Books on The Knob: January 2009

Friday, January 30, 2009

16 Free ebooks from Harlequin

The sixteen books Harlequin promised are now available to download, but no Mobipocket (Kindle) version. When the web page first came up, the Mobi/PRC files were there for download, but it turned out that they were DRM-enabled versions and since this was a special web site set up just for the free books, Mobipocket Reader was unable to authenticate them. They also would not work on the Kindle, since the Kindle doesn't support DRM'd mobi files.

All is not lost, however. You can download the PDF version and just email them to your Kindle or use the free MobiPocket Creator Publisher program to convert them yourself, which gives you much greater control over how the books look in the Kindle homepage. Emailed PDF's, for example, always show your email address as author and have the PDF file name as the name of the book. With MobiPocket Creator, you can specify the book title, the author (last name first, so sorting works correctly) and even set up a cover page. Once you've created the book (a two click process), you can then copy the PRC file to your Kindle using the USB cable or email it to the Kindle - since it's already in the PRC format, all Amazon does is rename the file and add an AZW extension; the book title and author name will use what you specified in Creator.

And by the way - if you find the tedious FLASH based order page they set up to be so much trouble it isn't worth it, even for free books, try this link instead. All sixteen books in one place, all with links for every format available. I'd download them soon, although the rumor is that these books will remain free for the rest of the year. One final rumor - these same books will appear soon in the Sony store as free downloads (this is confirmed if you buy the Valentines's Day special edition of the Sony Reader, which also comes with several 20% off coupons for more Harlequin titles in their store) and will also appear soon in the Kindle store.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Free Ebooks on Kinde: Hundreds of Classics

Amazon is giving away classics for the Kindle - so many, in fact, that they go on more than 100 pages, which is the limit when sorting by price in the Kindle Store. At least check out the first 100 pages, as there are gems hidden there, as well as searching on any classics author to see if their works are included.

Happy downloading!

Update, there are now 7,370 of these books available. Follow this link (sorted by highest customer review) to the complete list and you can use the categories on the side to help locate those of interest.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Kindle 2.0 coming in two weeks?

Is this what Amazon.com will announce at its press conference on February 9th? (Credit: Boy Genius Report)

CNet is reporting that Amazon has called a "book related" press conference for Feb 9 and they believe that the announcement will be a confirmation of the Boy Genius reported design for the Kindle 2.0 and an early release date, possibly in March. They are incorrectly reporting that the Kindle order page has gone from a predicted availability date of late February to a "sold out" notice (I just checked - availability is 4 to 6 weeks, the same late Feb/early March that has been listed for months now) and they predict that anyone ordering now will get an email offering to let you "upgrade" to the newer version instead (for a predicted $40 charge). Hopefully they are just as wrong with their predictions as they are with their reporting of the status of Kindle pre-orders. If not, it means that the "new" Kindle will be a less capable unit (no SD card expansion, no replaceable battery) with a much larger form factor (less ability to stash in a purse or large pants pocket) and a higher price tag (otherwise, why would anyone consider paying $40 more and consider it a good deal? You could easily cancel the old order and reorder the new version at $399 or less and have the same or better).

At this point, it's equally likely that the thinner, larger case Kindle is the UK or European model (where the ability to store books on an SD card might have been a sticking point to get publishers on board). The UK model has been rumored for 2009 for quite some time and Hatchette recently raised a big stink with US e-tailers about selling ebooks to European readers - a move that was no doubt anticipatory to the Kindle hitting shelves there (ebooks in Europe are often the same or higher price and that pricing is set by law, not just market forces). Tightening up the loopholes UK/EU readers use to avoid higher European pricing (many have figured out how to use the Sony US store, for example, due to the UK store's pricing/problems) will no doubt be essential in getting European publishers on board. Remember, just because a book is from the US or available here on the Kindle doesn't mean that the digital rights will be released in the UK/US. Or vice versa. You might even see the equivalent to region coding introduced on ereaders (the publishers would love it, but it may be too late to add this, now that ebook formats are out there), much as is used with video games and movies to ensure you can't play that disk you picked up while on vacation in London, once you get back to the States.

But back to the rumored Kindle 2.0. Hopefully Amazon will finally release some of the most desired features (hint: FOLDERS!) that early adopters have been clamoring for. Even then, it' doubtful that it would be worth paying more for the new version, unless the rumors of it's lack of hardware features are true. Sure it's thinner and has smaller keys, but even these are not considered desirable features by many (unless you work at Sony or are a "critic/reviewer", but not an actual Kindle reader) -- the thinness actually makes it less comfortable to hold over time (your hand cramps up more, as has been noted by some who have both a Sony Reader and a Kindle) and the smaller keys mean a much more precise hand movement is required to change pages. And I doubt the thinner design will work as well reading on your side (the current Kindle will balance on it's edge, requiring no effort to keep it up for reading). But the thing I'd miss most is the expandability - not only for books, but for audiobooks (even quadrupling the embedded memory won't give you enough for more than one or two small ones) and music, as well as the ability to have a "work documents" card and a "reading" card (or even one card per person with a single shared Kindle). And no replaceable battery means that when it dies (and they all die), the entire unit must be sent back for repair (if possible) or completely replaced. Neither of which is a very green solution (or likely - how many of us have dead UPS/Battery Backup units sitting around or that were disposed of/replaced rather than repaired?).

What do you think? Do you prefer the new design? How much extra would you be willing to pay for thin?

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Free Ebook on Kindle: Blood of Eden

Blood of Eden by Edward Morris

Samhain Publishing continues with their freebies to introduce some of their authors. Please make sure you read the content warning before purchasing (most of the books they've offered have been for adults only).

Synopsis:

Not all faeries have wings. Not all goblins are green. And not all wars are fought on the outside. The first installment in the exciting new ARKADIA trilogy. Larry Cresswell, a disillusioned twenty-something, moves back in with his parents after college, gets his young girlfriend pregnant and ends up in the Oakland barrio, drunk and on welfare. Not as much of this is his fault as he'd like to believe.

His girlfriend is a Changeling, left on Earth from the dimension of Faerie during a long and bitter war.

One day she learns this, leaves and takes their daughter to Seattle, during the WTO Protests of 1999. This disaster, it is foretold, will punch a hole between dimensions and send her home as Queen of the Sluagh goblin-folk.

Larry goes after his daughter, but to win her back he must first surrender-to himself. Only when he faces his own true origins can he hope to survive.

It's snowing in Arkadia. The King and Queen are imprisoned, and the Sluagh are on the march. Pass with Larry under the shadow of the storm, along with him for the hell-ride of his life...

Warning: Sexual references, graphic language and violence.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Explore Alaska

Have you received your "personal" invitation from Sarah Palin to come visit? I have (it's a yellow envelope, so keep an eye out), but with the recent winter weather and storms, I think I'll just read about it in front of the fire, instead. Although today's temps in most coastal areas of Alaska are actually warmer than here in TN, after 70F to 90F degree warmups in the last week, winters in Alaska are not for the faint of heart or for those with small pocketbooks. Mistakes in planning can mean disaster and even death due to exposure and the storms this winter are starting to take their toll on those dependent on imported fuel for winter heat and Juneau is once again dependent on diesel for electricity due to avalanche damage to their incoming electric lines. But not everyone in Alaska is tied to the modern world. Instead, a hardy few still live in much the same manner as the early settlers to the area.

The Final Frontiersman: Heimo Korth and His Family, Alone in Alaska's Arctic Wilderness $7.99. Note that there are two Kindle editions of this book, one shows a cover and the other does not, which appears to be the only difference between the two. The one with the cover image sells for $9.59, while the $7.99 edition above is the one linked from both the paperback and hardcover editions.

