No one who has ever approached a book with the thrill of anticipation all too familiar to book lovers, can deny the magical hold that books exercise on the imagination. Each new book is a promise of yet another exciting voyage, another encounter with a million possibilities. Each old one is a treasured friend, a trusted counsellor, a wise teacher or an inaccessible stranger that forever evades any attempts at familiarity.

Photos by Pradeep Tewari

An affair with books is a lifelong one and like any other affair, it is particularly poignant when the protagonist is young. "I love books," says Binny, a BA final student. "I make it a point to read every day. There is always a book on my bedside table." Enthuses Akash, a college student, "Books take you into another world. There is magic in every word you read."

Children are made readers on the laps of their parents

— Emilie Buchwald

Just like the charm of the beloved never fades, the appeal of books too endures. "My father was a professor and I grew up with books," says 26-year old Manish, who leads the Greenpeace team in Chandigarh, "I have loved reading ever since I was a child." Laughs Sonal, a college-goer, "My mother narrated fairytales to my sister and me when we were children and when I had heard the same story for the thousandth time, I decided it was time for a new story. That is when I ventured into the world of books." ’s put it this way, there was never a time when I didn’t read," says Rubina, a young city-based journalist. "I buy books all the time, if not for myself then for friends or family," she adds.

Nor can the beloved be abandoned, ever, even though the path is strewn with many an obstacle. An affair once begun, acquires immortality and the lover keeps coming back for more. "In addition to reading, I enjoy watching movies. Last year I bought a DVD player and watched a lot of movies, so reading took a backseat. But now I am back to books," says Vikram, a city-based journalist. "Before coming to Chandigarh, I was in Mumbai and I didn’t get much time to read. But ever since I have moved here I have been reading a lot," shares Manish. Namit, a 24-year-old engineer, now preparing for MBA, too went through a phase when books had to be sacrificed to more pressing concerns. But as is the case with other book lovers, the separation was temporary. "Due to academic pressure during the years I was studying engineering, I could not read much else," he says, "But now I am making up for lost time. In the last three months, I have read 20 books."

Blow hot, blow cold

Just as a single ill-considered move can shatter a delicate relationship, the affair with books too can be easily wrecked. "I was unfortunate enough to select a wine-women-and-song book by Khushwant Singh as one of my first books by an Indian author writing in English and that effectively put me off Indian-English writers for quite some time," says Sonal.

Like some lifelong affairs that begin with a disastrous first date, some books too resist any attempts to fall in love at first sight. "The first time I read The Alchemist, I didn’t like it at all. It was trying to say something more than just what was written and I think I was too young to grasp the message. But when I read it again, I thought it was fantastic. There was a time when I considered it my Bible," says Sonal.

A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age

— Robertson Davies

And then, again, as some outgrow what at one time appeared to be a true love, some outgrow books, no matter how eagerly read the first time. "I really liked Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things when I read it, though looking back now, I can’t imagine why," says Vikram. "I loved Rebecca (Daphne Du Maurier) when I read it in school but I am not sure I will like it as much if I read it now. The same is true of Fountainhead which I loved when I read it in college. At that age you want to rebel and the book gels with that desire, but later as you grow older, you want to rationalise what you read and that is when books like Fountainhead lose their appeal," says Radhika, a professional in her early thirties.

Romantics need not lose heart, though, some loves weather the ravages of time. "Books like To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) and Of Human Bondage (Somerset Maugham) are my all-time favourites. I love them even now, years after I first read them. Such books leave you feeling good about life and human values," continues Radhika. "I think I have been reading P.G Wodehouse forever," says Shalini, "Okay, if not forever, then at least for the past 20 years. He never fails to prop up my drooping spirits. I think I can continue reading him for the rest of my life," she adds.

Affair to remember

An affair with books, like any true love, makes one whole in oneself. For some, like 18-year-old Megha, a college student, books afford the much-sought-after solitude. "I am not a people’s person," she says, "I enjoy being alone with books. I can spend hours in a library." Says Binny, "Sometimes I prefer reading to even going out with friends." For others like Sonal, these are a getaway, an island of calm and serenity amidst the noise of everyday life. "Reading can shut out everything else. You can pick up a book and enter a world all your own. You can read on a bus or a train, or when there is an exam coming up and you don’t want to think about how much you still have to study." And best of all, she adds, books keep her away from TV.

I must say that I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a book — Groucho Marx

For still others, books are companions that can be counted upon to always be there. "I have a transferable job and often find myself in cities where I don’t know anyone, but with books, I am never alone. As long as I have something to read, I never find it difficult to pass time," says Tarun, a 28-year-old executive. "Books are the most faithful companions. Even when all your boyfriends ditch you, books are still around. In fact, I take one to bed with me every night," laughs Shalini.

And then there are some, like Manish, to whom books are what windshield wipers are to a driver — they help them see the road ahead and the world around with so much more clarity. "Books give me the sensitivity to understand life, relationships, and even myself," he says.

