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Friday, April 30, 2010

Bargain Book Roundup, Part II

Ties That Bind, Ties That Break ($1.30 Kindle), by Lensey Namioka

Book Description
Third Sister in the Tao family, Ailin has watched her two older sisters go through the painful process of having their feet bound. In China in 1911, all the women of good families follow this ancient tradition. But Ailin loves to run away from her governess and play games with her male cousins. Knowing she will never run again once her feet are bound, Ailin rebels and refuses to follow this torturous tradition.

As a result, however, the family of her intended husband breaks their marriage agreement. And as she enters adolescence, Ailin finds that her family is no longer willing to support her. Chinese society leaves few options for a single woman of good family, but with a bold conviction and an indomitable spirit, Ailin is determined to forge her own destiny. Her story is a tribute to all those women whose courage created new options for the generations who came after them.


Two Cats, Three Tales ($9.99), by Lilian Jackson Braun. Three volumes in one, that's $3.33 per book, while the individual volumes are $6.29 each.

Book Description
The first three Cat Who... mysteries in one volume, from the New York Times bestselling "master of mystery" (People). Prize-winning reporter Jim Qwilleran and his extraordinary Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum always land on their feet. This special volume includes the first three books in this "thoroughly delightful"* series. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards: Modern art is a mystery to many-but for Jim Qwilleran and Koko it turns into a mystery of another sort. The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern: Reporter Qwill isn't thrilled about covering the interior design beat. Little does he know that a killer has designs on a local woman featured in one of his stories. The Cat Who Turned On and Off: Qwill and Koko are joined by Yum Yum as they try to solve a murder in an antique shop.

Someone to Trust ($1.83), by Ginny Aiken

Book Description
So what if she's the fire chief's daughter? Arson investigator Rand Mason doesn't trust Catelyn Caldwell. Seven years ago, he was on the scene when Cate's drunken boyfriend ran her sister and brother-in-law off the road. But the purple-haired brat he remembers sitting in the passenger seat has become a poised, confident woman. With Cate's father critically injured in a meth lab fire, she's determined to find the person responsible. She needs Rand's help...and he needs to keep Cate close. Time to see if she's truly someone he can trust--and love.

Nightwalker ($3.60), by Heather Graham , is only one of the many discounted books by this author in the Kindle store currently.

Book Description
One night, desperate for money to support her grandfather, Jessy Sparhawk places the bet that will change her life forever. Just as she's collecting her winnings, a man stumbles through the crowd, a knife protruding from his back, and crashes into her, pinning her to the table.

Hired to investigate the murder, private detective Dillon Wolf finds himself fascinated by the gorgeous redhead who'd been trapped beneath the victim--and by the single word the dying man had whispered in her ear. Indigo.

One murder leads to another as Dillon and Jessy realize that the nightmare is only just beginning--and that the dead still have a hand left to play.


The Pride of Lions ($3.95), by Marsha Canham

Book Description
They were torn between pride and passion. . .

It was a boastful wager, a bold flirtation meant to win a proposal from the most eligible officer in His Majesty's Royal Dragoons. How was the spoiled and pampered Catherine Augustine Ashbrooke to know the handsome stranger with the brooding midnight eyes would see through her plot and make her the pawn in a dangerous game of his own?

United by a reckless game of chance. . .

Alexander Cameron may have won the highborn English beauty in a duel, but not even the lure of long-forgotten desires could keep him from his meeting with destiny. He had no choice but to carry his reluctant bride off to the Highlands, to a world of ancient blood feuds and a brewing rebellion--a world where fiery passion and breathtaking courage would prove that even legendary warriors could lose their hearts.

Bestselling, award-winning author Marsha Canham sweeps us into the turbulence and romance of Scotland's quest for freedom in a saga of two born enemies whose lives and destinies are irrevocably bound to the fate of an empire.


No Mercy ($4.47), by John Gilstrap

Book Description
Deep inside the dangerous world of rescue operations, one anonymous hero pays no ransom, takes no prisoners, and breaks every rule. Meet Jonathan Grave. . .

No names. No feds. No trace evidence. That's how Jonathan Grave operates. As a freelance specialist in covert rescues, he has to work outside the law to get things done-especially in highly sensitive hostage situations. But when an Indiana college student is abducted, and Jonathan's meticulous plan explodes into a deadly shooting spree, the local authorities are out for blood-and they're not alone. Someone wants to control a devastating secret . . . someone rich and powerful . . . someone willing to capture, torture, and kill anyone to get it. Even the people Jonathan loves most. . .


And here are a few independent authors who have their books on sale for 99 cents. The first one ends today, a few end this weekend and the others have more indefinite dates before their prices go back up.

Coombe's Wood ($0.99), by Lisa C Hinsley, should bounce up to $2.99 after today.

Book Description
Izzy Santana and her 13-year-old son Connor move into a Reading Council-provided flat in the sleepy village of Cedham. Locals darkly warn her to stay away from nearby Coombe’s Wood, hinting first at elves, then at multiple murders… which may or may not have taken place in the woods hundreds of years ago. It’s all ludicrously superstitious, and Izzy is so delighted to have found a haven for her son – after being threatened by her sadistic ex-partner George – that she takes little notice.

She meets a neighbour who seems kindly, if a trifle fey, and who takes a great interest in her son. Connor seems instantly comfortable with him. She begins to feel as if she is also falling under his spell. But Connor is bullied at school, and one night she finds herself tracking those bullies in the wood, where she believes they are waiting for him. She doesn’t find them, but something closes in on her – something that sounds like a savage animal. As she runs she realises she may have been set up – or Connor was – to be caught by whatever the animal was. She strengthens the barricades in her flat, no longer puts all the local tales about ‘danger in them woods’ down to superstition, and even begins to wonder about the way she was selected by the Reading Council officer to live in the village in the first place.

Then a slit rabbit turns up on her doorstep, along with a distinctive cigarette butt, and she knows George has found her. Desperately compassionate, her neighbour calls the police, who turn up next day, harumph the ceiling, and take the attitude: You’ve not been attacked, then, Miss? You haven’t actually seen him? Why, if your ex-lover has tracked you down, do you suppose he would he dump a rabbit at your door…? Her own question, more urgent, is: if George can get in the front door of the building, can he get into her flat?

