book lover essay

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Book Lovers Scholarship

A $500 grant to support students who love reading books

About the Scholarship

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Suess 

Every book you read provides endless opportunities to explore and learn new ideas . Reading can be thrilling, exciting, relaxing, funny, and much, much more. In allowing you to move beyond the limitations of your direct experience, books can teach you how to live, how to be a good person, how to lead, and how to succeed.

This scholarship aims to support students who love reading great books and believe in the power of reading to transform their lives and become good people in the world. 

All students with a passion for reading may apply for this scholarship.

Scholarship Details

The scholarship will be awarded to one high school or university student.

$500 Cash Award

Pay it Forward

If you know someone who might be a good fit, encourage them to apply. If you win the scholarship, pay it forward by helping others.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must meet the requirements below. Please read the requirements carefully to ensure you meet eligibility before applying.

• Must be a current high school, college, or graduate student.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen or permanent legal resident
• All GPAs will be considered.
• All majors are encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

You can apply for this scholarship on the Bold.org scholarship platform. To apply, you will need to write a 250-400 word essay about the following:

If you could have everyone in the world read just one book, what would that book be and why?

Scholarship FAQ

When is the scholarship deadline.

The next application deadline is May 31, 2024.

What is the scholarship prize?  

The scholarship award is $500.

When will the winner be chosen and notified?   

The next winner will be publicly announced on June 2024. Prior to the announcement date, we may contact finalists with additional questions about their application. We will work with donors to review all applications according to the scholarship criteria. Winners will be chosen based on the merit of their application.

How will the scholarship be paid?

We will send the $500 award check to the winner’s academic institution in their name, and in the name of their institution (depending on the school’s requirements).

How will my application be verified?

Before we award the scholarship, the winner will be required to verify their academic enrollment status by providing a copy of their most recent transcript.

How can I contact you with questions?  

If you have any questions about the scholarship, you can email [email protected] . You can also reach us by phone at 858-264-3028 and by mail at:

Calvin Rosser

2460 17th Avenue #1051

Santa Cruz, CA 95062

How will my application information be used? What are the scholarship terms and conditions?

We manage this scholarship with the support of the Bold.org scholarship platform. Bold.org takes student confidentiality and privacy incredibly seriously. Please refer to the application page on Bold.org for full details.  See advertiser disclosure .

Books to Improve Your life

• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Rich Dad Poor Dad By Robert Kiyosaki
• The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
• The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
• How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• Deep Work by Cal Newport
• Best Self-Help Books of All Time
• Philosophy Books for Beginners

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Reading Books — My Personal Passion: Favorite Books & Authors

Why I Like Reading Books: a Narrative

• Categories: Reading Books

About this sample

Words: 1014 |

Published: Mar 14, 2019

Words: 1014 | Pages: 2 | 6 min read

Table of contents

Why i like reading (essay), my favorite type of books, works cited.

• Coleridge, S. T. (1817). Biographia Literaria: Or Biographical Sketches of My Literary Life and Opinions. Restless Books.
• Lawrence, D. H. (2000). Lady Chatterley's Lover. Wordsworth Editions.
• Maas, S. J. (2012). Throne of Glass. Bloomsbury Publishing.
• Orwell, G. (1949). 1984. Secker & Warburg.
• Shakespeare, W. (2008). The Merchant's Tale. In The Canterbury Tales (2nd ed., pp. 121-134). Penguin Classics.
• Stowe, H. B. (1852). Uncle Tom's Cabin. J. P. Jewett and Company.
• Tolkein, J. R. R. (2012). The Lord of the Rings. HarperCollins.
• Tonnard, M., & Van Kesteren, E. (2007). Reading Ed Ruscha: Novels. Ludion.
• Wells, H. G. (1932). Brave New World. Chatto & Windus.
• Wood, J. (2014). The Theatre of Absurd. Bloomsbury Publishing.

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• Essay on My Favourite Book in 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 Words

We all need to make a habit of book reading. Here are a few essays on My Favourite Book in 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 Words. These are very easy and simple to learn for all students. You can find a useful one for yourself. 

In This Blog We Will Discuss

Essay on My Favourite Book in 200 Words

The book is the best friend of humans. It never leaves us. It always helps us to get better by heart and knowledge. The best place to get the knowledge is a book. Because of encouragement from my teachers and my parents , I have been a huge book lover. 

I love reading books. I have a big collection of books. I mostly love to read books based on science. It is my favorite topic. I have read lots of science fiction. My favorite book is ‘Frankenstein’ and it’s science fiction. 

When I read this book for the first time, I was amazed and stunned. The writer Mary Shelley had an amazing imagination power. This book tells the story of a scientist named Victor Frankenstein, who created a hideous sapient creature by his unorthodox experiment. 

The entire story is based on that ‘creature’. This book is full of suspense and thrill. I have read it three times and watched the movie too. It is amazing and mind-blowing. This book was published in 1818. 

The author Mary Shelley is an astonishing writer who has written tons of beautiful books. I suggest this book to everyone. You should read it if you have not. I am sure you will love this. 

Essay on My Favourite Book in 300 Words

Introduction: 

Book reading is a very good habit that everyone should build. It helps to build confidence, gain inspiration, and motivation. I am a book lover and I read books. I have a small library in my home . I suggest everyone read more and more books. 

