There was a little flurry of interest in A Blonde Bengali Wife over December and January - a bit like the Edinburgh snow in fact: the endless quiet, grey skies suddenly fill with snow, it falls, keeps us busy for a day or two but normal service resumes pretty quickly.
A handful of people, some I know well, others I don't, wanted signed copies for Christmas. A couple more wrote to say they had downloaded it to their Kindle to read over the holiday period. It's always a little thrill to know that someone, somewhere might be reading it... but even if they buy it and use it as a doorstop or wasp-basher, it still means an extra handful of rice for the children in Bhola. Win-win!
I usually keep a few copies at home but suddenly realised I'd sent out the last one, and so I decided to go on to Amazon and buy one or two more - just in case. Of course I should have paid the full price and bought new ones, but I was intrigued to know where the marketplace ones were coming from: 'good condition, with some markings on the spine'; 'condition fair, ex-library copy with evidence of use' were two of the descriptions. In the end, I couldn't resist and bought three of them - the total postage cost more than the books.
It was fascinating to receive them. Yes, the ex-library copy showed signs of use - as both doorstop and wasp-basher. It was also shrivelled as if it had been in the bath. The mind was boggling and infuriatingly, it was impossible to tell from the front plate and shelf-mark which library had discarded it! I like to think that the one with 'some markings' had been lovingly read and passed on to the charity shop whose price sticker was on the back - several page corners were turned down and it looked as if it had been left upside down on a coffee table... And then, finally came the pristine, unread copy - which was signed by me, myself and I, dated October 2010. Clearly, it had been bought at the original book launch and never looked at since! Intriguing - who had had it? Do I know them? Was it a gift? (If it's you, please do write and tell me)
I'm now trying to resist all urges to buy the rest of the second-hand copies listed on Amazon...
Not sure really, what this post is saying, other than it's the obvious prelude to a shameless plug: please go on to Amazon or LL Publications and buy a copy. Or if you already have one (or did have one and gave it away) write a review of it, also on the Amazon site so that the ratings increase. After all... the children in Bhola will benefit - and you can't argue with that (see, shameless!!)
And whilst you're on Amazon, an excellent read is the newly published E-book A Second Chance? Written by Lucy James, a friend and ex-student of mine, it's a sort of 'thinking chick-lit' and is currently doing really well. And she's nearly finished her next one so you can look forward to a run of good reading...
Anne x
A handful of people, some I know well, others I don't, wanted signed copies for Christmas. A couple more wrote to say they had downloaded it to their Kindle to read over the holiday period. It's always a little thrill to know that someone, somewhere might be reading it... but even if they buy it and use it as a doorstop or wasp-basher, it still means an extra handful of rice for the children in Bhola. Win-win!
I usually keep a few copies at home but suddenly realised I'd sent out the last one, and so I decided to go on to Amazon and buy one or two more - just in case. Of course I should have paid the full price and bought new ones, but I was intrigued to know where the marketplace ones were coming from: 'good condition, with some markings on the spine'; 'condition fair, ex-library copy with evidence of use' were two of the descriptions. In the end, I couldn't resist and bought three of them - the total postage cost more than the books.
It was fascinating to receive them. Yes, the ex-library copy showed signs of use - as both doorstop and wasp-basher. It was also shrivelled as if it had been in the bath. The mind was boggling and infuriatingly, it was impossible to tell from the front plate and shelf-mark which library had discarded it! I like to think that the one with 'some markings' had been lovingly read and passed on to the charity shop whose price sticker was on the back - several page corners were turned down and it looked as if it had been left upside down on a coffee table... And then, finally came the pristine, unread copy - which was signed by me, myself and I, dated October 2010. Clearly, it had been bought at the original book launch and never looked at since! Intriguing - who had had it? Do I know them? Was it a gift? (If it's you, please do write and tell me)
I'm now trying to resist all urges to buy the rest of the second-hand copies listed on Amazon...
Not sure really, what this post is saying, other than it's the obvious prelude to a shameless plug: please go on to Amazon or LL Publications and buy a copy. Or if you already have one (or did have one and gave it away) write a review of it, also on the Amazon site so that the ratings increase. After all... the children in Bhola will benefit - and you can't argue with that (see, shameless!!)
And whilst you're on Amazon, an excellent read is the newly published E-book A Second Chance? Written by Lucy James, a friend and ex-student of mine, it's a sort of 'thinking chick-lit' and is currently doing really well. And she's nearly finished her next one so you can look forward to a run of good reading...
Anne x
