Required for the modern age: acquisitions

Showing posts with label acquisitions. Show all posts

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Book sales are my achilles heel

On vacation this weekend, bought way too many books. Luckily, they were really on sale, so I didn't spend much. That's good, because I may already own one or two of 'em. In addition to the ones I'm listing here, ~e picked up another several (mostly cookbooks).

Title: A Feast for Crows: Author: George R. R. Martin
ISBN: 0002247429
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Voyager (a British imprint of HarperCollins)
Pub Date: 2005
Pages: 755, plus a special preview of A Dance With Dragons
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Fourth book of Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. Politics happens. People die.

Title: Leap
Author: Jonathan Stroud
ISBN: 0786851953
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Hyperion/Miramax Books
Pub Date: 2004 (copyright 2001)
Pages: ~233
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Girl has near-death experience when trying (unsuccessfully) to save a friend from drowning. She begins dreaming about her friend and soon realizes her dreams are real. I'll have to actually read the book to find out anything more.

Title: Sabriel
Author: Garth Nix
ISBN: 9780060575816
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Eos
Pub Date: 2004 (copyright 1995)
Pages: 311
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: When Sabriel's father goes missing, she must take up the tools of the Abhorsen to prevent the restless dead from overwhelming the Old Kingdom. First book in a trilogy.

Title: Lirael
Author: Garth Nix
ISBN: 9780060590161
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Eos
Pub Date: 2004 (copyright 2001)
Pages: 464
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Lirael is two years past the age when her Sight should have awakened. Without her birthright, she must still undertake a desperate mission to save the Old Kingdom from a growing evil. Second book in a trilogy.

Title: The 97th Step
Author: Steve Perry
ISBN: 0441581056
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Ace
Pub Date: 1989
Pages: 294
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Directly copying the (ellipses abusing) cover copy: Mwili was born on a cruel, desolate planet... and dreamed of the stars. Ferret was a thief and smuggler on exotic worlds... until his ruin. Pen was trained by the master warriors, the Siblings of the Shroud, learning the lethal skills that would someday forge a legend... and conquer an empire. He was a man who lived three lives - the mentor and inspiration for THE MAN WHO NEVER MISSED. This is his story.

Title: The Machiavelli Interface
Author: Steve Perry
ISBN: 0441513565
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Ace
Pub Date: 1986
Pages: 197
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Third book in the series to which the above title is a prequel. I'm not going to abuse you with the cover copy. It boils down to people fighting against the Confed.

Title: Lord of Silence
Author: Mark Chadbourn
ISBN: 9781844167531
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Solaris
Pub Date: 2009
Pages: 537
Cost: free
Obtained from: a coworker who stuffed it in my mailbox
Synopsis: Guy with no memory, an energy-draining jewel stuck in his chest (I'm imagining nega-Stark, here), and the kickin' title of Lord of Silence must defend his city against the mysterious terrors lurking in the dense forest nearby. I'm not sure I'll make it past the first chapter.

Title: Soon I Will Be Invincible
Author: Austin Grossman
ISBN: 9780375424861
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Pantheon
Pub Date: June 2007
Pages: 287
Cost: free
Obtained from: the freebie case at work
Synopsis: Alternating chapters tell the stories (in more or less diary form) of Doctor Impossible (evil mastermind) and Fatale (mostly amnesiac cyborg superheroine). Think Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog, but with less singing and more writing (and done first). I read this back before it first came out and will have to re-read it in the not too distant future.
Title: Leap: Author: Jonathan Stroud
ISBN: 0786851953
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Hyperion/Miramax Books
Pub Date: 2004 (copyright 2001)
Pages: ~233
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Girl has near-death experience when trying (unsuccessfully) to save a friend from drowning. She begins dreaming about her friend and soon realizes her dreams are real. I'll have to actually read the book to find out anything more.

Title: Sabriel
Author: Garth Nix
ISBN: 9780060575816
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Eos
Pub Date: 2004 (copyright 1995)
Pages: 311
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: When Sabriel's father goes missing, she must take up the tools of the Abhorsen to prevent the restless dead from overwhelming the Old Kingdom. First book in a trilogy.

Title: Lirael
Author: Garth Nix
ISBN: 9780060590161
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Eos
Pub Date: 2004 (copyright 2001)
Pages: 464
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Lirael is two years past the age when her Sight should have awakened. Without her birthright, she must still undertake a desperate mission to save the Old Kingdom from a growing evil. Second book in a trilogy.

Title: The 97th Step
Author: Steve Perry
ISBN: 0441581056
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Ace
Pub Date: 1989
Pages: 294
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Directly copying the (ellipses abusing) cover copy: Mwili was born on a cruel, desolate planet... and dreamed of the stars. Ferret was a thief and smuggler on exotic worlds... until his ruin. Pen was trained by the master warriors, the Siblings of the Shroud, learning the lethal skills that would someday forge a legend... and conquer an empire. He was a man who lived three lives - the mentor and inspiration for THE MAN WHO NEVER MISSED. This is his story.

Title: The Machiavelli Interface
Author: Steve Perry
ISBN: 0441513565
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Ace
Pub Date: 1986
Pages: 197
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Third book in the series to which the above title is a prequel. I'm not going to abuse you with the cover copy. It boils down to people fighting against the Confed.

Title: Lord of Silence
Author: Mark Chadbourn
ISBN: 9781844167531
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Solaris
Pub Date: 2009
Pages: 537
Cost: free
Obtained from: a coworker who stuffed it in my mailbox
Synopsis: Guy with no memory, an energy-draining jewel stuck in his chest (I'm imagining nega-Stark, here), and the kickin' title of Lord of Silence must defend his city against the mysterious terrors lurking in the dense forest nearby. I'm not sure I'll make it past the first chapter.

Title: Soon I Will Be Invincible
Author: Austin Grossman
ISBN: 9780375424861
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Pantheon
Pub Date: June 2007
Pages: 287
Cost: free
Obtained from: the freebie case at work
Synopsis: Alternating chapters tell the stories (in more or less diary form) of Doctor Impossible (evil mastermind) and Fatale (mostly amnesiac cyborg superheroine). Think Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog, but with less singing and more writing (and done first). I read this back before it first came out and will have to re-read it in the not too distant future.
Title: Sabriel: Author: Garth Nix
ISBN: 9780060575816
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Eos
Pub Date: 2004 (copyright 1995)
Pages: 311
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: When Sabriel's father goes missing, she must take up the tools of the Abhorsen to prevent the restless dead from overwhelming the Old Kingdom. First book in a trilogy.

Title: Lirael
Author: Garth Nix
ISBN: 9780060590161
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Eos
Pub Date: 2004 (copyright 2001)
Pages: 464
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Lirael is two years past the age when her Sight should have awakened. Without her birthright, she must still undertake a desperate mission to save the Old Kingdom from a growing evil. Second book in a trilogy.

Title: The 97th Step
Author: Steve Perry
ISBN: 0441581056
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Ace
Pub Date: 1989
Pages: 294
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Directly copying the (ellipses abusing) cover copy: Mwili was born on a cruel, desolate planet... and dreamed of the stars. Ferret was a thief and smuggler on exotic worlds... until his ruin. Pen was trained by the master warriors, the Siblings of the Shroud, learning the lethal skills that would someday forge a legend... and conquer an empire. He was a man who lived three lives - the mentor and inspiration for THE MAN WHO NEVER MISSED. This is his story.

Title: The Machiavelli Interface
Author: Steve Perry
ISBN: 0441513565
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Ace
Pub Date: 1986
Pages: 197
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Third book in the series to which the above title is a prequel. I'm not going to abuse you with the cover copy. It boils down to people fighting against the Confed.

Title: Lord of Silence
Author: Mark Chadbourn
ISBN: 9781844167531
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Solaris
Pub Date: 2009
Pages: 537
Cost: free
Obtained from: a coworker who stuffed it in my mailbox
Synopsis: Guy with no memory, an energy-draining jewel stuck in his chest (I'm imagining nega-Stark, here), and the kickin' title of Lord of Silence must defend his city against the mysterious terrors lurking in the dense forest nearby. I'm not sure I'll make it past the first chapter.

Title: Soon I Will Be Invincible
Author: Austin Grossman
ISBN: 9780375424861
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Pantheon
Pub Date: June 2007
Pages: 287
Cost: free
Obtained from: the freebie case at work
Synopsis: Alternating chapters tell the stories (in more or less diary form) of Doctor Impossible (evil mastermind) and Fatale (mostly amnesiac cyborg superheroine). Think Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog, but with less singing and more writing (and done first). I read this back before it first came out and will have to re-read it in the not too distant future.
Title: Lirael: Author: Garth Nix
ISBN: 9780060590161
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Eos
Pub Date: 2004 (copyright 2001)
Pages: 464
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Lirael is two years past the age when her Sight should have awakened. Without her birthright, she must still undertake a desperate mission to save the Old Kingdom from a growing evil. Second book in a trilogy.

Title: The 97th Step
Author: Steve Perry
ISBN: 0441581056
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Ace
Pub Date: 1989
Pages: 294
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Directly copying the (ellipses abusing) cover copy: Mwili was born on a cruel, desolate planet... and dreamed of the stars. Ferret was a thief and smuggler on exotic worlds... until his ruin. Pen was trained by the master warriors, the Siblings of the Shroud, learning the lethal skills that would someday forge a legend... and conquer an empire. He was a man who lived three lives - the mentor and inspiration for THE MAN WHO NEVER MISSED. This is his story.

Title: The Machiavelli Interface
Author: Steve Perry
ISBN: 0441513565
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Ace
Pub Date: 1986
Pages: 197
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Third book in the series to which the above title is a prequel. I'm not going to abuse you with the cover copy. It boils down to people fighting against the Confed.

