A Tryst with Tales | Teen Ink

A Tryst with Tales

April 3, 2014
By KaavyaM SILVER, Hyderabad, Other
KaavyaM SILVER, Hyderabad, Other
9 articles 1 photo 47 comments

Favorite Quote:
To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.


My tryst with my first love began before I could even form sentences coherently, before I’d reached the height of two feet tall, before I could pronounce the V in my name, before I’d even begun to read.

My first love was stories.

Although I don’t remember, my father takes credit for this love. He’d tell me stories every night, ranging from fairy tales, to whimsical eccentricities he made up on the spot, to giggle-inspiring anecdotes. I listened to these stories with a wide eyed wonder, amazed by the world of possibilities around me.

As the years passed by, I couldn’t wait until bedtime for the story. I needed to find out on my own. Thus began my journey into the world of reading. And it is a journey that hasn’t ended yet, a journey that never will.

For about four year, my bookshelf was filled with row after row of Enid Blyton’s books. Enid Blyton’s books are as comfortable as the cosy blanket that you hold on to for years of your life because you can’t sleep with any other; as enjoyable as the hot Maggi noodles your mother makes for you in the morning; as fresh as snowflakes falling from the sky, each nearly the same as the other, but a little different all the same. A child can start an Enid Blyton book with the contented knowledge that at the end, everything would be happy. The good characters are always rewarded, the bad characters get punished, and the world is as perfect as perfect can be. Though predictable, the books introduced me to worlds I’d never known. The Famous Five books instilled in me a longing to be independent, to go camping with friends as Julian, Dick, George and Anne often did. The boarding school books taught me what is was to be a good friend; to be sordid, dependable and loyal. The Faraway Tree books showed me a life with a new adventure every day.

Like a tidal wave, a new series came along to sweep my off my feet, knock my breath out of my lungs, and to pull me away from the comfort of what I had already known. The Harry Potter series. I had stayed away from the “Harry Potter phenomenon” for years, dismissing it as mainstream, and somewhat ridiculous. Magic wands and a school called Hogwarts? It didn’t sound like my cup of tea. But when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows released, the craze and devotion of its most diehard fans made me rethink my uninformed opinion. Surely, a series for which thousands of people would queue up in the dead of night had to be worth reading. Thus, one summer, I walked out of the bookstore clutching a little magenta book called ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. To my delight, I fell in love almost immediately. The world Rowling has woven is magical, sometimes even ridiculous, but to the reader, it is believable. And it is beautiful. A train platform between platforms 9 and 10, flying brooms, staircases that occasionally moved, portraits that talked; they all wriggled their way into my heart until the Harry Potter world became a part of me.

Along the way, I’ve found so many other books that have changed the way I think, and the way I act. The Hunger Games, a dystopian trilogy has helped me re-evaluate the way society runs today, and how that could change. The Help touched my heart with a story of friendship between two black women, one white, and a novel written against all odds. Life of Pi assured me we could always find hope, even when it seems non-existent. Classics like Pride and Prejudice enticed me with their subtle dialogue and witty prose. I lay awake at night with thrillers like Angels and Demons, and the Murder of Roger Ackroyd, unable to sleep, refusing to even look away as I read on, immersed in the black ink on white paper that spun tale after tale with effortless elegance.

But more than entertain me, books have made me who I am. When I speak, I speak with the assurance that I’ve lived not only my life, but the lives of countless other people I’ve encountered through the rustling of pages. When I meet a new person, I see them not just through my tinted eyes, but through the more open minded eyes of every character I’ve ever read about. By reading about what doesn’t exist around me, I’ve understood more about what does exist around me. And today, when I go around in a world where books are unfashionable compared to the television, or video games, or hanging out in the mall, I still hold my paperbacks with pride and affirm that yes, I love to read.


The author's comments:
Books and the stories they hold within their hallowed pages mean more to me than any of my other possessions. I cannot imagine a life without the stories that have become as much part of me as my own life story. My tryst with tales has made me what I am.

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This article has 10 comments.


KaavyaM SILVER said...
on Jun. 28 2014 at 3:02 pm
KaavyaM SILVER, Hyderabad, Other
9 articles 1 photo 47 comments

Favorite Quote:
To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

Hey! I listened to you, and read Gone with the Wind, and I loved it! I'd love if you could read my review of it and tell me what you think! I don't seem to be able to paste the link here, but you'll find it on my profile.

on Apr. 28 2014 at 10:28 am
BurrThistle GOLD, Jaipur, Other
10 articles 0 photos 161 comments

Favorite Quote:
Write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect

Hmmm..... the only book i've read of Mitch Albom's is Tuesday's with Morrie and i found that boring and unnecicrirl depressing without teaching you anything new. But then again, inspirational sort of books are not my forte. I love reading sort of like, disturbuing books (Lrd of the flies, 1984, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, God of Small Things, etc, ect.) And yeah, i know, being in tewlfth is a pain in the a.ss. And, I swear by Gone With The Wind, too. It's such a beautifully simple read. Isa romantic book but without all the irritating lovey-doveyness of regular Mills&Boons/Danielle Steel/E.L James. It's cahracters are amazingly evil and blissfully sweet. Great book. Do give it a go. Lolita is incredibly intimidating, far more than Gone with the wind, not just because of its depraved and disturbiung storyling and basic plot but also from a literary point of view. With all those obscure metaphors and twited-topsy-turvy writing, it's not as enjoyable a read i'd thought it would be. Bye !

