Review: Love Among the Bookshelves by Ruskin Bond

When you read a book you really enjoy, and you feel it has become your ultimate favourite (like the previous ultimate favourites), what do you do? Ask your friends if they've read it, in the hopes of sparking a new, interesting discussion; search the web to find people who've read it; read up book reviews and secretly hate those who hated the book; and then you read up on the author. Who is/was he/she? What did they like doing? What were their views on stories and literature? Did they give any interviews? Can I read those?

From what I believe, these are the typical traits of a reader who loved a book and doesn't seem to have had enough of it. The most ardent readers would not only savour the book over and over, but would also read about the author's story, imagining a person who created a story they could associate with so well. 

Therefore, if you are a fan of legendary author Ruskin Bond, the Indian writer who wrote his first book in London at the age of seventeen and decided during childhood that he would be a writer, this is the book that chronicles his reading and writing experiences, and loves. Ruskin Bond begins the book with a clarification - this is not a seamy love story that happened behind a bookshelf, but one person's love of books, reading and writing that happened throughout his life. 

Ruskin Bond was a small boy (of eight, I think) when he accompanied his father in a hunting group. They stayed in a wilderness resort for a few days, when Ruskin realized that he found hunting as a sport rather distasteful. He preferred to stay behind in the lodge and spend time with the caretaker, who left him to his own account for the most part. She did, however, tell him that the books Ruskin discovered there belonged to an old Englishman who had lived there previously, and now belonged to the lodge. By then, he had already read some popular books, but with nothing else to do, he found those books as treasures that opened a whole new world for him. "He reads too many books," complained one of his father's friend, but little did he know how wonderful that habit was.  

Throughout the book, Bond narrates his personal relationship with certain books: books that shaped his ideas, that appealed to him in some way or the other, those that held special significance, and nearly all that helped him learn more about the world, or made him experience beautiful emotions. In a writer's life, the books he/she reads matters a lot. Those books are telling of the writer's sources of information, ideas, thought-processes, likes and dislikes. These help a reader grow close to a favourite writer. 

It's not even just about Bond being a favourite, but about how someone who identified, against all social expectations, early during childhood that writing would be his sole career focus, managed to do it. And do it spectacularly. Ruskin Bond takes us into his growing years, his years in London, and even shows us a glimpse of his favourite passages/pages from his favourite books, telling us more about those books, those writers, the era they lived in, and why they are still relevant. An ardent reader would enjoy discovering titles they never knew existed, and get a better idea of how it all shaped Ruskin Bond's mind, if one is interested in that kind of thing. 

Ruskin Bond

The writing style employed in this book is refreshing, articulate, informative and appealing. I'm not just using these adjectives for the sake of making this look like a book review, but because Love Among the Bookshelf truly deserves all these! I found the beginning chapters really, really interesting, and the level of interest slightly petered out towards the end, but that is entirely personal. You could end up loving it all the more. 

There were instances where I had to stop and look for a pencil to mark certain passages or sentences, because of course, Ruskin Bond is good, and when you come across strong these-completely-makes-sense words, you are left with no other alternative than to mark those out. 

"In time I was to learn that it's the onlooker who sees more of the party than the party-goer; that it's the man on traffic duty who sees more of the passing show than the man behind the wheel; that the man on the hilltop sees the curvature of the earth better than the man on the plain; that the hovering vultures know who's winning the battle long before the opposing armies; and that, when all the wars are done, a butterfly will still be beautiful." 

Details of the book are thus:
Title: Love Among the Bookshelves (as is evident from the post title and the post itself)
Author: Ruskin Bond 
Published: April 2014 by Penguin Viking
Pages: 185
Genre: Non-Fiction; Memoir
Find it at: Amazon

Recent Book Grabs # 6: The mixed loot!

Hiya fellow book-lovers! <3

It's been a while since I mentioned the recent book-hoard. Wait. A while? It's been half a year since I last posted! On the personal front, I've been keeping busy with my new, and first job. It's been interesting so far - being with books all day has to be! - but leaves little time to get down to blogging. The books mentioned in this post have either been received for review, purchased, received as gifts or borrowed from friends. I'm sure they're all as exciting and beautiful as they look and I'll be picking them off the shelf one by one pretty soon!

The pile of beauties <3

Clicking on the book's title will lead you to its Goodreads page. 

