Nancy Oakes's Page

I posted earlier about a seller on Amazon who offered a book NEW and sent me a very used book. I asked for an address for a return, and then never heard back. I emailed again 5 days later, and got no response. I wasn't rude:

"Hi
I received A Man For All Seasons, which you had listed under "new" condition. I opened it this morning, and there is a ton of writing in it, and the last few pages are totally folded. I would like to return this book and get a refund, please. I skipped over several used… Continue

I have a few book series that I follow in the mystery world, and the thing is that I'm so excited when a new one comes out that I buy it the day it is released. And that's only if I haven't pre-ordered it on Amazon once I get word a new one is coming out. But then I get the book, get my fix, and it's over, and it may be over a year until the next one comes out. Then I'm really bummed. Is it just me or is there anyone else out there who has this problem?

Like I just finished Cemetery Dance… Continue

I buy a TON of new and used books from Amazon (and hear about it every time my husband pays the AMEX bill off each month), and remarkably, I've had incredible success buying used books in the Amazon Marketplace. But recently I ordered and received A Man For All Seasons, by Robert Bolt which the seller listed as only New. Now, I don't know about you, but when I buy a book that says "New" under condition, I'm assuming that it's going to come as stated: New. I skipped over a bunch of Used-Go… Continue

As much as I love getting those nice, free books to review, I've discovered that sometimes I may have bitten off more than I can chew. For example:

from the Amazon Vine Program I have the following books to read and review:

The Walking People, by Mary Beth Keane
Tall Man: The Death of Doomadgee, by Chloe Hooper
The Doomsday Key, by James Rollins
Past Imperfect, by Julian Fellowes

then, from BookBrowse.com's first impressions, there's
The Book of God and P… Continue

Today I read a book that I've had sitting on my shelf for a really long time, Maisie Dobbs, by Jacqueline Winspear. I thought the premise sounded really interesting, and beyond that, the blurb noted that it was picked up by the New York Times as a notable book for 2003. I used to think that if the NYT picked a book as being "notable," then it had to be good. Not only that, but it was nominated for an Edgar award, the category of which escapes me. Some blurb I read somewhere said that Publ… Continue