The Alchemist- Paulo Coelho’s bestselling novel has continued to inspire and awe readers across the globe. With his books translated in more than 39 languages, he has fascinated readers with his writing which imparts in us a greater understanding of our self and that of the universe. With the hard-hitting and universal truth presented in his book, The Alchemist is surely on my list of ‘Books to Read before You Die’. Here are a few quotes from his famed novel:

At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie.
p. 18

There is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe.... The soul of the world is nourished by people's happiness.
p. 22

When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. (my personal favourite)
p. 22

At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible.They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their destiny.

If good things are coming, they will be a pleasant surprise," said the seer. "If bad things are, and you know in advance, you will suffer greatly before they even occur.
p. 102

Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dream.
p. 130

There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.
p. 141

What happens once will never happen again. But what happens twice will surely happen a third time.
p. 156


...And that dream, day by day, became less important. May be cause it wasn't really his dream
Don't think about what you've left behind.
If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil. If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return.
It's not often that money saves a person's life.
It is said that the darkest hour of the night comes just before the dawn.
If I am really part of your dream, you will come back one day.
Fatima

May love be your guide in every moment of your life.
As he mused about these things, he realised that he had to choose between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a thief and as an adventurer in quest of his treasure
The desert takes our dreams away from us, and they don't always return. We know that, and we are used to it. Those who don't return become a part of the clouds, a part of the animals that hide in the ravines and of the water that comes from the earth. They become part of everything... They become the soul of the world.
Fatima

Understanding Harry Potter

Well as you might have guessed from the previous post, I am down with Harry Potter fever. With the last installment of the Harry Potter series and the film based on the fifth book ‘Harry Potter and The Order of Phoenix’ releasing one after another, it is a treat for all of Harry Potter fans. Many might depressed about the series coming to an end, but as they say, all good things have to come to an end.

For more than a decade, the bespectacled orphan boy has managed to capture the attention of thousands of readers and has continued to maintain its faithful base of fans. Google the word ‘Harry Potter’ and you will get approximately hits. J.K.Rowling has, in a way, revived the dying habit of reading. Many critics might dismiss this idea, but they themselves have no explanation as to how these books have set a record for themselves. Fans line up since midnight to get the first copy of the latest installment and then they finish it off by reading it for hours at a stretch. In less than a few hours, websites dedicated to Harry Potter carry spoiler warnings for the plot as the fans quite animatedly discuss about the plot and characters.

So I wonder, what is it that endears ‘The Boy who Lived’ and his best buddies- Ron and Hermione, to the readers? At least there is a partial explanation to this. According to a research, the reason for success of books of authors such as Enid Blyton and J.K. Rowling lies in the way they use simplicity of language. As many might have noticed, both these authors have used simple, lucid language in their works which triggers certain biochemical reactions which in turn keeps the reader hooked. Simple language has got to do everything with their success.

Another reason for success of Harry Potter is that it presents to us a magical world which is completely different from our ‘Muggle’ world. The author has delved into every tiny detail of Harry Potter’s world which makes it all the more believable. We use the book as an escape from our mundane, mechanical life. How nice it would be if we could summon the remote with one flick of wand! Or we could use a flying broom (I personally would want the Firebolt) to zip off to our destinations, without getting crushed in the local trains. The possibilities are unlimited, provided we give free reign to our imagination. More often than not, I find myself chanting spells, charms and hexes in front of the mirror, in the hope that it might work and then I would be inducted in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I would scan the skies for an owl, conveniently forgetting the bad reputation it enjoys in various cultures.

The emotions in the book are so raw and so human, that you can actually relate to them. Many cried when Sirius Black and Dumbeldore were killed, as if it was their personal loss. Many would ask why one would shed tears over the death of a fictional character. It is because the reader and Harry Potter merge into one whole entity. His problems bother us and we celebrate his victories. It is a source of utmost pleasure to us when we, at least for a few hours, are the hero and by partaking in the adventures, we try to feel the adrenaline rush in our veins. I feel this infuses a new energy in us, which in turn prepares us to face fresh challenges. The author stresses the importance of facing one’s fears and even though we might have many allies in this battle, the final battle will have to be fought by you-alone. And above all it underlines one important fact, always emphasized y the beloved headmaster Dumbledore -nothing is superior to love.

Do you find this idea too churlish? Here are a few lines from ‘Life of Pi’ by Yann Martel-
“Fear is difficult to put into words. For fear, real fear, such as shakes you to your foundation, such as you feel when you are brought face to face with your mortal end, nestles in your memory like a gangrene: it seeks to rot everything, even the words with which to speak of it. So you must fight hard to express it. You must fight hard to shine the light of words upon it. Because if you don’t, if your fear becomes a wordless darkness that you avoid, perhaps even manage to forget, you open yourself to further attacks of fear because you never truly fought the opponent who defeated you.”
Need I say more?

HARRY POTTER FEVER