Google+ Running in Cork, Ireland

Monday, December 08, 2008

New feature added to the blog......Amazon.co.uk bookstore
When I first started this blog back in late 2006, one of my main reasons for doing so was just to mess about with blogs.....see what they were about, adding new features and to see what could I do with them.
So on that theme, you may have noticed some banner adverts for Amazon.co.uk on the right hand side of this page. If you click on any of those links, they should take you to the Running in Cork bookstore on the Amazon website. I have selected a number of books there that I think may be of interest to people. If you know of any other good books, you might let me know.

Why Amazon?........Simply because it's the largest bookstore there is. I always use Amazon.co.uk which is the UK version of Amazon because it is fast and it's safe. I know that if I order any books, CD's or DVD's, I will get them a week later delivered to my door. With the hassle of traffic, parking and a limited choice, I gave up buying books and CD's in Cork City a long time ago.

Why now?....Mainly because it's nearly Christmas!!
If you are looking for a 'stocking filler' or more to the point, you want to give a hint to someone for a 'stocking filler' ;o), then you might consider something on the store.
If you are not sure about what to buy, you can can always select the Gift Certificate option. See the banner on the right hand side of this page.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi John,

Great idea about the books, here are a couple that I really enjoyed.

S

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Talk-About-When-Running/dp/1846552206/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1228737953&sr=1-2

Running with the Buffaloes:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Running-Buffaloes-University-Colorado-Cross-country/dp/1585748048/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228737996&sr=1-12

Anonymous said...

Hi John,great blog by the way however im not so sure about the online shopping bit.Shopping local should be encouraged and especially at this time of the year.kevin

Anonymous said...

Whether its a fact of life or not I believe online shopping is a major factor in the destruction of local buisness and employment. BHAA member

John Desmond said...

I'm not going to start a big debate here regarding the merits of shopping online Vs local.

Before I published the comments shown here, I tried a small test. As I was passing a local bookstore, I called in and looked for books about running. The only one they had was Sonia O'Sullivans new book which as you expect would be of interest to people outside of the running community. I'm sure if I had gone to a large bookstore, I might have had a bit more success however I'm sure that any local store cannot offer the same level of choice as the online stores. Frankly, buying local does not even come into it. If someone wants a particular book, then very often buying it online is the only choice.

That's not to say that the online stores have everything! When it comes to books of Irish or local interest, that is where the local bookstores excel. Some small Irish publishers like O'Brien Press come out with some weird and wonderful titles which have a limited print run. The demand is just too small for the Amazons of this world to be interest.

Put simply, it's 'Horses for Courses'. When it comes to general subjects like running, buying online is best. For 'local' interest, buying local is best. At the end of the day, people will make up their own minds and buy the products where they can find them.

John Desmond

(By the way, thanks Sean for those book suggestions. I have added them to the store)

Anonymous said...

An interesting book I just read is " The Running Man " by Gilbert Tuhaboyne Not really a sports book in the normal sense of the word but worth a read. Also another running book mostly about fell running is " Feet in the Clouds " by Richard Askwith ...I really enjoyed this as I had travel a lot of the areas mention in 2007 with some running friends.

John Desmond said...

Thanks for the suggestions John, now added to the store.
John Desmond