Books & Babel (spoilers)

[jmc_bks]

Last night was dinner and a DVD night.  Dinner was okay, the DVD of choice was one I brought over via Netflix -- Babel.  Very good movie, loved the way the threads tied together.  Six degrees of separation and "a butterfly flutters its wings off the coast of Borneo causing a hurricane in the Caribbean" and how things snowball and all that.  There's some amazing acting going on.  

SPOILER:  The thing I found most disturbing was the casualness with which the boys handled the rifle.  As someone who had a hunter safety class in 6th grade (before sex ed -- because guns are more dangerous than curious 12 yo's are?), it was appalling.  You never, ever aim a gun without seriously considering what you are targeting.  Guns aren't toys or jokes or playthings.    And that message was clear in the movie -- the gun wasn't bought as a toy but as a means of protecting the family's livelihood.  But I'm guessing that was the director's intent -- to disturb.

On the book front, I went to Borders to see if I could score an early copy of Ward's Lover Revealed.  Nope.  But they had already shelved several books with the same street date -- Alyssa Day's Atlantis Rising, Lora Leigh's Nauti Boy, Singh's Visions of Heat, the Demon's Delight anthology.  I'm wondering why some of the books due out on Tuesday were shelved but not others.  No one at the help desk could give me an answer.

Just as well.  I don't need any new books.  Do I?  ;)

Comments

[sarahf.livejournal.com]

According to my mother, who works at a B&N (30% off ALL THE TIME!!! and 40% over Christmas!!!!), some books have a releasse date that can be pretty much ignored and put on the shelves whenever they show up in the store. Others with pretentions to the NY list have Strict On Sale dates (abbreviated SOS!) and can't be put on the shelves before that because if they are, it messes up the NYT count. SOS books are almost always released on a Tuesday for some esoteric NYT reason. Rarely are paperbacks SOS books, though, so I think all the bookstores and damned Wal*Mart that have been selling LR up until now didn't take notice of the SOS date because they didn't expect one for a paperback, and then when someone perhaps pointed it out to them, they didn't care because they'd already started selling it. For large hardcovers, stores can get fined huge bucks by someone or other for contravening a SOS date. They can also get pulled from distribution for the next big bestseller by that publisher/author if they mess up as SOS date. 'Scuse my language, but Ward must be shitting herself that LR is out in so many places. It absolutely affects her sales, because being on the NYT list means that she's more likely to sell more copies, thereby staying on the list and get ting on it next time, if you see what I mean. LR has a good shot at the list and she must be despairing that everyone's releasing it early.

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

30% off all the time? A discount like that would make it worth considering an evening/weekend PT job. Except, wait, I don't have time for that and B&N probably doesn't need anymore PT booksellers who would rather read that deal with customers. Never mind.

I knew that some lay down dates were strict and others weren't, but I didn't realize that they tend to be more strict for hardbacks than paperbacks. Makes sense, though. I've wondered about the Tuesday date before and didn't realize it was an NYT thing.

I'm not going to WalMart. I'm boycotting -- bad labor policies, bad pricing policies after driving out small business, unclean facilities. Only one person, but still.

It won't kill me to wait until Tuesday. I have other stuff to read. Plus, I just noticed that another chapter of the Miles/Gregor fanfic I've been following has been posted. I'm on pins and needles to read what happens next!

[sarahf.livejournal.com]

3 people. We boycott Wal*Mart whenever possible. As in, when I was in Fort Leonard Wood and it was literally the only place within 50 miles to buy anything besides a restaurant meal, I used it. But otherwise, never ever ever.

I'm trying to convince myself it won't kill me to wait as well. ::sigh::

Lover Revealed

[(Anonymous)]

Wal-Mart had Lover Revealed already shelved and there was only one book left. I bought it. I really liked Butch and will read this one. As with some series, usually the first book isn't all that great so I'm going to try to read the others, but no promises to like them all :-)

I also bought Medicine Man by Cheryl Reavis. I know the review at AAR gave it a D? - can't recall but I know it was marked low but then I don't know who the reviewer is so I'm giving it a shot.

