BOOKS TO READ IF YOU ARE A BEGINNER!

Reading can open your mind to a brilliant world of words, which enhances your overall learning and living. 
I was 3 years old when my mother introduced me to the world of books. Ever since then, I've always lived in that and never want to get out of it. But I totally understand that not everyone develops the habit of reading right from childhood. But as adults, people do want to imbibe this habit, but don't know from where to start. It can be confusing, because the amount of books available in today's time is A LOT and one doesn't know where to start from. So, in this blog, I'll try to help all the beginner readers from where to start by mentioning some of the easy reads, so that they all can start their affair with books and let it mature as time goes by!
Some of the books you can start your reading habit with, totally based on my personal experience are:

• Animal Farm- George Orwell
  -Funny
  -Sensitive
  -Thought provoking
  -Very short; 112 pages
  -Story summary: What if animals could protest, form groups and elect representatives like humans.
  
  
• The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas- John Boyne -Short
  -Crisp
  -Powerful words
  -Story summary: Perfect combination of a boy's innocence amidst Nazi terror.
  
  
• The Great Gatsby- J. Scott Fitzgerald
  -Short
  -Simple language
  -More than just a mediocre love story
  -Brilliant use of literary devices
  -Short summary: Reflection of the hollow, high caste, leisure life.
  
  
• The Alchemist- Paulo Coelho
  -Simple language
  -Short in length
  -Short summary: Spiritual connection of finding your own self and your destiny.
  
  
• 13 Reasons Why- Jay Asher
  -Short
  -Simple language
  -Awaking lessons
  -Very relevant in today's times.
  
  
  
• Looking for Alaska- John Green
  -Highly recommended for teenagers
  -Beautifully written
  -Funny, moving, thought- provoking
  -Story of friendships, with a hint of romance
  
  
• Tuesdays with Morrie- Mitch Albom
  -A feel good novel
  -Emotional
  -Meaningful
  -Short summary: Life lessons from the eyes of an old man.
  
  
• Harry Potter series- JK Rowling
  -Collection of 8 books
  -Not bounded by any age group
  -Fantasy genre
  -Lessons throughout the series
  -Enhances imagination
  -Break from regular monotonous reads
  
  
• The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini
  -Introduction to the Afghan world
  -Gripping and emotional
  -Thrilling, yet moving
  -Friendship and betrayal
  -Fast paced
  
  
• Train to Pakistan- Khushwant Singh
  -Very short; 181 pages
  -Historical
  -Heartwarming
  -Short summary: Based on real life experiences of people during Partition; The social, political and emotional condition of Indians and Pakistanis during the Partition.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee
  -Must read for school children
  -Inspiring
  -Debatable
  -Shows and teaches the difference between right and wrong
  
  
• The Palace of Illusions- Chitra Banerjee Divakurni
  -Magical writing
  -Innovative
  -Emphasize on women empowerment
  -Short summary: New interpretation of Mahabharata through the eyes of Draupadi.
  
  
• Lolita- Vladimir Nabokov
  -Dark themes
  -Love story
  -Controversial
  -Dark humor
  
  
• Catcher in the Rye- JD Salinger
  -Modern classic
  -Dark humor
  -Relevant even today, inspite of being written in the 50s
  
  
• 1984- George Owell
  -Very thought provoking
  -Starts a questionable talk
  -Lengthy; but if you can read this, you'd want to read more such books!
  
  
  

So this is it. My small list of recommendations for the beginners. Reading may feel like a slow process, but it is definitely an effective process. Go slow initially, and once you get the hang of it, there's no way you'd want to go back!!

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE NEW AGE HISTORIAN- MYTHOLOGICAL WRITER: KHAYAAL PATEL

From the land of brave Rajput warriors comes another fantasy tale that celebrates their chivalry and incredible valiance. But still, there's something different in this book by the new age Indian author KHAYAAL PATEL, in his debut novel TARIKSHIR: THE AWAKENING. Something which goes beyond what the blurb says. It gives the reader everything they don't usually expect to get in one place; mystery, thrill, adventure and mythology.

I got the wonderful opportunity to interview the author of this new book, which is breaking the myths about the genres of mythology, thrill, adventure and mystery combined together.

The excerpts from the interview are here;

Q1. There's not much known about you, can you please start by telling something about yourself?
A1. There’s not much to say, I think I’ve always been an average kid and I just didn’t give up on writing and here we are. On the personal front, I don’t read as much as I’d like, eat way too much chocolate than I should ideally and haven’t started watching any of the mainstream television series that I keep promising myself that I should start every year.
Also I hoard books in the hope of reading them all at some point in my life.

Q2. The historical/mythological/fantasy fiction isn’t something much explored or preferred by the Indian authors or even the readers. What made you write a book based on that?
A2. I think mythology fiction is something that has gained a lot of prominence in the Indian market due to the increase in writers in the field. Hence I wrote something similar, but with a twist: I brought together the Ramayana and zombies.

Q3. How easy or difficult was this whole process of writing a book for you?

A3. The first draft for Tarikshir (then known as The Eye of Shiva) was written back in 2010. It took a lot of edits, re-edits and revisits to finally get it to what it is today. Balancing a full time job and finding the time to write does make it a bit challenging. The trouble with the creative process is that you have no control over when your creative juices flow. I could be sitting in a meeting at one time and have a flash in the pan idea about the next chapter I need to write and sometimes I just sit and stare blankly at the page when I have all the time in the world. It’s frustrating.

