I've experienced a few false starts reading-wise lately. Starting books but not finishing them. It happened with the overhyped Run, Rabbit and continued with the longwinded Shogun. Since these setbacks I've read some really great titles, including two Agatha Christie novels. One great, the other good. I also read a throwaway space thriller from the 1980's too. Long story short, the future of the 80's runs on speak-and-spell computers and Japanese industry. Back in the U.S.A. I attempted to read a book that has eluded me for four years. The kind of book that sits on the shelf collecting dust, just waiting for you to crack its spine and begin reading. We have a history this book and I. One that goes all the way back to a longtime ago in a galaxy far, far away.
I first picked of a copy of Star Wars: The Last Command from a bookstore cellar on the Charing Cross Road in central London back in 2012. I knew even then that it was the third book in the series, because of my abortive attempt to read the first book in high school. I bought the copy of the book regardless, and it sat on the shelf in the tiny closet sized room that I called home on Stamford Street. There it sat on my bookshelf for the next six months, while I scoured London's secondhand bookshops looking for the first two books in the series. Again, long story short, I failed. The copy of the book came back to Indiana with me.
In Indiana I was able to checkout a copy of the first book from the local library. Though I am not much for the Star Trek and Star Wars tie-in books, the novel was fantastic. After moving to China I tried listening to audiobook of the second book in the series. I didn't get much out of the experience, missing most of the plot and several key events. However, finding a copy of the second book in the country proved next to impossible. Finally I secured a copy of the second book thanks to Amazon and a visit from my Mom. I am now very glad I secured a girlfriend before admitting this. I doubt publicly admitting that you used your mother as a mule to transport Star Wars novels across continents would earn you many points with the ladies, but I digress. She brought the book over and I read it in less than three days. It was great.
Finally it was time to breakout that globetrotting copy of Star Wars: The Last Command and read it after nearly four years gathering dust on my bookshelf. Upon returning home, I realized that I'd donated the book to charity during my visit to the United States last March and forgotten about it. Ever resourceful, I checked out a copy from the local library. However I had already created an obstacle for myself. Hoping to be able to take the book back to China with me, Agatha Christie's Murder At The Vicarage was already ahead of it in my reading queue. I only got 25 pages through SWTLC after I failed miserably at solving the murder in one of Ms. Christie's more mediocre tales. In my panic I bought a copy of SWTLC on Amazon when it became clear I couldn't finish it before leaving, but in keeping with the past, it didn't show up until after I'd already departed for China.
Now I am back to square one. So if anyone in China knows where to get a copy of this 1994 Timothy Zahn classic, shoot me a We Chat.
I first picked of a copy of Star Wars: The Last Command from a bookstore cellar on the Charing Cross Road in central London back in 2012. I knew even then that it was the third book in the series, because of my abortive attempt to read the first book in high school. I bought the copy of the book regardless, and it sat on the shelf in the tiny closet sized room that I called home on Stamford Street. There it sat on my bookshelf for the next six months, while I scoured London's secondhand bookshops looking for the first two books in the series. Again, long story short, I failed. The copy of the book came back to Indiana with me.
In Indiana I was able to checkout a copy of the first book from the local library. Though I am not much for the Star Trek and Star Wars tie-in books, the novel was fantastic. After moving to China I tried listening to audiobook of the second book in the series. I didn't get much out of the experience, missing most of the plot and several key events. However, finding a copy of the second book in the country proved next to impossible. Finally I secured a copy of the second book thanks to Amazon and a visit from my Mom. I am now very glad I secured a girlfriend before admitting this. I doubt publicly admitting that you used your mother as a mule to transport Star Wars novels across continents would earn you many points with the ladies, but I digress. She brought the book over and I read it in less than three days. It was great.
Finally it was time to breakout that globetrotting copy of Star Wars: The Last Command and read it after nearly four years gathering dust on my bookshelf. Upon returning home, I realized that I'd donated the book to charity during my visit to the United States last March and forgotten about it. Ever resourceful, I checked out a copy from the local library. However I had already created an obstacle for myself. Hoping to be able to take the book back to China with me, Agatha Christie's Murder At The Vicarage was already ahead of it in my reading queue. I only got 25 pages through SWTLC after I failed miserably at solving the murder in one of Ms. Christie's more mediocre tales. In my panic I bought a copy of SWTLC on Amazon when it became clear I couldn't finish it before leaving, but in keeping with the past, it didn't show up until after I'd already departed for China.
Now I am back to square one. So if anyone in China knows where to get a copy of this 1994 Timothy Zahn classic, shoot me a We Chat.
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