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.

Sunday Musings

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.

Shopping

More interesting that what I bought is what I passed over. The first thing I saw upon entering my favorite used book store was four books written by Joe Abercrombie. I've heard his name kicked around a lot and even though I've pretty much sworn off epic fantasy, if I could've picked up all the books at the used book price I would do it. I think the previous owner carelessly read each of those books no less than fifty times.

They weren't so much used, as in already read, rather worn-the-hell-out. There wasn't much holding any of those together so I passed on the lot. All in all, I didn't feel bad about leaving them there. I also passed on three books by James Barclay for the same reason. (I wouldn't be surprised if they had the same previous owner.) He's an author I'm going to give a try at some point in time even though he writes epic fantasy. I seem to come across his name mentioned in the same sentence as David Gemmell's more than any other writer so perhaps whenever I start reading his work, he'll make me remember why I first fell in love with epic fantasy.

I saw about twenty different books by Melanie Rawn; if I get back into epic fantasy, I know where to go to pick up my fix.

I ended up with some big books: only one coming in at less than four-hundred pages and rest clearing six-hundred with ease. The Pillars of the Earth by (the reportedly awesome) Ken Follett, The Magus, by (the assuredly awesome) John Fowles, The Magicians by (The aspiring awesome) Lev Grossman, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by (The Awesome) Michael Chabon, Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco, and The Mammoth Book of Merlin editied by Mike Ashley comprised my purchase. $22.99 for two hardback and four trade paper backs all in great shape; I was proud of myself.

I'm most excited about the short story collection of all things. The author line up is stellar and I curious how Michael Swanwick can manage he particular brand of absurdly awesome into the Arthurian Legend.

I bought these books knowing I own about twenty that I haven't read, but I can honestly say, everything I bought was on the list. Considering the girth of my newest acquisitions I may need to cut down on my reading expectations for next year; that and reinforce my books shelves.

Oh, Now I'm Happy.

I discovered a new-to-me bookstore today and having some time off took in my stack of hopeful trade ins. (The same stack that was too craptastic for Atlanta Vintage Books.) They took the whole load. Every one of them and gave me a huge helping of store credit in return. I love Books for Less, a father son operation with two north Atlanta outpost.

It was a funny place as they had used books, remainders (which are new) and regular old new books. What struck me the most was layout. Unlike some other used book stores this was clean and organized. Everything grouped by genre and alphabetized like you'd expect to find in a big chain store. This was the only book store I can ever recall being in where the fiction far out numbered the non-fiction. It was bliss.

After a few hours of hunting I tore myself away with The Flanders Panel, and The Fencing Master both by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, and Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. I had a bit of a struggle with the latter as The Virgin Suicides did nothing for me. All three were in trade paperback and only Middlesex was in slightly less than, 'like new' condition. I also got The French Lieutenant's Wife by John Fowles (who I know to be awesome), The Epiphany of the Long Sun, by Gene Wolfe, and The Dragon Quintet edited by Marvin Kaye; a Tor 2004 publication with 'then' new novellas from Orson Scott Card, Mercedes Lackey, Tanith Lee, Elizabeth Moon and Michael Swanwick. Yeah, you should be jealous if you don't have that... The Kaye, Fowles, and Wolfe are all in hardback and as best I can tell, have never been opened--let alone read--and in perfect condition.

The Wolfe is an omnibus of Caldé of the Long Sun and Exodus from the Long Sun as published by Guild America Books. It features some chaotic yet spiffy art work that I prefer to the Orb Books omnibus. Now I gotta track down the first half of this tetralogy.

I've had dragons on the brain for the past few weeks with discovering Wings of Fire from Nightshade and currently reading The Dragon Book. I have a good feeling about The Dragon Quintet surpassing all previously dragon related collections as it features long, short stories from some truly heavy hitters who have proven themselves in working with that form.

Oh yeah, this treasure trove of goodness, after my store credit cost a whopping $18.04 I'm feeling really good about myself today.

The Month in review and of Things to Come

I'm posting a few days earlier as I'm anticipating taking a temporary leave of absence from my senses this long holiday weekend.

Not the most productive month, I'll admit; nor am I happy about it. I've already complained enough about The Count of Monte Cristo cramping my style, and now that I've learned how to handle it, I'm hoping for a better June: a return to regularity with reviews, and a new monthly feature (which will be awesome and perhaps unprecedented) in place of the rum reviews.

I wrote the first draft of my statement of purpose in hopes for Ph.D admissions. The deadlines aren't even in sight but I like to be ahead. It's way too long but I find it easier to edit when you have something on the page.

