When I was in school, I loved reading books — whether they were in English or Hindi, it didn’t matter.
Even before the school session started, I would finish reading all the stories in my course books. A few poems and stories still stay with me today. One is The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, and another is the story of Assassination of Julius Caesar, especially the dialogue:
“Et tu, Brute?”
In Hindi, I enjoyed stories that were deeper and slightly complex — stories written in more literary Hindi rather than the conversational Hindi we use every day.
Reading always helped me relax. At the same time, it felt like exercise for the mind.
In an alternate timeline, I probably would have pursued English literature as a career.
Reading Makes You Imagine
One thing I love about reading is that it forces your brain to visualize things.
A long time ago, I read The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. I didn’t discover it because of the author. I simply stumbled upon the title online, liked it, and started reading.
I enjoy reading the same books again and again because every time they give me a different perspective. Sometimes I even rediscover lessons I had forgotten.
I often prefer books over movies.
When a book describes a dog — tall, cute, walking slowly — every reader imagines a slightly different dog in their mind. That makes reading special. It forces your brain to participate in creating the world.
Movies show you everything directly on the screen.
Books make you build the world yourself.
Why This Book Became Special to Me
What makes The Art of Racing in the Rain special to me is that the story is narrated by a dog named Enzo.
The way the dog observes humans is beautiful and surprisingly emotional. At one point, Enzo talks about how humans have thumbs while dogs don’t, and how that changes what they can do in life.
I liked this book and the character so much that I named my dog Enzo after it.
But the biggest thing I took from the book was a philosophy that still stays with me today:
“The car goes where the eyes go.”
The idea is simple.
If you focus only on the obstacle or the place where you might crash, you eventually move toward it. But if you focus on the opening ahead, your body and mind naturally respond toward that direction instead.
Your focus shapes your direction.
I think this applies to almost everything — career, relationships, fear, ambition, and life itself.
Books I Still Remember Reading
Nicholas Sparks
I discovered a few books by Nicholas Sparks and ended up reading many of them. I liked the way he develops characters and emotions.
- The Wedding — (Romance, married life, relationships)
- The Choice — (Love, destiny, life moves on)
- The Lucky One — (Love, fate, second chances)
- Nights in Rodanthe — (Emotional relationships, loneliness, healing)
- Three Weeks with My Brother — (Personal memories, family, life journey)
- Message in a Bottle — (Love, loss, emotional connection)
- True Believer — (Mystery, romance, emotions)
- The Rescue — (Love, trust, emotional healing)
Dan Brown
Then I moved toward cryptography, puzzles, conspiracy theories, and murder mysteries by Dan Brown.
- Digital Fortress — (Cryptography, technology, suspense)
- Deception Point — (Science, politics, conspiracy)
- Angels & Demons — (Mystery, religion, science)
- The Da Vinci Code — (Symbolism, mystery, historical conspiracy)
Other Books I Remember
- The 3 Mistakes of My Life — Chetan Bhagat (Friendship, ambition, mistakes in life)
- Two States — Chetan Bhagat (Love, family, cultural differences)
- Now That You’re Rich… Let’s Fall in Love! — Durjoy Datta (Young love, relationships, modern life)
- I Too Had a Love Story — Ravinder Singh (Emotional love story, loss, memories)
- Come On Inner Peace, I Don’t Have All Day — Sachchidanand Mishra (Humor, peace of mind, modern stress)
- The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari — Robin Sharma (Small habits, personal growth, balance in life)
Mythology and Philosophy
I especially enjoyed books by Amish Tripathi and Anand Neelakantan because they humanize mythology and present gods as extraordinary humans shaped by their actions and choices.
- The Shiva Trilogy — (Mythology, philosophy, reimagining Shiva as a human hero)
- The Immortals of Meluha — (Leadership, destiny, good vs evil)
- The Secret of the Nagas — (Mystery, hidden truths, mythology)
- The Oath of the Vayuputras — (War, sacrifice, conclusion to the trilogy)
- Asura: Tale of the Vanquished — (A different perspective on Rama and Ravana)
Self-Improvement and Mindset
- The Power of Habit — Charles Duhigg (How habits shape life and behavior)
- The Slight Edge — Jeff Olson (Small daily actions create long-term success)
- Get Off Your “But” — Sean Stephenson (Excuses, motivation, mindset)
- Convict Conditioning — Paul Wade (Bodyweight fitness, beginner strength training)
- Rich Dad Poor Dad — Robert Kiyosaki (Money mindset, financial education)
- The Art of Racing in the Rain — Garth Stein (Perspective, philosophy, emotional narration through a dog)
- Fight Club — Chuck Palahniuk (Extremes are dangerous, every reread gives a different lesson, this book is also the basis of one of my favorite movies by Brad Pitt)
I still enjoy reading, although these days most of my reading happens on Reddit, LinkedIn, and blogs related to SEO, marketing, AI, and business.
Life gets busy.
But somewhere deep inside, I still enjoy reading simply for the fun of letting my mind wander.