Thus spake Prasoon

The country head of McCann Erickson isn't a bestseller reader.

Prasoon Joshi can't stop raving about Frederick Nietzshce. "He is one author whose books I never miss out and have read them over and over again," says the executive chairman, McCann Erickson India.

Joshi, who buys most of his books at the airport, has no specific budget for his reading habits. "There has never been a budget for books. My philosophy is simple: If I like or want to read a book then I have to have it irrespective of the price."

Joshi, who you might think reads a lot of books on brands and marketing, considering the work he has been doing on various brands, prefers to stay away from these books. "I just don't find them interesting."

His favourite book is Thus Spake Zarathusstra by Nietzsche. "His works, including this one, jolts one's thoughts. And especially this one makes you question a lot of things in life."

He says that he likes the paradigm shift that comes in his thinking after reading his favourite author.

His favourite genre keeps on changing but these days it's autobiographies. And he is not too much into the best sellers either, which explains why he says The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is one book which he could never read. "I found it too repetitive and constricted for my liking."

He does most of his reading in the bathroom and says that he hasn't found any book which could describe his life. "I guess the book to define me hasn't been written yet!"