What Izzy needs to do is protect Connor. She has already started to uncover the ancient secrets of the village, and now she works out the perfect way to get rid of George… for good.


Firefly Island ($0.99), by Daniel Arenson

Book Description
Want to escape to a magical land? Discover a world at the edge of imagination. Visit Firefly Island. In Firefly Island, you'll meet Aeolia, a girl enslaved to an ogre on a faraway farm. With the magic of fireflies, she must escape the ogre, then journey to find her long-lost brother. Join Aeolia as she explores Firefly Island, a strange land of firefly magic. Her quest takes her from hills swarming with ogres, to jungles full of fierce tree warriors, to castles brimming with knights in armor, to an underworld of outlaws on dark city streets, to twisting dungeons, and into landscapes of flame and war.

Quest for the Simurgh ($0.99) and Tales of a Texas Boy ($0.99), by Marva Dasef, are marked down for Mother's Day.

Book Description
Quest for the Simurgh
The village magician, Wafa, has gone missing. His star pupil Faiza thinks he has left a clue for her on a page of the Magicalis Bestialis. With the page open and marked with an X, she believes Wafa is telling them to seek out the Simurgh, the mythical birds who possess all the knowledge of the universe. She convinces her three classmates that they must seek the help of the Simurgh to find their teacher.

She leads the boys on a difficult journey into the mountains in search of the elusive birds. A strange little man becomes their guide. However, they do not know he is a spirit leading them toward a battle between good and evil. Spirits, gods, and demons confront the four friends, who are being set up by the otherworldly forces for a much larger task than finding their teacher. The students were chosen to take sides in the battle which might spell the end of the world: a battle between the demons and the spirits.

Tales of a Texas Boy
How do you handle a crazy jackass? Eddie knows. If you ask Eddie, he'll tell you pigs can fly and show you where to find real mammoth bones. Take his word for it when he tells you always to bet on the bear. These are things he learned while dreaming of becoming a cowboy in West Texas during the Depression. Through Eddie, the hero of "Tales of a Texas Boy," we find that growing up is less about maturity and more about roping your dreams. Hold on tight. It's a bumpy ride. A wonderful read for anyone who enjoys books like "Little House on the Prairie" or "Tom Sawyer." A great bit of nostalgia for seniors, too.


Recollections: A Baby Boomer's Memories of the Fabulous Fifties ($0.99), by Jim Chambers

Book Description
As one of the first post-WWII Baby Boomers, the author's childhood and early teenage years were in the 1950s, a remarkable decade for the United States that saw enormous political, technological, and cultural changes. Although many books have covered the headline-making events of the era in great detail, few of these books give the reader a real feel for what daily life was like for Americans living in that decade, especially for kids growing up then. The author remembers the little nuts and bolts things of daily life for families during the fascinating decade known as the Fabulous Fifties. "Recollections" perfectly blends paying homage to the little day-to-day rituals with a larger scale examination of social issues and mores of the times, and it’s equally entertaining on either level. "Recollections" is a warm, lovingly honest, and fascinating portrait of America in the mid-20th Century.

Second Chances ($0.99), by Kristie Leigh Maguire

Book Description
Jane Porter’s dreams of marrying Mike Farley, the handsome cowboy who lives on the neighboring ranch, are shattered when Mike suddenly marries a redheaded stranger he met at the Wild Horse Saloon in Casper, Wyoming. After Mike stomped all over Jane’s heart with his cowboy boots, can Jane ever trust her heart to a man again?

Mike Farley marries beautiful Samantha Jo Smith after a whirlwind courtship with no thought to Jane Porter, his childhood sweetheart and the woman everyone in Fremont County thought he would marry one day. Mike soon learns to regret his hasty marriage to Samantha. Can Mike win back Jane’s heart even though he had shattered it into a million pieces?

Longtime friends and neighbors Jim Porter and Liz Farley turn to each other for support, and help in raising their children Jane and Mike, after the unexpected death of their spouses. Will Jim and Liz’s friendship turn into something deeper even though they both feel they have had, and lost, their chance at love?

Is it ever too late for love? Is it ever too late for second chances?

Set in rural Wyoming, Second Chances is a delightful read that will warm your heart.


The Wife of Freedom ($0.99), by Camille LaGuire

Book Description
New Acteron is on the verge of rebellion, and so is Mary Alwyn, the upstanding wife of a local revolutionary. Mary was once a wild orphan, who loved to run barefoot and jump in the mud, but she's been raised to be a good and proper wife. Everyone thought that the irrepressible Jackie Alwyn would be a good match for her, but he's married to the revolution, isn't he?

When a charming nobleman comes along, he's like a big mud-puddle, and Mary just can't help but jump in bed with him.

But when she betrays her lover's trust for the revolution, Jackie holds her up as a hero and calls her the Whore of Freedom in public. If Mary's ever going to live down the first part of that name, she's going to have to live up to the second. So she sets out to be a real spy, as brazen and bold as the reputation that precedes her, while learning anew what it is to be a real friend to those you love. But she'll never really be free until she returns to face her past.


The Other Side of Tuscany ($0.99), by N. A. Stolfo Corti

Book Description
A heartbreaking true story of one woman's personal triumph over an abusive relationship set amidst the high-stakes world of Italy's fashion elite.

Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Other Side of Tuscany captures the beauty and power achieved when we come to forgive those who hurt us the most.

A tour de force for women. And for the power of love.


Finally, BookView Cafe is having a sale in honor of the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. They have several books marked down to the one-to-three dollar range (although some are only in PDF format), HERE.

Bargain Book Roundup, Part I

The Chicago Way ($1.59 Kindle; $1.99 B&N, Kobo & Sony), by Michael Harvey, whose just released The Third Rail ($9.99 Kindle) is also on 100% rebate at fictionwise.com this week.

