The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Tales of the Seventies
Because Tales of the Seventies was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
Manang Muyang
The title tells me that the book will feature stories from the 70s, the "Me Decade." I am not sure how the cover relates to the title, though. The blurb seems to be a review and ends with this inviting sentence: "It is a celebration of the complexity of life." I like short stories, and that era intrigues me. I would have sampled the book on my own. The sample started with the author's tale about how the stories languished for 40 years in "draft" status; he finally found the time to complete them when he retired. It was heartwarming to know that background to the book. I was also moved by his story about his friend "Jeff's" suicide. However, I had difficulty focusing on the book because of the many grammatical flaws. This is an example at 39% of the sample: "Hello David, what have you been doing?" he relaxes immediately, she has a way of putting him at ease." That sentence had at least three errors: It needed a comma after "hello," the "he" before relaxes should be capitalized, and the last comma should have been a semicolon. I hope the author can get an editor to work on the book. I am afraid I cannot read it in its present state. The featured OBC review gave the book the highest rating, but this did not sway me from my decision.
First Ten review added on August 12, 2021, at 4:59 am by Manang Muyang.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Ekta Kumari
The book is a collection of short stories written between the 1970 and 1975. While I wouldn't have read the book as the blurb didn't catch my attention, I did thoroughly enjoy sampling it. The thing I liked the most while sampling is that the narrative flows smoothly, and I was able to visualize the characters and the scenes. However, I believe the book needs another round of editing. I found two errors in the portion sampled. One error is in this sentence, "His face was classically shaped and firm, for an older man, people thought he radiated youth." There should be a period after 'firm', and a new sentence should start with 'for'. I did see an official OBC review. As I've enjoyed the read so far, I intend to read the whole book. I've no recommendations for improvements based on the sample.
First Ten review added on August 12, 2021, at 4:57 am by Ekta Kumari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Mutai Marshal
The cover page and title dissuaded me from reading this book. It hinted that it’s about tales, a genre I don’t find riveting. From the sample, I liked the use of vivid descriptions. Leila’s appearance was neatly described. I could picture her twisted hair and Dave’s surprise when the two met. Neither the OBC review nor the sample changed my mind about reading this book. Since I don’t love short stories, I will not buy this book. It seems exceptionally edited, and there are no suggestions for improvement that I can offer.
First Ten review added on August 12, 2021, at 4:51 am by Mutai Marshal.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
va2016
The title "Tales of the Seventies" indicates that the book is about the seventies. The cover containing buildings from the seventies support that too. There are only 5 Amazon customer ratings, which is not a sufficient number for me to decide if I should sample the book or not. The Amazon summary explains that the book is about the life in the seventies and the societal issues of the seventies like gambling, fraud, and mental illness. As I am not interested in this topic, I would have skipped sampling the book if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing the author introducing his stories to the readers, followed by the first story 'Point to Point After'. As I am not interested in the seventies stories, I am not going to read this book in full. I didn't find the book professionally edited. There were formatting issues. For example, the title 'Point to Point After' has not been centered correctly. The book would have had an elegant look if attention had been paid to formatting. I didn't find any grammatical or mechanical errors in the sampled. I didn't like anything specifically about the book. As an improvement, I would suggest good formatting. Although I found 6 OBC reviews of the book, my decision to not to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.
First Ten review added on August 12, 2021, at 4:49 am by va2016.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
xsquare
There was nothing in the cover, title or blurb of the book that stood out to me – I don’t think I would’ve sampled this book if it hadn’t been part of the First Ten program. The official OBC review did not convince me. I like the characters in the first story, and I could clearly see the devotion Zhen had for his wife. I did see a missing comma in the following dialogue line: “Good afternoon is Leila here?”. I don’t think that there was anything else that the author could have done better. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the stories very compelling – they are just not my cup of tea. I won’t be reading the rest of the book.
First Ten review added on August 12, 2021, at 4:47 am by xsquare.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Alice Heritage
I probably would not have sampled this book without the programme as I'm not looking for new short stories. However, I was intrigued by the Amazon blurb about the topics, the information in one volunteer OBC review that I looked at (there was no official one), and above all by the author's own introductory information. I love the idea of exploring the 1970s beliefs about the connections between drugs and spiritual enlightenment. The stories were originally drafted at a time when I was alive but too young to experience that firsthand. After reading the first story, I have bought this book via Kindle Unlimited because the themes of the poet and the computerized art, among others, were striking. Strong endings are vital to short stories, and this one did not disappoint. This book doesn't seem professionally edited as I noticed various errors that a professional editor would probably correct, mainly with capital letters. For example, in "our Doctor", "doctor" should probably not be capitalized as it is not a proper noun. Although the writing was descriptive enough, I would have appreciated even more sensual details conveying the sounds and smells of early 1970s Oakland. So the author might consider adding more of these as an improvement, as well as a round of professional editing.
