First Chapters March 5, 2008

Don’t judge a book by its cover. We’ve heard this phrase repeatedly, usually having nothing to do with an actually book. But when it comes to spending your hard-earned money, you don’t want to be fooled by pretty pictures and catchy titles. You want a guarantee (as much as you can get) that you will enjoy the book you purchase. Back cover copy gets you some idea whether you’ll enjoy the book you’re considering. But a 100-word synopsis of a 90,000-word novel still makes the decision tough.   

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I came across a feature on the New York Times site that might help you when it comes to selecting books. ‘First Chapters’ allows you to read the first chapter of selected books from the New York Times bestsellers list. The chapters can be emailed, saved or printed.  

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So if you’ve been thinking about buying Stephen King’s Duma Key, you can read the first chapter before investing your $28.00.

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