Ruskin Bond - Love Among the Bookshelves

Love Among the Bookshelves by Ruskin Bond
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I heard about this book a while back when my friend wrote a review of it on her blog, Anu Reviews.

I am always game for a Ruskin Bond book, and when he writes about books, it is like a double treat. Hence I ordered it stat from Flipkart. They have a speedy delivery system and the book reached me before the week was over.

I slit the parcel at 1.30 noon, and started reading the book. It was such a captivating book, that I could not put it down. I was done with reading it before the afternoon faded.

Ruskin Bond delves into his past and tells us how he came to be addicted to books and how and when he read certain books. Then he introduces an author and presents an excerpt of on of his books.

He introduces P.G. Wodehouse, H.E. Bates, W. Somerset Maugham, Charles Dickens and Richard Jefferies. Out of these stalwarts, I had never heard of Bates and Jefferies.

Jefferies writes on the spiritual aspect of nature, hence I can understand why Bond likes him so much. Bond is deeply in love with nature himself. But the excerpt was too spiritual for me. I am not too inclined towards that.

But Bates was a find. He writes, it seems from the excerpt on offer, about people who live close to nature and are hearty and in love with life. I will certainly seek out a book or two written by Mr. Bates.

There is no need to write about Wodehouse, Dickens or Maugham. Every book lover knows these authors well.

Bond chooses an excerpt from "The Pickwick Papers" by Dickens. It is a book that is always beside me, I can pick it up any time, and read any chapter. It is too brilliant to be forgotten.

All the works of Wodehouse are such a delight. "All is sunshine and happiness in a never-never land of amiable earls, eccentric aunts and supercilious butlers", writes Bond. We read Wodehouse because we want to escape into that sunshine world where problems can be solved by some little trick of Jeeves.

Bond chose an excerpt from "Cakes and Ale" by Somerset Maugham. I have read this book at some point in my life. Now I just have to refresh my memory by reading it again. The passage that Bond chooses should be a delight for people who wish to write books as well.

In addition to all these goodies, we get to read more reminiscences by Bond, written in way only he can write. He writing has a touch of gentle humor which is so much more refreshing than the witty language used by some authors.

When he speaks about his failing eyesight, and how he chooses to read only in good light, I feel sympathy for him. I feel the pain of a person who loves reading but cannot.





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Happy Birthday Charles Dickens

There is no dearth of material about the life and times of Charles Dickens, one of the most popular novelists of all times, one of my top favorites for a long long time.  He was a master storyteller and so dearly beloved that when my MA Lit. lecturer announced in a class that he had many flaws as a novelist, the whole class let out several exclamation of dissent.  Dickens wrote many iconic novels and has enjoyed a readership that even J.K. Rowling can envy.

To honor this unparallelled master Google depicted this picture on its site:

I have commenced reading The Pickwick Papers today after many years.  Here is a paragraph out of this highly amusing book.

“On his right hand, sat Mr. Tracy Tupman; the too susceptible Tupman, who to the wisdom and experience of maturer years superadded the enthusiasm and ardor of a boy, in the most interesting and pardonable of human weaknesses – love.  Time and feeding had expanded that once romantic form; the black silk waistcoat had become more and more developed; inch by inch had the gold watch chain beneath it disappeared from within the range of Tupman's vision; and gradually had the capacious chin encroached upon the borders of the white cravat, but the soul of Tupman had known no change – admiration of the fair sex was still its ruling passion.”

In a few skillful lines, he sketches the form and character of Mr. Tracy Tupman.  This was his most endearing quality.  It made his novels feel like a visual feast, it made imagining the characters easy, it made them vivid and it made them live in our memory forever.  Happy Birthday Charles Dickens, I am sure your novels will live forever.