Buondì.
Today we have a new, and very Christmassy, half-price ‘eBook of the Week’. It’s called Natale a sorpresa, the level is B2 (upper-intermediate) and this week it costs just £3.99, instead of the usual £7.99.
Be aware that we published this one around this time last year. Usually our ‘eBook of the Week’ offers are on stories that are at least three years old, but I thought, if Natale can come around every twelve months without people getting bored of it, well, why not ‘Natale a sorpresa’?
This one being so recent, it’s likely that many of you already have it (in which case, go choose something else to read and listen to from our Catalog).
However, there are one or two club members who are prone to buying things they already have, realising only later, then emailing me to ask for a refund, which I graciously expedite, while muttering curses. Ragazzi (you know I’m talking about you, don’t you?), I have a busy week of teaching ahead, so do me a favour, will you, and check your virtual bookshelves BEFORE hitting the ‘buy’ button? Many thanks in advance.
Back to the rest of you, though – as always, you can check out the free sample chapter (.pdf) to get an idea of the level, length and format of the material.
So what’s this one about?? (From here on, this article is basically the same as last December’s – as I said, I have a busy day. N.b. this story is PRE-PANDEMIC, as you will see from the blurb below. Isn’t that quaint?)
Matteo’s supposed to be writing a book – he has a deadline coming up – but he’s suffering terribly from writers’ block. All he can do is stare at a blank computer screen. He’s recently out of a relationship, which hasn’t helped…
Worse, it’s December and Christmas is coming! Normally Matteo spends the festive season with his family, but this year they’re visiting relatives in Australia. So it looks as if he’ll be celebrating alone.
Then he has an idea. He’ll call his best friend Filippo, who’ll surely be able to help! Perhaps they can spend Christmas at Filippo’s place in the mountains, or take a trip somewhere…
But you’ll be asking yourself, what about the cute dog on the cover?
And rightly so! We’ve had an ebook with a feline protagonist so it’s about time we did something for club members who are dog-lovers, giusto?
I don’t think I’ll be giving too much away if I hint that writer Matteo’s idea of spending Christmas with his mate Filippo doesn’t work out as he’d hoped, but that instead…
Well, you’ll have to buy a copy of Natale a sorpresa to find out!
N.b. This story is set over the Christmas/New Year period, in ‘real time’ so to speak. Think of it as having started a week or so ago and going on until around Epiphany, when the whole festive thing wraps up for another year.
I mention this because Natale a sorpresa is a nice way to learn about what Italians get up to in December and January – what days are celebrated, how they decorate their houses, what they eat, and so on.
Just saying…
A mercoledì, allora.
Natale a sorpresa | Free sample chapter (.pdf) | Catalog
P.S.
And the usual postscript: don’t forget to listen to and read Saturday’s bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news. It’s free.