'What Is the Value of a Book?'

This is a GREAT post from Bookshop Santa Cruz on the value of books and indie stores. Read it and be inspired again.

'What Is the Value of a Book?'

It's not you, it's me.

Don't you hate it when you REALLY want to love a book, but you just can't?  Especially when you have been waiting and waiting for this title to come out, finally get it, and just can't force yourself into a relationship with the characters (or the plot, or whatever).  This doesn't happen to me often, but when it does, it ruins the book for me just about forever (I've been known to go back and try things when I am in a different mood). 

Most recently it happened with Dave Zeltserman's Caretaker of Lorne Field.  It got GLOWING reviews and has a fantastically interesting premise, but I wanted to kill each and every one of the characters, except for one.  How bad is that?  When this happens, I start to not care about the story and become only marginally invested in it, thus not really paying attention.  It's almost like going to see a bad movie and forcing yourself to finish it since you paid $35 to see it.  But in this case, since I got it from the library (where I had it on hold forever and just got it), I didn't feel too bad when I put it down for good. But I so wanted to like it on merit alone. 

I had this same problem with Arsonist's Guide to Writers Homes in New England.  Everyone loved it, but me: booksellers, critics, and publishers.  And I usually LOVE quirky, off beat stuff like that, but once again, the main character ruined it for me.  He was so annoying and didn't have a redeeming quality about him, not even some half-baked morality humor that I could find. I know that is part of the beauty of the novel and the appeal of the story, that the main character is really unlikable, but I didn't even find that aspect enough to continue.  It's really a fine line to walk between unlikable/awful and unlikable/funny because most of the characters of Chuck Palahniuk's novels are awful, awful people while still being amazingly funny and snarky, and I love his work.  AGtWHiNE just failed for me and I so wanted it to work!  Hopefully his next title, Exley, will work for me.  It's another great premise with lots of promise, and a great cover.  We'll see.

Another shocking dislike from me is the Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay.  I love the marketing (I sleep in a Dexter publisher tshirt promoting the first season on DVD that says "Have a Knife Day" with a bloody knife on the front) and the concept, but I just can't get past the complete disconnect of the character.  I KNOW that is the entire point, but it just doesn't work for me.  I like the idea of it and I think that it is extremely clever to write about serial murder and vigilante justice from that point of view, but I just can't bring myself to care about him.  Once again, if I am not personally invested in the character, I just can't see spending my scant free time with them. 

What books have you wanted to love but had to ditch like a bad date? 

Penguin is going dystopia crazy!

In case you have been living under a rock for the last couple years, the newest trend in YA literature has moved from vampires (and somewhat away from zombies as well) to dystopian/post apocalyptic themed books.  Bestsellers like the Hunger Games Trilogy (Scholastic), Chaos Walking Trilogy (Candlewick), and Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It trilogy (HMH) have totally changed the market, much like Harry Potter did when those first came out.  This has paved the way for a welcome resurgence in smart, well written fantasy for young adults and adults alike. 

Many of this fall's biggest titles are coming from one publisher: Penguin.  They have become more and more cognizant of the trends of the market in the last couple years and have shifted gears accordingly, but all the while, not flooding it with crap.  Titles like Catherine Fisher's Incarceron (and the upcoming Sapphique), Brenna Yovanoff's Replacement, Ally Condie's Matched, and the much awaited title from Beth Revis, Across the Universe (one of the BEST first chapters that I have read in a long time and a phenomenal cover; I can't wait to see an ARC!) are all extremely well written in a genre that is notorious for mass produced junk when it comes to trends.  These books are smart, funny, emotionally gripping, and although they might deal with some adult themes, are perfectly toned for the younger set but still great reads for those of us who refuse to grow up.  They take place in well-drawn alternate worlds and futures but don't focus on the extraneous like some authors try to do.  (Really?  Do you think that a teenage really cares about all of the science?  Save it for the adults who like Michael Crichton.  If kids want science overwhelming the story, they will just read Jurassic Park.) They also deal with issues that most kids deal with (although in a different way) like ethics, good vs. evil, and the ever present young love.  Get on the hold list now at your local library because once these titles come out, it will be hard to get them for a while.  Better yet, order them from your local indie bookstore and help your community by keeping your money there. 

