Why Did I Order This Book?

I was about to write a post asking if by any chance anyone knew why I had ordered a certain book, but then I tried one more idea and that was the one that let me figure it out.

Here is what happened. A book arrived for me in the mail; I wasn’t expecting a book but I wasn’t NOT expecting a book, either: I’ve ordered a few used books from eBay and Amazon recently, and sometimes they take a long time to arrive because of media mail being slower and also because of the current administration sabotaging the United States Postal Service. So I opened the package, interested to see what it was, and it was this:

(image from Amazon.com)

A Jeweler’s Eye for Flaw, by Christie Hodgen. I didn’t recognize it at all. No bells ringing. “Maybe someone sent it to you?,” suggested Paul, and I thought that was possible, but there was no gift information on the receipt. I looked in my email inbox for the name of the company and the name of the book—no match. I looked in my Amazon orders—and there it was, an used copy purchased from a third-party seller. So I’d ordered it. BUT WHY.

The order had been placed just over two weeks ago, so I thought it MUST have been as a result of the book recommendations post. But I searched the comments for the name of the book and the name of the author: no matches. I checked on Twitter, because sometimes people comment there instead of on the post: nothing.

Maybe my sister-in-law recommended it? I don’t remember her recommending a book lately, but on the other hand I’ve been pretty distracted with all the news about schools putting a bunch of people together in closed rooms during a huge outbreak of a virus that appears to spread primarily via shared air. I searched my OTHER email inbox, the one I use for family: nothing.

Well, who ELSE might have said something about a book that made me immediately order a copy? Maybe I saw it on Shelf Love? No. Maybe Nicole recommended it? (HI NICOLE.) No.

Could I have read about it in a news article? Maybe there was recently a story about it? Feeling like it was a real long shot, I searched online for the title of the book, but just got a bunch of hits for sites that would sell it to me and/or sites that had reviewed it; nothing looked familiar. Then, just in case, I searched the name of the book again but added the word “Swistle.” And there it was, the person who had recommended it to me: ME.

A couple of weeks ago, when I was writing that recent post looking for book recommendations, I went through my blog archives looking for any mentions of books I’d read, to see if I could add more to my “Books I’ve Liked” list. I found my old review of Christie Hodgen’s other book, Elegies for the Brokenhearted, which apparently I’d loved, and I’d said in that post that I was going to get her second book from the library and, if I liked it, order the third book, which our library system didn’t have a copy of. I have no idea how that whole thing turned out! I wrote the review in 2012, and never wrote anything about how I liked the second book; and I looked up the second book just now, and I have no memory of reading it. (To be fair, I don’t remember the first one, either.) But I thought, “Oh, that seems like the perfect kind of book to order during a pandemic, since our library doesn’t have it so I’d have to buy it ANYWAY,” so then I impulsively found a cheap used copy and ordered it and went back to writing the post and forgot all about the order! Perhaps now I will read it and remember I already did this same thing back in 2012, didn’t like the book, and got rid of it!

10 thoughts on “Why Did I Order This Book?

  1. Abbie

    I have never heard of that book but I had a pleasant recognition seeing the cover- it’s painting by Paul Klee that we had a print of in our house growing up. Maybe it’s super common- I have no idea.

    Reply
  2. Laura

    You are not alone in this. The last time I picked up groceries curbside, I was asked to show ID because alcohol was included in the order. What? Apparently and inexplicably, my past self was craving a Guinness, pimento cheese (?!!) and Ritz Crackers. What a surprise when I unpacked the bags!

    Reply
  3. BKC

    I love this rabbit hole! (Also, apropos of nothing: I purchased The Trailmix today. My Target only had 36 oz containers. Oh no…)

    Reply
  4. Nicole MacPherson

    HI SWISTLE

    I’m going to go look that book up right now! I’ve been on a roll this week for excellent books. Let me recommend “How A Woman Becomes A Lake” as one of the most can’t-put-it-down reads I’ve had in a while.

    Reply
  5. hope t.

    I think you would like Goodreads. It’s a great site to help you keep track of the books you’ve read, how much you liked them, get recommendations for similar books, take part in book discussions, and much more. It can be a social thing (you can link with friends) or it can just be something personal you use to organize your reading.

    Reply
  6. Alice

    Hee! This tale was like a delightful calm little rollercoaster: lots of twists and turns but very low levels of anxiety (for the reader, anyway ;-) )

    Reply
  7. Carrie

    I love when I forget I’ve ordered something and then when it arrives I am so pleased with the thoughtfulness of my past self. How did this wonderful gift-giver (me) know that’s exactly what I wanted/needed?! So glad you solved the mystery to discover that past-you knew exactly what you might like to read. 😄

    Reply
  8. R

    My mystery books happen when I read a review somewhere, decide I want to try the book, and place the ebook on hold via my local library. Several weeks later the ebook pops up, I read the first few chapters, and I end up desperate to find out what on earth possessed me to think I wanted to read this (or, rarely, what other gems that reviewer has for me). I’m so glad to know I’m not the only one who ends up having to do detective work to figure out what I was thinking a month earlier.

    Reply
  9. Maureen

    So I will freely admit that sometimes a few cocktails loosen my purse strings, and cocktails have been much more prevalent in my life since the pandemic. Books tend to be something I do pay lots of attention to-and I don’t buy many physical books anymore, not because I don’t love them-but I’m almost 60 and the print is seeming way too small. BUT…I have had boxes show up at the front door, and I have a big question mark over my head-when did I buy this? Happily, slightly tipsy me has good taste and buys things I want, but might not actually NEED! There is a lesson here, but I think it might be to keep a slight buzz going at all times. WHICH IS NOT RIGHT, but might be very enjoyable!

    Reply

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