"That's what books are for.To travel the world without moving an inch"- Jhumpa Lahiri, Namesake.
I have chosen the quote above from one of my all- time favourite books to frame my post today as it aptly captures the reason behind my love for reading. I have always believed in the power of books to catapult one through time and space, to countries and realms that I have not yet visited or never will. With a little imagination, it was so interesting to 'travel' to these far destinations without even moving my feet so to speak. It also spurred my passion for travelling in real life, to see those places I have read about with my own eyes.
It is also been said that a reader lives a thousand lives as you devour the books, in eager anticipation of the climax, the pivotal scene at which the murderer is revealed, or a lover proclaims his love, or when a fantasy world is being discovered. I imagined myself to be those characters as they engaged in adventures and arduous journey's of solving mysteries, or saving their loved ones.
My love for reading began when my mom used to read to me bedtime stories. It was this stage when I was introduced to the classics of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Fairytales, Disney tales amongst many others. I just couldn't wait to be old enough to read them on my own. On my weekly visits to my grandparents, I was often deposited at the Geylang east library for hours where I began reading books by Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl. My favourite books were Heidi, and the Secret Garden. I used to be convinced that when I grew up, I will buy a house at the countryside in England with a secret garden or to move to the Alps where Heidi used to live with her grandfather, sustaining on only goat milk and cheese!
During my primary school years, the main staples of my reading diet was the Singapore Ghost stories by Russel Lee, the Baby Sitters club and Sweet Valley High. I was also introduced to Asian texts such as the Clay Marble and Sing to the Dawn by MingFong Ho amongst others. From stories about the paranormal realms, I gradually moved to the worlds of murder, mystery, crime stories and detective based stories. I started off with Nancy Drew Mysteries, Hardy Boys, Enid Blyton's Secret Seven, Famous Five which were read in sequence as a series. I then discovered Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and it changed my whole perspective on the nature of police and detective work. The attention given to method and scientific deductions were simply mind boggling. Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot was also another literary figure that I used to admire. My most favourite book amongst the collection of novel written based on him was the Murder on the Orient Express.
As I moved on to my adolescent/teenage years entering secondary school, my years were gripped with Harry Potter Novels. The magical world of Harry Potter had me completely bewitched as I devoured them one after the other. I was also not spared from the romance novels as I began reading books by Danielle Steele, Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic Series, Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries. However, a book entitled 'The Rape of Nanking' which was introduced to me when I was 15 by my History Teacher opened up a whole new array of non- fictional reading options. It was then when I discovered my other passion for History as a discipline. With debates as my CCA , I was also made to read newspapers and periodicals such as Straits Times, Times and Newsweekly amongst others.
Upon entering MI, my voracious appetite for books was increased as I began reading classics by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, George Orwell, Shakespeare. It was also here where I began dwelling into Asian texts, books by Anita Desai(Fasting Feasting, Village by the Sea), Kiran Desai (Inheritance of Loss) , Jhumpha Lahiri ( Namesake, Unaccustomed Earth) , Sundraeshwar ( Feast of Roses, Twentieth Wife, Salman Rushdie (Midnight Children, Empress of Palace), Chitra Bannerji DivaKurni ( Mistress of Spices, Palace of Illusions), R.K. Narayan ( The Guide). It was also at this stage at my life when I was read spiritual texts that has defined my culture and religious identity, Mahabharata and Ramayana, the Jataka Tales. Another text that completely affected me and brought me out of my adolescent phase into that of an adult is 'Nigh' by Elie Wiesel. His experiences during the holocaust affected me deeply and also made me question many things about faith, spirituality and humanity per se.
As I entered into NIE, my attention shifted to the Russians as I began reading Tolstoy's War and Peace , Anna Karenina, Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment. As an avid- theatre goer I also began reading many local plays and texts by Haresh Sharma, Alfian Sa'at, Rajaratnam, Goh-Poh Seng, Wena Poon.
During my adolescent years, it is clear that I focused more on western texts. However, over time I learnt to explore texts from various other countries which I believe has enriched my reading experience vastly. I hope to continue this habit for a long time to come ahead.
