HOW TO START READING BOOKS AND TAKE ON THE WORLD

 

The narrative around books go two ways – with the images of bookish, nerds on the one hand, and the widely read winners and visionaries of every field on the other hand. Called “the sanctuaries of the lonely” by John Fowles and the “original internet”, by Maria Popova it is always better late than never to start the pursuit of books.

 

 

You must have heard of enlightenment in history with its key ideas of “dare to know” and “knowledge is power”. We currently live in a knowledge economy where the determining factor of class mobility is also knowledge. Every day we manoeuvre internet where diverse forms of data, information and ideas compete for our attention.

Evidence is overwhelming that cross-disciplinary knowledge and thinking fertilize creativity and originality. Though the idea of success may change from person to person, there are books that cater to varied interests and needs. Even though internet is a great equalizer and revolutionary in the field of education, most of us do not make use of it. But even if we do, it may not yet carry most of the accumulated wisdom of our species. Hence it is high time we started reading books – printed or otherwise.

 

If you are confused about how to start reading books after a long break or how to start fresh, I share below some ideas and tips to make this habit a little easier.

 

v  Many may still have doubts regarding the appeal of reading because of previous negative experience. Perhaps, school assignments and other limitations have kept you surrounded for long by books that did not appeal to you and you still do not know where to start. Now is the time to explore the works that will speak to you. Do not be prejudiced and ignore certain genres altogether. Every subject will have much to offer if you develop a passion for it.

Ø  The genres of literature are endless – go through non-fiction (academic writing, autobiography, biography, self-help, motivational, and so on) and fiction (poetry, thrillers, young adult, mystery, romance, children’s literature and so on)

§  Works to try out: Wuthering Heights, The Alchemist, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Animal Farm, The Kite Runner, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The God of Small Things, Sapiens: A Brief
History of Humankind, Poems of Robert Frost, Wordsworth, Gone Girl, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.

 

 

v  The reason we hesitate to start anything may be because it feels like work and we do not have enough passion to motivate us to take that much effort. Therefore the first step would be tackling both. Select your sphere of interest first so that it will seem like less of a chore. Set some realistic goals and dreams to drive you.

Go through the different works of the author that you connect with. Settle upon a topic that intrigues you and try the works dealing with it from multiple perspectives.

Ø  Have you seen those articles detailing a list of books that influenced and shaped the lives of successful people of all fields – artists, academics, business magnates, visionaries, scientists and so on? Perhaps there are masters in your field that you look up to. Follow their reading lists if it matches your interests.

 

 

 

 

“Read not to contradict and refute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider” – Francis Bacon.

 

v  Even within your area of interest, start small. Consider books of minimum pages but greater content. Completing many such works will build your ‘reading muscles’ and prepare you for more challenging ones.

 

v  Select books according to your preferred medium. If you like printed books, join a library. Since well-stocked libraries may not be found in every location, one may have to resort to internet. There are government and private, free and paid book databases and libraries that will cater to your needs.

Ø  Go through the free sources of Project Gutenberg, Full Text Archive, and National Digital Library of India etc. initially to start reading books.

·         If the idea of too much on-screen reading bothers you, you can always go for apps that will convert the text to audio. Listening to audio books directly is also a great way to take the stress off one’s eyes. Try exploring other reader friendly apps as well such as those that contain links to dictionary meanings of difficult words. This will render your reading easier and increase your vocabulary too.

v  A great way to stay motivated is to join book clubs – again, online or offline – that mirror your interests and share you struggles. If that does not seem like your thing, find people you personally know who are into books. That way too, you will get great suggestions for books and excited friends to discuss the things you discover. Writing privately or blogging about your experience may also help.

v  One cannot start any habit expecting to be great fast. Every mastery demands time and effort. If you feel like a slow-learner at first, don’t be put off. Don’t be bothered by the late start. In time, with the assistance of speed-reading knacks, you can increase the number of books read in a fixed period of time.

v  Once you get comfortable and confident in a field of interest take care not to stay there and stagnate. Surely, there are other worlds waiting to spark your interest. The more you know, the more you see and grow. But again, ensure it doesn’t feel like work for long. That indicates a need to pursue another area.

v  Once you start reading, don’t forget that this journey may be for the purpose of entertainment or growth. Either way, your views will be pruned, your tastes will be polished. When you move on from book to book, there is a high probability that you will lose the knowledge gained from prior works. Start an organized note making system. Figure out the art of marginalia (scribbling comments and ideas in the book itself or other documents). Think about the new concepts and see how you can assimilate them into one’s own life.

 

 

 

Like in movies and music, it may take a while before you find out your own taste in books. But gradually, you will develop impulses and intuitions and they will guide you in looking through and abandoning certain works, in skimming through certain others and in making some books a part of your life and yourself.

Welcome to the fictional worlds more revealing than ours and welcome to the lives and lessons of people which will enlighten our existence. Take heart and go start!