Initially, I was thrilled with the task of naming my favourite book. Surely, that would be the tale of the unlikely hero who shoulders the terrible responsibility of bearing a much sought after ring as he embarks on a treacherous journey to a hellish place in order to deliver its destruction. It has the elements of magical realms, epic battles, sacrifice, courage and love.

But something nagged at me as I looked at the title I'd just written down. Another story butted at my memory. A long time ago, a selfish porcelain bunny was torn apart from its little mistress and thrown headlong into a series of misadventures as life wound its way back home. I wrote that title down as well, a worthy contender.

Suddenly filled with doubt, I surveyed my bookshelves. A disastrous thing to do! I flicked through the biography of a statesman who fought an oppressive regime of racial segregation to bring change for his homeland. Other biographies and memoirs lie hidden in the back of the shelves. These lives had filled me with awe and inspiration. How to favour one over another?

The din of titles in my head grew as I reached the graphic novels. "Are we any less favoured because we have pictures and speech balloons?" my collection on the dream master who scattered sand from his tool kit, seemed to accuse. What a dilemma.

I could neither ignore the howling of wolf-dogs in freezing Alaska during the gold rush nor the sharks tailing and snatching bites off the doomed marlin attached to the side of the old fisherman's boat.

Animal stories. Horror. Tales of courage. Perilous journeys. Magical worlds. Science fiction. Inspiring memoirs. Stories that entertain and teach. I love them all.

So with a sigh of relief, I gave up on the task.

PS: I'm sure you recognise some of the titles hinted at. Do be free to drop me a note or comment and let me know.


Postscript added on 10 Oct 2023: Note: Thank you to those who have written to let me know you enjoy reading my column but daren't take a lesson because there are parts you don't really understand. I assure you we'll always speak at a level which suits you so that we can enjoy a casual conversation. Also, we can go through words and sentences that are difficult so that we learn together. Perhaps, they will be easy then and we'll always have something to talk about. No stress!