On a recent date my husband and I played a game in which we asked each other questions outside the scope of our daily conversations.

He asked me what were the 5 things I would have to have on a deserted island.

The first two items I named were the Bible and my other favorite book. The rest were of practical nature like a flashlight , etc

There is an international day for everything these days, from puppies to happiness. The World Book Day definitely constitutes a holiday on my calendar. Can you imagine life without books? The world limited to the present facts and thoughts without access to history or wisdom of the great minds of the past or the option to be carried away by the imaginations of authors.

I discovered today that the World Book Day was first established to commemorate the death of Cervantes, whose novel Don Quixote is the most translated book in the world after the Bible. Somehow this trivia made me wonder why Jesus, the most influential person on earth, didn’t write a book?

The greatest book ever written is focused on Him. He spoke the most pure truth humanity has ever heard. Yet He left us no book, just the writings of His students.

Books are treasure chests of words. He was the Word. He lives in us, His followers, making us the living books who tell His story from generation to generation. In a world without books His truth and His children would fill the void.

Still, let’s hope we will never have to live in a world without books.

My other book for the deserted island packing list is “Pale Fire” by Vladimir Nabokov. In my opinion, one of the finest specimens of writing craftsmanship, but there are other close favorites. Perhaps the flashlight and two other useful items will be traded for books …