Different strokes

Beauty, they say, lies in the eyes of the beholder. And a book’s worth is best judged by its most intimate lover. No one else’s opinion can — or should — matter. And, just as one might be hard-pressed to find beauty in another’s beloved, no two readers can ever agree on whether a book is good, bad or ugly.

It is, perhaps, for this reason that some prefer to stay away from reviews. As Vikram says, he wants "to approach a book with an unprejudiced mind". As Sonal points out, different people like different things and "a couple of people like a book and a thousand just add to it without ever reading it". She goes on to add, "For instance, even though Life of Pi won many awards, I thought that Yann Martel had overdone it. And while Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s A Hundred Years of Solitude was a good book, it was hardly the life-altering experience that a celebrity claimed it was during an interview on TV." This is why, she says, she is always unsure of any book that is highly recommended.

This, of course, is not true of all readers and there are many, like Rubina, who take reviews seriously. Many also depend on recommendations by friends because as Sonal says, "I know what my friends are like so I would much rather trust their judgement."

It’s fiction for some...

The many objects of affection that the world of books offers can be divided into two broad categories: fiction and non-fiction. While people like Sanjeev, a young executive in an IT company and Rodney, a lawyer, are mostly into non-fiction, readers like Rubina, Sonal and Geeta, an advocate, would rather head for the fiction section. Says Sushant Banerjee, Manager British Council Library, "Readers demand both fiction and non-fiction. Many times a person who takes a non-fiction title for serious academic pursuit will also issue a fiction book for light reading."

Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures — Jessamyn West

In the fiction category, bestsellers do not seem to find favour with readers who claim they read books that have some substance. "I loved books like War and Peace, Maneater of Malgudi, A Brief History of Time, Siddharth, Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye, Fathers and Sons, Devil’s Advocate, Nausea and Outsider," says Rubina. Namit lists writers like Richard Bach and Dan Brown among his favourites and says books like Tuesdays with Morrie and Life of Pi left a lasting impact on him. Vikram enjoys short stories, especially those by Raymond Caver and Borges, and detective fiction. Manish counts Love in the Time of Cholera, Global Soul and Remembrance of Things Past among his favourites.

Readers like Geeta, who liked Five Point Someone, enjoy contemporary fiction. Says Pankaj P. Singh, Chief Executive, Browser, "Latest books are always in demand. The latest books by Sidney Sheldon and V S Naipaul — Are You Afraid of the Dark and Magic Seeds — are arousing interest these days, as also the 9/11 Commission report and the book of the letters of JRD Tata. My Life (Bill Clinton) is also doing very well." Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code is somewhat of a phenomenon in the bestseller category. The thinking-man’s thriller has found many admiring takers. Both Namit and Radhika say they enjoyed it. While Radhika liked it because "it makes you feel good to be a woman", Namit has been so captivated by it that he is reading a non-fiction follow-up to Dan Brown’s work.

Indian writers writing in English, too, are in demand. Banerjee says the British Library has added a special section of these books on readers’ demand. "I love Indian writers," says Megha, who regards Difficult Daughters (Manju Kapur), and works by Rohinton Mistry as interesting. While some opt for Indian-English writers or regional-language works translated in English, others like Rubina and Manish enjoy the advantage of being able to read books in the original language. Rubina says she can read Hindi and Punjabi and is trying to brush up her Urdu and Persian.

In the first-in-first-out situation that prevails in most bookstores, where do classics stand? "I think I have ignored classics for very long," admits Vikram, "Now I want to start reading them." Points out Singh, "Classics have their dedicated band of readers. Youngsters don’t normally opt for such books but those who enjoy them keep coming back for more."

...and fact for others

Non-fiction finds favour among those who read for information rather than entertainment. Many fiction fans find non-fiction too bland. "There aren’t too many good non-fiction books," feels Sonal. Either they stay away from them altogether or limit their reading to a few select segments, like Rubina who goes for only adventure and astrophysics. On the contrary, many opt solely for non-fiction and keep fiction at an arm’s length. "The only fiction I read is stuff that finishes in a day. Fiction is not worth the effort of serious perusal," says Apoorav, a 29-year-old finance professional, adding, "I am more into philosophy and Bertrand Russell is among my favourites."

Some prefer to read for professional reasons. Shares Rodney, "I generally read legal books, with occasional fiction thrown in." In the non-fiction category management titles, self-help books and biographies are the fastest moving books. "Self-help books are very popular among young readers," says Singh, "Management books also find favour with young executives who want to sound intelligent by quoting these."

While some like Megha, who says she also enjoys pop-psychology, feel self-help books are interesting and rewarding, others like Vikram find these a complete waste of time. Says Radhika, "Only those who want to change themselves will find self-help books worthwhile. These are bound to put off others." Sanjeev considers books by Krishnamurti, Wayne Dyer, Stephen Covey and Deepak Chopra his favourite reads, while Megha says she enjoyed Conversations with God.

At the end it doesn’t matter what you love, fact or fiction, a high-brow tome or an airport-lounge read, what matters is the unbeatable exhilaration of that comes from having a book in your hands and the world at your feet.