Wednesday 29 April 2009

Buy This Book -- It Looks Great!

Now, I don't do this often, but I've been hearing wonderful things about The Silver Phoenix and I'm itching to read it. And there is just the tiniest chance that I might get to do that for free: the author is generously offering to give away copies, and all I have to do is put a link to her book on my blog. She says she'll send the copies anywhere, even overseas!

Take it from me: not that many people will send free books overseas, and when they do, I take them up on it.

Just mention the words 'free books' and my palms start sweating. I've been lucky with free books this past year. First of all, Robin sent me her book, an irreverent take on child psychiatry, and six months later, I managed to win another wonderful book, Tim Tharp's The Spectacular Now, from Tabitha. Then Tanita, another fine writer, sent me a whole box of books that sadly never made it to me, but I'm still very touched that she did this. When I'm feeling especially depressed, I try not to picture Tanita's box of treasures moldering in some Turkish post office, gathering dust. Or maybe by now it's been ripped open and the contents used as -- never mind. Both Robin's and Tabitha's books arrived safely. I probably won't win Cindy's, but I'll give it a plug anyway because you never know.

And it sounds like it's more than worthy of a plug. In fact, this book sounds like it's made for my family and me. It's got an Asian theme, and we do Asian around here; it's got a strong girl protagonist, and we do strong girl protagonists. It's got adventure in it, and I'm seriously into anything with adventures. Finally, I am told that there are also lots of food references, so this is right up my street.

So buy this book. If I don't win it, I'll buy it myself, and if a cheapskate like me says she'll buy a book, maybe you should too.

StumbleUpon.com

9 comments:

Travis Erwin said...

I plan to pick up my copy on Friday. gotta wait for payday.

Charlie said...

Here are the details of the book from Amazon.com:

Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of XiaThe book is classified as young adult, so it should be a good choice for all of you.

Mary Witzl said...

Travis -- Yay, good for you!

We've just had payday here. And just in case we ended up with more money than we needed, we also had medical expenses, more car trouble (serious, too), and a whopping great electricity bill. Ain't life swell?

But even if I get this for free, I'm going to buy it. Somebody will need a Christmas present...

Charlie -- I'm so embarrassed: I was supposed to put in the link and the classification too.

Off to hide my blushes...

Eryl said...

You missed your calling Mary, you should have gone into advertising! You've convinced me anyway, I will buy it for my two 'young adult' reading nieces.

kara said...

i don't do books anymore. not after this last move.

brendan does though. mainly because i can't physically stop him. yet.

but if he gets it and i don't...i get to read it AND give him crap about filling up our floor space with YET ANOTHER book.

the end.

angryparsnip said...

Love all the themes you wrote the book has but the food one is the best, I think that is why I kept reading " A Year in Provence" any book that has the first sentence..."The Year Began with lunch" has got to be good !

Hope you win the book, I'm off to look it up.

Leigh Russell said...

Hi Mary - how would you like to be my Marketing Director? This exciting opportunity involves you promoting my book throughout the worldwide blog. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, completely unpaid... Alternatively, you could visit the Bookroast where my book is featured today. Who knows, you might win a free copy of it. Cut Short is the first in a series of UK crime thrillers - check out my blog for details, if you're interested.

Mary Witzl said...

Eryl -- Honestly, I had a tough time selling Girl Scout cookies to people with the munchies. But an Asian adventure story with a feisty girl protagonist is my kind of story, especially when you throw in the phrase 'free book'.

Kara -- After our last move, I almost swore off books myself. After the 50th box, just the sight of more books made me ill. But if I get this book, I'll read it, then all my kids, then everyone at work, then I'll read it again -- and donate it to the local volunteer library. Believe me, I'll get full value out of that free book. Cross your fingers for me.

AP -- I completely agree! I've just finished a book that was great, but I felt so cheated: all through the book, many a meal was mentioned, but there was not ONE description of any of the food. No savory cheese-and-onion dip with wholemeal bread; no salads with oily black olives, fresh tomatoes and basil; no pesto and broiled red pepper cous cous...you get the picture. It almost ruined the book for me.

Leigh -- I'm always on the lookout for more ways to procrastinate, so I'll be back to Chris' blog to look at your book! I'd have commented earlier, but got interrupted by my teenagers, who feel that blogging is a less worthy activity than baking cookies or going on Sporcle with them.

Robin said...

I've got a Kindle now, and it's pathetically easy to order stuff onto it. I'm going over to Amazon right now. (I know you have really good taste in books, because you liked mine. Ho. Ho. Ho.)