Why books?

There are many in my life who does not understand my love for words. I love to read as much as I love to write. I prefer to write long sentences and paragraphs explaining a situation and love to read pages and pages of a captivating situation.

I own a small library and have a collection of biographies, fiction, literature, etc. I have often been asked that why do I love books so much. Many do not understand why I still insist upon spending a share of my income on books each month. More often than not, I avoid answering.

But when I cannot I refer them to read “The Bet” by Anton Chekhov. (You can read it here)

 

It was a short story that I read as part of my school course in 9^th standard, therefore I know it is popular and read by many. But probably not many remember it like I do.

I remember that story like reading it yesterday. (Probably I did that too, there isn’t a count of how many times I have read it)

What I love the most about it is the way the lawyer comprehends the letter when he explains the wisdom of the books.

I like to emphasis the power of the books by that letter. For a man, who had nothing but books for fifteen years turned out to be wiser than the other.

I argue that there are books to cater to each one’s need and all we need is to find the correct type to begin with. No writing is bad. Even the sloppy, down market romance or the chick-flick based soap stories. Each work is result of patience, research, imagination, vision, comprehension, editing and proofing. We must try to read to understand all of it and beyond.

Words are very powerful. One can argue that action is more powerful but words are the initiation to action and therefore very much required. I love to read because it is my food for soul.

Books are integral part of my life. They give me power to dream, to extend my horizon, teach me language, tell me things I didn’t know and most importantly they stay beside me. What is written in the books isn’t as easily replaceable as web content or newspapers. No current affairs might go in there but when they do, they are usually research from all angles.

Books give me a holistic approach to a situation and they give me a bird’s eye view of a situation. They provide me with wisdom I need, solution I look for, happiness that I try to find, vision that I lack, dreams that never occurred, arguments that I lost and most importantly they give me words that I love.

Books are as much part of my life as food and breathing is, and I do hope others can love them too. I will try to list my top five favorites (they are subjected to change)

-         Tuesdays with Morrie – I love the life lessons that this book provides

-         Eat, pray, love – It gives me hope to survive

-         The Godfather – I love the action, drama and the suspense

-         Tell me your dreams – I love it only because it was the first book I remember

-         Kaifi and I – My first and most beautiful autobiography I came across.

If you love books too, feel free to comment and recommend. If you don’t, I hope you will read the story and begin to like them. You can feel free to start with one of them if you like or ask me for recommendations and I might courier you a book.