First Ten review added on August 12, 2021, at 4:17 am by Alice Heritage.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Justine Ocsebio
I wouldn’t have sampled the book based on the blurb, as I was not looking for a collection of short stories. The book begins with a bookstore owner named Zhen Hua. He meets a young man who wants to see his sick wife. I like how the writing captures the melancholic tone of this story. I’d like to give this book a chance. I’m interested to know about the other short stories, so I’m going to continue reading. I disliked nothing, and I didn’t see anything that needed improvement. The text is well edited. The official OBC review did not affect my decision.
First Ten review added on August 12, 2021, at 3:43 am by Justine Ocsebio.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Ann Ogochukwu
I like short stories, and I like books set in times bygone, so I certainly would have sampled this book relying on its OBC review alone. I also liked the cover and title of the book; I found them appealing.
In the Introduction, the author explains the history behind this book and his motivation for writing the novella included in this collection. The first story shows Leila, whose health is declining, and her husband, Zhen, who fears that the worst has arrived. A visit to the doctor confirms his fear: his wife is losing her mind. What I liked most about this book was its setting, and I enjoyed the bit of the book that I've read. I would love to complete this book.
I believe this book was professionally edited, as I didn't notice any errors, and I don't think the book needs any improvement.
First Ten review added on August 12, 2021, at 2:35 am by Ann Ogochukwu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Howlan
I liked the synopsis, and I was not sure whether to read this book without the program. The first ten pages are good. The story describes an old couple Zhen and Leila Hua, who runs an old bookstore in Oakland. A young man Dave visits Leila, who is sick in bed, to discuss a new form of computer art with her. Zhen visits the doctor and learns that Leila has a brain tumour and flashbacks to his mother's death. The narration is slow and has a sad overtone to it. The story is like a slice of life in seventies America. I am fascinated the concept of this story, and so I think I am going to buy and read this book. No typos were found in the first ten pages. I found nothing to improve in the first ten pages. The Official OBC review is present, and the reviewer rates it highly.
First Ten review added on August 12, 2021, at 2:01 am by Howlan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Gabrielle Sigaki
Tales of the Seventies by David Done is a fiction book that brings seven short stories and one novella about the daily life in San Francisco in the 70's. It talks about various themes, such as love, family, relationships, and a lot more. If I didn't sample this book, I wouldn't read it based on its Official OnlineBookClub review since I'm not interested in books about the daily life in the 70's. After sampling it, I didn't change my mind and I won't read the entire novel because its premise didn't attract me. However, the book seems professionally edited, I think there's nothing to be improved in it, and I liked the fact that the author depicts the scenarios with warming descriptions that make the reader feel the characters' feelings.
First Ten review added on August 12, 2021, at 12:00 am by Gabrielle Sigaki.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
evraealtana
The cover is somewhat nondescript and really doesn't evoke for me a very "Seventies" vibe. To be honest, looking at the cover, I would have no idea what the book is about. It looks to me more like a book about city life. None of it is offensive, but it doesn't really appeal to me, either; in a sea of unknown books to pick up, there's nothing to draw me to this one in particular. I was confused by the addition of Ellen Brouse to the author line on Amazon when in fact her contribution was to provide the cover art. I had thought that she was an additional author prior to reading the table of contents (which is, incidentally, a strange place to introduce the cover artist). I liked the inclusion of the foreword in which the author describes the journey these stories took on their way to publication, which felt authentic and relatable. It also made them somehow rarer or more valuable, knowing that they had been "tucked away" for so long. I liked that the first story, "Point to Point After", is written in the present tense, as it makes the story feel "close" and active. The author does, however, shift back to the past tense when he shouldn't, like when "[t]he young man made his way directly to the counter" (past tense). These shifts seem to break up the flow of the story and cause confusion (at least for me). I like the author's voice and writing style, but for some reason I don't think I will continue with this book. I think it might be because of the errors; for me, they are jarring and decrease my enjoyment of the stories. In contrast with the official OBC reviewer's assertion that there were few mistakes in the entire book, I found many errors in the first ten pages: erroneous apostrophes and a missing space in "Many people in the late 1960's and early1970's" (should be "late 1960s and early 1970s"); a missing hyphen in a compound noun in "LSD and other mind bending drugs" (mind-bending); a run-on sentence reading, "His face was classically shaped and firm, for an older man, people thought he radiated youth." (comma after "man" should be a semicolon or a period); and so on.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 11:21 pm by evraealtana.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Annelore Trujillo
