Roald Dahl’s magic
By: Anya Ananta
Tags: Storytelling, Quarantine, Books

Sometimes when I buy books online, after receiving the package whatsoever I just open the books, check the condition, give a shout-out to the store and put the book on the bookshelf, hoping that one day I will actually read the book and be enjoyed by it.

Reading is so much fun but from time to time it can get hard to finish even just one book if you have an attention span of a 3-years-old-kiddo (Truthfully speaking I could not even watch a movie with one hour time length because simply I would just get distracted within the first 15 minutes).

Reading something that’s totally unrelated to your study or to your works can get quite intimidating with the idea of that time I be spending, should be spent for journals, or articles about the major I am in and the work I should be doing.

But then, sometimes on November, I got reminded by ✨the new year, new me goal✨ I be making in the beginning of this year (even when it seems like it doesn’t matter no more knowing it’s almost the end of the year and also it’s 2020, like what do I expect?).

Basically, my goal was to at least read 30 books throughout the year. But knowing how tough this year has been for me, I keep it quiet lenient and flexible as in I don’t necessarily have to finish a big fancy book. I can just simply finish some new short-novela or a children story book that I can actually commit to start on consuming and to finish it gracefully. I will celebrate each one of it. What matters the most is I try myself to be focus for sometimes one thing at a time and try to digest what’s the writer had to offer.

As I remember this one goal, the one that I think at the very least upon my head that I can control somehow, I scanned my bookshelf. I know and am sure that I will find some books that I have never even touch the 3rd page of. Then, I came across the book of Roald Dahl. It was “The Magic Finger” and “George’s Marvelous Medicine”.

Then, I thought to myself. These are some pretty light books, how come I never gotten myself curious and finish it all in one sit down? Especially knowing that the works of art by Quentin Blake, the cartoonist is also (literally) in the book. Knowing Blake’s illustrations are speaking to me on a whole other level for me, I hesitated no more.

I realized I don’t have much time. In forty-five-minutes, I will have to be at my work and I know for sure I can not afford myself to be late. I just had to do it right away.

In which, I did.

I opened the first page of “The Magic Finger” and began to digest its words, its illustrations altogether. I just read it without knowing what would come and how would it end (I have never read this one book!), I didn’t bother myself either to check the synopsis of it on Goodreads and the rating of its users. I just go with the flow, and that, my dear friend, is one of the best read I have read this year.

The magic of Roald Dahl, has to offer, left me in such an astonishment. It reminds me once more that life is indeed a joke, but sometimes we just need to laugh it off. In my case, I laughed it off so hard by the storyline of The Magic Finger, and each page turning was such a joy to this mind, to myself and I have not been able to say this for the longest time.

I realized maybe all I need in this stage of life is just to stop for a little while and just laugh it off and excitedly be surprised with each of page turning Roald Dahl for his wittiness, for the sake of my sanity. All in all, Roald Dahl’s magic is undeniable.