WRAPPED UP IN BOOKS (2011 EDITION)
Aug. 2nd, 2011 09:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
defrogOh, and while the LJs was out of order last week, the annual Hong Kong Book Fair happened.
[See last year’s post for background info]
The bride and I went on Monday and spent about six hours and a buttload of money there. A lot of my observations from last year apply this year, but I got a blog to run here and if I don’t type something, LJ will have fended off that DDoS attack for no reason.
1. Spoiled for choice vs More of the same
It seemed like there was a lot more English-language books this year. The size of the “official” English section was about the same, but a lot more booths outside of it were carrying English books, and at cheaper prices than ever.
That said, the downside is that those booths were more or less displaying the exact same books. And the further downside (and actually a consistent one for every HKBF I’ve ever attended) is that yr only likely to find something worth reading if yr interested in best-selling self-help/business books or the works of (say) Stephen King, Jodi Picoult, Sophie Kinsella, Clive Cussler and anything (and I do mean anything) with sexy vampires in it. Also, if you ever wanted a good deal on a box set of the compleat works of Stephanie Meyer, Stieg Larsson or Gossip Girls, you’d have struck gold.
So it’s a lot like last year, really. One interesting difference: Percy Jackson is this year’s Harry Potter, except not nearly as successful.
As usual, sci-fi/fantasy got short shrift at the HKBF – although it did get a slight boost this year thanks primarily to George RR Martin having a new book out, which might not have mattered if Game Of Thrones wasn’t on HBO now (which gives it a hook, you see – in fact, several stands had a big “movie tie-in” selection).
2. Hidden gems
On the bright side, the HKBF also tends to have quite a few university press booths and stands that cater to more intellectual tastes. The catch, of course, is that they’re not the ones selling books for a few dollars a pop, though the standard 20% discount does come in handy.
And that’s probably as well, as it makes me more judicious in my selections. I’m starting to learn that if I’m thinking, “If this sits on my shelf long enough, I’m sure I’ll read it eventually,” I should probably put it back.
Anyway, here is this year’s haul:
Which is more non-fiction than usual (see above), but the books by Galbraith and Postman/Powers seemed especially relevant for some reason. Also, I believe this officially completes my William Burroughs collection.
Oh, and see those Richard Stark novels there? I found those in a booth specializing in academic books. The University of Chicago has been reprinting the Parker novels since Donald Westlake (a.k.a. Stark) passed away. So, yes, epic win there.
3. And another thing ...
One final comment, and I’d like to dedicate this to the booth staff who put books like Pride And Prejudice And Zombies and Android Karenina in the Classic Lit section:
Stop it. That’s wrong and you f***ing well know it.
Read all about it,
This is dF
[See last year’s post for background info]
The bride and I went on Monday and spent about six hours and a buttload of money there. A lot of my observations from last year apply this year, but I got a blog to run here and if I don’t type something, LJ will have fended off that DDoS attack for no reason.
1. Spoiled for choice vs More of the same
It seemed like there was a lot more English-language books this year. The size of the “official” English section was about the same, but a lot more booths outside of it were carrying English books, and at cheaper prices than ever.
That said, the downside is that those booths were more or less displaying the exact same books. And the further downside (and actually a consistent one for every HKBF I’ve ever attended) is that yr only likely to find something worth reading if yr interested in best-selling self-help/business books or the works of (say) Stephen King, Jodi Picoult, Sophie Kinsella, Clive Cussler and anything (and I do mean anything) with sexy vampires in it. Also, if you ever wanted a good deal on a box set of the compleat works of Stephanie Meyer, Stieg Larsson or Gossip Girls, you’d have struck gold.
So it’s a lot like last year, really. One interesting difference: Percy Jackson is this year’s Harry Potter, except not nearly as successful.
As usual, sci-fi/fantasy got short shrift at the HKBF – although it did get a slight boost this year thanks primarily to George RR Martin having a new book out, which might not have mattered if Game Of Thrones wasn’t on HBO now (which gives it a hook, you see – in fact, several stands had a big “movie tie-in” selection).
2. Hidden gems
On the bright side, the HKBF also tends to have quite a few university press booths and stands that cater to more intellectual tastes. The catch, of course, is that they’re not the ones selling books for a few dollars a pop, though the standard 20% discount does come in handy.
And that’s probably as well, as it makes me more judicious in my selections. I’m starting to learn that if I’m thinking, “If this sits on my shelf long enough, I’m sure I’ll read it eventually,” I should probably put it back.
Anyway, here is this year’s haul:
Which is more non-fiction than usual (see above), but the books by Galbraith and Postman/Powers seemed especially relevant for some reason. Also, I believe this officially completes my William Burroughs collection.
Oh, and see those Richard Stark novels there? I found those in a booth specializing in academic books. The University of Chicago has been reprinting the Parker novels since Donald Westlake (a.k.a. Stark) passed away. So, yes, epic win there.
3. And another thing ...
One final comment, and I’d like to dedicate this to the booth staff who put books like Pride And Prejudice And Zombies and Android Karenina in the Classic Lit section:
Stop it. That’s wrong and you f***ing well know it.
Read all about it,
This is dF