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover and title. I rarely read short stories. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. I liked that the author talked about each of the stories and how they were all written in the 1970s. However, I wasn’t very intrigued with the first story. I also thought the formatting of the table of contents could use improvement. The spacing was weird on my kindle version. I also found errors that told me the book was not professionally edited. For example, “His face was classically shaped and firm, for an older man, people thought he radiated youth” is a run-on. I had to read it a couple times because of this mistake. The tense also switched inappropriately in the first story. I don’t purchase books that aren’t professionally edited.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 10:53 pm by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Wesusa
Had I not sampled the first ten pages, I likely wouldn't have chosen to read this book. Even upon finishing the sample, my answer has not changed. However, it has garnered some insight into what the book truly is. My favorite part is how it takes these tales and the author attempts to shape them into something new while retaining the skeleton of the original. The main reason I choose not to read this book is because of the writing style. It doesn't explain much in detail, and despite there being no errors I could find, this writing style doesn't work too well. I didn't think much of the cover as well, I'm not sure what it is attempting to convey. It feels more like a generic design that could be connected to many time periods. I read no reviews of this book, so nothing influenced this decision.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 6:58 pm by Wesusa.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jorge Leon Salazar
The image on the cover reminisces about the city of San Francisco in the seventies. The title is suitable for the content. In general, I like short stories. I find the issues this proposal addresses enjoyable. Also, I like it is from the seventies. The customer reviews are flattering and highlight how well told the stories are and the reminiscences of what San Francisco was like in the seventies. The short blurb mentions the themes covered and the originality of the stories narrated. Based on these aspects I would like to try this book. From what I read in the sample, I was struck by the author's anecdote in which his schizophrenic friend jumped out of the sixth-floor window. The sample encompasses the story named “Point to Point After,” which features a love story between Zhen Hua and his wife Leila. I liked that Leila's illness evoked pleasant memories for both of them. Zhen reminds her mother who suffered something similar and Leila recalls her father. Each one treasures their experiences in a special way. The bond of this couple is poignant. I'm intrigued by the stories "The Cat Burglars" and "Yesteryears Snows." The first for what is indicated in the official OnlineBookClub review, which presents it as the most outstanding. The latter is attractive as it does not narrate facts but states of mind. The editing seems professional since I only saw an unexpected line break at 53% of the sample after the phrase “… recollection of Canton.” Apart from the comments, I did not see anything else that I believe could be improved. The story in the sample was moving. I am curious to read others like "The Cat Burglars." Therefore, I think I am going to read the rest of the book.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 6:19 pm by Jorge Leon Salazar.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Chelsy Scherba
The first story about Zhen and how he felt reliving the horror of his mother’s battle with dementia was very sad and sadly, relatable. I just went through something similar with my mother, so the story hit close to home. I didn’t see any errors, the book is exceptionally edited. I was also haunted by the actual story the author told in the introduction of his friend who jumped out a window while on LSD. That’s such a tragic story and reminiscent of some of the stories my mom told me about her schizophrenic boyfriend. It makes me thankful I was not alive during that time. I have no suggestions for improvements. I like how the time period is accurately preserved by virtue of being a series of stories the author didn’t have time to finish until much later. I also like the cover and the title. The OBC review was also very positive. I honestly don’t read a lot of short stories, so it’s highly unlikely I would have searched for or read this book outside of OBC. The writing is good, just not my preferred genre, so I will pass for now.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 3:09 pm by Chelsy Scherba.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Hazel Arnaiz
Although I enjoy reading collections of short stories, I will not sample this book outside the program. The cover, title, blurb, and customer reviews did not catch my attention.
I don’t think I can relate to 1970s San Francisco because of the generation and the geography. However, sampling the first ten pages changed my mind. I appreciate the stories about the complex lives of ordinary people. There are a few punctuation and spelling issues from the sampled pages. Here is an example:
Page 2. Spelling. Missing hyphen.
For me, the title was a [toss up] between Tales of the Seventies and the Cat Burglars.
For the cover, I suggest using contrasting colors to the fonts of the title to make them stand out against the background.