Cemetery Dance Publications

Attention all Horror, Scifi, and Fantasy readers:  if you aren't aware of Cemetery Dance Publications yet, you should be ashamed of yourself.  They are an amazing small publishing house that cultivates both new and bestselling genre authors, as well as putting out Cemetery Dance magazine a few times a year.  Their books are HIGHLY collectible and are almost all tiny print runs, illustrated, and/or signed limited editions.  You can't beat it.  And, if you preorder, they give you free shipping.  Who doesn't love free shipping?  Especially from a small publisher.  It's unheard of. 

Some of their best stuff is in their famous Grab Bag sales.  These are random things that they have lying around their warehouses and sell to us for ridiculously cheap ($39 for 3 hardcover, signed limited editions usually).  And if you are on their mailing list, you get advance notice of almost everything before it gets announced to the general public, and usually get some sort of discount.  I'm a member of the Collector's Club and some of the initial discounts have been stellar.  I'm not ashamed to say that I have spent WAY more money than I probably should have in the last 3 months, but don't tell my husband.  That is what having a separate bank account is for. 

They publish everyone from Stephen King (they did the true first edition of this year's huge hit, Blockade Billy, that caused his normal publisher, Scribner, to put out a cheaper version for the masses since there was such demand) to Peter Straub to Richard Matheson, and many many more.  Most of their titles sell out within a few days of announcement and are very hard to get aftermarket.  They have been also known to sell a few editions from Subterranean Press or Donald Grant, but not very often. 

If you love a good thrill ride, check them out on facebook or on http://www.cemeterydance.com/.  Let's help the little guys have a great year.

Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

I'm a Stieg Larsson stalker. I got sucked into the Millenium Trilogy when the galleys first came out a couple years ago (maybe even before when I saw the first write-up about the book in PW) and haven't been able to extricate myself in the slightest. I have been waiting and waiting for the ARC of the third book, Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, for months and now, having read it, I can say without a doubt that the world is a lesser place because Stieg Larsson is no longer in it and writing. My only disappointment is that it's over and that the movies aren't available yet in the States.

The first two books in the trilogy, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Girl Who Played With Fire, were phenomenal, which is rare. Usually the first book is great, the middle is ok, and then the third picks up the slack to finish it off, but never quite captures the mystery and promise of the first. That isn't the case here. Both books are fantastic in their own ways. Although the title of the first book indicates the story is truly about Salander, it is in actuality mostly about Blomkvist by way of Salander. Sure, we get the majority of Salander's background, but it isn't until the second book that we really know what to think of it. Salander truly comes to the forefront and becomes a character that will surely be as classic and iconic as Scout (To Kill a Mockingbird) or Holden (Catcher in the Rye) or Alice (Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass). Her journey is so unique because she is SO unlikable that she just grows on you like moss. Her view is so black and white that when she is forced into the gray reality of today, her reactions and perceptions show us how truly screwed up we are. This objectivity is one of the most beautiful aspects of Larsson's writing. He is like a floodlight subjecting all of the imperfections and indiscretions of society and its' players in the same scorching glare that the good guys willingly bathe in. It's amazing.

Now, I'm not going to ruin Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest with a bunch of spoilers and try to analyze what his big picture point was. All I have to say that is that any story, whether fiction or non, that can keep me laughing, cringing, crying, and cheering simultaneously, is one that I will come back to again and again. I have to point out that I was irritated during the entire reading of it because I wanted to know how it was going to end SO badly that I just couldn't wait, but I was also irritated because I knew that once I found out what happened, then the story would be over. I haven't felt this way since I finished the seventh Harry Potter book and realized that there wasn't any more to the story. Books like that are so good but once they are finished, it's like a death in the family (only you can "visit" by re-reading them). You feel a sense of peace because the story is done, but a huge sense of loss because your forays into the world for the first time are done. Now we are just all seasoned veterans. Which is better?

