Monday, December 12, 2011

I have to store them somewhere

On Friday we're getting new bookshelves in to the living room, I'll be inheriting the living room bookshelves and passing off the bigger bookshelf pictured here to my flatmate.

There's a lot of carrying books in my immediate future but I should net about twice as much shelf space, so the end result should be a lot nicer than this mess.

Books Bought Dec 8th

36) Wilde Stories 2010 - Steve Berman (editor) (epub)



Why?
I just wanted some short stories to read while I loafed around. No other reason. Wilde 2011 was good, so I gave 2010 a bash.

Wizards Tower seems to have fixed whatever problem I was having with it's search function, which is nice.

The Damage: €5.41

Total Spend: €366.24

Books Bought Dec 4th 2011

33) The Ghost Brigade - John Scalzi (used pb)

Where? Chapters

Why?
Back in Dublin I endured a 45 minute wait in Carphone Warehouse to buy a phone charger to replace the one I'd left in my hotel room*
That overwith I was in desperate need of retail therapy.
I surprised myself some by how much I loved Old Man's War, so it's sequel time.

The Damage: €3.99

34) Under the Poppy - Kathy Koja (new hb)

Where? Chapters

Why?
Under the Poppy recently won the 2011 Gaylactic Spectrum Award.
The awards honor outstanding works of science fiction, fantasy and horror which include significant positive explorations of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered characters, themes, or issues. The last 5 years or so of winners are some of my favourite books so clearly I'm on the same wavelength as some of the jurists.

Also the cover is really pretty, it's a small press publication and there are creepy puppets. This all screams 'You must own me.'

John from Chapters said he could get it in for me for €19.99
My finances being a little dire I hemmed and hawed for a bit, and asked, only partly rhetorically, if I should really be blowing all my money on this.
'You're not blowing your money, your spending it on things you need,' said John. Oh John from Chapters, you are a calculating pusher man but you know exactly what to say.

These are things that I need.

I signed the order form.

The Damage: €19.99



35) Somewhere Beneath Those Waves - Sarah Monette (new pb)

Where? Chapters

Why?
Since my self control is out the window at this stage, I also need Sarah Monette's new short story collection.
This also needs to be ordered in*** but it's out in paperback so is slightly more affordable.

I love, love, love Sarah Monette.
She has blogged recently about how you can help an authors career by buying her books.
Duly noted Monette.


The Damage: €13.99


Total Spend €360.83

*Also left in the hotel room: AC adapter and a loofah. Not terrible.
**Which is a little more that €2 more than Amazon it charging before shipping.
***Chapters price is once again about €2 more than Amazon. Since these two items would have come to the £25 required for free delivery I've still made a saving shopping at Chapters. Also, I fee righteous.****
****I'm sorry that these footnotes aren't hyper linked. I cant make the anchors work :(

Books Bought December 2nd 2011

32) Bable-17 - Samuel R. Delany (new pb)

Where? Off the Road Books

Why?
I probably should have done something fun on my last evening in Las Vegas, but I'd already road the roller coaster and walked across the freeway (several times) to eat at In 'n' Out Burger* so I was all funned out and took a cab to the liklist looking bookstore google maps could find me.
Off the Road Books was a sad, dusty, quiet little shop. I'm not a terribly good judge of this but they did seem to have an excellent stock of pulp and vintage sci-fi.

Someday I intend to give Dhalgren a shot, but for now dipping my toe in with a sub-300 pager seems sensible.

The cover is suitably cringe inducing for an ironic buy.

The Damage: €1.89


33) Snow White, Blood Red - Ellen Dalton & Terri Windling (used pb)

Where? Off the Road Books

Why?
I have no idea why I bought this. I may never read it. There are some good writers here, the cover is pretty enough, in theory I am interested in fairy tales but I just don't see myself getting to it.
I read the introduction in the airport, with a terrible hangover. It was fine but looking at the book in front of me now everything about it screams, you're never going to read me.

Oh well, it was cheap.

The Damage: €1.89

Total Spend €322.86

*Delicious? Yes. Worth getting run over for? Prehaps not.