Books are my best friends

**Books are a medium to transport us to another world. To anyone else, they may look like pages full of dull print, but to me, they open a door to a wondrous world of magic, mystery, wild imagination, legendary icons and ordinary heroes, adventure, love... all created through a fantastic interplay of words.

Being an only child, books have always been and will be, my best friends. They make me think about others' feelings and appreciate the world and its beings in a different light. Books intrigue me. They induce strong feelings in me and keep me on edge till the very end.

I'm a fan of fiction but I also read non-fiction. The pull for fiction comes from the fact the author builds an entire world that may not exist but seems very true when savoured through the words. I think that’s part of the reason. But books also engage me because of the fact that reality is sometimes too hard to handle and I find fictional characters much more friendly and appealing than those around me.

My parents would buy me books from when I was very young. Till the moment I die, I will be surrounded by books,books,books. And I do not think anyone needs a reason to read. It is a whole world always open to anyone willing to enter it.

What pains me is the fact that nowadays no one gives literature the importance it deserves. I have always relished reading and enjoy my language classes the most at school .

I think I mostly read sitting on the bed cross-legged with my book balanced on a pillow. You see, I tend to take good care of books, almost as if they have a life of their own. Even a tiny bend of the cover can get me real angry and I will do my best to restore it to normal. While reading, I tend to toss and turn or sit up according to the situation in the story.

There aren't many people in my family who go on reading like I do. Mom mostly buys me the books I want but when I put studies at stake, she turns furious. My cousin reads a bit on my compulsion but that is all. I remember she once called me 'Shakespeare'! I am not anywhere that good, but I want to read all the books I can before my last breath. So now, I will get going; I have got a book to read!**