My near insolvency is yet again hindering my new book acquisitions. I used credit card rewards points to pick up Daniel Abraham's Leviathan Wept, because he is awesome. (Should you be unaware of his awesomeness read this.) I quite literary can't hardly wait for that to get here. Also I picked up The Dragon Book as edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. I read Wizards by the same editors last year and greatly enjoyed it and have similar high hopes for this original collection. Both of these books can be had for great prices right now. Wizards for five bucks at the Barnes and Noble bargain bin and The Dragon Book for the same price at Books-a-Million. If you like to read--even if you don't--I highly recommend both, one on the strength of the other. Speaking of dragons…

The homogenous landscape of speculative fiction book blogging seems to have collectively overlooked Wings of Fire from Nightshade Books in March. (Or perhaps I'm being premature? Due to that homogenous landscape I don't read many fantasy book blogs. Or perhaps the collection is completely unremarkable, which I doubt.) Rest assured, I'll be picking that up shortly. Briefly scrolling through Nightshade's catalogue is mind-blowing in how much awesome stuff the publish. (I must have those Kage Baker short story collections.) I could easily read exclusively from Nightshade and Taychon for a three to five years and be happy.

What's in store for June? Other than the previously mentioned new monthly feature, which I hope to kick off with Subterranean Press (Who needs the Six Sisters!?!) June doesn't hold anything new that I can foresee. I'll choke down three hundred more pages of The Count because I'm too stubborn to put it down, The Dispossessed by Ursalua le Guin, and the previously mentioned Abraham collection are up for reading. Also I hope to do one of my, "Not a commentaries" for Greg Keyes The Kingdom of Thorn and Bone.

As boring and inactive as May has been, I'm planning on creating work for myself in June.

No new acquisitions

So I went back to Atlanta Vintage Books yesterday hoping to trade in the last pile of craptastic books in my collection; it's a meager stack of eight. It's hard to describe what seventy-thousand books in one place that isn't a library look like. Apparently they had reached something close to maxium capacity and were not purchasing books at the present (or at least not my books).

I was disheartened for a moment and put my stack back in the car. Then I went back inside to browse. I skimmed the Easton Press bookcase looking for gems that arrived since my first visit or ones I had previously missed. I resisted the Proust and Flaubert and kept looking elsewhere until toward the back of the building I came across a stack of books about three feet tall that comprised of Easton Press, Heritage Edition, and Franklin Library books.

Yeah, there was an offering of books--on the floor--from the three best quality book manufactures in the world; on the floor. Once I was able to put that into context it was easy to understand why they didn't have need for my stash. Retail space in that part of town is too high for what I was offering. Even the literal space on the floor.

Book Sellers and Liquor Stores: What one can learn from the other.

I'd been wanting to do a survey of book stores in my area and although I didn't plan it, today was the start of that journey. I was primarily going to mention independent books stores as they are businesses I like to support, but in defense of the big boys who are helping to put the little guys out-of-business: their bargain book selection rocks.

I could be wrong, and I'll definitely look and ask about it when I visit independent books stores soon, but I don't think the independent stores can manage this angle of the publishing industry. I wish I could support writers to the fullest and pay every cent they ask for a book, but the reality is I read a lot, I abuse my library, and there is only so much I can really commit to my personal collection. So if it is something I just have to have on day one, like Elizabeth Kostova's The Swan Thieves (I didn't even know she had a new book coming out until this past Thrusday) I don't mind going to a local book seller and getting it… because that is a very rare act for me. But concerning my backlog of books that comprises my "to be read list…"

Books-a-Million really shines. There selection of bargain books is huge. I mean, really Huge. Some title were a couple years old, others were five to eight years old, everything I saw was in great condition, and the highest price paid was $6.99. An hour of browsing (tangent alert: does 'hour' get an, 'a' or an 'an'?) and $28.49 later I escaped with six hardback books. No shipping fees; negligible milage and gas expense.

Feeling as self-satisfied as I was, I walked into Barnes and Noble on the way home. It's not favoritism, but the difference between the industry giants was black and white. I'm only focusing on bargain books: their selection was tiny in comparison and the display was prohibitive. Upon leaving Barnes and Noble, which didn't take long, I was still happy and went to buy some rum. Upon entering your average run-of-the-mill liquor store everything about my book buying experience was apparent to me.

It's all about presentation. This is what Books-a-Million had a grasp on that Barnes and Noble was in the dark about. The former had all their bargain books displayed face front. It was fast shopping through their mammoth selection and easy on my eyes--making me more inclined to stay there longer. Barnes and Noble had all their bargain books with only the spine showing, making consumers squint at the hundreds of titles on a shelf.

