ARCs

Robin Agnew

Since we're a bookstore (and I also write a newsletter with book reviews) we get a ton of ARCs.  Many of them are from publishers but the occasional author sends one, or a PR person will mail us one.  My favorite box, though, comes from our St. Martin's rep.  It's usually loaded with good stuff.

I was thinking about why it's so exciting to get ARCs.  Since we own a bookstore, it's sadly become a little easy to get jaded about books.  They're everywhere I look it seems - where I work and where I live - so the thrill seems to be gone.  But I'm still a voracious reader, so I think ARCs are special because it's the true thrill of the unknown (or sometimes, the awaited return of the familiar).

The most recent box from St. Martin's was a big one and my husband called me from the store to tell me I had something to look forward to when I got to work the next day. When I got in the next morning, I noticed there was a stack of fresh ARCs on top of our desk (and that's not easy to notice as our desk is not exactly clutter free), but looking at them I thought they were books my husband had picked out to read.  We have pretty different taste, though scouting through his stack I noticed there was a new Michael Gruber title, so I snatched that one.

My pile got alarmingly large as I went through the box.  I found a new Sharyn McCrumb - a new ballad book, by heaven!; the winner of the annual Malice Domestic contest (I'm reading that one right now, it's excellent); an historical by an author I'd noticed was nominated for an Agatha; and a book by Ed Lin, who I'd heard at Bouchercon and who sounded intriguing.

I couldn't tote them all home, of course, so I squirreled some away but I picked the Ed Lin and the Malice Domestic winner to bring home with me.  The Malice Winner, by Gerrie Finger and titled The End Game, is very good so far (I'm about half way through).  I had earlier in the week begun another book sent by an author as a teaaser, which I'm also enjoying.  That's Ken Mercer's Slow Fire.

The next day my husband called from the store, and he sounded desperate.  "Where's that Michael Gruber book?" he wanted to know.  I had to fess up.  The reading thrill is still there for both of us, then.  And now, back to my copy of The End Game...

Comments

[Martha McKee]

LOVE Sharon McCrumb, so am delighted to hear she has a new ballad book out.
Just finished "The Tenderness of Wolves," by Stef Penney - great read.