Q4. Elaborate on the jitters of writing your first book.
A4. There weren't any jitters. When I focused on the book, I simply focused on that and not on the trivial stuff - will it be published, will it sell, etc. That helped me a lot. 

Q5. How much do you connect with the character of Rudra?
A5. We are both clueless, we need someone to save us, we both stick our noses in places where it doesn't belong and we both read a lot. The only difference is that one of us has a fixed destiny in life and has descended from royalty.

Q6. When are the next books in this series coming out?

A6. Hopefully end of 2019 or early 2020. Fingers crossed.

Q7. The cover of the book is saying so much to the reader, what came to your mind when you were working on it?
A7. The cover has all the elements of the book, done by a very talented artist called Mukesh Singh. Once the reader finishes reading the book and takes a closer look at the cover, will they truly understand its significance.
For instance, if you look closely at the forehead of the skull mask, you will see a weapon…one that plays a very integral part in the book. That’s just one of the secrets in the cover, look a little closer and you will find all three.

Q8. If you could go back and do all this all over again, is there any aspect of the whole process you’d like to change?
A8. Absolutely nothing since all the aspects of the process; be they good, bad or ugly have led to the book being what it is today and I’m proud of it.

Q9. How do you overcome writer’s block?
A9. Caffeine, sugar and more caffeine! I just pump myself with a lot of it all till I get cracking like a crazy person and churn words out.

Q10. What’s your favourite book and author?
A10. Rene Goscinny & Albert Uberzo and Herge. These guys literally created one of the most beloved and enduring characters of all time.

Q11. I’d like to know your perspective and also the business perspective for selling a book. Should one keep their story as original as they want to, or make modifications in order to sell it more?
A11. It depends on what your end goal is - commercial success or critical acclaim. There are a few books that manage to do both. In my perspective, stick to keeping your story as close to your original vision as possible because that was what prompted you to take the time and effort to actually put pen on paper or fingertips to the keyboard.

Q12. Any message for your readers?
A12. This is one message I’ve given out to almost everyone and that is Please read Tarikshir and by read I mean buy and read it. I owe people money. 

Thanks a lot to Better Books, Alisha and obviously Khayaal for this opportunity!
Go, read the book. It'll blow your mind. Highly recommended. 

HOW TO READ MORE IN 2019?

Wish you all a very happy new year!! 

I'd been on a pretty long break because of exams and other personal stuff, didn't have much time to devote to either reading or blogging. But this year I've promised myself to pull myself together and work on my reading and writing a lot more regularly. 2018 was a very busy year, so many life-changing things happened, I didn't even have the time to process and take so much in. With the advent of a new year, things have begun to calm down, I have caught a breath, and finally have the time to get a few things in order. In the last 2 months of 2018, I was able to read only 2 books. Which is quite disappointing for me. I am a kind of person who can easily finish 3-4 books in one week. But because so much was happening in the last months, I couldn't focus. But I do know how one can read more books, that too on a regular basis. This blog is an indirect letter to myself, so that I can end my hiatus and get back to continuous and excessive reading, because that is clearly what I love doing the most. 

Let me share with you the magical secretive tip to read more; YOU HAVE TO SPEND MORE TIME ON READING. 
Once you begin committing yourself to regular reading, you will naturally start reading more. 
But how to do that? 

• Include reading in your everyday routine: You can't suddenly start 'finding' time for reading. You've to 'make' time for reading. You need make reading a part of your everyday schedule. If you're not an avid reader, I'd suggest you to just put aside 20-30 minutes during the morning, and the same amount of time during the night. Don't straightaway jump to reading two hours in one go. You'll get bored. Read in short intervals. And you'll be amazed to see how much more you're able to read if you've included reading as a part of your routine, in a systematic manner.
  
• Always carry a book with you: While traveling or even commuting to and fro for work, you have a lot of free time. The only way you can take advantage of the short minutes is to have a book on hand. That's why I always carry a book with me. While traveling in a metro, I read. While waiting at the doctor's or any other place, I take out a book and make up the time which can be easily wasted in watching other people. Even during free periods in college, I take out a book and start reading. So much time gets used up, and again it is amazing how much I am able to read while doing nothing but waiting. Next time you’re traveling anywhere, alone, instead of loading your phone with apps and movies, stock your carry bag with one or two books.
  
• Avoid reading on your phone: Yes yes, I know e-books are very much in fashion nowadays, and they're quite handy too. But based on personal experience, let me tell you that reading books on phone is never a good idea. You start reading, you try to concentrate. But, very soon, you will get distracted. An Instagram, Facebook, or any other notification will pop up and you'll go to check them out. You'll do a quick check of those apps and then get back to reading. Five minutes later, the itch will come back, and you'll repeat the cycle. I have never gotten in any good and focused reading when I read on my phone. But if you're a person who still prefers reading on phone, then the next point is for you!
  
• Listen to audio books: Though I've not tried this new feature out, but a lot have recommended this to me, and I see so many people trying it out. The advantage of audio books is that all you've to do is download the book, plug in your earphones, put the phone in your pocket and wander off to a new land. The speed of finishing an audio book is much more faster than reading a physical book. Though it is not my preferred way of literature, but still, it might be liked by a few, who knows!

Reading books is not a competition. You reading more doesn't mean that the other read little and vice-versa. Do not see it as a challenge to yourself. Read as per your speed, time, and schedule. But if you're a person who wants to read more than what they did last year, then hopefully these tips will come in handy. Wish you all again a happy new year, filled with lots of bibliophilic adventures!!