Been there, read that

Latika Khaneja's love for books transcends all genres...well, almost.

While most people feel spoilt for choice at airport bookshops, Latika Khaneja, director, Collage Sports Management, finds it hard to locate a book she hasn't already read.

A self-proclaimed bookworm, she's read Jane Austin's Pride & Prejudice over 30 times. Others she may have read more than once include Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra and Brick Lane by Monica Ali.

Khaneja has also read all works of Amy Tan and Amitav Ghosh, "I love the way Amitav Ghosh captures history in his novels. There is a special way in which he recreates a situation in a reader's mind," she says.

Some books manage to change a reader's perception and the avid reader that Khaneja is, it took two to do the task "" The Private Life of Chairman Mao and Animal Farm, which transformed her views on communism. And, of course, when her mood demands, an occasional poetry session with books like Golden Gate by Vikram Seth is never far away.

When it comes to disliking a read, Khaneja comes down heavily on Salman Rushdie. "I just don't understand what he is trying to get at in his books," she says.

Pulp thrillers are a strict no-no for her. "I cannot read the standard sex and crime novels. It has to be a book with some literary value, good reviews and a certain sense of expectancy. I could pick up a Kiran Desai, Jhumpa Lahiri, Hari Kunzru, Amitav Ghosh anytime, but no Jackie Collins for me, please," she smiles.