Book Description
From the co-creator and executive producer of the television show Cold Case Files, a fast-paced, stylish murder mystery featuring a tough-talking Irish cop turned private investigator who does for the city of Chicago what Elmore Leonard did for Detroit and Raymond Chandler did for Los Angeles.

Chicago private investigator Michael Kelly is hired by his former partner, John Gibbons, to help solve an eight-year-old rape and battery case, a case it turns out his old friend was once ordered to forget. When Gibbons turns up dead on Navy Pier, Kelly enlists a team of his savviest colleagues to connect the dots between the recent murder and the cold case it revived: Diane Lindsay, a television reporter whose relationship with Kelly is not strictly professional; his best friend from childhood, Nicole Andrews, a forensic DNA expert; Nicole’s boyfriend, Vince Rodriguez, a detective with a special interest in rape cases; and Bennett Davis from the DA’s office, a friend since Kelly’s days on the force. To close the case, Kelly will have to face the mob, a serial killer, his own double-crossing friends, and the mean streets of the city he loves.

Ferociously plotted and crackling with wit, The Chicago Way is first-rate suspense steeped in the glorious, gritty atmosphere of a great city: a marvelous debut.


The Curse of the Pharaohs ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo & Sony), by Elizabeth Peters, second in the Amelia Peabody series.

Book Description
One of the best-loved of mystery writers weaves another tale of intrigue featuring Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe of Crocodile on the Sandbank. This time the willful and witty duo must catch a murderer at an excavation of an ancient Egyptian tomb.

Seeing a Large Cat ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo & Sony), by Elizabeth Peters, ninth in the Amelia Peabody series.

Book Description
No villain is safe in 1903 Egypt as feisty archaeologist Amelia Peabody embarks on her ninth adventure.

According to an ancient Egyptian papyrus, dreaming of a large cat means good luck. And that's just what Amelia Peabody could use, as her growing family matures in the new century. What's more, Amelia's dashing husband Emerson has received a mysterious warning not to enter the Valley of the Kings. To Emerson's annoyance, Amelia's meddling distracts her attention as she exposes a fraudulent spiritualist, saves a marriage, and plays matchmaker. But diabolical forces are at work when an unknown tomb reveals a shocking murder -- and the Peabody family dodges bullets from an assassin determined to put an end to their discoveries.


Spellbound ($1.79 Kindle, $1.99 B&N & Sony)

Book Description
While world-famous photographer Calin Farrell enjoys a much-needed vacation in Ireland, he becomes bewitched by the ravishingly beautiful Bryna Torrence. In fact, so bewitched that he refuses to believe in the spell that has brought them together—and could destroy them both.

The biggest problem with buying Midnight In Death ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo & Sony) or Interlude In Death ($1.99 Kindle, Kobo & Sony), by JD Robb, is that the third in the series is not available in ebook form and is out of print. Instead, you can pick up all three in one volume, at only slight more per book: Three in Death: Midnight in Death/Interlude in Death/Haunted in Death ($6.29 Kindle, $6.99 B&N)

Book Description
Midnight in Death
Eve’s name has made a Christmas list, but it’s not for being naughty or nice. It’s for putting a serial killer behind bars. Now the escaped madman has her in his sights. With her husband, Roarke, at her side, Eve must stop the man from exacting his bloody vengeance - or die trying…

Interlude in Death
In early spring of 2059, Lieutenant Eve Dallas is called off planet to face a grueling ordeal - giving a seminar at the largest police conference of the year, to be held in a swanky resort. It's supposed to be at least partly a vacation, but work intrudes in the form of a bloody homicide. The case is complicated by Eve's personal history with the victim - and by the killer's history with Roarke.

Haunted in Death
Number Twelve is an urban legend in 2060 New York City. The hot club in the 1960s, it is now reported to be haunted…and cursed. Lieutenant Eve Dallas is called there to investigate the apparent murder of Radcliff Hopkins, its new owner and the grandson of the man who made Number Twelve a cultural icon. With everyone around her talking about the supernatural, pragmatic Eve won’t let rumors of ghosts distract her from hard evidence.


4 Day Detox ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo & Sony), by Ian K. Smith

Book Description
Dr. Ian Smith's diets really work. America has lost millions of pounds following his bestselling programs: The Fat Smash Diet, Extreme Fat Smash and, his newest, The 4 Day Diet-an eating plan that allows readers to avoid the normal (and fatal) pitfalls of dieting. Now you can try THE 4 DAY DETOX: the first of seven four-day modules straight from The 4 Day Diet by Dr. Ian. As seen on -The Rachael Ray Show- and -Celebrity Fit Club-, THE 4 DAY DETOX will charge up your system and remove some of the toxins your body may have accumulated and that keep you in an unhealthy eating rut. In his detox, Dr. Ian provides specific marching orders for invigorating, extremely healthy foods that not only mop up the toxins floating around in your body but naturally increase your energy and prime you to lose excess pounds. THE 4 DAY DETOX will cleanse your body, help you lose weight fast, and focus your mind on what you can do when you commit to change.

Things that Make You Feel Good ($1.99 Kindle, B&N & Sony), by Todd Parr

Book Description & Author Bio
Open this book to find out things that make you feel good and the things that make you feel bad. This children's book is written by the author of This Is My Hair.

Even if you have never seen one of his books, you may already be familiar with Todd Parr's work from seeing bedding or toys emblazoned with his bold, colorful art. With his positive, slyly humorous picture books, Parr encourages toddlers and preschools to embrace their individuality and communicate what they feel. It's nearly impossible to look at his pages and not smile, no matter what age you are.

Free Books (nook) from Hackett and MG

Several new free books in the B&N store and I don't expect them to stay at this price. The earlier ones from MG press increased from free to an average of $75.00 each after two days. From the titles I've seen offered so far, it appears that Hackett Publishing specializes in materials for college students, while MG has more Canadian and UK non-fiction. While some of the Hackett volumes are in the public domain, what you are generally getting are newer translations, commentaries and improved formatting. One note on pricing - although these say they are free and have a $0.00 price tag (at least when I am posting this, always double check before clicking), B&N will probably charge you a penny apiece for them.

