BYB - Books!

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Books are often called a man’s best friend and that is what they indeed are. A good book is a treat for the mind and one of the best ways to spend time.

A book is a time machine, as it takes a person from the present to the past or the future. It is a guiding light as it can help a one in making various decisions in life. One can learn from mistakes that others have committed before him and can follow in the footsteps of people who have achieved greatness.

Books help in transmitting knowledge from one generation to the next. The new generation can move on from where their predecessors had left. Before the day of the book, the transmission of knowledge was mainly oral; this had the risk of being erroneous. But once a word is printed in a book, it will stay unchanged and withstand the tests of time.

Over the years there have been many books that have affected me in some way or the other. They have been my constant companions since the day I met them for the first time. There were many books that, once read, were hard to forget. Here I will try and attempt to choose the five books that I read and liked more than others.

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a story of a simple guy who is labeled Idiot by the society because of the simplicity of his heart. Though this book is set in Russia of yore, the theme of the novel is relevant even today.

Don Quixote by Miguel De Cerventes is one of the earliest novels to be written. It tells the tale of a middle aged man who believes himself to be a knight errant and sets out on his adventures. The result is comic and tragic in turns but it is a story well told and is a reflection on human wants and desires even today.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein is a book about which enough has been said and written, so I will not add anything.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is the story of Dorian and how his beauty and youth turn out to be a curse to him. It can be said that the story emphasizes the basic fact that some things are short lived and they are better left that way. In today’s world we see a race among people to “look” young, when in fact it would be a better idea to age gracefully and stay young at heart. How ever hard one tries to hold on to the looks, they will go.

The entire Sherlock Holmes stories and novels by A.C. Doyle, not for something they mean but because they make enjoyable stories.

There are many other books that I like but these are the five that I could think of at this time. But , I can say this: books have been a great blessing in my life. Have a great week and Merry Christmas to everyone around the world.