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In lieu of any real content, here's a quick meme: What was the last book you bought?
The last book I bought was the short story collection Galactic North by Alastair Reynolds. I probably did not maximize by book-buying dollar here since (A) I bought it in a supermarket, and (B) I've already read many of the stories in it. But I enjoy his stories so much I couldn't pass it up. Especially when I saw it in a supermarket...it was like a message from the sf gods.
Your turn: What was the last book you bought?
Comments (65)
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Posted by John DeNardo at Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 7:31 AM
© 2008 SF Signal
It's Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster
Posted by Pierre on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 7:37 AM at 7:37 AM
Starfish by Peter Watts, the new reprint. i somehow managed to miss it the first time
Posted by martin on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 7:49 AM at 7:49 AM
Steampunk, an anthology edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer. With stories by Neal Stephenson, Michael Chabon, James Blaylock, and others. Delicious!
Posted by Jenny on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 7:51 AM at 7:51 AM
Troy: Shield of Thunder, by David Gemmell.
Posted by Mark on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 7:56 AM at 7:56 AM
The Blood Knight, by Greg Keyes. E-book for my Sony Reader.
Posted by Mervius on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 7:57 AM at 7:57 AM
Mary Doria Russell's "Children of God". An eBook for my Palm Centro.
Posted by Jason on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 8:01 AM at 8:01 AM
Jay Lake's Escapement and Charlie Stross's Saturn's Children.
Posted by Jonathan Strahan on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 8:03 AM at 8:03 AM
Not counting the Science Fiction Book Club edition of my own novel, it was Dreamquake, "Book Two of the Dreamhunter Duet" by Elizabeth Knox. YA fantasy, great book.
Posted by Edward Willett on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 8:13 AM at 8:13 AM
Jonathan Lethem's Girl in Landscape
I've always meant to read something by Lethem and stumbled on this copy on a bargain rack (spine abnormality). Looks good, although I just got my latest box from Amazon, so it is under a few in the stack.
Posted by Weyland-Yutani on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 8:14 AM at 8:14 AM
Dogs: Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History by Xiaoming Wang
Posted by Paul on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 8:19 AM at 8:19 AM
I just ordered The Batman Encyclopedia by Robert Greenberger. Does that count? (Previous to that, a bunch of books about the Dover evolution trial.) Or were you only interested in last SF novel/story collection?
Posted by Michael A. Burstein on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 8:21 AM at 8:21 AM
When Gravity Fails by George Alec Effinger. brutal stuff.
Posted by Dave on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 8:38 AM at 8:38 AM
The last book I bought was Infoquake by David Louis Edleman, about two thirds of the way through it and enjoying it a lot. I however am waiting for the book I ordered from amazon House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds, ordered it before Infoquake but have yet to receive it, and am really wanting to read it after finishing The Prefect which was one of his best and reading 1000th Night and enjoying it to.
Posted by Joe Parrish on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 8:42 AM at 8:42 AM
The Velvet Chair and The Bearskin Rug by Jennifer Stephenson - since I bought them both at the same time at her signing last night, I have no idea which one was the last book I bought.
Posted by Kerry on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 8:45 AM at 8:45 AM
I'm pretty sure it was back in January, and if so it was 3 books at once:
Undertow - Elizabeth Bear
Dust - Elizabeth Bear
Farthing - Jo Walton
Posted by Joe Sherry on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 8:46 AM at 8:46 AM
The massive eBook collection of stories by Leigh Brackett, courtesty of Baen Books and Webscriptions. this would be the second massive eBook collection of Brackett's stuff. I am in seventh heaven.
Posted by Fred Kiesche on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 8:57 AM at 8:57 AM
Why, it was "Galactic North" also! Also, Allan Steele's "Spindrift" and Jack Campbell's "Valiant" and Kristine Kathryn Rusch's "Recovery Man" and ... should I go on or stop now? Oh, I would recommend James Howard Kunstler's "World Made by Hand." Not really SF but a pretty good post-apocalypse novel of post-peak oil life in a small town in Upstate New York later in the early 21st century after our oil-based economy crashes. Notice gas prices lately...?
Posted by Mark Stephenson on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 9:02 AM at 9:02 AM
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
Posted by Nick on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 9:19 AM at 9:19 AM
To be honest I buy quite a few more books than I have time to read at the moment, but I also quite like to have a bunch of books on the shelf to choose from.