It is the best way to learn something new. We can travel the entire world through words written in the books. There are a few books that I really like, Harry Potter is one of them. Actually it is my most favorite book ever. 

My Favorite Book: 

Harry Potter is a fictional story series authored by British writer J. K. Rowling. She is an excellent writer. I am really surprised to see her imagination level. I have seen the movie series of this book too. That was mind-blowing. 

The story is fictional and different. It’s all about a wizard world. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasly are my most favorite characters in this book. I love the ‘Goblet of Fire’ most. This chapter is amazing. I love other chapters too, but this one seems special to me. 

Overall I have been a huge fan of J. K. Rowling after reading this book. This fictional fantasy book has earned a huge amount of money. This book was loved by young people mostly.

Conclusion: 

You should read Harry Potter if you have not yet. This is an amazing novel to read. I suggest this to everyone. If you love reading fictional stories, then you will become a fan of this series. Though there are not so many educational things in this book it was entertaining. 

Essay on My Favourite Book in 400 Words

I am a book lover and I love reading books. My favorite genre is Motivation. I have read tons of books that have motivational content. Among them some books are amazing. And today I am going to talk about a book that I really like. This book’s name is ‘The Magic of Thinking Big’. 

My Favourite Book: 

The Magic of Thinking Big has been authored by David J. Schwartz. He is an amazing writer and wrote an amazing piece of the book. Before starting any business, you must read this book to grow your mentality. 

This book taught me lots of lessons and that’s why I love it so much. I have read a few other books too authored by the same writer but I found this one the best. 

Motivation is a highly important thing in our life to get success and this book will take your motivation on a peak and you will get lots of inspiration to start something new and fresh. 

Reasons Why It is My Favorite Book:

Let’s talk about the reasons why it is my favorite book. There are some important lessons that this book teaches me, that’s why it is my favorite book. The first reason is, it creates a belief inside you that you will start believing that you will get success for sure. 

This is a huge mindset for any entrepreneur who is in an early stage. There are so many excuses that we make before doing anything. When you will read this book properly you will stop making these nonsense excuses. 

You will become a more dedicated person to your work. Hopefully, it will destroy all of your fear and will give you lots of confidence to do something new. Creativity is a huge asset for doing something. You will get better creativity power and will be able to visualize all of your plans in front of your eyes. 

You will learn how to manage the environment around you and you are exactly that person who you think you are. I think these are some amazing lessons that a person can get in his life. And it will help to grow better in a positive way. 

I am suggesting this book to read for everyone. People of any age level can read and understand this amazing book. It helped me to make my confidence level high. 

Essay on My Favourite Book Quran in 500 Words

People read books to feed their mind that is hungry for knowledge. I am a book lover and I love reading lots of books. I have a list of my favorite books. But one book is very special for me and it’s a holy book in the religion of Islam. 

I hope you can guess it’s the Quran. That book has been life-changing for me. And today I will tell you why it is my favorite book and what you can learn from this. 

My Favourite Book Quran:

As a Muslim, I was taught the Quran at a young age. But we are not native Arabic speakers that language is being used in the Quran. But when I grew up, I bought English translated Quran for me. I read the whole book within two days and it was a huge breakthrough in my life. 

It changed my vision, my perspective, and my motive of life. Let me tell you how all that happened. First of let’s talk about how this holy book came to us. It was almost 1450 years ago, it came to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). 

Allah sent it to his part by part. This book is unchanged and still carrying the same content. The most surprising thing is that it still can be a guide for the ultimate good life after 14 hundreds of years. That’s why Islamic scholars tell ‘the Quran is the perfect solution for life’. Whatever we need to learn, solve, or think everything has been discussed in the Quran. 

There was an open challenge for mankind if they make a similar chapter of the Quran. But it’s not possible to write. Because this book has come directly from the Almighty Allah. It wasn’t written by any human. 

Why is the Quran My Favourite Book?

Everything that we need to survive in the world has been discussed in the Holy Quran. If you need to find a solution to any too complex problem, you can find a proper solution in this book. You need to have the proper knowledge to research that. 

There are lots of Islamic countries in the world that are operating their laws based on the Quran. It is very easy, useful, and great for mankind. Allah said that a person who reads the Quran regularly fills his heart with blessings. 

We can earn lots of rewards for the afterlife by reading the Quran. It’s a huge threat to the heart. When we feel sick inside, it helps us to heal it. The Quran has talked about education, medication, science, and different inventions. 

There are some surprising things that have been discussed in the Quran and the current science has proved them now. The scientists took the help of the Quran to make the world a better place by inventing new things. 

Conclusion:

Overall the Quran is the solution for a complete life. I am sure you will love it if you read it. It should be one of your most-read books. 

Essay on My Favourite Book in 600 Words

Books are our best friend and they never leave us. That’s a huge truth that I can realize. I am a passionate book reader and I love to read lots of books every week. We have a family library and my father helps me to collect and buy books. 

I have read tons of amazing books, but there are some special books which have taken my heart away. Today I am going to talk about my most favorite books ‘Robinson Crusoe’. This book has always been a different thing for me and I am still reading it again and again. There are lots of lessons to learn from this amazing novel. 

