Friday, August 8, 2014

Guest Post : Escape through books (5 things - Week 71)

So, as I was saying last week, I'm currently facing unforeseen circumstances on a top secret mission at an undisclosed location. What are you saying? Oh!! So you are saying that I said I'm at Hyderabad last week?? Well then, I'm facing unforeseen circumstances on a top secret mission at a previously disclosed location. Which brings us to today's post.

Due to yours truly being temporarily disposed of, I requested our last guest writer Saiprasad, my dear brother to write today's post. Mr."I can't work creatively with deadlines" declined. And I turned to my close friend, Sreerenjini, who after some persuassion decided to indulge us with a short post on the books which influenced her. So, without further ado, here's what she has to say. Enjoy!!!

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Are you are one of those who fall madly, deeply and passionately in love with books, right from when you learned do read?? Then, you would know that feeling when you get a new book in your hands. That book you always wanted to read, with that crisp aroma of new paper and freshly printed ink.

As it hurts to take a break in between, you carry it wherever you go - reading it at the dinner table, reading it when we should be studying, reading it late into the night, until we finish the last sentence in it, and are left on the threshold of reality again.

While other people think about it as ”it is just a book”, we fully enjoy the experience - making the plot our own. When we turn that last page, we know that those words have touched our souls forever and those characters are going to stay with us for a while - well, at least until when we start the next book.

But have you ever wondered what are we looking for?? Is it to get lost in that world, or to get the answers to some unknown questions?? Like someone said, books are great healers - they provide us with a way to seek answers. Or maybe, it just gives us a chance to explore something unusual, a world we couldn't explore otherwise. Reading is a true adventure, which is filled with new discoveries and self-fulfillment.

The amount a book can influence us is related to how much we, as the reader, could relate to it. It is not just the “answers” or knowing the unknown factor. We can be involved in a book upto any level that we desire - from being the protagonist to being a spectator. But when we close it, we are back in the real world, but only after experimenting with the plot through the characters.

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She actually didn't read the memo which said that "When you jump from prologue to the bullet points, say something to the effect of '5 things for this week are'." So, I am here to bridge the gap. For the "5 things" for this week, we'll have the five books that have influenced our author. Here they are.

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1. The Harry Potter series

Many of you would call it as a children’s book, but to me, it is one of the most beautifuly written piece of literature ever. It taught me that good always triumphs over evil. Darkness is always vanquished by light, and life is all about the choices you make - they define who you are. And that "help always finds those who deserve it.” As a child, growing up with the magic of harry potter and the life he had with his friends, truly made my life a bit more magical.



2. God Of Small Things

God of small things brought me back to the bitter truth of life - that everything is not always fair and that bad things sometimes do happen to good people. The way Arundhati roy broke my heart while still making me smile is a true mark of her writing skills. Esthapan and Rahel taught me that you may leave behind your childhood innocence, but never down the lane do we really lose it.



3. The Girl With Dragon Tattoo

"The girl with dragon tattoo" was another eye opener. It taught me the depths of emotions that a woman goes through - how she can be good and bad, beautiful and grotesque, light and dark - all at the same time. How a man - be it your father, your brother, or a complete stranger - can ruin your life, and force you to take decisions that have repercussions, which are beyond your control.



4. A Thousand splendid suns

This is another book which is very close to my heart. The life lessons that I learned from Mariam and Laila‘s friendship will remain forever in my heart. They taught me that love is unconditional, and the sacrifices you make for the people you love are truly what makes you a good human being. Mariam found a sister in Laila, and their relationship touched me more than the love story that was conveyed through the book.


5. Brida

Another masterpiece from none other than Paulo Coelho, the man who performs miracles with words. There will be a phase in every girl's life, where she could relate to Brida and her journey. Since I was going through such a phase when I read that book, it will remain close to me forever - finding her own destiny, the soul searching.

Don't tell me that you wouldn't like to meet your soulmate like brida found hers. Every girl who read this book would wish to see that point of light above the shoulders of her man. After so many romantic novels, the classics and the crap. it was the first book which put a little bit of logic into the concept of soul mate. 

”When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat and despair are the tools god uses to show us the way”

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Well, thank you very much for those insights. Hopefully, we'll have more inputs from our latest guest writer.

And for those of you, whose weekend gets ruined without having a post from me, don't worry. With all things going fine, I'll be publishing a post in the next 48 hours. The content and tone of the post depends on what happens in between now and then though.

I could leave you on a suspense there, but that's not me. I'll go ahead and make fun of the person who helped me out with the post today with this pic.


Not that being a bookworm is a bad thing. This was just for humor.

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Well, that's all for this week.
Hope you have a great weekend.
I'll be here missing my lovely Thironthoram.
'til next week.

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