Before I could read on my own, my sister read to me, narrating stories from classics and whatever she was reading (animation and background music were included by her!) When I started reading on my own, I used to maintain a little notebook and fill in the names of all the books I read- highlighting the ones I really liked. Sometimes I would go back to those names and relive the stories again.
The last day of school before any kind of vacation was when I would eagerly wait at the library with my card. Ten books- that was the maximum number we were allowed to borrow for vacation. So I also got a library card at a private library. I still remember the kind old lady at the library there, who let me borrow as many as I liked. Very Matilda vibes she gave me! I remember cycling at breakneck speed to her little house cum library to hoard my bag with books- all set to enter the world of reading. Did I finish all those books by the end of the vacation? Why yes, I did. Sultry hot summer afternoons meant I would find the coolest place in the house, windows covered by drapes so just enough light entered for my eyes to adjust to the magical words on the fading yellow pages. Evenings were for reading in the balcony and nights in my room at the desk.
Fairy tales, both rosy and Gothic, picnic turned adventures, brave little children conquering the world, classic characters that stand evergreen even today- so many tales those books held.
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Those were the best days of my reading and like Neil Gaiman says, ‘I lived in books more than I lived anywhere else’. Reading not only transferred me to a creative world, but it also made my reality more beautiful.
The TBR pile keeps getting taller, as it should but I definitely wanted a direction to my reading. Growing up, ‘life happened’- as clichè as it may sound and I longed to go back to the time when what I loved to do consumed me! That is why I was super excited about participating in the Reading challenge on Blogchatter. The #TBRChallenge is an encouragement and reminder that you can always do what you love if you choose to, no matter how busy life gets. I selected books that I wanted to read for quite some time and along the way I have found several more. Ticking off two by the end of January, I just know, 2021 is already a great reading year! Do you love reading challenges too? Tell me the story of your journey with reading.
THE LITERARY AFFAIR 
Enjoyed reading your post, Leha. It took me back to my own childhood. My brother and I would cycle down to the library and borrow books daily during the summer vacations. The librarian would ask us questions just to confirm if we actually read the books.
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Such a beautiful post, Leha. You reminded me of my summer vacations, the highlight of which were books from the library.
All the best for the challenge ❤️
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Thank you Purba 😍Summer vacations were something else!
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Haha, strict librarian. Thank you Ritu
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As the elder sister in my dynamic, I used to narrate stories to my sister as well! And yes she would hate it if I would finish them too quickly. I think she’s the one who got me into the habit of building intricate plots.
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Haha, my sister used to read super fast too and sometimes I could barely understand the words. We laugh to this day about how the way she read ‘philosopher’s stone’ got me wondering what ‘filosofostone’ is
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We all have witnessed the changes a reading journey brings in. Reading truly takes us to the land of happiness. My elder one reads books to younger one and I know they are bonding over the books. And letting their imaginations flow is what I do happily.
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That is so sweet 🙂
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You know when I was training per-school teachers, we used to have story telling sessions and that was mine and theirs favourite part..story telling is an art and I love the way you express yourself. Voice modulation is the key to captivate listeners. Leha I am into non-fiction..can you suggest some books.
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Thank you Swati 🙂 I don’t read much non fiction, but Daily Inspiration by Robin Sharma was one book I liked.
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Thanks Leha😍
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What a wonderfully nostalgic post. I envy you your childhood. Growing up, I had no libraries around and so I hated it when school closed because that meant no books. We would read up our Hindi and English text books of the coming year and re read the few books we had.
Your summer afternoons were so similar to mine.
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What a lovely post. We didn’t have any library nearby but we had a mini library at home. Sometimes I read novels that kids were not allowed to read. Plus we used to rent comics.
I feel like writing a post. 🙂
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And such a beautiful artwork! 🙂
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I’m not a reading challenge person but I do need a book by my bedside all year through. 2021 kick-started with a good four books in January and it’s running well into February. I loved how you spoke of your reading as a young girl. You owe a lot of it to your sister.
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