The Book Not Taken

Two books diverged on a library shelf….

I went to the library the other day to find some new reading material. Since I’m pumping milk for Ian, I spend a lot of time sitting at a desk, and books are terrific distraction. I’ve been reading a guilty pleasure series that sets the Robin Hood legend in England at the time of the Norman conquest, but I balanced out the first book in the series by reading Eat, Pray, Love at the same time. So when I went to pick up the second Robin Hood book, I figured I would pick out another New York Times bestseller or some thought-provoking fiction favored by NPR. Maybe a book about refugees.

I approached the shelf, eager to find some intellectual delight…… and I saw it. I knew I was doomed from the first glance. The book had the silhouette of a black kitty on the spine, along with the Sherlock Holmes avatar denoting it as a mystery novel. I glanced at the back for a description, but it was all a charade; I knew that book was going home with me. I was powerless. The New York Times bestselling NPR refugees would have to wait.