Hundred Thousand Kingdoms -- N.K. Jemisin

I'm a repeat reader. I admit it. When I was a kid, I would go to the library, get 5 or 6 books, and only 3 of them would be things that were new to me. The rest would be things that I had read a billion times before and just loved. I would usually buy the books later (or ask for them for birthdays or Christmas) and still have most of them today. I am one of those people who finds comfort in the familiar worlds of these particular books. That said, at this point in my life, with the job that I have, re-reading things is not so much of an option for me anymore. I have a duty to my job to read as many things as I possibly can before they come out so that I can be as effective as I can and limit my re-reading to times of despair and extreme duress -- maybe twice a year for like 3 weeks at a time. So when I tell you that I read N. K. Jemisin's Hundred Thousand Kingdoms a couple months ago and couldn't stop thinking about it so much that I re-read it this week, that is a BIG DEAL. For me to think about a book that much that I re-read it virtually immediately, regardless of the other things on my shelf (which happen to include Stieg Larsson's Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest which I have been SALIVATING for for at least a year), it had to be amazingly good.

Her debut fantasy is so original in scope and style that it seems like she has been around for years rather than months. Her premise is steeped in the classics of both ancient literature and mythology, as well as comparitive religion and modern science fiction, with a little bit of stream of consciousness thrown in. It's phenomenal. There are very few holes in the plot and the majority of the characters are perfectly developed. The couple of minor problems aren't really issues at all because the reader doesn't really care about these people/plotlines at all since they are intentionally peripheral while not being contrived or feel "forgotten" like some lost plot threads can in lesser hands. And it is one of those books that only gets better each time it is read because of the little details and nuances that weren't detected before.

The basic plot is centered around Yeine, the daughter of the now disowned heir to the current ruler of the kingdoms. When she is summoned after her mother is killed suspiciously, she has no reason not to go, even though she is wary. Much more is to be revealed as she spends her time at Sky (city & capital). As she comes into herself and attempts to keep herself alive despite the petty political manuevering of her rivals, she is thrown into the company of several enslaved gods -- Nahadoth, and Sieh most prominently, the result of a long ago war that is the basis for the entire religious system. At first, the religious aspects don't ring original, but that isn't the case. By blending many different mythologies of everything from The Sandman's Morpheus and the concept of the biblical Trinity, she created a nexus for the conflict between the gods and between the humans.

It's a very complex novel filled with all of the intrigue and revenge that comes with political struggles, but with a healthy dose of the many faces of love, and the price that it can exact. She never takes a heavy hand with the characters or with their actions; each entity acts "naturally" if that makes sense, and doesn't feel forced to the reader. Jemisin has achieved the elusive feeling of being a true voyeur to the story through the structure of the narrative and the completeness of the story. I was obviously thrilled with this installment, and can't wait for the next phase of the story. She is going to have a (hopefully) long and illustrious career and I will surely salivate for each work.

For more info on the book or N. K. Jemisin, go to www.orbitbooks.net. Check out her blog posts too. So much fun.

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls

YAY! It's here!

Being a HUGE fan of Pride & Prejudice & Zombies when it came out last year, I couldn't wait until PPZ: Dawn of the Dreadfuls came out. So, of course I finagled my way to get an early copy and have since devoured it. You will not be disappointed. It gives us the backstory of how Elizabeth became the bad-ass zombie slayer from PPZ and elaborates more on the familial relationships that are somewhat kept in the background in the original PP (hello, can Mr. Bennet want to kill Mrs. Bennet anymore!?!). It's the most polite and mannerly bloodbath that you'll ever read. The fun part is that it still remains faithful to the reference text and doesn't detract from the basic essence of the story. It's witty and smart and a delight to read, as long as you keep your tongue firmly in your cheek.

