The Book That Pulled Me Out of Reading Slump

For someone who manages a public library and is into the literary world, I recently experienced a reading slump.

I wondered if it was a “me” problem or I just haven’t found a book that made me overly fixated on it.

But since I got a new tablet, I decided to give a google play book one more chance.
Somehow, I found that there are some interesting books that pop-up in my feed including some fiction, non-fiction and history books.

While I have been trying to learn and read books on my newest venture, I am generally a sucker for history, especially ancient asian history. Reading history is almost like reading a fantasy book to me. The people, the culture, and the social settings which happened in the past mesmerized me. It takes quite a certain skill to write a non-fiction historical book. These authors must know how to weave the words to pull us into the universe they’re talking about, whether it’s ancient history or world war II or any significant period in our world.

Majapahit: Intrigue, Betrayal, and War in Indonesia's Greatest Empire by Herald Van der Linde is the first book that pulls me out of my reading slump. Linde knows how to pull readers hooked into exploring the empire that was once regarded as the “lost civilization” or you can say something like “Atlantis” of South East Asia. The Majapahit empire ruled over places from Indonesia to Madagascar. Their civilization is as complex as our modern time brimmed with wars, political maneuvers, and even rivalry among those who sit in the throne and the courts.

The story of Majapahit and its civilization, much of it was scribed on a manuscript that thankfully found its way to be rescued from a fire during a war in Indonesia sometime around the 19th century. In those manuscripts, the poet wrote about the common lives of people who lived under Majapahit and it was regarded as one of a kind poetry as poets back in the day preferred to write a narrative involving war or a love story between hero and heroine.

Van Linde wrote the book explaining from the beginning to the end of Majapahit reign that helped us understand just how massive its empire was but also, throughout the book, it made us remember to document our journey, life and experiences even when it is seemingly mundane. Even when our story doesn’t involve any archetypical heroism.

I would recommend reading this book to anyone who enjoys history and wants to get out of a reading slump. This isn’t your typical boring historical book, it was written as if we’re reading a fantasy novel.