You claim there are other intelligent beings in the galaxy besides earthlings and Martians. Good, then we can attack them together. And after we
The economic reality of used books
The New York Times has an article today on the economics of used books and the the place of Amazon.com in the market.
Personally, I love used book stores. Amazon is great if you really need something, but nothing beats the browsing experience. Fantasy and sci-fi is such a tough genre sometimes – the covers and blurbs are so awful and misleading that it’s hard to pick anything up at the bookstore – and if it’s crap or yet another lame Tolkien rehash, you’ve wasted your money. (Libraries, meanwhile, will often only get the best-sellers.) With a used bookstore, you can unload the crap and get more books for half off the cover price or less. It’s a win-win situation for the reader.
In fact – may Lucasfilm and Del Rey not smite me as I type – I would recommend getting used books if you’re trying to catch up on the Star Wars novels. They’re plentiful in many used bookstores and with the ups and downs in quality, you’re probably better off not wasting the extra cash on anything but the authors you know you’ll enjoy. Face it – the Jedi Academy trilogy is simply not worth $21 new when used copies are available on Amazon for as low as 39 cents.
Generally, with authors I enjoy, I do make it a point to buy new when possible. But the amount of authors and series I’ve gotten into because of used bookstores is hard to estimate. But with new releases, I simply don’t have the patience to wait for books to hit used. I shudder to think of what I’ve spent on the Expanded Universe over the years – I even bought Shadows of the Empire new, even though I knew it probably sucked at the time. (And so it did!) Learn from my mistakes.
Current events snippet…
It’s a go!!
It’s official… Live 8 is a go!
Bob Geldof has unveiled plans for a repeat of 1985’s Live Aid concert, called Live 8, to highlight the ongoing problem of global poverty and debt.
The free event will be held in London’s Hyde Park on 2 July with concerts in Philadelphia, Paris, Rome and Berlin.
Among the featured acts will be U2, Duran Duran, Coldplay, REM, Velvet Revolver, Bob Geldof, The Killers, The Dave Matthews Band, Sarah McLachlan, Stereophonics, and the Kaiser Chiefs.
Complete lists (so far) by venue here.
Is it 2 July yet?
Live Aid 2!
Both NME and the UKs “Top of the Pops” are confirming that Live Aid 2 is all but a done deal. It won’t be called “Live Aid 2,” but Midge Ure and Bob Geldof will be organizing the event again. The likely date is 2 July. Possible venue is Hyde Park.
The concert is rumored to feature U2, Madonna, Paul McCartney, and a reunion of the Spice Girls (uh…). More bands are sure to be added.
Look for confirmation of the event on Tuesday. Weeeeee!!!
“Blog” added to Webster’s dictionary
“Blog” will appear in the latest edition of Webster’s New World College Dictionary.
And Dunc rejoiced. Now she can tell clueless newbies to, “Look it up in the dictionary!”
“Wedgie” also made the book:
wedgie: noun. a prank in which the victim’s undershorts are jerked upward so as to become wedged between the buttocks.
Somehow I think it will be a hot day on Hoth before that one makes it into Oxford’s. ;)
Geekdom shrouded in academia!
What’s not love about a new collection of essays entitled “Tolkien on Film: Essays on Peter Jackson
This collection of essays addresses various aspects of Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings including scriptwriting and the creative process, the place of the films in cinematic history, gender roles in the films and the books, wisdom and councils, hobbits and heroism, fan culture and fanfic, the use of Tolkien’s languages in the films, and other issues.
The essays on fan fiction and gender roles alone look worth the $20 (plus shipping and handling).
In the bookstores
She’s back from vacation and hitting the bookstores, again. Be afraid!
Next week, we get a new Star Wars book. If they keep up the quality of the recent releases, we should be in for a fun read. This is yet another lead-in to Episode III. So keep an eye out for Labyrinth of Evil on the 25th.
Then we have the magazines:
Dreamwatch – February 2005, US Issue #4 – Features a Sneak Preview of 2005. Episode III is the first movie mentioned with some positive buzz. Nothing to spoil, unless you haven’t seen the trailer.
Entertainment Weekly – January 28, 2005 – No big surprise, but Natalie Portman was taunted for both her speech and outfit at the Golden Globes. Ah…the perils of stardom!
Starburst – No. 319 – As always, the US is a month behind on the really cool UK film mags. Our current issue boasts a very pretty cover touting Star Wars Episode III. But there’s really nothing in there that goes beyond mentioning Episode III. Quite disappointing, but safe for the spoiler-phobes. There is an interview with Anthony Daniels about his upcoming radio series Space: 1889; based on the miniatures game that’s apparently a cross between Vernes and Wells. And there’s the first in a series about the history of Star Wars, covering ANH. Nothing new for the Star Wars nut. (Cool interviews with BSG and Serenity casts, though!)
Until next week. This is Paula. And I’m a bookstore-aholic…
Pick up a Fanboy
Really want to impress the other geeks in line for Episode 3? Shell out $20,000 and get yourself a JL421 Badonkadonk. And naturally, you can buy it via Amazon.
Things To Give Us Pause
This summer’s must-buy gift for the deranged has to be actor Bruce Campbell’s next book, Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way. On his web site, the lantern-jawed horror film icon says, “I had originally pitched a travel book, but the publishers thought it’d be a good idea for me to write a book about relationships instead. And so, Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way was born. The only problem is that I don’t know the slightest thing about relationships.” The terror arrives in bookstores this summer.
But here’s something you can cringe at now. It has nothing to do with science fiction, fantasy, or horror, but anyone who has experienced the way fans can be manipulated by button-pushing advertisements can appreciate that it happens in other hobbies as well. Plus, this site sets off the Pretensionometer more strongly than any site I’ve run across in recent weeks — watch out for phrases such as “paracord safety tethering hole” and “covert deanimation activities” for a real linguistic treat. (It is to be noted that the knives shown on this site are identical to a few models offered by a legitimate Italian knifemaking company, but cost more.)
Thanks to BobQ for the heads-up on the Dark Ops knife site.