An official OnlineBookClub review is not available. But the volunteer reviews are insightful. Currently, I am not in the market for short stories, but I will keep this book in mind.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 3:06 pm by Hazel Arnaiz.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vishnu Priya B
I don't understand what theme the cover conveys. With that said, I don't read short stories and anthologies. Even after reading the first ten pages and the official Onlinebookclub review, I'm not persuaded. If I had not sampled for the first ten program, I wouldn't have purchased this book. It's great that the book talks about a good cause. I didn't find a single typo in the sample. So I believe the book is professionally edited and I can't think of anything that can be improved.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 2:38 pm by Vishnu Priya B.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
gen_g
Based on the title and blurb, it seems like a collection of short stories about life during the seventies. I am not in the market for short-story collections, so I would not have sampled it. I have come across positive OBC reviews of the book, but due to the genre mismatch, I would not have changed my decision regarding sampling. After reading, there are a number of grammar errors present. At 0%, the comma in "..."draft" status, when my business career..." is wrongly inserted – there is no need to break up what is supposed to be one whole clause. I suggest closer editing for higher book quality. I appreciate the author's decision to include not only part of his personal history (that he had a career in business, which made him put aside these stories he had drafted), but he also included how he regained his inspiration and motivation to finish these stories. We learn that after the author retired, his interest in writing was then re-sparked – what happened was that the author was actually moving houses, and he came across a box of his old stories. He then reread them, and the rest is history. In order to further improve the book, I would actually suggest that the font colour of the title and author's name on the cover illustration be changed/darkened because it doesn't stand out enough against the light blue of the background (the white colour is similar in paleness of tone to the light blue); darkening the colour will also help to increase clarity. However, I am not in the market for short-story collections, so I will not be buying the book today.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 12:20 pm by gen_g.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Jsovermyer
The cover is interesting, but doesn't make me want to buy the book from the cover alone. The official reviewer liked this book and gave it a high rating. I found no spelling or grammatical errors and believe it has been exceptionally well edited. The first story is sad and sweet. Husband Zhen knows that his wife, Leila, has an illness that will slowly make her forget everything, even him. So he spends time with her remembering when they were young and how they fell in love. There was nothing I would change about the story. It was well written. I liked what I read in the sample pages and would like to finish this book.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 12:02 pm by Jsovermyer.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Dzejn_Crvena
I read the OBC review a few weeks ago, and I was convinced to read the book because of the mention of The Cat Burglars. Even if not for this program, I'd still consider reading it based on its cover. It's a collection of short stories written by the author in the 1970s. The sample only includes the first story, and I like the emotions I felt for the characters involved. The book seems professionally edited, so I don't have suggestions for improvements.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 10:16 am by Dzejn_Crvena.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sanju Lali
I was hardly able to make any guesses about the book by looking at its cover and its title because tales of the seventies meant many things to me. Therefore, I decided to read the OBC official review to know about the content of this book. The OBC official review gave me the idea that the book has a collection of seven short stories and a novella. This information motivated me to read the sample of the book before purchasing it. When I read the first ten pages, I realized that this book is not professionally edited because I found some grammatical errors in the sample. For example, the sentence, "Zhen walks out from behind the counter, his movements are quick and agile...". The sentence could have been, "Zhen walks out from behind the counter, and his movements are quick and agile...". The thing l liked the most is the strange bond between Zhen's wife Leila and the young man. Sadly, I lost interest in reading because I found it difficult to link the events to one another when the narrative abruptly jumped from one topic to another. My suggestion to the author would be to go for a round of professional editing and consider the difficulties that I faced while reading this book. Looking at all these facts, I decided not to purchase and read this book today but wait until the author could help me by considering my suggestion so that I could engross myself in reading the book.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 9:49 am by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Diana Lowery
I love the artwork on the cover of this book, and I would have picked the book up because of it. I could relate to the title. The Amazon blurb stated that the book was recommended for grades 11-12, which I thought was odd. The OBC review mentioned figurative language and humor, which created interest for me. I enjoyed the introduction and the line, ". . . era without a screen in our hands." I found an error on page seven: the word "Doctor" should be in lower case. I was shocked by the story of the guy jumping out the window. I don't have any suggestions for the author. There is nothing I don't like. I am going to keep this book on my To-Read List, but I will not finish reading it at this time.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 8:52 am by Diana Lowery.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Emy Katherine
As I am not fond of short stories, I would not have read the book without this program. The book contains a novella and seven short stories about mental illness, family, drug abuse, love, and gambling. Each story is set in California in the 1970s. Neither the OBC review nor the sample changed my mind, but I enjoyed the author's descriptive writing style. I also found the characters relatable. For example, as I read the first story, I had no problem connecting with the main character, Zhen. I could effortlessly feel his desperation and sadness when he found out his wife was seriously ill. The story was told from multiple perspectives. The book needs another round of editing, though, as I encountered several errors that were quite distracting. For example, the interrupter "in fact" should be surrounded by commas in the following sentence: "It had in fact served to fire his interest in the boy." (location 91 of 416 • 22%) I noticed a missing comma after "before" in the following sentence: "You’ve been to our apartment before haven’t you?" (location 147 of 416 • 35%) There should not be a comma before "and" in the following sentence: "Dave senses that she is tired, and lacks her normal energy." (location 176 of 416 • 42%)
