I pre-ordered my copy of Murakami's 1Q84 in April. (I've been waiting for it since 2009, but it's hardly a bookstore's fault that the book wasn't available in America until October 25, 2011.) I woke up on Tuesday, the morning of its release date, like a little kid on Christmas Day. "Today!" I thought. "My book is coming today! When I get home from school it will be there, wrapped in all its brown paper glory, waiting for me to cut the clear cellophane tape and be the first one to gently crack its binding!"
Mid-morning I received an email from amazon.com telling me that my book was shipped that day. Tuesday, October 25, was the day it was to be shipped, not the day it was to arrive.
Silly me. In my haste, I had assumed the release date was synonymous with the I'll-actually-get-to-hold-it-in-my-hands date.
So, anxiously, I waited. I waited Tuesday. I waited Wednesday. I waited Thursday. On Friday, there was a box by my front door. A big box. A really big box which was far wider and longer than I knew the edition of Murakami's new book to be. Puzzled, I opened it up to discover 1Q84. But not in the shape I'd expected.
Was it shrink wrapped? No.
Was it in a box within which it snugly fit? No.
Was the semi-transparent book jacket all mangled and torn and bunched at the bottom of the book? Yes.
But, even those reasons aren't sufficient enough to cause my distress.
The reason comes as a genuine shock to me. I've finally reached the point in my life where 925 pages are too cumbersome to hold. Having accustomed myself to reading on my NOOK, with pages which easily turn at the flick of my thumb, and fonts which easily enlarge to the size I need with or without my glasses, I suspect I have left the days of thick, hardcover books behind.
Which saddens me in a way.
Until I think that from now on, I can order e-books from Barnes and Noble which will come to me immediately, not to mention unscathed. Or, I can read ones which have already been mangled by the public library.
I no longer need to wait for, nor pay, amazon.com to do it for me.
I'm waiting for a book I pre-ordered as well that was also released on October 23. Like you, I was thinking it would be on my doorstep on the 23rd.
ReplyDeleteBoo.
I just hope mine isn't mangled! I've never had that happen before.
As for the 952 pages - well, that is heavy. I've got one of those in hardcover I've been putting off reading, even though I want to read the book.
Lckily I went to take a look at the book at the store a day after its release and found the novel to be heavy and cumersome. I then came home and ordered it on Kindle. At half the price and 1/5th weight!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure, but B&N may do the same thing, at least with regard to the shipping date. I could be wrong about this, but I'd like to hope that at least the book would arrive in pristine condition. But feel free to support my employer (B&N) as often as you'd like. I really want to keep my job and will be really angry if Amazon takes over the entire book world! And, yes, I'm an Amazon Associate, but I think I made a whopping $10 this past quarter. So not worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I started 1Q84 just on a whim to see what all the fuss is about. I've never read Murakami. I think I've been intimidated by his works. But let me tell you I can not put this book down! I'm on Chapter 3 and I'm completely enraptured. Thank you, Bellezza, for sharing your enthusiasm for this author's amazing talent. I do so hope you can enjoy the book, in spite of its physical flaws.
xoxo
Becca, while I no longer expect the pre-ordered book to arrive faster than I can get my butt to our local bookstore I do expect to arrive in good shape! I'm glad you can sympathize with the heft of 900+ pages. While I never, ever thought I'd prefer an e-reader over the real deal when it comes to these monster sized books I'm caving in. Gone are the days when holding Bleak House, Atlas Shrugged or even Gone With the Wind seemed insignificant.
ReplyDeleteHarvee, isn't it wonderful to have such a low prize and such a light weight? Add to those two factors the font and ease of portability, and I can see why e-readers have taken off.
ReplyDeleteLes, you thrill my heart with your new found affection for Murakami! I warn you to 'suspend your disbelief'...just go where he takes you. I don't always understand exactly where that is, but I enjoy the journey. He's so multi-layered with his characters, their personalities, and the story itself. I think one of the many reasons I love his work so much is because I can relate to the sense of being isolated that he seems to express. That, of course, is a topic for a whole other post. Suffice it to say I'm thrilled beyond belief that you're reading 1Q84, and I hope we can discuss it whenever it is that we both finish it. XOXO!
ReplyDeleteOh no! That's dreadful. And mine has to fly across the ocean. I really hope it doesn't come all smooshed up like that.
