I bought My Friend Sancho this time when I was in India and read it on the flight back.

OK that was flat — this calls for elaboration. I haven’t read a book since I-don’t-know-when. There, I said it. In fact, I don’t even remember the last book I completed. So yes, I am not as smart as all of you who read books. It shows in my writing too. I want to read as much as you do, but I have a life. In case that sounds offensive, I’m not saying that you don’t have a life. I’d rather have you admit it yourself. Being serious (Heh. This sounds like Being Cyrus, no ?), I am jealous of you.

So while I wait here, you should go and revisit the first line. Stay there till it has the desired effect.

MFS was a breezy read and didn’t take much time. I identified with the kind of humour it offers — and that made it easier. I am not reviewing the book because I shouldn’t; I don’t know anything about books or writing. But I will recommend the book. It is not heavy; it is a simple story that ends at the right moment, and I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t like it.

*****

I used to be an avid reader when I was a teenager. Somehow I lost touch. One of the reasons was my habit of reading a book from cover-to-cover in one sitting. I have read more than 10 hours at a stretch to complete books. The model wasn’t scalable as I started getting introduced to better literature. I still do not get how some of you read 2 or more books parallelly. And — for that matter — how you read a book over a week or two.

I have two options — either getting a hang of reading books in more than one sitting, or devoting adequate time-slots to read from cover-to-cover. I am going to try the second option, even though it hasn’t worked well for me in the last decade.

The medium and form of a book also play a role in reading. I might just have a trump card there — but I’d rather not reveal more.

Advertisement