I have been
reading books since 1979.
That’s fairly a
long time. Long enough to reminisce and record.
I will try to
record them in the following categories. Not the usual best, inspirational,
life-changing, unputdownable or the multiple read types.
But a completely
new list of categories that I hope veteran readers would agree with.
I will refrain
from citing examples for each category. I know what my list is. I shall be glad
to know if the reader cares to share with me his/her list.
1 – “I can
recall every single line from this” type
These are few
certainly. I can remember every freaking word of these books. Not just the text
even the position of the paragraph in the page layout, the colour of the page,
some stains or scribbles or notations and their exact locations on each page.
Sometimes even the weather and the condition of my living room / balcony /
bedroom / toilet / kitchen (wherever I was reading it) while I was reading it.
The story, character and the whole work stays etched. Forever. It has nothing
to do with the quality of the book itself. It ranges from earth shattering to mundane.
Explain it, I can never.
2 – “Bits and
pieces” type
These are books
that are a collage. There are parts that stay as vivid as the one explained in
category 1 and other parts that are a complete strange wasteland. At times
someone reads out a passage and play the guessing game and I draw a blank. Then
when the book is revealed I am dumbfounded. I reread it to assure myself. And I
do not have the foggiest recollection of ever having read that part. Though I
do recall having read the book before. And am a diligent reader. Not the one
who does scanning. I read E.V.E.R.Y. single word. The feeling is a complete
opposite of Déjà vu
3 – “What the
fuck was this about” type
These are books
that I know I have read. That’s all. Period. I do not recall a single line, a
single character or an incident from the book. No clue about the plot. None
about the set-up, location, beginning or the end. If I start reading it again
it is as if I am looking at it for the first time. And as is expected I lose my
interest at about page 43 and they vanish from the radar till they surface
again.
4 – “A
promising start, wonderful to read but suddenly loses it” type
These are the
never finished category. Sadly they total up to a sizeable number. As is
expected these books are picked up with a huge recommendation and expectation.
True to the hype they start off well. The life time of these books unfold in
the following way. You start it on the very day you acquire it. You read late
into night. Can’t wait to finish office and return home to grab it again and
continue. It builds up nicely well and shapes up to be a good read. Then
suddenly without explanation it becomes crap. You do not believe it is the same
book. You continue just out of sheer perseverance and plod on. It becomes
tougher each passing day. Then one day you just give up. It remains unread. And
after a few years you pick it up again. They fall into category 3 when you pick
it up. So you start again. Eerily it plays out exactly like the first time
around. And you throw it away in disgust.
5 – “Complete
waste of time” type
These are the
books that you buy because it has such a negative publicity about them. These
are clear no types. But you still buy them. Only with a hope that the critics
could all be wrong. And you find out that it is you who is wrong at the end.
Barring the complete lack of merit they loosely belong to category 4.
6 – “Can’t put
your finger on the damn thing” type
This belongs to
a huge number of books. You know the general plot. You for sure how it begins. How
it takes shape. And how it ends. And that’s all there is to it. For the life of
yours you can’t recall specifics. This is still good enough as you know the
vital statistics.
7 – “The unbelievable
comic”
This is beyond
belief. All the comic books you have read stay vivid in your mind. Every frame,
every punchline, every one liner, every wordplay in the names of characters, each
crazy setting, each stupid adventure. You can never tire. Nothing acts better as
a stressbuster than a copy of this category to perk up a gloomy day.
8 – “Why did
they make a film out of this” type
They usually are
a sub set of category 1. Against all wisdom you go and see the film. You run
out of expletives. The only good thing that comes out of it is you return from
the film and read the book again to wash the taste of the film from your
system.
