These days when I often visit bookstall, I am always welcomed ( or unwelcome) by number of So call Best Selling Books out on stands. As soon as you enter a bookstall, first thing you look at those best selling books. Almost most of them say No.1 in some or other category.  It created doubt in mind for a while that whether I entered a bookstall or a movie CD/DVD shop where ratings are more significant and prevalent.

Choosing a good book to read is a class act. Its crowd out there, everywhere and book stalls are no exception. And choosing a book solely on the basis of No.1 tag may end up in losing your hard earn money. Believe me, it’s not a best bargain. It’s a gamble and many experienced book readers still fail to make it many times. When I go to stand and chose one of the No.1 book kept there and as soon as I turn a page I start feeling uneasy when I get to read some good reviews of that book.  Why? It spans on for next 2-3 pages. And by the time you reach Preface or Intro, it ends up in a page. How come? Isn’t it opposite? You better judge your book than someone else.  And how come every book would be No.1? Have all authors become Jane Austen? When was the trend of writing of rating every book No.1 has set in?

It’s really funny, and more funny is that not all good No.1 written books were good. Some are worst. Yes I agree it depends on your own personal interest. But can you say all the books you bought in recent No1 category are worth paying that much of amount? I seriously doubt.

I read few of the books under No.1 category. One of them I remember particularly was 'Monk who sold his Ferrari', I was so  bored while reading this book that I felt all the Extra-Publicity this book got was simply not worth. The same goes to other books written by same author. Some other to mention are Business books and Self help books. Some are excellent but most of them are average or below that. One often overlooks the fact that number of Self help books growing in number. I doubt whether my parent read any book in Self Book category when they were of my age or rather the category of Self Help exists separately at earlier times. The ridiculous thing about this category is almost all books have similar content and almost all of them are bestseller. Growing number of Self Help books are clear indication of omnipresent stress as a result of work, competition, money and finding insecurity in rat race. One should scrap those books at some point, which create lots of confusion in you life and many times you find more miserable after reading those. Writing and reading a self help book doesn’t help, you know better than me, Right?

I often tried to understand the psychology behind writing No.1. Sometimes I find No.1 shadows even the title or name of author to an extent that you doubt the real name of book might be No.1 or similar to that. There is no way to understand whether the book is bestseller or not, no one verifies it. But it gives me impression that Authors have started writing books for sake of publicity and for royalties. They are more concerned about Booker short listing. Tell me how many of you have dared to read V.S.Naipaul or Mr.Rashdie? V.S speaks all the time weird and about second fellow I am not really impressed by his ability to write things in lucid manner. One more fellow is Arundhati Roy, who wrote 'God of small things' which is simply the pinnacle of boring writing I could spot nearby. Are these authors really gifted one or hyped by some shortlistings?

I read some of the English classics by Indian authors like R.K.Narayan or Ruskin Bond or Mulk Raj Anand or likes of those. These writing have influenced generations. How many of contemporary writers boast such ability? Shortlistings doesn’t guarantee the success of book nor dose it give the real value of book. Not true for all, but many will fall under other category. I never found any extra title added to books written by them (R.K or Bond or else), nor they boasted No.1. I have to still figure out their short listing to some so called great awards. But I find their writing so compelling that nowadays no Bestselling author could dare to create the magic of Malgudi or Story of Guide Raju or Story of boy Rusty lost in between India and England or Coolie or anything of that sort. They are just class apart. I don’t know how much these greats earned out of writing, but I am damn sure they didn't write for listings or making it bestseller or making it into headlines. It was simple enjoyment, enjoyment and immense satisfaction of writing, that’s it.

It makes sense to me. I admire it. Writing a bad book takes equal effort as that of writing a good book. But who decides it is bestseller? Publisher? Or Author? Certainly they are the readers like you and me who throne them or dethrone them. May be these days writing has become more contemporary, or more realistic also, but still it appears more and more abstruse and mundane to me while reading it. Many times I find hard to correlate things given. May be I admire simple style of writing and  my views are not the last word in the literary world, still it makes sense when you do it for nothing but for sheer enjoyment…Reading as well as Writing !!! Rest follows it.