Title: Lord of Silence
Author: Mark Chadbourn
ISBN: 9781844167531
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Solaris
Pub Date: 2009
Pages: 537
Cost: free
Obtained from: a coworker who stuffed it in my mailbox
Synopsis: Guy with no memory, an energy-draining jewel stuck in his chest (I'm imagining nega-Stark, here), and the kickin' title of Lord of Silence must defend his city against the mysterious terrors lurking in the dense forest nearby. I'm not sure I'll make it past the first chapter.

Title: Soon I Will Be Invincible
Author: Austin Grossman
ISBN: 9780375424861
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Pantheon
Pub Date: June 2007
Pages: 287
Cost: free
Obtained from: the freebie case at work
Synopsis: Alternating chapters tell the stories (in more or less diary form) of Doctor Impossible (evil mastermind) and Fatale (mostly amnesiac cyborg superheroine). Think Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog, but with less singing and more writing (and done first). I read this back before it first came out and will have to re-read it in the not too distant future.
Title: The 97th Step: Author: Steve Perry
ISBN: 0441581056
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Ace
Pub Date: 1989
Pages: 294
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Directly copying the (ellipses abusing) cover copy: Mwili was born on a cruel, desolate planet... and dreamed of the stars. Ferret was a thief and smuggler on exotic worlds... until his ruin. Pen was trained by the master warriors, the Siblings of the Shroud, learning the lethal skills that would someday forge a legend... and conquer an empire. He was a man who lived three lives - the mentor and inspiration for THE MAN WHO NEVER MISSED. This is his story.

Title: The Machiavelli Interface
Author: Steve Perry
ISBN: 0441513565
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Ace
Pub Date: 1986
Pages: 197
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Third book in the series to which the above title is a prequel. I'm not going to abuse you with the cover copy. It boils down to people fighting against the Confed.

Title: Lord of Silence
Author: Mark Chadbourn
ISBN: 9781844167531
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Solaris
Pub Date: 2009
Pages: 537
Cost: free
Obtained from: a coworker who stuffed it in my mailbox
Synopsis: Guy with no memory, an energy-draining jewel stuck in his chest (I'm imagining nega-Stark, here), and the kickin' title of Lord of Silence must defend his city against the mysterious terrors lurking in the dense forest nearby. I'm not sure I'll make it past the first chapter.

Title: Soon I Will Be Invincible
Author: Austin Grossman
ISBN: 9780375424861
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Pantheon
Pub Date: June 2007
Pages: 287
Cost: free
Obtained from: the freebie case at work
Synopsis: Alternating chapters tell the stories (in more or less diary form) of Doctor Impossible (evil mastermind) and Fatale (mostly amnesiac cyborg superheroine). Think Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog, but with less singing and more writing (and done first). I read this back before it first came out and will have to re-read it in the not too distant future.
Title: The Machiavelli Interface: Author: Steve Perry
ISBN: 0441513565
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Ace
Pub Date: 1986
Pages: 197
Cost: $0.70 plus tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, OH
Synopsis: Third book in the series to which the above title is a prequel. I'm not going to abuse you with the cover copy. It boils down to people fighting against the Confed.

Title: Lord of Silence
Author: Mark Chadbourn
ISBN: 9781844167531
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Solaris
Pub Date: 2009
Pages: 537
Cost: free
Obtained from: a coworker who stuffed it in my mailbox
Synopsis: Guy with no memory, an energy-draining jewel stuck in his chest (I'm imagining nega-Stark, here), and the kickin' title of Lord of Silence must defend his city against the mysterious terrors lurking in the dense forest nearby. I'm not sure I'll make it past the first chapter.

Title: Soon I Will Be Invincible
Author: Austin Grossman
ISBN: 9780375424861
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Pantheon
Pub Date: June 2007
Pages: 287
Cost: free
Obtained from: the freebie case at work
Synopsis: Alternating chapters tell the stories (in more or less diary form) of Doctor Impossible (evil mastermind) and Fatale (mostly amnesiac cyborg superheroine). Think Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog, but with less singing and more writing (and done first). I read this back before it first came out and will have to re-read it in the not too distant future.
Title: Lord of Silence: Author: Mark Chadbourn
ISBN: 9781844167531
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Solaris
Pub Date: 2009
Pages: 537
Cost: free
Obtained from: a coworker who stuffed it in my mailbox
Synopsis: Guy with no memory, an energy-draining jewel stuck in his chest (I'm imagining nega-Stark, here), and the kickin' title of Lord of Silence must defend his city against the mysterious terrors lurking in the dense forest nearby. I'm not sure I'll make it past the first chapter.

Title: Soon I Will Be Invincible
Author: Austin Grossman
ISBN: 9780375424861
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Pantheon
Pub Date: June 2007
Pages: 287
Cost: free
Obtained from: the freebie case at work
Synopsis: Alternating chapters tell the stories (in more or less diary form) of Doctor Impossible (evil mastermind) and Fatale (mostly amnesiac cyborg superheroine). Think Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog, but with less singing and more writing (and done first). I read this back before it first came out and will have to re-read it in the not too distant future.
Title: Soon I Will Be Invincible: Author: Austin Grossman
ISBN: 9780375424861
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Pantheon
Pub Date: June 2007
Pages: 287
Cost: free
Obtained from: the freebie case at work
Synopsis: Alternating chapters tell the stories (in more or less diary form) of Doctor Impossible (evil mastermind) and Fatale (mostly amnesiac cyborg superheroine). Think Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog, but with less singing and more writing (and done first). I read this back before it first came out and will have to re-read it in the not too distant future.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Here we go again

As soon as I ship out the last 3 packages of books, we'll have successfully expunged over 80 volumes from our apartment. Of course, that hasn't stopped me from acquiring more over the course of the past month. Here's the haul.

Title: Star Trek FotoNovel #2 - Where No Man Has Gone Before: Author: Samuel A. Peeples (adapted from the TV episode)
ISBN: 0553113461 (Abe.com link)
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Bantam
Pub Date: November 1977
Pages: not labeled, but around 160-170
Cost: Free
Obtained from: a coworker who was cleaning out his apartment
Synopsis: Take frame captures of the TV episode of the same name. Add speech bubbles containing the dialogue. Bind and sell. Surprisingly readable.

Title: The World of Star Trek
Author: David Gerrold
ISBN: 0345285719
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Del Rey
Pub Date: November 1979 (10th printing, originally printed 1973)
Pages: ~280
Cost: Free
Obtained from: the same coworker as above
Synopsis: Nonfiction retelling of the genesis of the show, including trivia, cast interviews, and 64 pages of photos. Written by the science fiction author who originated the script for Trouble With Tribbles.

Title: The Star Trek Reader IV
Author: James Blish
ISBN: 052520962X
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Dutton
Pub Date: 1978 (First Edition)
Pages: 472
Cost: Free
Obtained from: the same coworker as above
Synopsis: 12 novelizations of the TV episodes, plus Blish's orginal novel Spock Must Die!

Title: Pandemonium
Author: Daryl Gregory
ISBN: 9780345501165
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Del Rey
Pub Date: September 2008
Pages: ~288
Cost: Free
Obtained from: the freebie case at work
Synopsis: Starting in the 1950s, people start getting possessed by demons. Del Pierce was possessed as a boy, but is believed to have been successfully exorcised. Now his demon is back. I picked this one up because it has "Valis, an entity possessing the science-fiction writer formerly known as Philip K. Dick" in it. That alone is more than worth the price of admission.

Title: Zoe's Tale
Author: John Scalzi
ISBN: 9780765356192
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: April 28, 2009
Pages: 406
Cost: $5.59 + tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Zoe, the adopted teen daughter of the heroes of Scalzi's Old Man's War series, tells the events of The Last Colony in her own words. I've already read this and will eventually get around to reviewing it.

Title: Maps in a Mirror
Author: Orson Scott Card
ISBN: 0765308401
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Orb
Pub Date: January 2004 (originally in hardcover in 1990)
Pages: ~676
Cost: $4.55 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Collected short fiction from 1977 to 1990.

Title: Keeper of Dreams
Author: Orson Scott Card
ISBN: 9780765304971
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: April 2008
Pages: ~656
Cost: $4.89 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: 22 more stories written since the publication of Maps in a Mirror.

Title: Quicksilver - Volume One of the Baroque Cycle
Author: Neal Stephenson
ISBN: 0060593083
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pub Date: 2004
Pages: ~944
Cost: $4.55 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Historical fiction from a science fiction author. The blurb on the back really doesn't tell me much. I liked Cryptonomicon, though, so thought I'd give this a try.

Title: The Android's Dream
Author: John Scalzi
ISBN: 9780765309419
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: November 2006
Pages: ~396
Cost: $4.19 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: As you may guess from the title, there are plenty of nods to Philip K Dick in this one. Harry Creek works for Earth's state department. He's tasked to find a replacement sheep for an alien ceremony after the deliberate killing of all the ones they were planning on using. Of course, in grand PKD fashion, things aren't as they seem. I read this from the library back when it first came out and had to have my own copy so I could re-read it soon.

Title: Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow
Author: James Rollins
ISBN: 9780061473791
Binding: ARC
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: April 28, 2009
Pages: ~406
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: Marketed to fans of Indiana Jones, Alex Rider, and the Maximum Ride series. Well, I fit one of the three criteria. An artifact found by their archaeologist parents on the expedition from when they never returned leads Jake Ransom and his older sister Katy to a strange world inhabited by a mix of long-lost civilizations. Blah blah "if they survive" blah book two coming soon. Way to take the suspense out of that, folks. This is Rollins' first YA novel, after writing several thriller/scifi titles for adult audiences.

