#FridayFiveChallenge

Welcome to my Friday Five Challenge
(Original idea from Rosie Amber at https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/)

To join in read the rules at the bottom.

This week I searched for a book using the word East.  This brought up books using East End or East Anglia in their titles and of course East of Eden by John Steinbeck, but the cover picture which caught my eye was The East Indiaman by Ellis K Meacham the first book in the Percival Merewether series.  Once again I have found an author who has died but is not famous.  Ellis K. Meacham (1913-1998) was a Commander in the US Naval Reserve serving as a gunnery officer in the Pacific during the Second World War.  He won the “Friends of American Writers Major Award in Fiction” in 1969 for THE EAST INDIAMAN.

When I was quite young, I relished Mr Midshipman Easy by Captain Marryat and I have read a few Of Patrick O’Brian’s books including Master and Commander so a virtual long sea voyage on a sailing ship appeals to me.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

For Percival Merewether, 1806 would be a year to remember. For in January of that year he was promoted from First Lieutenant to become the junior Captain in the Company’s Service and given the command of his first ship – the “Rapid.”
Armed with ten 9-pounders, the “Rapid” was a match for any pirate ship that crossed its bows, and in it Captain Merewether was to spend as action-packed and eventful a first year as any ambitious young sea-farer could have wished.
Merewether had quick wits and daring to match his ambition. And with mutinies, diplomatic intrigues and skirmishes with the French to occupy him, he soon found that he needed both qualities as never before…

There are only 9 reviews all 4 & 5 star reviews all written by men.  Their comments include

Real life flawed characters. all the usual cliques but all actually true of these books. and importantly for a landlubber like myself, the author can clearly show a change in the ship’s direction without referring to every brace, sheet, rope, pulley, block and tackle that needs to be moved every time.

A well written and imaginative series covering the naval adventures of a young officer in the East India Company. A well-known shipping company of great tradition and honour.

A kindle is £2.04 and taking a peep inside I like the writing style. Shall I BUY or will I PASS? I’m going to BUY.

To see the books others have found this week:-

Shelley has found romance with a gypsy

http://shelleywilsonauthor.com/2015/08/28/buy-or-pass-looking-at-gypsy-romance-fridayfivechallenge/

Rosie chose a honeymoon with a nasty twist

https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2015/08/28/would-you-buy-or-pass-fridayfivechallenge-busmans-honeymoon-by-jenna-bennett-mystery/

Cathy’s book is a thriller about a missing child

 https://betweenthelinesbookblog.wordpress.com/2015/08/28/friday-five-challenge-8/

Barb is having fun being a Bad Gran http://barbtaub.com/2015/08/28/what-to-call-granny-fridayfivechallenge-from-rosieamber1/comment-page-1/#comment-138006

So now it’s your turn.

Get yourself a cuppa and give yourself 5 minutes.

In today’s online shopping age, readers often base their buying decisions from small postage stamp size book covers (Thumb-nails), a quick glance at the book description and the review. How much time do they really spend making that buying decision?

AUTHORS – You often only have seconds to get a reader to buy your book, is your book cover and book bio up to it?

Rosie’s Friday Five Challenge is this….. IN ONLY FIVE MINUTES….

1) Go to any online book supplier,

2) Randomly choose a category,

3) Speed through the book covers, choose one which has instantly appealed to your eye,

4) Read the book Bio/ Description for this book, and any other details.

5) If there are reviews, check out a couple,

6) Make an instant decision, would you BUY or PASS?