Daily Bookshot: Found it!

Found it!, originally uploaded by Robert Burdock.

One of my favourite ‘dipping in’ books is undoubtedly is Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird (Anchor Books). As many fellow readers will already know it’s a book about writing, but more inspiring than instructional Bird by Bird is one of these books that makes the reader come away from it feeling that writing is more of a pleasure than a chore; perfect for wannabe writers like me who are inherently too petrified to put serious pen to equally serious paper.

The book certainly inspires me, or at least it did up until about a year ago when it mysteriously vanished from my library. Despite countless recess of my bookshelves, and numerous accusations thrown at Mrs. Rob ‘who must surely have tidied it away into some obscure nook’, the book never turned up. Then, at the weekend, I was doing a bit of bookshelf reshuffling, and guess what turned up? Emm, what appears to have happened is that at the time I must have crammed a couple of books on to the shelf in front of Bird by Bird and I inadvertently pushed it to the back where it has languished ever since – unseen and unloved.

I’m delighted to have the book back in my hands again and to celebrate I’m going to spend bit of special time with it again at the weekend. The only downside of finding it is of course having to now shuffle up to Mrs. Rob and admit that I was the one who mislaid the book and not her. However I’m not quite ready to eat humble pie just yet, so if you happen to bump into Mrs. Rob on your travels then for now it’s just our little secret, right?

So dear reader are there any books in your own library which have mysteriously disappeared? Maybe you lost a book and then it eventually turned in a strange and obscure place? And is it just me or are wives incredibly apt in the art of losing their husband’s belongings? I’d love to hear your comments!