Digital Dictionary: You Need It. Everyone Does

Today I really found it hard to think about ANYTHING to write about, I’m sure it happens to everyone, so I thought I should look around,literally, from the seat in front of my computer, and I noticed my digital dictionary lying on the computer table, and I thought why not share my thoughts about it.

Back in the old days, people usually read literature like Charles Dickens with a whole lot of difficult vocabulary and whenever they must have found a new word(I’m sure there must have been many) they would either have ignored it or they would have opened up a big dictionary to look for the meaning. Showing indifference is definitely not the right thing to do and one cannot enhance one’s vocabulary that way, but having to open up a huge dictionary again and again is also a daunting task, and so it makes the former method understandable.But in today’s technologically advanced world showing the same indifference is unacceptable and shows you’re  just lazy. A couple of years back I was introduced to the digital dictionary and it really changed my ‘reading’ life. You can’t understand a word? Just type it in, you’ll get multiple definitions, usage in sentences, synonyms and what not. Such convenience and efficiency should not go unnoticed. It really helps improve your vocabulary and it’s amazingly time efficient as well. There’s no reason any more to read books and not understand the meaning of a difficult word. Another thing is that these dictionaries are not expensive either and easily available. They keep getting better and better with new functions like touch screens and what not but a plain digital dictionary will do for me.

A couple of months ago, I was holding my dictionary with a book and my

grandfather asked me what it was. I told him all about it and he was quite impressed, so impressed that the next time I visited him, a week later, he’d gotten one just like mine. He isn’t exactly a techno person but the idea of using such an efficient dictionary really amazed him and I think he’s put away his inconveniently large Oxford dictionary, since, clearing a lot of space from the study table.

So if you’re still living under a rock, as I was until a few years back(just kidding), and you still read books without a digital dictionary, go out and get one for yourself, if you can’t, download it on your iPhone or laptop or any other of today’s techy gadget that you may own, but do use it, unless you are exceptionally intellectual and don’t require a dictionary. I have found Merriam-Webster dictionaries best up till now. Do give it a try, I’m definite you’ll find it helpful.

Happy Reading!!

Why The Classics are Being Neglected

In today’s fast paced world, everybody wants to hurry to the conclusions, nobody really has the time to sit back and enjoy the beauty that life has to offer. I’ve realised that the case is similar regarding the reading of books. Classics for today’s generation have proven to be a bit ‘slow’. The writer goes nice and slowly, scrutinizing upon every single detail and works his way up to the end of the chapter when you realise that the character has only walked only a few steps up to the door of the room of his dying mother, and it took him forty pages to ‘aptly’ describe the scenario. The plot of the book may not be too long but the painfully long details stretch the length of the novel quite a bit. What this generation wants are conclusions. They want results and they want them now. An exceptional quality that I’ve noticed in one of my favourite writers, Dan Brown, is that he has the ability to go on with the story at a fast pace but this doesn’t make his stories short because, side by side he is always narrating events with conclusions that hold great significance in the plot and and the story keeps changing. Thus, he is able to provide what today’s generation demands from books. They want steep gradients in the story, and they want them to be good. Another thing is that when we get bored with a book, we don’t hesitate in quitting on it. Who has the time to read a book he/she doesn’t like? But I believe quitting so easily is an imprudent decision. The things these books have to offer, cannot be found in books about vampires. There must be a reason why these books are called Classics, and thus with an inquisitive approach to find that reason we should definitely peruse these books.
Happy Reading!

Modern Fiction : A Waste of Time?

Much of today’s youth is attracted to fiction books written by modern writers, which have an unconventional and perhaps, a more creative, approach towards the readers. Many say that with the advancement of technology fiction writing has changed , with all the indulgence of high-tech stuff, many think that the taste which today’s youth exercises, has become more childish whereas others beleive these books are all bollocks and claim they’re a waste of time. I use to hold the opinion mentioned last, a while ago as well, but being a Dan Brown fan I cannot include myself in this category, and I have changed my views.