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 8:26 am by Emy Katherine.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Catherine Hsu
If I had not read the sample as part of this program, I would not have read the book. The cover is nice but the blurb seems to be an excerpt from a review — it doesn't tell me much about the book's contents. After reading the sample, I have not changed my mind. I think the book is in need of more editing as I noticed that the verb tense kept switching between past and present, such as in "The boy is a favorite of Zhen's wife" versus "His face was classically shaped..." That's the main thing I would change. Other than that, I actually liked the themes of the short stories, and the bookstore setting of the first story was really nice. There was no official OnlineBookClub review but that did not affect my decision.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 5:08 am by Catherine Hsu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Rodel Barnachea
Following my poring over the book's Amazon page and one of its volunteer OBC reviews, I opted not to purchase the title. I do not think that multiple short stories and one novella are what I want to read in the present. I am also not fascinated by the author's simple writing style and how this will reshape one's reading experience. I believe the book is not my cup of tea. Going over its Amazon sample failed to change my mind. I would not purchase it because nothing in the first short story piqued my curiosity or compelled me to read the other short stories. Also, the themes explored in the first tale did not greatly appeal to me. The first ten pages contain some pages of the short story titled "Point to Point After." My favorite part is when Zhen requested the boy to stay with Leila. I did not note any errors in the text. The book seems professionally edited to me. I have nothing to suggest to the author.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 4:00 am by Rodel Barnachea.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Shrabastee Chakraborty
I loved the simple yet elegant cover. After reading the official OBC review, I was tempted to read this collection of short stories. However, reading the first ten pages changed my mind. I found four errors (locations 25 and 35: "1960's" and "1970's" should be "1970s" and "1960s"; location 35: there should be a space between "early" and "1970s"; location 54: there should be a space between "good" and "news"). The author shared the background of these published stories. Then his first piece started with a young man meeting an ill woman to discuss their shared interest in poetry. I loved the author's candid comments. However, I failed to understand the discussions in the first story. This second fact deterred me from wanting to read more. While I had no suggestions for improvement to offer, I wouldn't read the book based on my experience with the excerpt.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 2:56 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Ari Martinez
If I hadn't sampled this book for the First Ten program, I wouldn't have sampled it based on its title, cover, or Official OnlineBookClub review because I prefer reading longer novels than short stories. After reading the sample, I will not continue to read the book because I didn't find myself as engrossed in the story as I would have wanted. My favorite part of the sample was the way the author described the emotions of the characters in the first story. I don't think the book needs to be improved, and it seems professionally edited overall. On Location 52, the is a missing space after a closing quotation mark and the word that follows ("If there is any “good”news in this story it is that we can learn not to make the same mistakes over and over again.").
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 2:21 am by Ari Martinez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kelyn
If I had not been a member of this program, it is unlikely that I would have even run across this book, as non-fiction is not one of my favored genres. Not having grown up in the '70s (just a bit before my time), neither the title nor the cover illustration would have drawn my attention. The author is unknown to me, so that would not have affected my decision. The blurb reveals that the stories in the book are not so much about the stories themselves but about the 'lessons' and 'themes' within them. This drew my interest a bit more than just seeing the book and title. There are only a few customer reviews on the Amazon site, but all of them were positive. Although I did not see a review on the Amazon site explicitly identified as being from this program, if I had, I would have been interested in what the reviewer had to say. The review on this program's site was quite positive. This gave a good impression going into the sample. I have to admit that, to me, the first story was heart-breaking. The slow descent of Mr. Zhen's wife into disassociation from reality, coupled with his complete love for and bond with her, had me in tears thinking of the time to come when she wouldn't even recognize him. I understand from the reviews that there are some humorous stories in the book, but even the author admits in the introduction that others of the stories are quite dark. I enjoy a little darkness from time to time in the books I read, but somehow this darkness speaks more of grief than what I'm looking for. Being easily brought to tears at the best of times, I just don't think this book is for me and, due to this, do not intend to continue reading it. The book seemed well-edited. I found no 'countable' mistakes in the sample.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 2:15 am by Kelyn.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
J_odoyo
Tales of the Seventies! by David Done seems to have been penned in the right style and enjoyable. Having read the first ten pages of the book, I have been impressed by the first story—Point to Point After. The story is riveting and somehow suspenseful as one follows Leila’s sickness and Zhen’s fear for the doctor’s message. The book’s title is attractive, and its cover page is also okay. I liked the book’s official OnlineBookClub review; it gave insight into what the book is all about, and I believe that the Amazon website’s description also served its purpose well. I didn’t encounter any errors in the sample, and I would guess the book was professionally edited. I have no recommendation for the improvement of this book; the sample was well written. Having read the sample and the OnlineBookClub review, I’m not going to finish reading this book because I’m not a fan of this genre.
