Rothfuss

Number 3 Son said I'd enjoy The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, so I took him at his word and ordered it from Abe Books. True to what he'd said, I found it a little hard going at the beginning, but a thoroughly enjoyable read in the end. Only thing is – it's the first volume of a trilogy, and I want more. But how to get the next volume? This is where the Poste Restante system comes into its own, as you can get a parcel sent to a convenient Post Office and pick it up as you pass. Well, we're probably going to leave Tattenhall on Monday or Tuesday, so it's no use getting it sent here. It'll take us a couple of days to get to Middlewich to pick up our free diesel, but it might take longer than that for the book to come. And we don't yet know where we're going afterwards. I've no particular desire to hang around in Middlewich waiting for a book.

What are the alternatives? I generally avoid paying full new cover price for books. It's not in the eBooks section of my county library. I could get the Kindle version from Amazon – on this occasion (amazingly) cheaper than a secondhand copy from Abe, cheaper than iBooks and seriously cheaper than the Nook. I could then read it on my MacBook, or on my best beloved's iPad. But there's something about paper, and being able to tuck it in a pocket when you're going somewhere you wouldn't take the laptop. And with all this summer weather we're being promised at long last, it might be that I'd want to read it sitting out on the towpath – not the place to be deciphering a computer screen.

But I'd like it now! I'm in the mood for continuing with the story. Hm…