TURNING THE PAGES

I don’t exactly remember when I fell in love with reading, but I do know I have always been an earnest reader. My first collection of reading is the Ladybird series Peter and Jane.  When I started primary school, I sailed through book 1A of this sequence but struggled with 1B hence it was a constant both at home and at school. Up to now I only have to close my eyes and clearly see Peter, Jane and Pat their dog.

Fast forward, this bookstore at the airport took me back to some anecdotes and it is incredible how reading has not only built my relationships but most of my core values and the adventures are founded in the various books I have read.

Whilst I spent the next several minutes perusing through the books at this airport stand, it took me back to precious memories. You see back in the day, a major highlight for me was getting the treat of a new book. The sound of the crispy pages as I turned to read what happened next was always soothing for me and carried me to faraway places.

As a matter of fact, my first date happened at a bookshop, we liked each other and after the school term ended he asked to meet up at Aristoc, a bookshop in Kampala. He recommended a thriller and eager to please that day I went home with the Godfather.  That book introduced me to the world of suspense and heightened excitement that comes with that genre. In time I became an avid John Grisham fan and each Christmas I treated myself to the different titles. That day at the airport, I naturally narrowed it down to the latest John Grisham.

So just what is in a Book?  Besides the different genres, for me a book represents places, people, mental exercises, relaxation, relationships, memories, aspirations, happiness…life itself. Believe it or not, my viability at different stages of life, in one way or another is linked to books. 

The children’s author Enid Blyton was a great favorite of mine and introduced me to England. She had a way with words. As I read her narratives of the Secret seven and the Famous Five I always envisioned myself there with them. Years on, on my maiden visit to England , as the nation celebrated Guy Fawkes day, a very foreign holiday to me, once the fireworks were explained my memory took me back to how the characters in these books always looked forward to the bon fire on this day. I didn’t like the noise and fuss that came with this day, but having read about this occasion from these books certainly helped me adjust to the commotion in a more light hearted way.  

With time, I advanced to the adventures of the Hardy boys and the girl detective Nancy Drew. I vaguely remember the different story-lines but do remember that they were such a thrill and saw us scrambling to the school library on our assigned days to get the next spate of these adventure books.  With these books came bonding with unlike characters as we not only discussed the plot but also tried to solve the different mysteries.  Who knows, maybe that is where I developed my skill to critically think when solving problems. 

One of the boys in our little book club fancied himself a sleuth and recommended the ‘The Moses books’ by Barbra Kimenye. Much as these books were closer to home, Moses Kibaya the main character was so mischievous that in our little sheltered world it was very hard to relate to he and his friends notorious tendencies.  These boys could get away with murder and I recently got so nostalgic that   I ordered myself some Moses books so I can experience these escapades once again. I have re-read most of them and the stunts these boys pulled are still in their own league. 

As I advanced to secondary school, Literature in English artlessly became my favourite subject. I was not only introduced to African authors like Chinua Achebe but was also inducted to the world of plays, prose and poetry.  The playfulness in Wole Soyinka’s, ’The Lion and Jewel’ made for otherwise slow afternoon school sessions to be more jocular. Lakunle the school teacher in this play had a way with language in a bid to not only modernize his village but also beat the village chief Baroka from wooing over the village belle Sidi. I don’t even know how on earth I even remember the names  of these characters especially as for the life of me , I can’t remember the full  anatomy of the body without  the help of a search engine.  I guess that just goes to show that even with books some subjects are more engaging than others. 

As any literature student will tell you, it is just as important to read non-fiction books. And these too, have formed my disposition to life as they have taught me about the different fields in life. Categorically, owing to the fact that this genre is very unadulterated, I generally find them less appealing. However, once in a while, I have been pleasantly surprised with a book that has a style that stimulates the mind to consume these absolute realities of life.

Sadly, I don’t read as much as when I was young. This is very ironic especially as right now I not only have more books at my disposal but have limitless ways of getting the content. A friend recommended audio books, but I decided not to venture into that route, my reason it wouldn’t be the same.  They teased me about being so dated, so I compromised with electronic books. I now  have lots of books if you can call them that on  both my kindle and phone but  since there is no effort in turning  any pages , at most  I manage one book a month. 

I am still enchanted with books and when I have an opportunity like that day at the airport stand, as I glance through different books, I get enlivened at the story that each book represents with the people therein and their cast of mind. So embark on a new journey today, get a book and start turning the pages.