I got a deal

One of the original ideas I had for this space was to share my book buying experiences... sure, there is even a periodic post or two where I do just that, but there really hasn’t been very much talk on my part about buying books lately - and since I just got such wonderful deal (in my mind anyway) I figured I would share. Additionally, this post relates pretty closely to my underused (only once until this point) tag “Remainder Rack Chronicles”.

Well, it was a GRRM kind of evening:

So, last night I head out to the local big box bookstore to unload a 40% off any paperback coupon they were kind of enough to email me (you know the one, you got it too I’m sure). As I head into the store the first thing that catches my eye on the remainder rack in the entryway was a bright white hardcover with a name on it that I am quite a fan of - George R.R. Martin. The book being Dreamsongs: Volume I. Now, this is a book I should have bought new - don’t really know why I didn’t buy it new - and, being a wannabe GRRM completist, one which I would have searched out to purchase eventually anyway I am sure - but here it was for the bargain bin price of $5.99... picking up the first copy in the stack and looking over it, I found it was unmarked, which made the decision to buy automatic.

I looked around at the other stacks of books, lamenting the fact that I didn’t see the second volume, and set about going through the stack to find the best condition copy available (the second one I picked was flawless). But wait... what is that at the back of the stack with the black cover?? Yes! A lone copy (also unmarked in great condition) of Dreamsongs: Volume II hiding behind seven or so copies of the first volume... well, consider that sold. What a deal - both volumes of George R.R. Martin’s Dreamsongs for six bucks a pop! These are books which will be read (if in small portion over time) and will most likely have choice spots on my shelf for quite some time.

There I am, barely in the store in the store, having come with the intention of buying a cheap paperback at 40% off, and I’ve already got two fat hardcovers (a total of over 1,400 pages) in my hands, which I am quite excited about - OK, on to why I am here (and this really goes to show it was a GRRM kind of night)... Picking my way through shelves - first the mysteries, then the horror section, then fiction, nothing is grabbing my attention (I was looking for something that would somehow make it to the top of my to be read pile), and then low and behold out of nowhere I pick up Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner (a book I have glanced at a few times over the years at various used and new bookstores and at more than one book sale) and here I see a generous blurb from George R.R. Martin I had not noticed before. Swordspoint may not have made it to the top of my to be read pile, but it did (thanks to the serendipity of the moment) leave the store with me and is now part of that ever increasing pile (OK, more of rough list in my head) that will be read sometime in the future.

A total of $17 and change out the door...

Yep, I got a deal.

An Update of Sorts

Yeah, well, work is kicking my ass lately... I’m good with that -- work = money, money = books. I do like my job well enough, but it is causing my reading schedule to become a hell of a mess (it hasn’t stopped me from buying books though).

While for the foreseeable future it seems my employer will be doing its best to prevent me from reading as much as I’d like (after putting in 10 to 12 hours a day staring at spreadsheets, my ability to unwind with a book becomes harder as the weeks wear on), there have been two recent books which have excited me just enough that, even though I might only read 20 pages a day, I know I will be carrying them around with me until they have been read. Typically, during busy times, a light and fun book (i.e. little thinking involved) is what I search out, but these two aren’t, in my mind, really "light" - fun maybe, but I should probably do my best to pay attention while reading them. Anyway, these two book really have me eager to read...

One... Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon - I just picked this one up over the weekend. A stoner detective yarn written by a literary genius - genre fiction that is bound confuse me - hell yeah, count me in! I may have mentioned this already, but I am Pynchon geek (sure, it was a rather rare occurrence while reading Gravity’s Rainbow that I knew what the heck was going on, but the words somehow still made sense in a grand and stimulating way ultimately providing a unique and rewarding experience) and a new Pynchon book is something to look forward to.

Two... A Fiery Peace in a Cold War - I received an ARC of this in the mail the other day and I am dying to dive in. This really looks to be a fascinating history of the postwar American/Soviet arms race. What is billed as “a magnificent, long-awaited new epic, fifteen years in the making”, I am really looking forward to digging in and getting a good nonfiction fix (something which I enjoy more of as I get older I am learning).

So there you have it - I am bound to be back with some good book blogging talk soon (as soon as my pay masters give me a minute to breath, that is)... with any luck, I will even be able to finish both of the above books and to definitively let you know if they are worth your hard earned buck.

A Missed Milestone

So it's a birthday of sorts here at Madness Abides... one year ago yesterday there was a small "coming soon" post which marked my entry into the book blogging world (my “official” first post came on the 10th). Sure, this blog has changed from what I originally envisioned it would be, but it has been a whole year of somewhat regular posts, and that is something I am oddly proud of. A while back I had grand thoughts of celebrating this week with giveaways and special posts, but alas that lazy book blogger has snuck his way into my head as of late (OK, I'll admit it, I’ve been busy at work, which, while a good excuse, is also a rather lousy excuse). Those unexecuted plans do provide material for the future, so a shiny silver lining is present. All in all, this year has flown by and it has been extremely enjoyable to keep Madness Abides... well... abiding, as it were.

As there are a whole lot of things I wanted Madness Abides to be, and many of my ideas have yet to come to pass, I am looking forward to both more of the same and having this blog evolve further... wish me luck - and on to year two we go!