There is something called Black Friday in the United States that, I have to admit, I don’t fully understand and have never experienced. The closest we have in Canada is Boxing Day sales but since crowds pushing and shoving to save a few dollars are not my idea of a good time, I haven’t experienced that either. Internet sales, on the other hand, I can deal with and I’m not above taking advantage of sales aimed at the US that are open to me (and everybody else) too. Especially if the sales are about crazy cheap books. My book-reading eyes are much, much bigger than my bank account so in addition to buying new and used, begging freebies and using the library, I also buy cheap books (whether this is good or not for the industry is another, very complicated question).
So when I got an e-mail in my inbox saying that fiction books that are already 50-90% off were going to be an additional 50% off (so that’s, uhm, hang on let me do the math … 75-94% off) during the Black Friday weekend (midnight November 27 to midnight December 1), I thought I would pass it along as well as taking advantage of it myself (yeesh, like I need any more books). Especially since there’s free shipping for orders over $35.
Now in the interests of full disclosure, if you visit through that link and happen to buy a book, I get a percentage which I put toward hosting costs. The books are ridiculously cheap, so I don’t get much but I thought I would disclose it. Being book readers and therefore smart sorts of people, I’m sure you would have figured it out without me, but why make you do that.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some shopping to do (I’d be my own best customer if that was allowed).
Posted in Linkage, Rambles |
I have been tempted, in the last few weeks, to send copies of Garner’s Modern American Usage to a number of television news anchors and reporters both here in Canada and in the US. I have taken to yelling at the television set (and yes, I know they can’t hear me) every time some reporter or talking head refers to Barack Obama’s win of the US election as “historical.” It’s historic, people. Historic. Not historical. They are not interchangeable adjectives. Historic means “famous or important in history.” Historical just means it happened in the past. All elections, once over, are historical but few are historic.
If it wasn’t for the fact that it’s my television, which I worked long and hard for and can’t afford to replace, the yelling would be followed by the throwing of a few usage guides and dictionaries (in my world they would zip right through the television screen and bonk said reporter or talking head square in the forehead). Alas, I haven’t quite broken with reality enough to think that my fantasy would actually come true.
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My interest is in story, whether it’s fictional or factual, whether it’s a book, a movie, or a radio play. In my family, we have stockings stuffed with various items. Some expensive (relatively), some cheap, some used, some new, and some free. My father is particularly hard to shop for. My parents are retired and for the most part have reached a point in their lives where they don’t “need” anything that they don’t have or can’t buy for themselves. My mother, at least, always has some ideas for what to get her if I can’t think of anything. But my dad always insists he doesn’t need anything and my mother and I keep telling him that one day he’ll get exactly what he asks for (we always manage to find something in the end).
Last year I tried something different. It didn’t cost me anything other than a bit of time, but it provided a few hours of entertainment for my dad and I thought I would share the idea with you in case you are looking for gift ideas, particularly ones that cost as close to $0 as you can get and still be entirely legal and ethical.
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I’ve found two book downloads for you this week: Night World: Secret Vampire by L.J. Smith and Message Stick by Laine Cunningham.
Simon & Schuster is allowing a download of Night World: Secret Vampire until December 21st. I haven’t opened my copy yet, but the amazon.com description
lists three stories and the download banner only mentions the first one so this may not be the complete book. But a free story is a free story and the rating for Secret Vampire
(which came out in 1996 as a stand alone book) is 5 stars with 85 reviews.
The other book I came across is Message Stick by Laine Cunningham. This is an Australian book that looks like it’s from a micro-press. It’s billed as a suspense novel. The description on the download page looks promising. There are aboriginal dreamtime stories incorporated into the book and the protagonist is a bi-racial aboriginal man who has lost touch with his roots (go read the description, it’s much more engaging than my synopsis of it).
As always, if you read one of these books please let me know what you thought (or send me the link to your review so I can post it).
It’s the holiday season for many people, so Hachette is having some of its popular 5-pack-o-books giveaways. And guess who gets to give some away? That’s right, little ‘ol me. This is the December giveaway, so it’s not the entertainment pack that some of you may have entered to win in November. These packs are a little different because you have a choice of 3 different sets of books themed around Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa. I’ll let the 5 winners pick whichever set they want — everyone gets their first choice.
The books in the three packs are listed below. You can click on the title or the cover to go check out the book on Hachette’s site. Scroll down past the books to see all the fine print about entering the giveaway (sorry, gotta have it).
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