Terminalcoffee discussion
Books / Writing
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Your last bookstore splurge
Barnes and Noble did consider selling the company, but they've been kept afloat by their success with the Nook.
I have read that they could not find a buyer. Bloomberg News reported that investors were afraid to invest in B&N.@Wendall, Amazon can replace Barnes& Noble’s. That is why I primarily by my books from Barnes & Noble and buy other stuff from Amazon.
I drove and hour and a half to the nearest Borders Sun. They were supposedly closing the 15th. They had sold every last thing........down to the last book shelves and light fixtures. Yes, we had hoped if there were no books left worth having that we could get a couple of shelves. They were nice shelves, too. I refrained from stomping my feet and throwing a childish tantrum right there on the sidewalk, but just barely.
My very last Borders purchase gave me 3 books , The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein , American Fuji and Molly Fox's Birthday .
Amber wrote: "Barnes and Noble did consider selling the company, but they've been kept afloat by their success with the Nook."I'm glad they did. There's nothing I enjoy more than sitting in a Barnes & Noble, indulging in a strong cup of Starbucks Coffee with a bagel and cream cheese, while a good book has my next two hours of attention.
Mod
Jo Nesbo is an author I will probably begin reading, at some point. Given that I read a lot of Scandinavian police procedurals.
Mod
I swapped a brand new copy of Brisingr (that Borders sent me by accident instead of Lovecraft) at the local book exchange for a very used copy of Swan Song which I'm not stoked about reading, but feel I really *should* because it's a post-apocalyptic staple. Feel the power of "meh".
"Swan Song" is one of my all time fav's, Ruby. Give it a chance.I stopped at the library on the way home, to check out Think of a Number ,want to read it before his second one, that I won on First Reads. Stop in the used book room, there's a PB copy. Had a book checked out for 20 minutes!
Also, Evan Hunter, "Last Summer" this is his real name, he's better known as Ed McBain. This is the copy I found, http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/evan...
I just read his first novel "The Breach"...found his second Ghost Country
And a PB door stopper.. The Girl Who Played With Fire
I just ordered:House of Leaves- which I hear is very, very creepy.
The Night Circus- I’m told it’s a fabulous combination of Neil Gaiman, Tim Burton, and Ray Bradbury.
Cloud Atlas, and Iron Council, because I’ve read other books by both authors and enjoyed them very much.
I found this at the book exchange the day after I put it on my TBR list. So that's timing... Grotesque
Just returned from the Public Library book sale with a 22-volume set of Harvard Classics, circa 1969. They appear to be unread, possibly used as bookshelf decor. A lovely green leatherette embossed with gold, prized by interior decorators. It will take me a while to read them all, but they look amazing.
Mod
Coincidentally I'm reading A Great Idea at the Time: The Rise, Fall, and Curious Afterlife of the Great Books and he talks about the Five Foot Shelf. Which I guess is 51 books, so yours must be an abbreviated set?
Cynthia wrote: "Just returned from the Public Library book sale with a 22-volume set of Harvard Classics, circa 1969. They appear to be unread, possibly used as bookshelf decor. A lovely green leatherette embossed..."Cynthia, could you post a pic? Nice score!
Lee, I will try to once I get a little more advanced in my digital photography class.
Lobstergirl wrote: "Cool!Coincidentally I'm reading A Great Idea at the Time: The Rise, Fall, and Curious Afterlife of the Great Books and he talks about the Five Foot Shelf. Which I guess is 51 book..."
When I checked on Amazon, it looked like earlier versions of the Harvard classics were in 50 volumes, my version had 22. Not sure about the differences in type size or number of pages.
Lobstergirl wrote: "Cool!Coincidentally I'm reading A Great Idea at the Time: The Rise, Fall, and Curious Afterlife of the Great Books and he talks about the Five Foot Shelf. Which I guess is 51 book..."
LG: His book about the McLean Mental Hospital looks interesting. It was referenced by the author of "Shutter Island."
Lobstergirl wrote: "Cool!Coincidentally I'm reading A Great Idea at the Time: The Rise, Fall, and Curious Afterlife of the Great Books and he talks about the Five Foot Shelf. Which I guess is 51 book..."
That one has been on my to read list for a while now. The reviews have been mixed, what do you think of it so far, LG?
Mod
It was a fun, quick read. 3 stars. My review:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Mod
I noticed he had written a book about a mental hospital. I wonder if it's good...and do all his books have the same light, humorous style? Perhaps you will read it.
Mod
[book:The House with a Clock in its Walls|29580..."
I used to love Ruth Chew.
Just scored 74 books for $60 at a charity book fair. Sadly, we got there too late for the really good stuff, but there's a few intriguing finds. There are a couple of sci-fi book covers I'll have to post - so hilariously bad!
Nice score Myles....I keep an eye out for Bellairs, The Face in the Frost
Kewl, you found his first in that series.