#1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: A book that had been on my to-read list for a long time. Got this in the latest lot when I suffered from the book-buying frenzy.

#2. Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh: One of those titles we come to know of in school, among the list of popular books and their authors. I haven't yet read any of Khushwant Singh's books, being wary of the supposed 'bold' style of writing. This book that documents a story set within the India-Pakistan partition of 1947, something close to the hearts of many families in the two countries, including mine, seemed like the perfect book to start with this author.

#3. Selected Stories by Anton Chekov: The witness to my crazy forgetfulness when it comes to books, Chekov poked me once while I was browsing the shelf and I realized that my best friend had lent it to me some time ago! Eeeps!

#4. Wonder by R.J. Palacio: One of those 'I-know-it's-good-because-it's-been-popular-in-the-bok-blogging-community' books, Wonder was also a product of the latest book-buying frenzy.

#5. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: Having heard my mother say, 'this is my favourite book' for the hundredth time, I finally decided to get a copy for myself. It came with the month old classic-buying-book frenzy.

#6. Macbeth by William Shakespeare: I've never really read any of Shakespeare's plays either, so I figured Macbeth would be a good start. I've also been meaning to read it ever since I realized that one of the witches' songs was included in the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie!

#7. The Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Franz Kafka: The book found it's way to my dad and he gave it to me. I'm quite looking forward to reading this, considering the popularity of both, the short story called The Metamorphosis and the author. 

#8. Matilda by Roald Dahl: Having been on my TBR since the time I had watched the movie years ago and time and again been swayed by the cuteness of the cover, I finally lost the reserve when I saw it in a random, new and brilliant bookstore I came across recently. Enjoyed reading this one! 

#9. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith: Once I read, and loved The Cuckoo's Calling, I 'had' to read the next book, didn't I? How can you ignore a book by JK Rowling??? I'm reading it presently and it's just a remarkable experience! :') 

#10. George and the Unbreakable Code by Lucy and Stephen Hawking: I hadn't heard of a children's story by Stephen Hawking. This seemed pretty interesting and is illustrated with sketches! Received for review, will be the next book I read.

#11. Invisible by James Patterson and David Ellis: Having read James Patterson's books, I'm somewhat naturally inclined to pick up his mysteries, especially those that sound just.so.intriguing! Read the blurb of this one and you'll know what I mean!

Despite having so much to do, to read and explore, I'm still around 11 books behind schedule in my year's reading goal. Not that it matters as much, considering how I do enjoy the most of what I'm reading, but still! I hadn't finished the goal last year and this time, I just have to. Have you read any of these books? Thoughts? What did you get lately?

PS- The Delhi Book Fair's on, and I've had mental debates whether or not to visit. I know it sounds silly, because I've never before missed any book fair if you don't count the last time because I had bumped my leg into a flowerpot and couldn't walk for a week. Strange things happen, yes, but this time it's just emotional. I think I'm getting to that stage where I can somewhat overlook it because I really am busy. There's work even over the weekends and I don't just feel that enthusiastic about it. The thought was a sad one when I realized, but I suppose it's okay. What do you think?   

Epic Book Nerd Problems!

A fantastic website, Epic Reads is a fun haven for book lovers! They recently came up with a series of fun videos with book nerd problems, explained through witty visuals. I love the exaggeration shown in the videos, since those awesome nerds are actually acting out what they feel! It's sure to make one laugh, and to spread this awesomeness, I'm sharing two of such videos that made me go, "Oh Boy! HAHA!" :D

# 1: Misunderstood literary references: This one is my favorite of the lot. When people don't get your lit references!

# 2: Lending books to friends: When lending your book becomes a problem and how you deal with it.

Waiting for more such videos! *_*

The Magic of Classics!

There must be a reason why classics are called classics. There's this whole aura around them that makes you feel so different, and not just because they belong to a specific period in time. There was dystopia back then too, futuristic stuff, incredible science fiction and best of all, incomparable fantasy. What is it that makes us go back to classics for that 'complete and unabridged' feeling of satisfaction? How are classics so appealing? In this online course (MOOC) called The Future of Storytelling, they mentioned the way literature transformed; how earlier it was "more group and culture based" and now it is "more introverted and individualistic". 

