its only when I am able to relate to the characters, I enjoy the book.

And the same goes true, when I took Palace of Illusions. My God, such a strong portrayal of Draupadi and it was a fantastic experience reading it from the female perspective, the epic called Mahabharata.

There’s a saying in our Hindu households, that one can read Ramayana at home, but not Mahabharata. Ramayana is good for the mind, cleanses the soul and gives good vibes. But Mahabharata is the story of revenge and never should be read at home. But one can listen to the tales from Mahabharata, told by others. All these things never made sense to me…if one has to read a story, the following of good things and neglecting the bad, is totally up to them.  Actually, Ramayana tells us how to live and Mahabharata tells us how not to live, is what my patti used to say.

Anyway, reading Mahabharata in the eyes of Draupadi, was a fantastic experience for me and I revelled in it.  Her feelings about her birth, her conversations with Krishna, the way she was obsessed with her palace…every incident was fantastically described and I loved this whole book.

Then came the Vine of Desire – What transformation from that simple Sudha !!!! I admired the way, she develops her confidence and the way she started taking decisions, instead of following what others make for her all the time.  Loved the way the book ended, with Anju learning to fly…after all, life’s all about enjoying yourself and flying with your dreams.

Yes, Gone with the Wind was read like a sponge absorbing the bucket of water.  I was desperate to read it and read it one go, never wanting to stop in between and hated the distractions like cooking and washing. OMG, how much I missed this book !!! Its been years since I read it last. Now, waiting to get hold of this DVD.

Sometimes, I feel that I find stories with strong women characters, hugging me like a lovely quilt. I don’t want to leave that book down. I want to know them all, their feelings, their difficulties, how they overcome them, eventually proving how strong women are.

Then there was this…The Alchemist – Amazed at the simple logic in life, but we always find it complicated. It’s only a moment’s realisation to understand the logic, that’ll make life happy. Fantastic read !!!

But I just couldn’t read beyond one book of that Shopoholic series…just never related myself to Rebecca…just can’t understand women can be stupid enough for a financial journalist.

I am going again this week, for my visit to the library…so any suggestions ????  Already, I’ve decided to look for One Amazing Thing by CBD, which Monu had reviewed.