On the opposite end of the spectrum from my recent nationwide chain bookstore experience, I found plenty of things to throw my money at last night at the used bookstore last night. It absolutely made up for the disappointment I experienced on Sunday.
For the same cost as buying a single hardcover, I managed to snag five used mass market books and one QP paperback. That’s six books, my friends, for just over $30. And all in good to fantastic shape. And I held back, because there were a few other titles I considered adding to the pile.
Now I’m set for a couple of weeks of reading material, including those books I already have in my possession that I plan to read.
Purchased last night:
- Flood (Flood #1) by Stephen Baxter
- Jhereg (Vlad Taltos #1) by Steven Brust
- Yendi (Vlad Taltos #2) by Steven Brust
- The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
- Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor #1) by Michael Lawrence
- Dies The Fire by S.M. Stirling
Unlike some of my recent activity, which is rereading The Witcher books to remind myself of the events leading up to the two books translated to English since I last read the series, none of the above titles are books I have read in the past.
I’ve still got about four books left before I can start those last two Witcher books. They’re prequels, as I understand it, but I’ve always found that prequels tend to rely on having read the earlier books for the worldbuilding elements. I plan to read those in tandem with other books to break up the scenery.
I’ve been meaning to read more Steven Brust. It seems a shame that I haven’t, considering he is a respected local writer and I’ve seen his band(s) perform and even hung out in his house a number of times, visiting people I knew who were staying with him. I never actually sat down with Steven, but I saw a lot of him within skipping distance in my rambling days. But I never got around to reading anything more than his epistolary novel coauthored with Emma Bull, “Freedom and Necessity”. (Another title that needs a re-read after 25+ years).
Stephen Baxter tends towards “hard” science fiction, with very little handwaving. At least, when I last read something by him (probably 20 years back). I can’t see that changing much, so I’m intrigued by the idea of the world becoming flooded and seeing how he manages that.
“The Windup Girl” is a novel that’s been on my to-read list for a while and I purposefully kept myself in the dark about the story. As I understand it, it is steam/gas/clockwork-punk in genre and was given high praise by an author that I would rather not mention (who fell from grace after sordid details of his lifestyle came out). I’m still on the hunt for something really good when it comes to -punk fiction. So far, most of it has been just tolerable. Hopefully that changes with this book.
“Dies the Fire” is another novel that has been on my radar. I don’t recall the specifics of the story, but I believe an EMP/Carrington Event is the root cause of society’s collapse. Basically, nothing electronic works because of a solar storm that hits us head on. All circuitry is fried. While my own research suggests it might be overstated as to the impact, such an event is entirely possible — whether or not it would be strong enough to wipe out all electricity and computers might be debated.
Michael Lawrence is another author I’ve been meaning to read more of in the “grimdark” genre of fantasy. I bantered with him a bit when I was doing more social media and he seemed like a person I could probably get along with — one of those “have a few pints together down at the pub” kinds of guys (if I were still drinking). Instead of thinking I should read more, I picked up one of his books to give it a whirl. Female protagonist is a plus.
And that is just what I purchased. I also plan to read a few other books along the way that have been on my to-do list for longer than I might like to admit.
I’ve decided to start tracking my planned and finished reads on the site on the off-chance anyone wants to explore what I’m assaulting my eyes with. You can view that “living document” here. If you want… it is neither required or expected and it might even be advised against visiting.
Pure drek, most likely.
9 responses to “Back to the books”
Glad to hear you found a source of some reading matter to suit you. Enjoy! 🙂
I plan to. 🙂
Sounds like an interesting list of books. Glad you enjoyed the used bookstores. I like sci-fi, but don’t read it as much as I should.
Who have been your favorite authors?
If I had to make a desert island pick, it would be: Leaves of Grass, Whitman; the plays of Shakespeare; and Don Quixote, Cervantes. I really like A.R. Ammons and Rae Armantrout. as poets. And throw in Moby Dick and the poems by Emily Dickinson. Sorry, that was probably a lot.
All great works (the ones I know). I know it is somewhat cliche, but I never tire of the Tao Te Ching, so if I could only have one book on a deserted island, it would probably be a translation of that or the collected Zhuangzi.
The Tao Te Ching was one of those books I read when I was about 20 years old, that changed my life. I’ve not read any of the scholarly editions. I’ve read the Stephan Mitchel and Ursula Le Guin editions. But reading how everything is connected and dependent on each other. Changed how I see the world. And still resonates with me. I would include that on my desert island.
Both of those reinterpretations capture the essence and make the text for easier reading for most people. I used to carry a pocket variant of the Mitchel variant before I purchased an electronic “scholarly” version for my phone.
I had a copy of the pocket edition! I know exactly what you mean.