Wildlife enthusiast Mike Pandey enjoys his Wilbur Smiths as much as loves delving deep into Ernest Hemingway

For wildlife enthusiast and documentary filmmaker Mike Pandey, books are more than just a pastime. Pandey reads anything he can lay his hands on. Sometimes, the wildlife expert says, he even ends up reading two books at a time.u00a0



Now reading
Currently, he's reading Khushwant Singh's autobiography Truth, Love and a Little Malice, and Patrick McCully's Silenced Rivers -- a book on the ecology and politics of dams.

Reading spot
Pandey enjoys curling up on a large couch in his living room, made comfortable with a generous sprinkling of pillows. In the usual occasion when Pandey reads for three hours into the night, he shifts to a comfy chair in his bedroom, where he often falls asleep.

Books for every mood
So, what have books taught him so far? "They provide me with information and a different perspective on issues that matter," says Pandey. The wildlife enthusiast reads different books at different times. While
travelling, he packs Wilbur Smiths for light reading and re-reading. When at home, he catches up with deeper stuff; books on serious social issues, commentaries and biographies.

Tough picking favourites
Shakespeare has been an all-time favourite. "As a child, I used to love quoting from Shakespeare," he says.
Other favourites include Manohar Malgaonkar and J. Krishnamurti whose works, Pandey says, have influenced him deeply.

The Only Revolution is a favourite, so is Ernest Hemingway's Farewell to Arms. Pandey also keeps re-reading The Autobiography of a Yogi. "Every time I read it, I find a different meaning."