It's a great addition to the Quirk Classics canon and I can't wait for the next installment of the trilogy, as well as the next classic, Android Karenina. Don't miss this!

Here is some fun for you readers. Enter this contest by March 11 through Quirk Classics to win a great PPZ prize stash including a copy of the book, PPZ notecards, PPZ journal, and more. Simply go to the link below and enter my blog. Happy Hunting!

http://quirkclassics.com/index.php?q=QuirkClassicsContest_DOD_Reviews

For more Quirk Classics fun, go to their website, www.quirkclassics.com.

I hate not getting it.

Lately I have been trying to catch up on a couple trilogies that I am in the middle of and seemed to come across the same problem: I just don't get what is going on. For example, I was a HUGE fan of The Traveller when it came out 3 years ago or so, and was fairly ok with Dark River (Book 2), so when Golden City came out, I was pumped. Two problems: I couldn't remember what was going on and I had a baby right when it came out. So I found some online summaries of the plot and everything came back to me, but when I got into the book, I realized that John Twelve Hawks really had no intention of resolving most of the issues and was more concerned with taking an Ayn Rand-like philosophical stand instead. Don't get me wrong, I love Ayn Rand, but I skip the 30 pages or so of her books where she goes off her relativistic tangents because I don't understand it (or care to) and I don't think that it has any relevance to the story. Purists will I'm sure tell me that I can't possibly understand the truth of the novels without getting the philosophy but really, that isn't why I am reading it. If I want philosophy, I'll read philosophy. Golden City had the potential to be really good and profound but then it just sort of stops. Ta-da, the end. Not a lot is resolved, there is no closure, and I am left irritated that I wasted my time on the story. I'm also left feeling like I am frankly not smart enough to be reading this.

Now, I am a pretty intelligent person: I have a fairly high IQ, great vocabulary, high SAT scores from high school, and was on the Dean's List in college without killing myself. I usually don't have too much trouble getting things, but lately I've noticed that it's getting harder and harder. Maybe it is because of the sheer volume of things that I read, so nothing seems to stick in my craw like it should. Or because I now have 2 kids age 3 and under (That will scramble anyone's brain, believe me. I'm lucky sometimes to have matching socks on.) and can't pay attention all the time. Whatever it is, it's annoying.

Another example is last year's Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Almost everyone that I talked to that had read it had this amazing epiphany at the end and I missed. It was a wonderful novel, beautifully written, but I kept feeling like I was just a little bit outside of what was going on. I hate that. I hate feeling dumb! Even 2 of my super smart best friends had the same problem (we were all in the same AP English class when we read Hamlet so maybe that was the problem . . . way to go Mrs. Shipman!) and we couldn't nail down what it was. I even had a Shakespeare seminar in college!

I guess it's just a little set back but it is still a blow to my ego. Maybe I should just stick to thrillers and scifi rather than the literary stuff. PFFFFTTTT!

Macmillan - 1, Amazon - 0.

In an interesting piece of news today, Amazon.com was forced to capitulate to the e-book pricing terms set by Macmillan. Gasp! Moan! Oh, how will the giant survive? PFHTTT! Who cares! Read the whole story here.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6717182.html?desc=topstory

I'm just so jazzed that Macmillan stood up to the big, bad, wolf and won. This proves that we indies aren't exaggerating when we say that Amazon is a predator out to control the industry. They have proved it here by taking away the "buy" button on their site of all Macmillan titles (which has still not been restored even after the settling of the dispute) like a spoiled child. All the publisher(s) were asking was for control of THEIR OWN PRODUCT. Amazon is not a wholesaler (even though they have somehow negotiated wholesaler terms . . . hmmm), they are a retailer. Since when did retailers get to dictate the price to the publisher, and therefore, the authors? Why did they allow Amazon to have that much power? Well, not anymore. Hopefully the rest of the major publishers will follow suit and be successful, therefore paving the way for the smaller presses in the future.

