Reading is one of the best ways to spend time wisely. Anyone who doesn't have a reading habit, in my opinion, is missing out a lot in life. It is said that a book is a man's best friend. And there are some really good reasons why this is true:
1. It transports you to an exciting world you are not a part of
2. You get to learn new things about the world around you; improved general knowledge
3. You get to travel to places sitting in your room
4. You have more exposure to human behavior and consequently are better informed
5. As a person, you grow philosophically reading books and are more matured
6. Makes you an open-minded person
7. You form new ideas about a lot many things
8. For the sheer joy of reading
It is very common to find people without a reading habit who like reading comic strips if they have nothing else to do. If you belong to this category of people, transitioning to a non-graphic novel isn't all that difficult. Some people are turned off by the amount of time needed to invest in reading books when it seems like there are other activities that seem to be able to kill time much faster. Consider a 3 hour indian movie that you watch on television that typically lasts 4.5 hours taking into account all the advertisements and songs which you could most often do without. This is pretty much the amount of time it would take to read 1/3rd of an average novel if you are an average reader. Books are much more intense, gripping and personal than movies ever can be. This is why most books have poor movie versions. Besides, a good book can take you into a virtual world inside which time does not exist and you ride an adventure you never forget. You live the moment as you read.
Many people are daunted by big books with hundreds of pages of text without images. I belonged to this category once upon a time. My initial attempts to read failed out of fear of the inability to remember character names over many pages without having a face to attach to them. Also, the descriptions were too detailed and unnecessary. It is true that some books are too complicated for beginners to read and can turn off people from the reading habit permanently. It is essential to get started with books that have simple language, fast and interesting plots and delve with topics that you are unfamiliar with (but interesting). The following books would be a good start to a reading habit if you have decent english and are above the age of 16 (not a 100% rule).
1) The Bourne Series by Robert Ludlum
This thriller series will take you into a world of espionage, spies, weapons, assasins, fighting tactics, surveillance and much more that you normally don't come across in real life. The first 3 books (Bourne Identity, Bourne Legacy and Bourne Ultimatum) in the series were written by Robert Ludlum and the rest were by Eric Van Lustbader. While I am not impressed with the non-Ludlum books, the first three books are gems.
2) Fist of God by Fredrick Forsyth
Covering the same theme of espionage, weapons and spies, Fist of God takes brings you closer to the real world. A story of a covert operation set in the middle east during the Gulf War, this book gives a good summary of the how and why of the gulf far during the early 90s.
3) If Tomorrow comes by Sidney Sheldon
A story of theivery, trickery and deception, If tomorrow comes is a very fast paced book that amazes you with a lot of good presence of mind tricks and is a mini guide book of con. Written in typical Sidney Sheldon style of having a unrevealed twist at the end of each chapter, this book is a page turner
4) Tell me your dreams by Sidney Sheldon
Dwelling into the world of multiple personality disorders, the book does a fantastic job of keeping great suspense especially if you do not know what multiple personality disorder is.
5) Jurrasic Park, Prey, Timeline by Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton is in my opinion the best science fiction writer, inspite of the criticism he has come under in the recent past for distorting science. His books mostly deal with a topic in the cutting edge of technology in the frontiers of scientific development. Jurrasic park deals with ressurecting dinosaurs and is quite a popular movie and just like most movies does not do justice to the book. Prey deals with nano technology and Timeline deals with time travel. Crichton does a fantastic job of convincing you the practical possibility of what seems like impossible science fiction.
Enjoy Reading!
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