Lot of people read books, and lot of people don't. Yet, many a times I'm seen with my current interest, I hear the comment similar to," How is it that you can read so much? "or the more common, " I could never read that way." Honestly, sometimes I wonder why people forget that going through newspapers, and surfing the net also involves a lot of reading as well.

These days I have the luxury of going to the library and picking up a huge pile to keep myself occupied throughout the month. I think my husband is still amazed at the number of books I make him carry home. Never been into serious literature (though I try it once a while) , I read a Lot of fiction and love disappearing into the make believe. Love the smell of old and new books, though Some books plain stink these days :). And I love the feel of each page passing through my fingers. Don't get me wrong. I surf the net as much as the next person, yet the thought of cozying up into a blanket on my bed under my bedside lamp or a wrapped up sitting on chair leafing through pages gives me immense pleasure.

I started when I was young. Where I was, there was little for kid to do, other than stay at home, watch movies or read. Started with Archies, Richie Rich, Tinkle, Amar Chitra Katha ( that gave me all the knowledge of our mythology ). Moving onto Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Famous Five, Secret Seven. And then I went onto fiction, murder mysteries like Agatha Cristie, Perry Mason. Then came the Danielle Steeles and Sydney Sheldons. How can I not mention, the evergreen Readers Digest as a source of information on most walks of life ( though, they and all other magazines have gotten monotonous in their list of articles with time ). And then, being a girl, I was of course drawn to the Mills and Boons types of books. One day after picking up a book my elder bro got from college [ As the crow flies ] , I was hooked on Jeffry Archer. Am one book away from completing my collection but then his writing seems to be getting dissappointing. Then there was the tide of Harry Potter series, Bourne and Dan Brown. I still say movies can't live up to the charm of the book. Currently, on my nightstand I have the company of different authors including Ayn Rand, Wilbur Smith, James Patterson, Jackie Collins and Elizabeth Gage... After all these years, I have realized I have not outgrown Any of these books... The characters, their life, their statements

My bro and I used to love going to my aunt's house in Goa every year, specially to sit in the balcony by the sea and go through the comics and as we grew older novels. My uncle, and His sisters were avid readers when they were young and had a library to die for. My bro and I would run for That room as soon as we could, to go through as many books as we could get our greedy eyes on. Come to think of it, it was like candy to us. Even if it meant reading slyly, at the cost of our studies or getting scolded. If given an option, we always asked for books as gifts. Books gave us soothing company through long journeys, boring moments, lonely times or when seeking alone time. Till date, even though he's 10 years younger to me, we discuss all sorts of books we've read. By the way, He's heavily into Manga these days, and I just don't get it ( generation gap ??? ) . I've even developed a habit of always having a book close to my pillow to help calm me to sleep, on restless days.

There is never a dull moment, when I have a book close at hand. I believe, most books influence the way we think and in some or the other way affect our lives by touching a part of us, we never knew existed. Though I try to widen my net of authors and subjects, often I find myself wishing I could be as diligent a student. To date, there tons of books lying at my parent's place , lying in a cupboard untouched. I hope some day I can get my hands back on then or the legacy passes on.

I'd like to know of there are others out there, for whom books are a way of life or how certain books have influenced them. Maybe I could try them next... :)