I love to read.

In fact, I wish there were more hours in the day so I could read more. David Sedaris, Cormac McCarthy, Jane Austen, Nick Hornby, Toni Morrison, J.K. Rowling, Stephen King — my list of favorites is long.

There’s something magical about books — and, sadly, I don’t share this passion with my boyfriend.

Yes, he’s literate. But he’ll pick up a book only to help him fall asleep.

I don’t have a problem with the fact that he doesn’t read. But I have friends — fellow English majors — who do.

Poor literary taste — or worse yet, making incorrect literary references — are big dating no-nos.

It was exactly the content of an essay in yesterday’s New York Times:

We’ve all been there. Or some of us have.

Anyone who cares about books has at some point confronted the Pushkin problem: when a missed — or misguided — literary reference makes it chillingly clear that a romance is going nowhere fast.

At least since Dante’s Paolo and Francesca fell in love over tales of Lancelot, literary taste has been a good shorthand for gauging compatibility. These days, thanks to social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, listing your favorite books and authors is a crucial, if risky, part of self-branding.

When it comes to online dating, even casual references can turn into deal breakers. Sussing out a date’s taste in books is “actually a pretty good way — as a sort of first pass — of getting a sense of someone,” said Anna Fels, a Manhattan psychiatrist and the author of “Necessary Dreams: Ambition in Women’s Changing Lives.” “It’s a bit of a Rorschach test.” To Fels (who happens to be married to the literary publisher and writer James Atlas), reading habits can be a rough indicator of other qualities. “It tells something about … their level of intellectual curiosity, what their style is,” Fels said. “It speaks to class, educational level.”

I’ve never dumped a guy because of his taste — or lack thereof — in books. But I can see the writer’s point.

Preference in books — movies, music, TV shows, restaurants — say a lot about a person.

Hmm. I’m into romantic comedies, character-driven plots, “America’s Best Dance Crew” and The Cure.

Wonder what that says about me…

It’s hard to believe that tomorrow will be the last flights for Aloha Airlines. (Read the company’s press release here.)

The reason: Aloha, which operates about 700 interisland and 120 Mainland flights a week, ran out of time to find a buyer or get additional financing.

(Hawaiian Airlines announced on its Web site tonight that it will help accommodate passengers affected by the closure.)

Not only will this abrupt — and shocking — closing affect about 1,900 full- and part-time employees, it will change the travel landscape in the Islands.

Already, airline experts are predicting a hike in interisland fares. We’ll likely see the kind of fares we did before go! Airlines came onto the scene years ago.

It’s hard to speculate what’s going to happen next. Will Hawaiian and go! take over? Will the state come in and help Aloha Airlines stay in business? Will folks opt to take the Hawaii Superferry?

To me, it’s just sad to see yet another long-time — 61 years! — kama’aina business closing.

What are your thoughts about this?

Kaimuki-based Bess Press is having a warehouse book sale this weekend that benefits Ka Pa Hula O Kauanoe O Wa’ahila, a hula halau en route to the Merrie Monarch Festival.

The sale will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Bess Press, 3565 Harding Ave.

Some of the titles on sale are “IZ: Voice of the People” ($5) and “Hawaiian Scrapbooking” ($5). There are many other books — adults and keiki — going for less than $3. (View the complete list of books here.) Proceeds support the halau.

Parking available at the city municipal lots across the street.

Surprisingly, I had never actual eaten at Indigo Eurasian Cuisine on Nu’uanu Avenue.

Yes, I’d had the restaurant’s award-winning $3.50 martinis on Friday’s Martini Madness. (Happy Hour is from 4 to 8 p.m.) But food? Didn’t really know there was any.

So my brother treated me to lunch yesterday at Indigo — and I was surprised at how good it was!

Outside the restaurant, located on Nu’uanu Avenue in Chinatown.

Inside Indigo at lunch yesterday.

You’d never think you were in the middle of urban Chinatown in the restaurant’s outdoor garden area.

It’s a great escape from a stressful day at work.

The restaurant, which opened in 1994, boasts an interesting fusion of French, Asian and Mediterranean cuisines. Just look at these items on its menu:

Crisp Goat Cheese Won Tons with Four Fruit Sauce
Lumpia Wrapped Shrimp with Chipotle Aioli
Chicken Shiitake Mushroom Pot Stickers with Thai Ginger Sauce
Seared Laotian Beef Salad with Spicy Greens and Sweet Peppers
Pacific Fish in Banana Leaf with Cocoa Bean Curry
Tandoori Style Grilled Breast of Chicken with Mint Pesto

Talk about fusion!

So here’s what we ate:

We opted for the lunch buffet ($15.95), which featured dozens of dishes, some of which — like this one — were served to us!

The buffet features a variety of salads and veggies.

Look at this variety!

There was even a sandwich bar.

I sampled this white pizza with tender tandoori chicken and enough veggies to make me feel like I wasn’t eating, well, pizza!

These flavorful little mushrooms are usually in the daily buffet.

This salad — with pickled cabbage and topped with chopped chicken — wad delicious. The blend of sweet and sour really worked.

I love tofu — and this dish wasn’t bad. Just tofu in what tasted like a sweet teriyaki sauce.

These garlicky asparagus spears were delicious!

The restaurant serves a homemade hummus that you could easily get addicted to.

There was even lamb, perfectly cooked and seasoned.

Here’s what my brother ate.

Here was my plate. Suffice to say, I felt pretty stuffed afterward.

Well, not so stuffed that I’d pass up dessert!

We ordered the restaurant’s warm chocolate souffle, which came with a side of vanilla bean ice cream.

There’s the best part: the oozing chocolate center!

So if you need a break from the daily grind, grab your coworkers and escape to Indigo. Can’t break for lunch? There’s always Happy Hour!

Indigo Eurasian Cuisine, 1121 Nu’uanu Ave. Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; Dinner, 6 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Phone: 521-2900.

Apparently, Hawai’i residents’ personal income last year grew from the year before.

But — as you’d probably guess — not as quickly as our counterparts on the Mainland. (Read the Associated Press story here.)

Are you surprised?

A friend of ours from Los Angeles decided to fulfill his dream of living in Hawai’i, bought a plane ticket, and applied for jobs here. He’s a skilled carpenter who can make, easily, $70,000 in California. Here, his wage dropped to less than $40,000. He couldn’t believe it.

“I guess you have to pay to live in paradise,” he said.

I beg to differ.

Hawai’i has long had one of the nation’s highest cost of living — and without the salaries to help families survive. I mean, I wouldn’t mind paying $2,500 for a one-bedroom apartment — if I was making $75,000 a year!

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis, personal income in Hawai’i grew 6 percent in 2007, the 10th-largest increase in the nation.

Per capita personal income in Hawai’i averaged just over $39,000 last year, up from $37,000 in 2006. The largest part of the state’s income growth came from the construction industry.

But Hawai’i — which hovers in the Top 5 most expensive states to live — ranked 18th in personal income.

No wonder so many residents — and many of my friends — leave the Islands and never come back.

They can’t afford to live here!

I get that we’re paying for the year-round warm weather, for the beaches, for this unique culture. But it’s hard to enjoy all of that when you’re working two jobs just to afford your rent!

It’s just unacceptable to me.

What do you think?