Author: Punija

The Mysterious Hamlet of Sleepy Hollow

When you are all set to dive into the shaded pool of Halloween, what else can spook you up to other than an all armed, handsomely dressed man holding his head in his hands? Whoooo!

Watched the Johnny Depp starring movie fortuitously long back and almost forgot about it. And then we decided to have a spooky Halloween themed readathon for our club, The Biblioraptor BookClub. The first book that came to my mind was “The legend of sleepy hollow”. The movie was something and wanted to read the book since then.  But the crazy-lazy soul in me kept on hindering everything and eventually, it slipped into the junkyard section of my mind.

I pulled it out, wiped it clean and began skimming it last week. To make my experience more breathtaking, I decided to watch the movie again along with the famous Disney two-part animated movie. Trust me,  the experience was unprecedented. So here’s what I went through the entire week.

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving

“…ducks and geese are foolish things and must be looked after, but girls can take care of themselves.”

Written in the time when women were seen as mere arm candies, this line was the “Awww” moment for me. But, But, But, Ichabod Crane is a douche canoe. Don’t fall for the movies and series version, Irving’s Ichabod is a lanky, irritating and pant-pooping filthy teacher who wants to marry Katrina Van Tassel(who is also one of his music students) because she is rich, beautiful and has large… tracts of lands. That’s the horrible man!

Ichabod, being from Connecticut which could only generate school teachers then, was someone who couldn’t rely on his looks to woo the women of Sleepy Hollow. So, he used his knowledge to show his superior tastes to most people from Sleepy Hollow. For someone who makes almost no money from his classes, his perpetual poverty makes him drool over the fruits from Mr. Van Tassel’s land and the only way to rise above his own standards is to marry Katrina.

Brom Bones is our regular evil bully whose only interest lies in scaring off Katrina’s suitors. But shaking Ichabod’s position was hard, hence he turned into his best skill to humiliate Ichabod – Pranks.

Ichabod from the book is someone who would believe the strangest of the tales that goes around for he has read a lot of them. He is, in other words, completely naïve and suggestible. The local tale of the Galloping Hessian who rides headless through the woods of Sleepy Hollow particularly alarms him.
For those who couldn’t read further, the real excitement starts after the headless horseman arrives. The classic description, the logical reasoning of the horseman and the enduring mystery made the story quite fascinating. Ichabod being followed by the headless horseman in the eerie night tries to rush as fast as he can on his horse chased by the headless man. Being not a skilled rider, Ichabod gets dodged by something near the church. And the very next day the horse Crane was riding returns back to his farm owner and the village never heard of Ichabod Crane ever again.

Disney’s The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad : (1949)

♪ When the ghosts have a midnight jamboree ♪♪ They break it up with fiendish glee ♪♪ Ghosts are bad, but the one that’s cursed ♪♪ Is the Headless Horseman; he’s the worst! ♪

It’s actually a two-segmented movie where the first part is the story of Mr Toad from “The winds in the willows” by Kenneth Grahame and the second part is about Ichabod Crane from “The legend of sleepy hollows” by Irving. And I have to agree that Walt Disney gave the perfect look to Ichabod Crane. The total ambience of the movie was quite similar to that of the Scooby-Doo series. Funny character stretches that face the evil ones. Those accurate expressions. The dialogues. Oh my God! Those were days when watching cartoons was an experience of another level.

(Haven’t read “The winds in the willows” to comment on the first part. )

And Now to my favourite part.

Sleepy Hollow (The Movie): 1999

“When Tim Burton asks you to do a film, do it” – Johnny Depp

The brilliant Gothic colour that takes you to another world, the entire team so much into their characters, the precise dialogues and stunning references throughout the movie. If you didn’t like the movie, I suggest you watch it again and focus on minor details.

Initially, I thought it to be a satirical movie. When I rewatched it after reading the book, I realized that they both were so different. Ichabod from the book was a jerk, but Ichabod of the movie was, umm! – A doormat. Yet he tries to step into the sludge for something he desires. He has his own justifications for being the way he is.