The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing, by Michael Harvey

Book Description
Engagingly written and illustrated with scores of telling examples, this plainspoken how-to book for college writers identifies those qualities that most typically distinguish good writing from bad and provides practical measures for avoiding pitfalls.

Included are do's and don'ts for achieving concision, clarity, and flow, as well as pointers on using punctuation, writing gracefully, citing sources, and structuring persuasive writing.

Championing "the plain style" with a keen appreciation for the uses to which language can be put-including abuses to which it is prone-The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing is a guide that never fails to remind readers why good writing matters so much in the first place, in college and beyond.


Walden Two, by B.F. Skinner

Book Description
This fictional outline of a modern utopia has been a center of controversy ever since its publication in 1948. Set in the United States, it pictures a society in which human problems are solved by a scientific technology of human conduct.

Analects: With Selections from Traditional Commentaries, by Confucius

Book Description
Rich distillation of the timeless precepts of extremely influential Chinese philosopher and social theorist. Includes "Concerning Fundamental Principles," "Concerning Government," "The Eight Dancers: Concerning Manners and Morals," and much more. Footnotes.

Four Plays and Three Jokes, by Anton Chekhov

Book Description
This volume offers lively and accurate translations of Chekhov's major plays and one-acts along with a superb Introduction focused on the plays' remarkably enduring power to elicit the most widely divergent of responses, the life of the playwright in its historical and aesthetic contexts, suggestions for reading the plays "under a microscope," and notes designed to bring Chekhov's world into immediate focus-everything needed to examine his drama with fresh eyes and on its own artistic terms.

Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert

Book Description
Madame Bovary is the story of a beautiful young woman who marries a luckless and loutish country doctor. She attempts to escape the narrow confines of her life through a series of passionate affairs, hoping to find in other men the romantic ideal she has always dreamed about. Her recklessness comes back to haunt her, however, and the strong-willed and independent Emma finds herself in a desperate fight for existence.

Innovation, Science, Environment: Canadian Policies and Performance, 2008-2009, by Glen Toner

Author Bio
Glen Toner is professor, public policy and director of Carleton University's Research Unit in Innovation, Science and Environment in the School of Public Policy and Administration.

Jerusalem on the Amur: Birobidzhan and the Canadian Jewish Communist Movement, 1924-1951, by Henry Felix Srebrnik

Book Description
The Canadian Jewish Communist movement, an influential ideological voice within the Canadian left, played a major role in the politics of Jewish communities in cities such as Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg, as well as many smaller centres, between the 1920s and the 1950s. Jerusalem on the Amur looks at the interlocking group of left-wing Jewish organizations that shared the political views of the Canadian Communist Party and were vocal proponents of policies perceived as beneficial to the Jewish working class. Focusing on the Association for Jewish Colonization in Russia, known by its transliterated acronym as the ICOR, and the Canadian Ambijan Committee, Henry Srebrnik uses Yiddish-language books, newspapers, pamphlets, and other materials to trace the ideological and material support provided by the Canadian Jewish Communist movement to Birobidzhan.

By providing the first account of the rise and fall of Communism in the Jewish community of Canada, Jerusalem on the Amur makes a substantial contribution to our understanding of twentieth-century Jewish life.


Finding Freedom: Hegelian Philosophy and the Emancipation of Women, by Sara MacDonald

Author Bio
Sara MacDonald is a professor in the Great Ideas Programme at St. Thomas University.


Seeing Ghosts: 9/11 and the Visual Imagination, by Karen Engle

Book Description
Starting from the tremendous fascination with images of 9/11, Karen Engle asks what, in the context of a national trauma, makes an image appropriate or scandalous, exploring how diverse visual media have been mobilized in political projects of identification and personal narratives of empathy. Focusing on themes of memory, mourning, and history, Engle examines sculptural, photographic, and new media responses to the 9/11 attacks in both contemporary and historical contexts, considers the public's reaction to these visual productions, and suggests that earlier presentations of America at war play a pivotal role in the representations of 9/11 in both official and popular media.

Seeing Ghosts is a groundbreaking theoretical study of how we remember, how we mourn, and how images of a particular event influence our imagination of the future.


The Boundaries of Meaning and the Formation of Law: Legal Concepts and Reasoning in the English, Arabic, and Chinese Traditions, by Sharron Gu

Book Description
Different legal systems share some basic developmental tendencies that are rooted in the historical evolution of language and culture. In this comparative history of English common law, Islamic law, and Chinese imperialist law Sharron Gu describes the formation of three diverse legal systems in terms of their unique linguistic environments. In this unique study of how language determines the structure of legal systems, Gu argues that the characteristics of each language define the nature of the common, statute, administrative, and religious laws associated with it and set the boundaries for its legal imagination.

Race Riots: Comedy and Ethnicity in Modern British Fiction, by Michael L. Ross

Book Description
In Race Riots, the first study of racial humour in the work of modern British authors, examines the complex ways in which laughter can either reinforce or subvert racial stereotyping. Filling a critical gap, Race Riots focuses on the rhetorical function of laughter within comic texts, a seldom studied dimension of the subject. It also explores the relationship between humour and power in society, concerns that are customarily treated separately.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Using Collections on Kindle

Detailed info on using Collections, complete with screenshots, is already available on the Kindle Help pages (which means our Kindle Manuals should update as well, when we get the firmware update), HERE.

It looks like those with multiple Kindles will want to designate one of them as the master collection creator, at least at first, as the others can then import the collection definitions (and presumably then change them individually). You will be able to assign a book into multiple Collections (so, it does work like tags), as well as see the items you haven't yet assigned to a collection. The method used to create and assign the collections, however, is probably the most awkward possible - create a collection first, then use the five-way to move to the right while highlighting it's name, select the Add/Remove option, then find the book (hmm.... ok, I have hundreds of pages ....) by clicking with the controller (it looks like you can at least select more than one at a time). I looked at my Kindle management page (kindle.amazon.com), and there doesn't appear to be any support for collections there. There are a few other updates, though, such as the ability to mark a book as read, reading or unread (or "I gave up on it", which they call "stopped reading"), although I don't believe you can see that info on the Kindle itself, nor can you set these values for anyone other than the main Kindle account holder. You also can't set a collection value from inside a book (which would be relatively trivial to add, even using their awkward point and click system, rather than letting us type in tags either on the Kindle from inside a book or do mass assignments in the Kindle manage page).

