Reader Spotlight: R

Readers: In Their Own Words is a 4-part series in which we pose 4 questions to 4 of Wardah's top readers. These are their answers:

Salaam! Could you introduce yourself?

Salaam, I'm R, an English teacher at a primary school. Trained as an engineer but between getting lost in bookstores and being 24-hour operationally-ready, the choice was clear.

What motivates you to read regularly?

It offers the best kind of respite for the times we are living now.

Do you have a specific reading method?

Never hesitate when a book calls you. Bring it home and let it sit on your shelf for a while or plunge into it immediately or Dip in, taste it and move on if it doesn't cast its spell there and then but trust me, it will later. There is a method to the madness!

Amongst all the books you've read, what are 3 titles you find yourself recommending to others all the time, and why?

1) East of Eden - John Steinbeck (biblical, epic, saga, I am a sucker for wide-open vistas)

2) The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene  (I like stories with a theological / spiritual slant)

3) The English Teacher - R K Narayan  (why? don't be silly!)

4) The Chosen - Chaim Potok (can make a grown man cry)

Ooops, how can I limit myself to just 3!