Cover Snapshot of Read Books

Sara's bookshelf: read

Crazy Little Thing
A Kiss at Midnight
The Disenchanted Widow
Hollywood Wives - The New Generation
There Goes the Bride
Table for Five
Do Not Disturb
The Husband's Secret
The Ugly Duchess
Help for the Haunted
The Power Trip
Flawless
The Haunting of Maddy Clare
Fame
Summer At Willow Lake
Barefoot
Every Crooked Nanny
The Mystery Woman
The Woodcutter
How to Be an American Housewife


Sara's favorite books »

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

E-Reader Free Sample Addiction


This year I had trouble choosing a book for my book club and I turned to my Kindle to download some free book samples to help me make my choice. I found several book snippets that sounded as though they had promise only to let me down once I started reading. I went through countless samples, reading chapter after chapter in search of that next great book club find… to no avail. And after each sample disappointment, I would go back to the kindle store in search of another free sample. I soon realized that I am a Try-A-Sample Addict! Oh the savvy book marketers – they make sure those first chapters are engaging with spark but they haven’t followed through to ensure the fire continues through the middle to the conclusion.

Books that I explored for my book club included Earls at The Supremes All You can Eat (perhaps I love the authors story better than the book). I really wanted to like this Southern novel but the sample did not speak to me. I also sampled The Pilgrimage of Harold Frye which was a little serious for my taste. And so I continued to download MORE samples…

“Try a Sample” tried for my Book Club:
  • A Hundred Summers,
  • Whistling Past the Graveyard,
  • The Scent of Rain and Lightning,
  • Tell the Wolves I’m Home,
  • The Drowning House,
  • Fin & Lady,
  • Beautiful Day,
  • From the Kitchen of Half Truth,
  • The Golem and the Jinni,
  • The Engagements,
  • The Witch of Little Italy

Yep, confirmed, a Try-A-Sample Addict! I did actually purchase and read a few of the books that I tried. Although, sadly, I believe that all this try before you buy took my book club choosing mojo away. Which leaves me wondering, are the Try a Samples a hindrance or a value add to the book reading experience? What are your thoughts?