I'll have to admit, Heimo Korth has divorced himself from the modern world in a pretty extreme way. He's a true subsistence hunter, the only permanent resident of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Living on the northern border of the interior, temps of -50F are a normal winter day. But the possible record of -80F might have even convinced him that it was a might cold winter day (and it's a "possible" record because the thermometers in use are only certified accurate down to around -50F, which was considered to be good enough for the region).

One reviewer noted that if Chris McCandless, the subject of JonKrakauer's Into the Wild had read The Final Frontiersman first, he might still be alive today. For those who have only seen the movie, the book goes into more depth, providing insight in the character in a way that a movie seldom does. Another book McCandless might wanted to have read was James Oliver Curwood's The Alaskan or John Muir's Travels in Alaska (free at Manybooks.Net), as Muir's solitary travels suited his spirit more than the mode of travel highlighted in the average guidebook to Alaska, such as the aptly named Alaska Highway Adventure Guide (Adventure Guides), where you seldom are far from a paved road (although still the adventures are more remote and wilder than what you'd find on a highway in the lower 48).

Steve Rinella is another modern adventurer in Alaska, one of 24 people in 2005 to win a lottery to hunt buffalo in the foothills of Alaska's Wrangell Mountains and which he writes about in American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon. Unlike McCandless, Rinella heads out prepared with a compass, rifle, bone saw and skinning knife, all of which he puts to use. If you prefer your adventures to be with smaller (and colder) game, consider Fool's Paradise, by Gierach & Wolff:

"You're on a lovely, remote wilderness river in the Alaskan backcountry. There are people who would make this trip and not even bring a fishing rod." Musing on the enduring appeal of fishing, Gierach theorizes, "We're so used to the fake and the packaged that encountering something real can amount to a borderline religious experience." Equal parts fishing lore, philosophy, and great fish stories, Fool's Paradise may not be a perfect substitute for actually being out on the water, but it's surely the next best thing.

For a guide that is more specific to Alaska (Fool's Paradise also covers British Columbia and the Rocky Mountains), be sure to check out Flyfishing Alaska and Fly-Fishing Secrets of Alaska's Best Guides. And if your adventure plans don't include fishing or hunting, there is still plenty to do and lots of guidebooks to assist you, from 50 Hikes in Alaska's Chugach State Park to Alaska's Southeast, 11th: Touring the Inside Passage to The Unofficial Guide to Adventure Travel in Alaska to Coming into the Country.

If you are more interested in the history of the region, be sure to read Alaska, an in depth 600+ page treatise that covers everything from the first European explorers thru the activism of native Alaskans' in the 60's. Or, if you would rather explore the eccentricities of a "typical" small town in Alaska, don't miss If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name: News from Small-Town Alaska. It might not answer every question you have about Sarah Palin, but it will shed some insight on the odder things that came up about her hometown during the election (after all, if the entire world is your small town and you know everyone's name, perhaps feeling Russia is just over the next hill isn't all that unreasonable). Just be glad some of the other characters in this biography/memoir weren't picked instead.

Friday, January 16, 2009

16 Free ebooks from Harlequin

Harlequin continues the big celebration this month, this time with free ebooks direct from their web site (not Kindle compatible, these are to be read on your computer). On January 29th, in celebration of turning 60, they will make 16 ebooks available for free download. Signup at their celebration page and you'll get a reminder when the downloads are available. The page is a little confusing - it mentions 16 books and a $60 value, but also refers (twice) to getting a single book. I guess we'll have to wait and see, but when they are giving the books away for free, it's hard to complain.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

One Dollar Romance on Kindle

We've all seen the commercial where the guy tries to buy something for a one dollar bill. He can't get a cab ride, only gets one cheek done at the tanning salon and so on. One thing he didn't think of (being a guy) was to check out the romance novel selection for the Amazon Kindle. It isn't easy finding the books that Amazon has marked down and they don't stay marked down for long, but today there is a bonanza of one dollar novels, all with four stars or better customer reviews. I've grouped them, roughly, by publisher and these should each provide an hour or more of entertainment for a single dollar bill - one of the better bargains around, these days.