Book Collecting - The Hyper-Modern Book

A couple years ago I was trolling the internet looking for new and interesting authors when I came across several articles on a new area of book collecting - the Hyper-Modern book. 

So what exactly is Hyper-Modern book collecting? Put simply, it involves collecting books that were published in the last twenty years. A prime example: consider the Harry Potter books - did you know a first edition first printing can sell for thousands of dollars? Get that book autographed and you're talking thousands and thousands of dollars. Now obviously we're talking about a unique situation because there aren't a lot of J.K Rowlings out there. But here's an example of something that happened to me. 

As I was researching this new phenomenon, I came across a website that recommended specific hyper-modern books that were predicted to increase in value. One of these recommendations was Sweeping Up Glass, by Carolyn Wall.

Because the first edition first printing only had 1000 copies, and the initial reviews on the book were solid, they were predicting the future value would increase. Think about it - of those 1000 copies how many do you think are signed? And of those that are signed, how many are still in pristine condition? Probably not a lot. In addition, the rights to publishing this book were picked up by another publisher and another, much higher volume, printing was set for release. When I went to Abe Books to check on the price of an original first edition first printing copy and discovered i could purchase a copy for the low low prices of $45 I thought, 'meh, why not?' 


That was a year and a half ago...So what does this mean? Well considering a pristine copy of the original is now selling on Abe for a minimum of $100, I'd say it means = not a bad return on investment. Okay, sure, you probably won't get rich this way. And really, any serious book collector will tell you that you should never be motivated by money. But since I can't afford the $30, 000 for a first edition copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, this type of book collecting is very appealing. 

For more information, including pros and cons, predictions, etc, check out: Book Collecting Tips

Kushiel's Dart - My Introduction to the Wonderful World of Fantasy Fiction

This is the story of Phèdre nó Delaunay, an anguisette and Servent of Naamah....A servant of what?

I know, it sounds complicated. This was the first real fantasy book I read, and I'm not going to lie, I struggled initially. So many names, so many places, so many words - I was lost. I stubbornly stuck with it though and am truly glad I did - I ended up loving this book. In fact, Kushiel's Dart is the reason I started reading fantasy. 


So what IS an anguisette? and who is this Naamah person? Without getting too bogged down, an anguisette is a person chosen by the angel Kushiel to feel both pleasure and pain at the same time. This combined with being a Servent of Naamah (which is a nice way of saying a high class hooker), makes for an interesting plot foundation. I'm sure you have some nasty little ideas about where this book is headed - I did. Don't be fooled - this isn't a romance,  there really isn't even a lot of sex - this book is more about court intrigue, spies, political conflicts, etc. The story is complex but fascinating, with many interesting and quirky characters. 


Once you finish this book, there are two more to look forward to in the Phèdre series, followed by the Imriel and Naamahs trilogies. 


Rating: ♥♥♥♥½


  

Outlander - Outlandishly Good!

This book has been out for awhile, but I just got around to reading it - so sue me for being slow! :)


So far, I've only read the first book, but I intend to continue with the seven book series...eventually. I mean each book is at least 700 pages long, so it takes some serious time investment. And if the other books are anything like the first, they will be emotionally draining. 


In Outlander Gabaldon introduces the characters of Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall. If you Google this author, or any of these books, you'll see HOARDES of fan-obsessed sites. There is a reason for this - it's good. Really good. The characters are SOLID, and the story, it just keeps on going. Yes, it is long. But not long in the sense where you're just dying for it to be over. 


In short, well played Ms. Gabaldon. 


Rating: ♥♥♥♥½


   

The Book Thief - What's all the fuss?

This is one of those Young Adult books that doesn't fall in a particular 'age-appropriate' category - it's a story that can be read and appreciated by anyone, any age. 


Without giving too much away, this book is about Liesel Meminger, a young girl growing up with her working-class foster family in Germany before and during WWII. Sound familiar? That's because there are literally hundreds of books out there with similar themes: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit to name a couple. 

So is the hype justified? Absolutely. This book is, without question, original. Yes, books have been written on WWII, so the basic premise has been done before - but I guarantee you haven't read anything like it. 


Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

Side-note: In addition to The Book Thief, Zusak has also written several other books, including I am the Messanger.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo who Played with Fire and Kicked a Hornet's Nest

You would be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't at least heard of this series. Originally written by Stieg Larsson in Swedish, these books have taken the world by storm. In fact, the stories are so popular, a Hollywood movie is already in the works (a Swedish version was released in 2009). Sadly, Stieg died before any of the books were published, so he never experienced the raging success of his novels.


The stories in each book revolve mainly around Lisbeth Salander (THE Girl) and Mikael Blomkvist, with many subsidiary characters playing their designated parts. I've heard a lot of people say they are hard to get into initially - for me, it took awhile to figure out where the stories were headed (particularly in the first book), but I had no trouble becoming engaged from the beginning. For anyone not familiar with Sweden, the names of places in the novel (actually names in general) can be a bit of an obstacle. Overall a decent series, but be forwarned - there is some serious graphic content in these novels!


Rating: ♥♥♥½

  















Side-note: Apparently Larsson was in the process of writing a fourth book in the series when he died, but there's no word on whether someone will be contracted to finish the story.

My Latest Obsession - The Moorehawke Trilogy

I am always somewhat leery about picking up a new author unless I've heard at least something about them/their books (I'm not a big library person, so if I'm going to read something it requires monetary investment!). 


I don't remember how I originally heard about The Moorehawke Trilogy, I probably just picked the first installment up in one of my more experimental moments. I'm glad I did because I L.O.V.E everything about these books. The characters are fascinating and complex and the story is refreshingly new and original. I have lent the first two books out to several friends, all with the same reaction, 'you just gotta read it!'


Rating: ♥♥♥♥½