Title: Dread - How Fear and Fantasy have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu
Author: Philip Alcabes
ISBN: 9781586486181
Binding: ARC
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: ~296 (the ARC lacks an index and the photo insert)
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: "Alcabes examines epidemics through history to show how they reflect the particular social and cultural anxieties of their times."
Title: The World of Star Trek: Author: David Gerrold
ISBN: 0345285719
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Del Rey
Pub Date: November 1979 (10th printing, originally printed 1973)
Pages: ~280
Cost: Free
Obtained from: the same coworker as above
Synopsis: Nonfiction retelling of the genesis of the show, including trivia, cast interviews, and 64 pages of photos. Written by the science fiction author who originated the script for Trouble With Tribbles.

Title: The Star Trek Reader IV
Author: James Blish
ISBN: 052520962X
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Dutton
Pub Date: 1978 (First Edition)
Pages: 472
Cost: Free
Obtained from: the same coworker as above
Synopsis: 12 novelizations of the TV episodes, plus Blish's orginal novel Spock Must Die!

Title: Pandemonium
Author: Daryl Gregory
ISBN: 9780345501165
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Del Rey
Pub Date: September 2008
Pages: ~288
Cost: Free
Obtained from: the freebie case at work
Synopsis: Starting in the 1950s, people start getting possessed by demons. Del Pierce was possessed as a boy, but is believed to have been successfully exorcised. Now his demon is back. I picked this one up because it has "Valis, an entity possessing the science-fiction writer formerly known as Philip K. Dick" in it. That alone is more than worth the price of admission.

Title: Zoe's Tale
Author: John Scalzi
ISBN: 9780765356192
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: April 28, 2009
Pages: 406
Cost: $5.59 + tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Zoe, the adopted teen daughter of the heroes of Scalzi's Old Man's War series, tells the events of The Last Colony in her own words. I've already read this and will eventually get around to reviewing it.

Title: Maps in a Mirror
Author: Orson Scott Card
ISBN: 0765308401
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Orb
Pub Date: January 2004 (originally in hardcover in 1990)
Pages: ~676
Cost: $4.55 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Collected short fiction from 1977 to 1990.

Title: Keeper of Dreams
Author: Orson Scott Card
ISBN: 9780765304971
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: April 2008
Pages: ~656
Cost: $4.89 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: 22 more stories written since the publication of Maps in a Mirror.

Title: Quicksilver - Volume One of the Baroque Cycle
Author: Neal Stephenson
ISBN: 0060593083
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pub Date: 2004
Pages: ~944
Cost: $4.55 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Historical fiction from a science fiction author. The blurb on the back really doesn't tell me much. I liked Cryptonomicon, though, so thought I'd give this a try.

Title: The Android's Dream
Author: John Scalzi
ISBN: 9780765309419
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: November 2006
Pages: ~396
Cost: $4.19 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: As you may guess from the title, there are plenty of nods to Philip K Dick in this one. Harry Creek works for Earth's state department. He's tasked to find a replacement sheep for an alien ceremony after the deliberate killing of all the ones they were planning on using. Of course, in grand PKD fashion, things aren't as they seem. I read this from the library back when it first came out and had to have my own copy so I could re-read it soon.

Title: Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow
Author: James Rollins
ISBN: 9780061473791
Binding: ARC
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: April 28, 2009
Pages: ~406
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: Marketed to fans of Indiana Jones, Alex Rider, and the Maximum Ride series. Well, I fit one of the three criteria. An artifact found by their archaeologist parents on the expedition from when they never returned leads Jake Ransom and his older sister Katy to a strange world inhabited by a mix of long-lost civilizations. Blah blah "if they survive" blah book two coming soon. Way to take the suspense out of that, folks. This is Rollins' first YA novel, after writing several thriller/scifi titles for adult audiences.

Title: Dread - How Fear and Fantasy have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu
Author: Philip Alcabes
ISBN: 9781586486181
Binding: ARC
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: ~296 (the ARC lacks an index and the photo insert)
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: "Alcabes examines epidemics through history to show how they reflect the particular social and cultural anxieties of their times."
Title: The Star Trek Reader IV: Author: James Blish
ISBN: 052520962X
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Dutton
Pub Date: 1978 (First Edition)
Pages: 472
Cost: Free
Obtained from: the same coworker as above
Synopsis: 12 novelizations of the TV episodes, plus Blish's orginal novel Spock Must Die!

Title: Pandemonium
Author: Daryl Gregory
ISBN: 9780345501165
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Del Rey
Pub Date: September 2008
Pages: ~288
Cost: Free
Obtained from: the freebie case at work
Synopsis: Starting in the 1950s, people start getting possessed by demons. Del Pierce was possessed as a boy, but is believed to have been successfully exorcised. Now his demon is back. I picked this one up because it has "Valis, an entity possessing the science-fiction writer formerly known as Philip K. Dick" in it. That alone is more than worth the price of admission.

Title: Zoe's Tale
Author: John Scalzi
ISBN: 9780765356192
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: April 28, 2009
Pages: 406
Cost: $5.59 + tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Zoe, the adopted teen daughter of the heroes of Scalzi's Old Man's War series, tells the events of The Last Colony in her own words. I've already read this and will eventually get around to reviewing it.

Title: Maps in a Mirror
Author: Orson Scott Card
ISBN: 0765308401
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Orb
Pub Date: January 2004 (originally in hardcover in 1990)
Pages: ~676
Cost: $4.55 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Collected short fiction from 1977 to 1990.

Title: Keeper of Dreams
Author: Orson Scott Card
ISBN: 9780765304971
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: April 2008
Pages: ~656
Cost: $4.89 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: 22 more stories written since the publication of Maps in a Mirror.

Title: Quicksilver - Volume One of the Baroque Cycle
Author: Neal Stephenson
ISBN: 0060593083
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pub Date: 2004
Pages: ~944
Cost: $4.55 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Historical fiction from a science fiction author. The blurb on the back really doesn't tell me much. I liked Cryptonomicon, though, so thought I'd give this a try.

Title: The Android's Dream
Author: John Scalzi
ISBN: 9780765309419
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: November 2006
Pages: ~396
Cost: $4.19 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: As you may guess from the title, there are plenty of nods to Philip K Dick in this one. Harry Creek works for Earth's state department. He's tasked to find a replacement sheep for an alien ceremony after the deliberate killing of all the ones they were planning on using. Of course, in grand PKD fashion, things aren't as they seem. I read this from the library back when it first came out and had to have my own copy so I could re-read it soon.

Title: Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow
Author: James Rollins
ISBN: 9780061473791
Binding: ARC
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: April 28, 2009
Pages: ~406
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: Marketed to fans of Indiana Jones, Alex Rider, and the Maximum Ride series. Well, I fit one of the three criteria. An artifact found by their archaeologist parents on the expedition from when they never returned leads Jake Ransom and his older sister Katy to a strange world inhabited by a mix of long-lost civilizations. Blah blah "if they survive" blah book two coming soon. Way to take the suspense out of that, folks. This is Rollins' first YA novel, after writing several thriller/scifi titles for adult audiences.

Title: Dread - How Fear and Fantasy have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu
Author: Philip Alcabes
ISBN: 9781586486181
Binding: ARC
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: ~296 (the ARC lacks an index and the photo insert)
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: "Alcabes examines epidemics through history to show how they reflect the particular social and cultural anxieties of their times."
Title: Pandemonium: Author: Daryl Gregory
ISBN: 9780345501165
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Del Rey
Pub Date: September 2008
Pages: ~288
Cost: Free
Obtained from: the freebie case at work
Synopsis: Starting in the 1950s, people start getting possessed by demons. Del Pierce was possessed as a boy, but is believed to have been successfully exorcised. Now his demon is back. I picked this one up because it has "Valis, an entity possessing the science-fiction writer formerly known as Philip K. Dick" in it. That alone is more than worth the price of admission.

Title: Zoe's Tale
Author: John Scalzi
ISBN: 9780765356192
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: April 28, 2009
Pages: 406
Cost: $5.59 + tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Zoe, the adopted teen daughter of the heroes of Scalzi's Old Man's War series, tells the events of The Last Colony in her own words. I've already read this and will eventually get around to reviewing it.

Title: Maps in a Mirror
Author: Orson Scott Card
ISBN: 0765308401
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Orb
Pub Date: January 2004 (originally in hardcover in 1990)
Pages: ~676
Cost: $4.55 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Collected short fiction from 1977 to 1990.

Title: Keeper of Dreams
Author: Orson Scott Card
ISBN: 9780765304971
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: April 2008
Pages: ~656
Cost: $4.89 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: 22 more stories written since the publication of Maps in a Mirror.

Title: Quicksilver - Volume One of the Baroque Cycle
Author: Neal Stephenson
ISBN: 0060593083
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pub Date: 2004
Pages: ~944
Cost: $4.55 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Historical fiction from a science fiction author. The blurb on the back really doesn't tell me much. I liked Cryptonomicon, though, so thought I'd give this a try.

Title: The Android's Dream
Author: John Scalzi
ISBN: 9780765309419
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: November 2006
Pages: ~396
Cost: $4.19 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: As you may guess from the title, there are plenty of nods to Philip K Dick in this one. Harry Creek works for Earth's state department. He's tasked to find a replacement sheep for an alien ceremony after the deliberate killing of all the ones they were planning on using. Of course, in grand PKD fashion, things aren't as they seem. I read this from the library back when it first came out and had to have my own copy so I could re-read it soon.

