Joan of Arcadia 1x13-1x14

( JoA 1x13 Recreation )

( JoA 1x14 State of Grace )

Buying books (as a consumer, not for the bookstore)

Sort of a companion post to the previous one on being a reader, sort of a response to rilina's post.

My book buying process is probably unduly complicated -- I borrow things from the bookstore, I borrow books from the public libraries I live around, I borrow books from assorted friends, I buy books from library sales, from assorted used bookstores, from independent bookstores, from Big Chain bookstores, from Amazon, and from assorted online used bookstores. I also have, at any given time, about ten scraps of paper floating around with lists of books that looked interesting enough in bookstores to warrant further research on Amazon, lists of books that so-and-so on LJ recced, and lists of out of print books that I need to keep an eye out for.

I'm also going to have to adjust a little now since I won't be able to borrow things from the bookstore anymore, or have my employee's discount as an incentive.

The bookstore probably has the biggest impact on new book buys for me, since my discount added with the lower price for used books means I can usually buy books for about 70% of the cover price. In the past year I've probably bought more books from them than I would like, given my own budget. Most of these are books in a certain edition that I want (Harry Potter British editions, out of print hardcovers). I also buy a ton of mass markets there. And I would be lying if I didn't say that if given an option to buy a like new book used at the store or to buy it new, I would probably buy it used, because then I have more money to spend on more books. Also, a lot of the books I buy there are out of print. Or they're books that I would have never thought to pick up in a library or another bookstore; they're books I see on buying days with interesting titles, or books in sections I don't normally browse in (aka anything non-genre).

I also borrow a ton of books from the bookstore, because it's very spur of the moment, and because I'm in there, surrounded by books 8 hours a day, and I inevitably find something interesting that I might want to read but not necessarily own.

I've been borrowing less from assorted public libraries because the bookstore has no due date, and I am very good at racking up giant fines at libraries. I feel perfectly fine paying them, because I love libraries (even more than bookstores) -- I used to spend hours in them as a kid, and probably would not have grown up into such a reader and compulsive buyer of books today without them. Also, I like the community aspect. Plus, they're libraries and are dedicated toward knowledge and learning and reading, and all sorts of good stuff like that. And they have out of print stuff!

I have a very low threshhold for book borrowing -- if it's interesting, I pick it up. The only things restraining me from borrowing everything is that I have to try to finish in three to six weeks (for library books) and I can only borrow ten books at a time from the bookstore.

I also buy a lot of books. ( Cut for really boring nitpicky details )

Wein, Elizabeth E. - The Winter Prince

Er. So. Why did no one mention that this is the slashiest book ever?

Anyway. I rejoice at finding a version of the Arthur story that I like! Of course, it's probably because it focuses on Medraut/Mordred and his extremely conflicted relationship with his half-brother Lleu (Artos' son) and his mother Morgause. And the fact that it takes advantage of the incest in the legend.

The book is written from Medraut's POV as a letter or speech or something directed at Morgause -- I'm not quite sure why the author decided to have the book addressed to Morgause, and it sort of confused me when she actually entered into the scene. I kept forgetting who the "you" was for some reason. It's on Medraut's unsure position within Artos' court at Camlann, on his love-hate relationship with Lleu. Lleu is the golden child, sickly at birth, who has been protected his entire life. Medraut, on the other hand, was forced to grow up too quickly as Artos' illegitimate son born of a shameful union, and he resents Lleu's position as heir and as the apple of everyone's eye even as he protects and helps raise Lleu.

The book actually reminded me a great deal of A Separate Peace, which I really need to reread someday.

While the book is very good, it really goes into high gear when an act on Medraut's part brings all the simmering tension beneath his relationship with Lleu to a breaking point (alas, mixed metaphors), which is also the point at which I started really clueing in to the slashiness. And right at the moment when my brain went, "Wow, this is slashy, isn't it?" Medraut leaned down and kissed Lleu and my brain may have imploded.

I really liked how Wein allowed Medraut and Lleu and Goewin (Lleu's sister, whom I also liked, but wanted to see more of) to be complicated. Lleu is spoiled, and Medraut's resentment is very believable, but Lleu is also very powerful in his own way. And Wein doesn't whitewash Medraut so that his horrible childhood with Morgause is to blame, although it too plays a role in the relationship. And I have no critical thoughts at all on the conclusion because my brain just sort of melted.