ReplyDeleteI am not looking forward to the weight of the thing. I'm starting to understand partially why they have split it into 2 books in the UK rather then one! But oh well, the US version is prettier.
However, I have discovered that it is actually cheaper to buy the American copy of the book and pay £5 postage, then it would have been for me to buy the ebook of the first 2 parts.
It cost me £16 in total to buy the American hardback which includes all 3 parts. And it would cost me £16 to buy the ebook of only the first two parts.
So I might have to get myself a winch so I can read 1Q84 without breaking my wrists!
Les, I'm glad to hear of anyone discovering Murakami and enjoying him! Like Bellezza I agree, you just have to yourself go where he takes you. I love that freedom about Murakami.
Anyway... they say 18th December but I can't believe that I'll have to wait that long. I am also surprised they did not mail it out so that you would have received it on the day it was released. They did that when a new Harry Potter book was released. Perhaps because they knew if they didn't it would have caused quite an uproar!
I totally understand your distress regarding the arrival of your book. Amazon also bought bookdepository who offered free shipping; now they stil ldo that but all books are at least 2-3 euros more expensive than they used to be. I am seriously considering buying an e-reader since it kills me to wait and see if the book is going to arrive or not...
ReplyDeleteHi Bellezza, my experience with Amazon.co.uk, was slightly different, it arrived on the 26th & I had an email I think on the 24th telling me it had be dispatched. It came not via standard mail but by some alternate carrier, so well wrapped I was wondering if Murakami would have finished another book by the time I unwrapped it & I'm immaculate condition. Although I agree with you on size, have considered getting E-copies for work as would be easier than toting around a king-size bed of a book.
ReplyDeleteI've had my Kindle awhile now & love it but it hasn't stopped me buying Solids, which I still love.
I think you can probably find fault with every company. I started using Book Depository almost exclusively this year and 3 books arrived damaged. I haven't ordered anything lately because I have to decide what is the lesser of the evils. My local book store chain charges a crazy price for shipping of pre-ordered books, Amazon books always seem to arrive slow to the point where I have had to email asking where they are, and then Book Depository has lead to damaged books.
ReplyDeleteAs to this book, I also wouldn't be crazy about the size of it after getting used to my e-reader, so I would probably want it as an e-book when I decide to read it.
Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear about your book being in horrible condition. I know another blogger bought the same book this week from an indie bookseller and almost every copy was in bad condition.
ReplyDeleteI know I'm probably pass reading heavy copies of fiction reads. I just can't do it. I'll read non-fiction chunksters only because I take extensive notes. H
I have never had a problem with anything I have ordered from Amazon...and I order tons...it might just have been a weird thing that happened...one of my friends bought that book at Barnes and Noble and had to dig though 6 copies to find a perfect one...is the book just to big to stack?
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ReplyDeleteoh my goodness! I'm surprised you didn't get the book on the release date, because I've got pre-ordered books on the release date before. Either way, a torn and mangled book is so not right! I hope you were able to return it to them and that they gave you your money back.
ReplyDeleteThat's awful - and timely, as I'd just opened Amazon.co.uk (free shipping to Australia at present) to check some prices in another tab. I'm sorry you didn't get 1Q84 on time. Hope it won't put you off the book - it really is stunning.
ReplyDeleteThis is terrible. Have you contacted them? I ordered the Harry Potter boxed set off Book Depository and it arrived damaged. I emailed them and they refunded half the price. Made me feel a little better.
ReplyDeleteI agree this is a massive book! I am wondering if I'll be able to carry it on the train to work next week... probably not ;)
Ordering anything to be delivered leaves me anxious until I see it. I think I would've been devesated to received a damaged book I was really keen to see. As for Murakami - just love his work - but I have a phobia of big books - so I think I will have to go for an ebook on this one (except Australian publishing laws often prevent ebooks here)..... its a wait'n'see thing.
ReplyDeleteOh no :-( Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience. I hope that the book is good enough to make you forget all these problems.
ReplyDeleteugh. what a pain. sorry you had that experience.
ReplyDeleteI'm still waiting for my copy to arrive from Powell's but they are usually very good about wrapping things in plastic to a piece of cardboard so that they don't get wrecked. Amazon used to be good about that (and getting things to you on release day). Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading 1Q84 but not to holding it!
ReplyDeleteSorry about the bad Amazon experience. I actually pre ordered the Kindle edition of this one and it was on my Kindle when I woke up the morning of its release. (I can't hold heavy books for long periods of time either.
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