The Bookworms musings

As I child, I was labelled as a bookworm. Not surprising as these objects were my constant companions everywhere which extended up to the dining table. There were times that I would toy around my plate much to the elders annoyance as my fancy would unfold itself more into the enchanting tales of Enid Blyton. Though this old habit has managed to find the exit door, books certainly have remained steadfast in the journey of my life. 

My job as a correspondent involves a lot of reading as I interview several authors and business personalities. Due to this, my reading ranges from a wide spectrum of topics from marketing, leadership to mythology and best sellers.  Some of them of course, are not a part of my job and fall in what I term as the 'recreational reading' department. During this course, I have managed to come across some books which have left some lasting impressions or taught me a lesson or two. 

'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak: World war 2 has always captured my fascination due to its several complexities and displacement of human emotions. Jealously, anger hatred, brutality, grotesque punishments were the demons that haunted the world during this era. This particular read stood out it its genre of literary fiction in its novel concept of appointing 'death' as its narrator. The entire story unfolds itself from the eyes of death. It talks about the story of Liesel, a little girl embroiled amidst  the horrors of the holocaust and how she finds solace in stealing books. At one point, the reader tends to empathize with death as the narrator many a time feels helpless in enticing life away from these souls.

'The Fault in our stars' by John Green: This young adult novel talks about two teenagers who have managed to take the fatal stance of cancer in their stride and find solace in one anothers' company. Their humorous and adventurous streak makes one realize that the 'C' word needn't always adopt a depressive or remorse stance. 

'Unbroken' by Laura Hillenbrand: A story which spells brutality to the extreme, as the  American pilots of a crashed bomber float around in the pacific infested by sharks. Just as they mildly escape the jaws of death, they are captured as prisoners of war by the Japanese. Subjected to harsh conditions, one sees human hatred, torment, suffering, resilience as survival and existence portray a different meaning altogether. Its ultimately the story of faith that remains unbroken even as one is constantly battling between life and death.

'Gifted' by Sudha Menon and V.R.Ferose:  This book makes one feel that disability is more in the mind.  One sees 15 true inspiring stories of differently abled individuals overcoming their challenges to shine in their respective fields. Whether its sending the crowd into a roar of laughter by being a stand up comedian or tracking the big Cats in the dense jungles of the Indian subcontinent, this book emphasizes of determination, grit and will power of these people.  This read could be a solution to those who complain about the odds being stacked against them and make them hang their heads in shame. A riveting read which teaches us an important lesson in life-that there is light at the end of every tunnel.

There are other pieces of literature stacked up on the shelf, some of them in the hope of finding their way to this elite list. As I end this post, I hope to add on more such reads that will find its way into the hearts of other book lovers.