It'll be a pain, but it will be possible to classify your books by genre and set up further collections of "read", "unread" and "reading" (for those with multiple Kindles, you'll want to set up one of each for each person and let that person maintain them - I'd name them differently, though, so you don't accidentally import someone else's Reading collection to your Kindle). Of course, for most of us, the "unread" category will be blank, as we've learned to delete books once they are read and these collection categories will have no relevance to the "read,reading,etc." tags set up on the Kindle Management page. I can see why they are leaving their Original Kindle owners out in the cold, however, due to the way they implemented tagscollections - rather than have the help pages explain how to do things both ways (using the keyboard for the K1) or having newer Kindle owners complain that it is easier that way or letting you manage the collections from the web, they simply added a single method using the five-way controller (thinking that customers who picked an ereader with a keyboard are too mouse centric to use it, perhaps?); which also leaves out (or makes so difficult it requires assistance), some of their readers with less motor control or lesser eyesight, as well, who already have more difficulty with the newer Kindle than the original, for some functions.

One unanswered question: if you have the same collection on two Kindles and both people make changes to it, will those changes sync across Kindles? Or will one of the Kindles have to import the changes from the other? What happens if the changes are contradictory?

The most relevant part of using Collections, from the Amazon Help pages:

Managing Content in Your Collections

After you create one or more collections you wish to use for organizing your Kindle's content, you're ready associate items on your Kindle with those collections. Here are a few handy collection features:

  • Collections are stored on Amazon: When you create a collection on a device, we'll save your collection so it appears in Archived Items on other devices registered to your Amazon.com account. This allows you to transfer collections across registered Kindles.

  • Books are associated with collections until removed: If you add a book to a collection on your Kindle and then delete the book from your device, it remains associated with that collection in Archive Items. If you download the book again, it will automatically appear in the appropriate collection on your Home screen.

  • Books can appear in more than one collection: You can associate a single book or other item from your library with multiple collections if you wish.

  • Collections don't change device or Archive Items content: If you delete a book from a collection or delete an entire collection from your Kindle, it does not change the actual items saved on your Kindle or in your Archive Items on Amazon. When you delete a collection from your Kindle, any downloaded items from that collection will appear the Home screen instead of in the collection.

To add or remove collection items:

  1. Highlight the collection name on the Home screen.
  2. Move the 5-way controller to the right to reveal the collection options.
  3. Select "Add/Remove Items" with the 5-way controller.
  4. Highlight and select a title you wish to add or remove. Items currently in the collection will display a check mark to the right of the title.
  5. Select "Done" at the bottom of the screen when you've finished editing your collection.

To import a collection from another Kindle:

  1. Select "Archived Items" from the Kindle Home screen.
  2. Select "Add Other Device Collections" from the Archived Items page.
  3. Select the desired collection to import and select "ok" to confirm.

Note: Importing a collection from another device does not import the books or other items to your Kindle if they aren't downloaded already. However, books already on your Kindle that are associated with a collection will automatically appear under that collection name on your Home screen.

Six Free Books from Sony

Six more free titles in the Sony ebookstore, courtesy of Xlibris Publishing.

The Urban Book of the Dead ($9.99 Kindle), by Jonathan Cottam

Book Description
Urban Book of the dead is my second book to be published, after ‘The Unrequited Zombie’. It is a rather less experimental work, though still unusual, vivid, and descriptive. I would describe the book as both psychedelic and surreal, being rather pedantic about the use of those two words. That is, if it were surreal I would be dealing with a psychological work, something that looked towards expanding knowledge of the Id, that primitive part of our nature that is repressed by social conventions and the need to plan to get what we want. It is, in that it is self gratifying without recourse to opinion, it is every animalistic urge that can only be released through art, because to do it any other way would have terrible repercussions. Having said that, next to my early work, it is not particularly arty or deep. It is psychedelic because it looks to reaching a higher consciousness by through creativity, to reach a state beyond the normal level of seeing things, it is also psychedelic and surreal in the commonly understood sense, it is ‘trippy’ and sometimes deals with drugs.

From Dawn to Deceit ($19.99 paperback), by Terry Joseph

Book Description
Are the Wall Street players Jasper Cunningham encounters along his quest for power merely a pawn in his murderous passion for wealth? From Dawn to Deceit reveals the saga of a self-made multimillionaire whose greed and malice succumb him to fight the justice system to regain his freedom and stature in the business world. Through flashbacks of the adulterous years preceding Jasper's arrest and trial, we encounter cold-blooded murders, corporate fraud and embezzlement, and justified rape. In his journey, Jasper affiliates with seemingly faithful lovers and underworld cohorts who become jointly entangled in their common goal-the pursuit of wealth, sex, and power. But who can Jasper trust? The layers of deception only accelerate after his verdict.

Growing up with A Heart Defect and Faith ($9.99 Kindle), by Shelia Ratliff

Book Description
The Story you are about to read is based on my life. It’s a true story. I wanted to share it with others hoping it will make a difference in their life. After you read it you will see how I fit back with my faith, by helping others fight back as well. How I was called a poor girl to heart trouble kid. But with my faith I was the richest girl in the world. Not money wise, but being blessed wise. Stories about some of my friends who fit back with their lives and won. About special people in my life who made a difference. You will see how miracles happen. You will be amazed how little things can make a difference and never give up on faith or your dreams, … because this is one of mine.

God's Poetic Treasure's: A Poetic Journey Through The Scriptures ($9.99 Kindle), by Priscilla McGee

Book Description
God’s poetic treasure’s is a poetic Journey through the scriptures. This book has section headings and in each section there is a prayer and a related scripture. Within each section there are eight to ten poems with a related scripture. This book is designed in the style of a devotion book which allows the reader to look at the section heading, find the area that they may need encouragement. Then through accessibility they can turn to it and read the poems and scriptures that are related to the topic.