Title: Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow
Author: James Rollins
ISBN: 9780061473791
Binding: ARC
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: April 28, 2009
Pages: ~406
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: Marketed to fans of Indiana Jones, Alex Rider, and the Maximum Ride series. Well, I fit one of the three criteria. An artifact found by their archaeologist parents on the expedition from when they never returned leads Jake Ransom and his older sister Katy to a strange world inhabited by a mix of long-lost civilizations. Blah blah "if they survive" blah book two coming soon. Way to take the suspense out of that, folks. This is Rollins' first YA novel, after writing several thriller/scifi titles for adult audiences.

Title: Dread - How Fear and Fantasy have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu
Author: Philip Alcabes
ISBN: 9781586486181
Binding: ARC
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: ~296 (the ARC lacks an index and the photo insert)
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: "Alcabes examines epidemics through history to show how they reflect the particular social and cultural anxieties of their times."
Title: Zoe's Tale: Author: John Scalzi
ISBN: 9780765356192
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: April 28, 2009
Pages: 406
Cost: $5.59 + tax
Obtained from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Zoe, the adopted teen daughter of the heroes of Scalzi's Old Man's War series, tells the events of The Last Colony in her own words. I've already read this and will eventually get around to reviewing it.

Title: Maps in a Mirror
Author: Orson Scott Card
ISBN: 0765308401
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Orb
Pub Date: January 2004 (originally in hardcover in 1990)
Pages: ~676
Cost: $4.55 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Collected short fiction from 1977 to 1990.

Title: Keeper of Dreams
Author: Orson Scott Card
ISBN: 9780765304971
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: April 2008
Pages: ~656
Cost: $4.89 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: 22 more stories written since the publication of Maps in a Mirror.

Title: Quicksilver - Volume One of the Baroque Cycle
Author: Neal Stephenson
ISBN: 0060593083
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pub Date: 2004
Pages: ~944
Cost: $4.55 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Historical fiction from a science fiction author. The blurb on the back really doesn't tell me much. I liked Cryptonomicon, though, so thought I'd give this a try.

Title: The Android's Dream
Author: John Scalzi
ISBN: 9780765309419
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: November 2006
Pages: ~396
Cost: $4.19 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: As you may guess from the title, there are plenty of nods to Philip K Dick in this one. Harry Creek works for Earth's state department. He's tasked to find a replacement sheep for an alien ceremony after the deliberate killing of all the ones they were planning on using. Of course, in grand PKD fashion, things aren't as they seem. I read this from the library back when it first came out and had to have my own copy so I could re-read it soon.

Title: Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow
Author: James Rollins
ISBN: 9780061473791
Binding: ARC
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: April 28, 2009
Pages: ~406
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: Marketed to fans of Indiana Jones, Alex Rider, and the Maximum Ride series. Well, I fit one of the three criteria. An artifact found by their archaeologist parents on the expedition from when they never returned leads Jake Ransom and his older sister Katy to a strange world inhabited by a mix of long-lost civilizations. Blah blah "if they survive" blah book two coming soon. Way to take the suspense out of that, folks. This is Rollins' first YA novel, after writing several thriller/scifi titles for adult audiences.

Title: Dread - How Fear and Fantasy have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu
Author: Philip Alcabes
ISBN: 9781586486181
Binding: ARC
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: ~296 (the ARC lacks an index and the photo insert)
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: "Alcabes examines epidemics through history to show how they reflect the particular social and cultural anxieties of their times."
Title: Maps in a Mirror: Author: Orson Scott Card
ISBN: 0765308401
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Orb
Pub Date: January 2004 (originally in hardcover in 1990)
Pages: ~676
Cost: $4.55 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Collected short fiction from 1977 to 1990.

Title: Keeper of Dreams
Author: Orson Scott Card
ISBN: 9780765304971
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: April 2008
Pages: ~656
Cost: $4.89 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: 22 more stories written since the publication of Maps in a Mirror.

Title: Quicksilver - Volume One of the Baroque Cycle
Author: Neal Stephenson
ISBN: 0060593083
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pub Date: 2004
Pages: ~944
Cost: $4.55 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Historical fiction from a science fiction author. The blurb on the back really doesn't tell me much. I liked Cryptonomicon, though, so thought I'd give this a try.

Title: The Android's Dream
Author: John Scalzi
ISBN: 9780765309419
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: November 2006
Pages: ~396
Cost: $4.19 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: As you may guess from the title, there are plenty of nods to Philip K Dick in this one. Harry Creek works for Earth's state department. He's tasked to find a replacement sheep for an alien ceremony after the deliberate killing of all the ones they were planning on using. Of course, in grand PKD fashion, things aren't as they seem. I read this from the library back when it first came out and had to have my own copy so I could re-read it soon.

Title: Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow
Author: James Rollins
ISBN: 9780061473791
Binding: ARC
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: April 28, 2009
Pages: ~406
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: Marketed to fans of Indiana Jones, Alex Rider, and the Maximum Ride series. Well, I fit one of the three criteria. An artifact found by their archaeologist parents on the expedition from when they never returned leads Jake Ransom and his older sister Katy to a strange world inhabited by a mix of long-lost civilizations. Blah blah "if they survive" blah book two coming soon. Way to take the suspense out of that, folks. This is Rollins' first YA novel, after writing several thriller/scifi titles for adult audiences.

Title: Dread - How Fear and Fantasy have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu
Author: Philip Alcabes
ISBN: 9781586486181
Binding: ARC
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: ~296 (the ARC lacks an index and the photo insert)
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: "Alcabes examines epidemics through history to show how they reflect the particular social and cultural anxieties of their times."
Title: Keeper of Dreams: Author: Orson Scott Card
ISBN: 9780765304971
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: April 2008
Pages: ~656
Cost: $4.89 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: 22 more stories written since the publication of Maps in a Mirror.

Title: Quicksilver - Volume One of the Baroque Cycle
Author: Neal Stephenson
ISBN: 0060593083
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pub Date: 2004
Pages: ~944
Cost: $4.55 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Historical fiction from a science fiction author. The blurb on the back really doesn't tell me much. I liked Cryptonomicon, though, so thought I'd give this a try.

Title: The Android's Dream
Author: John Scalzi
ISBN: 9780765309419
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: November 2006
Pages: ~396
Cost: $4.19 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: As you may guess from the title, there are plenty of nods to Philip K Dick in this one. Harry Creek works for Earth's state department. He's tasked to find a replacement sheep for an alien ceremony after the deliberate killing of all the ones they were planning on using. Of course, in grand PKD fashion, things aren't as they seem. I read this from the library back when it first came out and had to have my own copy so I could re-read it soon.

Title: Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow
Author: James Rollins
ISBN: 9780061473791
Binding: ARC
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: April 28, 2009
Pages: ~406
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: Marketed to fans of Indiana Jones, Alex Rider, and the Maximum Ride series. Well, I fit one of the three criteria. An artifact found by their archaeologist parents on the expedition from when they never returned leads Jake Ransom and his older sister Katy to a strange world inhabited by a mix of long-lost civilizations. Blah blah "if they survive" blah book two coming soon. Way to take the suspense out of that, folks. This is Rollins' first YA novel, after writing several thriller/scifi titles for adult audiences.

Title: Dread - How Fear and Fantasy have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu
Author: Philip Alcabes
ISBN: 9781586486181
Binding: ARC
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: ~296 (the ARC lacks an index and the photo insert)
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: "Alcabes examines epidemics through history to show how they reflect the particular social and cultural anxieties of their times."
Title: Quicksilver - Volume One of the Baroque Cycle: Author: Neal Stephenson
ISBN: 0060593083
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pub Date: 2004
Pages: ~944
Cost: $4.55 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: Historical fiction from a science fiction author. The blurb on the back really doesn't tell me much. I liked Cryptonomicon, though, so thought I'd give this a try.

Title: The Android's Dream
Author: John Scalzi
ISBN: 9780765309419
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: November 2006
Pages: ~396
Cost: $4.19 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: As you may guess from the title, there are plenty of nods to Philip K Dick in this one. Harry Creek works for Earth's state department. He's tasked to find a replacement sheep for an alien ceremony after the deliberate killing of all the ones they were planning on using. Of course, in grand PKD fashion, things aren't as they seem. I read this from the library back when it first came out and had to have my own copy so I could re-read it soon.

Title: Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow
Author: James Rollins
ISBN: 9780061473791
Binding: ARC
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: April 28, 2009
Pages: ~406
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: Marketed to fans of Indiana Jones, Alex Rider, and the Maximum Ride series. Well, I fit one of the three criteria. An artifact found by their archaeologist parents on the expedition from when they never returned leads Jake Ransom and his older sister Katy to a strange world inhabited by a mix of long-lost civilizations. Blah blah "if they survive" blah book two coming soon. Way to take the suspense out of that, folks. This is Rollins' first YA novel, after writing several thriller/scifi titles for adult audiences.

Title: Dread - How Fear and Fantasy have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu
Author: Philip Alcabes
ISBN: 9781586486181
Binding: ARC
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: ~296 (the ARC lacks an index and the photo insert)
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: "Alcabes examines epidemics through history to show how they reflect the particular social and cultural anxieties of their times."
Title: The Android's Dream: Author: John Scalzi
ISBN: 9780765309419
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor
Pub Date: November 2006
Pages: ~396
Cost: $4.19 + tax
Obtained from: bargain area at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Synopsis: As you may guess from the title, there are plenty of nods to Philip K Dick in this one. Harry Creek works for Earth's state department. He's tasked to find a replacement sheep for an alien ceremony after the deliberate killing of all the ones they were planning on using. Of course, in grand PKD fashion, things aren't as they seem. I read this from the library back when it first came out and had to have my own copy so I could re-read it soon.