My Favourite Book:

My favorite book Robinson Crusoe was written by Daniel Defoe and it first published on 25 April 1719. A very important thing to note is that this book is 300 years old, but the content and storyline are still feeling amazing to the new generation of readers. 

This book contains a story named a person ‘Robinson’ who lived on an island for 28 years. He fell in a ship accident and lost everything. Then he found a boat to drive to the nearest island. It was a huge island. 

He made his own kingdom there. He collected his food by taming animals and growing some crops. He became a permanent member of the island. Some day he faced something brutal and different. He found a man was naked brought to the island by some cannibals. 

He rescued the person and gave him the name ‘Friday’. Friday became his partner but he was also a member of cannibals. That’s why Robinson kept him outside of his tent. 

Then Friday became the partner of Robinson and they both made the island an amazing place for themselves. In the end, a ship came to their island and there was lots of adventure and stories that will make you feel thrilled. 

Why Do I Like This Book?

There are so many reasons that are why I like this book. The first reason is it teaches me about life and reality. I get very serious when I read this book. I have read it almost 4 times and am still reading it again. 

What Did This Book Teach Me?

This book is a huge learning for me. For the first 20 years, Robinson was living there all alone. And that time he managed to survive because of his intelligence, courage, and dedication. That’s a huge learning for me. 

It teaches how to keep yourself focused when you are alone and under lots of problems. This story is about how a man creates his own reality. When Robinson found Friday and he became the best companion for him. 

He taught him language, religion, and overall civilization. Including all these things this book is like a teacher to me. It helps me to understand lots of harsh reality. 

My Hobby Book Reading: 

I have made reading my hobby. I never waste time. I love to read books when I am free or spending leisure time. I think everyone should get this habit. It is very important and essential to building a better knowledge base. 

We can learn different types of things by reading books. My hobby is reading and I always read books. I have a huge collection of different types of books. 

Book reading is a huge thing that we all should be up to. It helps us to travel through words by staying in the same place. We all need to build book reading habits to make our imagination power stronger.

10 Lines Essay on My Favourite Book

1. Book reading is a very good habit because it helps us to improve our personality and make us mature. 

2. Some books are priceless and they teach us some amazing lessons. 

3. My favorite book name is ‘Robinson Crusoe’. This is a world-famous book written by Daniel Defoe. 

4. This book was written 300 years ago, but still now people read it with the same love and interest. 

5. It has so many lessons to learn. The patience of Robinson is amazing.

6. It teaches us how to survive when none is around you and you are alone. 

7. This book could be a life guide for yourself. 

8. Robinson spent 28 years on an island all alone. 

9. It is a story about how a man struggles against all the odd things in life. 

10. I love reading this book again and again. If you have not read this book yet, then you should read it today. 

How do I write an essay about my favorite book?

Make a shortlist of your favorite books first. It’s better to pick top 10 books first. And then write which book has what types of impact of your real life and on your thinking. That’s how you will come with your favorite book. And then write what this book taught you and be able to teach the same someone else. 

Why is Harry Potter My Favourite book? 

It is a very amazing fiction that was loved by millions of young people in the world. There is a movie series too based on this story. I love this book because of its mind-blowing story and few interesting characters. 

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Essays About Books: Top 5 Examples and Writing Prompts

Books open portals to new worlds and display new knowledge inspired by the old to the new. Here are some published essays about books and prompts you can use.

Books are a way for the past to teach the present and preserve the present for the future. Books come in all shapes and sizes. In addition, technology has improved the way books can be accessed, with eBooks and audiobooks that are more accessible and hassle-free. 

No matter what genre, a book aids its readers in gaining valuable knowledge, improving vocabulary, and many more. Following are 5 essays with books as their subject:

Are you looking for writing applications to help you improve your essay? See the seven best essay writing apps to use.

1. Why Are Books So Important in Our Life by Ankita Yadav

2. essay on books for students by kanak mishra, 3. listening to books by maggie gram, 4. short essay on books and reading by sastry, 5. long essay on books by ram, 1. do we still need libraries, 2. the names an author gives to their characters, 3. do you read or write, 4. your favorite book, 5. books and inspirations, 6. the book cover, 7. paper books vs. digital copies, 8. why read the book you hate, 9. the book is better than the movie, published essay on books.

“Books are the best companions in our life. They never leave us alone and are like our best friends.”

For Yadav, a book is someone’s best friend, guide, all-time teacher, and keeper of various information. The essay talks about how reading a physical book is better than watching movies or using modern technologies for entertainment and learning purposes. The author also believes that autobiography books of great people inspire students and motivate them to work hard to achieve their goals in life.

“Though the technology has so much changed that we can take information about anything through the internet… importance of books has not decreased…”

The writer describes books as the best option for self-learners. They don’t only note an issue, topic, or story but also put effort and emotions into their writing. Next, she discusses the types of books and their subcategories. Finally, she gives tips about finding a good book to read.

“The possibility of reading while also doing something else produces one of the stranger phenomenological characteristics of audio book reading: you can have a whole set of unrelated and real (if only partially attended) experiences while simultaneously experiencing a book.”

Gram’s primary focus in this essay is audiobooks, discussing their history and how audiobooks started. She also mentions how audiobooks help blind people who find it challenging to read braille books. The author also compares physical books and audiobooks to help the reader choose better for a long drive, house cleaning, or simply doing anything other than reading. 