It shows fragments of memories of Ichabod showing his mother from young Ichabod’s perspective. When his mother is on screen, everything is in bright colours, soft, filled with compassion. But when he glimpses his father, the screen transitions into dark ambience with intense and alarming music to show the brutal side of him. The brilliant part is the absence of dialogues in the dreaming parts that allows you to focus on the environment. He contradicts his father with the headless man when he sees his father exit.

And for the parts where Ichabod isn’t dreaming, Tim Burton and Emmanuel Lubezki created a place with such distinctive features that doesn’t feel like a real place, rather something happening in someone’s imagination. The Sleepy Hollow is a grim place, the houses stooping together for support, the shutters slammed against visitors. There is never a sunny day here. The faces of the village fathers are perpetually settled into displeasure.

This may fascinate you that the movie resembles a lot to the Hammer movies with its colour distinctions, the settings, the creepy gooey bodies and the character parities. Everything looks so fake, yet you believe them. And all that was intentional, trust me.

Ichabod crane believes all to be superstition and starts his investigations with his set of bizarre instruments. The rough rides between the headless horseman and Ichabod take a traditional path towards the end to match the generic effects of the previous adaptations. The horseman has its own way of delivering justice to those who deserve it, hence, has a particular choice of people to be punished which kind of feel logical.

This movie isn’t the story what Washington Irving gave us. This is exactly the retelling we needed. I am not so instilled by Irving’s book now. I need an edition with this story in it. There are a lot more in this than I have jotted down. And you need to watch it.

Tell me I have convinced you to watch it. Else I have to write another article for it. But before that, I suggest you read the book. It’s a short one and you can finish it in a day or two. I am adding the link to buy the book and the movie is on Netflix.

The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow And Other Stories

Thank you !

The Chronicles of Carnatic Provinces // Bookish Santa

||| आत्मदीपः भव ||

Home To 9 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the most number of Ayurvedic schools in the world, the south Deccan realm has furthermore given us some of the world’s most exotic literary adventures. From Manimekalai by Chitalai Chathanar to Thirukural by Thiruvalluvar or Andhra Maha Bharatamu by Tikkana, Eranna, and Nannaya, their literary traditions go back to the time of initial human civilization boom almost 2000 years ago.

These wonders were passed on to emerging generations by the majesties of different cultures who took the charge to inscribe them into different forms. Some adapted them into their traditional observances and others added them to their scholastic curriculums. Nevertheless, our tribal or royal lineages of different sections bore the burden of not letting the history lose its certainty in a completely new world for as long as possible.

However, since the arrival of new political and structural changes, the lineages themselves started falling off and the fear of losing our identity stood in front of us as a shattered mirage to haunt us for eternity. And then miraculously came forward our new age Indian authors to document as much sap they could extract as possible from the roots of their ancestries.

And I take this opportunity to list some of my personal favorites from each section of South India which we call today the states and territories. These are not just historical pieces, they are journeys down the memory lanes of some of the most unique historical events inscribed by our prominent authors in their magnificent artworks.

Here is the list of volumes and their creators each according to their origins. Happy reading:

• Elegant and Belletristic,  Kerala :

“The Ivory Throne: Chronicles of the House of Travancore
by Manu S. Pillai”

Think of the “History” period in your classroom, the classes about old and modern world history. Boring, right? Now imagine how your classes would have been if your teacher would have told you about the badass women who tie up their hair into a bun to fight their battles and then come back home to do their manicures. Amusing?

So was our book on the last ruling queen of Travancore, Sethu Lakshmi Bayi. Perhaps a rare book on such a brilliant historical subject written in a way that felt like a completely fictional story. At least one history book where some megalomaniacs dudes aren’t fighting a nugatory battle for some insane boundary crossover. An absolutely witty yet insightful read for history haters. This book is exceptional. Try it.

