Six years ago today, this website went live. And its most important page since that day? The Bucket List.
Of course, it was one of the website’s very first pages, and has always enjoyed a predictable, consistent flow of traffic. But there’s more to it than that.
The Bucket List holds significance that goes beyond data and footfall; significance that has grown in magnitude over every single day of the past six years.
My first employer revealed it was the list that secured my first interview at my first job. Some of my closest friendships have been cultivated in its fertile soil — these were once-strangers who discovered the line-up online, were excited (and dare I say inspired?) enough to write in, and the rest is sweet, serendipitous, friendship history. And, well, as a perpetually restless nomad, the list has long been the secure home for my unbridled travel ideas, much before it made its way online.
So, it was only a matter of time before its long-private spin-off went public, too: The Book Bucket List. Yes, it’s finally here!
Books often find themselves front and centre of my fondest memories. A strong side effect of choosing the aforementioned nomadic life is that I often find myself alone — whether that’s precariously navigating Mumbai in a battered kali peeli, exploring the mountains of Shaanxi sans tour guide, or unpacking and setting up shop in bustling Kuala Lumpur. But, in reality, I’m never quite alone in any of this — I’ll always have a book by my side.
When I’m not travelling (a sensation we’re, unfortunately, all too familiar with these days), reading transports me to wherever I’d rather be. For once, my Indian passport is no barrier to my travel dreams; I can hike the trails of drizzly Oregon or swim in the cool cenotes of Mexico, all by settling in with a comforting paperback — no unwieldy visa application needed, thank you.
And while the original bucket list is filled to the brim with hashtag wanderlust, its literary counterpart is packed with that which has been a far more loyal home confinement companion: the joy of reading.
Naturally, any bucket list runs the risk of quickly becoming long, overwhelming and, ultimately, unachievable.
Here’s why I’m hoping this particular list never gets there:
It’s designed to be tightly curated — now and forever — to ensure it’ll remain a reasonable, manageable length. (And yes, the dearth of self-help books on the list is very much deliberate.)
Every single book on the list is a book I’m certain I want to read. So, although a light dose of ‘classics’ (that I want to read) have found their way in, many of the books are just plain fun. Because, for me, reading is — and always will be — all about having fun.
Tell me: What’s on your book bucket list?
Until next time,
S
Cover image captured in my secret spot amongst the hills of Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India.