When I was young, I read voraciously. I read everything I could get my hands on… as long as it was an easy read, a great story, by a modern-day author, and something my Mom or Aunt Sue would label “Trash.” (Yes, with a capital “T.”)
My older self reddens as I admit that I was a romance-novel addict. They were fun, quick, and easy to lose myself in their fantasty worlds of bodice-ripping rowdiness.
After reading a few “heavier” books, I’m still drawn to these chick lit books – not just romances, but mysteries. I’m a love-to-dog-him reader of James Patterson, a huge Mary Higgins Clark fan, and noncommittal-but-always-willing-to-try anyone else with an intriguing dust jacket.
And yet, all too often these days I’m left disappointed with choices from this past favored genre. The latest? “The Sleeping Beauty Proposal” by Sarah Strohmeyer. In this cute book, an admissions counselor watches her beau of four years giving an interview on TV and then proposing to the love of his life – imagine her surprise when she learns he didn’t mean her. Our heroine of the hour decides to keep her mouth shut and enjoys being “engaged” while ex-boyfriend spends the summer and abroad. Oh the hilarity that follows!
The plot had no holes and Ms. Strohmeyer’s heroine was comical and sweet – I don’t actually have anything bad to say about this novel. It’s just that for me, I’m left feeling a little frustrated at myself that I wasted a few precious hours reading this instead of choosing to pick up “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” “Ireland,” or “Gone With the Wind” – all current choices on my “MUST READ” list.
It’s interesting how tastes change over time… Happy reading!
