Day 61: In pursuit of a book

Between You, me and the Lamp Post

Day 61: In pursuit of a book

Many of us, readers/writers are familiar with ‘A Women of Substance’ by Barbara Taylor Bradford. It is generally agreed that this is Bradford's masterpiece. I tend to agree. I read this book many years ago and found it riveting start to finish.

Then a few days ago I picked up ‘Hold the Dream’, the sequel to ‘A Women of Substance’. In general, apart from the Harry Potter series, I tend to avoid sequels as they are never as good as the original work.

This proved to be the case with ‘Hold the Dream’. The story failed to capture my attention and I was actually rather bothered by the subject of the book. In short ... Emma Hart is nearly 80 years old and leaves her empire to her favorite grandchild. Hm, this seems grossly unfair to me. Emma Hart has several children and a multitude of grandchildren, yet she leaves everything to her favorite grandchild. What about the others?

After a few pages I abandoned the book and went in search for something else to read.

The security guard of the company where I currently work told me that there is a mini library on the 5^th floor. I didn’t let the grass grow under my feet and went in search of that mini library. The guard didn’t exaggerate when he called the library mini ... just two shelves with a few books. 

Some were computer manuals, others were financial investment publications and there were a few self-help books. None were of any interest to me. I don’t understand computer manuals, I don’t have enough money to consider investments and as for self help books ... I’m doing just fine.

Back at my desk I looked up if there were any bookstores in my neighborhood and found one that was very close. According to Google it was a four-minute walk. Between my lunchtime I set off.

First of all, let me say that Google can’t be trusted. A four minute walk my foot, perhaps a pigeon can get there in four minutes, but it took me the better half of ten minutes. When I finally got at the bookstore address, I stared at a boarded-up shop window. According to the shop owner next door, the bookstore had closed some three years ago.

The man had good news for me though, he knew of another bookstore. Okay, where was that one located? It turned out that bookstore would require a fairly long walk, but fortunately, I could hop on a streetcar.

When I got off the streetcar I looked around me and ... there wasn’t a bookstore to be seen. I saw clothing stores, coffee shops, and restaurants, but no bookstore. Never mind, I would pop into the drugstore and see what kind of books they had. As it turned out, none. The drugstore still had magazines, but since there was little or no interest in books the drugstore no longer carried books. Again a piece of good news though, the salesclerk told me where I could find a book store.

To cut a long story short, I found the store. Not a chain store like Chapters Indigo, but an old- fashioned mom and pop store with books on tables, books on shelves, little home improvement items, kids toys as well as a counter serving coffee and baked goods.

The choice was limited, but after all I had been trough, I was gonna walk out with a book come hell or high water.

My book of choice ... ‘The Turn of the Key’ by Ruth Ware. If ‘The Turn of the Key’ is anything like Ware’s other books I’m in for a treat.

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The Woman in Cabin 10 - Part II

Yesterday I sang the praises of ‘The Woman in Cabin 10.’ However, to be perfectly honest, after finishing the book I had a few questions. Part of the story made no sense to me, leaving me guessing whether the author had made a mistake. (For the sake of future readers I’d rather don’t go into too much detail).

I went online, searching if someone else had picked up on these ‘mistakes’, but couldn’t find anything.

Desperate for answers I looked up Ruth Ware on Facebook and sent her a message. I didn’t actually expect her to answer, very few authors do. At best you get an automated reply, thanking you for your feedback. But I was going to give it a shot anyway.

Much to my surprise, Ms. Ware did reply and not just a one-liner, but a thorough explanation of what I had perceived as a mistake.

Even with her explanation though, I still didn’t quite get it, so I asked for further clarification, and moments later that’s exactly what I got. Ms. Ware even went as far as apologizing that she hadn’t spelled out the details more clearly.

I’m quite sure Ms. Ware is not to blame. It was me, this is what happens when I read until all hours of the night. My eyes fly over the lines, eager to know what happens next, and in the process some details escape my attention.

Then again, my Kindle might be to blame. By clicking next page, it’s very easy to skip a page. While fully alert, one might pick up on that skip, but who – at 2:00 in the morning – is alert enough to notice such a detail.

So, not only did ‘The Woman in Cabin 10’ impress me, Ms. Ware impressed me even more. She doesn’t act as the grand dame of literature, but rather as an average woman who doesn’t consider herself too posh to respond to a reader’s question.

Next up, ‘In a Dark, Dark Wood’ also by Ruth Ware. I’m only 17 pages into the story, but I can already tell … my nightlight will stay on long after midnight.