I just recieved the following books from Amazon UK (I live in Denmark):
Jay Lake: Mainspring (The main idea in the book really sounds like fun and the reviews have been quite strong)
Leigh Brackett: Sea-Kings of Mars And Other Wordly Stories (I have never read anything by Brackett and this seems like a good collection of stories to start out with)
Robert Heinlein: Citizen of the Galaxy (The only other of Heinlein's "Juveniles" I have read is Podkayne of Mars so I thought it was about time to do something about that)
Philip Reeve: Larklight (Never read any of his books either but this series sounds really good and can't wait to read it)
I really need to thank you guys for a great site. I have found so many good authors and novels in the time that I have read the site (and followed the many links you provide every day) that I really can't imagine not having the Signal turned on every day. So thanks for a great job!
Posted by Dennis Sorensen on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 9:19 AM at 9:19 AM
Amazon just delivered "Year's Best SF 13" and "Year's Best Fantasy 8" by David G. Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer.
Posted by Frank on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 9:23 AM at 9:23 AM
It will be ages before I can read them, but I just bought John Scalzi's THE ANDROID'S DREAM and Greg Keyes' THE BORN QUEEN. Before that I got Swanwick's THE DRAGONS OF BABEL.
Posted by Lou Anders on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 9:35 AM at 9:35 AM
Ragamuffin by Tobias Buckell......could have been Saturns Children but I'm moving and need to wait till Im setteled to get it......
Posted by Greg on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 9:36 AM at 9:36 AM
Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
Saturn Returns by Sean Williams
Posted by Rob B on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 9:55 AM at 9:55 AM
Galactic Empires edited by Gardner Dozois. Just got it yesterday.
Posted by Edward Milewski on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 10:19 AM at 10:19 AM
Just got the Uglies trilogy yesterday. Still have a few days on Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a female utopia from 1915.
Posted by Bernd on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 10:25 AM at 10:25 AM
Wow, I turn around for a few hours and everyone shows up!
@Pierre: I enjoyed Sagaramanda very much.
@Mervius: Long time no hear!
@Jason: I have a Centro as well. I do sometimes wish the screen was a little bigger for reading, but the other features are way too cool to complain and I love that I can fit it easily into my pocket.
@Jonathan: Your tastes seem to align with JP's.
@Edward Willett: The SFBC made you buy a copy of their edition of your own book? Yikes!
@Weyland-Yutani: Good luck with Girl in Landscape. I really enjoyed Lethem's Amnesia Moon.
@Myra: Little brother rocked.
@Michael: Any book counts!
@Dave: When Gravity Fails was awesome!
@Joe P.: That's two books I'd love to read.
@Joe S.: Good authors!
@Fred K: What, no reference to "Mount To-Be-Read"? 
@Mark S: I have Spindrift as well. Steele's Coyote universe is another set of books I'd love to read.
@Nick: World War Z is one of those buzz books I've been looking forward to.
@Dennis S.: Thanks for the kind words!
@Lou: You read for a living. Snap to it, you lucky dog!
@Edward M: Galactic Empires was pretty darned good.
@Frank: Year's Best SF 13...Another one on my actual shelf (as opposed to archive of boxes!)
@Everyone Else: Just about all the books mentioned sound cool. I even have a few of them on my ever-growing to-read mountain.
Posted by John on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 10:44 AM at 10:44 AM
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. Believe it or not it's the first time I'm reading it. Glad I am!
Posted by Guy Wade on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 10:51 AM at 10:51 AM
Mainspring by Jay Lake. Of course at the same time I also picked up Pig Island by Mo Hayder. I always seem to buy more than one book at a time. Must be why my to be read pile is teatering on the brink of insanity.
Posted by Linda on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 10:57 AM at 10:57 AM
Book 3 of the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell
Book 2 of the Dresden Files
Posted by House 6 on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 11:05 AM at 11:05 AM
I think Resolution by Robert B. Parker, as a birthday gift for my father. The day I bought it, the copy he'd bought for himself came from Amazon.
For myself, I'm not sure what the last book was. Possibly Jon Armstrong's Grey, which I'm reading now.
Posted by Fred on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 11:12 AM at 11:12 AM
The Thames: Sacred River by Peter Ackroyd (his London: The Biography is one of my all-time faves). In fiction it would be The Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick.
D
Posted by Derryl Murphy on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 11:13 AM at 11:13 AM
Transworld/Bantam UK edition of Steven Erikson's latest Malazan book, Toll the Hounds, which I have been informed, has just shipped!
Posted by Marty Halpern on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 11:14 AM at 11:14 AM
"The Dirty Secrets Club" by Meg Gardiner and "Small Favor" by Jim Butcher -- I had a spending spree on Amazon.
