This is part 2 of VERBAL: THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON
For those who don’t read
To start with – anything. Yes anything. Most of us don’t read at all. And if you immediately start with the heavy stuff (the kind that’ll actually help you), then chances are that you’ll stop after a few days. That’s because to a beginner such books and articles could be boring and dry and/or difficult to understand. So the first step is to get in the groove. To start reading regularly till it becomes a habit.
Since almost everyone likes movies, the best way to get into the habit of reading is to read from the same genre as your favourite movies. So if you like love-story-movies, then go for love stories; if you like horror movies, go for horror books. You go crazy over mystery movies? Well, some of the best mystery movies are made from books, and books are almost always better. Whatever type of movie you love, there is a world of absolutely amazing books in each one of those genres.
Here are a few recommendations from a few popular genres. These are the ones I’ve actually read; you can find your own, obviously.
To start you off I’ll recommend some short stuff. In a later post, I’ll talk about novels, books, etc.
Horror:
Start with short stories as they get over fast and are generally not very complex
Here are a few online:
https://americanliterature.com/author/w-w-jacobs/short-story/the-monkeys-paw
https://www.killermovies.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-404785-children-of-the-corn-short-story.html
http://www.fiftytwostories.com/?p=1338
Each one of the above writers is a master.
After this you can pick up a short story collection or read online. Try Stephen King: you can never go wrong with him. I’m not overly fond of his novels because they go on and on. His short stories and smaller novels though are amazing.
Mystery/Suspense:
Sherlock Holmes: With the movies and TV series becoming super popular, what could be better than starting with the real stuff
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=sherlock+holmes
A wider variety of mystery stories can be found here: https://www.talesofmurder.com/short-stories/
Eclectic Stories: There’s a lot you can find on the internet. Here’s one from my side:
http://www.fiftytwostories.com
There’s a free downloadable book or you can read each one online. All for free.
Non-fiction:
Start with a newspaper and a weekly or a fortnightly magazine. Any newspaper will do. Try reading in hard copy. And please please don’t go for apps whose claim to fame is shortness, or headlines or any such nonsense. Reading headlines or a couple of sentences won’t tell you anything. You won’t have a clue. You won’t even be able to talk 10 seconds about the topic. So what’s the use? Everything worthwhile takes time. Imagine an app telling you how to win a marathon in a month. What does it even mean? Go for longer articles. Go deep. And you won’t regret it. After all you’re trying to be amongst the best in the country. So start behaving like one.
Some suggestions:
https://aeon.co
This is a wonderful website with essays and articles from a variety of topics like philosophy, science, psychology, etc. And to top it all CAT has given passages directly from here.
3 Quarks present eight to twelve interesting items from around the web each day, in the areas of science, design, literature, current affairs, art, politics, philosophy etc. You have to check it out.
https://frontline.thehindu.com
Of course, our very own Food For Thought at takshzila.com/blog is also worth checking out.
That’s all for now. I’ll get into reading more advanced stuff in a later post. You’ll have to read the way I mentioned till about 2 months to transition to the next stage. Till then, Happy Reading!
Thankyou so much sir.