What Every Catholic Should Know about Mary: Dogmas, Doctrines, and Devotions ($9.99 Kindle), by Terrence J. McNally

Book Description
This book provides a concise summary of Traditional Catholic Mariology. It explains the following facts:
• Jesus worked his first miracle for Mary (Jn 2:1–11).
• Mary kept the faith of the Church alive on Calvary (Jn 19:25–27).
• By 200 CE, Catholic Mariology was virtually completed.
• Early Christians painted pictures of Mary in the catacombs.
• The earliest prayer to Mary dates from c. 270 CE.
• Between 100 and 200 CE, a church was dedicated to Mary at Nazareth.
• In the 350s, the feast of the Assumption of Mary was celebrated on August 15.
• In 431 CE, the Church proclaimed Mary Mother of God.
• Marian devotion is Christ-centered and presupposes conversion of heart.
• Catholic Marian teaching derives from the Bible and Tradition (the apostles as witnessed by the Fathers of the Church).
• The four Marian dogmas are the Divine Maternity, Perpetual Virginity, Immaculate Conception, and Assumption into heaven. The Church never defined dogmas of Mary as Co-Redemptrix and/or Mediatrix of all graces.
• In heaven, Mary shares subordinately in the mediation of Jesus Christ, the only Mediator.
• The rosary is 57 percent biblical.


Misery Doesn't Always Love Company ($9.99 Kindle), by Mark A. McDonald. This appears to be a poetry collection, but I can't find a book description anywhere.

Almost Free Book (Kindle) - Milrose Munce and the Den of Professional Help

Milrose Munce and the Den of Professional Help, by Douglas Anthony Cooper, is a single penny in the Amazon Kindle store. Aimed at young readers (age 9-12), this one has only five-star reviews (you can't see them on the Kindle book page, but HERE under the paperback version.

Book Description
No one except Milrose Munce knows that ghosts of former students live in his school. Not only is Milrose aware of these ghouls – he’s on a first-name basis with all of them. Of course, some are more likeable than others: the third floor is the home to nearly all of his good friends. Most of them – like Imploded Ig, Deeply Damaged Dave, and Toasted Theresa – were the victims of science experiments gone wrong though they do manage to maintain a sense of humour about their demise. Then there are the ghost athletes who lurk in the basement – a pretty disagreeable group, the majority of them having died after a particularly clumsy manoeuvre on the school’s sports field.

After Milrose is given yet another detention for offering his teacher an answer that was just a bit too clever, his life takes an unexpected turn. He is sent to a hidden den in the school’s basement to receive Professional Help. Here, he and the quick-witted Arabella, a fellow captive, are put under round-the-clock supervision of the maniacal Massimo Natica. Fortunately for Milrose and Arabella, once they join forces with their ghostly friends, Massimo Natica doesn’t stand a chance.

In the tradition of Edward Gorey and Roald Dahl, the dark comedy and imaginative brilliance of Milrose Munce and the Den of Professional Help will appeal to adults as much as it will to younger readers.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Collections coming (SOON!) to the Kindle

Amazon has announced version 2.5 of the Kindle software today, which will finally include a method of organizing your Kindle books, which they (copying Sony) are calling Collections (too bad, as tagging is already a mobipocket feature and more powerful than Sony's Collections). Unfortunately, it looks like all the original Kindle buyers will be left out in the cold, as there is only a footnote that they are at version 1.2 and there doesn't appear to be an update in the works. So, those of us with an original Kindle will have to keep using separate SD cards and software like Calibre to manage our books. Even the note-based tagging workaround that many have used on their Kindle 2's is useless on the original Kindle, due to the slowness of the search facilit, once you get a few hundred (or more) books on it.

Several of the updates seem to be geared towards younger readers (Really? Twitter sharing of passages from a book? As if that social network isn't filled with enough trivia). Nor am I much interested in what passages in a book others marked as interesting (although it looks to be a readily exploited feature if used by students to skip reading an entire book when preparing a report), while other features are those that original Kindle owners have been asking for all along (and which could have been developed for that hardware platform without much difficulty, especially tagging). Passwords have long been needed and locking your Kindle is something many business users have wanted (as have a few people who don't want others to see what they are reading), but parents have been asking for parental locks on their Kindles even louder and it doesn't appear those are included. I know I'd love to be able to mark books (using my Manage My Kindle page) as to which Kindle is allowed to access a book - that would make it easier for families with multiple Kindles, where the romance and sports readers don't want to see each others titles, for the most part. I'll definitely use the PDF enhancements on my DX, I suspect, and perhaps the Collections feature there will be useful (even though I only keep a small subset of my books there).

Here's a list of the coming enhancements:
  • Collections: Organize your books and documents into one or more collections.
  • PDF Pan and Zoom: Zoom into PDFs and pan around to easily view small print and detailed tables or graphics.
  • Password Protection: Password protect your Kindle when you're not using it.
  • More Fonts & Improved Clarity: Enjoy two new larger font sizes and sharper fonts for an even more comfortable reading experience.
  • Facebook & Twitter Posts: Share book passages with friends on Facebook and Twitter directly from your Kindle.
  • Popular Highlights: See what the Kindle community thinks are the most interesting passages in the books you're reading.
Amazon is rolling out the new software update to a limited group of Kindle users (it sounds like theses have started) and plans a broad release in late May 2010. They are updating in batches, so don't be surprised if your Kindle doesn't get the update right away. This update also appears to take a while to download, install and reboot (the estimate is about 10 minutes), during which time you should not power off or reset your Kindle.

Click HERE for additional details and for updates on the release schedule.

