There's a racket being run at Books-a-Million and Borders. It's one of those sale offers that tries to capitalize on consumer impulses of what they perceive to be a good deal. They got these tables set up all around the store with "Buy two get a third free" signs and stickers. One particular table had me drooling with offerings from A.S. Byatt, Patrick Rothfuss, John Irving, Sarah Waters, and Gabriel Garcia-Marquez. I was about to put a serious dent in my TBR list until I saw the prices. Thanks to an iphone and 'snaptell' I saw that I could save about $21 by passing on what seemed to be an awesome deal. I'm all for supporting brick-and-mortar stores, but when I spend that kinda money it will be at one of the local family owned stores, not a large chain. I go to chain retailers to look at publishers remainders and bargain books. (I know my efforts are in vain but I try...)
So I stuck to the bargain books as I planned and for nine bucks made out with Trader by Charles de Lint, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, and Escapement by Jay Lake. Reading de Lint was a new year's resolution as is reading some steampunk (Lake). While I read Lake before Escapement does mean I have to track down book one of this trilogy; for that reason alone I'm surprised I bought it. This is actually the fourth time I've bought Grossman's novel though this time I don't know who I'll 'force-lend' it to. I guess I liked it even more than I knew. And by the way, does Michael Swanwick really count as steampunk?
Shopping today threw into sharp relief an interesting fact of my reading last year: I didn't read a single mass market paperback. I finished Ender's Game last week and hope to have a review up shortly; it is the first mass market paperback I recall reading in a long time. That was just a random fun fact.
I've discovered I like rye. In fact I'll go so far as to say, "it's delicious." If I can be sexist for a moment--and I can--it's a man's drink. In today's drinking culture I can understand how rye has lost so much ground to bourbon, but just try a Manhattan with rye--as it should be--as opposed to bourbon; you'll see things the way I do shortly and if not, have another one... I could see myself doing "Rye Reviews" much as I have with rum as soon as I get a better grasp on it.
You are blogging like crazy lately, Chad! I'm usually not doctrinaire about book order, but even though Escapement follows a different character, I do think you are going to have to read Mainspring first. I had trouble with these books but there was also a lot I admired.
ReplyDeleteI too uptight to not read things in order; you're much more daring than I. I had trouble with Green, the only other novel by Lake I've read, but I looking forward to steampunk for the first time and Lake for the second.
ReplyDeleteAs to the excess blogging... examiner has kinda fallen through but I'm trying to keep up the blogging commitment. Also due to a ridiculous amount of snow in an area where people don't prepare for snow I'll be home the next two days. Add that to the fact that I don't have ANY rum to speak of--good bad or otherwise--I should like to think I'll get a lot done the next two days.