Books, books, everywhere. And not a book to read.

Here's a funny thing about the book market that I'm pretty sure most people don't understand, and if I hadn't been doing it for 15 years, and my wife's store for the last 8 years, I'm sure I wouldn't understand either....

Books you want usually aren't available.

I know I have to explain that.

Let me give you an example: I currently have 6 books in the store I want to read that are in new hardcover (about 25.00 average price.) That's too much for me to break them, read them, and turn them into 'used' books. So I keep my eye open in Linda's store -- who gets hundreds of books a day in trade -- for a used copy of the hardcover, or if I have to wait long enough a used paperback.

The hardcovers are:

Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin. (I'm going to buy this, dammit.)
The Wise Man's Fear, Patrick Rothfuss. (DID buy it, dammit, and I'm reading it now.)
Blood's a Rover, James Ellroy (I know this is in paperback, but I have yet to see it.)
The Sentry, Robert Crais (I suspect this is close to paperback, but have yet to see it.)
Dead Zero, Stephen Hunter (ditto)
Burn, Nevada Barr.

Plus the new James Lee Burke in paperback.

So...I look every night for what's been turned in, and every night I strike out.

I don't believe this is particular to our stores-- I think it happens everywhere. The really good books are kept or passed on to friends and family, and when they do finally make their appearance, they get snapped up.

Eventually, when the attention has moved on, they show up, but that can be several years down the road.

Sometimes, like currently Hunger Games, they can't be found used for more than millisecond. And then, someday, we'll be able to build a house with them: the house that Dan Brown built, or Tom Clancy built...

Just saying.

Sometimes you have to buy new.