Your bottom shelf--well--hooch is occupying a floor display and a lot of space, like Stephanie Meyer's books: its a huge seller and expedites shopping by making what's in demand readily available and easy to find. The Pevear and Volokhonsky translation of The Brothers Karamazov is tucked away on a bookshelf, not in the most traffic heavy part of the store, much like Cruzan's single barrel estate rum: not because the product isn't any good, rather is it niche. Books-a-Million has managed to apply this same simple logic to display it's bargain books. The ease of shopping combined with the quantity of what they had certainly won me over.

As to what I bought: Innocents Aboard by Gene Wolfe (a collection of short stories I'd never heard of) The Sun over Breda and The Kings Gold which will usher me into Arturo Perez-Reverte's writing--whose praise I can no longer ignore, M is for Magic, by Neil Gaiman, who I have a true love/hate relationship with, The book of Lost Things by John Connolly, (which I've already read, this copy was a gift) and Pickles to Pittsburgh, a children's books that was actually the most expensive purchase of the day.

I am very happy with myself today, and excited to find a similar happy inducing trait at local independent books stores in the future. Now, my master plan is to convince all liquor stores to sell the top shelf booze at the bargain bin price.

Any suggestions?

The Limits of my Genre Interest

I started, and put down, Anathem by Neal Stephenson last night. I gave it my best shot, but after two hundred pages there was nothing to keep me interested.

Two things about this book jumped out at me. The first was the "Note to the Reader" written by the author. It was essentially a set of guidelines on how to read this particular book. The inclusion of such a message is when I felt the first tendrils of dislike latching onto my put-this-book-down gene. Those used to reading speculative fiction and figuring things out were encouraged to skip over the message, and so I did. It was the inclusion of the message to the benefit of everyone else that worried me.

How exclusive is such a message? How elite is a book such as Anathem that a reader unaccustomed to reading science fiction may need, 'assistance' in getting through. If such assistance is needed, what is to be said for 'enjoyment?'

Perhaps, readers unaccustomed to the argot, history, and personalities within the world of classical music and politics concerning Western Europe during both World Wars shouldn't read The Spanish Bow by Andromeda Romano-Lax. Or perhaps it is a testament to the Romano-Lax's writing that a neophyte in all those areas can read, understand, and enjoy the book with out the need of an outside reference. (The Spanish Bow, is a purely random example, the first book I saw, when glancing at the books shelf.)

The second issue I had with Anathem was the inclusion of a glossary. The first book that I can recall reading that included a glossary of terms was The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan. I also remember not knowing the glossary was there until I finished the book and was left wondering what the last twenty pages were. I didn't use the glossary. I read the book in a few short days and was able to keep all the information straight in my mind, and furthermore, there was nothing foreign presented that I was unable to figure out with context.

Is there a better way to detach your reader from the story you are telling then by making them rely on a glossary of terms? It is particularly frustrating when a standard English word is re-assigned a definition at the whim of the author. Gene Wolfe has a particular gift for what people often perceive to be the art of "making words up." But he relies on context, an astute reader, a multitude of world language idioms to make himself clear; not a glossary.

I think this is one of the reasons I tend to walk softly upon hardcore sci-fi and fantasy. If you're going to invite me into your world, make sure the primer is thin and readily understandable. In short I felt there was a learning curve to merely open the book. Perhaps, I'm not cunning enough to enjoy what was given, but for me, the price of admission was too high.

After all that, I can't bring myself to part with this book. I'll give it another try sometime down the line, and perhaps have a wholly different experience and resend my current sentiments expressed here. But for now, this is strike one...

Bargain books

I’ve found a new book store with a ‘bargain bin’ section that took me more than an hour to wade through. I managed to walk away with only three. You can’t imagine the restraint I displayed to hold myself to this number.

Michael Chabon is a name I’d known for awhile but never looked into. The Yiddish Policmen’s Union is his newest and seems like an easy entry at less than five dollars. Here’s to hoping that the words on the page are less of an eye sore than the cover. One of the reasons I love hardback books is because you can take the cover off: you can’t judge a book by it’s cover if it doesn’t have one, and this one is headed for the trash.

Alex Haley’s genealogical wonder Roots has been on my ‘list of stuff to read’ since I was a teenager. The cost of entry for this Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award winner was three dollars and change for the thirtieth anniversary edition in a nice trade paperback. While I am very excited about this book, coming off the epic page count of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn I may hold off on these nine hundred pages and catch my breath with some shorter works.

I am hoping that The Dog Said Bow-Wow a collection of short stories by Michael Swanwick is the prize pick of this litter. I read his short story Urdumheim in a collection earlier this year and knew right away he was someone I needed to follow. This was an odd one to find in the bargain bin, but I’m not complaining.

I’m feeling pretty good about picking these three up for the less than twelve dollars.