My Love For Reading

My love for reading…Ah! Where do I begin? Well, I guess the very beginning will do.

My love for reading started way before I even read a book. Sounds impossible I know! But it’s the truth. It all started with my sister. Yes, I’m aware of how ominous it sounds but bear with me. Being older than me, her reading experience had started way before (obviously) and she would tell me about the stories she read that she found interesting or unique. She still does that by the way. Can you believe that the only reason I remotely know anything about The Maraurders even though I’ve never read a single book about them, is because of the numerous times she’s told me how goofy and relatable the characters are? So yea, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that one of the major reasons for my love for books is my sister. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t have picked up the habit if it isn’t for her, but she sped up the process and I can’t thank her enough for it.

I still remember the first book I read which wasn’t Tinkle or Amar Chitra Katha or Panchatantra. It’s Invisible Best Friends, a book about two people who are neighbours and best friends but somehow no one in their school knows it. While it does seem highly impossible, it’s a really well written book. Trust me, I wouldn’t remember it otherwise.

And…. wait for it …it’s on Wattpad. Judge me all you want, but that app isn’t all fluffy, cringey books. While a majority of the books are that way, there are also good ones. Quoting my sister here, “There are good books on Wattapd, you just need to have the patience to dig through all the cringey books to find the good ones.” Every person who likes reading books has been on the app atleast once in their lifetime and hey, don’t even try to deny it. It’s a rite of passage of sorts, atleast for the book lovers.

Naturally, I moved on from Wattpad to the real deal novels. The first series I read was the Harry Potter and I can’t remember a thing from it. I was 11 when I read it ok? Its only natural that I don’t remember anything. The next series I read? I remember everything, but again I’m sure the Percy Jackson series does that to people. There’s something fascinating about Mythological Fictions that just keep me coming back for more. And once you get hooked onto the Greek Mythology series, you naturally can’t stop until you’ve read all of Rick Riordan’s fantasy books. So, Percy Jackson and The Olympians led to The Heroes Of Olympus, that to Kane Chronicles and finally The Trials of Apollo (which I am yet to complete).

While we’re on the topic of Mythological Fictions, it would be a crime to not mention Amish Tripathi. The Shiva Trilogy and The Ram Chandra Series are absolute gems. If you haven’t read them yet, do give them a try. I can guarantee that you’ll love them. Another must read is The Kalki Trilogy by Kevin Missal. Well if you ask me, there are a lot of must reads like Half-A-Moonstone, The Palace of Illusions and so on. But if I keep going, the list will never end.

While my go to genre is Fantasy, I do enjoy a good mystery too no matter how much they creep me out. The first crime-mystery I read was Confessions About Colton and I was so creeped out after reading the first chapter that I didn’t touch that book for another year. I did read it later though and let me tell you, that book left me shook but definitely not as much as What Happened That Night. Man! That book is on an entirely different level. While it might not scare you, it will disgust you. But it’s a wonderfully written story with an equally eery and fascinating plotline.

Now on my to be read list are The Dan Brown Books, Gone Girl, The Trials of Apollo and how can I forget, Harry Potter again.

Reading is a completely indescribable emotion. The human mind is such a fascinating thing, isn’t it? You read a book, and it has the power to transport you into that world in mere seconds. The only problem with reading books is when you know you have to stop, but can’t find it in yourself to do it; instead you stay up till midnight just to quell your curiosity about what happens next. Annoying as it may be, losing those 3-4 hours of sleep is worth it all.

Excerpt from a crumpled-up piece of paper found near the library.