<3

Stories were more about a place as a setting and then about the characters who form an integral part of the story. Important characters were barely just one. There were complete, imaginative worlds where fantasy came in. Humans interacted with other living forms by talking and hanging out with them without feeling weirded out. If you got to take advice from a caterpillar, you simply did. You did not make faces or feel strange or think it's unnatural. If you wanted to fly to Neverland and meet naughty pixie fairies, you simply needed to believe that you could fly. You didn't wait for a superhero or logic to come into the picture. I love that optimism, that simple, unbiased acceptance of the world for what it is. I love the lack of criticism and analysis. It makes me as a reader feel how vast and believable everything is, how it is simple and possible if you just believe in it. It's not always how it happens in real life but you're far better off if you hold on to these beliefs you inculcate while reading, one major reason being that you're always optimistic!

Let's consider some examples. Peter Pan (J.M. Barrie) is an imaginative story beginning with the simple idea of a boy who doesn't want to grow up, which is pretty much a normal feeling in kids. When you read the story, however, you're so drawn into that boy's adventures, his feelings and thoughts and behaviour, his interactions, other characters who're associated with him and a whole new world of Neverland where you meet pixies and pirates. When you read The Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum), you see a normal girl in Dorothy who falls into an adventurous situation and there're scarecrows and talking animals and witches and castles.  

I remember being absolutely petrified and hooked to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (R.L. Stevenson) when I first read it, just because it was so different (and scary) from anything I had ever read. It was a piece of wonder and I was nothing short of amazed. It's such a deep story, coming out of the concept of man having two sides: the good and the evil. A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens) was just as creative and although slightly dark, it's beautiful in the way it's told. There are many other examples, including Gulliver's Travels (Jonathan Swift), Frankenstein (Mary Shelley), The Invisible Man and The Time Machine (H.G. Wells) that make you feel so warm and nice and 'classic' when you read them! 

Have an open and accepting mind, and you'll love all these stories. I watched Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll) yesterday when its second movie adaptation was running on HBO. I haven't read the book as yet but I do like the story. It's so full of characters, yet you don't feel lost. It's a small, unique world. It shows the protagonist of the story as a strong, dreamy and imaginative girl who likes to do as she likes and has the ability to stand up for her own. Apart from what she does in Wonderland, it's quite cool the way she behaves when she's at the family gathering with her family and relatives, the way she signs up for a business deal instead of allowing her mother to marry her to a lord. This book came out in 1865. Awesome, much? :)

It's not just about the magical, it's about the stories based on societies and human-people too. They're all incredibly detailed and imaginative. I'm not denying the unique essence of modern literature, new genres and quick reads, but classics such as these have their own sense of time. You always feel different with such books. If you haven't read these, I'd suggest you should! A personal recommendation would be Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and although I read it in school, an abridged version most probably, I'd still think it's worth a read.

Src: cdn.comicartfans.com

“With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to the truth, by whose partial discovery I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: that man is not truly one, but truly two.” 

***

What do you think? Do you like these books as much? 

PS- How about the blog's new look? ;)

Is Fiction Real?

This might be something avid readers were asked on one occasion or more. Ever since I made it pretty evident I prefer reading in those interstices between classes in college, and during traveling, even with friends (because then apart from a few minutes at bedtime, there's just no time :/ ), people have noticed how often my nose's stuck in a book. And those books are almost always in the genre of Fiction (unless it's a college reading or a non-fiction review book). It wasn't long before people started asking why I prefer Fiction, after bluntly stating that they always prefer non-fiction for knowledge and don't want to waste time with stories. Mind you, these are people doing a Masters in Business Administration, most of them uninterested in stories per se, so I don't mind answering them back. Besides, someone has to tell them, or at least try to put forward their own awesome views, something that challenges their way of thinking. 

A couple of weeks ago in a relatively boring class, a classmate-friend passed me a sheet of paper with the same question. She was curious. She wanted to read, but she was also clouded with this pre-conceived notion that Fiction isn't useful, it's just made-up stories and not real. Her question was genuine. I wrote back a reply to her, making it as short and concise as possible, trying to fully justify the short answer. Here's a snapshot of our little 'passing-of-notes-conversation':

Please bear with the handwriting :P
Also, there's a little bit of Hindi in the question and
first line of the answer.

What I believe in, and I'm sure Fiction readers would agree, is the simple fact that 'Fiction' is just a name for something that doesn't exist as a whole in real life. The whole story may not be real, but we do know writers are amazing observers, right? What we read about in stories has some inkling to reality. The characterization of the characters, the setting, if not real, it might be built upon something that exists. The messages they convey, the relationships they show, the meanings they imply, they're all real. They also have facts spread in between. 

