Member Reviews

These samplers are the best. I always find something new to read! I look forward to these previews every season.

Was this review helpful?

These samplers are so fun to read! I'm obsessed with these right now! I'm gonna dig all the way down to find the rest! I wish they continue making these!

Was this review helpful?

I always enjoy these sampler books with excerpts for upcoming releases! This was soo fun! I'm going to dig down for the older ones! I'm addicted to them! I wish they still made thesee

Was this review helpful?

Fantastic sampler to understanding the booking coming out during a time period. We enjoy using these during book club meetings when trying to plan future reads. Please keep these coming.

Was this review helpful?

Okay Read

I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you, Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this sampler via Netgalley. This was an alright read. I actually thought that it was a good way to see some of the books that I missed in the Fall of 2015. I think it gave a good introduction into each story, and it was a way to see which books I would add to my TBR list. I cannot wait to see what the other samplers from Penguin Random House has to offer. Overall, an okay read.

Was this review helpful?

Penguin Random House Excerpt Sampler Fall 2015 contains extracts from The Dressmaker's War by Mary Chamberlain, The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle, Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff, The Witch of Lime Street by David Jaher, The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon and Hollow Man by Mark Pryor. This sampler was a great way of discovering new authors I might never have found otherwise.

The Dressmaker's War is a historical fiction novel about an English dressmaker in Germany during World War 2. I thought the premise of this sounded very heavy but extremely thought-provoking and the extract confirmed this. I'm not sure if I would ever pick up this book however it would definitely be some peoples' cup of tea.

The Accident Season is a young adult, fantasy novel about a family who become extremely accident prone each October. The premise of this sounded really unique and I was excited to read the extract. However I found the extract quite confusing and I probably wouldn't commit to reading the rest of the book.

Fates and Furies is a literary fiction novel surrounding the realities of a marriage compared to how it looks from the outside. I wasn't particularly excited by the synopsis of this book and I found the writing style of the extract to be overly descriptive so have concluded this book probably isn't for me.

The Witch of Lime Street is a work of non-fiction about Harry Houdini and his feud with the so-called witch of lime street. This is an area of history I know nothing about so I was excited to read the extract. I found the extract quite anti-climatic compared to the synopsis so I probably won't continue reading this.

The Night Sister is a horror novel surrounding a motel which was closed down after three girls discovered something in its past. Typically I don't gravitate towards horror as a genre however this book has a really intriguing premise. The extract created a very suspenseful atmosphere and I could definitely see myself picking this up in the future.

Hollow Man is a science fiction novel about a man who can read minds. I thought the premise sounded intriguing despite the fact that I don't usually read much science fiction. However I didn't find the extract engrossing at all and I'm now not convinced I would want to continue reading this book.

Was this review helpful?

I’m so addicted to these I’ve even been hunting down the old ones to see if there’s any interesting books I’ve missed!

Was this review helpful?

I love these samplers because I always find new-to-me authors. In this one, I found many and I think it is because it was published in 2015 before I was reading as many books as I do today. Thank you for making me add to my ever-growing TBR!!

Was this review helpful?

What a great way to read just enough to determine your plan for reading each of these books. Thanks to Penguin Random House for giving us a chance to read just a little of each one. Great idea.

Was this review helpful?

A fun set of excerpts of Penguin Books. I picked them up to see if any titles would pique my interest, and found two!

Was this review helpful?

Even though this sampler was put out in 2015, I had never read or even heard of most of these books. I love these samplers because I can read little bits of a lot of books and decide which ones I want to add to my TBR list.

Was this review helpful?

Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Sampler for providing me with ARC.

This book is good, i love reading samples because it give me the motivation to buy the book when it releases.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the chance to read these excerpts.

It was interesting to see in the publishing details of THE DRESSMAKER'S WAR by Mary Chamberlain that it had been published in the UK as THE DRESSMAKER OF DACHAU. I wonder why the reference to the Holocaust was slightly more veiled in the US edition. In any case, the prologue of the book certainly clues you in, and then flashes back to when our heroine is younger, all dolled up and meeting a handsome man by chance.

