Reading is akin to breathing

This post is inspired by Oneknitatatime:

https://oneknitatatime.com/2020/07/08/knitting-versus-reading/?fbclid=IwAR2MAT4obzDzuTqyEw47IFAblyvjFmMhiw8cGhMSN1IMC424LXnqwUDY9DQ

Dear Kni-der,

Your post brought back memories of the times when I used to borrow comics, magazines and books on rent in the small town of Ramgarh as it lacked a library. I remember making a trip to this small store called the “Shreeji Stores” with Rs 2 or 3 in one fist while carrying the pile of read treasure in the other almost daily. In those days, even those Rs 2 or 3 were not easy to get and I had to beg (well, not literally, but it wasn't easy) for them many a times.

I became more academic oriented and slowed down on reading as I went to a boarding school and during the 11^th and 12^th classes. After that, I do not remember a day when I have not read. When pursuing my CA exams, I would place books inside the accounting and auditing books and read them while pretending to study. It was important that I passed the exams in the first attempt and I could not give the impression that I did not study well just in case I failed. Thankfully, I did not fail.

Book purchases became the largest expense category on my credit card. I especially got bookshelves designed when we bought the house in which we currently live. The shelves were designed to accommodate books bought over the next 25 years but are already overflowing. Meeting authors, getting first editions, author signed copies and going for book readings all made me excited. The importance of books in my life is so profound that on my first birthday after marriage, my husband gifted the complete collection of Jeffrey Archer’s books to me, signed and addressed to me, by him.

As recently as in 2018, on a trip to Ramgarh, I went to Shreeji Stores and asked the bhaiya, who  was perhaps a teenager when I used to borrow the comics and magazines, if he still had that collection. I was interested in buying the entire lot if he did. Sadly, he did not. He did not exactly recall it but guessed that it was sold off to the scrap dealer during one of the store revamps. I was left with a feeling of emptiness for a few days at least.

I have never wanted to be a librarian. The thought never crossed my mind. But the quest to open a “chai aur kitaabein” parlour where people come, settle themselves down with a book, regular and unlimited supply of tea and snacks as they keep reading, no hurry to leave and conversations revolving around books, is a retirement plan that I keep mulling upon. Tea being the other love of my life.

Netflix and Prime became the prime contenders for the scarce time in the last few years. And like you, I did not like it. I do not like it. I started exploring audiobooks then and hated it. I would miss entire paragraphs, would go blank at times, kept rewinding, and missed the feel and smell of paper. For the record, I never enjoyed reading on the Kindle or e-books on iPad too. Coming back to audiobooks, after trying a couple of books, I gave up audiobooks as well as Netflix and Prime. I lived happily ever after for many months, just reading, and reading whenever I could during the day and compulsively at night.

I have been driving to work for 14 years now. I bought my first car in 2006. Since then, listening to music to and from my workplace became a ritual. I would spend hours updating my playlists at least one weekend in a month, adding new songs, organising old ones, making folders like “most favourite”, “just favourite”, “okay”, “not-so-good”, “latest”, and so on. About two years back, I started to get bored of listening to pretty much the same songs since 2006 for the “not-so-good” and “okay” hardly ever got played and very few songs from latest made it to the “favourite” or “most favourite” lists. Once again, I decided to listen to an audiobook. Dan Brown’s Origin had just released, and I downloaded the book on audiobooks.com with the free credit available with the trial version. The rest as they say is history.

I bought the Bose wireless, noise cancellation, sweat-proof, earbuds. They have been my constant companions for all non-car listening to audiobooks. I have subscriptions for audible, audiobooks.com and storytel. I mix paper books and audio books. From cooking to cycling, driving to dusting and shopping to sanitising, I listen.

A key takeaway from “hate at first listen” to “love of my life” now, is that the first book should always be one that is fast paced, is a thriller and one that you want to get to the end as fast as possible. I do not recall the book that led to the “hate” experience. But I do recall sitting in the parking lot of my office a bit longer so that a chapter of Origin gets over. I do remember going back to my car to get my earphones during the lunch time so that I could listen to the book when eating. I do remember avoiding friends during the evening walk so that I could listen some more. So, to all those who are still trying to get used to audiobooks, listen to some recommended crime fiction initially or a genre that you enjoy the most. Once you get used to listening, there is no looking back.

The number of books that I read/listen to has increased manifolds with audiobooks complimenting the paper books. I do miss listening to music at times. But let us face it. There are hardly any good new songs getting released now a days. I switch to music occasionally to revisit the old favourites. Netflix and Prime have entered a rationalised zone and there are rare spells of binge watching. Overall, to quote you dear Kni-der, “Life is good again!”, my old friend is the center of my universe again!

Happy reading/listening.

N