The thing of it is, I get so many books in the mail for potential review either here on TSS or elsewhere that, truth be told, I don't need to buy very many myself... which is a shame; I used to love book browsing.
As is, there's almost always something pressing, some buzz-worthy new thing I really should review, and when on rare occasion there isn't, I look to the tower of books To Be Read. Failing even that, there's the library in the spare room. I could comfortably spend the rest of my life reading all the overlooked delights secreted in my seven no-expense-spared Billy bookcases.
To be perfectly honest, I don't know that I need ever buy a book again. But needs are slippery things at the best of times, and wants belong in a whole different department. Make no mistake: I want to go mad on Amazon, on an almost daily basis. In my experience, keeping up with the blogosphere - as I attempt to - will do that to a dude. And try as I might to stop myself, every now and again... I slip.
And sometimes you folks make it real easy for me fall off the wagon.
Take the other day, for instance. Must have been the end of the financial quarter or something, because I woke up one morning to see emails from both Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com alerting me to gift certificates to the value of about £50. Payment for purchases made in the last year through the Amazon Associate links I run under my book reviews - more, in truth, for your convenience than my possible profit.
So these monies came as something of a surprise. And what do you do with surprise money? You spend it! As I did... in all of about a half-hour after realising it existed. :)
I thought the thing to do would be to buy some of the books that I've spent 2011 ogling from afar; books I'd have loved to cover on the blog had review copies of each and every one come, and saved me from the decision to spend pennies on things I really don't need, as established.
From Amazon.com, then, I came home with these pretties:
And from Amazon.co.uk, these beauties were your surprise presents to me:
Plus postage, of course, and part of an awesome Christmas present I couldn't possibly mention here in case the other half sees it.
So I bought some books. That's the long and short of it. But rather than let this little indulgence go unmentioned, I wanted to post something here on the blog, basically to say thanks - sincerely, thank you - to everyone who's ever bought anything from either of the Amazons using the affiliate links I embed here on TSS.
Methinks Aurorarama's first up - it is such a gorgeous book - but hereabouts Guy Gavriel Kay has gotten to be a bit of a festive reading tradition, so the two parts of The Sarantine Mosaic are a sure thing, I should think, come the holidays.
Oh, it is the season to be jolly, isn't it? :)
Thank you all!
As is, there's almost always something pressing, some buzz-worthy new thing I really should review, and when on rare occasion there isn't, I look to the tower of books To Be Read. Failing even that, there's the library in the spare room. I could comfortably spend the rest of my life reading all the overlooked delights secreted in my seven no-expense-spared Billy bookcases.
To be perfectly honest, I don't know that I need ever buy a book again. But needs are slippery things at the best of times, and wants belong in a whole different department. Make no mistake: I want to go mad on Amazon, on an almost daily basis. In my experience, keeping up with the blogosphere - as I attempt to - will do that to a dude. And try as I might to stop myself, every now and again... I slip.
And sometimes you folks make it real easy for me fall off the wagon.
Take the other day, for instance. Must have been the end of the financial quarter or something, because I woke up one morning to see emails from both Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com alerting me to gift certificates to the value of about £50. Payment for purchases made in the last year through the Amazon Associate links I run under my book reviews - more, in truth, for your convenience than my possible profit.
So these monies came as something of a surprise. And what do you do with surprise money? You spend it! As I did... in all of about a half-hour after realising it existed. :)
I thought the thing to do would be to buy some of the books that I've spent 2011 ogling from afar; books I'd have loved to cover on the blog had review copies of each and every one come, and saved me from the decision to spend pennies on things I really don't need, as established.
From Amazon.com, then, I came home with these pretties:
And from Amazon.co.uk, these beauties were your surprise presents to me:
Plus postage, of course, and part of an awesome Christmas present I couldn't possibly mention here in case the other half sees it.
So I bought some books. That's the long and short of it. But rather than let this little indulgence go unmentioned, I wanted to post something here on the blog, basically to say thanks - sincerely, thank you - to everyone who's ever bought anything from either of the Amazons using the affiliate links I embed here on TSS.
Methinks Aurorarama's first up - it is such a gorgeous book - but hereabouts Guy Gavriel Kay has gotten to be a bit of a festive reading tradition, so the two parts of The Sarantine Mosaic are a sure thing, I should think, come the holidays.
Oh, it is the season to be jolly, isn't it? :)
Thank you all!
How lovely! I just hope you get time to read them all :)
ReplyDeleteI've heard wonderful things about The Sarantine Mosaic :)
ReplyDeleteI look forward to your opinions on Aurorarama. I've been half-tempted to buy it half-a-dozen times or so.
ReplyDelete@Doug - So fully three times? :P
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I've managed it, but as of today I'm halfway through four or five other books - namely All Clear, The Little Stranger, Pure, A Study In Sherlock and one other - so I really must knuckle under and spend this week finishing things.
But then? Then the Aurorarama, absolutely. Looks like a lovely book to read through Christmas.
I was going to suggest that if you read Swamplandia! immediately it would have time to make it onto your best books of the year list, but I see you've already posted that!
ReplyDeleteI have a copy of Aurorarama that I haven't read yet, and it's one of the most physically gorgeous things I've bought this year, so probably a good choice.