March 01, 2006

Notes from a DVD Geek

by Jeremy Lassen

There are a bunch of interesting new releases, so I will start off with those.  For all you Firefly/Joss Whedon fans, Serenity has made its way to DVD.  It’s a pretty good little science fiction film in its own right, and is a nice coda to the TV series.  Most importantly, it continues Whedon’s fetish for 90 lb. teenage girls that can kick his ass.

Another important new release is Dave McKean and Neil Gaiman’s fantabulous coming-of-age fairy tale extravaganza, MirrorMask.  This film was in the theaters for about five minutes, so if you missed it, that’s understandable. Now you have the opportunity to see this hallucinatory, haunting vision in the privacy of your own home.  I recommend that you do so.

February Bestsellers

Hardcovers
    1) Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton
    2) Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds
    3) Solstice Wood by Patricia McKillip
    4) Snake Agent by Liz Williams
    5) Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Cory Doctorow
    6) Thousandfold Thought by R. Scott Bakker
    7) Fledgling by Octavia Butler
    8) Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
    9) Accelerando by Charles Stross
    10) Viator by Lucius Shepard

Paperbacks
    1) Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
    2) Singularity Sky by Charles Stross
    3) Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
    4) Titan by John Varley
    5) Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton
    6) Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
    7) Predator's Gold by Philip Reeve
    8) Gateways by F. Paul Wilson
    9) Kindling by Mick Farren
    10) Dawn by Octavia Butler

Trade Paperbacks
    1) Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross
    2) Old Man's War by John Scalzi
    3) Air by Geoff Ryman
    4) V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
    5) Pashazade by John Courtenay Grimwood
        Tie
        When Gravity Fails by George Alec Effinger

"If I Liked The Naked Chef, Will I Like Naked Lunch?"

by Jude Feldman

One of my favorite (and one of the most challenging) aspects of being a bookseller is making recommendations.  Book recommendations are a tricky business, because the bookseller is frequently expected to be psychic, or at least empathic, and answer accurately the question "what will I like?"

So here are some recommendations that folks commonly ask for; please do remember that this is an art, not a science.  (Please also keep in mind that just because I think you'll like a book, I'm not necessarily saying that the suggested books are specifically similar.) Feel free to email jfeldman@borderlands-books.com if you have some suggestions to add, if you'd like some additional ideas, or if you'd like to hear further choices.  Also let me know if you're interested in seeing this feature continue.  If so, I'll bring it back, in addition to a fun little audience-participation column for next month called The Psychic Readers' Corner.