Showing posts with label Anita Jain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anita Jain. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Vacation Reading: Marrying Anita


Aaaah, it's good to be on holiday and to be under no compulsion to get-up early or to work - though strangely enough, I find myself doing both anyway.

I just finished the first book of my vacation, Marrying Anita by Anita Jain. Many years ago after visiting India, I developed a strong interest in Indian literature and read everything I came across. It's been a while since I read anything by an author from the sub-continent.

The title of Jain's book is chicklit-ish, but I decided to buy it anyway, intrigued in reading about her perspective and experiences on finding the right partner. Well, it was certainly an interesting and easy read, as Ms. Jain is a good writer with a wry sense of humour. However, is she serious about finding a husband? No, I don't think so! It was painful and increasingly tiresome to read about her drinking, getting stoned and her sexual escapades. Never have I seen such shooting ones' self in the foot.

All the classic signs of not really wanting a relationship are here: sabotaging promising relationships; lusting after unavailable men; behaving inappropriately while on dates (e.g drinking herself blind).

I don't expect to like the characters in the books I'm reading. In fact it's usually more interesting (though often torturous) when I don't. However, it's more painful when I know that someone actually behaved in this way/said these things that are making me cringe in shame.

Okay, bring on the next book.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Serendipity

My favourite type of shopping is the incidental kind, when you're just browsing and then you stumble across gems that you had not previously known that you wanted, but now that you, are extremely excited to own.



This happened to me today when I went to Borders to browse the books. The first interesting book I happened upon was Betsy Was a Junior/Betsy and Joe by Maud Hart Lovelace. This series appears to be the early 1900s' version of the Sweet Valley High books that I used to read, following the heroine Betsy as she grows up. After speaking with a shop assistant, who it turned out was reading one of the books, I also got Betsy and the Great World/Betsy's Wedding.



I read the synopsis at the back of one of the books and fell in love:
Betsy's Wedding: When Betsy's boat docks in New York, Joe is waiting there . . . with a ring! But she's going to learn that marriage isn't all candlelight, roses, and kisses. There's also cooking, ironing, cleaning, and budgeting— and will she be able to find time to forge a writing career?
So, women had the same issues to deal with back then....



Then, I found Not That Kind of Girl by Carlene Bauer about a woman questioning the values that she was brought-up with.



The last discovery was Marrying Anita by Anita Jain about an Indian-American woman's search for a husband, which leads her to India.

I haven't read any of these books yet and am looking forward to getting into them - as I always am. And of course, once I get home, and Real Life takes over, who knows when I actually shall... But my constant vow is to make the time...