The incomplete me

July 9th, 2008 · 36 Comments · books, me

Yes, the incomplete me because, I don’t read enough books these days. “These days” can be defined as “last 3 years”.

When I was in college, I used to read 3 - 5 books a week plus lot of magazines from College library and our village library. I always had a book with me, even while having my food. Just like how you look for your favorite brands in a supermarket, I searched for books by my favorite authors and tried to finish them one by one, - one author at time !!

So what happened to my reading habit ? It was a gradual change. It all started when I got my first job. When I started working, I did night shifts most of the time. I enjoyed night shifts, and my teammates enjoyed me doing night shifts !! So when you do night shift, you need to sleep during the day time right ? Well, I used to sleep the entire day !! and slowly, my reading habit died !!

Later, I tried everything I could, to bring it back. Someone suggested reading those books I liked, again. It didn’t help. I tried reading small books, no way !!.

So, here I am, with the “Incomplete” self…. but .. I can’t give up !!.

I am trying it again now. I bought two books this week. I had read them earlier, couldn’t complete though. So, I WILL complete reading them this time. It’s not moving that fast now, only a few pages per day. I need to make it fast.

I am reading ” God of Small Things” now. You know the author right ? 339 pages !! how much time will you take to finish reading a novel with 339 pages ?

36 responses so far ↓

1 Smallstar // Jul 9, 2008 at 8:16 pm

You should read some pages before to go to bed! So, you’ll succeed to finish it sooner than you think… eheh I did so!
2 dinu // Jul 9, 2008 at 8:17 pm

@ Smallstar

Yea, I am doing it that way, how many pages will you read a day ?
3 Rekha // Jul 9, 2008 at 8:46 pm

ha1 i thought of this when i saw Christ collegge library’s pic today in newspaper ;).
God of small things u say!!! …hmm i tried reading that book but dint reach anywhere , so i gave up tht book .i dont understand most of the things in that book
To get back to my reading habit , now i have started reading fairy tales , i complete 1 story in one day at any cost (only on those days i read )
4 s4n705h // Jul 9, 2008 at 9:11 pm

Nice book but too heavy to read. i would suggest start with something lighter. by lighter i mean simple english and interesting. cos God of small things can go a bit and boring at times.

you can always read when you are going to office (i assume you use the cab for traveling) and back.
5 dinu // Jul 9, 2008 at 9:12 pm

@ Rekha

What was that new about ? hmmmm college days. . nostalgia !!

Yea, God of Small Things !!
6 dinu // Jul 9, 2008 at 9:13 pm

@ s4n705h

To be frank, I enjoyed this book a lot when I tried this first time, and even now its tough, really tough and I am not following some parts … but still something is attracting me to it …
7 Smallstar // Jul 9, 2008 at 9:15 pm

Beh. Recently I’m not readin any books, in the summer time I don’t like reading!! however, I should read every page that I succeed to read!
8 vishesh // Jul 9, 2008 at 9:34 pm

i have been reading the same thing for more than a month…lol an omnibus of gibrans works
9 dinu // Jul 9, 2008 at 9:37 pm

@ Vishesh

Cool !! you will be posting something about it when you finish it right ?
10 meghana // Jul 9, 2008 at 10:10 pm

hey i just bought the god of small things yday

currently reading jhumpa lahiri’s “interpreter of maladies”

why dont u try reading a collection of short stories first ,that way,u can start off picking up the lost habit slowly
11 dinu // Jul 9, 2008 at 10:15 pm

@ Meghana

vowww. another one reading the same book coool !!I just finished the first chapter. Lemme know when you finish the book “interpreter of maladies” ok ?

Hmm short stories.. good idea.. but I bought two novels for now, biggg ones.. next one is bigger one than this one … will let you know after I finish this hi hi
12 xylene // Jul 9, 2008 at 11:02 pm

I am with you Dinu. I read a lot of books when I was in school and college. But once i got a job, I did not get much time to spend on reading..

