reading lists

‘Reading List’ Update

/ Srishty / 4 Comments

Couple of days back, I started creating a ‘reading list’ for myself. Now reading list can literally mean anything for anyone, but I’ll just explain what I mean here, in this context. I have a very short attention span these days when it comes to work and, honestly, I know I am not putting in enough effort to concentrate harder. I also know how we get lured into obsessively check our phones by the algorithms, but I can try harder to not do that for sure. For example, I can easily leave my phone in the other room so that I don’t open Instagram for the next couple of hours, right? Anyway, so I come across a lot of notifications during the day & there are very tempting articles (?) that I feel like going through in entirety. What I am trying to do when this happens – just make a note of the said article which I’ll go back to in my ‘free time’. So, this is sort of a daily reading list.

I am loving making this daily reading list to the core & there are more than one reasons for that –

  • I love making lists on notebooks but don’t get enough chances to that, as I prefer having my work related to-do on my laptop only. This is giving me a great opportunity to write down something that’s important to me daily.
  • I hate the fact that I don’t consume any news actively or any of the adult stuff, you know. This activity is prompting me to read more so-called informative stuff as well. Since I am not reading stuff on a whim now, I end up incorporating more informative reads because then I don’t feel pressured to immediately consume that info.
  • Its a mindful activity – something that slows me down on an otherwise busy day. I come across something I want to savor, and note it down to be savored in a few hours. This 2-minute thing is a joy!

What I am not liking is that I almost never end up completing my daily reading list, but I am sure that you would have guessed already. 😀

This also reminds me how much I love reading posts with back links to other blogs, where people are suggesting what they loved reading on other blogs. I need to do one of those, for random articles as well as my own old blog posts.

Would you like to share anything that I can include in my reading list for today? 😀 Do leave them in the comments!

3 | How Kindle changed my life & the BS that surrounds it.

/ Srishty / 3 Comments

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I sat smugly in the “e-readers must suck” gang till the beginning of 2018. If you are thinking of closing this tab because you too sit comfortably in that same group, I request you, please spare few minutes to read this till the end. Not any special reason, I haven’t mentioned anything out of the world here, but I do want to tell my experience with Kindle and I don’t want book lovers to discard this without even consideration.

e-readers can never replace physical books – Of course! And they shouldn’t either. Who wants someone or something else to occupy the space of books in their life, anyway? The smell of books, the touch, flipping the pages, the pretty book covers, even prettier bookmarks – aaah! who really wants to substitute this bliss for anything else, leave alone an electronic gadget?

But, but. Have you ever used that electronic gadget? Let’s just say, it does have a feel of its own because its your personal area where you store your favorite books. Basically, your personal library. Don’t you think you will immediately connect with something like that? At least, I feel genuinely attached to my Kindle!  The point is you have to stop treating it as a substitute for physical books. Because, its not. Its another way of doing your favorite activity. Is it better than the previous way? Well, you really don’t need that comparison as long as someone is not pointing a gun at you to only choose one.

All my physical copies are still with me and I love and cherish them even more now. Just like I love strolling around bookstores. Kindle or any e-reader is not a replacement to your existing love for books, don’t treat it as a betrayal, please. 🙂 Here’s why:

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How Kindle changed my life?

As I mentioned above, I was always clear that I do not want to give e-readers any chance as it is never going to be the same experience as a physical copy. Not even when I moved to Bangalore from Delhi in 2017, even when it felt perfectly logical to not pile up here because God knows for how long I was going to be here. Anyhow, I still stuck to physical books. Then, I moved to Dubai for a supposedly 2 months assignment in Jan 2018. I carried one of the books I was reading with me. The idea was to buy more in Dubai when I finish this current one. Simply because I like buying books, stationery and cosmetics in new places that I visit. But what do I find in Dubai!!! The same copies that we get in India priced almost 4 times higher! The assignment got extended but I was supposed to travel to India after the first 3 months and be back in Dubai for another 3 months. By the end of initial 3 months, I had made up my mind that a Kindle is the perfect thing for someone who may have to travel often. So much so that I decided to buy one in Dubai, but I found out that it’s cheaper in India and my India trip was approaching anyway. So, I bought the Kindle in India and came back to Dubai for 3 months again.

I cannnot stress enough how much my life has changed. It is always with me, ALWAYS. I can read in any queue, can settle in any pretty looking cafe with a coffee to go along or I can just read on my way to work like I do/used to with physical copies. Of course, its not the same feeling as a physical book but let me tell you something even more important. The satisfaction of reading is the same. It’s a very, very satisfying feeling but just the touch and feel of the reading device is different. I love my Kindle way, way too much and I love reading on it as an experience. What I mean is holding it in my hands, flipping the pages, bookmarking stuff, deciding on a Kindle cover, adding stuff to my Kindle library is just as much fun, only in a different way.

In the end, just one thing – do give Kindle a chance before you say ‘e-readers are so not for me!’.

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2 | The thing with Book Challenges

/ Srishty / 2 Comments

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Would anyone reading this like to share their experience with any book challenges that they participate in? Or, even one that they created for challenging themselves?

The thing is I like book challenges as an observer. 😛 Haha, what I mean is it feels exciting to be a part of a challenge which is totally what you want to do anyway, plus there’s a bonus of having a goal in front of you. How good would it feel to have completed a goal WHILE having so much fun? Except, it has never turned out this way for me when I was participating in any book challenges. I am always rushing towards completing the challenge and that never happens, and I feel bad, and, the most important thing – I am always chasing a deadline, so I feel that I am not even savouring what I am reading. Just rushing.

Don’t know if any of you feel this way, but I’ll definitely want to know your experience in general with book challenges. I didn’t participate in any in 2018 so that I can savour my reading but I also felt like something was amiss. I think I can do with some advice. 🙂