• Ritualistically elegant Tamil Nadu:

“The Prince Who Became a Monk & Other Stories from Tamil Literature
By M. L. Thangappa”

The author of one of the five great epics of Sangam literature, the most cherished, Silapaddhikaram Ilango Adigal was in fact a prince. He was the brother of the most celebrated Chera king of 3rd Century CE, Senguttuvan. Ilango Adigal chose to become a monk and then the history follows. But this particular book talks about 35 different stories along with the one about the prince, beautifully translated by M.L. Thangappa. Each story is extracted from a lost tradition of Tamil culture that dates back to 2000 years old India.

• Magnificient and Alluring Karnataka

Splendours of Royal Mysore
Book by Vikram Sampath

Chronological account of 600-year-old Wodeyar dynasty of Mysore. The author has covered the entire history of Mysore in great detail. From the golden era of the Wodeyar dynasty to the rise and fall of Tipu Sultan and Haider Ali. The return of Wodeyars and the complex character of Tipu Sultan.
The rule of benevolent British commissioners like Mark Cubbon and Bowring has been described and their contributions have been mentioned. The efforts of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar to get back his kingdom, how he redeemed himself. Vikram Sampath has left no stones unturned to go deep into the history of Kannadigas.

• Spirituous and Artistic Andhra Pradesh :

The untold Charminar: Writings on Hyderabad
by Syeda Imam

Such an eclectic collection of mostly personal articles, memoirs, and analyses on the grand city of Hyderabad. From Narendra Luther’s “Hyderabad through Foreign Eyes” to Sarojini Naidu’s “Letters too tell stories” which tenaciously unfurls the loss she felt after the death of the 6th Nizam. This book has a detailed account of Hyderabad’s most exclusive tales.

• Fierce and Fiesty Telangana :

The Kolams of Adilabad in Telangana: A Sociocultural Milieu
By D. Yashwant Rao

A perfect literary contribution to the socio-cultural environ of the rudimentary clans living in the Adilabad district of Telangana. The author has conscientiously carried out the work and brought out the life, living conditions, and cultural styles of the Kolams. Survey, documentation, and presentation are highly comprehending. If you still wonder about the history of newly formed Telangana, this is something you need to add to your reading list.

• Naturesque Prison, Andamans :

The Tale of My Exile By Barindra Kumar Ghosh

Yet again a witty account of a person who was sentenced to death in 1909 in the Alipore Bomb Case later being commuted to life imprisonment in Alipore jail. A humorous description of the hard life of deprivation and humiliation by the prison authorities, written himself by Barindra Kumar Ghosh, the younger brother of Sri Aurobindo Ghosh.

• Nicobar Niches :

Nicobar Islands: in natures kingdom
By Tilak Ranjan Bera

I was quite happy to read a book on Nicobarese people that isn’t just a travel blog. A systematic presentation of colonial settlement, historical events, unexplored and unknown Isles, human surveillance, and post-Tsunami managements. A lot has been told about the language, culture, and traditions of the people of Nicobar. If you aren’t really fond of travel guides and seek something more, this is your entity.

• Serene and Sublime Lakshadweep:

The Muslim Tribes of Lakshadweep Islands
By Makhan Jha

A short and quick read on the cultural and social structure of the people on the Lakshadweep Islands. The caste structure, hierarchical structure, and history of colonization, all have been included in this anthropological appraisal of island ecology and cultural perceptions.

• De toute beauté Puducherry:

Beyond the Boulevards
by Aditi Sriram

A book about pure love for one of India’s most beautiful and culturally diverse territory. The elegant use of metaphors, embroiderical detailing of minute scenes, diverse representation across social classes and cultural groups shows the author’s pure love and dedication for the unique history of Pondicherry. Pick it up to experience the beauty of the city along with the author herself.

These recommendations are just a drop from the entire ocean. There are tons of such marvels that add to the Indian literature and history.  Human civilization has been telling its own story through the pens of our beloved authors and only God knows what other wonders we are yet to encounter.

Signing off in the hope to add some more in my next article. Any suggestions are welcomed. Till then you can find the proposed books at

https://www.bookishsanta.com/

Use the code “UTKIRTANA” for that extra 10% discount.

Thaumaturgic tales of Bygone Indian literature // Bookish Santa

“Every time we reminisce a forgotten memory, we give it back its esprit.”