“Books are standing counsellors and preachers, always at hand and always neutral.”

Sastry considers novels the best option when one is tired and looking for healthy recreational activity. Still, the author didn’t forget the fact that reading history, science, religion, and other more “serious” books can also bring gratification to their readers. Books offer unlimited benefits if well used, but not when abused, and as the writer said, “no book can be good if studied negligently.”

“Books are important because they provide a few things that are key to an open and intelligent society.”

The essay is best to be read by students from classes 7 to 10, as it gives the simplest explanation of why it is vital to read a book during their spare time or extended holidays. Ram says people get inspired and receive life lessons by reading books. Reading classic and newer books with lots of words of wisdom and new ideas is better than wasting time and learning nothing.

Top 10 Writing Prompts on Essays About Books

Writing essays about books can be easy as many subtopics exist. However, it can also be challenging to pick a specific subcategory. To help you narrow it down, here are ten easy writing prompts that you can use.

Libraries help many people – from bibliophiles to job seekers and students. They offer free access to books, newspapers, and computers. But with modern devices making it easier to get information, are libraries still needed? Use this prompt to discuss the importance of libraries and the consequences if all of them close down.

Some authors like to give their characters very unusual names, such as “America Singer” from the book The Selection by Keira Cass. Do you think characters having strange names take away the reader’s attention to the plot? Does it make the book more interesting or odd? Suppose you are writing a story; how do you name the characters and why?

They say writers need readers and vice versa, but which role do you find more challenging? Is writing harder than finding the best book, story, and poetry to read? 

Use this prompt to describe their roles and explain how readers and writers hold each other up.

There is always a unique book that one will never forget. What is your favorite book of all time, and why? Write an essay about why you consider that book your favorite. You can also persuade others to try to read it. 

If you have more than one preference, describe them and tell the readers why you can’t choose between your favorite books. Check out these essays about literature .

Authors inspiring their readers to try something new by reading their book is not always intentional but usually happens. Have you ever experienced wanting to move to a new place or change career paths after reading something? 

Use this prompt to share your experience and opinion on readers who make significant life changes because books and characters influence them in a story.

Have you ever gone to a bookshop to find a book recommended to you but didn’t buy or read it because of the cover? They said never judge a book by its cover. In this prompt, you can.

Share what you think the book is all about based on its cover. Then, make a follow-up writing if you were right or wrong after reading the book’s contents.

Studies confirmed more benefits to reading physical books than digital books, such as retaining information longer if read from a printed copy. Are you more of a traditional or modern reader? Use this prompt to explain your answer and briefly discuss the pros and cons of each type of book in your opinion.

Are you ever tasked to read a book you don’t like? Share your experience and tell the reader if you finished the book, learned anything from it, and what it feels like to force yourself to read a book you hate. You can also add if you come to like it in the end.

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter is undisputedly one of the most popular books turned into movies. However, avid readers consider books better than movies because they can echo the main protagonist’s thoughts.

Do you have a favorite book adapted into a film? Did you like it? Write about what makes the movie version better or underwhelming. You can also include why movies are more limited than books. 

Do you still feel like there is something wrong with your essay? Here is a guide about grammar and punctuation to help you.

If you still need help, our guide to grammar and syntax explains more.

Writingskills

6 Paragraphs on ‘A Book I Have Recently Read’

A Book I Have Recently Read: Books are the best resources of people. With which no earthly wealth can be compared. By reading books we can keep our mind healthy and happy. A good book opens the eyes of the human mind as well as expands and develops the knowledge and intellect and helps to light the mind. Many people like to read story books or other kinds of books. Reading books is a good habit. ‘A Book I Have Recently Read’ is an important paragraph for the students. In this post I have presented 6 paragraphs on ‘A Book I Have Recently Read’.

A Book I Have Recently Read

Reading books is my passion. I have recently read a book named “ Pather Panchali “. It was written by famous writer Bibhutibhusan Bandopadhyay. The novel is about a little village boy named Apu. The main characters of the book are Apu, Durga, Harihar and Sarbajaya. Harihar and Sarbajaya, a rustic couple, spent their days in miserable distress. But they dreamt of a rosy future. Apu and Durga are their children. Durga died a premature death. It was a great shock to the family. One cannot shed tears when one reads about the death of Apu’s dearest sister Durga. The novel gives us a very living picture of the beauty of a remote village in Bengal. The story reminds us of the hardship of the thousands of poor and helpless people of our country. Really it is an immortal creation of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay.

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I have little time to read books other than school books. But l heard the story of “Ramer Sumati” written by Saratchandra Chattapadhyay from my grandpa. The story charmed me very much. Recently I managed to have a copy of the book which I finished in a single sitting. It is entirely the story of a joint family of rural Bengal. Here are a few principal characters – Ramlal, the hero, Shyamlal, his step-brother and Narayani, the wife of Shyamlal. Apart from them there are Shyamla’s son and Digambari, his mother-in-law. Ramlal lost his mother when he was only two and a half years old. Narayani, the sister-in-law brought him up with all motherly love and affection. Digambari could not tolerate the sweet relationship between the two. Ramlal was very wayward and that was at the root of all problems. The ancestral home was partitioned and Ramlal was separated much to the pain of Narayani. The author’s portrayal of the characters of Ramlal and Narayani is simply unique. Details of the book cannot be given in this short span. But everybody should go through the book whenever he gets a chance.

