What could go better with light cola than light reading?

Coca-Cola Co. has come up with the novel idea of offering excerpts of upcoming books in 12-packs and cases of Diet Coke.

Titles to be excerpted include Elmore Leonard's "Be Cool," Maeve Binchy's "Tara Road," Barbara Taylor Bradford's "A Sudden Change," Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen's "Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul," Nora Roberts' "River's End" and "Mistaken Identity" by Lisa Scottoline.

"We found the group to be 30-plus people with very busy lives," spokeswoman Diana Garza said of Diet Coke's core consumers. "When asked what they liked to do to relax, the first thing they said was to read -- best sellers and books by best-selling authors."

Garza says about 45 million packages will include excerpts. Look for the soda pop prose beginning Feb. 1.

Pub Date: 12/31/98