Just For The Love Of Reading

Mar 16
NabanitaDhar


 Don’t you just love reading?

My mother tells me that once as a little girl of about four she found me surrounded by cousins, the look of absolute concentration on my face while enunciating a story about a tiger. It was my aunt’s wedding, I think. And while every other kid there was busy playing hide and seek or doing all the other kiddie stuff, I was going about telling stories to anyone who would bother to stop and listen. I think my fascination with stories started right about then.

A lot of my inclination to reading and this unquenchable thirst for stories comes from my dad. He was, in fact still is, an avid reader himself. I remember the tales he would weave while feeding me dinner. I loved it. To be honest with you, I would chew my food slower than needed to make him go on and on, create twists and turns, heroes and villains, lessons and morals et al. In fact, I plan to tell one of his very first stories to my 4-month-old daughter when she is old enough to understand. I call it the miracle story, one that he came up with just for me.


Once upon a time, a plane flying high up in the air suddenly lost control and was about to crash into the deep blue sea. The passengers panicked and cried, praying for a miracle. That’s when a thick fog engulfed the entire horizon. The pilot couldn’t see anything, except feel the scary decent descent. It was all over they thought. They were going to die. It was the end.

But then suddenly a ray of sun tore through the fog and chased it away. Their very own ray of hope. The sparkling sea was visible again and there in the middle was a lush green island, strangley in the shape of a man. Yes, right ahead, at that very spot where there was nothing but water a moment ago. The pilot was surprised for it wasn’t even on any map they had. But still there it was in front of his eyes, in front of everyone else’s eyes, as true as the sky above him, as true as the air they were breathing. This was his chance to try and save everyone. So, he started looking around and that’s when he saw a clearing, one on which he could land. There would be some damage of course but people could be saved. As he tried and toiled to maneuver the plane, he suddenly felt the flight glide seamlessly towards the natural runway, as if aided by an invisible force. To everyone’s surprise and delight, the plane landed safely. Every single person aboard was saved.

Later in the day, the passengers were taken home by a ship that had stopped by. And the next day when the pilot took off after some repairs, he saw the island began to disappear. Almost as suddenly as it had appeared in the first place. After a while, there was nothing except the azure blue around. He was dumbstruck. It was a miracle, an answer to their prayers, it was the magic of the Almighty. It was as if God had laid down in the ocean to save those people, to save the flight and when they were safely sent home He left.


I love this story because it taught me to hope and does the same every time I recall it, even now. 

Things can take a turn for the better even at the very last moment. Yes, miracles do happen.


 That was the first story that made space in my memory palace and ever since I have filled it up with more from all around the world.

 This is what stories through reading books have given me, a chance to believe in the impossible, to live incredible lives and cross the seven seas from the comforts of my home. And most important of all, to be lost in a world so very different than my own. With every new book, I live through an adventure, a life so different from my own. The gift of reading is a miracle, my miracle and it has been so ever since I can remember.

 Tell me, do you read too? What are your thoughts on reading and what does it give you? What is the very first story that comes to your mind?

 By the way, I’m reading ‘A Drink Before the War‘ by Dennis Lehane these days. What’s on your currently reading list? Do share.

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Linking this to #LMMLinkup


44 thoughts on “Just For The Love Of Reading”

  1. What am I reading these days? Blogs?
    Just kidding!
    Loved the story – yes, it is all about hope!

  3. Alas, this is really my first love – reading followed by telling stories but both have to take a back seat in my current life which leaves me with very little time to everything. I have been reading a book "Breakout Nations" by Ruchir Sharma for the past two months now and am simply dying to get it over and done with….Very interesting and thought provoking….

  4. Such a beautiful thing when a parent inspires a child's love of reading. My father inspired mine as well, and I miss him terribly. Keep enjoying yours for all it's worth and keep reading just because!

  5. The gift of reading is the best gift you can ever give to a child. Like you I started early too… thanks to my mom. And there's been no stopping since then. I am currently reading Steve Larsson's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo… it has not taken my fancy as yet… but will read some more and hope I am hooked to it… picked it up after reading rave reviews!

  6. That's the sweetest story Naba. So many of my friends are going through tough times – faith and hope are the only things that can carry us through dark hours. I am reading 'The red sari' these days. Interesting read.

  7. Thanks for visiting my blog.

    I love how your dad weaved faith into his stories.
    I enjoyed reading this story. It's one I will remember.

    Presently I am reading `Moonlight Over Paris`
    Review to come soon.