Morjana
Posted by Morjana on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 11:26 AM at 11:26 AM
Just went to B&N for a friend's reading last night and walked away with:
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
The Iron Hunt by Marjorie Liu
Homicide by David Simon
All We Every Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown (this was the book the friend was reading from)
Posted by Adam Rakunas on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 12:02 PM at 12:02 PM
Does requesting books for my b-day presents count? If so, the 3rd HonorHarrington book (David Weber) and the..er..3rd book in Elizabeth Moon's Vatta series...
Posted by Sandra on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 12:12 PM at 12:12 PM
"Where the Wild Things Are." A small child influences many of my purchasing decisions these days.
My last SF purchase was John Brunner's "Catch a Falling Star."
Posted by Chip on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 12:35 PM at 12:35 PM
Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford and Small Favor by Jim Butcher
Posted by cathy on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 12:55 PM at 12:55 PM
"@Fred K: What, no reference to "Mount To-Be-Read"?"
Hey, I've always wanted to be an "@"!
Since it is an eBook bundle and not a pile of deadtrees, it is more an addition to "Mount Tobeviewed" than "Mount Toberead".
Posted by Fred Kiesche on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 1:55 PM at 1:55 PM
Actually, Mount Toberead has a new addition today. Went out and got the second "Black Company" omnibus from Tor. Then there's the new edition of "Princess Bride", what the heck, if I keep buying new editions, maybe he'll finish THE FREAKING SEQUEL ALREADY. And to finish it off, several of David Sherman/Dan Cragg's Starfist books (Firestorm, Flashfire, School of Fire and Steel Gauntlet). Series fiction. It's a plague.
Posted by Fred Kiesche on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 2:01 PM at 2:01 PM
"Knight Errant" by Anthony Reynolds. A Warhammer novel.
Posted by Wolfkahn on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 2:09 PM at 2:09 PM
Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow
Posted by Wally Conger on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 2:16 PM at 2:16 PM
Glen Cook's latest Garrett P.I. novel, Cruel Zinc Melodies.
Yeah, that fangirly squeal was me.
Posted by Misty Massey on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 3:08 PM at 3:08 PM
Maze of Death + Dr. Bloodmoney by Philip K Dick
Loved the former, but thought the latter was a bit iffy.
- Steve 
Posted by Steve on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 3:14 PM at 3:14 PM
The Naked God, part 1 from Peter F. Hamilton's Night's dawn trilogy, I found it in a used bookstore after unsuccessfully searching the big chain's for a copy. I expect part II will be the next purchase.
Another idea would be books that readers recommend and why.
Posted by Derek on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 3:50 PM at 3:50 PM
The Dragon's Nine Sons, by Chris Robertson
Posted by Carles on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 4:09 PM at 4:09 PM
Pump Six by Paolo Bacigalupi. I was hoping it would be a keeper and I was right. So nice when that happens!
Posted by Matte Lozenge on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 6:47 PM at 6:47 PM
"The Prefect" by Alastair Reynolds.
Posted by b harper on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 7:30 PM at 7:30 PM
Shadow & Claw: The First Half of 'The Book of the New Sun' by Gene Wolfe
Posted by Paul on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 9:02 PM at 9:02 PM
The Prefect, Alastair Reynolds.
Posted by John Markley on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 9:03 PM at 9:03 PM
Seeker (on audible.com) by Jack McDevitt
Posted by Sean OBrien on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 9:28 PM at 9:28 PM
Ragamuffin by Tobias S. Buckell. I won an advanced copy of his forthcoming Sly Mongoose, and wanted to read them in order. Glad I did.
Posted by Larry on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at 11:03 PM at 11:03 PM
Year Million, edited by Damien Broderick
Posted by Mike Brotherton on Thursday June 26, 2008 at 3:06 AM at 3:06 AM
Man, is it just me, or do other people feel envious of all the good books that other people are reading that they themselves haven't read yet?
Posted by John on Thursday June 26, 2008 at 1:49 PM at 1:49 PM
Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets (non-fiction gardening book)
Posted by Kathryn Cramer on Thursday June 26, 2008 at 3:51 PM at 3:51 PM
Kathryn, you might be interested in The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms by Amy Stewart. More history and natural history, but related, I should think.
D
Posted by Derryl Murphy on Thursday June 26, 2008 at 7:12 PM at 7:12 PM
Ah, Mr. Postman was good to me today. He brought me my super-deluxe-fanboy edition of Project Moonbase and Others by Robert A. Heinlein (I could not afford the ultra-deluxe-fanboy edition) and The Jack Vance Reader, both from Subterranean Press.
Not the most recent books bought, but most recently delivered. I had ordered them a while back, but it looks like Subterranean is doing a lot of printing this summer!
Posted by Fred Kiesche on Thursday June 26, 2008 at 8:26 PM at 8:26 PM