I’d like to clarify the misconception in the minds of all those who think these books are a ‘waste’ of time, in as few words possible. When they refer to people ‘wasting’ their time reading such literature, they suggest that the reader is not gaining anything ‘useful’ out of these books and thus is not ‘benefiting’ in any way. This brings us straight to the point that books are mostly read for pleasure and not for benefits. ‘Benefits’ which books provide include enhanced vocabulary and better expression, and these are present in the contents of modern books as well. So what remains is the actual content, and that depends upon taste. Claiming that a book is ‘useless’ if it does not match one’s taste is not a justified statement.
Taste is individual and unique for many people so we should respect that. However these books are not to be compared with the classics. Giving preference to Vampire Diaries or Hunger Games over Charles Dickens would definitely be injudicious. These books are here today and will be gone tomorrow, but the classics will remain unmatched. So, while having the liberty of exercising our own taste, we should not ignore the literature that has not dulled even with the passage of time and shines ever so brightly.

Respect everyone’s taste and Happy Reading!

Three Cups of Tea

Three Cups of Tea, a book by an American humanitarian, Greg Mortenson, is about his journey to villages and rural area of Pakistan and Afghanistan, in order to make schools for education of the poor children, mostly girls. He aims to change the conventional thinking of the poor, illiterate elders of different tribes and areas, of not allowing girls to get an education. But upon arriving there, he discovers that many of these illiterate people possess wisdom, far more than anticipated, Greg himself admits that he learned a lot more than he had planned to teach, and thus his plans are met with a hearty welcome. Tribal leaders try to compete with one another to gain Greg’s favor to build them a school. But he decides to make his first school for the tribe who’s chief, Haji Ali, becomes his mentor. In the book, he narrates several incidents that take place during his journey, which range from kidnappings to gun fights to encounters with the Taliban etc. He had initially come to Pakistan, to climb the second largest peak in the world; K2, but after failing, he finds himself ready to climb another peak, and it’s glory is far greater than the former, and he doesn’t fail this time.

Greg has narrated several inspirational lessons he learnt. My personal favorite quotation by Greg is as follows: ‘If we try to resolve terrorism with military might and nothing else, then we will be no safer than we were before 9/11. If we truly want a legacy of peace for our children, we need to understand that this is a war that will ultimately be won with books, not with bombs’-Greg Mortenson. I’m definite you will enjoy this book, and will get to see the positive side of Pakistan.

Looking forward to your comments and opinions. Happy Reading!

Dan Brown Page Turners

Dan Brown, a widely renowned fiction thriller writer, has been exercising his brilliant talent in writing since 1996, when he published his first book, Digital Fortress. He is mostly famous for his worldwide bestseller ‘The Da Vinci Code’ , although he has managed to form ‘four’ other masterpieces as well. I say this because I found each and every one of them exceptionally ‘thrilling’. My personal favorite is The Da Vinci Code , in which a ‘symbologist’ , Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu, together unveil the mysteries of centuries old personalities, which include famous artists like Leonardo Da Vinci, and religious figures in Christianity including Jesus himself. They aim to come to the truth behind the rumor that Jesus married a woman named Mary Mageldene, and that his blood line exists even to this day. Now I won’t go on to ruin the story for you. This is truly a ‘must-read’ . These are all his books, in my order of priority.

1.Da Vinci Code

2.Angels and Demons

3.The Lost Symbol

4.Digital Fortress

5.Deception Point

The intricate plots of all these exceptional books will definitely leave you absorbed in them. Which is your favorite Dan Brown book?Looking forward to your comments and opinions.Happy Reading!

(p.s   The names of the books are links to their e-books, if that’s what you’re looking for)

A Thousand Splendid Suns : A Memorable Book

I recently finished the book ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ by Khaled Hossieni ,after being moved by his first best seller ‘The Kite Runner’.This book is about the tragic lives of two Afghani women, during the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan. The contrast in the lives which appears after the invasion is certainly sufficient to move the hardest of hearts. It tells about the hardships they face as women during the tyrannous reign of the Taliban, prosecutions they have to suffer and sacrifices they have to make in order protect their own and the lives of their children.Personally I think this novel is the better of the two, despite the other being the worldwide bestseller. It just isn’t possible to read this book without being moved.The way I can tell that, is because whenever I read a book, I keep track of the number of pages I’ve read to know how fast I am, but while reading this book, I literally lost track of the pages, I was truly absorbed in the book. I strongly advise you to read this book and once you’re done with this, there’s no chance you will keep yourself from reading Khaled Hossieini’s other novel, The Kite Runner, if you haven’t already read it. Truly Khaled Hossieini’s greatest masterpiece.

Happy Reading!Looking forward to you comments and opinions.

In case you’re looking for an e-book, you can download it from here: A Thousand Splendid Suns