Without leaving the comfort of my sitting room or getting out from under my blanket. I am in the Outback of Australia in Victoria Holt’s ” The Shadow of the Lynx.” And the same week help, Nancy Drew solves one of her endless mysteries.

The exact age I became interested in books and the ability to read is not definite. Anything with words caught my attention.

Children’s books were not my favourites. The covers were colourful with pictures of animals and birds. Storylines are usually predictable and, to my young mind, unbelievable. Talking animals?

And Little Red Riding Hood couldn’t recognize that it was not her grandmother in the bed, but the Fox?

Rapunzel was pushing the envelope; Her hair is a ladder. It was not convincing a bit. It was not relatable, and my curious young mind needed something to feed my brain.

My interest could have swayed if not for my older siblings. A Stack of Books sat on top of a cupboard in the bathroom, and based on location; those Books were not for children.

As such, my interest heightened. It took some planning to get my hands on the books. It was one of my passions.

The plan included frequent visits to the bathroom, which was a cover for me to read that was not appropriate for my age. Copies of Tan Magazine and True Confessions.

Also, the writings of Robert Ludlum, Nick Carter, Harold Robbins, and Agartha Christine were scary. But, it was hard for me to stop reading Robert Ludlum’s books.

Harlequin Romance novels were part of the forbidden stash. Louis L’Amour’s account of the Sackett Brothers was also part of this goldmine.

It’s dangerous, and I’m giddy.

On the covers were pictures of adults and cars. Adults with mysterious expressions on their faces were a regular sight. Every cover gives the impression of danger.

Briefcases, cars, and sailboats would be part of those intriguing covers.

It was intriguing, a mysterious world to be part of, at times- a gun or two.

My weekly trips to the Public Library resulted in two books. I would use the ‘approved’ ones as a cover to read the ‘forbidden ‘ ones.

During this period, access to reading materials increased. A lack of was no longer a problem. It happened by accident- a lot of books, not much time.

In my young mind, I needed to read all. The understanding; that those books are available to read at a later date; was a foreign concept.

As such, I developed a system of devouring books- pretending to have headaches. To ease the health challenge- problem, I had to rest. Reading my books while resting solved my health problem.

Well, I must say my plan worked, forbidden books and all. New books always came with a hefty helping of headaches.

Along the way, I found mystery books are my favourite. The plots for Romance novels have an easy-to-conclude end. After reading a few, the storylines were predictable.

The Romance storyline differs from a Mystery novel’s twists and turns. It can result in a lack of sleep.

I know reading mystery books helped create my analytical mindset. The plots were never straightforward. And my mind was constantly seeking out the next step, not having the patience for the story to unfold. I spend numerous hours anticipating the lead character’s next step.

The Author that offered the most excitement was Robert Ludlum. Oh my!Oh my! Those days were crazy. I got hooked on Jason Bourne, the lead character in ” The Bourne Identity.” I had read ” The Scarlatti Inheritance” before, but that Bourne character stuck with me.

In conclusion, a Book can take you where ever you would like to be. An escape from reality and live a different life for some time. It’s all up to your preference. How long the escape lasts is all in your hands.