First Ten review added on August 11, 2021, at 1:20 am by J_odoyo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Odette Chace
The title is not interesting and the cover is boring. The description on Amazon did not interest me. The official Online Book Club review gave the work a perfect rating of 4 out of 4 stars. My opinion of the book improved slightly after reading the official review because the reviewer mentioned that some of the stories were funny. However, I still would not normally sample this book. "The one most highly enjoyed was 'The Cat Burglars,' which is a comic story about two thieves and their adventures stealing a large Ocelot" (8% of sample). Ocelot should not be capitalized. I noticed multiple errors in the first ten pages and don't believe the work was professionally edited. The author mentions in the introduction that the title was a toss-up between "Tales of the Seventies" and "The Cat Burglars." I think the latter would have been a better choice. I really enjoyed the first ten pages. I found myself anxious to learn what the doctor would have to say about Zhen's wife, and then heartbroken by her diagnosis. I can't recall the last time I became so invested in a short story. Aside from correcting the grammatical errors, I can think of nothing to improve upon the first ten pages. I look forward to finishing the book at a later date.
First Ten review added on August 10, 2021, at 11:01 pm by Odette Chace.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Mary WhiteFace
Without the First Ten program I would not have been interested in reading a collection of short stories about what it was like living in San Francisco in the '70s. Reading the first ten pages did not change my mind. The presence of an OnlineBookClub review did not influence my decision.
The book seemed to be professionally edited. I have no suggestions for improvements. There was no particular part that I liked better than another. The part I found the most interesting was that Zhen's mother had "carvings of the ancient Tao" in the headboard of her bed (location 266). In fact, the whole bedroom set was covered in carvings, each reflecting "an episode from old mythology (location 278)."
I couldn't really get into the story to the point where I wondered what would happen next. I will not be reading the whole book.
First Ten review added on August 10, 2021, at 9:22 pm by Mary WhiteFace.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MsH2k
I loved the cover of this book, and I enjoy reading short stories, so I would have sampled this book even if I were not part of this program. I appreciated the author’s sharing the history behind this collection. I lived in San Francisco in the 80s, but it was a different place by then. I really liked the first story—I could picture Zhen and David each showing their love for Leila in their own way. I will buy this book. I want to experience each setting the author provides. The book had not been professionally edited, however. I found several grammatical errors in the sample pages, both in the introduction and in “Point to Point After.” Here are just a couple; there were many more. At loc 16, “was” should be “were,” reflecting the subjunctive form: “For others I felt as if I was reading them for the first time.” At loc 25, no apostrophe is needed in 1970s: “The stories are all set in California in the 1970’s.” In the short story, both David and Dave were used interchangeably for the same character. It would have been better to keep the name consistent. Interestingly, the grammatical errors did not distract from my reading once I got into the story, but because of the sheer volume of errors I encountered in the sample pages, I recommend a round of professional editing. The featured OnlineBookClub review was positive, but it had no bearing on my decision to buy this book.
First Ten review added on August 10, 2021, at 7:40 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Sarah_Khan
The cover and title of this book are average. The Amazon blurb was too vague, so I would not have sampled this without the First Ten program. The first few pages are well edited. My heart went out to Leila and also Zhen's mom. I can't imagine losing my mind and having to relive past trauma. Unfortunately, I did not see any official OBC review. I would have liked more information about the plot. For now, the free sample was not enough to convince me to read the rest. Therefore, I will be passing on this book today. I do not have any suggestions for the author.
