105 Ways to Give a Book

Strangest Match Since Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett

From my email:
Dear Amazon.com Customer,

We’ve noticed that customers who have expressed interest in The Day the Babies Crawled Away, by Peggy Rathmann, have also ordered The Shadowmancer Returns: The Curse of Salamander Street, by G. P. Taylor. For this reason, you might like to know that G. P. Taylor’s The Shadowmancer Returns: The Curse of Salamander Street is now available.
The Day the Babies Crawled AwaySo, let me get this straight. Customers who ordered the lovely, fun picture book The Day the Babies Crawled Away...

The Shadowmancer Returns...also ordered the gripping, dark fantasy middle-grade book The Shadowmancer Returns: The Curse of Salamander Street.

Okaaaaay, if you say so. But I’ve now officially lost confidence in your recommendation feature. Oh, and by the way, it is a bit odd that you're suggesting the sequel and then letting me know that this same book is available. Is it possible that the first Shadowmancer book was supposed to make an appearance somewhere in that email?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't it obvious why they have bought these two books - parents - GP Taylor was one of the biggest selling children's books in the US with Shadowmancer - which was a great book and it was bought as a gift by parents - that's what set the ball rolling. So it's obvious. What a mother...

Kelly Herold said...

Um...these G.P. Taylor comments (anon) are freaking me out. I don't know if they come from the publisher, an agent, or, heavens forbid, the author himself. It's a misuse and abuse of the blogging community. If you want to support G.P. Taylor, please use your own name.

Now, on to what I was going to say, MR. I love those mixed up recommendations too :) But I'd advise you to stay away from the "Shadowmancer" books.

MotherReader said...

True dat, Kelly, on all counts.

And anon, I prefer that my recommendations be narrower than the category of "books bought by parents", ie children's books. Now, I did buy Goose Girl not long ago. Amazon could have linked those two in the email.

Anonymous said...

I know you know this MR, but why not...

just set the blog to not accept anonymous posts, I don't get any visitors on mine, but still, I don't want spam or junk etc.

Little Willow said...

What's even weirder is that the word Shadowmancer brings the song Private Dancer to mind. Get OUT, song! OUT!

Michele said...

Urgh ! Anything by GPT makes me want to throw up (the only author to ever have that effect on me!)...

Run !