A good read

Everyone loves a good read. Well not exactly everyone but there are quite a few of us who like having a good book for company. We have our likes and dislikes. So far as I’m concerned, I graduated from Enid Blyton to Sidney Sheldon, from fairy tales to mystery, from utopia to reality, from everyday ponderings to religious philosophy. It was a gradual process, however Mills and Boons never featured in my list. Every once in a while some people ask me if I have read Eric Segal's 'Love story', which ofcourse I haven't. Some months back I was accused of being judgmental and the like before even attempting a shot, so I'm wondering if maybe I should cross that bridge once and for all? I dont practice any biases against authors. I pick up a copy whenever I hear good reviews. The last one I read was Aravind Adiga's 'White tiger'. I wish I could dedicate more time to reading. Since the start of this course, I have been drowning in sociological theories and research. Not a good enough excuse I know but I had quite a number of examinations thrown in too. So there.

Last night I had a conversation around Mitch Albom and it made me extremely glad to know there was someone else who liked his writings. My love story with Albom started sometime during my first year of postgraduation. I had just lost a most wonderful Professor to cancer and I was able to connect with 'Tuesdays with Morrie' on a whole new level. I could see my late Professor as Morrie. A book never made me cry until then. Since then I religiously followed Albom's website to know when his next book would release. The next one was a disappointment, but the one that followed after, 'For one more day', was absolutely beautiful. A bond between a mother and a son. This is a memorable quote from the book,

"... there’s a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your stories is always your mother’s story, because hers is where yours begins."

A very interesting study

Since then I have read 'Have a little faith' which didn't manage to cure my hangover of the previous offering. Another book that brought me to tears was 'Old path white clouds'. It is a book written by a Vietnamese monk and based on the Buddha's life. While you can afford to skim through fiction, it took me three months to finish reading this book because each chapter is filled with so many lessons -- one needs to soak it all in before turning to the next page. By the end, I was in tears and almost immediately wanted to re-read it. Over the years I have enjoyed reading quite a number of books but the ones mentioned above will always remain special to me. For now I'm reading Durkheim's 'Le suicide' which is the core reading for my thesis.

I really have this desire to write a book. Last night I even dreamt of a title which, for some very strange reason, was 'Frown'. In my semi-conscious state I was actually nodding in agreement. The thought had appeared in my sleep after all. I dont know when so-called Frown is going to see a paperback reality or if it will be titled the same but at some point in my life I am going to start working on it, whether or not it sees the light of day is another question.