What happened with the TBR with Angie? I noticed that it dropped off. Did she make a formal announcement about it or what? Just askin. I'm pondering aloud and writing it down, it seems,lol.

Keishon

Re: Lover Revealed

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Keishon,

I'm not sure what happened with the TBR Challenge. Too much work? Just an experiment?

I haven't seen Medicine Man anywhere, it's on my list, too. I saw that it received a low grade at AAR, but I'm disregarding it.

I keep reading posts that WalMart has Lover Revealed, but I can't shop at the local WM. It sucks sometimes, because from what I understand, it has a much larger book selection than the local Target. [You're probably wondering, why is one big box store okay but the other not? Because I'm a capricious wench and I like the red dot more than the smiley. No, really, it's a family politics thing -- boycotting WM because of its labor policies. Target doesn't seem seem to have the same labor issues, or at least none that have been publisized.]

On the topic of the books themselves -- it's alternately fascinating and frustrating. I can read them and be totally sucked in, even as I read things that piss me off or push my hot buttons. And when I take a step back and analyze, the flaws are so clear. But I still read them. I wonder if these are just the current version of penny dreadfuls, to be lost in a few decades? There are several romance authors (and their series) that I can imagine standing the test of time, but I'm not sure about this one.

~jmc

Re: Lover Revealed

[tinyluv.livejournal.com]

For certain books, publishers pay a fee to have a strict laydown date for exactly the reason that sarahf said. if a bookstore breaks this laydown date, then the store can be punished by getting shipments late or whatnot.

Laydown dates originated by some lobbying from indie bookstores that the big chains were getting books sooner and thereby allowing the big chains to have a competitive advantage.

Wal-mart sells so many books (Target and grocery stores the same), that it puts out the books when they get them because no publisher is going to "punish" Wal-mart by withholding shipments or shipping books late, etc.

Re: Lover Revealed

[sarahf.livejournal.com]

Fuckers. That's precisely why I won't shop there. That and the 30% off at B&N! ;)

Boycotting Wal-Mart

[(Anonymous)]

Sadly, I am aware of WM's labour policies and still can't quite stop shopping there. I don't shop there as much as I used to but the book section is where I mostly hang out anyway. I love Target but the one that was near me moved, leaving only---you guessed it--WM.

Like Jane said, Wal-Mart is where the author/publisher make money. The only author to have the power to punish Wal-Mart would be JK Rowling, lol. That's power for you. One year, WM did put one of her books out early but the register blocked the sale.

Keishon

[dogzzz2002.livejournal.com]

I should boycott Walmart but I only go there occassionally anyways - I can't buy groceries there though because my brain just works weird and I can't wrap my mind around anything there being fresh. Our WM just became an even bigger store and I just don't have that kind of time!

I get pissed about a grocery store up here called Fortinos - God forbid you need milk and bread because it's a 5 mile hike between these items. People think I'm funny but I will drive further to another store that is smaller (by I would say 1/3) to shop for groceries.

I have heard that the big box stores shouldn't last because of the aging population. I laughed at that until my mother said she couldn't stand shopping in the stores due to size, no customer service and apparently the loud speaker. Since she's only 63 I'm now thinking 'they' have a point.

I just wanted to say, you can never have too many books! And good for you for sticking to your principles - mine would have crumpled for far less. Bad Cindy.

I didn't read the spoiler part about Babel because I do plan on watching it - I'll have to find this post then.

CindyS

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

I hadn't heard about big boxes vs. aging populations before. Interesting.

Well, I stuck to my priniciples 'cause it was relatively easy. If I had NO OTHER books to read, I might've been tempted to swing by WM. Maybe. Of course, if the lot was full (and it always is), I wouldn't've gone in, because usually at peak hour, there is only one cashier available to check out all 50 people in line.

Er, sorry, must avoid the topic of WM, it gets my heart rate up.

How's Lover Revealed going?

~jmc