I have chosen the quote above from one of my all- time favourite books to frame my post today as it aptly captures the reason behind my love for reading. I have always believed in the power of books to catapult one through time and space, to countries and realms that I have not yet visited or never will. With a little imagination, it was so interesting to 'travel' to these far destinations without even moving my feet so to speak. It also spurred my passion for travelling in real life, to see those places I have read about with my own eyes.
It is also been said that a reader lives a thousand lives as you devour the books, in eager anticipation of the climax, the pivotal scene at which the murderer is revealed, or a lover proclaims his love, or when a fantasy world is being discovered. I imagined myself to be those characters as they engaged in adventures and arduous journey's of solving mysteries, or saving their loved ones.
My love for reading began when my mom used to read to me bedtime stories. It was this stage when I was introduced to the classics of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Fairytales, Disney tales amongst many others. I just couldn't wait to be old enough to read them on my own. On my weekly visits to my grandparents, I was often deposited at the Geylang east library for hours where I began reading books by Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl. My favourite books were Heidi, and the Secret Garden. I used to be convinced that when I grew up, I will buy a house at the countryside in England with a secret garden or to move to the Alps where Heidi used to live with her grandfather, sustaining on only goat milk and cheese!
During my primary school years, the main staples of my reading diet was the Singapore Ghost stories by Russel Lee, the Baby Sitters club and Sweet Valley High. I was also introduced to Asian texts such as the Clay Marble and Sing to the Dawn by MingFong Ho amongst others. From stories about the paranormal realms, I gradually moved to the worlds of murder, mystery, crime stories and detective based stories. I started off with Nancy Drew Mysteries, Hardy Boys, Enid Blyton's Secret Seven, Famous Five which were read in sequence as a series. I then discovered Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and it changed my whole perspective on the nature of police and detective work. The attention given to method and scientific deductions were simply mind boggling. Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot was also another literary figure that I used to admire. My most favourite book amongst the collection of novel written based on him was the Murder on the Orient Express.
As I moved on to my adolescent/teenage years entering secondary school, my years were gripped with Harry Potter Novels. The magical world of Harry Potter had me completely bewitched as I devoured them one after the other. I was also not spared from the romance novels as I began reading books by Danielle Steele, Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic Series, Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries. However, a book entitled 'The Rape of Nanking' which was introduced to me when I was 15 by my History Teacher opened up a whole new array of non- fictional reading options. It was then when I discovered my other passion for History as a discipline. With debates as my CCA , I was also made to read newspapers and periodicals such as Straits Times, Times and Newsweekly amongst others.
Upon entering MI, my voracious appetite for books was increased as I began reading classics by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, George Orwell, Shakespeare. It was also here where I began dwelling into Asian texts, books by Anita Desai(Fasting Feasting, Village by the Sea), Kiran Desai (Inheritance of Loss) , Jhumpha Lahiri ( Namesake, Unaccustomed Earth) , Sundraeshwar ( Feast of Roses, Twentieth Wife, Salman Rushdie (Midnight Children, Empress of Palace), Chitra Bannerji DivaKurni ( Mistress of Spices, Palace of Illusions), R.K. Narayan ( The Guide). It was also at this stage at my life when I was read spiritual texts that has defined my culture and religious identity, Mahabharata and Ramayana, the Jataka Tales. Another text that completely affected me and brought me out of my adolescent phase into that of an adult is 'Nigh' by Elie Wiesel. His experiences during the holocaust affected me deeply and also made me question many things about faith, spirituality and humanity per se.
As I entered into NIE, my attention shifted to the Russians as I began reading Tolstoy's War and Peace , Anna Karenina, Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment. As an avid- theatre goer I also began reading many local plays and texts by Haresh Sharma, Alfian Sa'at, Rajaratnam, Goh-Poh Seng, Wena Poon.
During my adolescent years, it is clear that I focused more on western texts. However, over time I learnt to explore texts from various other countries which I believe has enriched my reading experience vastly. I hope to continue this habit for a long time to come ahead.
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