Title: Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow
Author: James Rollins
ISBN: 9780061473791
Binding: ARC
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: April 28, 2009
Pages: ~406
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: Marketed to fans of Indiana Jones, Alex Rider, and the Maximum Ride series. Well, I fit one of the three criteria. An artifact found by their archaeologist parents on the expedition from when they never returned leads Jake Ransom and his older sister Katy to a strange world inhabited by a mix of long-lost civilizations. Blah blah "if they survive" blah book two coming soon. Way to take the suspense out of that, folks. This is Rollins' first YA novel, after writing several thriller/scifi titles for adult audiences.

Title: Dread - How Fear and Fantasy have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu
Author: Philip Alcabes
ISBN: 9781586486181
Binding: ARC
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: ~296 (the ARC lacks an index and the photo insert)
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: "Alcabes examines epidemics through history to show how they reflect the particular social and cultural anxieties of their times."
Title: Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow: Author: James Rollins
ISBN: 9780061473791
Binding: ARC
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: April 28, 2009
Pages: ~406
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: Marketed to fans of Indiana Jones, Alex Rider, and the Maximum Ride series. Well, I fit one of the three criteria. An artifact found by their archaeologist parents on the expedition from when they never returned leads Jake Ransom and his older sister Katy to a strange world inhabited by a mix of long-lost civilizations. Blah blah "if they survive" blah book two coming soon. Way to take the suspense out of that, folks. This is Rollins' first YA novel, after writing several thriller/scifi titles for adult audiences.

Title: Dread - How Fear and Fantasy have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu
Author: Philip Alcabes
ISBN: 9781586486181
Binding: ARC
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: ~296 (the ARC lacks an index and the photo insert)
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: "Alcabes examines epidemics through history to show how they reflect the particular social and cultural anxieties of their times."
Title: Dread - How Fear and Fantasy have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu: Author: Philip Alcabes
ISBN: 9781586486181
Binding: ARC
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: ~296 (the ARC lacks an index and the photo insert)
Cost: Free
Obtained from: freebie case at work
Synopsis: "Alcabes examines epidemics through history to show how they reflect the particular social and cultural anxieties of their times."

Sunday, May 17, 2009

No acquisitions this week

Much like a boa constrictor that has swallowed an entire pig, I'm still trying to digest the massive influx of books from last week.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

More acquisitions

As if the rep breakfast wasn't enough, I've also picked up a few more items this week.

Title: Heroes of the Valley: Author: Jonathan Stroud
ISBN: 9781423109662
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Hyperion
Pub Date: January 2009
Pages: 483 (Amazon claims 496 for the hardcover)
Cost: Free
Obtained from: Freebie case at work
Synopsis: The author of the Bartimaeus Trilogy tackles Norse mythology. Halli Sveinsson, swarthy and stumpy unlike all his siblings, goes too far in playing a prank on Ragnar of the House of Hakonsson and must undertake a hero's quest.

Title: A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Books
Author: Charles Dickens
ISBN: 9780192806949
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Pub Date: November 2007
Pages: 438
Cost: Free
Obtained from: Freebie case at work
Synopsis: Contains, in addition to the expected work, Dickens' four other Christmas books - The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man.

Title: Jerusalem Fire
Author: R.M. Meluch
ISBN: 0451139232
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Signet
Pub Date: November 1985
Pages: 331
Cost: $2.50 + tax
Obtained from: Passage Books
Synopsis: Alihad (meaning "he left") has foiled the evil Na'id empire countless times, but now seems to be trapped by a Na'id squadron closing on his ship. The real battle, however, is to be fought not in space but in a world out of time. I bought this one because I've already read and mostly liked Meluch's Tour of the Merrimack series (Romans in Space!). From what I can discern from the badly written jacket blurb, this one is going to be Jews in Space.
Title: A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Books: Author: Charles Dickens
ISBN: 9780192806949
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Pub Date: November 2007
Pages: 438
Cost: Free
Obtained from: Freebie case at work
Synopsis: Contains, in addition to the expected work, Dickens' four other Christmas books - The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man.

Title: Jerusalem Fire
Author: R.M. Meluch
ISBN: 0451139232
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Signet
Pub Date: November 1985
Pages: 331
Cost: $2.50 + tax
Obtained from: Passage Books
Synopsis: Alihad (meaning "he left") has foiled the evil Na'id empire countless times, but now seems to be trapped by a Na'id squadron closing on his ship. The real battle, however, is to be fought not in space but in a world out of time. I bought this one because I've already read and mostly liked Meluch's Tour of the Merrimack series (Romans in Space!). From what I can discern from the badly written jacket blurb, this one is going to be Jews in Space.
Title: Jerusalem Fire: Author: R.M. Meluch
ISBN: 0451139232
Binding: Mass market paperback
Publisher: Signet
Pub Date: November 1985
Pages: 331
Cost: $2.50 + tax
Obtained from: Passage Books
Synopsis: Alihad (meaning "he left") has foiled the evil Na'id empire countless times, but now seems to be trapped by a Na'id squadron closing on his ship. The real battle, however, is to be fought not in space but in a world out of time. I bought this one because I've already read and mostly liked Meluch's Tour of the Merrimack series (Romans in Space!). From what I can discern from the badly written jacket blurb, this one is going to be Jews in Space.

Thursday, May 07, 2009

New stuff, Rep Breakfast edition

The week isn't yet over, but ~e and I had the opportunity to attend a breakfast this morning with sales reps from several different publishers. It's always fun glomming new books. Synopses come, when possible, from the sales copy used by the reps.

First, since she was a bit less greedy than me, ~e's acquisitions:

Title: The Other Queen: Author: Philippa Gregory
ISBN: 9781416549123
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Touchstone
Pub Date: September 2008
Pages: 438
Price: Free
Obtained from: Simon & Schuster rep
Synopsis: Gregory fictionalizes a little-known episode in the life of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Title: Farm City - The Education of an Urban Farmer
Author: Novella Carpenter
ISBN: 9781594202216
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Penguin Press
Pub Date: June 2009
Pages: 269 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: Penguin rep
Synopsis: Memoir of one woman living on a farm in downtown Oakland. The jacket copy mentions that her turkeys keep escaping and winding up with the prostitutes that hang out just off the nearby highway. Sounds interesting.

Title: More of This World or Maybe Another
Author: Barb Johnson
ISBN: 9780061732270
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pub Date: November 2009
Pages: 188 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins rep
Synopsis: A collection of stories about four outsiders whose lives intersect on the backstreets of New Orleans, written by a woman who has been a carpenter in New Orleans for more than 20 years. The rep told us that the story "If the Holy Spirit Comes for You," about a pig, has even made workers at meat-packing plants cry.

Title: The Whiskey Rebels
Author: David Liss
ISBN: 9781400064205
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Random House
Pub Date: September 2008
Pages: 525
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Liss writes historical thrillers infused with financial intrigue. His first novel set in America, The Whiskey Rebels features (among other things) a disgraced spy from George Washington's army, the early days of the Bank of the United States, rival founding fathers, and the volatile whiskey trade.

Title: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Author: Alan Bradley
ISBN: 9780385342308
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 373
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: In the summer of 1950, eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce must use her chemistry skills and deductive knowledge to solve a murder at the decaying English mansion her family calls home. When not doing that, she's slowly poisoning her younger sibling. It's being marketed as a "tea-cozy" mystery and I've heard it described as "one of the elderly ladies from Arsenic & Old Lace as a child".
Title: Farm City - The Education of an Urban Farmer: Author: Novella Carpenter
ISBN: 9781594202216
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Penguin Press
Pub Date: June 2009
Pages: 269 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: Penguin rep
Synopsis: Memoir of one woman living on a farm in downtown Oakland. The jacket copy mentions that her turkeys keep escaping and winding up with the prostitutes that hang out just off the nearby highway. Sounds interesting.

Title: More of This World or Maybe Another
Author: Barb Johnson
ISBN: 9780061732270
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pub Date: November 2009
Pages: 188 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins rep
Synopsis: A collection of stories about four outsiders whose lives intersect on the backstreets of New Orleans, written by a woman who has been a carpenter in New Orleans for more than 20 years. The rep told us that the story "If the Holy Spirit Comes for You," about a pig, has even made workers at meat-packing plants cry.

Title: The Whiskey Rebels
Author: David Liss
ISBN: 9781400064205
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Random House
Pub Date: September 2008
Pages: 525
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Liss writes historical thrillers infused with financial intrigue. His first novel set in America, The Whiskey Rebels features (among other things) a disgraced spy from George Washington's army, the early days of the Bank of the United States, rival founding fathers, and the volatile whiskey trade.

Title: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Author: Alan Bradley
ISBN: 9780385342308
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 373
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: In the summer of 1950, eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce must use her chemistry skills and deductive knowledge to solve a murder at the decaying English mansion her family calls home. When not doing that, she's slowly poisoning her younger sibling. It's being marketed as a "tea-cozy" mystery and I've heard it described as "one of the elderly ladies from Arsenic & Old Lace as a child".
Title: More of This World or Maybe Another: Author: Barb Johnson
ISBN: 9780061732270
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pub Date: November 2009
Pages: 188 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins rep
Synopsis: A collection of stories about four outsiders whose lives intersect on the backstreets of New Orleans, written by a woman who has been a carpenter in New Orleans for more than 20 years. The rep told us that the story "If the Holy Spirit Comes for You," about a pig, has even made workers at meat-packing plants cry.

