I took this photo of the SF shelves of an airport (domestic) bookshop in Australia. No real message here – just fun to see which titles they picked to put in those two sets of shelves. Not sure why Stephen King’s “It” is there – except I guess Pennywise is an alien monster. It was also shelved in the horror section.
Hard to spot but Ada Palmer’s ‘Too Like the Lightning’ is there, which is nice considering that earlier in the year you couldn’t get it in Australia.
Things I didn’t know:
Stephen Fry has written a retelling of the Greek Myths
Stephen Donaldson has a new fantasy series
Book covers with white backgrounds seem to becoming a more common design
I think Brandon Sanderson is to blame for those white backgrounds (do his covers have those outside the UK?) They make his “section” really visible because it’s unusual.
I spot Dogs of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky using that very trick – and it’s a good book to boot.
The US Tor editions of Brandon Sanderson’s books have 1980s type fantasy art, Michael Whelan, I think. I’ve also spotted Chris McGrath art on a Sanderson cover.
camestrosfelapton: I’d read it if I knew it didn’t have any sexual assaults in it.
Yeah, after my experience with forcing myself to read the first 6 Covenant books at a close friend’s urging, I am wary of anything Donaldson without reassurances from people whose judgment I trust.
Your phone sure does take clear pictures, CF. I had a book swoon today too — built a new bookcase to hold the 34-vol set I stumbled across at a farmer’s market food bank fundraiser. Then I got to spend time rearranging the various contents of the shelves and fawning over my awesome collection. That’s a good day! Or rather a “g’day” where you are 🙂
I have seen good things from iPhones. I just got my first cell phone account/number a couple of months ago. I am what one would call a late adopter in pretty much everything 🙂 It’s a 3-year old work phone from when I lived in Poland so a bunch of the prose, apps and notifications are in Polish. For some reason, that makes me smile.
As for the bookcase, you’d have laughed if you could have watched me try to wrangle it. Allen wrench be damned! Now I have to haul a second box upstairs and build that one for all my Russian novels. What is to be Done?!
I have always wanted a kind of lightweight book box that would be suitable for transporting books that is also stackable into a bookcase. That way, you’d just destack your boxes when you moved house and restack them once you got to your new house.
20 responses to “Bookshop Scene in the Wild”
I think Brandon Sanderson is to blame for those white backgrounds (do his covers have those outside the UK?) They make his “section” really visible because it’s unusual.
I spot Dogs of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky using that very trick – and it’s a good book to boot.
LikeLike
Australian covers are usually UK covers – so I’ve seen those Sanderson covers (v.effective I think)
That blood-red on white colour scheme for Dogs of War really stands out, doesn’t it?
LikeLike
The US Tor editions of Brandon Sanderson’s books have 1980s type fantasy art, Michael Whelan, I think. I’ve also spotted Chris McGrath art on a Sanderson cover.
LikeLike
That’s a pretty good selection, esp. for an airport. Kudos.
GRRM is having a lot of reissues all on white, so that’s driving the trend, I expect.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Also a nice gender balance, for an airport store.
LikeLike
Hey, some of those are on my wish list! 🙂 That’s great for an airport.
“Stephen Donaldson has a new fantasy series”
Yes, it’s on my wish list. 😉
LikeLike
I’d read it if I knew it didn’t have any sexual assaults in it.
LikeLike
camestrosfelapton: I’d read it if I knew it didn’t have any sexual assaults in it.
Yeah, after my experience with forcing myself to read the first 6 Covenant books at a close friend’s urging, I am wary of anything Donaldson without reassurances from people whose judgment I trust.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure this one will be argute with beneficent mansuetude. As usual.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lol
LikeLike
I’ll pass on Donaldson, for much the same reason as you and JJ.
LikeLike
Your phone sure does take clear pictures, CF. I had a book swoon today too — built a new bookcase to hold the 34-vol set I stumbled across at a farmer’s market food bank fundraiser. Then I got to spend time rearranging the various contents of the shelves and fawning over my awesome collection. That’s a good day! Or rather a “g’day” where you are 🙂
LikeLike
🙂 I got a new iPhone earlier in the year. Picture quality is very good.
Congrats on the new bookcase 🙂
LikeLike
I have seen good things from iPhones. I just got my first cell phone account/number a couple of months ago. I am what one would call a late adopter in pretty much everything 🙂 It’s a 3-year old work phone from when I lived in Poland so a bunch of the prose, apps and notifications are in Polish. For some reason, that makes me smile.
As for the bookcase, you’d have laughed if you could have watched me try to wrangle it. Allen wrench be damned! Now I have to haul a second box upstairs and build that one for all my Russian novels. What is to be Done?!
LikeLike
I have always wanted a kind of lightweight book box that would be suitable for transporting books that is also stackable into a bookcase. That way, you’d just destack your boxes when you moved house and restack them once you got to your new house.
LikeLike
Oh, those already exist.
LikeLike
I assumed so but I’be never come across any 😕
LikeLike
You don’t have milk crates in Oz?
LikeLike
😂
LikeLike
** insert obligatory joke Ikea name here ** 🙂
LikeLike