Also read : Paragraph on Corona Virus (Covid-19)

I am a genuine book lover. Reading books is my passion. Whenever I get spare time I read story books, novels etc. I am a big fan of cricket as well. My father recently gifted me the autobiography of Sachin Tendulkar “Sachin Tendulkar – Playing It My Way” on my birthday. The book is really very interesting. Sachin Tendulkar is not only a great player but also has become an icon. So a chance to peek into the life of such an icon is always sought after. The chapters describe all the important events of his life. The reader is bound to respect the legend more after going through the book. The book not only brings out Sachin’s passion for cricket but also reveals how caring a father and gentle son he is. I will cherish the experience of reading the book forever and this will be a guide force in my life. I wish to read it once again in future.

  A Book I Have Recently Read

Reading books is my passion. I have recently read William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”. It is the last play of the great playwright, which was written in 1611 at Stafford. Prospero was a learned man. He did not like to rule Milan as merely a Duke. His power was his wisdom. His brother, Antonio, took advantage of this craving for knowledge and conspired to drive him away from Milan with the help of the king of Naples, Alonoso.

Prospero and his daughter eventually took shelter in an alien island. It was a mystic land of which Prospero was little aware. Caliban was an evil spirit which was living in that island. Gradually, Prospero dominated Caliban and became a supreme power by way of his white magic. Dr. Faustus of Marlowe exercised necromancy, but Prospero used his magic for the welfare of the world. Hence his magic was a boon not a bane. His daughter, Miranda, was a lovable and beautiful young lady. Caliban wanted to seduce Miranda, but in vain. At last Ferdinand, the prince of Naples, came to the mysterious land. Miranda was very much appalled to see a beautiful young man for the first time. Seeing Ferdinand, she cried out, “O brave new world.” Later Miranda and Ferdinand fell in love. Prospero wanted to test Ferdinand’s devotion to his daughter. Ferdinand won the mind of Prospero. Using his white magic, Prospero taught everyone including his brother good lessons. Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian realized their misdeed. Gonzalo, who helped Prospero once to escape from his cruel brother, was rewarded.

Finally, everyone was reconciled. Prospero returned to Milan with his daughter and he freed Ariel, the spirit which helped Prospero in fulfilling his desires while living in the alien island. The happy reunion of the play implies the fact that Prospero is a major figure who by way of using his white magic helps everyone reconcile in spite of shortcomings. Honesty and goodness have been rewarded. I felt much aesthetic pleasure while reading the play. Shakespeare’s language, his style, above all, his blending of tragedy and comedy gave to my mind a soothing effect which I cannot forget ever.

Books are our best friends. Even in today’s world of internet and mobile, the importance of books cannot be ignored. I am a genuine book lover. Reading books is my passion. Whenever I get spare time I read story books, novels etc. Recently I have read Bibhutibhushan’s classic novel ‘Chander Pahar’. I loved the book so much that I have lost count of the number of times I flipped through the book even after I had finished reading it.

The book ‘Chander Pahar’ records the adventures of Shankar, the main character of the novel. Shankar, a young bengali boy, faces many adventures in Africa where he goes in connection with his job on the railways. He encounters many ferocious animals like lions, black mamba etc. But the real adventure begins when Shankar accompanies Diago Alverage, a European adventurer, to the Kilimanjaro mountain in search of diamonds. In the course of the events Diago gets killed by a terrible animal called ‘Buniyp’ and Shankar is left all alone in that unknown land of adversity and danger. But he braves it with extraordinary courage and valour.

After a great struggle, he is saved from the desert. Shankar is the embodiment of courage. I love the character very much. I am attracted by Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay’s great narrative skill. He makes the description of African jungles and Shankar’s adventures alive with his narrative skill. Author’s creativity makes Shankar’s character one of the most popular characters of Bengali literature. Whenever I read the novel, I find myself engrossed in it. My mind also travels with Shankar in the land of Africa and feels the adventure. This is why ‘Chander Pahar’ holds such a special place in my mind.

Books are our best friends. Even in today’s world of internet and mobile, the importance of books cannot be ignored. I am a genuine book lover. Reading books is my passion. Whenever I get spare time I read story books, novels etc. Of all the books I have read, I like ‘The Story of My Life’ by Helen Keller the most. The episode centres round the hard struggle of life of Helen Keller. She writes with a natural ease and power, hardly equaled by any other writer of that category.  In this book we see that Helen Keller became blind and deaf after a serious illness in her childhood. However, the day when Miss Sullivan came to her as her teacher was the most memorable day in her life. After a long hard process Helen learnt to read, in raised letters in Braille method . She learnt to write also in a special type of typewriter. In the book ‘The Story of My Life’ an account of the first twenty two years of Helen Keller’s life has been given. During this time she came into contact with many noble and affectionate persons. In her autobiography Helen describes her experiences with so much ease and sincerity in such a lucid style that it cannot but arouse love and wonder for her. But the most striking feature of this book is her strong will and iron determination to cross all the hurdles of a handicapped person in her own life. And therefore, it has the universal appeal to all the readers throughout the world. Everybody should go through the book whenever he gets a chance.