Title: The Whiskey Rebels
Author: David Liss
ISBN: 9781400064205
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Random House
Pub Date: September 2008
Pages: 525
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Liss writes historical thrillers infused with financial intrigue. His first novel set in America, The Whiskey Rebels features (among other things) a disgraced spy from George Washington's army, the early days of the Bank of the United States, rival founding fathers, and the volatile whiskey trade.

Title: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Author: Alan Bradley
ISBN: 9780385342308
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 373
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: In the summer of 1950, eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce must use her chemistry skills and deductive knowledge to solve a murder at the decaying English mansion her family calls home. When not doing that, she's slowly poisoning her younger sibling. It's being marketed as a "tea-cozy" mystery and I've heard it described as "one of the elderly ladies from Arsenic & Old Lace as a child".
Title: The Whiskey Rebels: Author: David Liss
ISBN: 9781400064205
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Random House
Pub Date: September 2008
Pages: 525
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Liss writes historical thrillers infused with financial intrigue. His first novel set in America, The Whiskey Rebels features (among other things) a disgraced spy from George Washington's army, the early days of the Bank of the United States, rival founding fathers, and the volatile whiskey trade.

Title: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Author: Alan Bradley
ISBN: 9780385342308
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 373
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: In the summer of 1950, eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce must use her chemistry skills and deductive knowledge to solve a murder at the decaying English mansion her family calls home. When not doing that, she's slowly poisoning her younger sibling. It's being marketed as a "tea-cozy" mystery and I've heard it described as "one of the elderly ladies from Arsenic & Old Lace as a child".
Title: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: Author: Alan Bradley
ISBN: 9780385342308
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 373
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: In the summer of 1950, eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce must use her chemistry skills and deductive knowledge to solve a murder at the decaying English mansion her family calls home. When not doing that, she's slowly poisoning her younger sibling. It's being marketed as a "tea-cozy" mystery and I've heard it described as "one of the elderly ladies from Arsenic & Old Lace as a child".

Next, the things both of us individually marked on our wishlists (we'll have to share, I guess):

Title: The End of Overeating - Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite: Author: David A. Kessler, MD
ISBN: 9781605297859
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Rodale
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 320
Price: Free
Obtained from: Macmillan rep
Synopsis: In this groundbreaking investigation, Dr Kessler explains why we eat more than we need to and what we can do to stop the vicious and unhealthy cycle of overeating. I personally wanted this book because I'd heard the author on NPR earlier this week talking about how he even went dumpster-diving behind restaurants in order to figure out exactly what we were putting into our bodies.

Title: The Fourth Part of the World
Author: Toby Lester
ISBN: 9781416535317
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Free Press
Pub Date: November 2009
Pages: 442 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: Simon & Schuster rep
Synopsis: 500 years ago, two obscure German scholars made an epochal leap of the imagination to design the Waldseemuller map, the first map to call the New World America and to declare it separate from Asia. Lester traces the convergence of ideas, discoveries, and social forces that made the Waldseemuller map possible.

Title: Chronic City
Author: Jonathan Lethem
ISBN: 9780385518635
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Doubleday
Pub Date: October 2009
Pages: 422 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: It's Jonathan Lethem and therefore nearly impossible to synopsize. We'll try anyway. In short, an ex-child star is living in Manhattan while his fiance is trapped on the International Space Station by low-orbit mines. The child star, named Chase Insteadman, winds up working with a pothead pop critic named Perkus Tooth, a self-loathing ghostwriter named Oona Laszlo, and the NYC mayor's fixer (named Richard Abneg, in case you wanted to know) to unearth the truth. The truth about what, I'm not sure, since the jacket copy is kind of vague on that point.

Title: Coop - A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting
Author: Michael Perry
ISBN: 9780061240430
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Harper
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 352 (not sure if that's the same as the hardcover edition)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins rep
Synopsis: The author of Population 485 and Truck: A Love Story tells about his first year of marriage, living on a 37-acre farm in Wisconsin with his new (and newly pregnant) wife. If it's half as good as either of the previous two books, I expect to both laugh and cry (though likely not simultaneously).
Title: The Fourth Part of the World: Author: Toby Lester
ISBN: 9781416535317
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Free Press
Pub Date: November 2009
Pages: 442 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: Simon & Schuster rep
Synopsis: 500 years ago, two obscure German scholars made an epochal leap of the imagination to design the Waldseemuller map, the first map to call the New World America and to declare it separate from Asia. Lester traces the convergence of ideas, discoveries, and social forces that made the Waldseemuller map possible.

Title: Chronic City
Author: Jonathan Lethem
ISBN: 9780385518635
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Doubleday
Pub Date: October 2009
Pages: 422 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: It's Jonathan Lethem and therefore nearly impossible to synopsize. We'll try anyway. In short, an ex-child star is living in Manhattan while his fiance is trapped on the International Space Station by low-orbit mines. The child star, named Chase Insteadman, winds up working with a pothead pop critic named Perkus Tooth, a self-loathing ghostwriter named Oona Laszlo, and the NYC mayor's fixer (named Richard Abneg, in case you wanted to know) to unearth the truth. The truth about what, I'm not sure, since the jacket copy is kind of vague on that point.

Title: Coop - A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting
Author: Michael Perry
ISBN: 9780061240430
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Harper
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 352 (not sure if that's the same as the hardcover edition)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins rep
Synopsis: The author of Population 485 and Truck: A Love Story tells about his first year of marriage, living on a 37-acre farm in Wisconsin with his new (and newly pregnant) wife. If it's half as good as either of the previous two books, I expect to both laugh and cry (though likely not simultaneously).
Title: Chronic City: Author: Jonathan Lethem
ISBN: 9780385518635
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Doubleday
Pub Date: October 2009
Pages: 422 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: It's Jonathan Lethem and therefore nearly impossible to synopsize. We'll try anyway. In short, an ex-child star is living in Manhattan while his fiance is trapped on the International Space Station by low-orbit mines. The child star, named Chase Insteadman, winds up working with a pothead pop critic named Perkus Tooth, a self-loathing ghostwriter named Oona Laszlo, and the NYC mayor's fixer (named Richard Abneg, in case you wanted to know) to unearth the truth. The truth about what, I'm not sure, since the jacket copy is kind of vague on that point.

Title: Coop - A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting
Author: Michael Perry
ISBN: 9780061240430
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Harper
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 352 (not sure if that's the same as the hardcover edition)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins rep
Synopsis: The author of Population 485 and Truck: A Love Story tells about his first year of marriage, living on a 37-acre farm in Wisconsin with his new (and newly pregnant) wife. If it's half as good as either of the previous two books, I expect to both laugh and cry (though likely not simultaneously).
Title: Coop - A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting: Author: Michael Perry
ISBN: 9780061240430
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Harper
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 352 (not sure if that's the same as the hardcover edition)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins rep
Synopsis: The author of Population 485 and Truck: A Love Story tells about his first year of marriage, living on a 37-acre farm in Wisconsin with his new (and newly pregnant) wife. If it's half as good as either of the previous two books, I expect to both laugh and cry (though likely not simultaneously).

And then there's my trove of treasure. Ahhh, book booty:

Title: Gourmet Rhapsody: Author: Muriel Barbery
ISBN: 9781933372952
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Europa Editions
Pub Date: September 2009
Pages: 141 (subject to change)
Price: Free (and I also got a tiny little themed collection of food writing from several other Europa Editions books, with room to microscopically etch my own recipes at the end.)
Obtained from: Penguin rep
Synopsis: Prequel to The Elegance of the Hedgehog, this is the story of the end of the life of Monsieur Pierre Arthens, the greatest food critic in the world. In his last hours, he desires only one thing, one last taste of the sublime and singular flavor par excellence. The book follows Arthens from childhood to maturity through all manner of culinary delights, and in alternating chapters gives voice to a chorus of acquaintances, familiars, and even enemies.

Title: Johannes Cabal the Necromancer
Author: Jonathan L. Howard
ISBN: 9780385528085
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Doubleday
Pub Date: July 2009
Pages: 290 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Johannes Cabal is obsessed, body, heart, and mind, with raising the dead. He'd be obsessed by soul as well, if he hadn't traded it to the Devil in exchange for knowledge of the laws of necromancy. Unfortunately, it turns out he actually needs his soul for his experiments to succeed, so he travels to Hell and makes a wager with the Devil. He'll get his soul back if he can persuade 100 other people to give up theirs within a year. The jacket copy compares it to Wicked, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Title: A Book
Author: Mordicai Gerstein
ISBN: 9781596432512
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 48
Price: Free
Obtained from: Macmillan rep
Synopsis: Yes, I like children's books. What of it? This picture book is the story of a family that lives in a book. The father is a circus clown, the mother is a firefighter, the son grows up to be an astronaut, and even the pets know what their lives are about. The little girl, on the other hand, doesn't know what her story is supposed to be, so she goes exploring. Along the way, she passes through fairy tales, pirate adventures, historical novels, and science fiction, and none of them fit. At the end, as you might expect, she figures out what her story should be. The perspective of looking down into the book kind of reminds me of the Sims.

Title: Karate Pig
Author: Alan Katz
Illustrator: Daniel Moreton
ISBN: 9781416958260
Binding: Board book
Publisher: Little Simon
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 16
Price: Free
Obtained from: Simon & Schuster rep
Synopsis: Yep. Another children's book. Karate Pig likes pork-chopping everything in sight. Thanks to the lift-flap, pull-tab nature of the book, he can even knock pieces of the pages off. At the end, he learns that the proper way to treat a book is to read it. I had to had to had to have this one just because of the title. Now that I've had time to sit down and read it (though I'm not planning on doing a full-on review of it), I can happily pass it along to someone who actually has children.

