Monday 3 December 2007

That place

I finally started reading Lolita. 5 days after i bought it. Do you know how hard that is, to keep myself away from a book that long? anyway, i waited. Because i knew that once Lolita was lodged in my head the physics would fly out.
So yesterday night, i read a few pages, and as i sifted through the writer's flowery language and the occasional french words which i'd forgotten,i knew i was in over my head........
This was one of those books that'd take me to the Place......
That space that's comfortable.....but also vulnerable.........
I've had a few books like that.....
Memoirs of a geisha...
Eleven Minutes...(this took me somewhere else altogether....wootwoot)
And now we have Lolita.
These aren't the books you can timepass-read at the dining table or at the dentist's office....
You need to relax and let go of everything.....and turn to the book.....
Preferably read it in one shot (ESPECIALLY if you're reading eleven minutes)
If you're lucky, you'll go to that place......
That place in your head that you'll never want to come out of..
That's the harder way to get there....
the hard way, read books.....sit, silent and searching for the emptiness in your head.....
the easy way?
Music.

21 comments:

Mihir Pathare said...

Lolita was beautiful. A bit unsettling at times, but beautiful. :)
So was Memoirs...

Tell me, have you read The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison? That's one of my most favorite books. I've loved it even more than Memoirs...

Occasional Brilliance said...

a thousand splendid suns...

heartbreakingly beautiful...

--xh-- said...

compleetely agree with you - some books need to be enjoyed in peace, adn tehy take us with them. kiterunner is also almost in same league, but the ultimate for me is Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead.

Unknown said...

Ha ha ha...
Lol..
I ain't gonna say anythin about the books...

But the place...
Yeah...

U know wat i wanna say...

cheers!!!
;)

freudian slip said...

toldja!!!! dint i

Mystique said...

2 taurius: i'm still doing lolita. yea its beautiful, even tho i have to have my french-eng dictionalry at my side. hmm, the bluest eye. will look that up.

2 the bubbling drink: aaah, that i have to read.

2 xh: kite runner, i still have to read. i read fountainhead....and then vowed not to read ayn rand again till i'm 25.

2 aiman: yea,i got the idea from you......and why u ha ha haing at my books huh?

2 the slip: yea u told me....i haven't finished it tho........it's..........i dunno, haunting, like.

Renovatio said...

Movies can take you there too, but only certain ones...

busy-writer said...

please temme how you put the pic!!

it looks really nice, btw :-)

Mihir Pathare said...

Most movies don't usually make the cut. :(

The last time I was moved by a movie was The Pianist.

Mihir Pathare said...

Oh, and I'm reading Eleven Minutes now. My local book store said it was out of stock, so I'm making do with an ebook on my phone. >_<

Rohit Bedida said...

Reading is a good hobby! keep going \,,/

Mihir Pathare said...

But it's bad...
Atleast I have it bad...
I have to lock away my books durin exams, or else, I don't study enough. :(

akshay said...

Write a review for sure.

As for going to "That Place", perhaps the venerable company of Sires Rushi and Wali might be of assistance, since they will so correctly guide us to that abode whence there is no return (lsd et al)... wasn't it like proved by a biologist already?

Mystique said...

2 reno: yeah, i know, its normally the inspiring stuff that does it.....

2 mon: blogger profile edit....and thanks!!

2 taurius: ebooks are irritating. wait for the book to get back in stock.

2 bizzare kid: hobby? ha! hobby u call it......................i call it my life.
srry.thas how i feel. books=life. todays generation doesn't understand that.

2 taurius again: sigh.......sad, i know......

2 akshay: haha, maybe you should ask, i'm still trying to figure out what lsd actually stands for. i do know its a drug. i do know i'm a pariah. congrats on getting orkut account.

Mihir Pathare said...

@ mystiquie
I already read the book that day. Gonna buy it on my next shopping spree. I love fairy tale stories like these... ^_^

Mihir Pathare said...

From the database in my head:

LSD = Lysergic acid diethylamide.
Abbreviation comes from it's original german name (which I conveniently forget)
Pseudo-Halucinogen.
Cultivaded from some fungus that grows on crop-grass Rye.
Physically Non habit forming. Party drug.
Usual dosage is 200 micrograms. Threshold dosage is supposedly 25 micrograms.
Effects last 6-10 hours.
Personally would love to try it some time, but never felt the need to.
Streetnames: Acid, Lucy, LSD, Sunshine

Back to topic, getting to "some other place" using such powerful checmicals isn't fun. I find it akin to watching a movie to help you visualize a story you're reading. Leaves very little for the mind to do. :)

VenkyMarg said...

Hye back now... how were xams..? and suddenly so many books..?

Mystique said...

2 taurius: tch tch...........why the hell do ppl take drugs huh?

2 venky: yayy! ur back! huh, you din even bother talkin to me much today...........

Mihir Pathare said...

Drugs are the easy way out.

Get high on life!! It's better. :D

Princess Consuela Banana Hammock said...

heya ....
i hve read eleven minutes ... woah i was like stuck to it.... read it all the time....locked away all of em during the exams but i was so pissed i ended up reading teh gaurdian right before my eco exam ....teh whole thing ... no wonder eco paper sucked !!!!

Mihir Pathare said...

Hehe. I read the entire Wheel of Time sereis (All 11 books) durin my 3rd semester papers. >_<