First Ten review added on August 10, 2021, at 5:53 pm by Sarah_Khan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
TheMazeRunner
I would sample this book because I like short stories. I have found no errors in the sample, and I wouldn't change anything about the book. I like that the author honestly said that the stories in the book were all drafts, and the author finished them lots of years later. I find the stories very entertaining, and I will read the rest of the book. This book has the official OBC review.
First Ten review added on August 10, 2021, at 4:33 pm by TheMazeRunner.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Mariana Figueira
Before reading the book's first pages, I wasn't interested in it because nothing on the cover or the title got my attention. After sampling the book, I don't want to continue reading it because I didn't really connect with the story. I like that the author started writing this book in the seventies, and finished it decades later. This book seems professionally edited but I believe there's an unnecessary line break after "Canton" on page 15. Plus, this book has an official Online BookClub review. As for what might need improvement, what I read feels purposeless; Zhen's wife is sick, the poet comes to visit...what is the point of the story? I don't understand. Plus, nothing indicated that it was set in the 70s. I'm not sure how that could be improved, but I think it needs some work.
First Ten review added on August 10, 2021, at 4:17 pm by Mariana Figueira.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kirsi Cultrera
The outward appearance of this book was uninteresting to me. I don’t think I would have sampled it without this program. The Official OnlineBookClub review revealed that the author had written the first drafts of these stories a long time ago. That sounded intriguing, and reading the sample pages proved that these stories were indeed very good ones. Reading was like opening a window to another era. However, the seventies include lots of memories I do not wish to be reminded about. The editing of this book seemed well done. I did not find any particular dislikes from the book. However, due to my personal issues related to the seventies, I decided not to read this book further.
First Ten review added on August 10, 2021, at 4:16 pm by Kirsi Cultrera.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kaitlyn Canedy
I have read many reviews of this book before, so I would have read the sample of Tales of the Seventies even if it was not the OnlineBookClub's book of the day. I liked that the author wrote stories based on the world fifty years ago, as the author seems to be living in times past with his writing. The stories are a bit dark for me, so I will be passing on this title. There are no suggestions that I have for improvement, but there were a few grammatical errors in the sample. An example can be found in the 10% section of the sample, and it is a spacing issue- "Many people in the late 1960's and [early1970's] believed that psychotropic drugs were the key to spirituality." There is an official OnlineBookClub review for this title, but I did not need to read it to make a decision because I have read many reviews on the OnlineBookClub for this book already. Readers who enjoy dark stories with twists may like this title the most.
First Ten review added on August 10, 2021, at 2:24 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
AntonelaMaria
I rarely read short stories. This one is a very nostalgic read about a time and place I know very little. The sample didn't catch my attention. I read another book by this author, so I know he can write interesting stories. However, this is not a read for me. The writing about the time that feels so foreign seems interesting. The first story is very melancholic. I didn't notice any grammatical errors, and I wouldn't change anything about the book. There is a helpful and informative Official Onlinebookclub review.
First Ten review added on August 10, 2021, at 1:29 pm by AntonelaMaria.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Theresa Moffitt
I like the title and cover art for this book. The title leads me to believe that this is a collection of short stories with a common theme of the seventies. It’ll that sounds interesting to me, so I would have picked this book up based on the cover alone. The Online Book Club review was also very positive and gave the book a perfect score. I didn’t read any additional customer reviews. The author explains that the short stories contained in the book were started in the seventies. However, they were completed much later. The author describes how much time went by before he picked them to finish. I would like to finish reading this book. It will be interesting to see how the author’s perspective changed from the beginning of the story to when he began writing again. I didn’t see any errors in the first ten pages, so I believe the book was professionally edited. I also didn’t see any area that the author could improve upon. For the reasons stated and because of the positive rating in the OBC review, I will finish reading this book.
First Ten review added on August 10, 2021, at 12:46 pm by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Michelle Menezes
The title is self-explanatory, and while the blurb is vague, it does mention the themes present in the book. The Official OnlineBookClub review had positive things to say about it. The review also spoke about a particular story named The Cat Burglar, and I was eager to know how it ended, so I decided to read the book. After reading the first ten pages, I think I'll be sticking to my decision and continuing with it. It is a collection of short stories, and the first one talks about an old couple where the wife is sick and slowly losing her mind. It was beautiful and heartbreaking. I want to see how other themes are explored in the rest of the stories. I don't think it needs any improvement, and since I did not find any errors, it seems to be professionally edited.
