Feb 04, 2009 09:01
Full, long day today. Which, it rather oughtn't be, since it's my one weekday without classes.
But, I finally finished with all my commitments to other people and raced out to Barnes and Noble to pick up my copy of Patricia Briggs' latest Mercy Thompson novel, Bone Crossed which came out just today. Only to discover that the kind but ill-informed clerk whom I reserved my copy of the only-out-in-hardback book with a month ago wrongly told me that the book would be on sale at a price comparable to Amazon's price for the first two weeks it would be on the shelves.
No, it turns out that B&N's 'deliver to home' price was comparable to Amazon's. After talking with tonight's kind clerk and making her check and double check the price of the book, it turns out that after two weeks, she expected it to go on sale for 20% off (which, seemed to be standard with most new titles ... or, maybe it was new hardbacks?). Then, she asked me if this author had ever been on the best seller list. Yeah! Like, the last (and I must have sounded like an idiot to someone who doesn't read spec-fic) three in the series and the other full novel in the same world, different series have ALL been on the Times' best seller list for multiple weeks. So, after three weeks, books which appear on the best seller list get shelved as best sellers and are then 30% off at B&N. Much to my chagrin, the price difference worked out to as much or more than I'd spend on a new paper back ... or a week's worth of gas.
Hence, I sadly screwed my courage to the sticking place and decided not to buy it at full price. Walmart didn't have it on the shelves yet. But, Rachael has promised that if I was willing to wait and buy it when the price went down, that we could read it together. Since we will want to gush endlessly about it to each other, that seemed a good consolation to having to wait THREE WEEKS more to read the book I've been waiting eagerly for since probably October when I read Cry Wolf.
If this were a mid-list author, for whom every review counted, I'd have sucked it up and bought it full price. As it is, I only haven't started other new books I want to review because of some misguided sense of needing to finish the book I was working on. Patty, however, was in negotiations for film contracts with Warner Brothers for this series when last I heard her talk about it. While I will certainly review Bone Crossed when I finish it, my review is not likely to change that it will be on the Times' best seller list. Therefore, as a consolation prize for my frugality, I have decided that I can pause in the good but not-so-fast-paced book that I've been reading, The Bull from the Sea, and start Jim C. Hines' The Stepsister Scheme while I wait for Bone Crossed a little longer.
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