Stages of the reader

Never went through phases 5-7!

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The joy of reading a used book

I started reading Malcolm Gladwell‘s The Tipping Point a few days ago. On Sunday, being without a DVD drive and with lousy programs on cable TV, I felt like banging my head on the wall. Didn’t feel like reading The Tipping Point so started looking for a relaxing, easy read. Found the life-saver aka Q’s Legacy by Helene Hanff. I have read it twice before and enjoyed it both the times. This time also, I am enjoying it as much as I did the very first time. Helene’s writing style is conversational which is my personal favorite. I misplaced my first copy of the book and got the second copy later on. The one that I now have contains the previous owner’s name. It says Mollie West in a nice handwriting (this name sounds as if it’s from some TV series). There are some markings (in pencil) in the book which I like. There’s one comment so far – by Mollie West, I assume. It feels good to know that I own a book which was owned by another person who, apparently, used pencil and marked sections just as I do. In some places, I wasn’t sure if it was Mollie or me who had outlined a section. This is the reason I like reading used books. It feels as if a part of previous owner(s) is carried through to you, and that you, in turn, have become part of the list of owner(s) to be carried on to some future reader.

I was in a bookstore in NYC once buying a used copy of Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet. There was a clean copy and another one with a hand-written inscription. I thought for some time and then decided in favor of the latter one. Why? Because that copy of the book had two stories – that of Rilke and the young poet, and the previous owner of the book and their friend to whom they had given the book. Much more previous than a clean book!

It is also interesting to see which parts other readers have marked and whether or not there are some common parts. Even better is the handwritten comments/reflections/notes. Thought I record my thoughts before I get busy with another day at work 🙂

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What kind of reader are you?

I read this one quite some time ago. Where do I place myself? Somewhere between a polygamist reader and a neurotic reader, trying desperately to become a monogamist reader (and failing miserably).

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Books, reading, and heaven

Yes, I can relate to what John Wilson is saying in these verses. I have been trying to catch up on my reading. The neuroscience book that I started reading will need more time for me to finish. In the meantime, I have started reading another book which I have had since Oct 2008. While I was reading John Wilson’s verses, I was also reminded of one of Omar Khayyam’s rubaiyat (quatrains), as translated by Edward FitzGerald.

“A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,
A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread–and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness–
Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!”

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Currently Reading: A User’s Guide to the Brain

In the past few weeks, I started reading a few books only to leave them for other books. Achieving my 2014 extended target (set at goodreads.com) for the books to read in 2014 actually backfired as now I am worried about finishing the books ASAP. Setting a target of 36 books for 2015 also proved to be a bummer. So, I’ve decided to revise my target for 2015 from 36 books to 20 books. If I can read more, great. If I can’t, at least I would’ve enjoyed the ones that I read.

When selecting a book for reading, the following questions pop up in my mind: Should I read a book just because I bought it and should, therefore, read it? Should I finish reading a book just because I have started reading it? This is a dilemma because I cannot be sure if it’s my trademark procrastination making me avoid reading (or finishing) a book or if it’s actually the book. Sometimes, I have put the book down for good, and have even donated it. At other times, though, I have made myself finish reading a book even if as an attempt to counter procrastination.

I am currently reading A User’s Guide to the Brain by John J. Ratey. I checked the price and thought to myself “why did I buy this paperback which is quite expensive!” However, when I looked inside, the paperback had 380+ pages, with small font. I braced myself and started reading it. It is a book about the working of human brain, and aims to to help the reader gain a better understanding of how the brain affects who we are. My reading is going slowly.. very slowly as I only read during my commute to/from work (not a long commute). The technical nature of this book and the small fonts also affect the pace of my reading. However, it is an interesting and useful book as it is helping me connect my experience from various domains of the social sector. I hope this knowledge will help me gain perspective which will help me with my human development work.

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Currently Reading: The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad

After finishing the book “Azazeel” (English version) by Youssef Ziedan, and “Kishwar Naheed Ki Notebook” (Kishwar Naheed’s Notebook) by Kishwar Naheed, I finally picked up the book titled “The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad” authored by Lesley Hazleton. This book deals with a very sensitive and, hence, challenging subject as it covers ‘the extraordinary life of the man who founded Islam, and the world he inhabited – and remade’ (from the book’s back cover)

I am quite wary of history books due to their usual tendency to be full of historical facts (a bit too much to remember for someone like me) but this one came strongly recommended by my sister (a history grad). I had been delaying it for sometime but finally decided to start reading it on the 3rd day of Eid (last day of Eid holidays). I think watching Lesley’s two TED talks encouraged me to opt for this book as I found her to be a good speaker and a storyteller (not story-creator but storyteller, mind you). Found this book so interesting that I have had a hard time putting it down. It’s been with me from that day and I am half way through already. Quite an engaging book!

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Currently Reading: I Have A Dream by Rashmi Bansal

Finished reading ‘The Habit of Winning‘ by Prakash Iyer. Now reading ‘I have a dream‘ by Rashmi Bansal. It’s a book about the inspiring stories of 20 social entrepreneurs who found new ways to solve old problems. Looks interesting.

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Currently Reading: The Habit of Winning by Prakash Iyer

Have started reading The Habit of Winning by Prakash Iyer. Another random find while browsing the Liberty Books shop. I had given it to my colleague as I was reading another book at that time. He liked this book, especially the metaphor about having ‘too many rabbits jumping around‘ 🙂 So far, I’ve read 76 pages and have found some good nuggets, especially the real-life stories that have been used to elaborate a point. I won’t write ‘more to come later‘ as that has become my usual refrain and sounds more like a broken promise now.

On a separate note, I am really glad that I set a reading challenge for myself, and especially for working toward achieving this target (unusual for a procrastinator like me). Currently, I’ve achieved 76% of my set target, and am already on book no. 20. At this speed, I might even surpass my current target and catch up on my overdue reading 🙂

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Now Reading: The Memory Booster Workout by Jo Iddon & Huw Williams

I finished reading Biblioholism, and after starting two books ended up selecting the Memory Booster Workout book. This book has been authored by Jo Iddon and Hue Williams – new names for me. This book has been part of our office’s library. I skimmed through it one day and found the book layout quite interesting. Also, I’ve been thinking about finding more about the working of human memory, and how one can improve it. So far, the book has been quite engaging, especially the self-assessment questionnaires. Looking forward to learning more!

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Currently Reading: Biblioholism – The Literary Addiction (by Tom Raabe)

So, I finished reading Arianna Huffington‘s book ‘Thrive‘ during the 6-day long Eid holidays. After reading an e-book it was time for a normal p-book. I chose Biblioholism – A Literary Addiction by Tom Raabe. I have read this book back in 2006/2007 when a friend graciously brought it for me from her NYC trip. My online order receipt from 2006 is still inside this book! My reunion with this book is the result of my sister’s cleaning spree mentioned in my earlier post. I don’t remember if I read the whole book when I read it the first time; so, I decided to read it again. It is an easy and light read. Tom’s humor is quite good and reflects his true biblioholic side.

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