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Summertime, and the Reading Is Easy: Part I
July 2, 2007

I blame the woman on the train.

On Thursday evening, I took a very crowded commuter train from DC to NY -- I say "very crowded" because normally I sit by the window, my only seatmate a book-stuffed tote bag. This time, I had to sit with someone else, and one woman was sitting on the aisle, so I could snag my beloved window seat.

I spent the first half of the trip with my eyes closed, listening to Peony in Love by Lisa See on my iPod (read by Jodi Long, it's a real treat). But somewhere around Philly, I got up to grab a bottle of water from the cafe car, and when I came back, my seatmate... wanted to chat.

Uh. Oh.

I'm a reader -- like you. That means we are never alone on trips, and never bored. Alas, our fellow travelers aren't always like us. This woman was clearly in the mood for a chat.

Fortunately for me, she turned out to be interesting and witty, and we were soon chattering away like old friends about -- what else? -- books! (I'm preserving her anonymity since I didn't ask her permission to blog about our encounter, but I can at least reveal that she is a top-level broadcast producer, and as well-educated and well-informed as they come.) In fact, we talked about books so much and for so long that the woman seated in front of me got in on the act, too, and asked us what titles she should pick for her newly hatched neighborhood book club (I always recommned Karen Joy Fowler's The Jane Austen Book Club for new groups).

So what book was this mystery woman reading? And what book did she actually get me to scurry to the Penn Station Hudson's and buy? This:

                                                           

I blame summer. I'm weak. 

More on The Diana Chronicles later today, after I've returned to my senses.

Posted by Bethanne Patrick on July 2, 2007 | Comments (7)