Among the lines I wrote in this note, were these: "The only difference is that in Fiction, you learn things in an implied manner, depending upon your perception. Non-fiction gives you straight facts. I've started reading non-fiction too, because yes it is interesting, but fiction is far more interesting, mostly because it gives you perspective and understanding".

Really. You understand. People. Behaviour. Maybe you'd know about the life of a kind of person who's totally the opposite of how you are, of people living with diseases, of people losing their loved ones, of people on the other side of the planet. Doesn't it tell you so much more than non-fiction? I won't start comparing the two because it is not the subject of this post, but I have to give my view. Fiction makes you see many realities and you do it on your own. It's not in-your-face. It's up to you how you understand it, how you interpret it. This classmate-friend later in the day met another girl who's an avid fiction reader and asked the same question. She agreed with what I'd said and also added, "fiction completely shows you things the way one person (the author) imagined them". Isn't that an amazing observation? :D I'm going to add this to my fiction-is-real supporting argument! ;)

What do you think? Were you ever confronted with this dilemma? Or this question? :)

PS- The best thing about reading is that it inspires. It totally makes other people want to read for themselves, especially if they see you engrossed in a book, lost and enjoying it! The genuine, secure-about-themselves people might even tell you they feel like reading because of you, or that they have read a book they loved, because of you, because they saw you and felt the desire to do the same. It feels just amazing when you get to know that! This blog has given me this kind of a feel so many times. I love the observed fact that one person can spread this love, or at least a curiosity and interest to people around them. There's nothing better one could do, right? :D

Reviewing Quirks...

Being a bookworm is awesome, although we've got our own share of quirks and stuff that feels like creepy crawlies trawling along on our arm! I'm not going to talk about that. When I started with this blog, I had no idea I would be doing whatever I'm doing right now. Seriously, if you go look at the initial posts and the reviews I post now, you wouldn't believe they're by the same (insert adjectives synonymous with 'intelligent' and 'sweet' and alright, naive too) girl. I've learned a lot yes, and most of it has been totally unexpected and exceedingly exciting! :D (Shamelessly I'm saying again, if you're someone who'll pay me for reading-and okay, reviewing- and if you like what I write, hire me :P ). However we do come with our own share of weirdness and quirks and I'm sure, book bloggers would agree!

1. Having to answer the question, "What book would you suggest me?"

This is the question I'm confronted with the most. Knowing that someone values my opinion is definitely charming, though it brings with it a sense of responsibility, don't you think? If someone sincerely asks for a book recommendation, I'd want to suggest something they'd really like, because that way they'd read even more, right? Answering the question makes me nervous, though. I first want to know what kind of a book they prefer. There are all sorts of books! How do I know what they'd like to read? Those who define a category are easier to deal with. Those who answer mechanically, 'whatever you think is good' are the hard nuts to crack. What I like might be something you would hate. It's such a risky answer. But then if your recommendation turned out successful, it feels more than awesome. :D

2. Giving review books priority over books you have been dying to read.

You salivate just looking at bookstores, kiosks with discounted books, amazing offers online and end up buying gorgeous books you want to just sit down and read. Anytime, anywhere. You bring them home, make a place for them on your bookshelf-shrine and lean back to admire how perfect they look. Then your eyes land upon the 'review' pile, books you've received for reviews and your heart drops down slightly, because sometimes you want to read what your heart says and not what you signed up for. In the end, before you know it, you're reading review books and it's been months since you read the first book in the Vampire Academy series and the rest of them are still stacked, unread, witnessing your sad, droopy, puppy eyed looks. 

3. Making reviews interesting...... and different.

Especially with similar books, or books by the same author where the writing style is very similar (obviously), you've got to think a lot and delve deep into what you actually feel about the book, because otherwise all your reviews would end up being somewhat similar. And hence, boring. Which I don't personally want my reviews to be. (Tell me if you think the reviews seem boring or repetitive?). Picking up from some blogger, where I read about this technique the blogger uses, I now make notes of the points I wish to talk about in the review. There are certain things that come to mind when I'm reading and it is 100% likely I'll forget it soon, so I note down those thoughts and it actually gives me a lot to write about when I'm finally down writing a review. Plus, with all the book bloggers and lovers out in the blogosphere, it does take effort to effectively bring out your love and thoughts on books. Something that makes your reviews different and useful! 

