Book Pimping

by Suzanne

Okay, a little known secret...well maybe a widely known fact among the Bandits and my friends...I AM A BOOK PIMP. Yep. Can't seem to help it. If I read a great book, I want EVERYONE  I've ever seen holding a book, picking up my new "find" and reading it.  Here's sort of how the conversation goes:

Me, "I just read the most incredible book."
My mark, "Really? What?"
Me, leaning closer with just a hint of a smile, "Money, Honey by Susan Sey. OMG, couldn't put it down!"
Interested victim, "Really? I'd love one of those kind of books. What's it about?"

AHA! Got another one!

Here's another one:

Me, standing in the romance aisle at the local bookstore, reshelving books. Yep, I do this. Bandit's new releases at eye level or on the highly coveted "new release shelf". This particular time I'm muttering loud enough for the three ladies down the aisle to hear me, "I can't believe they have Jo Davis' firefighters on the bottom shelf. For crying out loud she's a local author!" Now, I do this while holding the highly sexy cover of Line Of Fire out for the ladies to get a good look at.

#1 lady moves closer. "That's a book about firefighters?"
Me, "Oh my goodness, yes. The sexiest team of hunky firefighters you'll ever read about."
#2 moves up and takes a book to read the back blurb. "I think firemen are so sexy."
#3, taking her copy. "And so brave."
#1, "Heroic."
Me, "Sexy."
All three nod, putting the books in their growing armfuls. Ah, my job here is finished, oh wait...I point out Lorraine Heath, Jane Graves, Tracy Garrett, Sandy Blair and Addison Fox's books, making sure they all know they're local authors, too!

See? I can't help it!

My coworkers aren't immnue. Last weekend, knowing how many of my coworkers read the YA series Twilight, I took Inara Scott's Delcroix Academy series: The Candidates bookmarks to work and handed them out.I explained it was a brand new paranormal series that was releasing Tuesday. I told them, "It's going to be the next big hit for teens and twenty year olds. I think you would like reading it too!" I'm betting when I return to work the next week I'll see one or two people holding that book. And since many of them have teenagers, I'm thinking they'll be reading her book, soon. I think these girls will be, too!

Another fun thing happened when I read Kate Carlisle's first Bibliophile Murder mystery book, Homicide In Hardcover at work. My friend Karen bought a copy because I was chuckling all the way through it. When the second book came out, If Books Could Kill, Karen and I were reading the book at the same time, almost simultaneously laughing at the same spots! (I laughed first coz I read faster than Karen.) Several coworkers said, "Are you two reading the same book?" We said, "yes" and Karen proceeded to tell them what we loved about Kate's books. At least three wrote Kate's name and the book titles down to read. YES!


Oh and if someone asks me for a good  historical author to read, my first recommendation? Julie Garwood. "What?" I say, slightly shocked voice, "You haven't read any of Ms. Garwood's works? Let me bring you my copy of Saving Grace." Why this book? It's a well worn hardback copy, (the copy I loan out, my other copy is pristine and on my keeper shelf) and I know if they love this book, they'll be buying the back list, ASAP!



So, how about you? Are you ever a book pimp? How do you go about hooking your book addicts? Any tricks I can borrow? Oh and if you were trying to pimp a book or author to me, which one would you recommend?