Just put in a new Book Depository order:Nine Stories (J.D. Salinger)
Neverwhere
Running with Scissors
Possible Side Effects
Blankety Blank
Let the Right One In
Let Us Now Praise Famous Men
Riddley Walker/The Medusa Frequency
Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Pontypool Changes Everything: A Novel
Raising Stony Mayhall
Yay splurge!
I used to love Ruth ChewI forgot all about Ruth Chew! One of my favourite books as a kid was
The Wednesday Witch I remember taking it out at the library over and over.
Mod
Sadly, I think the only one I read was The Wednesday Witch- either it was the only one of her books at my school library, or I loved it so much I refused to read anything else. I’d like to see if I can find one or two for my daughter.
Lobstergirl wrote: "The 7-league boots from What the Witch Left. I read that one about 30 times."Oh! I loved that story. Maybe I can find it on Overdrive.
My local used book store is having a sale, so all the books are 20% off. I went looking for a copy of Christine, but instead I found 6 other Stephen King books priced from 60-80 cents apiece. Filled up some holes in my King collection:Pet Sematary
Nightmares and Dreamscapes
Misery
Desperation
Night Shift
The Dark Half
And I'm a sucker for an old book with a leather cover, so I also got a copy of The History of Henry Esmond, Esq., but I have no idea if I'll actually read it or not.
Okay, I was feeling a bit down earlier today and ended up leaving work early after my boss told me I looked like death. Stopped at the Books-A-Million in town on my way home for some book therapy. I promise I was only going to look but the $1 rack outside caught my eye. I ended up buying:1.One Mississippi by Mark Childress
2.Don't Sleep With A Bubba...Unless Your Eggs Are in Wheelchairs by Susan Reinhardt
3. My Sister, My Love by Joyce Carol Oates
4. Dearest Dorothy, If Not Now, When? by Charlene Ann Baumbich
5. Don't Make Me Choose Between You and My Shoes by Dixie Cash
6. The Forgery of Venus by Michael Gruber
7. The Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke
8. The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell by Loraine Despres
9. Wedding Belles by Haywood Smith
10. The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
Needless to say I feel lots better and my weekend in bed getting over my cold is going to be MUCH better now.
Well, I was not satisfied with my last purchase...lol. My husband took me out last night and we ended up at the bookstore. I picked up The Saturday Wife and These Things Hidden to read while I am on the road traveling and working this week. Maybe that will keep me for a couple of weeks.
Kaput wrote: "A Short History of AfricaA History of India
History of the Present: Essays, Sketches and Despatches from Europe in the 1990s
a short but satisfying sp..."
A friend of mine just gave me a copy of A Short History of Africa and I am looking forward to reading it. He enjoyed it so I am hoping it is something that I will enjoy too. It is outside of my normal scope of reading but I am trying to broaden my world....lol.
My current book buying has all been for 2 of my children who are completing a readathon, including:Finding Sky
Stealing Phoenix
Graceling
Attack Of The Tyrannosaurus
The Escape of the Deadly Dinosaur: USA
I just splurged on 4 books from Barnes & Noble.com.
Not a bookstore splurge, but an awesome score. My in-laws are moving to a smaller place, so they gave me their set of Harvard Classics. Really nice bindings, and they've pretty much just been using them for decor, so they might as well be brand new.
The closest book store to me after Borders closed, is over an hour away. I have not been on a decent book buying spree in a while. Of course I purchase books online, but its not the same, as wandering around the store being able to just browse. That used to be my "ME" time. I cant just get up and go anymore when i feel the need to, I need to plan a trip ( gag).... its not the same. Sigh....
I am treating myself to several cheapo Kindle classics today, mostly books in translation and priced at 2.99 or below. They are public domain and would be free, except being in translation I'm paying for that service. Super affordable and a lot of them have been on my TBR forever. So, I now have some Proust and Stendhal to try to wade through sometime.
I bought my dad The Jim Morrison Scrapbook for christmas. My dad has always loved The Doors, and especially liked Jim Morrison. It was definitely worth the $40.
Mod
Not much of a splurge, but I was early to see a play on Saturday and ducked into a little bookstore-coffeeshop and ended up buying Samuel Delany's memoir The Motion of Light in Water: Sex and Science Fiction Writing in the East Village which I had wanted to read.
Lobstergirl wrote: "The Borders closing in my neighborhood meant the disappearance of a useful bathroom, in case you didn't have time to go all the way home on your way to somewhere else. :("Haha that makes me think of the one Seinfeld episode when they were at the book store and George brought a book with him into the bathroom. Then as he was trying to sneak out he gets caught, and fights over purchasing the book because it is tainted
Lobstergirl: Giving New Meaning to the Word "Splurge" Since 2011. :D
Mod
Some Borders had signs forbidding you from taking unpurchased books into the bathrooms. I think one of our downtown branches had a bathroom door that you could only open by inserting a token - which you had to get from a cashier. I guess that was to discourage homeless people from using the bathroom? I don't know. It was irritating and it usually kept me from using the bathroom as I just couldn't be bothered.