4. Tasting a different dish. And not liking it.

Sometimes you feel so tempted with a book available for review, even though it's not your usual kind of a book, you might have been attracted to it's cover (like psychos like me do), or whatever reason, you get a book, the kind you never read before and unfortunately, you end up understanding that it's actually not your kind of a dish. The reading experience feels forced and reviewing becomes even more difficult, because you try not to be biased. Hard, hard work.

5. Avoiding same-book reviews until you write your own!

I usually avoid reading any kind of a review of a book whose review I'm waiting to write, for fear of unintended plagiarism. I don't know what other reviewers feel about this, but I just can't read a review and not think about it, so I guess I might as well not read them at all. Once I've posted my version though, I am open and free to read others' versions. :D

6. Turning down a review request.

God, this is the worst aspect for me. I hate turning down requests, but I have to. One, my college takes up 90% of my life, forget about time. Two, there are just some kind of books I can't just read. And it feels bad to have to say No when it's a book I know is not my thing. Still, you have to do what you have to do. 

All this is actually fun to deal with, if you look at it from my perspective. Nothing gives you as much satisfaction as getting to know that someone read and loved a book you recommended, or a book after reading your reviews. Initially I wished people would at least read these. I had no idea what impact a genuine book talk/review could make. I still think we're not yet aware of its full potential, because it is actually huge! After the first person who said she purchases books based on my reviews, I've had quite a few such responses. Maybe they did not even read that much before, maybe once they bought and loved a book based on a review that touched them, they read more of the blog and get more books. It's just amazing. I'm never ashamed of being looked like a shy person who's 'too much' into books and maybe even 'boring'. I seriously don't care, because people's judgment is faulty, not me. Plus, I've already brought about a difference to a few lives in a very minuscule way, but I'm sure it'll last forever. It made a positive impact, which is far more than what the 'loudspeakers' ever do. I'm oh-so-proud! ^_^

PS- I've posted after a long time. College college! Apologies for this tardiness. I'm working on it.! :D

You know you're a bookworm when...

...

1. You feel lost when you don't have a book securely sitting snug with you in your bag.

2. You constantly make book references, even to people who wouldn't even understand what you mean.

3. You wish book characters were your friends in reality. Like, real reality.

4. You mentally compare the humans you come across in your life to random book characters. And yes, you do keep a lookout for someone who precariously resembles a character you have a crush on.

5. You arrange your books in whatever order you find best: by series, by author, by color, alphabetical, by size, etc. You re-arrange the same books in your spare time.

6. You collect bookish stuff, mostly bookmarks. But anything that makes you think anything bookish can also be found in your bookshelf. Or your bag. Or maybe both.

7. You might have been apprehensive about e-books and e-readers, but you'd still have experienced them both. Everything bookish has to be experienced. No exceptions.

8. You squirm at the thought of books made into movies, with changes, but you'll still be one in the line at the theater, on the first day. Even more so if you've read the book.

9. Before starting reading, you spend a little while admiring the book from all angles, the cover, the blurb, the comments. If you're like me, you'll also read the publishing details.

10. You don't fully open a fresh paperback, even when you're reading because you don't feel like denting the spine. While lending out books (if you lend out, that is), this is what you ask your friends to do too.

11. You really wish every single person would be allowed to breathe only if they're interested in books and reading.

12. You constantly feel like having friends who'd talk bookish to you.

13. You want your friends to read the book(s) you adore, but the thought of lending your books makes you squirm with unease.

14. You cannot tolerate dog-earing the pages, using pen over the pages, or any other activity that makes the book any different from how it was before.

15. You, of course like the smell aroma of pages. Someone like me could also have favorites. 

Yes, this too!

16. You might have this annoying habit of automatically making impressions of people based on the books they read. Someone reads similarly to you? *Respect*

17. You mark book-releases like they're festivals.

18. You would prefer books over any party, any time! 

19. You can't go into a bookstore and come out empty handed. If you do, you'd still have marked a book to be purchased later on!

Finally, you got excited seeing the title and read this whole thing through, mostly nodding your head because you know it's true. There's so much more I can think of, but I don't want to make this too long. Probably you could suggest a few more? ;) What is it that makes you a bookworm, then? :D

PS- You can now follow Journal of a Bookworm at Bloglovin' too! Click here to follow with Bloglovin'. :)