SEC-S15W3: My Favorite Book

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Say the word "Books" and see my ears perk up.

Write the word "Books" and see my eyes drawn to it.

Show me the "Books" and see my feet move there.

This is precisely the reason you see me here - I was drawn because of the same invisible magnetic pull. Although, when I read the description, I thought this contest was not for me (like all other contests).

I considered writing on my blog because despite having organized tons of contests myself, I find it hard to abide by the rules, especially the post structure (it leaves less room for creativity). Although posting here means, more people will read, consequently, and hopefully more people will share their feedback. That's what I'm rooting for. ✌️
Since I'm posting here, so following all the rules out of courtesy. 🤪

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As controversial (it oughtn't be) as it may sound, I read books for pleasure/entertainment only. It has happened more than once, when somebody gets to know that I love reading, they expect me to talk about stuff like, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" or "Rich Dad, Poor Dad".

Mind you, I gave"7 Habits..." a try; it's great. Might help someone get into the right mindset when they are going through a situation. The book will definitely work if you read it at a time when you need it the most. Otherwise, people like me forget what they read and hardly recall when needed.

^{(I dedicated last year to Self-help books. All I have to say is, books that preach waking up at 5 am and taking cold showers, don't work for me (I haven't read 5 am Club). For one, having a routine is great but when you are a parent, your routine is unpredicted. Secondly, cold showers whaaat? I'm not a convict. 🤷‍♀️)}

Also, it's not something I'd like to read at night after a long day. This is not how I unwind. I need something exciting to look forward to, something that helps me zone out of the real world. Yes, you got it right. I LOVE Fiction.

I have read plenty of books in that genre. I can't categorize it into sub-genres because I like it all. Still, if I need to pick something, I'd pick a Thriller any time.

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What's my favourite book?

Would you believe it if someone in their thirties said their favourite book is - Harry Potter?

Oh yeah, that's me. 🫣

Don't judge me because I'm proud to say that despite reading tons of adult books from classics of Jane Austen to thrillers of Dan Brown, I will love this one always because it is a true masterpiece.

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I thought a lot about it. I think I can have a lot of favourties but there's only one that I've read twice and in completely different phases of life. The first time I read it, was when I was a teenager and I liked it a lot. The second time when I read it, I was turning 30 and had just given birth to my second-born and I loved it.

Usually, you don't like something as much as you used to like as a kid. Because with time, preferences and perspectives change.

But it wasn't like that with Harry Potter. I simply enjoyed it as a kid but as a grown-up, I understood the plot and character development much better. There are no loopholes. Every event, word, character, or seemingly insignificant detail is linked together and explained.

Content of The Book

I'm sure the book needs no introduction but if by any chance you don't know about it or haven't read it...

Book	Harry Potter
Author	J.K. Rowling
Standlone/Series	7 part Series
Genre	Fantasy Fiction
Elements	Mystery, Thriller, Adventure, Romance, Horror

It's about an orphan boy who discovers that he's a wizard on his 11th birthday when he gets an acceptance letter from a wizarding school. The story revolves around his time at the school, his adventure with his best friends, and a lurking mortal enemy. It's a world of its own which is highly immersive and captivating; you start feeling yourself a part of it.

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How does this help others through its contents?

Somebody once said to me that reading fiction is a waste of time. Well, I don't see how. Even if a book does not add up to my factual knowledge, a good story always has lessons in it. The creation of an imaginative world (which is an art in itself) can help boost the thinking-out-of-the-box capability.

Harry Potter has tons of life lessons like the importance of friends, the power of love, the courage to stand for the right thing, and true wealth is not having a rich family but a loving one.

How it influenced me?

The first time I read it, I was a student. I got obsessed with the character "Hermione" as she was a bookworm like me. Not only that, she was a brilliant student, and always did her homework efficiently and timely. She was super-intelligent.

I was so influenced by her that I also started taking more than usual interest in academics which resulted in excellent grades. 😀

By the time, I read the books again, I had switched from being a Software Engineer to a Writer. So I read it from a writer's eye. I noticed the brilliance of the plot, the well-developed characters, the mastery of word-building, creation of seamless imaginative world that seems real.

I think I got a tiny bit more creative with my writing style after reading this series again.

Which genre I would write in?

Ummm... It's a toughie. As much as I love reading fiction, I'm not inclined towards writing it. Given my Computer Science background, I like to solve the problems. I like precision, sequence, clarity, and conciseness.

Keeping in view these preferences, I think I'd enjoy writing in the non-fiction genre. Not the self-help books but the real-life stories, autobiographies, or how-to books (again...
not self-help kind).

There would be no specific target audience so anyone can get benefit.

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A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies.

I think I have already lived hundreds. 😀

P.S. I have challenged myself to at least read 30 books this year. I couldn't read much last year so not setting the bar too high. I have already read 3 books since the new year. Hoping to keep going.

^{Screenshot from my GoodReads Profile}

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^{I really don't want to tag any friends because the ones who participate will participate anyways and those who don't participate will not participate anyways.😄}

^{Still tagging @soulfuldreamer because she won't mind.
@ngoenyi because she also tags me. 😅
@aminasafdar because I think she likes Harry Potter.}