Penguin Random House Excerpt Sampler Spring 2015 includes extracts from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi, Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton, The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George, At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen, Liar's Bench by Kim Michele Richardson and Let Me Die in His Footsteps by Lori Roy. This sampler was a great way to find stories by authors I might never have discovered otherwise.

The Water Knife is a science fiction novel which explores the effects of climate change. Usually science fiction isn't my thing but the premise of this sounded interesting so I was curious going into the extract. However I found the writing style a bit too heavy for me so wouldn't want to carry on reading this.

Seeker is a fantasy novel about Quin who becomes a seeker. As someone who doesn't read much fantasy, I found this extract quite confusing and looking up the synopsis didn't clear it up at all so I won't be reading this book or the rest of the series.

The Little Paris Bookshop is a contemporary fiction novel about the power of stories to change peoples' lives. I adored this premise of this book and was also excited by the setting. I found the pacing of the extract to be a bit slow however I would still give this book a chance.

At the Water's Edge is a historical fiction novel set during World War 2. In this extract the characters we are introduced to are extremely unlikeable and after looking up a synopsis online I have no interest in continuing this book.

Liar's Bench is a historical fiction novel set during the 1970s in southern America. I wasn't particularly excited by the premise of this story and I found the extract to be very slow paced. Therefore I probably won't read the rest of this book.

Let Me Die in His Footsteps is a mystery/thriller novel set in a small Kentucky town. I love the title of this novel and thought the premise sounded intriguing. However I found the extract quite slow to get started and there was nothing holding my attention so I am unlikely to read this book.

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!

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!!

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.

Fantastic opportunity of reading excerpts of upcoming books that will soon be available.

Not every book is going to appeal but it's great to have a look.

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

THE WATER KNIFE by Paolo Bacigalupi has a really interesting premise about extreme water shortage that reminds me of MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. I just looked it and they both came out in May 2015, that's some fun synergy. Anyway, while the concept is both thrilling and relevant, the excerpt indicates that things are going to be very survival-of-the-richest and depressing and more than I can handle.

The copyright page of SEEKER by Arwen Elys Dayton cracked me up because the cover copy is so mysterious, what could it be, and the Library of Congress summary is just straight out "it's assassins." The teenage trials and the overdramatic romance at the end just underlined that most YA isn't my thing, and I am definitely not the target audience.

THE LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOP by Nina George sounded cute, but then M. Perdu refused to sell someone a book and I got very angry, that was way too high-handed a move. I don't care if you think I'm reading something for the wrong reasons, I read what I want to read (as a lifelong romance reader I may be a little sensitive on this subject).

AT THE WATER'S EDGE by Sara Gruen had a prologue that was honestly kind of impressive in how depressing it was. We then had a brief flash-forward that was very "woe is me" about how terrible the New Year's Eve party was, so I was tensed for something a lot more disastrous than getting drunk and having a snowball fight. In fact, when the servants were having trouble with the tower of champagne glasses I could just imagine it all crashing down thanks to some drunken attempts to help, a very cinematic disaster, and I was surprised and confused when everything was righted and the party went outside.

LIAR'S BENCH by Kim Michele Richardson is heavy, just as the cover copy promises.

LET ME DIE IN HIS FOOTSTEPS by Lori Roy has a gorgeous cover but I'm not really sure what's happening.

Most of the books were much too depressing for me, or had certain elements that really don't work for me. So I haven't found anything to add to my TBR this time but I still appreciate the opportunity to read.

I can’t review this listing on GR as it’s a sampler, but I really enjoyed all the excerpts I read! Super stoked to read the full length versions.

I received a complimentary review copy of the Penguin Random House Excerpt Sampler (Spring 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, titles of some similar-interest books to give readers some tips on whether they'd enjoy this book, and a quote from a professional review.

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.

I love these samplers of past books; it's such a great to catch up with books you might has missed the first time around. From this selection, I was already familiar with Little Paris Bookshop and Sarah Gruen's selection, but the others are brand new to me.

I love these samplers and how great they are for readers looking for new authors and some good underrated books. I didn't find anything that I wanted to continue reading but I love the idea of these and will continue to request.

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!

I love samplers and the Penguin Random House Excerpt Sampler Spring 2015 is no exception. What a fun way to check out the publisher’s hottest titles for the spring!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this extremely helpful sampler.

Samplers are so helpful to prioritize what new books to read next. This way I can spend time with books I already know I can really dive into!

It's always nice to get a little sample of the book so you know if you want to purchase it.

I downloaded and read this long after it was released mainly because it contained an excerpt of The Little Paris Bookshop but I actually liked the fact that the others I hadn't heard of. In the end I discovered more than just TLPB that I wanted to read.

Once again, an interesting selection of books to look at. Enjoyed looking at what was on offer. Will be looking to lay my hands on the Nina George book. Many thanks for this.

A breath taking cover with equally beautiful and touching stories. Loved it

Thank you so much for the opportunity to check out these titles!