Disappointment at Chapters

"My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter." ~Thomas Helm

A couple of days ago I finished reading The Girl Who Played With Fire, the second book in Steig Larsson's trilogy. I couldn't wait to pick up the third book but time got away from me yesterday and I didn't have a chance to go out and buy it. I put it on my agenda for first thing today. I'm going to Cath's lake house on the weekend and I intended to take the book along (unless of course I finished it before Friday). This morning I did some work and then headed off to Chapters. Try as I might, I couldn't find the book. A search through the computer revealed that The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest isn't being released until May 25. I was so disappointed. I spent a half hour in the store trying to find something else that caught my interest. For some reason the pickings seemed slim but I did pick up Luanne Rice's The Geometry of Sisters and James Frey's Bright Shiny Morning.

When I got to the cash register, I mentioned to the sales clerk that I was disappointed at having to wait until May 25 to buy the book I was coveting. He told me the book has been published and released all over the world - just not yet in North America. That of course sparked me to think about whether I know someone who will be in Europe in the next few weeks who could pick up the book for me but I was unable to come up with a name. It didn't take me long to realize that I don't need someone to go to Europe and get it for me, I only need to order it from the U.K. site of Amazon. Mere moments later, I secured a copy of the book which is now winging its way to Toronto. Unfortunately, it will take a couple of weeks to get here, but at least I won't have to wait until May 25. Amazingly, even including shipping costs, it cost me less than half of what it would cost me to pre-order it from Chapters.

So a novel written in Sweden and translated into English is now enroute to Canada from England. The world is very small.