It would be a cliched, self-important, tone-deaf thing to say if I said that being a bookworm isn’t easy. Quite contrarily, it is one of the easiest things in the world. All you have to do is have a reading habit, no matter the genre or the frequency of the books you read, and you can be called a bookworm. Over the past 1.5 years or so, however, I’ve discovered a new dimension to my reading, to my existence as a bookworm, which probably says more about me as a person than about me as a bookworm. But since both are intricately linked and interwoven… That’s a whole conundrum in itself.
Category Archives: Thoughts
The Treatment of Book Influencers – A Little Rant
If you write a book, people will show their awe for you. And fittingly so, because writing a book is no mean feat. It doesn’t matter that the reviews for the book aren’t what you thought they would be. Completing a book and putting it out into the world is a huge thing, an achievement in itself. And who knows, maybe years down the line, this very story might age well and catch on? So that isn’t something that you should worry your storytelling brain about.
When the public is this supportive of the world of books, I wonder why every person in this world doesn’t get the same amount of respect.
Diwali as a Child vs Diwali as an Adult | #Blogtober22 – Day 24
Diwali or Deepavali is a festival that us Indians look forward to with great anticipation, not just because we get to celebrate fireworks, but because it heralds light and new beginnings. It is a festival that depicts good winning over evil and on this day, we worship Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and wealth, inviting her into our homes. There are other reasons and traditions connected to the festival but this is one that’s widely celebrated. Irrespective, though, Diwali is the Festival of Lights, characterized by fireworks and light and hope.
Why I Might Never Meet My Favorite Authors or Artists | #Blogtober22 – Day 21
I feel like a lot of these Blogtober posts have started with me putting out the disclaimer that I am an introvert. And as much as I want to apologize for the repetition, I also understand that I need it for context. Moreover, what am I even apologizing for? For a part of myself? For being me? So, I’ll keep my introductions as they are, thank you very much. In fact, I’ll start off this blog post by talking about how much of an awkward introvert I am. Like I said before: context setting is important.
My Social Media Journey (and why I’m tired of it) | #Blogtober22 – Day 16
One’s introduction to social media is so exciting, isn’t it? Oh, we can connect to friends on social media! Oh, I’m going to meet so many new people on there! Oh, my favorite artists are only one click away and I can interact with them! Oh, I’m going to become a phenomenon overnight because I’m going share and share and share and talk and talk and talk! And only one of these isn’t true. Because despite all the positives that social media extends to us, it can also be a draining experience. The constant need to put oneself out there and keep on top of the trend and stay updated takes something out of us.
The Sexism of Cosmetic Plastic Surgery | #Blogtober22 – Day 14
I’ve been watching a series – finished a second and third loop, too – that has some great acting, some great premises in there. Some characters can be annoying, as is the case everywhere, but some are simply brilliant. The layers to them are so great to watch because underneath all these characters is a strong foundation of what makes them. The female main character especially is a firework in a best meaning of the word. She is badass, she is impulsive, she won’t take sh*t from anyone, she is persuasive, and she is the kindest and most understanding person you’ll ever meet. But cross her and you’ll see!
TBRs: Yay or Nay? | Should You Be Making TBRs? | #Blogtober22 – Day 8
Till the end of 2021, every month saw me making a TBR list. For the uninitiated, a TBR or To-Be-Read list is a list of all the books that one wants to read in a particular period of time. And I was a huge fan of making these lists, both for myself and for my channel. I used to get so excited at the prospect of making a new list every month. Fresh books that I could pick! New worlds of possibilities! Oh, the joys of making a TBR every month! It gave me joy and it gave me the views – a combination that is amazing for a creator!
Why Is Getting Paid for Book Reviews Frowned Upon? | #Blogtober22 – Day 3
The world is a weird place to be living in. On one hand, we think of all the possibilities that await us, the people we can be, the change we can bring. But on the other hand, the system in place is one that actively makes sure that a huge percentage of people don’t get the chance to prove themselves. It’s an ableist, capitalistic world that focuses on money. Yet, when it comes to paying people for doing their job, they are met with resistance and derision from the unlikeliest of places. Perhaps because here, too, it has decided to be selective with nobody having any idea about what the criteria are. Book reviewers face the worst of this treatment.
FONTain of Thought: The Importance of Fonts for Readers.
When we pick up a book, excited to read it, we’ve already given part of ourselves to the journey that’s before us. The anticipation makes us want to zoom through the pages, late into the night, giving us the dark circles that we may or may not be proud to flaunt. But then, we open the book. And what do we see there? Ants crawling across the page. Tiny, tiny letters that we must squint at to even make out. By the time we’ve gathered the story and understood what the author is trying to say, we’ve got a raging migraine and the urge to raise the book to the sun in the hope that maybe some divine photosynthesis will make the font grow larger.
Reader Shaming HAS to Stop.
I made a video on reader shaming about 2.5 years ago and I used that script as a reference for this blog post. As I read through it, I realized some of it was outdated, but so much of it was so savage. I don’t remember how the video came out because I can’t bearContinue reading “Reader Shaming HAS to Stop.”
The Melodramatic Bookworm 