
The truth is out there. And it may be clichéd to say that it's stranger than fiction, but that doesn’t make it untrue. I came to discover that firsthand today at the Yale Bookstore in New Haven.
As you may remember, I was there to attend a book discussion and signing of Dirty Water: A Red Sox Mystery by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith and her son Jere, to be followed by an interview. Both were incredibly gracious and kind-I even got an introduction to the crowd. I hope that you will stay tuned for “Of Red Sox and Red Herrings,” coming later this week…
We arrived early, however, so that I could scout out the Bargain Books. I’d seen a copy of the Marley & Me Illustrated Edition back when I was doing my Christmas shopping, and hoped that they would still have it. No such luck. (I know, I know…that was almost three whole months ago.) Flaunting my Quinnipiac University tote (which carried my writer’s reporter’s notepad and digital recorder) at an Ivy League establishment was enough to distract me from the disappointment, though.
What I did find were the following: Mona Lisa in Camelot: how Jacqueline Kennedy and Da Vinci’s Masterpiece Charmed & Captivated a Nation by Margaret Leslie Davis, Goldengrove by Francine Prose, and Executive Privilege by Phillip Margolin. All are recent releases that are not yet available in softcover. And all have passed through these hands many times for consideration. Today, the price was right, and I purchased all three. The most expensive of them-Margolin-cost a mere $5.98. I’m not sure if this is a reflection of the economy, but I seldom stumble upon relatively new books at such discounted prices. (They also had Eminem’s The Way I Am and Gregory Maguire’s A Lion Among Men marked “Special Value,” among others.)
But the oddest thing of all was a very random David Duchovny sighting. Believe it or not-and you will believe it because I have a picture!-the star of "The X Files" was browsing the bookstore with his children. So we ran from the periodicals section to the lower level after a kindly older lady gave us the scoop. And, sure enough, there he was. Needless to say, I discreetly assailed him with my camera, and he graciously posed for a picture as we made small talk.
Me: You know, I’ve become a big fan of The X Files late in life.
David (looking at my twenty-something self): It can’t be too late in life…
The moral of the story? You never know what-or who-you’ll run into at the bookstore…