Wednesday, February 24, 2010

A personal pet peeve - re-prints publicized as new releases

I have a pet peeve about the publishing industry that I need to vent about for a minute. I’m not sure if the publishers are to blame or the authors or maybe it’s a combination of the two. In any case, here is my pet peeve, which looking at Twitter over the last couple of days, I can’t be the only one noticing the issue – books being releases as “new releases” that are really reprints of old titles.

Over the last couple of months, I've received several emails announcing so-called "new" releases by some of my favorite authors. When I've looked at the title of the "new" release, I've realized that the book isn't a new release at all, but that it's a re-release of an old title.

This is frustrating because my hopes are raised that some of my favorite authors are about to release a new book, only to find, when I read the book’s description, that what is being released is something that I've already read and, in many cases, own. I’m sure that there are some out there who see an announcement about a book coming out from a favorite author and race out to buy this “new” release only to find when they get it home and start to read that it is something that they have already read. How frustrating for them!

I have found some books which were reprints that were worth getting although I had read the book before, when I borrowed it from the library originally, because the cover clearly stated that the book had “extended scenes never before in print” and when you compared the number of pages, you could see that there was obviously more material in the new release then in the original. That is rare though.

Maybe I’ve only been noticing this more because I have more time to spend looking at the emails from the online bookstores then I did in the past. Whatever the reason, this announcing a “new release” that is really as reprint of an old title is bothering me. In some cases, I can’t believe that I’m seeing this happening because the author is, in my opinion from watching the volume that is getting published and the ranking of the books getting published on the New York Times Bestseller List, very successful. Is the author really that greedy? Is it the publisher? I don’t know and really don’t care either, but I wish that they would be honest about whether a book is truly a “new release” when publicizing the upcoming release of a book that is truly a reprint. The old adage about “honesty being the best policy” is true.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Sony Reader Giveaway!!!



My friend and sorority sister,  Heather B., tweeted about a Sony Reader Giveaway that is being hosted by Army Wife over at A Yummy Mummy on a Pink Park Bench.  Now, I really want an  e-reader so if I see a giveaway, I am registering for it.

I wanted to let others know of this opportunity as well.

Good luck to all and thanks Army Wife for hosting this giveaway!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Review - The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

The Friday Night Knitting Club The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a good book and a quick read for me.  I was intrigued by the title since the reviews seemed to be pretty good and I belong to a knitting group.  I couldn’t put it down once I got into it.  It showed the power of women and the friendships that develop between them.
 
The characters were a little rough at times and I had a hard time with Georgia.  She seemed a bit too hard and unapproachable.  The rest of the characters were generally more likeable.  There were a couple of rough spots, but this book flowed fairly well.  The end was predictable though and sad.

I’d give this author another try.

View all my reviews >>

Review - Suite Française

Suite Française Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I found this book to be very interesting and sad.  I was drawn into the lives of the characters and the events that were occurring.  It is hard to believe that this is a work of fiction because Ms. Némirovsky did such a wonderful job of describing the events that were taking place around her.

What really got to me though was Ms. Némirovsky's story, which was at the end of the book.  I found this to be even more interesting and compelling than the story that she wrote.  I don't think that people can truly appreciate the story that she wrote and the circumstances that she was writing in unless they lived through that period of time.

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Saturday, February 6, 2010

Winter Storm 2010

Taken looking out of our back door.  There is about a ft of snow there and it's still falling.



Thursday, February 4, 2010

Government Girl: Young and Female in the White House

Government Girl: Young and Female in the White House Government Girl: Young and Female in the White House by Stacy Parker Aab


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I saw this on the Goodreads.com First Reads giveaways and thought that it sounded interesting for a memoir, especially from someone so young.

I enjoyed reading Ms. Aab’s book very much. It was interesting to see how she wove experiences from her childhood with her experiences as an intern, and later as a staffer, in the Clinton White House, although the transition between the two times was not always an easy one.

FTC Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book through a Goodreads.com First Reads giveaway.


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Eternal on the Water

Eternal on the Water Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I read the description for this book on the Barnes & Noble site as part of their First Look program, I thought that it sounded interesting and couldn’t wait to read it. I wasn’t disappointed. This was a very quick read for me because I couldn’t put it down. I got caught up in the story between the two main characters, Cobb and Mary, and in the scenery that Mr. Monninger describes in the book. I felt as if I was with them on their journey as a silent participant in all that they did.

This is a love story between two people who fall in love at first sight. Not everyone who read the book for the Barnes & Noble First Look group found this to be believable. I read this story and found it to be a beautifully written piece that shows us the possibility of what love has to offer us.

The story begins with Mary’s death and Cobb telling about their life together and how her death came about. I laughed with them on their adventures in Maine. I found myself swimming with them in Indonesia. I cried as I read about Mary’s illness getting worse and how she dies at the end.

FTC Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reading Copy of this book as part of the Barnes & Noble First Look program.

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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Tuesday Teaser - Eternal on the Water

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.


To participate, do the following:
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

"But Mary and I heard them in the late morning three days after we had arrived.  They poured down the river, a dozen or more green canoes, a few female rangers with them."

p. 142 of Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger