Book stores are dangerous places for me to be in

[Izulde]

The books jump off the shelves and beat me up to steal my money.

Like, I was in Barnes & Noble tonight and I saw a new Alexandre Dumas novel that was just translated into English for the first time ever last year and is now on sale. Naturally, since it came out quite recently, it was hardback and $32 ($26 with Barnes & Noble membership)

Then, I'm standing in line minding my own business, when the New Yorker jumps out at me and points to a name on its cover. It's a Japanese author who I greatly enjoyed the one novel of his I read.

I think okay, that's cool, but don't need to pick it up.

Then I glance up the cover.

Vladmir Nabokov - An unpublished story

Add $5 more to the total. :D

[NoMyths]

Thank goodness there are still readers of literature. Although it appears we still have to die first in order to get read. :)

[Izulde]

Thank goodness there are still readers of literature. Although it appears we still have to die first in order to get read. :)

Man, if that ain't the truth! It's even worse for you guys as poets, I'd imagine. I know just from my own ancedotal experience, I can still find a fair number of people who still read literature (and hence potential customers for me :D), but have met maybe one or two people at most that read contemporary poetry.

One thing I've really gotten to appreciate over the last year is great translators. Robin Buss's translations of a lot of Dumas's work played a key role in getting me hooked on Dumas (to the point where Alexandre is now one of my top three fave authors, along with Nabokov and F. Scott Fitzgerald). And of course, David Tod Roy did a masterful work with what he managed to get done of the multi-volume Chinese classic, much better than any other translator before him. Shame he died before he could finish it.

[lordscarlet]

I read constantly, and I read a lot of recently published stuff (almost exclusively, actually), but I don't touch poetry. :(

[Suburban Rhythm]

BOOKS!?!?! AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/touchstone_pictures/the_waterboy/kathy_bates/kathybates.jpg

[NoMyths]

I read constantly, and I read a lot of recently published stuff (almost exclusively, actually), but I don't touch poetry. :(

You should give it a shot -- some of it's not bad at all.
This isn't a terrible starting point: Touchable Poetry (http://www.amazon.com/Lucktown-Bryan-Penberthy/dp/0977718271/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212497117&sr=8-1). ;)

[st.cronin]

I don't read much poetry, either.

[lordscarlet]

You should give it a shot -- some of it's not bad at all.
This isn't a terrible starting point: Touchable Poetry (http://www.amazon.com/Lucktown-Bryan-Penberthy/dp/0977718271/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212497117&sr=8-1). ;)

I understand it's not supposed to be, but it's really not for me. :) Maybe something long that has a story to pull me into, but even then I doubt it. I still need to find a copy of Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came.

[Telle]

Oh I'm the same way. Just ask RendeR about it. I'm generally not allowed in a book store by myself :)

Btw, what's the "new" Dumas book?? Please let me know if it's any good!

[Izulde]

Oh I'm the same way. Just ask RendeR about it. I'm generally not allowed in a book store by myself :)

Btw, what's the "new" Dumas book?? Please let me know if it's any good!

The Last Cavalier: Being the Adventures of Count Sainte-Hermine in the Age of Napoleon is the title.

On the back, one of the blurbs notes "...Between the Companions of Jebu and The Count of Monte Cristo, this discovery is the missing piece of a giant puzzle: Dumas was composing to cover the history of France from the Renaissance up until his present day. The puzzle is now complete... the reader is delighted all the way to the end."

so I now have yet another Dumas title to see if I can find somewhere in English (Companions of Jebu). :D

What all Dumas novels have you read so far?

Thus far I've read:
The Three Musketeers
Twenty Years After
The Count of Monte Cristo (the unabridged Robin Buss translation, which I highly recommend)
The Black Tulip (Interesting in that it's set in Holland)
Georges

I've gotten halfway through Vicomte d'Bragelonne (mis-spelled I know), but it's the real low point of the Musketeers saga. Terrible pacing and an absolutely annoying titular character. But I'll plod through that the rest of the way this summer I hope, then move on to the fourth novel, whose name I forget exactly now, but it's something like Louise d'Lsomethingortheother, I think, before finally tackling the unabridged Man in the Iron Mask, which I accidentally read part of before realizing the Musketeers saga is actually longer than that.

Right now I'm reading through The Women's War and I've another non-Musketeer saga book to read lying around... The Knight of Maison-Rouge or something to that effect.

[sabotai]

The books jump off the shelves and beat me up to steal my money.

That's why I don't go into B&N much anymore.

The Count of Monte Cristo (the unabridged Robin Buss translation, which I highly recommend)

That's the one I'm reading right now. I read an abridged version in high school (long before I knew any better). I liked it then, but this is far superior.

[oliegirl]

Count of Monte Cristo is next on my list of "heavy reading" (meaning non trashy sex book that women like to read by the pool). Our last trip to BN cost about $75, I picked up Wicked, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and Son of a Witch, along with some Jane Austen. My husband is a sci fi reader and found some hardbacks on the bargain table. My son is getting back into reading, which I love, but man kids books are expensive! We are going this weekend to get him a library card, that should help (as long as I remember to bring them back on time).

[Drake]

Though he posted it with the winky smiley, if you haven't read NoMyths' book, you have got to pick it up. It is absolutely fantastic, and I don't read contemporary poetry, either.

Seriously. Go order it now. It will change your life, save your soul and make women fall naked at your feet.

[oliegirl]

Though he posted it with the winky smiley, if you haven't read NoMyths' book, you have got to pick it up. It is absolutely fantastic, and I don't read contemporary poetry, either.

Seriously. Go order it now. It will change your life, save your soul and make women fall naked at your feet.

I was ready to pull out my credit card until I read that...no thanks ;)

[st.cronin]

I was ready to pull out my credit card until I read that...no thanks ;)

Actually when women read Lucktown, they end up driving to Indiana and falling naked at Drake's feet.

[Drake]

Thankfully, God gave me a stick to beat all of those naked women off with. :D

If you want a preview, here are examples:

http://www.blackbird.vcu.edu/v5n2/poetry/penberthy_b/end.htm
http://www.blackbird.vcu.edu/v5n2/poetry/penberthy_b/noah.htm
http://www.versedaily.org/2006/lovetown.shtml
http://www.versedaily.org/2006/sleeptown.shtml

[cuervo72]

Thankfully, God gave me a stick to beat all of those naked women off with. :D

If you want a preview, here are examples:

http://www.blackbird.vcu.edu/v5n2/poetry/penberthy_b/end.htm
http://www.blackbird.vcu.edu/v5n2/poetry/penberthy_b/noah.htm
http://www.versedaily.org/2006/lovetown.shtml
http://www.versedaily.org/2006/sleeptown.shtml

This post is very misleading - these are not examples of naked women at all.

[cuervo72]

(it's very hard to beat off without naked women you know)

[SFL Cat]

Ahhh...you said STICK...I obviously misread that the first time around...

[Lathum]

I have the same problem in adult book stores.

Barely Legal and Shaved just jump off the shelves and into my arms.

Lucky for me JimmyWint taught me to pay cash.

[SFL Cat]

I have the same problem in adult book stores.

Barely Legal and Shaved just jump off the shelves and into my arms.

Lucky for me JimmyWint taught me to pay cash.

DOH! I knew I should have reread that thread before going... :(