Although this victory has no real bearing on my life now, I'm sure that it will in the future because let's face it: ebooks are part of the future whether we like it or not. And for the publishers to be able to dictate the price rather than Amazon dictating it to the publishers, it is a better situation for all of us. Because really, if the publishers lose, who are they going to take it out on . . . Amazon? No, the Indies. Think about it.

Percy Jackson, my new favorite thing.

Having seen the trailer for Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lightning Thief and listened to the kids behind me talk about how much they enjoyed the books, I decided to take the plunge. I hadn't read them before since they hit when I was either in college or just starting out in bookselling and was so overwhelmed that I didn't have time for them. Being the good book buyer that I am, and by my compulsion to be knowledgeable about the things that I am ordering and also recommending, I jumped in. All I can say is WOW. Seriously, if you have a brain in your head and a funny bone in your body, you will laugh and laugh hard. Rick Riordan has taken what can be stodgy and imperialistic and made it modern and smart. His characters are full of heart without being fake, his plots are well thought out with loose ends tied up for the most part (but not always the way the reader expects which is nice), and his treatment of the various Greek myths and Gods/Goddesses is thought-provoking and hysterical. His characterizations of each of the Gods/Goddesses is spot on with plenty of "in" jokes for those in the know. The best part is that even if you have a working knowledge of Greek myths, you still want to go back and rediscover the stories that he is referring to (I've also seen this first hand with many of his younger readers; we usually stock classic mythology texts very close to the Percy Jackson books because of the constant need for them) just to find all the nuances and allusions. I mean, whoever thought to describe Poseidon as sporting cutoffs, Tommy Bahama hawaiian shirts, flipflops, and week-old stubble? It works, but isn't necessary dignified for a major player in the myths. But it makes him, as well as the rest of the Gods/Goddesses, accessible for the young reader and hilarious for the older ones. I'm so pumped about getting back into Greek myths that I am even considering picking up Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series (recommended by a sales rep friend who shall remain nameless so as to protect her guilty pleasure . . . you know who you are!) which also plays on the different myths, but with a vastly different effect. I just don't know how to explain those titles to my husband while they are laying around. Dark Lover, etc. Hmmm.

Julie/Julia and the impact of a book

So, what they don't tell you about being the parent of young children is that you will only see the movies you want if you rent them (and usually only get to watch them if said children are gone, and in my case, the husband too!) which is how I ended up watching Julie & Julia this morning to my delight. Very cute and Meryl Streep is delightful as Julia Child. The thing that struck me the most, and I must admit that I haven't read either book that the movie was based on (Julie Powell's or the bio on Julia Child) so I don't know any hard facts, was the way that Streep played Julia Child -- she was so full of joy that she looked like she was going to burst. How many people do you ever see that are so full of joy like that? And that joy was something that translated to those around her via her cookbook or her show. People could intrinsically sense that she loved what she was doing and wanted you to love it too. That "joy through osmosis" from her cookbook was able to help Powell through a rough patch in her life, like many books are able to do. Isn't that why we (the "lifers") are in the book business, either on the writing side, the publishing side, or the bookselling side? We believe that books are life changing -- they have the power to affect people's lives in a profound way. As a bookseller and a book buyer, you dream (at least I do at times) of being able to be find the right perfect book that a person is looking for at just the right time. I get excited at the start of every publishing season because of all of the things that are coming, and the possibilities for each. The impact doesn't have to be huge, it could just be a few minutes of blissful escapism, or it can be something so shattering as Randy Pausch's Last Lecture has been for millions of people. But each one has the possibility for that kind of change, and that is an amazing thing.