Free two-day shipping on Kindle

Just in time for Mother's Day, Amazon has brought back their free 2-day shipping offer on the Kindle and Kindle DX. Order either one today and you'll get free shipping and delivery by Friday. According to the countdown clock I see on the order pages, you have until 11PM EST to place your order (one-day shipping is $3.99 for those with Amazon Prime, letting you procrastinate until tomorrow to place your order). I know my mother uses her Kindle daily and I'd get one for my M-I-L, if she were not in such a remote area that she has no Whispernet access (and no computer, either, for USB downloads). Of the two, the Kindle DX has larger fonts and better speakers, for those who use the Text-to-Speech feature, while the Kindle is quite a bit easier to hold, has buttons on both sides and is more transportable.

How to redeem:
  • Add Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation) or Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device (9.7" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation) to your Shopping Cart.
  • When you're done shopping, click "Proceed to checkout." Select Two-Day Shipping.
  • On the final checkout page, the shipping discount will appear in the upper-right corner of your Order Summary.
Additional details on the offer can be found HERE.

If your mother already has a Kindle, don't forget to print off a Kindle Gift Certificate, which can double as a Mother's Day card.

Five Dollar Cookbooks

No matter how much I love my Kindle, so far I prefer traditional paper copies of cookbooks when I am cooking (best of both worlds: the ebook version to read or check at the store and the paper copy to use in the kitchen). Barnes & Noble is trying to tempt me to add to my collection with their $5 Cookbook Sale, with titles ranging from The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry to Incredibly Easy Gluten-Free Recipes. There are five pages of books included in the sale, a few of which caught my eye and I'm highlighting below. Where available at Amazon, I've included prices and links so you can find reviews.

The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry ($9.99 Kindle), by Kathleen Flinn

This is the funny and inspiring account of Kathleen Flinn-s struggle in a stew of hot-tempered chefs, competitive classmates, her own -wretchedly inadequate- French, and the basics of French cuisine. Flinn was a thirty-six-year-old middle manager trapped on the corporate ladder-until her boss eliminated her job. So she cashed in her savings and moved to Paris to pursue her lifelong dream of attending the venerable Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. Fans of Julie & Julia and the late Julia Child will be richly rewarded by this vibrant tale of self-discovery, transformation, and ultimately love.

Incredibly Easy Gluten-Free Recipes ($9.98 Amazon, 4-for-3 promotion eligible), by the Staff of Publications International

Cutting gluten out of your diet? That s no reason to deprive yourself of flavor and variety. Going gluten-free may sound awfully limiting, but there are plenty of delicious options, many more than the forbidden foods. The wonderful recipes in this book will show you new ways to prepare old favorites like pizza, cookies, and casseroles without a speck of gluten.

With this cookbook, you are covered for a gluten-free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. Nobody has to be on a special diet to love these delicious dishes:
Grilled Fish Tacos
Cajun Chicken and Rice
Cheese Grits with Chiles & Bacon
Ham and Potato Pancakes
Turkey Piccata
Almond Flour Pound Cake
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies


Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant($9.99 Kindle), by Jenni Ferrari-Adler

In this delightful and much buzzed-about collection of essays, 26 writers and foodies invite readers into their kitchens to reflect on the secret meals they relish when no one else is looking. Part solace, part celebration, part handbook, Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant offers a wealth of company, inspiration, and humor-and finally, recipes that require no division or subtraction.

Featuring essays by: Steve Almond, Jonathan Ames, Jami Attenberg, Laura Calder, Mary Cantwell, Dan Chaon, Laurie Colwin, Laura Dave, Courtney Eldridge, Nora Ephron, Erin Ergenbright, M. F. K. Fisher, Colin Harrison, Marcella Hazan, Amanda Hesser, Holly Hughes, Jeremy Jackson, Rosa Jurjevics, Ben Karlin, Rattawut Lapcharoensap, Beverly Lowry, Haruki Murakami, Phoebe Nobles, Ann Patchett, Anneli Rufus and Paula Wolfert.


Outstanding in the Field: A Farm to Table Cookbook, by Jim Denevan & Marah Stets

Instead of bringing food to guests in a traditional restaurant setting, Jim Denevan brings diners to their food, creating what Alice Waters has called “the restaurant I always imagined.” His innovative organization, Outstanding in the Field, sets up dinner tables in fields, ranches, dairies, vineyards, and community gardens across the country for alfresco meals that truly reconnect us with the land and people that produce our food.

In Outstanding in the Field, Denevan presents a cookbook full of seasonally inspired dishes from his farm-fresh dinners, sharing more than one hundred recipes with home cooks and food lovers everywhere. Celebrating local ingredients at their height of freshness, favorites include Haricot Vert and Early Girl Tomato Salad with Summer Savory; Burrata Cheese with Nectarines, Mâche, and Hazelnuts; Sea Scallops with Sugar Snap Peas and Chervil; Pure Maple Syrup–Braised Short Ribs; Green Tomato Marmalade; and Upside-Down Fresh Fig Cake. All of the recipes present opportunities to use the most flavorful produce, meats, and cheeses in the area where you live—and suggestions for substitutions when necessary.

America’s appetite for organic and local food has never been stronger and there is no better guide to this growing movement than Jim Denevan. With inspiring recipes, beautiful photographs throughout of farms and food across the country, and information on finding local ingredients and helping Community Supported Agriculture and community gardens, Outstanding in the Field is a cookbook that celebrates the pleasures of raising, preparing, and enjoying good food.


Keo's Thai Cuisine by Keo Sananikone($16.50 Amazon)

The books that ushered in the Thai revolution in kitchens across America is back in a revised edition featuring the classic recipes that earned Keo an international following, along with new recipes fresh from the kitchen of his world-famous restaurant in Hawaii. With over 80,000 books in print, KEO'S THAI CUISINE continues to be the definitive source for home cooks serious about Thai cuisine. Each chapter is structured to allow a beginner to understand the components and philosophy of Thai cuisine, as well as prepare such winning dishes as Keo's Thai Spring Rolls, Evil Jungle Prince with Mixed Vegetables, and Musamen Beef Curry. The fresh new look we've given the revised edition makes the full-color food photography look more enticing than ever.

With over 80,000 books in print, "Keo's Thai Cuisine" continues to be the definitive source for home cooks serious about Thai cooking. Full color.