Paragraph on ‘My Hobby”

Paragraph On ‘My Aim In Life’

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Five Books for People Who Really Love Books

These five titles focus on the many connections we can form with what we read.

My dad likes to fish, and he likes to read books about fishing. My mom is a birder; she reads about birds. There are plenty of books on both subjects, I’ve found, when browsing in a gift-giving mood. These presents don’t just prove I’m familiar with their interests. They’re a way to acknowledge that we read about our pastimes to affirm our identity: Fly-fishers are contemplative sorts who reflect on reflections; birders must cultivate stillness and attention. What we choose to read can be a way of saying: I am this kind of soul.

For my part, I like reading more than I like almost anything else. And so, in the manner of my parents, I like to read books about books . Writers who write about writing, readers who write about reading—these are people I instantly recognize as my kind. We’re people who are always in the middle of a chapter, who start conversations by asking, “What are you reading right now?” For us, a meta-book is like coffee brewed with more coffee. It’s extra-strength literature.

If you really love books, or you want to love them more, I have five recommendations. None of these are traditional literary criticism; they’re not dry or academic. They take all kinds of forms (essay, novel, memoir) and focus on the many connections we can form with what we read. Those relationships might be passionate, obsessive, even borderline inappropriate—and this is what makes the books so lovable. Finishing them will make you want to pick up an old favorite or add several more titles to your to-read list.

U and I , by Nicholson Baker

I can now say that I’ve been reading Baker for more than 20 years, or more than half my life. But I didn’t know that would happen when I found U and I in a college friend’s car, borrowed it, and never returned it. The subject, not the author, appealed to me then—I loved John Updike. And so did Baker, though love is probably not the right word. This book-length essay is not quite, or not merely, an appreciation of Updike; it’s a hilarious confessional “true story” of Baker’s anxieties, ambitions, competitive jealousy, and feelings of inadequacy in the face of Updike’s abundant body of work. It’s rich too, with wonderful observations on reading and writing in general, as in a passage considering how much more affecting a memoir becomes once the author is deceased: “The living are ‘just’ writing about their own lives; the dead are writing about their irretrievable lives , wow wow wow.”

A poem by John Updike: 'Half Moon, Small Cloud'

Dayswork , by Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel

I almost prefer to keep certain books on my to-read list forever, where they remain full of magical possibility and cannot disappoint me. Moby-Dick is one of them. What if, God forbid, I chance to read it at the wrong time or in the wrong place and it doesn’t change my life? So I turn to Dayswork instead, which feels like cheating—you get some of the experience of reading Moby-Dick without any of the risk. This very novel novel, written collaboratively by a novelist and a poet who happen to be married, is sort of a sneaky biography of Herman Melville, framed by a meta-narrative about a woman writing a book during lockdown. This narrator delivers a parade of delightful facts and quotes and anecdotes, which she’s been collecting on sticky notes. You could think of it also as a biography of Melville’s most famous novel, which has had its own life after his death and touched so many other lives. Dayswork is fragmentary, digressive, and completely absorbing.

Read: The endless depths of Moby-Dick symbolism

Written Lives , by Javier Marías, translated by Margaret Jull Costa

Marías is one of my favorite novelists, but I only recently encountered this work, a collection of short, dubiously nonfictional biographies in a very specific style. In the prologue, Marías explains that he had edited an anthology of stories by writers so obscure, he was forced to compose their biographical notes using odd, scanty evidence that made it all sound “invented.” It occurred to him that he could do the same thing for authors much more famous (Henry James, Thomas Mann, Djuna Barnes), treating “well-known literary figures as if they were fictional characters, which may well be how all writers, whether famous or obscure, would secretly like to be treated,” he explains. The result is marvelously irreverent, packed with unforgettable details (Rilke, supposedly, loved the letter y and used any excuse to write it) and endearing patterns (Marías would have us believe that many writers loathe Dostoyevsky). Written Lives immediately earned a spot on my shelf of most treasured objects, and every friend I’ve recommended it to has been equally enchanted.

Read: An introverted writer’s lament

Dear Friend, From My Life I Write to You in Your Life , by Yiyun Li

This sad and incredibly beautiful memoir from a writer best known for her fiction takes its title from a line in a notebook by the New Zealand author Katherine Mansfield. For Li, correspondence, diaries and journals, and literature in general are forms of consolation and companionship that make life worth living even in times of overwhelming despair. The memoir is a record of the reading experiences that saved Li from a dangerous depression. It made me want to dig more deeply into the work of all her favorite writers—Thomas Hardy, Ivan Turgenev, Elizabeth Bowen, William Trevor—because she describes them so warmly and affectionately, as if they were friends. Here, as in her novels, Li is philosophical, with a gift for startling aphorisms: “Harder to endure than fresh pain is pain that has already been endured,” she writes. And “One always knows how best to sabotage one’s own life,” or “What does not make sense is what matters.” Li’s work is so moving and so very wise.

