Book business

[lizbee]

I had to go to Sydney for work -- I was in the city for less than 20 hours, and it turns out that traveling for work is not quite as glam as I have always imagined, and I didn't even get enough free time for a walk to Circular Quay to gawk at the Opera House. (I am seriously thinking of being outrageously extravagant and flying up for a weekend over the summer. I lived in Sydney as a small child, but have only been back a couple of times since, and don't tell Melbourne, but I like it a lot.)

Anyway, I put Stalin down for the trip and instead embarked on my latest reread of the Benjamin January series. And realised, for the first time, the significance of the thanks to Octavia Butler in the endnotes: the reason the series is so good at capturing Black history -- despite being written by a white woman -- is that Hambly had one hell of a sensitivity reader.

In the hour I wasn't working or sleeping, I ate some outstanding tacos, and then decided I had just enough time for a flying visit to Kinokuniya. I knew from their website that they had a YA novel I've had my eye on for a while, which is otherwise very hard to get in Australia, and they had the sequel. So I jumped on a train, went one stop, did not get lost in the labyrinthine subterranean mall (one of the things I like about Sydney is that it goes down as well as up), and found my way to Kinokuniya, where my book was waiting for me.

It had. The smallest print. I have ever seen. I have okay eyesight for a myopic forty-year-old, but I could hardly read this. I mean, if you want to stop adults from reading YA, this is the way to do it.

And, of course, I had no time for a leisurely browse to find something else, so I left empty-handed. A sad story.

(The AU Kindle store has the first book in the duology, but not the sequel, so I'm holding off for now.)

Back to Stalin for the time being, but I got a Nigerian boarding school novel from the library on the weekend, that will be my reward.

Comments

[cathyw]

I have been reading Benjamin January longer than I probably would have realized the significance of who Octavia Butler is - I found it from an interest in historical New Orleans and later realized I knew some of the author's fantasy writing. WOW.

[kerravonsen]

Yes, travelling for work is not glam; it can be quite tedious. One could start building up a collection of "airports I have known", because that is what you see the most of. At least you didn't have to travel standby.

[jamethiel]

Travelling for work remains the worst. All of the disadvantages of work (needing to appear professional, etc.) with none of the comforts of home. The only thing I can recommend is to research thoroughly before you go, take yourself out to a nice restaurant, and make contact with any friends you have in the city.