It’s not like I don’t have other things to do but these questions have been bumping around in my head. Hopefully by letting them go, I can get on with life … and be free of another excuse to procrastinate.
- Why are books titled, “The So-And-So’s Daughter” or “The Such-and-Such’s Wife”? Have you noticed there is a plethora of titles like these? Is it a new genre in which women are defined by the men they’re related to? I tried reading “Ahab’s Wife” and at about page five, I was thinking more about how to perfect my red beans and rice recipe as opposed to uh, Ahab’s wife. So I hope that if the title, “The Ballad of Aracely Calderon,” doesn’t fly, my editor won’t change it to: “The Mariachi’s Daughter.” I better knock on wood just in case!
- When a book is described as “a celebration of love and friendship” or something vaguely positive and uplifting, does that mean no one knows what the heck the book is about? Does it mean the heroine will learn she has cancer in the third act and die? And if so, why would I spent money on a book like that in this economy?
- And finally, what’s the appeal of galoshes on book covers? To me they symbolize the inconvenience of exchanging your cute footwear for clumsy, sweaty, icky rubbers, as our British friends call them. To my friend, Margo Candela: I’m not bagging on your galoshes. You’re taller than me. You can pull them off whereas galoshes on me would look like wading pants. However if they came in a wedge heel, I might reconsider my opinion.
Okay so there you have it. This is what happens in my head when I’m not writing, cooking, gardening or taking care of the Little Dude.