I stopped by the Dollar Store to purchase housecleaning supplies the other day and, as always, I was drawn to the book offerings. Some of the works on sale for $1 I wouldn’t take home for free. But, if I’m persistent, I usually find nuggets among the fool’s gold, like Larry McMurtry’s autobiography that I wrote about earlier. What’s more, because the books are cheap, I’m willing to take a risk on an author I don’t know.
Cleaning supplies in one hand, I browsed through the stacks and came across two authors whose novels I’d never encountered. The first was a 492 page murder mystery by Patricia Cornwell, a New York Times bestselling author. Naturally, I didn’t hesitate to give her book a try.
The second work was by Andrei Makine, author of Dreams of My Russian Summers which received a New York Times Notable Book designation. The novel I held in my hand wasn’t the award book, but another, The Crime of Olga Arbyelina. From its jacket, I learned that Makine was a 54-year-old Russian émigré who now lives in France. As I am drawn to Russian writers, I read the first few pages and was intrigued.
With both books tucked under one arm, I made my way to the checkout counter. Whether or not I ended up loving or hating these novels, I couldn’t be sure. But I knew I was about to discover new worlds. For $2, I doubt anyone could find a more reasonably priced adventure.
(Courtesy of heraldsun.com.au)
