Kiss & Tell

by Alain de Botton

I love this author's nonfiction books so much, particularly because of his writing style, that I decided to take a chance on this novel. Forever philosophical and always quotable, de Botton turns a simple love story into an exploration of love as an act of biography, and mistaken biography at that. One quotation from this book that sums up the whole premise, I liked so much that I wrote it on my wall. It's something to the effect that we are never more wrong about who someone is than when we are in love, because we are in love with the person we believe them to be or want them to be — a person capable of loving us — rather than the person they really are.

Verdict: an enjoyable book, pleasant to read, that is more than just its story. Not recommended if you're all about the plot or looking for earnest romance, though it's not entirely cynical on the possibilities of love.