In case you’re wondering where I’ve disappeared to, I’ve been busy playing favourites. If you’ve been regular with my blog, you already know that I love to read as much as I love to knit, maybe even more. In any case, it’s an exercise I’ve done longer than I’ve done almost anything else. At the cost of sounding pretentious, I devour books. That makes me want to inspire the same feeling in others. I have had a book blog for the longest time with the name “The Indefatigable Reader”. I, then, changed it to a full-fledged website called Big on Books, but realised soon enough that it’s very difficult to maintain two websites, especially with a full-time job. So I’m bringing all the material from Big on Books to this website itself. You’ll find it all in a tab on the Home Page.

Why the change of name for the new website?

I loved the old name – The Indefatigable Reader. It defined me perfectly since I never tire of reading. I changed it for two reasons. One, I felt it only defined me and may not represent the community of readers I want to engage with through my website. Two, my partner Nikhil found the old name to be a mouthful. Since only a garbled sound came out of his mouth every time he mentioned it to someone, I changed the name to something that would be easier to pronounce and would better represent both me and the users of my website. So Big on Books it is!

What is different about the new website?

I have kept most of the features of my old blog on the new website. So you’ll still have your Book Valet service, the Book Shelf, Product links, etc. But through the website, I will try to reach more people and increase the frequency at which I add content. I also intend to focus more on literature aimed at Children and Young Adults, especially the latter. I believe most parents are careful to inculcate a reading habit in their children when the latter learn to read. But for a majority of young people, the habit lapses during adolescence because the focus shifts entirely to academic education and frankly, parents just stop caring. Nothing can be worse than this because adolescence is a peculiar time in a young person’s life when they want to be adventurous and take more risks but become more hesitant to talk to someone elder or sensible who can guide them in the right direction. I believe, in this vacuum, the right books can prove to be a significant source of guidance for an adolescent.

Time for the last question, please.

Why should we listen to you when it comes to reading and books?

Good question! I’m not an author, publisher, critic, creative writing teacher, or even a student of English Literature. I’m just a reader. The only thing exceptional about me is that I’m a wide-ranging reader, that is I read books in almost all genres and those meant for all ages. I’m also a non-judgmental reader, which means I don’t choose books as per award lists, reading guides or celebrity recommendations. I don’t put on airs and read like an average reader. Therefore, my recommendations and reviews work well for other average readers as well. A reader who may get discouraged from reading because they are not enjoying award-winning books written by the Rushdies, Adigas, and Arundhati Roys of the world. Let me assure them that the book world is big and there are wonderful books being written by many, many writers that are meant for different readers. You just need to find the right books that suit your tastes. Since I read so many books of all kinds (including the Rushdies, Adigas, Arundhati Roys), I believe I’m able to recommend books to every sort of reader. That is my only qualification. Anyway, my job is to recommend, which I will continue to do. You are free to follow them based on your own preference.

~P