I needed a change. So now I spent time reading in the restroom. :)…
Utilize every bit of time u can use.
13 dinu // Jul 10, 2008 at 12:20 am

@ Xylene

Ohhh got another one here LOL … yea, what are your plans re ? any tricks to go back to those good old days ? btw, I have only day shifts these days …
14 Joel // Jul 10, 2008 at 11:29 am

Hmmm… Looks like you are not finding any free time..that’s bad.
Why don’t you read it while you are traveling or maybe just before going to sleep? Wouldn’t that help?
15 dinu // Jul 10, 2008 at 12:00 pm

@ Joel

I am trying it man … just can concentrate for more than 5 minutes or so
16 Smallstar // Jul 10, 2008 at 4:50 pm

Happy Thursday!! *hugs* and *kisses*
17 | Balu | // Jul 10, 2008 at 5:08 pm

Kinda same here. I left the habit when I finished by 10+2.. since then I have read at a rate of 3 books a year =(
18 dinu // Jul 10, 2008 at 5:20 pm

@ | Balu |

3 Books a year ??? I think I am better than you
19 arunima // Jul 10, 2008 at 7:06 pm

Hi Dinu,

Just enjoy the exp. of reading and then you will get it back. You cannot force yourself by the number of pages. I completed ‘a God of small things’ way back in 97 or 98 in just 2 days. It had large fonts. So, you should be able to to do it. All the best!

Regards,
Arunima
20 dinu // Jul 10, 2008 at 7:33 pm

@ Arunima

Hey, welcome to my blog

yea, that’s the only way, I understand … luckily, I am enjoying God of Small things I like to read fast only because I want to read more books and of course, have less time these days. ..
21 Midnight’s Children | The Offline Blog // Jul 10, 2008 at 8:06 pm

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22 Poonam // Jul 11, 2008 at 1:20 pm

It happens to every one, a book lover like me did not read book for several years when I was working. But now I am a regular reader again. I read books while traveling and manage to finish a book of 250 pages in 2 days if it is interesting.

Which is the second book you are reading?
23 dinu // Jul 11, 2008 at 1:24 pm

@ Poonam

Uhmm .. while traveling .. its a good thing.. but my office is at a walkable distance from where I stay… and when I go home ? its on a bike .. so can’t read lol .. 250 pages in two days is awesome !! wait.. I will be at that speed soon

second book ? hi hi will tell you .. let me finish this one hmm do you like these posts about books ?
24 | Balu | // Jul 11, 2008 at 4:28 pm

Ya i know
25 dinu // Jul 11, 2008 at 4:39 pm

@ Balu

dont worry buddy .. lets try together to make it
26 xylene // Jul 11, 2008 at 5:02 pm

Dinu,
Dont buy books, then u will delay things. Get it from the library instead. So the thought of returning it back will keep you glued.
27 dinu // Jul 11, 2008 at 5:12 pm

Xylene !!!!!

good though.. it also went wrong with me …….. I returned books without completing them !! same .. thought of returning ……
28 ann // Jul 11, 2008 at 5:51 pm

aww we had to read this book in a literature class last sem…it was tough to follow for sure!!!
some of the other books tht came w/ it were “the home and the world” by tagore, “arranged marriage” by chitra divakaruni and “interpreter of maladies” by jhumpa lahiri…and one of those authors…chitra divakaruni is currently a professor at my college and she came as a guest lecturer for us!!!!
29 dinu // Jul 11, 2008 at 5:57 pm

@ Ann

welcome to the new blog

its tough to follow.. but since its background is kerala ..sounds good to me.. but still tough ..

getting the author as a guest lecturer … isn’t that really cool ?
30 aravind // Jul 11, 2008 at 7:27 pm

Hey coool………….you just loosing the habit of reading books and i’ve just started reading them………..i think i must have read more than 20 books from last month………
try hard and gain it back man……….
31 dinu // Jul 11, 2008 at 7:35 pm

@ Aravind

Thanks .. 20 books in a month is really good ..let me know about good books ok ? .. yea, I am regaining the spirit now
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