"The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand remains..."

For celebs, shopping or working out acts as a stress buster. Very few seek their comfort zone in reading books; after all 'a book is a mirror to the world'. One of them is tellydom's sultry damsel, Narayani Shastri, who shot to fame with Piya Ka Ghar on Zee. A rare concoction of beauty and brains, Narayani loves reading books rather than killing time elsewhere. Sameera Kapoor sets off on a quest to know her taste....

Which book are you reading currently?
Right now I am into The Curious Incident Of The Dog In Night Time by Mark Hadden.It's about a boy for whom life is black and white, no room for grey shades. He doesn't understand the metaphors and similes of life. This innocent philosophy of the boy makes the book fascinating.

Tell us more about your passion for books?
I read out of habit. Besides, when there's a break between shots, they are the best companions to be with.

Do you have a collection of books?
No. The reason being, once I'm done with a book, I lend it to someone. Most of my books are circulated amongst my friends. But, I read anything and everything, except books that depict war. I shun books based on violence.

Which book is engraved in your memory?
The Fountainhead Ayn Rand. This is one book which I can read all over again.

Why so?
There this fictional character called Howard Roark, whose fundas of life are fantastic. For instance, you know certain things in life are unachievable, yet the manner in which its been described in the book makes it realistic and alluring.

A book that you regret reading?
Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh. After going through the first fifteen pages, I figured out it was sheer waste of time.

What is your take on films inspired from classic books?
Very few manage to do justice to the written matter. It's like this; while reading, the reader fills his own colours to perceive a story, but when a film is made out of it, only the director's perspective is shown. There's no charm left.

Have you watched the Harry Potter series?
Yes. Couple of them were good. But I still maintain that the books were anytime better than the films.

And Da Vinci Code?
It's a very good book, very articulate. I enjoyed it!