May 2016 batch is live!

The May batch is live and ready for requests. This month, we've got 2,617 copies of 100 titles up for grabs. Check out the blog post to browse covers.

Request copies here!

While you're at it, if you've moved or switched email addresses recently, please remember to check/update that information on your ER profile.

Which books are you hoping to snag this month?

How come, no matter how many times I sign up for (several) books on the early review day, I never seem to get any? I've done this for some months now, and I'm beginning to think it's some sort of hoax . . . :-(

It's simple. You have no books cataloged. The program works on an algorithm based on your personal catalog; it compares the books you have to the ones in the program and selects the best reader based on that comparison. With no books, you can't win anything.

>2 agirlCharlie: You haven't entered any books. The reviewers are chosen to match the books, so your chances aren't very good until you have entered at least a few books to give some sort of idea of what sort of things you read.

Whew! Fortunately, there is nothing I want this month. Why "fortunately"? Because I'm still in the middle of March's book and haven't even started April's!

Lilithcat, with too many books waiting to be read ("Read me, mom!" "No, it's my turn!" "You read him first last time!" "Go to your shelf and don't come off it until you can behave.")

Boy do I know the feeling! I actually DNF'd a book this weekend -- something I loathe doing, and very rarely actually do -- but I just have so many other books begging to be read that when I realized I was really ready for the book to be over, but I was only about 1/4 in ... I heaved a deep sigh, surrendered, and moved on to another book. :)

A couple of the publisher links are missing the colon after http. Don't remember all but one was I Am No One (for which the touchstone is 1984). If you hit a bad link, see if the colon is missing and add it in.

>5 lilithcat: I also figure that any month I don't see anything I want raises my chances the next time I do see something I would like to read. So maybe there will be something in June.

>7 Jim53: Thanks, that was a good catch! I've fixed that one and will check the others shortly. They had actually entered in the "http://" part of the URL twice, which apparently caused this problem? Very odd.

Genre ebooks for the UK again, I've had such good ones in the past, it's such a shame no UK publishers seem to be interested any more.

>10 LyzzyBee: The quantity is a bit better for you than for me, but not the quality.

Something happened with the expiry date on this batch, and they're all showing as closed for requests! Oh no!

It didn't look like that earlier today.

It looks like the May batch disappeared and the closed April batch is mistakenly showing as current.

>12 Wosret: & >14 Taphophile13: Woops! That was my fault. Added a couple last-minute titles, and forgot to re-approve the batch. Should be all better now.

Thanks! Requested a couple. :)

Hoping to win Vinegar Girl, June, Umami, and The Woman in the Photo!

Also, I wanted to share with the group that I just finished The Tea Planter's Wife, which is a title offered in the May batch. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone interested in entertaining plots that also touch upon deeper issues abroad. I don't want to give too much away, but the cultural landscape in this novel made the overall plot very intricate. The imagery was also amazing.

>17 kelseymorgan88: I agree. The tea planter's wife was an excellent book. It's a lot better than you would think from the description on the work page.

A hoax? And all of those who have won and reviewed books are perpetuating a hoax? Publishers participate in this program so they can get reviews for their books. There is no requirement that the review be positive, just give your opinion. So why would the algorithm choose someone who has reviewed, or even catalogued, no books? Also, look at the number of books available compared to the number of requests. There is no guarantee that any one of us will receive a book.

Become an active participant on this site, catalog and review some books, and increase your chances.

Whew ... looks like May is "Leftist twaddle" month ... precious little in the non-fiction category that isn't that.

>19 TooBusyReading:: I wish there was a like button.

Just received Maude She Grew Up with the Country today. Looks like a good biography -- similar to my mother's upbringing and life history. Hope to start soon; got to finish Jefferson's America first ( a good non-fiction historical ).