In my adolescence, I had easy access to Enid Blyton, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Tinkle and Reader’s Digest. Occasionally a Roald Dahl. While my grandfather would read an Agatha Christie a day, I some how never got my hands onto it, perhaps the font size or the style felt too arduous then.

I have truly enjoyed another childhood along with my kids, beginning with reading once again. It keeps me updated with their lingo and inside jokes shared at the breakfast table. I chuckle as my daughter makes a spin off, Prof. McGonagall from Harry Potter and says” boys are a bumbling band of baboons!” That aside, the access to content available now is far better and the digital libraries are truly enviable. Though nothing truly beats the feel of paper. In the last two years (lockdown reading) I have picked so many books when I felt “Oh, how I wish I would have read this years ago.”

Words have the power to create an impression like none other, whether it’s on our imagination, building our knowledge or eloquence.

So here are some books, authors that I felt grateful for, even though I am reading them way past my time.

1. Jacqueline Wilson

My daughter has read several books written by her and I was blown away with the width of topics covered and with such gentleness, honesty and sensitivity. Her books allow the reader to explore the difficult sometimes sad themes in an easy way. They are realistic but also humorous and kind.

Whether it was Queenie (child and her nan healing from TB) or Secrets (violence in the family) Mum Minder (support group for working mothers). They all have the hallmark slice of life albeit with a healthy dose of tenderness.

2. Ruskin Bond

I just love short stories, suspense, humour or slice of life, packed in just a few pages. I love his vivid attention to detail, his idyllic life in the mountains, love for nature and his roaring sense of humour. My son chuckled out so loud while reading his ‘Funny side up’ that I had to translate the passage to our help at home. She simply wouldn’t believe that a book could demand that response.

3. Eoin Colfier

Who hasn’t read stories about fairies, trolls and magical crystals. But this ain’t our standard wispy and delicate magic dust. The Artemis Fowl series, is about a criminal teenage mastermind who discovers fairyland and is keen to exploit the same. I love the kickass, fierce, agile fairies and centaurs who live below the earth saving themselves from the greedy human race. Tech, magic and adventure, surely unputdownable. I am a firm believer of magic and this twist of the norm was delectable.

4. David Walliams

Uff.. how does one encapsulate madness onto paper! My kids love all his books, they chuckle, re-read, discuss new words, situations and illustrations. They fight to be the first one to read it. I got my hands on ‘FING’ I was amused at the premise of having a child who always wanted one more fing. The books are graphic, easy on the eyes and clearly belong to the Roald Dahl cluster. I love the names too, Gansta Granny, Bad Dad, Billionaire Boy, The Midnight Gang and the Worlds Worst Children.

5. Sudha Murty

I can hear her voice when I read her books. They remind me of ‘Malgudi Days’. You can’t help but sail back in memories to the times when we heard these with our grandparents. Simple, endearing and timeless. Traditional folktales often woven in with the wisdom of our country and our ancestors.

I can’t wrap up without mentioning how I wish that I would have read the ‘Harry Potter’ series as a child and not a young adult. It continues to be a favourite and each one of us still reads a page or two on and off. The wise words of Albus Dumbledore are often quoted at home and serve as reminder to key life lessons.

Well, for now I shall get back to the Heroes of Olympus before my daughter comes back to discuss more of Annabeth and Thalia.

Originally published May 2, 2019