Life sure is interesting. I have this book, "The Poppy War" by R.F. Kuang, possibly from a bundle that I picked up from someone who moved away from my neighborhood. She hated to throw them away and put in a free offer in the NextDoor app. At least that's what I vaguely recall. My intention was to re-distribute the books through my local Buy Nothing group or drop them off, a few at a time, at the many Little Free Libraries I visit every now and then. For some reason, I set "The Poppy War" aside to read. Maybe because I suspected it's about the Opium War that the West waged with China. My late father used to commented that China lost the war because each soldier had two guns, one to shoot at the enemy and one to shoot drugs into their body. Maybe I want to know a little more about China's history. For months the book sat on a stack near the bed, waiting to be read. Not long ago I saw some mention of the author R.F. Kuang. I cannot even remember what the mention was, but it got me into starting to read the book.
At first, it seemed to be a chick lit, i.e. a piece of literature from a woman's point of view. Not something a regular guy like me would be interested. But once I start reading something I try much to finish it. It seems to take place in China, because of the names, but there are other names that don't sound Chinese. I stuck with it through the first few chapters. Things got more interesting, some martial arts were involved, before I know it I was bringing it to work to read during lunch-break. That's always a good sign. Recently I finished it and discovered that it's merely Book One of a Trilogy. Argh! It turned out to be a popular series, Brooklyn Public Library has a long waiting list. I will wait but I will explore other avenues. Maybe some Little Free Library out there has it. I know The Tom Lynch LFL in Staten Island has many books. Maybe New York Public Library may have it. NYPL covers Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island. I commute through S.I. every weekday. At one time, my Brooklyn library card was linked to NYPL so that I could borrow materials from NYPL. Time to re-establish that link, assuming the option is still available, it's been a while.
Life is funny, eh? One day a book was ignored, some time later its sequels are highly sought after.