This Actually Happened – March 31, 2012

Big Disappointment

I’m sure anyone who lived on this planet anywhere other than seven miles under the ocean, heard about Dan Brown’s bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. I had an idea for my own novel and I didn’t want to be influenced by Brown’s book, so I put off reading his tome until after my work was completed. Once I finished my manuscript, I had many projects and never got around to reading Brown’s book. Luckily for me, I finally bought my own copy; a special edition. Not only do I have the novel, but one may call me a thief once I reveal the purchase price. I only paid one dollar and fifty cents. “Come again?” Yes, you read that correctly; I bought the book for a buck-fifty. “Where, you may ask?” At the best place to buy books; a true treasure hunter’s dream; a thrift store. Los Angeles has many thrift stores and I have been cleaning up. I purchased several bestsellers for less than two dollars. Apparently, I’m not the only one who knows this fact. The other day, I had some time to kill and I walked into a thrift store and met a lady who was also perusing the book section. We had a pleasant conversation and shared some trade secrets. In an effort to thank the wonderful people who continue to read my blog, I decided to let the cat out of the bag. (I don’t like the last phrase. Why the hell wouldn’t someone let the cat out of a bag unless the person comes from the Michael Vick pet owners association!) A few days ago, I was grocery shopping and it just so happened that there was a thrift store in the same strip mall as the supermarket. I walked in and found what I thought was another steal. Boy was I wrong! I have been a big fan of Stephen King movies, but sadly, I never read any of his novels. I did read his book on writing called On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. The book provided some great tips and contained a lot of Mr. King’s life experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed reading his work and I made it a personal goal to read one of his novels as soon as humanly possible. On Thursday, I had some free-time and I decided to read Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game. I can’t describe the excitement I felt before reading my first King novel. Boy was I disappointed; the book was filled with way too much descriptive writing and I slept my way through it. I haven’t been that bored since the time I volunteered to count how many grains of rice come in a twenty-five pound bag of jasmine rice. (17863 to be exact. You can count it if you like!) I read some of the reviews on line and found that other readers shared my experience so I plan on reading another King book soon in order to rid my mind of the last novel. I think I’m going with 1408, since I already purchased the book. If I find it to be a bore, I will not be reading anymore Stephen King novels! BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

A Must Not Buy

(Great bed-time story for insomniacs; it will put you right out!)

Do yourselves a favor and go grab some books at a thrift store. Just be careful when purchasing steamy romance novels. You never know what the previous owner was doing with their other hand while going over the intimate details! Sorry for planting that visual in your head. ENJOY!

@PeteTeix617