This one will be quick.
I recently finished reading the books Psycho II by Robert Bloch. This is a sequel based directly off of his original novel Psycho, and has absolutely no relation to the Psycho II movie that came out around the same time.
This wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t by any means as good as his first Psycho novel. Much of the tension is lacking, and the use of Norman Bates in this book just seems boring.
The book is based around the escape of Norman Bates from his hospital, and the creation of a movie based on the events that happened in the first book. Sadly there is no attempt to be extremely meta about the situation and make any reference to it being a Hitchcock pictures, or use any of the details from the actual film creation. Instead, there is a lot of heavy handed pseudo-psychology, and strange sexually driven glimpses into the seedy belly of the film industry.
Overall the book feels as if it’s trying too hard to do something that should have been extremely simple.
For fans of Robert Bloch and the original Psycho, it is worth checking out, but if you only have a passing interest, best you just pass completely on this one.

This evening I was browsing through my RSS feeds, and came across an interesting entry from The Digital Reader. It detailed how since 2009 Amazon has been selling more eBooks than paper books. In 2009, they sold 143 eBooks to every 100 paper books, and now in 2010 they sell 180 eBooks to every 100 paper books. What does this actually mean for the future of book stores?
For large brick and mortar stores, it means that customers are slowly moving away from physical books. It also means that their competition (Amazon) is already well ahead, again. Having crushed them in physical book sales, now they have a huge lead in providing a shopping environment for digital books.
I do believe that stores selling physical books will eventually become a thing of past, though I believe that this vision future is still far off. Stores selling physical books cannot rest and wait for that day to arrive, they need to innovate, and they need to do that very soon. Yesterday if possible.
I also believe that this will be a problem for book stores of any shape, size or purpose. University Book Stores, Independent Book Shops, and even Used Book Shops, will all eventually feel the squeeze of the digital book. We’ve seen this happen with digital music, and it is becoming more and more evident with digital video. Mostly I’m surprised it has taken this long for text to go digital.
So what do these stores need to do? Give up and go home? Surrender and hope Amazon or Google buy them? No. These stores need to focus on something sorely lacking in every retail environment, customer service. These stores need to reevaluate what makes them great, and what turns customers away and forces them online.
For example, a used book store has many built in benefits. Prices will be low, creating a natural draw. The book seller will see every book that enters and leaves the store. Popular books will be readily available, and less popular ones hopefully less available.
What these small stores will inevitably run into is lack of motivation. Where should they go next when things have been good in recent years? Financial instability has pushed people to find cheap books. Green products are in vogue, and 100s of pages of recycled paper sold for a profit are a natural yes. It is easy to see these positives, relax, and hope things remain this way. They could sit back and pray that people will always feel nostalgic for the feel or smell of a paper book. They could also keep things the same because the customers might not like change. Essentially the market will push this store to stay put, to enjoy the moment of comfort. In reality, now is the time to strike and get ahead of the competition.
I envision a book store where an owner is willing to cut the fat from their operation, and run lean and aggressive. Make sure the staff is knowledgeable, make the top priority customer service, and surprise every customer with a terrifyingly accurate knowledge of every book in the store and where to find it. I see stores branching online to bring customers to their store, or to bring the store to their customers. I see stores creating an environment and experience that can’t be had online. Comfy chairs, coffee bars, well organized books, rows of books to discover, and friendly staff waiting to serve every customer. The end goal should be positive and fond memories of the store.
A good book store can help a customer find a replacement for a crappy book. A poor web experience can also easily replace a crappy book store
Let us hope that small book stores do no bring about their own demise through lack of trying.

I’ve posted infrequently enough on this blog, that the last title I reviewed was Chuck Palahniuk’s previous book Pygmy. That book still holds the title of the only book I have not finished in over five years. Thankfully his newest book is nothing at all like Pygmy, and I had trouble putting it down instead of picking it up. Coming in at 192 pages, this book was a quick read, but certainly did not lack in content. I was surprised after finishing it, just how much had been packed into the short period of time I spent with it. This book has a very interesting point of view, which Palahniuk fans will know he excels at exploiting. Without spoiling the story, this is a story of the last days of an aging Hollywood Star, as seen from her seemingly harmless and ever helpful housemaid. I guarantee this book will be nothing like you expect it to be, and that is really half the fun of the story. Also the cover is quite sharp, which is a common characteristic of his work. Not sure if this is a result of the author’s influence, or just a very creative art director at his publishing house. Either way, it makes this book very difficult to miss.

Being an avid reader, I always have more than one book on the go. As a result the less exciting books in my reading pile often get pushed to the side and remain partially read for long periods of time. Every once in a blue moon though, a book is so boring, or so catastrophically bad that I call it a day and never read the rest of it. The most recent offender of this calibre is PYGMY by Chuck Palahniuk.
I’ve read much of Palahniuk’s work and I’ve been impressed on almost every occasion. His work is often vulgar and graphic, but is usually has some redeeming quality or story quirk that makes it enjoyable. I have yet to find a single redeeming quality about this book. It nearly induces physical pain when reading the hobbled english of the narrator and the story wanders aimlessly along with no real goal being apparent after forcing myself through 94 of the 241 pages. The only real hope I have for this book is that it will make the rest of Palahniuk’s work look better. Worst case scenario is that it will deter readers from discovering a very talented author.

If someone walked up to you on the street and asked you what the secret identities of Superman and Batman were you’d likely be pretty quick to answer, and almost guaranteed to be right. If you were asked that same question today, you’d probably be surprised to hear you got one of your answers wrong.
For 60 years Batman has been in constant publication and has been seen in many movies and TV shows. The one thing in common with all of them was the fact that Batman’s secret identity was always Bruce Wayne. Yesterday that changed with the release of the first issue of “Batman and Robin” written by Grant Morrison with art by Frank Quitely.*
This issue marks the end (finally) of the Batman RIP story-line that left Bruce Wayne apparently dead or missing, and the beginning of a new era for the franchise. Dick Grayson, the first Robin is now Batman, and Bruce’s illegitimate son Damian has taken over as the fourth Robin.
The issue was an awesome change of pace from the RIP story, and fits the dark and campy tone Morrison said he was going for. I was thoroughly impressed, and I really hope they can keep Quitely on as artist as often as possible.
Now I just have to wait for the first issue of Detective Comics to arrive without Bruce Wayne in the lead. Though on this title the lead is instead going to be Batwoman, Kathy Kane. Sadly we’ve seen very little of her since her headline grabbing introduction as a lesbian comic book character. I can only hope that her run on Detective Comics will help her be known for something other than her sexual orientation.

* I am well aware that Azreal and Dick Grayson were both briefly Batman in the 90s, but Bruce was only injured, not dead at that point.

I’d be terrified to total up the amount of Time, Money, Energy, and Gas used in my purchasing and traveling to Ryden’s Border Store in Grand Portage. I mention this as I realize in the next week alone I personally have four packages arriving there. The total value of this trip in particular is in excess of $300 CAN.

1) Absolute Watchmen by Alan Moore
I read this recently, on loan from The BookShelf when it came in in Trade Paperback form. It was a weird read, but not something I didn’t enjoy. I’ve read a small amount of work by Alan Moore, and every time he’s thrown me for a loop, this book being no exception. A review I once read, and totally agree with states that this is a book meant to be digested several times over a large time-span. Having only read it once, I figured for the next 20 reads, why not have it in a beautiful oversize hardcover edition. This edition also features newly recoloured artwork by the original art team, oversized images and plethora of special features. Along with a sewn in bookmark and a cardboard slipcase. In Canada this would retail for over $100, on eBay i got my copy for $50. Currently its sitting on the shelf at Ryden’s just aching to be brought home and read again, and again, and again.

2) All Star Superman Vol 1 by Grand Morrison
This story proved to be one of the most interesting I’ve read in years Comic Book wise. Morrison took the entire sixty odd years of back story and shackles that have been applied to the character of Superman, and threw them right out the window. This story exists in its own little corner of the universe, away from all the trappings of continuity, and coming back from the deadness that has been dragging most Comic Book titles to an early grave. This story features a Superman who is actually dying, and not in some weird shot with a Kryptonite Bullet kind of way. He is a plausible and serious character to read, and the story unfolds as a nearly End of Superman kind of event. I read this series originally in regular issues, and now have sold those on ebay, and upgraded to beautiful Hardcover editions. I already have volume two waiting on my bookshelf at home next to all the other unread graphic novels, but it won’t be going anywhere until this beauty comes home from Ryden’s.

