Unexpected score

I've been lusting after The Art of Spirited Away since around Thanksgiving, which is right when I stumbled across a copy on the shelves at the New Braunfels Hastings. I intend to get it, but the $35 price is more than I usually have on me in the form of disposable income. So I usually fondle the book for a few minutes, flipping pages and admiring the gorgeous artwork within. The stills from the movie are gorgeous enough, but what really draws my attention are the watercolor-and-pencil illustrations of Miyazaki's reproduced in the book. Part storyboard, part concept art, there's a richness of texture and organic creativity in those simple images that simply grabs me and refuses to let go.

So yesterday I stopped by Half Price Books to look for a certain book Lisa has been wanting. As luck would have it, they actually had one in stock. But on my way to the checkout, something caught my eye. Mark Schilling's Princess Mononoke: The Art and Making of Japan's Most Popular Film of All Time for just $9.95, exactly the same lush, oversized hardback format as the Spirited Away book. Wow. It is simply gorgeous. And now I find out that it's the American version of the Japanese release The Art of Princess Mononoke, only it's been translated (naturally) and expanded with additional material. I've just barely scratched the surface, but already I'm dazzled. Not that I don't still lust after The Art of Sprited Away, but this does take some of the edge off of it.

I also picked up a CD of Johann Sebastian Bach's harpsicord concertos for Lisa, since she's a fan of the harpsicord and it always pays to keep the wife happy. Now, if I could only find a disc of Mozart's glass harmonica compositions, all would be right in the world...

Now Playing: Johann Sebastian Bach Harpsicord Concertos 1