Glad About Books

Perhaps the only day of the month I am glad I love books and reading is on the first Sunday of the month. And that’s because ‘The Hindu’ comes out with an extra supplement- The Literary Review- on that day. It is a supplement that no other paper in the country has. This month I had more reason to be happy because the TLR was back to its old format of six pages. The regular columns on books, reviews of the latest books, interviews of writers, articles on classics, a column by a bibliophile and other book related stuff is a heady mix for those who love books and reading. Reading ‘The Literary Review’ assures me that I am not really mad to pick up books by the dozen every month.

The occasional article on writing in ‘The Literary Review’ also makes me glad that I am a writer (or trying to be one) who dreams of being featured in it one day. I dream that some day my own book would be reviewed in its hallowed pages. It seems a long way off but no one can accuse me of not trying enough to improve my writing. The only two ways (that I know) of improving one’s writing is a) to write regularly and b) to buy and read books on writing which is what I usually do because it easier than writing regularly. Not surprisingly last week I picked up yet another book on writing.

Sometime last month I had been to the recently reopened second hand bookstore- The Frankfurt at Begumpet. In the store I came across not one but two hardcover copies of John Truby’s ‘The Anatomy of Story.’ The guy asked four hundred and fifty rupees for the book which I felt then was too high a price. I did not buy it right away like I usually do when I come across books on writing. I asked that the book be kept aside for me until a week. I forgot all about it for nearly two weeks and when I went back a fortnight later the guy told me that he had sold away both the copies after waiting a week for me. I was almost heartbroken and regretted not buying the book the moment I had seen it. I had not expected both the copies to be sold off so soon which also means that I am not the only Hyderabadi trying to learn to write.

Anyway last week I happened to drop in at the same store. I was lost in checking out the hundreds of titles laid out on tables when I saw someone loom before me. It was one of the sales guys holding out a book towards me. I was thrilled to discover it was ‘Anatomy of Story’ and this time I grabbed it right away. I got the book for four hundred bucks which I now think is not too high an investment considering how much a Booker Prize winner gets.