Fletch

I’ve been a bit active on Bookmooch lately. First of all, out of nowhere someone actually wanted one of the computer programming books I was trying to unload. The book was C++ for Dummies, in case you are curious. The book was in good condition, but really I thought I would be taking this book to my grave. Thankfully, it now has a good home. I hope it helps the new owner with their C++ programming.

I also mooched a book last week. It happened like this. I found out the author of the Fletch, Gregory Mcdonald, died last week. I loved the Fletch movies, but haven’t read any of the novels. So I thought why not give it a try.

So I got my copy of Fletch in the mail yesterday. Yay, a book in the mail. What a glorious day! You can’t beat that.

I read the first few pages. In fact, my daughter (2 years old) wanted me to read it to her. So I read the first bit out loud. Very good. My wife even remarked how good the beginning was. I may need to use that in my writing.

The interesting thing about the book really isn’t the book itself. Rather, it’s what was written in back of the book. One of the previous owners wrote, in pink ink, “Received from soandso for my birthday Summer 1988.” For some reason, this made the book more special to me.

I’m not sure what it is. I guess it’s the idea that this book, all those years ago, was given as a gift to someone. It give the book itself history. Some read this book. Someone gave it to someone. It meant something to someone. Now, it’s my turn to enjoy it.

I don’t know. Maybe I’m silly. Still, this makes me feel good. When I’m finished with the book, maybe I’ll mooch it to someone else. If I do, maybe I’ll write a note in there too.