Books and Amazon

I have mentioned before that I get free books from Amazon as part of what is known as the Vine Programme. Every third Thursday in the month Vine Voices are sent a newsletter from which they can choose two items. This is targetted to their previous purchases and selected from the items which manufacturers and publishers allow them to have free. I buy and review more fiction than non-fiction and I hardly ever buy software or electronic gadgets from Amazon so I'm mainly offered fiction. Which suits me as free books are not to be sneezed at.

The fourth Thursday in the month we get another newsletter which contains everything left - could be books, DVDs, computer bits, software, domestic gadgets, hairdryers etc. We can choose another two items from that one as well - though sometimes they make it four instead of two. The more desirable items tend to disappear first and it's very much the luck of the draw at 8.00pm who gets what. Personally I will only pick items I'm interested in and will use or read - others seems to look just at the value.

You have to review 75% of the items you've chosen before you can pick any more - which is fair enough. There is no compulsion to review favourably so you can say what you think and the majority take a pride in their reviews and spend a fair amount of time composing them. You're not allowed to sell items you receive or to give them away so in the end you could run out of space!

Recently Vine has started to receive some bad publicity - almost certainly from people who haven't been invited to join. Such people are saying Vine Voices always give 5 star reviews and that it's all a con to foist rubbish on unsuspecting customers. But there are also people who are Vine Voices complaining they don't get offered high value items and others do. To me this is typical of society today. People want everything to be 'fair'. Why? Life isn't fair - get over it.

I usually write very calm and considered posts on the Amazon Vine forums but I've got annoyed and suggested to the whingers that if they don't like it - leave. No one is holding a gun to their head. Vine is how it is. The only people who can change it are Amazon and I don't think they should listen to the moaners - who actually seem to be in a minority anyway. As it is they're spoiling it for the rest of us. I like Vine because it means I get a chance to try new books that I might not otherwise come across. With publishers such as Granta, Faber and Bloomsbury participating it can only be a good thing for everyone.

The weekend

As I've mentioned before on here I am part of the Amazon Vine programme and receive free items to review. I can chose two items from a list once a month and then another one from the list the following week. From time to time they also issue other lists. It is quite carefully controlled in that you have to review 75% of the items you've received before you're allowed to pick any more. Up to this month I'd always chosen books. This month I was offered a top of the range electric steamer. By coincidence I'd already just bought a cheap £24.99 Tefal version as we'd decided to steam vegetables in future as we think they're nicer. As I'm never one to look a gift horse in the mouth I chose the Morphy Richards £100 worth of steamer as one of my products this time and it arrived today. It's very well put together and can switch on different bits of itself at different times so you can cook a whole meal by simply telling it when you want each bit to come on. I was pleased with the cheap one so I shall be using the expensive one later today to see if I can tell the difference.

By the way Noreen's book can be purchased more cheaply than Amazon - try Tesco instead - thanks Noreen. Of course Amazon may reduce the price before publication - if they get a lot of demand for it.

I intend to have a lazy weekend and do as little as possible apart from cooking. Have a good weekend everyone.