3) Samsung BD-P1500 (see its not all graphic novels)
This beautiful piece of drool worthy tech is my second Blu-ray player. Last year I purchased a Sony PS3 with Ryan, and love the little bugger to pieces. But sadly it does not reside at my house, its at Ryan’s. This isn’t a problem as I spend a Lot of time over there, and get to watch my fair share of stuff on the PS3. But there are plenty of occasions where my taste in movies just doesn’t quite match up with that of my better half. So I do my best not to watch those titles when he isn’t around. The other occasion of conflict is the time I actually spend at my own house in front of the 52″ HDTV there that only has a DVD player hooked up to it. For those occasions I made this purchase for the benefit of not just myself but that of my family too. So I sold what proved to be an DVD recorder worth $130, and some other odds and ends around the house I found while we were moving. After a little ebaying, voila, enough money to fund this purchase, and that of item number 4. This player just recently got a good review from CNET, now that it has been updated several times by Samsung with firmware. All things are looking up for this purchase, so I can’t wait to get it home. My parents are puzzled by it with the question of why buy it when we don’t have any Blu-rays? My thoughts, we don’t have any because we didn’t have the player.

4) HDMI Cable
If I’m going to buy item 3, then obviously this essential piece must be purchased too. Also screw you Future Shop for daring to charge over $50 for an HDMI cable, I got mine for $10 with free shipping online. No reason this stuff should be so expensive, it makes me sick. Also don’t ever buy anything made by Monster Cables. There stuff isn’t any better than the rest of the stuff available cable wise. If I ever find it, I’ll post the link where they had sound experts fail to notice a difference between a stereo wired with Monster Cables, or patched together with plain copper cables and duct-tape type setup.

As you can see, these kind of trips get to have large values and large quantities of items. This one honestly pales in comparison to some previous trips I’ve made. Surprisingly they don’t know me by name there yet, but I doubt I’m the most active customer they have there.
To top all of this off, Ryden’s charges $3 US in handling fees per package when you pick them up. You can’t tell me they don’t make a killing by accepting peoples mail for them. Though slightly more stringent pickup procedures would be nice, as I could waltz in and grab whatever I wanted as long as I know the persons name.
Anywho, I accomplished my goal of making a long, meaningful post that actually has pretty pictures in it. Hope you all enjoyed.

As of yet Joe Hill has not quite reached the prolific status of his father. Though with the current output of novels, short stories, comic books and who knows what else waiting in the shadows he is poised to approach such selling power very quickly.

Until that happens and mostly likely even afterward, those of us shopping online with small publishers such as Subterranean Press and PS Publishing will be in for a real treat.

Late in 2008 saw the release of Joe Hill’s latest novella Gunpowder from PS Publishing. This title is available in an extremely limited run. Both the Slip Cased and Jacketed hard cover editions already sold out, and the 500 copies of the regular hardcover are sure to go very fast.

I managed to get my order in on time for the basic hardcover edition, at a price of £12.00, plus shipping to Canada. The wait from ordering this 6 months in advance was excruciating, but Hill has made it more than worthwhile.

After devouring all 22,600 words of this novella in a single evening I could little else than stare amazed at the story laying in my lap. Not only was this one of the most beautifully produced books I’ve read, with astounding cover art by Vincent Chong, but it was one of the most engaging Science Fiction stories I’ve read in years. An unlikely cast of children with psychic power, and their regular human mother Elaine populate this stories small desolate planet so fitting nicknamed Gunpowder. These children, bred with the express purpose of terraforming the planet are maturing before their mother’s eyes, and developing exciting powers along with the understanding of the outside world only a child can acheive.

Hill makes every word count, setting each character perfectly in place to pull every heart string necessary to draw you so far into the story I had difficulty leaving. It is a real art to be able to so fully populate such a short story and have such a deep and engaging plot. I commend the abilities of Hill, and continually look forward everything and anything that he writes.

Until his next novel comes out later this year I’ll be reading and rereading Locke and Key: Head Games, available from IDW at your local Comic Shop. If that proves not to be enough I’ll be rereading Heart Shaped Box and 20th Century Ghosts, as well as the short story Thumbprint (available from Subterranean Press and as part of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 19).

Check out Joe Hill at his website joehillfiction

As well you can find Vincent Chong, the master behind the amazing cover to Gunpowder here.

Here for viewing pleasure is the cover.