The GL Diet Made Simple ($9.99, by Antony Worrall Thompson

This is the follow-up to Thompson’s best-selling GI Diet Cookbook and a must for those who have adapted their diet to the sound principles of the Glycemic Index.

The GI diet explained how to manage blood glucose levels to help weight loss and encourage long-term good health. The GL (glycemic load) is an exciting new extension of these principles and measures more accurately the carbohydrate load of food. This means that foods that had previously been considered high GI, e.g. melon, can now be introduced into your diet, as the amount of carbs you would eat in a portion, rather than in a whole melon, is calculated. This will give you a better understanding of how to combine foods to bring down the overall GL and allows an even greater choice of foods to be included in your diet.

Antony Worrall Thompson has created 100 delectable recipes based on the GL to help you lose weight sensibly. His GL Diet is a diet that you can follow for life without missing out on favorite foods – and it offers a tempting range of desserts and treats (allowed because the carb calculation is more precise).

Whether you are already a fan of the GI and looking to expand your recipe collection, or if you are new to the GI/GL, this book will help you to eat healthily, lose weight for good and still enjoy delicious food.

Free Game - Word Monaco

The free game this week at Sandlot Games is Word Monaco ($6.95 Amazon Game Downloads). This was also free back in mid-January, for those who have followed this blog for a while.

I have this installed on my XP notebook, but have been unable to get it to unlock on my Windows 7 computer. Update: I disabled my antivirus software in Windows 7 (since I've been running the same program with no issues on another computer and was using the same install file, there wasn't much risk in this), reinstalled and unlocked with no problem at all. Apparently this can be a problem with some of Sandlot's older games (it depends on the antivirus program, not necessarily the OS version).

Game Description
  • A Unique Blend of Word Creation and Solitaire
  • 50,000+ Entries In A Massive Word List
  • 5 Decks From Easy To Champion
  • 75 Progressively Challenging Levels
Welcome to Word Monaco! Relax under the warm sun of the Mediterranean and play a unique blend of word-creation and solitaire. Create words by moving letters from column to column and use power-ups for bonus points. When all of the letters are used, you'll move on to the next of 75 progressively difficult levels in 6 different locations! With a word list of over 50,000+ words and 5 decks of varying difficulty, there are endless possibilities.

Click HERE to sign up for the free download. For step by step purchase and installation instructions, see this post.

Dozens of free non-fiction books at B&N

There are dozens of free books from MG Press in the B&N bookstore today, but they can be tricky to find. Most appear to be history, legal or political subjects from a British or Canadian point of view, but I also found one about women pilots in England between WWI and WWII.

Click HERE to get a sorted list, just be careful to check the prices before buying (many are quite expensive, as you get near the end of the list). I found free titles on at least the first seven pages of results. Most (if not all) appear to only be in eReader format, so nook and PC compatible.

Update: I bought several of these and despite being marked as free, B&N apparently ran one-penny charges for each of those. No big deal to me (it's only 60 cents if you buy every one of them), but it triggered the fraud protection on my credit card (which declined the charges, but B&N put the books in my library, anyway), so it was a bit of a hassle to have to call the credit card company and get it unblocked.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Free Book (Sony) - The Beginning... the End... Anew!

The Beginning... the End... Anew! ($9.99 Kindle), by Zedart Hodges, is another selection from XLibris (which appears to specialize in self-pulished authors) that is free in the Sony ebookstore this evening. This one is marked as a religious, motivational memoir.

Book Description
For sometime I’ve been clean and at times it has been hard, but I think about my love for me and know that I can't and refuse to fall back into that self pity state of denial and that now I understand that it´s not about me also there's a saying that is so true which says in order to keep what you got you must give it away. I hope this will help someone or somebody out there that's beginning to realize that life is bigger than they are and more important to someone else other than you thank you for time.

Free Book (Sony) - The Whore of Babylon

The Whore of Babylon, A Memoir ($9.99 Kindle), by Katrina Prado, is free in the Sony ebookstore.

Author Bio
Katrina Prado is the author of several novels, including a mystery series as well as many literary short stories. She has had material published in Woman’s World, Potpourri, The Chrysalis Reader, The Santa Clara Review, Lite, and Woman. Ms. Prado’s comments have also appeared in Yoga Journal. She has been a freelance writer for Woman’s World magazine and her work has aired on Public Radio’s Valley Writers Read. She was a two-time panelist at the Sacramento Reads! book festival. Her short story Twig Doll won first place in the 2000 Lite Circle Literary Contest. Her novel BOXES OF YEARS (March 27, 2002, Rising Tide Press) is available at all bookstores, as well as from Amazon.com. She lives with her husband in northern California.

Free Book (Sony) - Where 45 Ends

Where 45 Ends ($9.99 Kindle), by E. Marie Aldrich-Creasy, is free in the Sony ebookstore.

Book Description
Penning down over two hundred fifty poems, the author opens the windows to her soul through lyrical verse that displays immense emotional power. Each piece in this collection is carved by the emotions of a young woman with whom many others can relate. She vividly captures different events and ideas that a person has to encounter in the journey of life.

The poem “Through It All” is a powerful reminiscence of past hardship and trials. Written in a whimsical yet edifying tone, “What to Say” tells of an unknown story of girls known as bartenders and waitresses. “Back of the Truck” relives the good old days of 1972 racing life, and “Country in Music” expresses how people should return to God and bring hope, faith, and belief back to the rhythm of everyday life. By reading her poem “I Want To Say”, you’ll know where her heart is.

An eloquent delivery of Aldrich-Creasy's philosophies, Where 45 Ends collects pieces of the heart. It is a highly entertaining and inspiring read for readers of any age and life situation.

Free Book (Sony) - The Adventures of Button

The Adventures of Button ($9.99 Kindle), by Richard W. Leech, is free in the Sony ebookstore.

Book Description
With Buttons, the adventures—and misadventures—never end…

Buttons has her way with everything around her. She is indeed an extraordinary Scottish terrier dearly loved and enjoyed by all—even the dangerous or maddest of creatures are enthralled and captivated by the young Buttons.