This morning as I was sitting down for toast and tea, the doorbell rang. I quite dislike early morning visitors – after all, I was still in my robe and slippers! – but I peered out the window and saw the postal truck so I was relieved I wouldn’t have to be entertaining any guests. And better yet, the delivery man was holding a suspiciously book sized package. When I opened it, it was in fact a copy of House of Leaves!

My new friend Sarah had stuck a Post-It note to the front cover, saying, “This book is a pain in the ass – good luck!” Now that is not the best way to encourage someone to read a book, but I was curious to see why it was apparently so difficult. When I skimmed through the pages, I immediately understood what she meant. Mostly blank pages, strange footnotes, and bizarre amalgamations of text and shape – it is really quite odd!

I haven’t endeavored to actually read it yet because I have an appointment with a German book collector in about an hour. She claims to have a rare copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio (although I am very skeptical about its legitimacy). Once I get back from our meeting, I think I shall dive headfirst into this strange book.