Bygone literary works are hidden gems that remain buried deep in the grottoes of modernizations. We see around us lots of established and easily accessible volumes, being reviewed, and promoted every day.
Each year millions of books get published and all credit goes to the publishing industries.
Even various self-publishing houses have given platforms to many aspiring authors which in turn add degrees to the already existing lots.
I won’t say this is bad. Never. Short stories or flash fiction writers like us desire to have a book published someday, and platforms, as we have today, are definitely our Idylls. But somehow in this new augmented world, we have forgotten our unsung heroes whose contributions were as precious as the popular ones, if not better.

I, being from a family where everyone has a personal library of their own, was lucky enough to collect as many marvels as possible. A pinch of anxiety, a dash of coercion, a scramble of arm-twisting, and an ocean of phony-bunny tears – a perfect recipe for a book chantage. And now I have my own mini-library of valuable, unique, and rare available books by authors who were once some of the founding bricks of the world literature.
I am amazed by the diversity in the essence of those pieces. Each book is a different world in itself. I still remember reading Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees. The beautiful description of the fictitious town was so near to perfect that every page of it felt real.

It wasn’t a lie when someone said,

“Books have the power to transport us to new worlds and different times, but they can also take us back to the important moments in our own lives.”

I have sundered these prodigies into different sections according to the year they were publicized. However, since we are already in the month of India’s independence, here I am inscribing down some of my valued yet forgotten Indian Books by Indian Authors divided into two sections, the mystical Indian Poets and the miraculous Indian Novelists.

Hope you like them all.

PART 1: TRANSCENDENTAL INDIAN POEMS:

• GITA GOVINDA BY Jayadeva.

Starting with the one for which I am completely biased. Being a classical dancer myself and someone from Odisha, Gita Govinda is in my blood. Composed in the 12th century by an East Indian Poet, Jayadeva, it is a beautiful piece that elaborates on the relationship between Lord Krishna and Gopis (esp. Radha). It is divided into 12 parts which are further divided into Ashtapadis. It speaks about the eight different moods of the leading heroine, Radha, together called Ashta Nayika.

https://www.bookishsanta.com/products/gitagovinda-and-odisha?variant=32959573229701&currency=INR&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2019-06-03&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvvj5BRDkARIsAGD9vlJPfCQRBh1ksabb9MF_fVuA6ETS1BqSTH3S1rBXeLFECagHVLRKil4aAjpaEALw_wcB

• ZAFARNĀMĀH by Guru Gobind Singh

Written in Persian Verse, this is a spiritual letter sent by the Guru to Emperor Aurangazeb after the Battle of Chamkaur where he reminds Aurangzeb how he and his henchmen had broken their oaths sworn upon the Qur’an and his victory isn’t a true victory.

• ANCIENT BALLADS & LEGENDS OF HINDUSTAN by Toru Dutt

At a time when a very few Indians were well versed in English, Toru Dutt scripted her works in English or French. This book is an unfinished piece that consists of 16 poems relishing India.

• SCATTERED PEARLS (Bikhare Moti) by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan

” Khoob ladhi Mardaani thi wo” – An unforgettable poem in every Indian’s heart was written by the first woman satyagrahi to be arrested and even twice. This book is a less popular work by her but as fiery as her other works on nationalism that encouraged people to participate in the Indian National Movement.

• MIRAGE AND MIRRORS by Harindranath Chattopadhyay

The younger brother of The Nightingale of India and our famous Daduji from the 1972 epic movie “Bawarchi” is yet another splendor in Indian Literature whose works are known less to the world. All his works are incredible, this one is just my personal favorite.

PART 2: THE EMBLEMATIC INDIAN TALES

• TALES FROM KATHASARITASAGAR by Somadeva Bhatta

Written by an 11th-century author, this book is a multilayered work of story within a story that includes folk tales, fairy tales, and legends from India. An adoption of Brihatkatha which was originally written in an unattested ancient language Paisachi.

https://www.bookishsanta.com/products/tales-from-the-kathasaritasagara

• SALLIES OF MIND (Ghubar-e-Khatir) by Abul Kalam Azad.