Title: All-Star Batman & Robin
Authors: Frank Miller
Artist:Jim Lee
ISBN: 9781401216818
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: DC Comics
Pub Date: July 2008
Pages: 240
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Frank Miller gives us a grittier reinterpretation of the Boy Wonder's origin story

Title: Amplified - Fiction from Leading Alt-Country, Indie-Rock, Blues, and Folk Musicians
Editors: Julie Schaper & Steven Horwitz
ISBN: 9781933633718
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Melville House Publishing
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 229
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Short stories from a whole passel of musicians. I snagged this one because I actually recognized a few of the names.

Title: Crazy for the Storm
Author: Norman Ollestad
ISBN: 9780061766725
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Ecco
Pub Date: June 2009
Pages: 272 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins rep
Synopsis: At the age of 11, Norman Ollestad was in a chartered Cessna with his father, his father's girlfriend, and the pilot. The plane crashed into an 8,600 foot mountain in a blizzard and only Norman survived. Alone, he had to make it down the mountain to safety.

Title: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Author: Sherman Alexie
ISBN: 9780316013697
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Little Brown
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 230
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Sherman Alexie's first YA novel. The story of a boy from the Spokane Indian Reservation who leaves the rez to attend an all-white school in the neighboring farm town where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Inspired by Alexie's own experiences growing up.

Title: Monster
Author: A. Lee Martinez
ISBN: 9780316041263
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Orbit
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 304
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Monster (he's human) runs a pest control agency, er, Cryptobiological Containment and Rescue Service, that specializes in the wee (and utterly gigantic) beasties that most folks consider mythological. Got a Yeti in your freezer, eating all your ice-cream (except vanilla. They don't like it.)? Call Monster. He'll fix the problem and you won't even remember it the next day. The jacket copy also mentions something about his girlfriend *literally* being from hell.
Title: Johannes Cabal the Necromancer: Author: Jonathan L. Howard
ISBN: 9780385528085
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Doubleday
Pub Date: July 2009
Pages: 290 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Johannes Cabal is obsessed, body, heart, and mind, with raising the dead. He'd be obsessed by soul as well, if he hadn't traded it to the Devil in exchange for knowledge of the laws of necromancy. Unfortunately, it turns out he actually needs his soul for his experiments to succeed, so he travels to Hell and makes a wager with the Devil. He'll get his soul back if he can persuade 100 other people to give up theirs within a year. The jacket copy compares it to Wicked, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Title: A Book
Author: Mordicai Gerstein
ISBN: 9781596432512
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 48
Price: Free
Obtained from: Macmillan rep
Synopsis: Yes, I like children's books. What of it? This picture book is the story of a family that lives in a book. The father is a circus clown, the mother is a firefighter, the son grows up to be an astronaut, and even the pets know what their lives are about. The little girl, on the other hand, doesn't know what her story is supposed to be, so she goes exploring. Along the way, she passes through fairy tales, pirate adventures, historical novels, and science fiction, and none of them fit. At the end, as you might expect, she figures out what her story should be. The perspective of looking down into the book kind of reminds me of the Sims.

Title: Karate Pig
Author: Alan Katz
Illustrator: Daniel Moreton
ISBN: 9781416958260
Binding: Board book
Publisher: Little Simon
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 16
Price: Free
Obtained from: Simon & Schuster rep
Synopsis: Yep. Another children's book. Karate Pig likes pork-chopping everything in sight. Thanks to the lift-flap, pull-tab nature of the book, he can even knock pieces of the pages off. At the end, he learns that the proper way to treat a book is to read it. I had to had to had to have this one just because of the title. Now that I've had time to sit down and read it (though I'm not planning on doing a full-on review of it), I can happily pass it along to someone who actually has children.

Title: All-Star Batman & Robin
Authors: Frank Miller
Artist:Jim Lee
ISBN: 9781401216818
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: DC Comics
Pub Date: July 2008
Pages: 240
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Frank Miller gives us a grittier reinterpretation of the Boy Wonder's origin story

Title: Amplified - Fiction from Leading Alt-Country, Indie-Rock, Blues, and Folk Musicians
Editors: Julie Schaper & Steven Horwitz
ISBN: 9781933633718
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Melville House Publishing
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 229
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Short stories from a whole passel of musicians. I snagged this one because I actually recognized a few of the names.

Title: Crazy for the Storm
Author: Norman Ollestad
ISBN: 9780061766725
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Ecco
Pub Date: June 2009
Pages: 272 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins rep
Synopsis: At the age of 11, Norman Ollestad was in a chartered Cessna with his father, his father's girlfriend, and the pilot. The plane crashed into an 8,600 foot mountain in a blizzard and only Norman survived. Alone, he had to make it down the mountain to safety.

Title: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Author: Sherman Alexie
ISBN: 9780316013697
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Little Brown
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 230
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Sherman Alexie's first YA novel. The story of a boy from the Spokane Indian Reservation who leaves the rez to attend an all-white school in the neighboring farm town where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Inspired by Alexie's own experiences growing up.

Title: Monster
Author: A. Lee Martinez
ISBN: 9780316041263
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Orbit
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 304
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Monster (he's human) runs a pest control agency, er, Cryptobiological Containment and Rescue Service, that specializes in the wee (and utterly gigantic) beasties that most folks consider mythological. Got a Yeti in your freezer, eating all your ice-cream (except vanilla. They don't like it.)? Call Monster. He'll fix the problem and you won't even remember it the next day. The jacket copy also mentions something about his girlfriend *literally* being from hell.
Title: A Book: Author: Mordicai Gerstein
ISBN: 9781596432512
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 48
Price: Free
Obtained from: Macmillan rep
Synopsis: Yes, I like children's books. What of it? This picture book is the story of a family that lives in a book. The father is a circus clown, the mother is a firefighter, the son grows up to be an astronaut, and even the pets know what their lives are about. The little girl, on the other hand, doesn't know what her story is supposed to be, so she goes exploring. Along the way, she passes through fairy tales, pirate adventures, historical novels, and science fiction, and none of them fit. At the end, as you might expect, she figures out what her story should be. The perspective of looking down into the book kind of reminds me of the Sims.

Title: Karate Pig
Author: Alan Katz
Illustrator: Daniel Moreton
ISBN: 9781416958260
Binding: Board book
Publisher: Little Simon
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 16
Price: Free
Obtained from: Simon & Schuster rep
Synopsis: Yep. Another children's book. Karate Pig likes pork-chopping everything in sight. Thanks to the lift-flap, pull-tab nature of the book, he can even knock pieces of the pages off. At the end, he learns that the proper way to treat a book is to read it. I had to had to had to have this one just because of the title. Now that I've had time to sit down and read it (though I'm not planning on doing a full-on review of it), I can happily pass it along to someone who actually has children.

Title: All-Star Batman & Robin
Authors: Frank Miller
Artist:Jim Lee
ISBN: 9781401216818
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: DC Comics
Pub Date: July 2008
Pages: 240
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Frank Miller gives us a grittier reinterpretation of the Boy Wonder's origin story

Title: Amplified - Fiction from Leading Alt-Country, Indie-Rock, Blues, and Folk Musicians
Editors: Julie Schaper & Steven Horwitz
ISBN: 9781933633718
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Melville House Publishing
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 229
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Short stories from a whole passel of musicians. I snagged this one because I actually recognized a few of the names.

Title: Crazy for the Storm
Author: Norman Ollestad
ISBN: 9780061766725
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Ecco
Pub Date: June 2009
Pages: 272 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins rep
Synopsis: At the age of 11, Norman Ollestad was in a chartered Cessna with his father, his father's girlfriend, and the pilot. The plane crashed into an 8,600 foot mountain in a blizzard and only Norman survived. Alone, he had to make it down the mountain to safety.

Title: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Author: Sherman Alexie
ISBN: 9780316013697
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Little Brown
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 230
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Sherman Alexie's first YA novel. The story of a boy from the Spokane Indian Reservation who leaves the rez to attend an all-white school in the neighboring farm town where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Inspired by Alexie's own experiences growing up.

Title: Monster
Author: A. Lee Martinez
ISBN: 9780316041263
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Orbit
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 304
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Monster (he's human) runs a pest control agency, er, Cryptobiological Containment and Rescue Service, that specializes in the wee (and utterly gigantic) beasties that most folks consider mythological. Got a Yeti in your freezer, eating all your ice-cream (except vanilla. They don't like it.)? Call Monster. He'll fix the problem and you won't even remember it the next day. The jacket copy also mentions something about his girlfriend *literally* being from hell.
Title: Karate Pig: Author: Alan Katz
Illustrator: Daniel Moreton
ISBN: 9781416958260
Binding: Board book
Publisher: Little Simon
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 16
Price: Free
Obtained from: Simon & Schuster rep
Synopsis: Yep. Another children's book. Karate Pig likes pork-chopping everything in sight. Thanks to the lift-flap, pull-tab nature of the book, he can even knock pieces of the pages off. At the end, he learns that the proper way to treat a book is to read it. I had to had to had to have this one just because of the title. Now that I've had time to sit down and read it (though I'm not planning on doing a full-on review of it), I can happily pass it along to someone who actually has children.

Title: All-Star Batman & Robin
Authors: Frank Miller
Artist:Jim Lee
ISBN: 9781401216818
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: DC Comics
Pub Date: July 2008
Pages: 240
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Frank Miller gives us a grittier reinterpretation of the Boy Wonder's origin story

Title: Amplified - Fiction from Leading Alt-Country, Indie-Rock, Blues, and Folk Musicians
Editors: Julie Schaper & Steven Horwitz
ISBN: 9781933633718
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Melville House Publishing
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 229
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Short stories from a whole passel of musicians. I snagged this one because I actually recognized a few of the names.

