By Jay Scott Kanes

Based in Hong Kong, the writer works as a reporter, editor and author.

LAMMA ISLAND, Hong Kong -- Reading can deliver nearly unlimited joys and benefits. Between book covers, you’ll find risk-free thrills and inexpensive entertainment laced with suspense, information and endless possibilities.

What beats the excitement of a fast-paced novel? What informs better than a well-crafted biography? What clarifies and solves problems more decisively than a thoughtful how-to book?

What stirs the imagination like science fiction? What revives the past more vividly than a well-researched history? What tugs at heartstrings like a romance novel? What captures images better than a glossy coffee-table book?

In a home-office on Lamma Island, I read with my chair tilted back, my feet on the desk and a pet cat or two stretched across my legs. Purrs, stroked ears and responding nuzzles enhance the experience.

Although great books routinely inspire hit movies, few screen productions surpass the pages that precede them. On every continent, the books pulled down from shelves form deep reflecting pools, sources of pleasure and learning to sustain all that’s wonderful and exciting. Why not dive in daily?

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