I remember my father used to bring newspapers downstairs every day after the vendor had thrown them outside the house. He is so passionate about things that happen in the world and wants to make me understand as well. He was standing beside me until I read a couple of news stories from the paper.

I did not realize when I shifted from reading newspapers to gulping up books. If I am not wrong, Adventures of Tom Sawyer was my first book. I took it from the school library.

Today, I would like to share my most beloved books that I have read repeatedly. Also, want my readers to go through these once.

Books I like to read the most...

The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed is a thick book comprised of interesting characters with utterly different lifestyles lived in Pakistan. The story revolves around the Salar and Umema. They resided in Pakistan and are neighbours.

Usually, I take time to read books as I am a slow reader, but because of curiosity, I finished it in a month. I am not making you feel drowsy by telling the brief description of the book and the characters in it. I will just recommend that you read it once if you want to live with the characters in your dreams.

Owen Oliver by Lena Kennedy is also a beautiful read. It is so soothing story that revolves around Owen. It is a story of a young man’s growth from innocence to maturity in the harsh world of Victorian England. Everything is great in the book however, the ending would break your heart into pieces as it had done to me. I was thinking of the book for days. How could Lena Keneddey do this to their innocent characters? I would say the author of the book did not show justice to Owen Oliver and to the readers as well.

But still, I would reread it to enjoy easy and simple writing.

The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett was written in 1905. Although this is a classic book for children but it is really fun to read for couple of times as an adult. Sara's crew is a pampered only child of her Father. They two resided in India as Sara’s mother died. Her father enrolled her in a boarding school, much against her wishes, in order to get an excellent education.

At boarding school, she came across Miss Minchin, the owner of the Select Seminary for Girls in London. Even in school, she enjoys the luxurious life provided by Mr. Crew. Piles of books as she loves to read, comfortable, warm, expensive clothes and blankets are hers. These things make her different from other girls in school. Soon, everyone in the seminary named Sara, Princess.

It is a very comforting story to read. What I like about this book is that it shows the reality of the world. After her father died in debt, Miss Minchin started worrying about her expenses. She moved Sara into a messy attic after spirit away all the luxury she had. I believe Sara's crew get a chance to know the real world at her very young age. Life is different from those fairy tales that she read in the book and daydreams about.

In the book, when she is really exhausted, she comes back to the attic after delivering what Miss Minchin told her. She tried to talk to the doll and wanted to share everything she was going through. However, she realizes the doll could not feel the pain, tiredness, or her starvation, as Emily is as lifeless as a chair or a wall. Sara Crew realizes how lonely she is in the world after being orphaned.

The universe wants to make Sara go through such agony at a young age as she can know the truth. I would say it is a blessing that she knows no one is unworthy to trust.

Genre that I pick once a year...

Sometimes I read religious books such as The Life of the Prophet by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Where he tells A to Z about our Prophet of Islam.

The month of Ramadan had been spent reading books and sleeping most of the time. Reading books of the Islamic genre has simple writing that can be easily understood. Still, I do pick some other genre just to get rid of the boredom of reading the same thing repeatedly, as I have a few Islamic books.

I have not read spooky text so far.

Apart from such a genre. I have a keen interest in horror and spooky content. I do like ghost novels, where dead people having evil intentions go back to their old places, start living again to trouble the new residents of the house.

When it comes to the horror genre, I like to watch them instead of read them, or it could be said that I have not read any horror so far. I could not state any fact on it. I did not experience horror while reading a similar genre, as I have not read it yet.

Many such horror books are listed online that explain what actually happened at that time. How those families had no alter but to deal with paranormal activities. The exorcist is one of the books I want to read so badly. It was written by William Peter Blatty on 5 May 1971 and published by Harper and Row. He wrote the entire exorcism of Regan MacNeil so well that the director of the movie missed most of the things that happen to Regan.

Well, after penning down the brief description of the book, leave the writing and start reading ‘The Exorcist’ now.

Which author do I like to read without having a second thought?

Well, you are familiar with the author. I am sure you know who wrote the Title ‘The Room of the Roof’. This statement is enough for you, my reader, to know the answer.

Born in 1934, wrote a number of beautiful books for kids and teenagers. Perhaps, people who their youth and living in their 40s or 50s like to pick Delhi is Not Far, Maharani, Leopard on the Mountain, A Season of Ghosts, Owls in the Family, The Blue Umbrella, etc.

The room on the roof is the first book and has gained the most popularity, appreciation amongst all his works.

The author picks beautiful Dehradun for Rusty to have an adventure. Though he lives outside of Dehradun, he has a different attachment to the indian community. This book emphasize the notion to follow the instinct rather than being in the rules and regulations decided by someone else for you. I like Rusty for being himself, he chooses to be free and do what he likes to do.

He took a step against his dominating uncle, Mr. Harrison, who micromanaged him to the extent make he left the house. He wants to keep Rusty away from involving the Indian community, which is why he is prohibited to the town. He met some boys who later became brothers. They create a pitiful family. Rusty found a job and accommodation as well as an English teacher through one of his friends.

Working and supporting himself independently gives him a notion of being free as a bird. Many of us wish to be as independent as Rusty. We all somehow, somewhere find ourselves bound in our own things. Ruskin Bond chose the best combination of words to describe claustrophobia in the book.

I don’t want to rot like mangoes at the end of the season, or burn out like the sun at the end of the day. I cannot live like the gardener, the cook and water carrier, doing the same task every day of my life…. I want to be either somebody or nobody. I don’t want to be anybody.

.    .    .