Denial of Service

(Or, another plea for book-lovers and book-hunters...)

Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes not. For this month, it was three out of three with the latter.

Despite a month-long sale in bookshops, I didn't have enough time (nor money) to pick up a copy of Theodora Goss' short story collection In the Forest of Forgetting in Powerbooks. I've liked Goss' writing ever since I read a story of hers "Miss Emily Gray" in David Hartwell's yearly fantasy's best collection. Later on, I grew envious when I heard dean had picked up a copy. It didn't help that a hesitant skinny had bought the book and was converted. Was it the prose? The story? Who knows. Goes to show that it must have been good though.

That's one:

Prior to this, I found out that copies of SF writer Ted Chiang's well-received short story collection Stories of Your Life and Others had been put up on a local online auction and were quickly snatched up. Wow, I didn't even know Chiang had a fanbase in this country. Given that a number of Chiang's stories had either been nominated or won awards already-- and Chiang had been cited waaaay back together with Kelly Link (my favorite writer) as one of two writers to look out for-- and I've never read a piece by him at all... Well, aren't those enough reasons to read his stuff?

That's two:

Obviously, I seem to be on a hunt for short-story collections. But it doesn't help these collections are hard to find even abroad. A case in point: upcoming horror-writer Joe Hill had recently won the Bram Stoker award for his short-story collection 20th Century Ghosts and I thought of ordering a copy from Booktopia. (Of course it helps that Hill is one of the horror's best/worst-kept secrets: Hill is the son of horror-meister Stephen King but never advertised this fact.) Imagine my surprise when I found out that this was sold-out and was only available 2nd-hand at a hefty price-tag. Yowza.

That's three:

So if anyone out there knows where I can pick up a copy of the above books (barring ordering from abroad), maybe you can help a poor cat out?

UPDATE (9/6/2006): Can you spare a dime for a cat?

Unbelievable.

I just found a copy of Goss' book tucked away in Powerbooks Shangri-la. And this after I called up them and found out from them that all copies were sold out. The ironies of life being what they are, unfortunately now I don't have the cash to buy it.

Grrr.