Sample Saturday is when I wade through the eleventy billion samples I have downloaded on my Kindle. I’m slowly chipping away and deciding whether it’s buy or bye.
Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe
Why I have it: Because I enjoyed Love, Nina.
Summary: Nine-year-old Lizzie and her sister decide to contact, by letter, suitable men, for their divorcée mother (who has taken to bad playwriting and booze since separating from their father).
I’m thinking: Yes. Nina Stibbe makes me laugh.
The Vacationers by Emma Straub
Why I have it: No idea.
Summary: A two-week vacation with family and friends in Mallorca, to celebrate a Franny and Jim’s thirty-fifth wedding anniversary – what could possibly go wrong?
I’m thinking: No – currently ploughing through one of these mass-vacation stories and I’ve reached my limit.
Sixty Lights by Gail Jones
Why I have it: No idea.
Summary: The story of a girl who is fascinated by light and by photographic technology (which in Victorian times was considered whizz-bang).
I’m thinking: Probably. The description of the Australian heat in the opening chapter was wonderfully written. My hesitation? That cover…urgh.
I love Sample Saturday!! I should go back and look at all of my random samples.
I stopped impulse buying books… but started getting the sample chapters… and the sample chapters started clogging up my Kindle – I’d tried to have ‘sample chapter reading days’ where I’d read dozens of them and decide which books to buy and which to reject but honestly, it didn’t feel like a good use of concentrated reading time. Now I just read a couple of samples a week when I have five minutes to spare – I’m slowly getting through them!
Great idea! I have so many unread books on my Kindle. But what are you doing with your “no” books — are you deleting them? Or just putting them on the back burner for now (or forever)?
All the ‘books’ are just the free samples, so I’m deleting them as I go. If in the future I change my mind, I can always get the sample again… or actually buy the book!
I loved Gail Jones’ earlier novels including Sixty Lights although Sorry and Dreams of Speaking are better ;from memory). I read all three in quick succession. Her more recent one, Five Bells, just didn’t do it for me.
Interestingly, I’m still thinking about Sixty Lights – I really liked the writing. So I suspect the ‘probably’ has already turned into a ‘yes’.