Busy as A Bee (Or, A Number of Purchases)

Yes, as bingskee mentions, I've been busy as a bee, especially the past week.

First of all, I met up with the infamous skinny again last Friday, back from Singapore for a visit. As a favor (well, not really since we'll be paying for 'em), he got me and fuhrer a number of books on his way back. From my wishlist I emailed him, I got four books:

• Tobias Buckell's Crystal Rain (mmpb)
• Jeff Vandermeer's Shriek: An Afterword (mmpb)
• Kage Baker's The Life of the World to Come (mmpb)
• M.J. Harrison's Nova Swing (tpb)

I've always considered mass-market paperbacks as the last-resort purchase, especially for books I would want to get but wouldn't (or couldn't) splurge on either in hardbound or trade paperback. On the other hand, if I want an especially pretty read, the TPBs are my go-to-books. Hardbounds-- are hardbounds: they're the type of books that I will get regardless of cost (see Hal Duncan's Vellum and Ink, the series of George R.R. Martin or Robert Jordan, and other specific 'holy grail' books). Sometimes, I get hardbounds if they're cheap enough (see Tim Powers' Declare, Michael Swanwick's Jack Faust) or hard-to-find (same examples).

Given all of that, the Buckell and Vandermeer books are especially gratifying purchases since they're only available in hardbound locally. Harrison, despite being a tpb, isn't on my immediately-get list but since this comes highly-recommended by skinny, how could I resist? (The Baker book is part of The Company series; alas, I'm still missing a previous book so will continue looking.)

Then on Saturday, I met with jasper of Avalon auctions, having bidded for a Moleskine journal. Given how much these are selling at Fully-Booked, (P1,200+ a pop), half-price is certainly a good buy, yes? Moreover, I could barely keep myself from buying a slightly-battered notebook he was offering at P500-- I'm a sucker for a good journal. jasper had set up shop at Seattle's Best in SM Megamall and it was funny how the counter girl kept track of all those entering the coffeshop just to meet with him. (Like a drug dealer or something. Though the concept of books as drugs isn't so far-fetched.)

On the other hand, everyone knows I've been culling books but as I once mentioned to charles, one reason I'm doing it is so I can finance buying future books. (Which is why I have to thank charles for buying most of it-- though it feels strange that he's going to donate it mostly to a fan cafe: when I sell a book to someone, it's usually one that that person wants or something that I think that person would like. But I digress.) So last Friday night, when everyone and their kid sister were heading out to gimmick places in metro, I did what every normal person (okay, that's relative) with money would do when faced with the newest book in Steven Erikson's Malazan series, Reaper's Gale: I bought it.

(And yes, charles, I still do think Erikson seems to be better than George R.R. Martin in the epic fantasy category.)

Not a bad haul for a weekend, yes? But I'm still aiming for my next paper grail* which I hope to get by the next pay day . *sigh*

*Elizabeth Hand's short story collection, Saffron and Brimstone, which makes me a bit giddy since this small press publication actually showed up at National Bookstore. Imagine that. For Americans, it's like having Nightshade Press or Small Beer Press stuff appear in Wal-Mart.

(Okay, I exaggerate but I think you know what I mean...)