Title: Crazy for the Storm
Author: Norman Ollestad
ISBN: 9780061766725
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Ecco
Pub Date: June 2009
Pages: 272 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins rep
Synopsis: At the age of 11, Norman Ollestad was in a chartered Cessna with his father, his father's girlfriend, and the pilot. The plane crashed into an 8,600 foot mountain in a blizzard and only Norman survived. Alone, he had to make it down the mountain to safety.

Title: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Author: Sherman Alexie
ISBN: 9780316013697
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Little Brown
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 230
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Sherman Alexie's first YA novel. The story of a boy from the Spokane Indian Reservation who leaves the rez to attend an all-white school in the neighboring farm town where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Inspired by Alexie's own experiences growing up.

Title: Monster
Author: A. Lee Martinez
ISBN: 9780316041263
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Orbit
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 304
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Monster (he's human) runs a pest control agency, er, Cryptobiological Containment and Rescue Service, that specializes in the wee (and utterly gigantic) beasties that most folks consider mythological. Got a Yeti in your freezer, eating all your ice-cream (except vanilla. They don't like it.)? Call Monster. He'll fix the problem and you won't even remember it the next day. The jacket copy also mentions something about his girlfriend *literally* being from hell.
Title: All-Star Batman & Robin: Authors: Frank Miller
Artist:Jim Lee
ISBN: 9781401216818
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: DC Comics
Pub Date: July 2008
Pages: 240
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Frank Miller gives us a grittier reinterpretation of the Boy Wonder's origin story

Title: Amplified - Fiction from Leading Alt-Country, Indie-Rock, Blues, and Folk Musicians
Editors: Julie Schaper & Steven Horwitz
ISBN: 9781933633718
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Melville House Publishing
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 229
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Short stories from a whole passel of musicians. I snagged this one because I actually recognized a few of the names.

Title: Crazy for the Storm
Author: Norman Ollestad
ISBN: 9780061766725
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Ecco
Pub Date: June 2009
Pages: 272 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins rep
Synopsis: At the age of 11, Norman Ollestad was in a chartered Cessna with his father, his father's girlfriend, and the pilot. The plane crashed into an 8,600 foot mountain in a blizzard and only Norman survived. Alone, he had to make it down the mountain to safety.

Title: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Author: Sherman Alexie
ISBN: 9780316013697
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Little Brown
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 230
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Sherman Alexie's first YA novel. The story of a boy from the Spokane Indian Reservation who leaves the rez to attend an all-white school in the neighboring farm town where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Inspired by Alexie's own experiences growing up.

Title: Monster
Author: A. Lee Martinez
ISBN: 9780316041263
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Orbit
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 304
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Monster (he's human) runs a pest control agency, er, Cryptobiological Containment and Rescue Service, that specializes in the wee (and utterly gigantic) beasties that most folks consider mythological. Got a Yeti in your freezer, eating all your ice-cream (except vanilla. They don't like it.)? Call Monster. He'll fix the problem and you won't even remember it the next day. The jacket copy also mentions something about his girlfriend *literally* being from hell.
Title: Amplified - Fiction from Leading Alt-Country, Indie-Rock, Blues, and Folk Musicians: Editors: Julie Schaper & Steven Horwitz
ISBN: 9781933633718
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Melville House Publishing
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 229
Price: Free
Obtained from: Random House rep
Synopsis: Short stories from a whole passel of musicians. I snagged this one because I actually recognized a few of the names.

Title: Crazy for the Storm
Author: Norman Ollestad
ISBN: 9780061766725
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Ecco
Pub Date: June 2009
Pages: 272 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins rep
Synopsis: At the age of 11, Norman Ollestad was in a chartered Cessna with his father, his father's girlfriend, and the pilot. The plane crashed into an 8,600 foot mountain in a blizzard and only Norman survived. Alone, he had to make it down the mountain to safety.

Title: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Author: Sherman Alexie
ISBN: 9780316013697
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Little Brown
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 230
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Sherman Alexie's first YA novel. The story of a boy from the Spokane Indian Reservation who leaves the rez to attend an all-white school in the neighboring farm town where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Inspired by Alexie's own experiences growing up.

Title: Monster
Author: A. Lee Martinez
ISBN: 9780316041263
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Orbit
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 304
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Monster (he's human) runs a pest control agency, er, Cryptobiological Containment and Rescue Service, that specializes in the wee (and utterly gigantic) beasties that most folks consider mythological. Got a Yeti in your freezer, eating all your ice-cream (except vanilla. They don't like it.)? Call Monster. He'll fix the problem and you won't even remember it the next day. The jacket copy also mentions something about his girlfriend *literally* being from hell.
Title: Crazy for the Storm: Author: Norman Ollestad
ISBN: 9780061766725
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Ecco
Pub Date: June 2009
Pages: 272 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins rep
Synopsis: At the age of 11, Norman Ollestad was in a chartered Cessna with his father, his father's girlfriend, and the pilot. The plane crashed into an 8,600 foot mountain in a blizzard and only Norman survived. Alone, he had to make it down the mountain to safety.

Title: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Author: Sherman Alexie
ISBN: 9780316013697
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Little Brown
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 230
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Sherman Alexie's first YA novel. The story of a boy from the Spokane Indian Reservation who leaves the rez to attend an all-white school in the neighboring farm town where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Inspired by Alexie's own experiences growing up.

Title: Monster
Author: A. Lee Martinez
ISBN: 9780316041263
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Orbit
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 304
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Monster (he's human) runs a pest control agency, er, Cryptobiological Containment and Rescue Service, that specializes in the wee (and utterly gigantic) beasties that most folks consider mythological. Got a Yeti in your freezer, eating all your ice-cream (except vanilla. They don't like it.)? Call Monster. He'll fix the problem and you won't even remember it the next day. The jacket copy also mentions something about his girlfriend *literally* being from hell.
Title: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian: Author: Sherman Alexie
ISBN: 9780316013697
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Little Brown
Pub Date: April 2009
Pages: 230
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Sherman Alexie's first YA novel. The story of a boy from the Spokane Indian Reservation who leaves the rez to attend an all-white school in the neighboring farm town where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Inspired by Alexie's own experiences growing up.

Title: Monster
Author: A. Lee Martinez
ISBN: 9780316041263
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Orbit
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 304
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Monster (he's human) runs a pest control agency, er, Cryptobiological Containment and Rescue Service, that specializes in the wee (and utterly gigantic) beasties that most folks consider mythological. Got a Yeti in your freezer, eating all your ice-cream (except vanilla. They don't like it.)? Call Monster. He'll fix the problem and you won't even remember it the next day. The jacket copy also mentions something about his girlfriend *literally* being from hell.
Title: Monster: Author: A. Lee Martinez
ISBN: 9780316041263
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Orbit
Pub Date: May 2009
Pages: 304
Price: Free
Obtained from: Hachette Book Group rep
Synopsis: Monster (he's human) runs a pest control agency, er, Cryptobiological Containment and Rescue Service, that specializes in the wee (and utterly gigantic) beasties that most folks consider mythological. Got a Yeti in your freezer, eating all your ice-cream (except vanilla. They don't like it.)? Call Monster. He'll fix the problem and you won't even remember it the next day. The jacket copy also mentions something about his girlfriend *literally* being from hell.

Well, that about covers it. Would you believe there were another half dozen books on our wishlists that we weren't able to get?

Sunday, May 03, 2009

New stuff this week

Only one this time.

Title: Forbidden LEGO: Authors: Ulrik Pilegaard & Mike Dooley
ISBN: 9781593271374
Binding: Trade Paper
Publisher: No Starch Press
Pub Date: August 2007
Pages: 179
Price: Free
Obtained from: the freebie pile at work
Synopsis: Written by two guys who design stuff for LEGO, this book tells you how to build the things the company would be sued out of existence for if they ever actually tried to sell 'em. I'm looking forward to building my own candy catapult and LEGO machine gun (or, as they call it, High Velocity Automatic LEGO Plate Dispenser).

Monday, April 27, 2009

You may never hear of these again

So far this year, I've completed either 18 or 20 books (depending on whether you count omnibus editions as single books or as the individual titles that are in them) and have actually managed to write reviews for 6 of them. Since I don't seem to be inundating anyone with a massive flood of review posts, I thought it might also be nice to occasionally post up the books that I'm acquiring and may never get around to reading.

There are only two books this week, neither of which has been released yet.

Title: How to Lose a War: More Foolish Plans and Great Military Blunders: Editor: Bill Fawcett
ISBN: 9780061358449
Binding: ARC (Advanced Readers' Copy)
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub Date: August 2009
Pages: 356 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins sales rep
Synopsis: A follow-up to How to Lose a Battle, this is a collection of still more great military disasters throughout history.

Title: Sandman Slim
Author: Richard Kadrey
ISBN: 9780061714306
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Eos (an imprint of HarperCollins)
Pub Date: August 2009
Pages: 388 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins sales rep
Synopsis: A wild, weird, nail-biting supernatural ride with a magician/hitman returned from Hell.
Title: Sandman Slim: Author: Richard Kadrey
ISBN: 9780061714306
Binding: ARC
Publisher: Eos (an imprint of HarperCollins)
Pub Date: August 2009
Pages: 388 (subject to change)
Price: Free
Obtained from: HarperCollins sales rep
Synopsis: A wild, weird, nail-biting supernatural ride with a magician/hitman returned from Hell.

Required for the modern age