As a “feline” reader I have particularly enjoyed reading some books. The books fall in various genre of writing from Chic-Lit, to globally applauded Classics. The list does not follow any “read first:” sort order and is a very random listing that I would suggest most women to definitely pick up and read at some point of time. How well the book goes down with a reader is supremely defined by the “current frame of mind” and thus, I have added my own views on each book, to help in the selection of “the right book, at the right time”.
1. Bridget Jones Diary and Bridget Jones - The Edge of Reason by Henry Fielding: If you have been an undisciplined, bratty and sometimes plain-stupid single woman, so hopelessly in love and out-of-job that it could drive you wild, you can easily relate to the world of Bridget Jones. Brilliantly written this book is an amazing insight into the heart, mind, closet, stretch marks, kitchen, bedroom (pause)…, and diary of a woman. In spite of all the “hurdles” - which is a very innocent word to describe her sloth, slumber, drunken stupor, endless smoking, binge eating, broken new resolutions and scandalous past relationships - Bridget Jones continues to believe in the power of love and independence…
Mood-o-meter: Happy and Fun filled Chic Lit
2. The Devil Wears Prada: Want to make it big in some glamorous profession. You think you are already at it, but your boss makes your life hell. You can’t crib, you can’t cry and you just can’t stop hoping that you have finally made it big … and you really wonder if you are the only one out there! Read this book, and maybe you will just start liking that boss of yours.
Mood-o-meter: Happy and Fun filled Chic Lit
Post Script: If you liked this book, then you may also like The Nanny Diaries
3. Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coehlo: Thought provoking and I did recommend this book to some likeminded friends, particularly men, who I thought should benefit by understanding what goes behind a woman’s straight face. This book and the “Memoirs of a Giesha” have the same kind of appeal but this is a smaller, simpler reading.
Mood-o-meter: Enlightening
Post Script: If you like Eleven Minutes, who may want to read The Zahir, though I was utterly confused (maybe annoyed) by the intent and content of the book and will not exactly recommend it.
4. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden: Heart-rending and soul stirring, a mindful read that takes you back time and space to a world of the loved and the lost … the tale of so many women who hide behind painted faces and ruddy lips, but with water in their eyes. Read the book and then watch the movie… You will be remembering and talking about the Giesha for days to come….
Mood-o-meter: Definitely heart-rending but enlightening
5. She by H. Rider Haggard: This novel is actually a book in a series, however, it is a great independent read also. The book centers on Haggard’s deep-felt philosophy of racism and feminism, but you can skip brooding over the finer details and enjoy this adventurous tale of Ayesha. A thrilling story of a 2,000-year-old queen who rules a fabled lost city deep in a maze of African caverns. She has the occult wisdom of Isis, the eternal youth and beauty of Aphrodite, and the violent appetite of a lamia.
Mood-o-meter: Fantasy
6. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: If you want to know a strong and independent woman, and a proud and flighty man, entrapped in the whirlwind of loving and losing, then you must get yourself this book and read about Scarlet O’Hara and Rhett Butler. Two people - fiercely egoistical, fiercely in love, and fiercely separated by Fate … welcome to the world of Romance in the time of War.
Mood-o-meter: Romantic classic
Post Script: An almost logical “next book to read” after Gone with the Wind is “Scarlett” by Alexandra Ripley. I could only read half of the sequel, so will not write a review/recommendation.
7. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: One of my most favorite books - the strength of the female protagonist, the pathos and yearning of the star-crossed lovers and the bittersweet end… a must read for lovers of romantic classic. Charlotte Bronte’s writing is full of imagery, allegory and mystery.
Mood-o-meter: Romantic classic
8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelly: The book has a male protagonist but when I started reading the book, I was touched by the fact that Mary Shelley had undergone a number of miscarriages and Frankenstein seemed to the product of a disturbed mind, where the concept of “an incomplete human” reigned supreme. Incidentally, I have seen the movie also and vouch that the imagery and narration in the book is any day a winner over the cinema adaptations.
Mood-o-meter: Heart-touching and thrilling
.. to be continued What the “Cat” reads - Part II
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