Why We Love Books

Because in this world of ethereal pleasures, books make it possible for you to sit down with a cup of coffee on a cold winter morning and leisurely stroll around someone else’s thoughts. Because when you read multiple books by the same author, you feel as if you are rekindling an old friendship; the ice has already been broken, and you can refer to a shared past.

Because books make it possible for you to briefly fall in love with someone down the compartment reading your favourite paperback. Because you can mark your favorite lines in the book you are reading and go back to them later and smile. Because when you buy books second-hand, their pen marks and scribbles give you an unauthorized sneak peek into a stranger’s life. Because books take you to places you would never visit and introduce you to interesting strangers you can secretly have silly affairs with. Because, in the worst of situations, the question “What are your favourite books?” can lead to long-winded conversations about this and that and everything else in between.

Because you can carry your books with yourself on trips and feel as if your world is traveling with you. Because books make tedious train journeys special and magical. Because when you open your suitcase and see books inside, you feel instantly at home even in unknown places. Because books ensure that you never have to go on a vacation alone.

Because the smell of books—the ink, paper, and word smell—gets better with age. Because you can read books late into the night and cuddle with them as you fall asleep.

Because if you have a friend who loves books as much as you do, you can meet them in coffee shops on weekends and discuss literature and stories for hours. Because if a generation is locked into a library and is forced to read books for years, you can be sure that, when it comes out, it would be full of interesting people to hang out with. Because you know a person is your best friend when you can lend them your favorite paperback without worrying whether it would be returned to you.

Because you can spend only thousand rupees in a bookshop and come back with a supply of your month’s pastime. Because bookstores in a market are like your friends in a crowd of strangers; you constantly feel like going up to them and giving them a hug.

Because when you are feeling low, you can rearrange your bookshelves and feel the world fall back into place. Because books ensure that you are not alone when you have spaces to be lonely in. Because books set you apart in a crowd; they give you an identity; they complete you. Because reading books is personal therapy; it heals quietly and in solitude.

Because books tell stories, and stories are all there are to live in.