Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Just Some Observations


Yesterday Amazon breathlessly informed me that a YOODGE number of best selling books would be on sale for Kindle at up to 85 % off. Well what could I do? -- having been given a gift card for Christmas, it seemed a good chance to pick up some bargains.


There were 33 pages of bargains to scroll through and I came away with some impressions: there are an amazing number of different series about romance amongst the Amish, always with a demure, bonneted Amish girl on the cover; and there are quite a few other series that feature bare-chested, muscled- to- the- max men on the covers. 

I wonder if there's any crossover in readership? Or if there might be a place for a novel in which the modest Amish miss meets the brawny, bare-chested Scot who has just been dropped into her farmyard by way of a time warp?



There are also any number of book titles of this ilk: The Ditchdigger's Daughter, The Silk Merchant's Sister, The Watchmaker's Wife . . . and so on. (I suppose the intention is to show an unregarded woman finding an identity of her own. ) I'm toying with the idea of the The Seal Wyf's Sister's Second Cousin Once-Removed.

And there were vampires and Jane Austen knock-offs and any number of  thrillers and sweet stories and series set in twee little locations with twee little names.

So what did I end up purchasing? Spider Woman's Daughter (!)  -- a continuation of the Leaphorn and Chee series that I dearly love - by Tony Hillerman's daughter. Also three James Bond books (I'm a little embarrassed about this but in spite of the arrant sexism, paternalistic racism, and constant product placement, I still enjoy reading Bond.) And The Door in the Hedge -- stories by Robin McKinley -- fantasy, YA stuff.

I'll let you know how they are. . .


12 comments:

estaminet said...

I've read The Door in the Hedge to pieces. The title story is dreamy and satisfying, but it was the reselling of the princess and the frog that grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. Enjoy!

katy gilmore said...

Books for the new year - yay for you! xo

Ms. A said...

I'm laughing at your idea!

Merisi said...

Interesting discoveries! ;-)

My kids got me a K for Christmas. Still not have had the time to look into it. Too many real books already on my to-be-read shelf.

Btw, "Go Set a Watchman" may well end up being my favorite book of 2015.

Stella Jones said...

The James Bond books are very well written I think. I particularly enjoyed Dr. no.

Anvilcloud said...

Working amazon.ca not .com, I guess I didn't get that email. Even if I had, however, I likely wouldn't have had the resolve to sort through the offers -- lazy slob that I am.

NCmountainwoman said...

I have never heard of the Leaphorn and Chee series and was blown away by the number of them that have been written. I admit that with a few exceptions for authors like Stephen King I am very skeptical of authors who turn out so many books, especially about the same heroes. But perhaps I will give one of these a try. I really like Tony Hillerman so perhaps I will also like his daughter's writing.

I spent so much time looking for selections from the Kindle Readers Lending Library every month that I simply gave up. In spite of all the titles, I could not find anything I wanted to read that I had not already read. So I gave up on it. They should call it "So many books, so little to read."

Don't know if you have read Wiley Cash but I highly recommend "A Land More Kind Than Home" which is on Kindle sale for $1.99. Great writing, great story.

If you watch "Good Wife" or are otherwise a fan of Alan Cumming, you can get his relatively new biography "Not my Father's Son" on Kindle for $1.99. I found it interesting.

I always look forward to your reviews.

Diotima Mantineia said...

I think Anne Hillerman is doing a wonderful job keeping the Leaphorn/Chee series going, and I love that she is writing more from Bernadette's POV.

Also, the bonneted Amish woman with the muscular Scot dropped into her farmyard is a great idea, but it lacks one important plot point -- the Scot (or the woman) must be either a werewolf or a vampire....

Frances said...

Vicki, I am still surrounded by books I want to read, and have yet to have any interest in a Kindle. (Also have no smartphone.)

I think that Amish girl/swashbuckler tale might just benefit from a few kittehs, dogs and a friendly chicken.

Happy New Year! xo

Barbara Rogers said...

More books, and combinations of characters and settings! Always a good thing!

Jime said...

I have read SPIDER WOMAN'S DAUGHTER and really liked it. You can read the genes coming through to Anne Hillerman. My taste for spy novels runs along the dark soul of man. John Le Carrie.

Lee said...

If you haven't read, TOO BAD TO DIE then order that also. It is fiction about a real event and Ian Fleming who happens to be there. Also, if you get Netflix, watch "Fleming, the Man who would be Bond."It is wonderful! I too have read SPIDER WOMAN'S DAUGHTER and I am so glad a Hillerman is back reporting on the Indians of the Southwest. Now I have to get the short story YA book.