One book from this entire list that broke my heart into a thousand chunks. A series of letters written in Urdu during his tenure in Ahmed Nagar Jail and each of a different theme from a sparrow to an essay on tea.

• GORA by Rabindranath Tagore

This is a bit popular as compared to the rest of the anecdotes but something worth mentioning while talking about the Indian Independence theme. A remarkable work in the history of the Bengali saga that reflects the social, political, and religious scene in Bengal at a time of intense nationalism in India.

https://www.bookishsanta.com/products/gora-paperback?_pos=2&_sid=e8482e447&_ss=r

• LOKAYAT: A Study in Ancient Indian Materialism by Debiprasad Chattopadhyay

A book that unearths evidence about an ancient Indian materialist philosophy that may have been suppressed in the first millennium ACE by orthodox Hindu philosophers, as a result, none of the works written under the rubric of “Lokayata” have survived except a few.

https://www.bookishsanta.com/products/lokayat-paperback?_pos=2&_sid=12782780b&_ss=r

• WOMEN OF PREY by Saadat Hasan Manto

Do you consider Manto to be a Pakistani writer? I don’t, I can’t. He is as much Indian as we are. However, this piece of art is the most undisputed work by Manto. Fascinating, influential, and relatable. It was translated from Urdu by Saba Mahmood Bashir.

https://www.bookishsanta.com/products/women-of-prey-shikari-auratein?_pos=5&_sid=3abde0e46&_ss=r

Phew! That was quite an eventful stint, wasn’t it? It’s always exciting to know about the literary history of the world. I have always loved exploring the various spectrum and I strongly acknowledge that such epic scriptures are the inceptions of several evolutionary episodes.

These are just a few of them. If you wish to know more about such wonders, do let me know in the comments section. I have also added the links to some of the books available on Bookish Santa. For rest, please visit their website :

https://www.bookishsanta.com/

Use my code “UTKIRTANA” for that extra discount.

The graveyard book by Neil Gaiman

#utkirtanabookreview

“It must be good… to have somewhere that you belong. Somewhere that’s home.”

An orphaned boy, parents massacred, metaphysical territory, ancient prophecy, and a supervillain running after the boy.

Am I talking about Harry Potter? Nah! It’s the book of the most twisted yet justified and creepy yet delighted logics. Presenting you the review of another marvel by our guy,  Neil Gaiman himself, THE GRAVEYARD BOOK.

( The book is aimed at children of age 6 to 12 but with the crazy murderous scene, I suggest parents give it a read before presenting it to their kids.)

I tell you, there are gonna be a lot of spoilers. So Watch your steps people.

A just orphaned boy crawls down his crib, escaping the murderer Jack, reaches the graveyard. Protected and adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Owens.
Who are they? Psst! Of course the ghosts of the graveyard. They name him Nobody Owens (nickname Bod). Okay, you are wondering about his food and needs? Don’t worry, Silas (the dark one) is gonna be his guardian for he can travel between the two worlds (of the living and the dead). They even gave him the “Freedom of the graveyard” allowing him to act like a ghost, as you know, “It takes a graveyard to raise a child”. (read to know more)
.
Bod befriends Scarlett(human girl), goes into an adventurous trip, discovers Seller(an interesting creature).
Scarlett leaves with her parents convinced by them that Bod was her imaginary friend. Bod is captured by Ghouls who pass by GhoulsGate, rescued by Ms. Lupescu (werewolf), befriends Elizabeth(the ghost of an unjustly executed witch), again kidnapped by a pawnshop owner(Jack’s Man). Scarlett returns and is now a friend of Frost (Jack of all trades) who aims to kill Bod for the prophecy. Scarlett is held captive and Bod is determined to save her. But will he? If yes, then how? It’s time for Bod to end the story of Jack and venture into the world of the living.  During his entire journey, Bod learns supernatural abilities taught by Silas and Mr. Pennnyworth. Will these abilities go with him into the real world when he leaves his nest? Will Bod and Scarlett get their happily ever after?
Every chapter is a story in itself.
It teaches you that a home is where your heart is and that is where you are safe, it doesn’t matter if it is in a graveyard. Your family will protect you & fight for you. And if you are alive then you have all the potential to explore the world, see the colours with your very own eyes.
Such captivating characters! My God!
Neil leaves you longing for more even if you have finished reading the book.

