My friend M asked me the other day to explain the name of this blog — hornswoggle. Well, M, it’s because when I started it, I was going through a ‘romantic phase’ in books and reading Georgette Heyer. Her Dukes and Duchesses use a lot of strange words and hornswoggle is one of them. It basically means stupid, idiotic, nonsense, something to that effect at least.
These book phases happen to me occasionally. They start when I’m a little low, build up and then, go on for a month or two. This time, it’s been two months and I’m still stuck at romance. Been reading Georgette Heyer, Daphne Du Maurier and even Jane Austen. A Back To College phase. Completely. But I love it!
Forced to buy some of the books, even if I have read them earlier, as my own copy is either lost or in that old trunk at my parent’s place or I never had it in the first place.
Have no idea if others read like this but I go through phases in books.
My longest lasting phase has been books on travel or food or travel and food. It’s far from over. I’m only taking a romantic break. And there’s a mini-phase inside the travel one — travel and food in France! And then, there was the fun, footloose female phase (trendily called chic-lit) that started with Bridget Jones, hugely raised expectations and ended horribly with something called ‘Does My Butt Look Big In This?’ Yes. I bought that one. Once I go through a phase, I can’t be choosy, I HAVE to buy. I still go back to the chic-lit stuff willingly, only haven’t found anything exciting after ‘Nanny Diaries’, which is not only chic-lit but social commentary as well. There have been many other phases, including, thankfully, a very short-lived feminist one. Oh, and can also remember another short lived sci-fi one. Started and ended with Douglas Adams. The only one that never happened was Ayn Rand. Never had any intellectual pretensions :)
Wondering what the next one would be? Hmm...depends on the impulse of the moment really. Think I shall pick up the rest of the ‘Parlez Vous Franglais’ series and some more Calvin and Hobbes. Meanwhile, I'm very content Darcy for the 1500th time in Pride and Prejudice. Life goes on…