Why is it that progress can sit in constipation for aeons...then all of a sudden...come whooshing in leaps and bounds - merely a month after the Motion Mountain discovery, another rare life-changing gem comes into view: A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson.
It was love at first sight. Honestly. (And that's coming from me who never judges a book by it cover, me who let HP sit moulding on the shelf for a whole year before prising it open.) Mum and I were in Carrefour at the Deira City Centre, Dubai, scanning the books section, and its pinkish cover just jumped out from shelves of rubbish, screaming to be read. A split-second later I realised this was the original version of that terrible weighty tome Mabel had picked up years ago - it was called Wanwu Jianshi in Chinese. I bought it anyway.
Lucky, lucky me! It kept me engrossed for the full 7-hour flight back home...didn't sleep a wink (our flight was at two in the morning, so that's saying something). As a bonus I witnessed one of the most mind-blowing sunrises I've ever seen.
It's the Holy Grail I never knew existed.
It's a book that makes my blood boil.
Enough said.
12 Feb 2008
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