Odds

I don't know if you are the type that has to read anything containing a text, any text, put in front of them. I am. I read the cereal box info while having breakfast. I read facial cream directions while doing my business in the bathroom. I read every sign put up in a public place if I'm around... You get the picture.
Most of the time, it's not even a concious decision. I'm half-way reading it by the time I catch myself in the act. I just HAVE TO do it in case I'm missing out on something valuable to me.

In computers, if you know the Scribus program, you will be familiar with the sample texts it uses to help you configure your choice of a lay-out for a newspaper/magazine type of page. For each language, there is a different text- or so I gather from the ones I can make out.

Well, when I first used Scribus I, naturally,  came to read the sample text in English I was using to create an in-shop fashion magazine for my doomed clothing company as a farewell memento for my colleagues. At the time, I remember thinking I should find the book that text came from: I was intrigued about the type of books the Scribus programmer would have chosen to include in his program. This particular one seemed interesting enough.

But I went about my business as I had an impending deadline: the closing date of a business after 25 years of trading. Sad and uncertain days ensued. Days of too much time in one's hands and nothing much to do but read. Glorious reading to keep me sane -much needed reading as the days went by and insanity loomed.
I forgot about Scribus and its sample text but one day I decide to download Acrobat Reader and see which PDFs might be available for free. I went for Alice in Wonderland, a favourite of mine I had only read in Spanish before, and Dracula, a book I'd never read despite having lived in Bram Stoker's city of birth for over 9 years.
Logic had me turning to Dracula first -the novelty of it being too powerful to resist. As I opened the PDF file, there it was: the long time forgotten now sample text from Scribus. Spooky?? Wait until I tell you that the 'One city, one book' campaign by the Dublin City Library, which runs every year during the month of April, started the following day. Do I have to tell you which book featured that  year? I guess not ;)