In The Grip of Beautiful Titles

As usual, I walked into Bookstreet in Desa Sri Hartamas clutching a list of books to rent and walked out with only two books that weren't even on the list. Don't tell me it hasn't happened to you before! I think the only time I stuck to a list was when Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince was released.

This time the seductresses were Zora Neale Hurston with Their Eyes Were Watching God and Alice Walker with By The Light of My Father's Smile. It's impossible to swish past such hauntingly beautiful titles!

Hurston's novel revolves around a woman's quest for self-fulfilment while Walker's explores the 'richness of female sexuality as a celebration of life, affirming belief that love is both timeless and beyond'. I've had to put the books out of sight to quell my temptation to dive into their pages RIGHT NOW. I have an article due this evening and it will never get done if I allow myself a taste of even the preface.

The only problem I foresee with my excitement is that the books may not live up to expectations. Then again, I've always believed that the search for true beauty begins by giving a little of yourself first.