“Except for a living man there is nothing more wonderflil than books! They teach us and open their hearts to us as brothers”, wrote Charles Kingsley, a prominent English writer of the 18th century. There are many books which have been our favourites since childhood. We grow up with and they stay in our memory forever. This happens because from our first books we learn what is right and wrong, we try to discover all the secrets of the world, understand our place in the Universe; the books form our moral values. I became very keen on literature very early in life This probablv happened because we had a very good and widely-read library at home. Books stirred my imagination, expanded the boundaries of the familiar world, and filled my life with great expectations of joy and happiness. Since childhood, I have been enchanted by Mark Twain, Lewis Carol, Felix Salten. Pushkin was one of the highest authorities to me. These books aroused very deep emotions in me. They caused my laughter as well as tears, they helped me to understand and love our fellow men and to appreciate other people's opinions. The writers depicted their characters very convincingly and I couldn't hold back my emotions. I loved with the characters who most appealed to me in the books. 1 also was delighted with Margaret Mitchell and her book «Gone with rhe Wind». This historical novel has an original plot, covers many topics and reveals the characters’ personalities very convincingly. Realistic writing depicts the everyday life and speech of ordinary people of that time. The author possesses a talent for writing historical novels, an ability to portray life very truthfully and a rich and vivid imagination. This book brought me pleasure and delight and enriched my mind with important knowledge about the American Civil War when the Southern States tried to defend their way or life. Scarlett O'Hara was a person who most appealed to me. She possessed an ability to overcome all the difficulties, she was a person of strong character. Her actions and behaviour aroused admiration and delight in me. Later my heart was won by William Shakespeare. His knowledge of the stage and his poetical genius made his plays the most wonderful ones ever written. His experience helped him develop the powers of keen observation and enrich his vivid imagination. My literary taste was influenced by Shakespeare's talent. His short, simple words, filled with emotion, his clear style of writing aroused my admiration. But I spent many nights studying all the footnotes and commentaries to his poetry to appreciate his real depth. In his light comedies, such as “The Merry Wives of Windsor”, “All's Well That Ends Wel”, “Twelfth Night”, he depicted his characters with a rare wit, humour and deep understanding. In his deep tragedies, such as “Hamlet”, “Kmg Lear”, “Othello”, the author focused on the psychology of human character; his humour became sharp and bitter, he despised vices of the society and made fun of wealthy and pretentious and of the hypocrisy tnat he saw in the life. Different readers appreciate different kinds of books. The choice of books characterizes the reader, his interests and education. If we want to have an advantage over other people, to aim at good education we should read memoirs, atlases, encyclopedias, popular science and the classics. I came to the conclusion that the rich works demand great education on the pan of reader. In order to keep up with the highly educated authors we should consult dictionaries or reference books, we must think, analyse and compare different situations, we must study all the footnotes and commentaries to the texts. It is my firm belief. Science fiction, drama, poetry, folklore and essay are differ en genres of literature. But it is not the genre that makes a book powerful and popular with the readers. They appreciate the intriguing plot, fresh and original ideas, the power of the author's imagination and his rich and interesting language. All these things make a book a powerful reading. Books are divisible into 2 classes: the books of the hour and the books of all times. Books that delight all ages are the classics. They are real masterpieces. Classics possess some special merit for every generation, and almost every person in turn. Some people couple the rise of TV with the death of books But, as Katayev said, books don't need ro be rescued. A book is one of the greatest wonders in the world. They give us a unique chance to link up with authors who lived in different ages and countries. Through reading books we hear their voices, thoughts and feelings. Books bring nations together. They are our faithful and undemanding friends.