I am not a fan of personal development or so-called self-help books written by so-called motivational writers. I prefer writers that have previously done something with their life. I mean, almost by definition "self-help" means you wouldn't need a book, but this one got me in because of the Ferrari in its catchy title.
And, let's face it, at two dollars at my favourite op-shop I didn't have much to lose, and possibly even a lot to gain as it seemed to have been much-read by its previous owner, a Sonya Mamouney, who had also underlined many passages and left her business card inside the pages, whether as a bookmark or an invitation to the next reader, I'm not sure.
The price sticker of 175 rupee converts to something like $3.15 and suggests that she had bought it somewhere in India and spent almost as little as I have which means neither of us is too much out of pocket.
Of course, I never come home with just one book: today's "re-homing" of abandoned books include "The Porcupine" which is another Julian Barnes masterpiece; "Points Unknown - A Century of Great Exploration"; "The Year of Living Danishly - Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country" (a book about Denmark); and finally "Faster -the acceleration of just about everything" by James Gleick, all of which will go straight to my "medicine closet" library - click here - to be read after I have fully digested today's large lunch of flathead and salad and chips at the club.
