I woke up and checked my emails, I had one from my credit card, stating that Amazon had charged me with a purchase over night. What? I was asleep…

Then it dawned on me: my download of the latest Tales of the city novel had arrived.

I read the Tales in 2005 I think.

A friend recommended it to me, I had heard about it, they were on sale at Borders in Oxford Street in London, so I bought the whole batch of 6 novels in one go.

I was hooked by the stories about Michael Mouse, Mary Anne, Mona, Bryan and mysterious Mrs. Madrigal.

But above all, thrilled by the vivid description of a city, free spirited, welcoming and liberal.

Then I watched the TV series, one evening in April 2006 – and had the idea: I had to go there. Not just for a tourist visit. A whole summer. The idea stuck, and in 2007 I spent the summer there, meeting a lot of new friends, for the summer, and some, I hope, for life.

That year – by coincidence? – Armistead Maupin also released a new book in the Tales series, which I gobbled up in one day lying on the beach in Dolores Park.

In 2010, just when I happened to be back in town, Mary Ann in Autumn was released, which I read again in various places in San Francisco.

So no surprise that the last novel, The days of Anna Madrigal, is released in the city that resembles San Francisco the most.

The spirit, the big bay, the architecture, its coolness and open minded people… where else would I read that final novel?

I immediately cleared my (not so busy) schedule of all other plans and headed toward a café, from there to a park, on to another café, back to my couch, and, after ShanDong MaMa dinner, to bed, all with this precious little book.

I can’t wait to finish it. And I fear to finish it, as it might be over, after that. I won’t reveal anything. But I think I might actually shed some tears at the end.