Roll On, Minnesota

Every once in a while the Mumbai papers take it upon themselves to ask our celebrities questions about what they're reading at present. Paolo Coelho's The Alchemist is the answer that seems to crop up the most often, being intellectually undemanding, yet with pseudo-philosophical cachet. And of course, The Da Vinci Code isn't far behind. (One imagines a publicist somewhere coaching his clients: "Say that Coelho's vision is inspiring! That Dan Brown's writing keeps you up nights! And don't for God's sake say that you like Shakespeare's novels!").

Well, the members of the Minnesota Rollergirls -- a comely all-female skating team -- were asked the very same question, and at the very least, their answers were a bit more eclectic-- ranging from The Tin Drum ("Full of obscure and obvious humor with just the right amount of disturbing, yet titillating content" - Holly Go-Fightly) to The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy ("He is so romantic" - Jackie Mehoff). And an engaging lass named Supersonik says: "I am currently reading Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier...it is a light-hearted, engaging novel about coming of age (in a modern, realistic way) and I am also very interested in Indian culture." Given that the book in question is squarely in the 'young adults' category, that seems about right.