Wallaceblogging: About to get slightly more interesting.

Guess what I'm going to pick up today!!!!! After all the fuss about a Certain Book's release on April 15 to coincide with Classical (Not In 2011) Tax Day -- because some of the book takes place at an IRS branch office, if I'm not mistaken -- the release date seems to be less of an embargo and more of a guideline, really.

(I am under the impression that you actually have until April 18th this year, but -- and let me make this completely clear -- I am not an accountant and you should seek the services of a competent financial professional before you trust some lady with a blog. Also don't sue me, all I have are books and a talking Jimmy McMillan doll to my name.)

It's kind of a funny story how I came to preorder my copy. I was hanging out on Twitter, reading the usuals, and Matt Bucher (who runs the DFW mailing list [of course that's a thing {I mean, what do you subscribe to, philistine}]) tweeted about an indie bookstore near my apartment that was broadcasting that it Had Copies. I haven't declared any allegiance to a bookstore since I moved, but buying in my neighborhood appealed to me -- and being able to get it before pub date was a bonus.

Not only did the bookstore tweet at me when my copy came in, they also left me an old-school voicemail. Twenty-first-century handselling... What's not to love? I'll tell you all about my new great store after I have visited it and claimed The Precious. Also, apparently this is all something of a cluster because Amazon started shipping before it was supposed to, which (excuse the hackneyed) makes me wonder -- Do you have to pay extra for an embargo? Does it cost more to tell online and brick-and-mortar bookstores "Hey, please put this out on Such-and-such date but don't sell it until then"? One would think so but maybe a bookstore employee, or friend-of, can provide more insight.

Incidentally, the PALE KING hard copy price will be the most I have spent so far on my David Foster Wallace, ah, hobby, the total outlay up to this point looking something like this:

• $10 Tenth anniversary edition of INFINITE JEST (purchased during the 10th-anniversary year, 2006, and unread for three years after)
• ??$2-3 library fines on his various other books, those I have not received as gifts 
• $28 Enfield Tennis Academy shirt 

Given that the shirt was unnecessary (though nice to have... very) I will go ahead and pat myself on the back for the relative inexpensiveness of this passion.

Finally, I enjoyed this piece on the accidental synchronicity of THE PALE KING and the final touring days of LCD Soundsystem.