Not that I'm aware of, but the combination of your post plus the title of this topic made me think of a new meaning for splurge.
For my Kindle I have got:Time Bomb - Jonathan Kellerman
Matchmaker Cat - Elizabeth Kyne
Twelve Days of Winter: Crime at Christmas (12) - Drummers Drumming (short story) - Stuart MacBride
Twelve Days of Winter: Crime at Christmas (11) - Pipers Piping (short story) - Stuart MacBride
The Coroner - M.R.Hall
Adventures of a Wimpy Werewolf: Hairy not Scary - Tim Collins
The Debt - Roberta Kray
The Pact - Roberta Kray
The Lost - Roberta Kray
Spellbound - Brittney Herndon
Bloodline - Drew D' Amato
The Vampire Hangover - Jeremy Goodrich, Widhadh Waheed
The Vampire Club - Scott Nicholson, J.R. Rain
The Horror: Scary Stories that Scream to be Read... The Best of (They're Coming For You) - O. Penn-Coughin
The Little Friend - Donna Tartt
The Perfect Woman - Gemma Michael
A Glimpse of the Dark - Natasha McNeely
Bad Blood: A Vampire Thriller - H.T. Night, J.R. Rain, Scott Nicholson
Chasing Amanda - Melissa Foster
Her Last Scream - J. A. Kerley
Shelter (Blood Haze: Book One) A Paranormal Romance - Tara Shuler
A Vampire's Kiss: Darkling Soul Entry One - C.C. Webster
Cut Short - Leigh Russell
Dead End - Leigh Russell
Cursed: A Jack Nightingale Short Story - Stephen Leather
Death Bed - Leigh Russell
Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets - David Simon
Fire and Ice (Liam Campbell #1) - Dana Stabenow
Lonely Millionaire - Carol Grace
The Shadow of Death (Parish & Richards 4) - Tim Ellis
The Flesh is Weak (Parish & Richards 3) - Tim Ellis
The Wages of Sin (Parish & Richards 2) - Tim Ellis
A Life for a Life (Parish & Richards 1) - Tim Ellis
The Woman In Black (Jessica Daniel Book 3) - Kerry Wilkinson
Vigilante (Jessica Daniel Book 2) - Kerry Wilkinson
Locked In (Jessica Daniel Book 1) - Kerry Wilkinson
The Trafficked - Lee Weeks
Kiss & Die - Lee Weeks
Freaks - Tess Gerritsen (I've read in December)
A Cold Day for Murder (Kate Shugak #1) - Dana Stabenow
HOSTILE WITNESS (The Witness Series,#1) - Rebecca Forster
Agatha Raisin Omnibus: The Quiche of Death, The Potted Gardener, The Vicious Vet and The Walkers of Dembley - M. C. Beaton
Broadmoor Revealed: Victorian Crime and the Lunatic Asylum - Mark Stevens
No Shelter (Holly Lin, No. 1) - Robert Swartwood, Z. Constance Frost
Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun: Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series, Book 1 (An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery) - Lois Winston
Too Close to Home (Women of Justice Series #1) - Lynette Eason
Paradise Valley: Daughters of Caleb Bender Series, Book 1 - Dale Cramer
Santa Claws - Lesley Williams
The Lost Art of World Domination - Derek Landy
The New World - Patrick Ness
Design on a Crime (Deadly Décor Mysteries, Book 1) - Ginny Aiken
The Magic Touch ~ A Short Story - Dara England
Dark Horse (Jim Knighthorse Series #1) - J.R. Rain
The Pawn (The Patrick Bowers Files, Book 1) - Steven James
The Vampire's Warden, a Paranormal Romance (Undead in Brown County #1) - S.J. Wright
A Dog Named Slugger - Leigh Brill
The Fashion Police (Amber Fox Mystery) - Sibel Hodge
Invisible (Ivy Malone Mystery Series #1) - Lorena McCourtney
Killing Faith (A Gabriel De Sade Thriller, book 1) - Eric Meyer
The Rumblin: A Short Story - Jeff Bennington
The Time Keeper (The Timeways Trilogy) - Barbara Bartholomew
The Cybelene Conspiracy - Albert Noyer
janine wrote: "That's quite a haul, Fiona!"Not bad for 48hrs old Kindle lol
Terminalcoffee
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Hey, thanks for the info. From where I am, I never hear any of this stuff. People merely tell me all bookstores are in trouble, even lumping Barnes & Noble into this mix of Borders/Walden Books, etc; which I never could see because the B&N I often visit, they always seem to be having no problem with customers. And how long have books been popular? People are always going to need something to read. Thanks again for cluing me in.