Ask the greatest polymaths and geniuses of our time about their mantras for success and you will get one resounding answer – constant learning. And learning isn’t what happens in schools or colleges where students with heterogeneous qualities are adjudged on homogenous test skills. That is more a test of memory than knowledge. In this age of a barrage of incessant information dropped on the infinite network called the Internet, how do we engage ourselves without getting lost? The answer – Books!
Here is a list of 5 books that can change jump-start your reading voyage and turn you into a lover of the written art!
The Catcher in the Rye
This is an American classic by J.D. Salinger and engulfs you in its casual, easy flow approach while it answers the biggest youth issues like angst and anger. It’s all fun and relatable when it comes to this piece of literature. Fun fact – John Lennon’s killer had this book in his hand when he shot the music legend. This doesn’t mean that it incites violence, but surely leaves a mark because there is a Holden Caulfield in each one of us!
Animal Farm
George Orwell is well known for this allegory in which farm animals talk and the story merrily binds you to its narrative. However, the deeper meaning of what it represents makes this such an important read. Animal Farm is about the Russian Revolution and the events leading up to it, but told like a never before in this unmissable novella. After this is done, another classic called ‘1984’ will just be a natural next choice for most readers.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde’s wit and humour is unparalleled and is one of the most quoted English language writers, not without reason. His character Lord Henry is such a masterpiece that it just delights the reader and the parable makes for a worthy, highly entertaining read. Beware, once you know Oscar Wilde and his work, you are sure to dig deeper into this master artist’s collections.
Kafka on The Shore
This Japanese novel is easily one of the most read ones and has a touch of brilliance to it. Haruki Murakami enchants you and leaves such a spell that you feel one with the characters. This is a story about a 15 year old boy who goes through a rather astonishing series of events and helps you explore the genre of magical realism. Needless to say, the philosophy digs deeper than you think and a reader of any age group will relate to it just as well!
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
This adventure mystery novel written by British novelist Mark Haddon has all the elements of a page turner, along with being so exciting that you’re left spellbound. The main character is a boy who describes himself as “a mathematician with some behavioural difficulties”. Fun fact: The chapters are numbered in prime numbers rather than regular numbers and you’ll have to pick up the book to find out why!
All in all, this is not an extensive list of must-reads, as there are tons of others that could have made this list too. But these are books that will leave a worm in you, the good kind of worm that makes us affectionate towards stories and knowledge imparted by our paperback friends.
With this I leave you with a quote by none other than the conjurer of wit, Oscar Wilde – “In old days books were written by men of letters and read by the public. Nowadays books are written by the public and read by nobody”. Let’s prove him wrong!
