Books, particularly that series about the wizard boy.

[thebitterguy]

I had not seen this before, but amazon has a page on the Tales of Beedle the Bard, the charity book sold by JK Rowling.

I was surfing Amazon looking to see what they were asking for for the boxed set. Much the same as Costco. I have most of the books already (4-7), but was contemplating getting the hardcover "grownup cover" boxed set, because I am of the breed of geek who prefers boxed sets to having the things running around loose.

I then wondered if anyone will ever buy the books seperately again. I can't see them being put into an omnibus like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, so it's likely they'll find their way in bunches like the Narnia books do. A bookstore wondered if they would have any future sales, and I assume they'll still be on shelves for a while.

I wonder why they don't have a boxed set of the Chronicles of Prydain.

I also got the Myth books in bunches of boxed sets when I was younger. Does anyone know if the newer ones are good? Because God knows after Myth-Inc In Action they were generally various degrees of unreadable.

I recently finished Chuck Closterman's Sex, Drugs and Cocoa puffs. An interesting selection of essays, although as with most essays it's best absorbed in chunks. Reading two in a row will probably give most people indigestion.

And for a humourist, he's not really that funny in this book.

The essay on Saved by the Bell just dragged. Did I really miss some vital touchstone of pop culture by never seeing an episode of this show? Is the fact I know Dustin Diamond only as a piece of celebrity detritus and Mario Lopez as the dancing guy and Whatserface as the chick in that movie that's really horrible but noizangel loves on a different level unfortunate for my development as a human being, or good news?

Maybe Fargo Rock City will be more enjoyable.

Comments

[bald-ruminant.livejournal.com]

Did you mean the Chronicles of Prydain?

[thebitterguy]

Apparently, I did. Feh.

[inscrutable.livejournal.com]

Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs is one of my favorite books ever. I read the entire thing in one sitting, and just refused to get up and do anything else.

[thebitterguy]

I don't think I could take it all at once, without being filled with an all consuming desire to drive to ND and slap the taste out of his smarmy little mouth.

[srhall79.livejournal.com]

I remember mostly enjoying it, but I could see getting an overload of his writing. Saved by the Bell, I think you either get or you don't. In the grand scheme of things,it matters very, very little, but it was a shared experience.

Fargo Rock City was my first introduction to Closterman; after that, I started tracking down his other books. I've never been big on rock or metal, but I could understand the book. I think some of the essays do drag, but there are also some real gems. Highlights include a listing of what sort of girls various bands seemed interested in, how much you'd have to pay him for him to never listen to certain albums again, and an analysis of G&R's November Rain.

[elizard100.livejournal.com]

Well I imagine that most people will buy it as a set if they plan to read the whole thing, but there will be a lot who will buy just the first one to see if they like it or who will get it as a gift. It's a fantastic gimmick for Rowling as she'll get extra sales because people will want the boxed set after reading just one book, so she'll get multiple sales from the same customer.

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

I hope that one day they mass produce the Tales of Beedle the Bard so those of use who did not have millions of dollars can read it. I know Amazon did a great job reviewing it but I want to read the full stories :)