I glanced downward and saw the best seller

I glanced downward and saw the best seller.
I picked it up and set it carefully farther along on the floor of the car, where the raindrops would not fall upon it.
And then, suddenly, I smiled and seemed to see that life has no geographical bounds.
(a) Why did the narrator pick up the best seller and set it carefully on the floor of the car?
(b) The narrator says, “Life has no geographical bounds.” What does the narrator mean here?
© What is meant by the word ‘glanced’?

(a) The narrator did so as it was raining outside and he did not want the raindrops to spoil the book by falling upon it.
(b) The narrator means by the above statement that human beings are essentially the same everywhere.
© The word ‘glanced’ means to take a quick look.