In which my book purchases are all pretty geeky, in one way or another.

[dzurlady]

So I am super stressed by learning my new job (I have been having heaps of random nightmares, including one this morning where someone was caught by an evil girl in a hotel, and she was falling, only when she landed she turned into three different cats which each embodied some aspect of her/her punishment, and they all went to live with someone who had another cat that fought with them, only no-one knew it was actually this girl except me, and it was horrible. It was very fairytail-esque, only less fairy godmother and more cutting wolves open with axes). Anyway, as part of my destressing I went and bought some books and things I've been planning on getting for some time. (I also spend some time wandering through Borders, which was very calming, even if I didn't find anything I wanted to buy.)

For $112, I got five books and one dvd set from Fishpond (an Australian book seller, for speedy postage and good prices in Australian dollars), plus $9 for faster shipping. It is totally a sweet deal.

I bought Storm Hawks season 2 (a kids cartoon series I like, and at 20 mins an episode they are a good length for commuting, now that I have sadly finished all of Avatar (the last Airbender, not the movie, or indeed the other movie)).

I also got Bleach SOULs (a character book) and the most recent volume of Bleach (v. 34) (I have easily spent over $400 on Bleach, which I part of the reason I don't read much manga), and the Assassin's Creed strategy guide (I love strategy guides and this one has extras. Sadly I missed getting the collectors edition which also has some extra artwork, but I can't be bothered going on ebay or whatever for it.)

After some consideration, I decided to get the Grand Designs Handbook, which I have read part of in a bookstore and enjoyed; it's a discussion of what makes good house design, including a discussion of the process.

And finally I bought The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York. I am not putting this behind a cut tag, because I want to rec the podcast that made me want to get this, an interview with the book's author, Deborah Blum. In it she discusses some of the interesting stories in the book, and it is an excellent listen.
Here is a summary of the book from the NY Times Book Review.

[...] death moves throughout [Blum's] latest book via myriad poisons administered by impatient heirs, unhappy spouses and psychopaths — or innocently ingested, because the science of forensic toxicology has not yet caught up with these deadly chemicals.

To further complicate the situation in this rich history of the development of forensics in New York, which spans the years from 1915 to 1936, Tammany Hall’s corruption has spilled over into one of the grittiest public service jobs, that of coroner. The city’s early-20th-century coroners were notorious bunglers known to appear in court with whiskey breath and to leave crime scenes with palms freshly greased with graft (they would regularly falsify death certificates). Murderers roamed free until enough political will was mustered to implement a new medical examiner system in 1918.

Into this office strode Dr. Charles Norris, the blue-blooded son of a banking power couple, who could easily have chosen a life of leisure over one of public service, and his appointee Alexander Gettler, a forensic chemist with a penchant for gambling, the cigar-chomping progeny of a Hungarian immigrant. Norris and Gettler, Blum’s heroes in white coats, formed a duo whose innovative lab work remains significant. The fruits of their labors helped advance government policy and the science of forensics, and have saved countless lives from exposure to previously hard-to-detect toxic substances like thallium and to the then unknown deadly side effects of radium (once a crucial ingredient in a popular health tonic called Radithor: Certified Radioactive Water).

I am now trying to work out if I want to buy the LOTR books in paperback ($15 each) or for the Kindle ($10 each, and more portable, but not illustrated and also not a physical book). I have them already in hardcover, but they are too heavy and large for commuting on the train, which is where I am planning to reread them.

As for buying books online, not instore, a topic that is currently undergoing more discussion than normal given the state of Australia's bookstore industry: none of these books/dvds were available for me to buy in store (I couldn't even find the Grand Design's handbook, although it was significantly cheaper online), which is the main reason I shop online. To be honest, the main reason I buy instore is so I can get books instantly, so if they're not there, I go online. I don't ever feel the need to ask someone else for book recs, so service isn't really an issue for me. Sometimes I buy things online because they are cheaper, but that's mainly dvds or expensive books that I wouldn't buy instore anyway due to the cost. (EG the LOTR books - I would not pay $25 for a second copy of a book I already own.)

Comments

[dzurlady]

I know! Your business is not a charity.

I know, but not as satisfying to read. I don't know what to do! (I believe they are the same pictures, yes.)