The Mother-Lode

I've been waiting for this for about six weeks now, and patience is not one of my virtues.  "All books $1"  For me there are no stronger magic words.  Sadly, tomorrow will be the last day of business for the Borders in Buckhead, and just yesterday Borders announced they will close four other Atlanta area locations by April.  It felt weird getting a giant stack of books in a store that I've never shopped in before and was only doing so now as to take advantage of the sale.  It was weirder still to hear employees thank me for my patronage knowing they don't have a job as of Monday at eight o'clock.  Enough said of sad tithings… 

Last week, everything was 40% off and I wasn't inspired to buy, I'm not sure how long the $1 sale lasted--maximum six days--but there wasn't much to pick from.  Nonetheless, I'm glad I scanned the shelves twice.  

The Urth of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe fills me with dread.  I loved the end of this series and the thought of him stunting my imagination and out-right telling me what happens next has my anxiety meter high.  This book has near impossible to chore of following up Wolfe's Magnum Opus.  Since the potential for EPIC FAIL is so high, I'm setting my standards really low.  Having said that this is now one of the many books in my TBR pile that I can't wait to get to.  

Martin Millar has been on my list for years… Years…  Neil Gaiman raves about him every chances he has and while Curse of the Wolf Girl wasn't the initial book that brought Millar to my attention, he has a reputation for quality and this one seems a bit out of my regular realm of reading; which I always think is a good thing.

I'm embarrassed to say it but I've never read I am Legend by Richard Matheson.  To add to my embarrassment I refuse to buy books with movie covers; I think I got lucky to find this particular copy as it lacks Will Smith, and has other short stories by the author related to the novel.  Extraordinarily awesome for $1.

The Habitation of the Blessed will more than likely by my introduction to Catherynne M. Valente.  The novel also bears the honor of being the only paperback book I owe--or have ever seen--with deckled edges.  In fact, Night Shade Books felt the need to deckle the hell out of these edges.  I hate the physical book already.  It's impossible to flip a page with your thumb (yes, I've started reading it).  I do love the legend of Prester John and have it on good authority of the authors awesomeness.  I do hope I can suffer the books production because trust me, I could review this book's quality all on it's own… (it would not be good)  

Steampunk is all the rage these days and I've stayed away from it for years.  However, I said I'd breakdown and read some as a resolution in 2011.  I think Dreadnought is a subsequent entry in a series so the oft heralded awesome of Cherie Priest probably won't by at the top of my reading stack for some time.    

Swords and Dark Magic an original short story collection by Jonathan Strahan and Lou Anders was the one book that I considered to be a rare find in Borders last days of operation.  The author line up is staggered.  I hope the payoff is too.  

I won a ARC of Finch by Jeff Vandermeer a few years ago.  I bought one today.  I'll read the finished copy and hopefully 'soon.'  I've never heard about bad word said about this one.  

Reading The Hammer by K. J. Parker this year would satisfy my goals of reading more works by women (maybe) and books published in this calendar year.  I only know the author from Purple and Black but that one book was enough to put 'her' on my radar.  

It's amazing how prudish of a buyer I can be; even when things are a dollar.  The three Gormenghast Novels, in an omnibus, is the only thing I bought due to, "It's just a dollar."  I've only heard of it other than that, I know nothing about these books. 

Add in that yesterday I bought a used copy of Freedom by Jonathan Franzen that looks brand new for four dollars at a used book store (I feel like the only person who hasn't read it yet) and this was a good week for book buying.   

According to my receipt, by waiting to the second-to-last-day of business I saved $143.71  I also missed out on minor savings in weeks past on tittles that other shoppers picked up.  I'm okay with that.  Everything I bought was on my list.  I feel a bit like a shady lawyer chasing ambulances in an effort to get business, but now that I know the ropes of a Borders GOB sale, I think I'll wait a few weeks before preying on the other unfortunate store up the street.