coincidences (really just the one or two I can remember at the moment though theyre always happening to me)

I read a lot. Dunno if I ever mentioned that b4.

Mostly crime fiction. I'm no snob I enjoy American writers and British. I havent found the genre well represented with Australian authors so no comments there.
I do particularly enjoy the ones set in Los Angeles as, having been there I can track the various characters' movements which heightens the enjoyment factor. Big deal eh.I also enjoy the occasional scifi and humorous outpourings.

So

I finished reading a novel written about 3 -4 years back set in sunny Boston n points thereabouts in which a character nicknamed 'Van Gogh' is killing people n removing their right ears.
so far so good.
One of the victims names is 'Gillfillan'. Weird arsed name that. Never heard it read it imagined it b4.

Finished that book. Picked up 'Better than Life' the sequel to Red Dward (getting my SciFi AND comedy fix in one easy hit). First paragraph mentions 'van gogh'. So the last paragraph in book 1 and the first paragraph in book 2 both mention a Dutch painter. Neither book is about Dutch painters.

Picked up the next book. Crime novel set in Scotland. detective bieng shown around a building by an archaeologist named Gillfillan. freaky shit.
All 3 books picked at random from the local library.

Ive noticed this sort of thing happening a lot. Does this reflect anyone elses' experience?

I seriously thought I had a small electronic transmitting device in my head for a while.
Watch the cricket. I would make some obtuse comment only indirectly related to what we were watching or listening to n about 2 minutes later one of the commentators would say the same thing almost word for word. Happened with the football too. Once or twice you think 'yeah they thought the same thing I did' but continually over 2 years (I am NOT referring to the little catchphrases etc all commentators develope andwhich get imitated by viewers). The Gurl thought I was being paranoid until she started to actually take note of the frequency of the occurences.
Hell they even took shows off when I bagged shit out of them the night b4. As you could imagine I got somewhat nervous.
Hasnt happened for some time now thank the gods.
Talking about the gods
I was playing squash the other day ('NO you were??' I hear you all say aghast) n looked up at the ineffective roof fans n thanked the great god of Squash , Jehengar Khan for bestowing his munificience on a shot I had played. The I realised The great one is still alive. So I had to change it to Hashim Khan as I'm fairly certain he has gone to the great glassbacked court in the sky.