THE ACCIDENT SEASON by Moira Fowley-Doyle has a creepy premise: every year, in the month of October, things go horribly wrong for a family, from food poisoning to falling down the stairs, even the death of their father. I didn't get a great sense of what will happen from the excerpt, though the cover copy promises that family secrets will be uncovered. Most of the opening takes place in high school (the protagonist is 17-year-old Cara), where homework and lockers and bells seem inane when compared to the dangerous and mystical events surrounding her family.

FATES AND FURIES by Lauren Groff is highly stylized to the point that the frequent asides aren't even in () but []. The cover copy focuses on the evolution of a marriage, but the excerpt mostly deals with a flashback to the birth and childhood of the husband, Lotto. Between the super-fancy prose, the depressing subject matter, and the jumping timeline, this is too much for me.

THE WITCH OF LIME STREET: SEANCE, SEDUCTION, AND HOUDINI IN THE SPIRIT WORLD by David Jaher is a non-fiction excerpt, of a famous Spiritualist admired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, entering a contest to prove her spiritual power, where 4 of 5 judges are wowed but Harry Houdini remains unswayed. This was quite an extended excerpt and I think jumps around to different parts of the book, including some photographs, though I still didn't get a very good sense of what was happening.

THE NIGHT SISTER by Jennifer McMahon is very creepy, as we deal with a horrific tragedy in 2013 and flash back to 1955 where the events first started with a previous generation. This promises to be VERY dark, although the letters to Alfred Hitchcock by one of the little girls in the 50s, about how she's seen real-life monsters, are a little on the nose.

HOLLOW MAN by Mark Pryor is about a man who is a secret psychopath and it was so disturbing I couldn't even really read the excerpt. This will probably be a selling point for more adventurous readers!

This collection has lots of dark, creepy, or at least mysterious elements. Interesting to think about publishing trends, seasonality, etc, but it's all too disturbing for me to read any of these further.

Was this review helpful?

This was an excellent sampler of titles for fall.

I most enjoyed The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley. The first few chapters provided didn’t give away the suspense of the novel but encouraged me to pick up the book.

Similarly, the sampler for Fates and Furies provided an intriguing and unique premise.

I recommend this sampler collection to anyone interested in titles for the Fall of 2015.

Was this review helpful?

I received a complimentary review copy of the Penguin Random House Excerpt Sampler (Fall 2015) from NetGalley.

This sampler includes extended previews of 6 novels. I really enjoyed being able to preview enough of the book to know whether I'd be interested enough to read the whole thing. Each excerpt starts with a page showing the book cover, publication date, plot description, and titles of some similar-interest books to give readers some tips on whether they'd enjoy this book.

Was this review helpful?

I love the opportunity to read excerpts from new books! I am always on the lookout for a good read and appreciate the opportunity to preview new authors or catch up with my favorites.

Was this review helpful?

These are fantastic. What a great way to jumpstart your reading selection ad sift through the great options that Penguin offers. Fates and Furies is my no-brainer go-to selection, but I am definitely looking forward to discovering the others!

Was this review helpful?

A very good sample. As always, Penguin Random House will never disappoint the readers with their luxurious and unique selection of books.

Was this review helpful?

Not my cup of tea, so didn't finish it and did read enough to review it! So I won't be reviewing this... so trying to get 100 characters in this so I can go to something I will review! Jesus not enough characters yet... Will it end urgh! This is what happens to me when I'm trying to get enough to send it!

Was this review helpful?

The Penguin Random House Excerpt Sampler Fall 2015 is chock full of excerpts of some of the best titles from the season. Having a sampler like this is a boon to readers who want direction on what books to select for the season. Highly recommended!

Thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the early look at some very fine books.

Was this review helpful?