Reading and Hair

I'm an avid reader. A 1+ book a day, reading is my Alpha and my Omega (and that lightning bolt was too close for comfort) reader. I am a reader with a dirty little secret: I don't read highbrow literature or nonfiction that often. Sure I read it, it's my duty as a human with a brain and it gives me something to throw at idiots, but in the reality of everyday, I read genre fiction. And what could possibly be worse than that? I don't just read any genre, I read ROMANCE! We aren't talking Jane Austen here folks. But really I have to ask what's so wrong with the genre--sure the authors write to the masses, but then the masses are who pay their bills. I'd write to them to. It's happy escapism at its best. Do I think a romance reflects reality? No. Do I think it comes even close? No, but it's fun. And the writing isn't always bad. Any genre has its flops. Find what you like and read it. Sometimes you just have to ignore the embarrassing cover.

Since the subject is romance novels, and romance novels invariably describe their heroine's hair, I had the interesting experience of actually seeing someone with hair the color of which I have seen described in multiple novels-chocolate brown. Yup, for some reason, authors like using this description. Up until the other day, I thought the term to be about as accurate as, say, honey blond (have you ever looked at honey? It's vaguely orange--if my hair was that color, I'd dye it). But, no I saw a living, breathing person, with natural hair the color of melted Scharffen Berger milk chocolate. It was shiny to boot. Made me hungry. I make a killer flourless chocolate cake. Mmm . . . . At any rate, I can't say I never now. (I also once new a girl in high school with mousy brown hair--honest. Same color as a mouse's coat. I had a teacher that was altogether rodent-like, but that's another matter.)

"A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return."

-Salman Rushdie