METROLAND **

“The easy answer is, you know when you’re in love, because there’s no way you can doubt it, any more than you can doubt when your house is on fire. That’s the trouble, though: try to describe the phenomenon and you get either a tautology or a metaphor. Does anyone feel any more that they are walking on air? Or do they merely feel as they think they would feel if they were walking on air? Or do they merely think they ought to feel as if they are walking on air?”

This strange coming-of-age story by Julian Barnes follows this protagonist throughout his life as he journeys through Paris and meets all sorts of people (read: women). In any case, it was something to pass the time and I got a good passage out of it.

My suggestion: Only if you're on a desert island and you're allowed four (not the standard three) items should you bring it along. But hey, what are used book sales for if not for strange, cheap paperbacks?