KaavyaM SILVER said...
on Apr. 28 2014 at 1:55 am
KaavyaM SILVER, Hyderabad, Other
9 articles 1 photo 47 comments

Favorite Quote:
To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

Oh dear, this is embarrassing. I'm in the 12th grade too. (Terrible time, right?) I was sort of in denial when I said I had a summer reading list, because I do, but really, I'll probably only have time for Gone with the Wind, which I started today. Wow, I've been wanting to read Lolita! Let me know how it is. I ordered that from the library about two weeks ago, along with 'The Time Keeper' by Mitch Albom, but I have no idea when they'll be arriving. If ever there was an intimidating book, it is Gone with the Wind. But I'll definitely give it a go; most bookworms swear by it. :) 

on Apr. 27 2014 at 9:34 am
BurrThistle GOLD, Jaipur, Other
10 articles 0 photos 161 comments

Favorite Quote:
Write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect

Oh, and by the way, Gone with the wind is a delight. Don't be intimidated by its size, it'll leave you wanting more.

on Apr. 27 2014 at 9:34 am
BurrThistle GOLD, Jaipur, Other
10 articles 0 photos 161 comments

Favorite Quote:
Write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect

Ah! you are so lucky as to have a summer reading list. I'm in twelfth now and you know how it is.... i'm not allowed to touch a single book unless it's a maths or economics book. *Sigh* Anyway, i still manage to somehow sneak in books, currently i'm reading 'Lolita' (Don't tell my mum!) What about you? what are you reading?

KaavyaM SILVER said...
on Apr. 27 2014 at 3:55 am
KaavyaM SILVER, Hyderabad, Other
9 articles 1 photo 47 comments

Favorite Quote:
To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

Thank you! I did realize not everyone would understand the Maggi reference, but I had to put it in, and I'm so flad you did! Same, Enid Blyton literally pulled me in to this whole world. I've read 1984 and I absolutely love it. It's one of the most brilliant books I've read. God of small things, One flew over the cuckoo's nest, and Gone with the Wind are all in my summer reading list. (Which is now, yay!)

on Apr. 26 2014 at 3:59 am
BurrThistle GOLD, Jaipur, Other
10 articles 0 photos 161 comments

Favorite Quote:
Write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect

Finally Finally Finally a kindered spirit !!!!!!!!! I completly understand everything you just said, especially about Enid Blyton and Maggi- honestly, my life would have been desolate without those two. If it wasn't for Miss Blyton's books, i might not have been the voravious readre i am today. By the way, i adore your favorite book list, But how about 'God of Small things' by our very own Arundhati Roy, 1984(George Orwell), one flew over the cuckoo's nest (Ken Kesey), etc.  Maybe i'll start a forum about a book disscussion :) Kepp Writing and Keep Reading.

KaavyaM SILVER said...
on Apr. 15 2014 at 2:58 pm
KaavyaM SILVER, Hyderabad, Other
9 articles 1 photo 47 comments

Favorite Quote:
To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

Thank you! YES YES YES. Books mean so much to me; I literally can't imagine my life without them. Well other than the usual "fandom" books (Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, The Fault in our Stars), my favourite books would have to be The Help, by Kathryin Stockett, and Room, by Emma Donoghue. They're just so, so perfect. Also, Holes and the Cardturner (God, I love Louis Sachar). I saw your list of Top Five (Tries not to be a stalker), and To Kill a Mockingbird, and the Book Thief are among my favourite books ever!, Plus, I like And the Mountains echoed. Wow, you should totally give me some suggestions. (Book Discussions with strangers are the best)

on Apr. 11 2014 at 1:56 am
Wondering_About_Infinity SILVER, New York, New York
6 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I'm nobody! Who are you?" -Emily Dickinson

I love this so much because I feel like I could have written it! Well, I probably couldn't have written it, I find it so hard to write about words and books because they are so goddam.ned important to me. (I always end up cursing. Don't ask me why, it's like a desease.) PLEASSE can we have a book discussion? I am a believer and lover of books. On the forums, I've never gotten a good book list, so tell me. What are your favorite books?

on Apr. 11 2014 at 1:53 am
Wondering_About_Infinity SILVER, New York, New York
6 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I'm nobody! Who are you?" -Emily Dickinson

I love this so much because I feel like I could have written it. Well, I probably couldn't have written it- I find it hard to write about words themselves, since they mean so goddamned much to me. (Excuse me. See this is why I can't write about books and words, caz I end up using curses to express how important they are.) PLEAAASE let's have a book discussion. I've tried to on the forums, but I never really get good book recomendations. What are your favorite books?