The Long Version

I've read all of Dan Brown's books. And I have to say that while I am all too aware of their faults, I have also found every one of them to be compelling reads. Even the two non-Robert Langdon ones. So when I found out that he had a new book out--Origin, released less than two weeks ago (on October 3, 2017)--I wanted to read it. But it was $30 in the bookstore. $18 on Amazon. $15 on Kindle. And my money tree hasn't been blooming hard for the past couple of years. So I went to lfpl.org and put myself on the hold lists. I was 159 of 205 for the print book and 57 on the ebook. I didn't like those odds. So I started reading it in the bookstores. Both Barnes and Nobles stores, both Half-Price Books stores. I even read a couple of chapters in Kroger. But I was really wanting more intimate access. Cause it's a page turner.

And when the kids finished bowling this evening and we were heading home, Jacqueline asked if we could stop at Half-Price Books. I told her that we weren't going to do that since we had just stopped in a few days ago. And then she asked if we could stop at Goodwill. I was about to demur on that as well when I had a vision of Origin sitting on the shelf at Goodwill.

Which was absolutely ridiculous, of course. I mean . . . the book isn't even two weeks old. And it's a #1 Best Seller.

But I saw it, man. SAW it sitting on the shelf.

So I said we could stop in at Goodwill. I started looking at the books while Jacqueline explored. Saw some interesting stuff right off the bat. A Roger Zelazny short story collection called The Last Defender of Camelot which I'm now wishing I had picked up. A Fritz Leiber Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser omnibus entitled Swords' Masters (which included Swords Against Wizardry, The Swords of Lankhmar, & Swords and Ice Magic) which I did pick up. A Charmed novel that Joe was interested in. Some other stuff. 

And then I saw Dan Brown's Origin. Holy Shit, Batman. 

It was just sitting there, man. On the shelf at Goodwill. Like it was waiting for me.

And now it's sitting here.

Pretty freaky, huh?