Book List

Read a fair amount over the winter, so here is my little list, if anyone wants to play ketchup.

1) An Equal Music by Vikram Seth.

About: A classical musician who is in love with this chick he dumped ten years ago and hasn't seen since.

Cup of tea: Not really. It's very pretty in the prose, as he tends to be, but I wasn't very taken with the characters and it's one of those stories that is doomed from the get-go, which is kinda depress. I think I would have liked it a lot more if I knew anything about music, because then I could maybe understand when he talks about a great playing of Bach.

2) The Runaway Princess by Kate Coombs

About: A 15 year old Princess is told that she's going to marry the Prince that wins some competition that her father has cooked up, and decides to go and save the dragon, witch and bandits that the Princes are after.

Cup of tea: I kind of loved it. It's a YA book with lots of womans lib messages like don't sit around in a tower sewing and waiting for a Prince, and witches have feelings too. Obvs, I'm too old for it, but it was a nice throwback to the sec 1 days. Sonia, I dedicate this to you.

3) The Girls Guide To Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank

About: Anecdotes from a woman's life that have shaped her romantic life.

Cup of tea: Easy read, and the stories were quite sweet and poignant. Interesting narrative because it wasn't linear and managed to convey big portions of her life without telling you what happened in between. Still, pretty much chick lit.

Honorable mentions:

- Several romance novels not really worth documenting.

- How To Marry The Man Of Your Choice, a horrible book from the 80s full of advice like 'dress for men, not for women', which was $1 from a used bookstore in Boston so I had to have it. Comes with a warranty: full refund if not married within 2 years of purchasing book. Offer expires in 1994.

Am now working on The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis.