Sunday 9 October 2016

Kindle Samples - A Sneak Peek

When I saw Carly from Writing from the Tub doing "Kindle Sample Reviews" (click here to check it out!), I loved it. I download Kindle Samples on my iPhone (never one my kindle. I like to keep the my eBooks and my sample separate. Plus, I'm more likely to read Kindle Samples in bed as I use my phone as my alarm) and I do this when I am uncertain of a book. Or as a reminder to myself that I want to buy this.

But where this post and Carly's post differs is that Carly reviewed and I won't. Like I said, I download them to remind me to buy the book/ebook or because I am uncertain if I will like it. Usually, once I have read the sampler (or half. Or ever the first few pages), I delete it. I mean, until very recently, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Puley and Hide by Matthew Griffin had been living on there for quite some time, as did The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (all of which, I now own). 

But I love this idea. So, I decided I wanted to show you guys some of the samples I have on my iPhone Kindle App. Not all, but some. Just to show you guys some of my reading taste, me experiencing with books and stories, almost in the same way as I did with my NetGalley Declined Requests posts (click here and here to check them out!). Like I said in my reading taste post a few weeks back (ta-dah!), I wanna read more

Ok, time for show and tell. Only going to show you five samples so... 

WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
I know this is online and is a video (will put it under this tiny write up) but I saw this a few weeks/months ago and I keep forgetting to buy it. Now, I believe I'm a feminist (I hope I am!), but I say believe as I don't feel I fully understand feminism. I believe in equality, but I personally feel that to get a better understanding of this, I should read stories, essays, see the world around me. I will fight for equality. I try my hardest. But that doesn't mean I should take what I have for granted. I need to check my privilege, keep learning and keep fighting. 
EDIT: Since writing this, I have purchase and read this essay. Review for this will be coming up in November-time. But is good. Highly recommend it. 


PRIESTESS OF THE WHITE by Trudi Canavan
Tiny confession. I audiobooked an abridged version of this trilogy YEARS ago. Can't tell you anything about the series - I have made it a rule now that if I am going to audiobook something, get it unabridged. But even though I can't remember anything about this story as a whole, I remember loving the world that Trudi created. It's a fantasy that tackled issues that I don't see that often int he fantasy books I read: religion, magic, culture, race. I've always said I will return to this series and read them. I sense I will enjoy myself HUGELY when I do...

THE LADYKILLER by Marina Cole
Ok, this is a tiny cheat. This is an audiobook sampler. The first chapter is available to download from Audible.co.uk. Now, the only reason I downloaded this is because I'm thinking of reading Martina's newest novel, Betrayal, when it comes out later this month, and I wanted to see if I could get use to her style. I read her once YEARS ago - The Know, if I remember right - and I found it gripping (and terrifying. There's one moment that involved a kettle full of boiling water which chills my blood everytime I think about it!) and I'm hoping listening to this sampler will get me in the mood for Martina's brutal writing style.
EDIT: I listened to sampler as I wrote this post. Nope. Not going to audiobook this. I am not a fan of the narrator and I'm not sure I'm going to enjoy the subject matter this book is gonna tackle... But at least I tried!


THE BONE GARDEN by Tess Gerritsen
I seem to have a lot of crime samplers on my iPhone, but I have a soft spot in my heart for Tess Gerritsen and Kathy Reichs. These two were my first "adult" crime authors I read. With Tess, I read Body Double and with Kathy, Bones to Ashes. I haven't read so much of either author lately (I have several Kathy Reichs I need to read in my TBR!) but this title seems to catch my eye. A standalone thriller that primarily takes place in the 1830s and, while giving us medical practices and body snatching (which, back then, sounds terrifying compare to modern medicine) but we also have a serial killer on the loose - the West-End Reaper.

I sense I will be getting this before the year is through. Am very tempted to get audiobook...

VALENTINA by S. E. Lynes
I don't know much about this book. No, I don't think I know ANYTHING about this book. I just keep seeing the beautiful cover on Twitter and keep saying to self "I need to investigate this. I have to find out more about this book.". So, when I saw it on Amazon, I downloaded sampler without reading the synopsis. So, I am still very much in the dark over this story, but I sense it will be a story that will keep me on the edge of my seat... Hopefully... Maybe I should do my homework on this book before I go any further...

A STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN by Roshani Chokshi
Another book I keep seeing on Twitter and YouTube, which sounds very up my street. With influences from Hindi mythology and a possible Hades/Persephone retelling, this sounds something I can devour. And plus, that cover looks gorgeous! So gorgeous, I just discover you can download a sampler of the first 5 chapters to wet your appetite... *downloads*

Now, let's have a tak. What samplers are on your Kindle or your Kindle App? Is there any that I have to investigate myself? Leave a comment here on the blog, send me a tweet or leave a comment on the blog's Facebook page. All the links are on the side or you can find all my social media outlets on the "Find Me" button on the top of the blog! 

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