book therapy for boredom headaches

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Book Therapy for Boredom Headaches “Light reading” doesn’t mean a ten penny romance novel, says Javaria Farooqui, it can be much more than that. For a common reader of English fiction, mere mention of something ‘classical’ can be quite threatening. Most people prefer the light hearted frivolity and movie-trailer suspense sequences of the good old Sidney Sheldon, Judith Mac Naught and the whole bunch of Mils and Boons. Teenagers find in them a panacea for all the ills of learning English language. Surprisingly, it works for most people. Nonetheless, some pieces of, what we term ‘classic’ in a layman’s vocabulary, can be more entertaining and much more profound than the above mentioned lot. Let’s start with the familiar name of Bapsi Sidhwa. Her novels Crow Eaters and American Brat can prove to be highly entertaining. Crow Eaters, with the backdrop of a Post- Partition Pakistan, tells the rags-to-riches story of a Parsi merchant. First half of the book is full of hilarious incidents, comprising of burlesque fights between him and his mother-in-law, as he tries to get rid of her interfering presence in his household. American Brat is more enjoyable for teenagers, who can join Feroza in her discovery of her own self, as she leaves Pakistan for America. Her hilarious frenzies, her inhibitions and her difficulties of settling down in a totally new cultural set-up of early 80’s America, can actually be your reason for not going out on a weekend. Moving away from such around-the-corner scenes, things looking as far as the then newly Industrialized England, may make you feel at home when coming out of Elizabeth Gaskell’s pen. North and South, for instance, provides you with the picture of a rich man and poor girl relationship in new dimensions. Emotions and despairs of a young woman in days gone by, still have the power to stir the heart of a sensitive 21 st Century reader. Yet sometimes, there is a need for something more adventurous and vivacious. Then the British dame Agatha Christie can come to the rescue with her intriguing novels,

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Book Therapy for Boredom Headaches

Book Therapy for Boredom Headaches

Light reading doesnt mean a ten penny romance novel, says Javaria Farooqui, it can be much more than that.

For a common reader of English fiction, mere mention of something classical can be quite threatening. Most people prefer the light hearted frivolity and movie-trailer suspense sequences of the good old Sidney Sheldon, Judith Mac Naught and the whole bunch of Mils and Boons. Teenagers find in them a panacea for all the ills of learning English language. Surprisingly, it works for most people. Nonetheless, some pieces of, what we term classic in a laymans vocabulary, can be more entertaining and much more profound than the above mentioned lot. Lets start with the familiar name of Bapsi Sidhwa. Her novels Crow Eaters and American Brat can prove to be highly entertaining. Crow Eaters, with the backdrop of a Post-Partition Pakistan, tells the rags-to-riches story of a Parsi merchant. First half of the book is full of hilarious incidents, comprising of burlesque fights between him and his mother-in-law, as he tries to get rid of her interfering presence in his household. American Brat is more enjoyable for teenagers, who can join Feroza in her discovery of her own self, as she leaves Pakistan for America. Her hilarious frenzies, her inhibitions and her difficulties of settling down in a totally new cultural set-up of early 80s America, can actually be your reason for not going out on a weekend.

Moving away from such around-the-corner scenes, things looking as far as the then newly Industrialized England, may make you feel at home when coming out of Elizabeth Gaskells pen. North and South, for instance, provides you with the picture of a rich man and poor girl relationship in new dimensions. Emotions and despairs of a young woman in days gone by, still have the power to stir the heart of a sensitive 21st Century reader. Yet sometimes, there is a need for something more adventurous and vivacious. Then the British dame Agatha Christie can come to the rescue with her intriguing novels, knit around devious criminals who seem so innocent and trusting. There is a clichd wide range of selection of her work, each promisingly different and intoxicating than the other. Your pick can be The Man in the Brown Suit, where Anne Beddingfield is thrilled beyond her wildest dreams by her involvement in a murderous espionage. Armed with a single clue, Anne struggling to unmask a faceless killer can keep you hanging on each word till the evening wears off. Or you can read N or M?, an unlikely adventure of a middle aged spy couple, who seek out two highly placed traitors hiding among a seaside boarding house. Old age does not always mean waiting for your children to come home to you, as for Tommy and Tuppence; it is chasing an international criminal in World War II milieu. Reading is a not a synonym of boredom, it rather helps you to alleviate it. At times for people with an eight hour work routine, life seems useless and vapid. To give importance to what you do and explore your own self, the casual yet highly influential works of the well known Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho. His Alchemist told thousands that "When a person really desires something all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream." Main character, Santiago, is constantly tested in his journey to "find his treasure", yet he continues to listen to the murmurings of his heart, which are never wrong. Santiago learns about love along the way and helps others to face their fears as well. Coelho states, "And that's where the power of love comes in. Because when we love, we always strive to become better than we are." All these and many other books are easily available in the leading bookstores. So the medicine for your boredom headaches stands a at few rupees distance.