Amazon Gift Card Purchases, Daleks and Wil Wheaton

Once upon a time I had a crush on Wil Wheaton. I was twelve, it was Star Trek: The Next Generation, can you blame me?

Anyhow, back then they used to have ridiculous teen magazines like Tiger Beat (they probably still have these, but I bet they're even more vacuous and less cutesy-cheesy than they were in the '80s), and in the back, there would be advertisements for send-away signed photos of film and tv stars and musicians.

One day, I begged my father for 5$ (or some other such niggling sum) to send away for a signed photo of Wil Wheaton. I got the money, sent the form, and never received a photo.

Nowadays, there's no need for that sort of thing. Neil Gaiman wrote to me on tumblr, and here's Wil Wheaton, posting a photo that might as well be the equivalent of the one I sent away for:

(photo from Wil's tumblr)

I think I'll send him the link to this post - who knows what might happen? After all, Wil collates paper. What's that line - "your argument is irrelevant".

Continuing the entertainment theme, here is a Dalek Relaxation Tape:


And now, back to books. I was very fortunate to win a 100$ Amazon gift card a while ago from author Nina Jade Singer. Woo!

Also a long time ago - about a year or two after the Wil Wheaton photo disappointment actually - I was given 100$ for my birthday, and made a trip to HMV to purchase a few of the albums and singles I'd been hankering after. I still have that bill somewhere. 100$ goes quickly, I must say. I remember getting lots of Oasis, Radiohead, The Stone Roses, and the like.

Anyhow, here's what I got from Amazon
(unfortunately they charge shipping to Canada, so instead of c.8-9 books, I could only get 5):

The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell by Lilian Jackson Braun (a birthday gift for my mother, but I'm looking forward to reading it too!):


The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz (ostensibly a birthday gift for my father, but I'm definitely going to read this one):


Coraline by Neil Gaiman (because I'm still in that happy stage where I have lots more new-to-me Neil to discover):


World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks (because I read it and loved it (especially the part about the royal family) and it's the perfect birthday gift for my sister):


The Faith of the Faithless by Simon Critchley (as reviewed on Full Stop by Michael Schapira):


What would you purchase with a 100$?

Comments

He is so cute, no wonder you had a crush on him.
S.P. Bowers said…
Congrats and enjoy the books!

$100 to spend on books...I'm drooling. I'd definitely buy Sarah Eden's books, A Monster Calls, The Book Thief, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Those would start me off.
Unknown said…
It's weird to see wil wheaton so young! Nice haul you got there, $100 for books would be amazing . I wouldnt know where to begin! I'd probably get the song of ice and fire series, and some Brandon Sanderson novels.
Nas said…
I also have the same problem as you- have to pay more on shipping and not enough books to satisfy myself!
Kate said…
OMG, I had such a huge crush on Wil Wheaton. I'm convinced that he is the reason I am such a huge sci-fi geek now. Love sci-fi. :)
Anonymous said…
Happy reading. I'd go through my wish list and buy as many ebooks as possible with $100.

I remember those magazines. I like how I can gaze at pictures online rather than wait to buy a magazine.
Have you seen Wil Wheaton play himself on The Big Bang Theory? He's hilarious as Sheldon's nemesis. And have you seen the new TV version of Sherlock Holmes on Masterpiece Mystery? (You can see it on PBS.) It's really good.
They should have Amazon for Canada, like they do for the UK. Then you wouldn't have to pay so much for shipping.
Anonymous said…
That Dalek tape is amazing. I have an autographed Wil Wheaton photo somewhere. I think I tweeted it one time, but I'll have to scan it again.
Deniz Bevan said…
Thanks everyone!

I'm glad I'm not alone, Kate :-)

Ooh, I hope you do scan it, Joshua!