  8. 🙂 Made me smile, you know! The story is superb and yes I love reading. Mamma used to tell me bedtime stories when I was a kid. It later on became Shakespeare dramas and others including Huckleberry Finn! Oh, such a lovely time! I read whenever I can. Can be seen with a book always- these days a Kindle. 🙂 I wanted to read "A Palace of Illussions" ever since I read the review on Shantala's blog. I loved the book! You should read too.

  9. That's a lovely story Naba ! Let's see .. I am reading a whole lot these days.. lot of online material, blogs..then Suresh's book and also, a great book by Dr Burns on Feeling Good.

  11. I love the story. It's full of hope and I love happy endings. I was off reading for a long time, but I am back. Reading One More Thing by B J Novak, don't know what to say about the book. I can't comprehend the stories for sure. There is no takeaway from any of the stories I've read so far.

    First story that comes to my mind is the one my mother narrated to me of a princess who was turned into a sparrow by her evil mother.

  12. Hi Nabanita – here from the BlogChatter session today!

    I have a great love for reading (apart from fashion, makeup and bags of course) which actually was revived when I started reading to my kids…so glad to discuss about books here!

    I just finished reading 'The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared'! It was a hilarious read! I will start with The Graveyard Book today.

  13. Hi Nabanita – here from the BlogChatter session today!

    I have a great love for reading (apart from fashion, makeup and bags of course) which actually was revived when I started reading to my kids…so glad to discuss about books here!

    I just finished reading 'The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared'! It was a hilarious read! I will start with The Graveyard Book today.

  14. I can so relate to this. I was the kid who once gets hold of a book when leave the couch until that book is over!
    Currently I am reading 'The world according to Garp'

  16. Oh yes. I read all the time. I purchased a Kindle Paperwhite so that I can carry more books and to save my eyes from straining too much.

    But, no story that I read gives me as much satisafaction as those tales that I used to hear from my grandpa. Some of those are:

    1. Arabian nights
    2. Panchatantra stories
    3. Akbar Birbal stories
    4. Mullah Nasruddin stories
    5. Tenali Ramakrishna stories
    6. Our biggest epics like Ramayan, Mahabharat

    I have now turned into an story teller for the kids from my close families. When on tripe, they love hearing these short stories and most important part is that 'they sit and behave when they are listening to stories' giving lot of peaceful time to parents 😀

  17. Oh I love to read. Reading adds to my happiness when life is smooth sailing, and is my favorite escape when reality is just too difficult to deal with.

    P.S. I love the miracle story. Will share it with my 4 year old. 🙂

  18. Such a wonderful story, Naba. Your daughter deserves one of her own too, besides this.
    I remember an aunt of mine who had such a knack for story telling. Four or five cousins would sit around her while she fed us and told us stories complete with facial expressions and all.
    Reading, as you know, is my passion too. And although J loves to read, he laughs at me walking from one room to another continuing to read a book or the Kindle.

  19. What a lovely story!I used to read so many stories when I was growing up and stories are so much more – hope, faith, love, future and everything.

    Currently I am reading Work Rules by Laszlo Bock.

  20. I love your last paragraph, because that's how I feel about reading, too! Right now I'm reading a variety of books. A series I just finished that I thought was very good is The Yada Yada Prayer Group.

  21. A beautiful post, Naba! I had read that story of hope you so well mentioned about the pilot of ill fated aircraft long ago, but hope can change the destiny:)

  24. Looks like it is the first love of many..it's always nice to read a book that is thought provoking, not many have the ability to induce that affect:)

  29. I wil Shalini..thanks for reminding me to..I love Shantala's blog..her reviews really help…Thanks for stopping by

  32. Oh I think I've heard that story too, from my grandma I guess. But I don't remember the whole of it…Do let me know what you verdict is on thebook by Novak once you finish it..

  33. That's wonderful, Vidya.. I guess reading is a joy that can be rediscovered any number of times…thanks for visiting:)

  36. Oh those precious takes…and it's so wonderful that you tell the stories to kids..I'm sure they listen too:)

  38. Thanks Corinne…I'll surely try to come up with one 🙂 you know a secret, I do the same thing.. Move from one room to the other while continuing to read..

  39. It's so much fun to know about the different books every one is reading..thanks for visiting, Parul..

  42. Aww… This is so cute and sweet read… As a child I was an introvert, very shy to talk… I never read either… But reading bug bit me in mid-teens and the writer mode was switched in my early twenties… Compared to you, i started late… But then better late than never… After all, enjoying every bit of it!

  43. I love reading too and I can relate so much to this line 'A chance to believe in the impossible'. I just finished 'The girl on the train' by Paula Hawkins

  44. Reading is beautiful, enriching and so gratifying. I can't imagine not reading ever. Currently, I am reading P G Bhaskar's book Jack is back in Corporate Carnival. Fun so far.

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