My dad is known for his creative bent with Amazon wishlists. He uses them as inspiration, but cannot work within their limitations. There are worlds out there! Books and music that we have all clearly forgotten to list! Thank goodness he is swooping in, the superhero of the wishlist, to save us all from our omissions.
Every year, (usually for birthday and Christmas), he manages to get me something I have already got – which is of course the reason why it wasn’t on my wishlist. You see, if I read something and enjoy it, I will list other work by the same author. Dad will then look at the list and think ah, she likes John Irving. But Hotel New Hampshire is not on her list! What an oversight! I will buy it for her for Christmas! And lo! On Christmas Day, I receive a copy of the book that inspired me to list the rest of Irving’s work. He always writes on the flyleaf, rendering the book unreturnable.
This year, he managed a hat trick. Bernard received a copy of The Gruffalo, which is great, because he loves it, and his first copy is like an old dishrag by now. Pete received a copy of Margrave of the Marshes, the book we have both just read for the next NCT Book Group meeting. I was given The Ode Less Travelled
If there is anyone out there who also has a similarly inventive relative, and would like to swap books with me, I have a hardback (flyleaf dedication by my brother) and a paperback (flyleaf dedication by my father). What have you got?