Books take me to another place when I have to stay put in one place or need to get away from my own thinking and into another person’s head.

“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.” — Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

Books take me to another place when I have to stay put in one place or need to get away from my own thinking and into another person’s head. They help me glimpse incredible spaces created by others and learn by experiencing them.

I am awed by those who can read a book every week and keep score. I have never been a fast reader nor do I keep score of what I read. I need time to absorb every word, pausing now and then to interpret what the author might have wanted to convey through a particular phrase or sentence. I may even pause for a day or two. I don’t have any plan for reading either. When I start treating a fun activity as a goal, it ceases to be fun.

In a world filled with technology urging me to hurry up or become a ‘super version’ of myself, books are my refuge. On average, I read a book every month. Usually, a couple of them are not lengthy, because I’m unable to indulge in heavy reading all the time. I might even repeat a book. Books that I remember and go, ‘Ah, that’s something I want to read again.’ It is rather easy to read my way but it doesn’t seem to be in trend now.

If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all. – Oscar Wilde

I have been known to read children’s books (Harry Potter, anyone?) if I’m in the mood. Sometimes, I’ve read those books because younger readers in the family have wanted to eager to discuss them with me. I remember how I was at their age: I was Jim hiding in an apple barrel, listening to Long John Silver with a beating heart; I was Harriet the Spy, so shockingly honest that others found it easier to dismiss me based on their perception of truth rather than accept the truth itself; I was the Hobbit who found the ‘One Ring’… I also loved poking around in libraries. The mustier, the better. Books painted my young world in wild, vivid colors.

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” – Jorge Luis Borges

I do go out of my way to read biographies and autobiographies. I like reading or listening to what’s going on in other’s lives if they happen to share their experiences. Almost always, I feel like there’s a common thread running through all our lives. We seem to experience many similar issues, perhaps in varying degrees but with the same undertones. It seems to me that I’m part of this common fraternity—the human fraternity—which is winging it at least some of the time and ploughing through life the best it can.

Life is like a book. There are good chapters, and there are bad chapters. But when you get to a bad chapter, you don’t stop reading the book! If you do… then you never get to find out what happens next! – Brian Falkner

I rushed to buy a Kindle when books went electronic because it was easier to buy and read more books than ever before. I’m also fond of sites like Project Gutenberg which give me free access to wonderful books. Lately, though, I’ve been turning more to print books. Why? Maybe I like the feel of paper and print or maybe they just evoke good memories.

Without further ado, I’m sharing the names of some books I’ve enjoyed. Many of them are free. Please click on the book’s title. You may find them interesting or they might help you start exploring the fascinating world of books. Happy reading!

Free Books

• The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1879)
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)
• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943)
• The Children of the New Forest by Frederick Marryat (1847)
• The Bhagavad Gita originally in Sanskrit and translated into English by Sir Edwin Arnold (1900) There are many other translated versions available on Amazon. This is a philosophical work.
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (1876)
• Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett (1952)

Available on Amazon

• A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park (2001)
• Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela (1994)
• The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel by Haruki Murkami (1994)
• 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (1970)
• Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir by Frank McCourt (1994)
• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (2000)
• Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight (2016)
• Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (1989)