First Ten review added on August 10, 2021, at 11:33 am by Michelle Menezes.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda
Just from the cover, I knew I wanted to read this book. I love the 60s and 70s! I think the blurb should be a proper summary and not praise, but I still wanted to read the stories. Added to that the perfect ratings, I wouldn't have hesitated to buy the book based on my first impressions.
From the first ten pages, I loved how strong the opening is, and how powerful the conclusion is. I mean, the tale about Jeff and LSD is sad, but the fact that it's a true story makes for a great opening for the book. The conclusion of the introduction is also strong: "Some people have said that this is a very dark story. I fully agree. It is. There was a dark side to the Age of Aquarius." I also started the tale "Point to Point After" and poor Zhen. I'm pretty sure his wife was cheating on him with the boy. I can't wait to find out if I'm right. There are a couple of editing mistakes. For example, in position 55, the opening quotation mark of the dialogue is wrong: "She said, ‘ I called 911 and I don’t want them to find these. He’s a schizophrenic. Didn’t you know?”
I would suggest fixing minor mistakes and adding a real blurb to the praise that works as a blurb. The official review furthered my enthusiasm for the story.
First Ten review added on August 10, 2021, at 11:08 am by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Timothy Rucinski
I didn't feel that the Official OBC Review was all that enthusiastic, so it didn't compel me to want to read the book. The cover was just okay. Although it conjured up images of San Francisco, that's not enough to grab my interest as would a cityscape, for example, of NYC. From what I read, I wasn't convinced that I needed to read further. It's not that I disliked the material, but it wasn't of any personal interest. So I won't be reading the book. I liked that the author took the time in his introductory remarks to recap the story of the stories. I also have a bucketload of stories that I wrote during that time so I was able to identify easily with the experience. I also very much disliked the tremendous amount of errors that I found distracting. This is another reason I am not interested in continuing further. For example, on page 1, the author writes: "They were all in "draft" status, when my business career took off, and I no longer had the time or inspiration to write." There is no need for a comma following the word "status." On page 2, at the end of the sentence beginning "I recently had the book read...." the letter "t" should be capitalized in the short story title "the Cat Burglars." In the same sentence, the word "and" between the titles of the two stories should not be in bold typeface. The same error with a bolded "and" occurs in the next paragraph. On page 7, in the first paragraph of the story "Point to Point After," the author writes: "His face was classically shaped and firm, for an older man, people thought he radiated youth." Either there should be a semi-colon instead of a comma following the word "firm," or a period with "for an older man" beginning a new sentence.
First Ten review added on August 10, 2021, at 10:58 am by Timothy Rucinski.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Brenda Creech
I would have checked this book out based on the cover and title because the 1970s were when I was a young adult, so the title really interested me. As I read the OBC official review, I wanted to check out the stories in this book. In the first ten pages, the author tells about beginning the short stories when he was a young adult, but they got set aside as his career took off. When he found them again, he was ready to finish writing them. The first story is about a wife who is suffering from a mental disorder. As the husband gets some tests on his wife from the doctor, Leila is visited by a young man she had befriended. They both loved poetry, and a bond formed between them. The news from the doctor was bad. Leila had a tumor behind her eye and suffered from memory loss, which would only worsen. Within the first ten pages, I did not find any errors. The only thing I saw that needs improving in the Kindle version was a formatting issue on Kindle location 156. The word "Canton" is on a line by itself and should be on the same line as the rest of the sentence. I have decided not to read the rest of the book because, although the story was touching, and the information about how the book was started decades ago and just recently finished are interesting, I am not a real short story fan. I currently have no interest in reading books of this kind.
First Ten review added on August 10, 2021, at 10:49 am by Brenda Creech.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Bertha Jackson
I was a young woman going into adulthood in the 1970s, so the title, cover, and genre grabbed my attention right away. The 1970s were a fun time with many life changes for me, and as the blurb noted, it was a very complex time. I visited San Francisco during this time, and I am happy to see from the customer reviews that the author’s knowledge of the city is accurate for that time. As I was reading the first ten pages, I remembered my family's struggle when my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I agree with the OnlineBookClub review that this story has the essence of the movie “The Notebook,” which I have watched multiple times. I particularly like how the author accurately described this disease and the impact it has on the victim and the family. I did not see any errors or anything I would change in the first ten pages. The book appears to have been edited by a professional editor. I have purchased the book and will eventually read it.
First Ten review added on August 10, 2021, at 10:23 am by Bertha Jackson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Total ~ 36%
Tales of the Seventies earned a score of 36%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 36% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
Go to main Bookshelves page for Tales of the Seventies