You may find it similar to THE JUNGLE BOOK, by Rudyard Kipling(for which Neil has given the credits, don’t come crying that it was copied). But it has its own ingenuity.

So, what are you waiting for? Let your mind enter into the nostalgic world of your magical childhood.

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

-Robert Louis Stevenson

“All human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil : and Edward Hyde, alone, in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil.”

Aren’t we all aware of the fact that we have a wild side to our personalities that we want to mask up? We adumbrate an image so virtuous to solace our heart that eventually, the wild segment inside us escapes our memories. But at some point, our alter ego rises, stands up to laugh at us, and then life gives us two options to choose from. It’s always in our hands to decide what we want the most.

“In each of us, two natures are at war – the good and the evil. All our lives the fight goes on between them and one of them must conquer. But in our own hands lies the power to choose what we want most to be.”

Stevenson very well understood the conflict in human minds. He cleverly gave physical forms to our dual natures, gradually depicting the consequences of temptations. 


“A man cannot destroy the savage in him by denying its impulses. The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.”



Dr. Jekyll also has a wild side to his personality. Stymied, he invents a potion that brings this side of him to the surface.


“I’ve become a monster! I must find a place where I can hide! That’s it! I shall call myself…”

There itself you know what is going to happen. As expected, Mr.Hyde is malevolent and spiteful, and Dr.Jekyll is projected as the embodiment of goodness. Don’t we all have a little Jekyll and a little Hyde inside us?

Human nature bears so many mysteries on its own, the elevating angelic thoughts, the endless mental struggles, the lazy blank times, or the destructive, irrational, and ruthless rage. And this will always be a mystery that why do we are in a constant state of tension. Why do we choose what we choose? Why our minds sometimes lead us to charity or why we get indulged in evil acts? Why do we have such disparities and why is it up to us to choose?



“There are preachers who kill. There are killers who preach. There are teachers who lie. There are liars who teach. Take your pick, dear. ‘Cause it’s all a facade.”


Strangely Dr.Jekyll himself isn’t all goody-good. It is his fragility that created Mr.Hyde. Can we humans in actual detach our wicked side?

I would love to reread this archaic piece for the stupendous portrayal of the gothic genre, the powerful descriptive writing, and how cleverly it questions science and religion. Women, here, are mere plot devices that interpret the oppression of women under patriarchy. I assumed it will be told from Hyde/Jekyll’s perspective, but it’s actually a third-person narrating the story. I was amused by how smoothly shifting in the narrator occurs in the entire read. It is interesting that the dwarfish Mr.Hyde shows the undeveloped wickedness of Dr.Jekyll. It is undoubtedly one of the most popular works of Stevenson that speak volumes about society also touching our inner conflicts.



*Notes: other quotes *

1. It is one thing to fortify curiosity, another thing to conquer it.

2. If he be Mr.Hyde, I shall be Mr.Seek.

3. It’s much more interesting to try and understand what binds two people together. Why we stay with each other is much more of a mystery than why we don’t.

ARE YOU A TSUNDOKU ARTIST?

Ever entered your room to find piles of books stacking at places that don’t belong to them?

Books of different genres and orders lying over one another plead you to rearrange them but you are not done reading. The demise of your best-loved protagonist for his/her hamartia has broken you from the core and you avenge the pain by shooting the book at the corner table.

You are finifugal for a specific book that was hyped but you gave up halfway and it found its place in middle of the unorganised pile.

Are you a libriocubicularist and love grazing the book on your bed? Or are you greedy reader, possessive enough to let them go out of your immediate sight and end up having that unvanquishable book pile? Does any of these sound familiar to you? Then by God’s grace, you have acquired the erotic art of Tsundoku.

Define me, Tosser!

