#FridayFiveChallenge

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

To join in with the #FridayFiveChallenge please read the rules at the bottom of the page

This week I searched for a book on the “Far East” thinking I would find something about World War Two in Hong Kong or Singapore or maybe a story set in Malaysia during the post-war emergency but in fact, the book which caught my eye was actually set in India, which is in the East but not the Far East if you are British.  However this is an American book with a very catchy title, Peanut Butter and Naan by Jennifer Hillman-Magnuson

Book Description

Fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants mom Jennifer Magnuson knew her spoiled suburban brood needed a wake-up call—she just couldn’t find the time to fit one in. But when her husband was offered a position in India, she saw it for what it was: the perfect opportunity for her family to unplug from their over-scheduled and pampered lives in Nashville and gain some much-needed perspective. What she didn’t realize was how much their time in India would transform her as well.

A combination of Eat, Pray, Love and Modern Family, with a dash of Chelsea Handler thrown in for good measure, Peanut Butter and Naan is Magnuson’s hilarious look at the chaos of parenting against a backdrop of malaria, extreme poverty, and no conveniences of any kind—and her story of rediscovering herself and revitalizing her connection with those she loves the most. In India, after years of parenting under a cloud of anxiety, Magnuson found a renewed sense of adventure and fearlessness (a discovery that was totally worth the many months of hiding anti-malarial medication in her kids’ morning oatmeal), and started to become the mother she’d always hoped to be. Hers is a story about motherhood that will not only make you laugh and nod with recognition—it will inspire you to fall in love with your own family all over again.

There are no reviews on Amazon.co.uk but on Amazon.com 84% of the reviews are 5 star.  Most follow this theme:-

Both heartwarming and hilarious, Jennifer’s stories of navigating a foreign land and the culture shock that accompanies it, are inspiring and entertaining. This family makes the most of a unique opportunity, learning valuable lessons about one another and the bigger world outside of their comfortable existence back home. A fantastic page-turner!

At £7.72 for a kindle this seems rather expensive but presumably this is because it is produced in the US.  I am very tempted as I do find TV programmes about India fascinating. Shall I BUY or will I PASS? I’m going to PASS, until the price is reduced.

What have others chosen this week?

Barb is waiting for the letter inviting her to Witchcraft school http://barbtaub.com/2015/10/30/did-you-get-your-letter-yet-fridayfivechallenge-from-rosieamber1/comment-page-1/#comment-139358

Shelley shows us a book about NaNoWriMo writing a novel in 30 days http://shelleywilsonauthor.com/2015/10/30/would-you-buy-or-pass-nonfiction-fiction-unboxed-fridayfivechallenge/

Rosie has gone to tea with the Ladies Detective Agency https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2015/10/30/would-you-buy-or-pass-fridayfivechallenge-tea-time-for-the-traditionally-built-mccallsmith/

Cathy has also gone East for an adventure in Myanmar http://betweenthelinesbookblog.com/2015/10/30/fridayfivechallenge-buy-or-pass-emerald-buddha-by-russell-blake-blakebooks-adventure/

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?