Feeding the Beast - UK Edition

First, a little housekeeping.

My current book is (sort of) the George Carlin biography.  I know, I know I said I was next reading fiction.  But for reasons detailed below, I wanted a short, quick read and the fiction candidates were too damn long.

Also, I know you're on the edge of your seats, and I am getting close to selecting books for vacation.  I'm probably going to bring one "good" read and a quick read or two to read if I get through the "good" read.

OK, I blogged earlier about The Girl Who Played with Fire, the sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  As I indicated in the earlier post, the author, Stieg Larsson died in 2004 and never saw any of his books in print.  The thid book in the trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is set for release in late May 2010.

OR IS IT?

I was messing around last Thursday night on the computer, minding my own business with "Suitable for All Audiences" websites, when I learned that The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is available in England.  Hmmm, I say.  How much would such a book cost, and more importantly, how much would such a book cost to ship (or "post" as they apparently say over there)?  And where would one get such a book?

Answer:  Amazon UK!  I was even able to log on using my Amazon US username and password.  The book was available.  I bought two copies, one for me and one for a good friend.  With shipping, the total order for the two books cost 27.95 pounds.  That's somewhere around $46 for two copies (again, delivered to my door from freaking Great Britain).  Heck, cover price in the US will be $27.95 for the book!

I ordered the books last Friday and have been very (almost maniacally so) interested in the books' progress.  The package landed in Philly, PA some time this morning (TWO business days after the order), and is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.  That's just crazy.

There was a bit of a stir a few years ago when one of the Harry Potter books was available across the pond before it was available here.  I don't think there's going to be a stir about this, but if you're dying for the third book in the trilogy, you need not wait until the end of May 2010 to acquire a copy.

Live long, read and prosper.