Tsundoku, evolved in the Meiji era (1864-1912) as a Japanese slang, has found its way into our modern-day life. According to Prof.Andrew Gerstle, University of London, the “tsun” of tsundoku was derived from “tsumu” that means “to pile up” and “doku” is a term used for “reading”. It was mentioned in some early texts in 1879 about a teacher who has lots of books but never reads them. This term has been nagging around lately and talked about in many media like BBC, The New York Times, Atlas Obscura and even in many bookstagram accounts.

There are similar terms like “Pile de Livres” or “Pila de Libros” or even in Hindi as “Pustak dher”. It literally means the book piles or reading piles. Book hoarders buy reading materials and keep piling them up. We lectiophiles appreciate a library around us and tend to own more and more books. But in this digital era where we have options like E-Books, EPUBs & PDFs, hard copies, periodically, are left unread and unattended.

Aveux!

Zaida, a bookstagrammer, confessed “My bibliolatry has taken me to the limit where I get frustrated when my favourite novel disappears from my sight. This has led to the budding of mini book stacks all around my house like a mosaic.”

Christen, a scriptwriter, is book bossomed and carries his current reads everywhere. “I pull out and start reading even when I’ve like 5-10 minutes while waiting for someone. My bag gets so heavy that results in late-night shoulder ache. Recently I’ve switched to ebooks, they are lighter and you can carry an entire library with you. But of course, the hard pieces are piling up at home”

Nikita, a ghostwriter, is a typical bibliotaph. To protect her assets, she keeps stacking them in mini cabinets around the house; books are left unread and unattended for months.

I myself am a scripturient & have handwritten chronicles, sticky notes, micro-story tips lying around. I pick up magazines, brochures and booklets that appeal to my sights. Being a classic lover, buying hard editions can cost me a fortune. So I download E-books, PDFs, EPUBs to satisfy my urges.

Then get over me!

The question here is how can we? How can we reduce the lump and give attention to every book? After all, we are not libricides, are we? Here I share my fraction of tips that have assisted me to combat my guilts.

5-step rules to break up with me!

Book limit: No matter how much we cherish new books, we must limit our hoarding. If you can complete an average of 3 books a month, try reading the old unread clams first and then add new ones. This way you can accomplish your “to be read” goal with books from your old heap and satisfy your bibliosomiac propensity with new ones.

Have some readgret: You have pieces lying there since the moment universe ejected electron and protons for the first time. Finish reading them first! You can opt for the digital versions of some of the books. Try getting your hands on soft copies of those you think are light reads.

Be a bibliopole: You can sell the books that you no longer are interested in. The ones you regret buying; the ones that failed your expectations. And if your heart is big enough, you can even donate them to orphanages or libraries. No need to feel “shelfrighteous” about your wad, you have junks lying there. Get rid of them. And voila! You have space for your new tots.

Plan-scribble -act: Planners or journals, monthly or weekly, will help you keep a track of your reading journey. Plan a one-week TBR list that includes the old ones and the new ones. Stick to it. Read the books that truly interests you. Keep a theme that sets a mood, like “feeling blue-Monday” or “foodie-Friday”.

Stop being a Bibliophagist: Finishing a book is not an obligation. It doesn’t matter how many books you read. It’s your life and you make the rules. Stressing your mind and eyes won’t take you anywhere. Taking part in Bibliobibuli race will detach you from the rest of the world. Slow down, take a deep breath. Read a book to enlighten yourself; soothe your soul. But give your mind a break to rearrange its compartments.

Did these work for you?

Piles of unread books have always unnerved me.

My mind was more concentrated in planning to read than actually implementing the ideas. The heap kept growing. It was chaos. Leaving behind the habit of Tsundoku has given me time to rearrange my shelf where the unreads grasp my primary sight and attained ones are satisfactorily placed at a handy distance. I started taking breaks between my reads.
I no longer have the pressure of fulfilling the goal. I can focus more on what affects my emotions than what affects my social media status. I can extract more from what I read; can comprehend several authors’ perspectives crystal clear.

Inferred the true significance of the quotation,


“Whatever your quirky reason is, remember the times when reading sparks joy, not misery.”