Madness, Rack, and Honey , by Mary Ruefle

The American poet Mary Ruefle is one of those writers people like to call a “national treasure,” which always has to do with something beyond brilliance or talent, an additional spectacular charm that makes you wish you knew them in “real life.” This collection of lectures on poetry and topics adjacent to poetry (sentimentality, theme, the moon) is the perfect introduction to Ruefle’s particular charisma. She’s unabashedly devoted to poets and poems, but you don’t have to love poetry to fall in love with her voice. She’s plainspoken yet mysterious, always asking curious questions, about death and fear and secrets, and then answering herself with surprising authority. Ruefle is inclined toward quirky asides, but all roads lead back to books: “I offer my dinner guest, after dinner, the choice between regular and decaf coffee, when in fact I don’t have any decaf in the house,” she writes. “I am so sincere in my effort to be a good host that I lie; I think this probably happens all the time in poetry.” Ruefle offers a beautiful example of how a life filled with reading opens and alters the mind.

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Book Lovers Scholarship

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” - Dr. Suess 

Every book you read provides endless opportunities to explore and learn new ideas. Reading can be thrilling, exciting, relaxing, funny, and much, much more. 

This scholarship aims to support students who love reading books and believe in the power of reading to transform their lives and become good people in the world. 

All students with a passion for reading may apply for this scholarship.

To apply, please tell us: if you could have everyone in the world read one book, what book would you choose and why.

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A Passion for Books: A Book Lover's Treasury of Stories, Essays, Humor, Lore, and Lists on Collecting, Reading, Borrowing, Lending, Caring for, and Appreciating Books Paperback – January 23, 2001

• Print length 384 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Three Rivers Press
• Publication date January 23, 2001
• Dimensions 6 x 1 x 9.5 inches
• ISBN-10 0812931130
• ISBN-13 978-0812931136
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Three Rivers Press; 2nd prt. edition (January 23, 2001)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0812931130
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0812931136
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9.5 inches
• #2,050 in General Library & Information Sciences
• #2,775 in General Books & Reading
• #13,575 in Literary Criticism & Theory

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Customers find the book enjoyable and wonderful for bibliophiles. They also appreciate the helpful lists and essays. However, some readers find the pacing unexpectedly boring and not all chapters are equally compelling.

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Customers find the book enjoyable, helpful, and a wonderful collection of essays. They say it's great for serious bibliophiles and instructive. Readers also mention there are references and suggestions for anyone who wishes to collect books.

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When to quit a book 

Some give up without guilt while others insist going cover to cover. Harvard readers share their criteria.

Harvard Staff Writer

On the matter of whether it’s acceptable to stop reading a book before its end, there are two schools of thought: one that says we must finish what we started, and one that declares that life is too short for books we don’t enjoy.  

The Gazette asked librarians, a classics professor, a literature scholar, and a lecturer in English for their views on a subject that triggers fiery  debates  among book lovers. Although all seven readers interviewed for this story fall on the “life is too short” side of the debate, they differ on when it’s OK to give up without guilt. 

Maria Tatar , John L. Loeb Research Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures and of Folklore and Mythology, Emerita, said reading a book is a magical confluence of several factors that create a fulfilling experience, and when the delight is not there it can be shattering, if liberating.

“There’s a certain romance to reading, hence the inevitable heartache when you break up with a book,” wrote Tatar in an email. “I need both substance and sorcery, captivating content and magic on the page.”

When that magic is absent, said Tatar, readers should act accordingly, whether they’re 50 or 100 pages in. The reader’s clock is what matters, she said. 

“Now, when I’m not under the spell of a book by page 50 or so, I put it aside,” Tatar said. “And sometimes, halfway through a volume, I realize that I get it and can stop reading. That happens frequently with biographies, for example.”

Reed Lowrie , head of research services at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Libraries, a fan of crime fiction, has no problem abandoning books when authors fall back on cliches or uninspired tropes. 

“The danger of sticking with a book in that genre to the end is that you can be at the mercy of a horrible plot twist that makes reading the preceding hundreds of pages seem like a waste of time (‘Her missing husband was living in a cave near her house the whole time and she had several interactions with him without realizing he was her husband’),” said Lowrie. “You should keep reading a book if you’re enjoying and/or learning from it, but if neither of those things are true, put it down and find something else to read.” 

Alessandra Seiter , community engagement librarian at Harvard Kennedy School, urges readers to follow their gut. “If you feel like you’re not being fulfilled or not being engaged, or it’s not how you want to spend your time, I give you full professional permission to put the book down.”

Whether the reader is put off by the author’s writing style, a weak plot, or the pace, it is OK to drop the book, said  Maya Bergamasco , faculty research and scholarly support librarian at Harvard Law School Library. 

“If the book is not working for me, I stop reading it,” said Bergamasco. “I’m kind of ruthless. There are so many books in the world and so little time to read them all. If it feels like a chore, why would you put yourself through that?”

“You should keep reading a book if you’re enjoying and/or learning from it, but if neither of those things are true, put it down and find something else to read.” Sophia J. Mao

Worry less about reading from cover to cover and focus instead on the experience, said  Sophia J. Mao , lecturer on English at the Department of English. 

“Reading, especially today, is never a solitary activity but comes alive in the classroom, on  BookTok , at events in public libraries, bookstores, and community spaces,” said Mao. “As a literary scholar and a teacher, I may guide others toward what makes a specific book notable, but I also want to know what other works people are drawn to and why. I’ll never be tired of hearing from others what they find beautiful and moving. It’s what makes reading a pleasure and a challenge to my own perspective on whether a book is ‘worth’ it.” 

