So, that was my journey into the world of books. Until this mortal body rests with its immortal soul, reading will continue. And the soul will carry this passion into the next birth.

Some disjointed views and observations on books:

There are many books you can read in parallel. With experience, you learn how to skip and jump through sections. However, beware: if the book has literary value or a deep plot, never do that.

In books from the 1970s and maybe for another decade and a half, many fiction books contain passages that some may not cherish, appreciate, or like. But let us consider the entire book, assess its overall value, omit what can be omitted, and carry on. Let us not miss out on a book just because of a few passages.

Even fiction books can be a source of wonderful knowledge—be it about places, landmarks, history, behavioral science, basic facts, psychology, societal life, language, and much more.

As you keep reading, you'll find that many passages may not add much to the value of the story—like descriptions of a character's appearance, dress, gestures, or exclamations. But imagine a book without these; some hollow feeling would remain.

I have rarely criticized any book or, for that matter, any creative endeavor in art, writing, or movies. Every creator uses their knowledge, wisdom, experience, and imagination to produce a piece they value. Let us not casually dismiss them. There has been effort, and we should place some value on it.

Relate the book to the period in which it was written.

Encourage new authors. Don’t just stick to those you have liked and admired in the past. More new authors mean more creativity and ideas.

Recently, I listened to two books: a World War II story, *The Book Thief*, and a 100-year-old story, *Crime and Punishment*. The latter is a psychological thriller. Unless you delve into the era in which they were written, you cannot truly appreciate them. I never leave a book unread or partly read. One exception was *To Kill a Mockingbird*, a sensational success. It's a slow-moving story from another century, but the reason I could not finish it was because it was in Kindle format, and before I could finish, my sight worsened. To be honest, I was very slow in reading this book. But at some point, I will get the audio version and listen to it to do justice to the author.

To be continued... 19. A Wonderful Parallel Universe