When books are picked up on a whim, reading a few pages should suffice, said Mary Frances Angelini , research librarian for the Extension School. “When reading for pleasure, I tend to give the book about 10 percent of the pages to hook me. If it doesn’t work for me, then I move on to the next book.” 

Richard Thomas , George Martin Lane Professor of the Classics, tries to be efficient with his reading and reads reviews to choose nonfiction books, a genre he favors. 

“It’s important to approach a book with some sort of knowledge about it,” said Thomas. “I tend to read a lot of reviews to make sure that the books are going to be worth my while. With recent books that have just come out, there’s obviously a lot of variation in quality, so you’re more likely to not finish your book, and that can be frustrating and alienating.”

Book lovers should not harbor guilt or agony over parting ways with a book although those reactions are plausible, said Thomas.

“Guilt and self-criticism are a natural response,” said Thomas. “I’ve never found guilt a very useful quality, so I don’t know if one should feel guilty for not finishing reading a book.”

Tatar shares that sentiment. Instead of remorse, she said, readers should focus on finding books they delight in and allow themselves to feel sad when a beloved book ends. 

“Guilt?” said Tatar. “None at all, unless you are reading the book with your book club. Then you feel like a delinquent. Or, of course, if you’re reading it for a class. What’s harder for me, and what sometimes fills me with grief is finishing a book, exiting a world in which I was once immersed, living and breathing with the characters.”

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What the row over Ta-Nehisi Coates’s book reveals about free speech

The deep message of “the message” is about narrow-mindedness, not israel.

I t is a common response among visitors to Israel, even before the war in Gaza. They see the “teeming cafés” and “cocktail bars” of Tel Aviv, as Ta-Nehisi Coates puts it, and, in the West Bank, hardship and expropriation. The contrast offends natural justice and inspires compassion for Palestinians. It would be odd if it did not. The book Mr Coates has written on the basis of such impressions, and the controversy it has ignited, together spotlight an urgent issue—but perhaps not the one he intended.

Mr Coates (pictured) has justly won acclaim and fame for his trenchant essays on race in America. “The Message”, out in Britain next year and in America now, recounts trips he made to a slave-trading site in Senegal and to South Carolina, where obtuse book-banners targeted another of his titles . These chapters introduce his theme of the use and abuse of stories in the service of repression. But the main story he tells is about Israel and the West Bank, where in 2023—before the atrocities of October 7th —he spent ten days.

Therein lies a glaring problem with “The Message”. It is discourteous to both your subjects and readers to spin a book out of a ten-day visit to a bitterly contested foreign land. First impressions can be valuable—and Mr Coates’s observations on the wrongs of Israeli settlements are powerful—but they are also incomplete. His is “a stranger’s story”, he acknowledges, yet he tells it anyway.

The second problem is what, in a passionate indictment of Israel, Mr Coates intentionally leaves out. He alludes to Israel’s wars with hostile neighbours without saying why they were fought. He makes no mention of Palestinian terrorism, nor of what the failures and fanaticism of Palestinian leaders have cost their own people. The only Israeli views to feature are those of chastened peaceniks. All this contradicts the journalistic credo that Mr Coates himself sets out: that writers must “walk the land” they mean to describe.

Excluding the context of Israel’s actions, which he calls “patently immoral”, nobbles his analysis. On the plus side, it helps him liken the Palestinians’ plight to the long oppression of African-Americans. This flawed analogy between Zionism and white supremacy—between a tragic internecine struggle and a one-sided subjugation—is axiomatic on the “anti-colonial” left. With talk of the “separate and unequal nature of Israeli rule”, Mr Coates labours the comparison. As much as a political dispatch, his book reads as a bid to prove his bona fides to his comrades.

So “The Message” is pompous and misguided. Importantly, however, it is not—as some have unfairly alleged—hateful or antisemitic . Its faults are not disqualifying. Mr Coates had a perfect right to publish it.

And critics have an equally perfect right to interrogate it and him. Tony Dokoupil, a morning-show host for CBS , did that on September 30th. During an interview to promote “The Message”, he suggested it would “not be out of place in the backpack of an extremist”, and asked whether Mr Coates was questioning Israel’s right to exist.

Cue a brouhaha that is as much about media ethics as about the contents of the book. Keyboard activists called Mr Dokoupil racist (he is white and Jewish; Mr Coates is black). Meanwhile some of his colleagues at CBS complained about the interview to executives, who admonished the presenter for falling short of editorial standards. Shari Redstone —whose conglomerate, Paramount Global, owns cbs —stood up for Mr Dokoupil and rebuked his bosses.

The episode was profoundly troubling: the shaming of Mr Dokoupil, not the interview. That was robust but cordial. Mr Dokoupil ensured Mr Coates had time for his answers and ended by calling him “buddy”. It fell squarely within the bounds of responsible broadcasting. Evidently, though, some at CBS and beyond think certain in-group orthodoxies are too sacred to be challenged. (To his credit, Mr Coates did not encourage the pile-on, insisting he “can take care of myself”.)

This is the message that “The Message” has crystallised. It is not about the conflict in the Middle East but the Western intellectual malaise it has exacerbated . Legitimate opinions of all stripes are increasingly seen as inadmissible, and reasonable questions as unaskable. For some, disagreement is grounds for character assassination or censorship. In that insidious way of thinking, free expression is a conditional right—in other words, not a right at all.  ■

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