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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Video Game Gold Box Day

For anyone that has a Wii console (currently back in stock and now also available in black), you'll want to check today's GoldBox and Lightning Deals at Amazon, as it's Wii Gold Box Day! It looks like all the lightning deals today will be games and most appear to be for the Wii.

The Tony Hawk: Ride Skateboard Bundle from Activision Publishing is the current lightning deal at $39.99, for either the Wii, PS3 or XBox.

Game Description
Experience the true thrill of skateboarding as never before through the revolutionary new skateboard controller in Tony Hawk: Ride. Bundled with the Ride game, the unique motion-sensitive board controller redefines the action-sports genre by translating your body motions into the game. No buttons, no thumbs, no analog sticks—just you on the board. For the first time in video game history, anyone can jump on a skateboard and feel the freedom, creativity, and accomplishment of skateboarding.

Fans of board sports will love the authentic experience of the board controller, while the intuitive nature of the board and multiple difficulty settings make it a fun and exciting experience for people of all ages and skill levels. The ease with which anyone can pick up and play this game and each player's unique playing style make this a fun social game for friends and family to play together. So, are you ready to Ride?

  • Four different modes built into the game include: Challenge, Speed, Trick, and Free Skate ? in epic locations across the globe.
    Includes the Innovative 'Ride' board controller featuring motion sensing technology, smart sensors, a contoured base and a gritty surface to ensure a good grip.
    With no complicated control schemes to master, the game is designed to allow players to get on the board and start mastering the 100+ built in moves from the beginning.
    Eight player multiplayer and online play support lets you and your friends feel the thrill of skateboarding together.
    Multiple difficulty levels make the game a fun and challenging experience for people of all skill levels.
Walk It Out from Konami is the current lightning deal at $18.99. If you miss it, there will be another one 3PM Eastern (noon on the west coast), and more throughout the day.

Game Description (Wii)
  • Uniquely motivational. Explore an in-game world where the more you step, the richer your world becomes. Discover new places and goodies every day!
  • Music to get you going! The only fitness-focused game that keeps you in the game with great music! Move to the beat of 120 songs, including 20 favorite licensed tracks.
  • Track your achievements. Get a visual feel for how well you¿re doing through charts and graphs that show burned calories, distance traveled, steps taken and more!
  • Wii Balance Board compatible. Play with the peripheral of your choice! Accepts input from the DanceDanceRevolution Wii Controller, Wii Remote and Nunchuk or Wii Balance Board.
Get off the couch and get moving to the beat of over a hundred hot songs! Step to the beat of hot hits like the Black Eyed Peas’s “Boom Boom Pow” and Demi Lovato’s “La La Land” and explore a unique in-game world you create with each step you take! It’s a fun and easy way for the whole family to get their hearts pumping! Experience a revolutionary and unique workout where walking to the beat of great music unlocks an exciting in-game world. Keep movin' to the beat of all your favorite in-game tracks as you extend your workout in bonus minigames. Compatible with the Wii Balance Board and the Wii DanceDanceRevolution Controller, Walk It Out will have you groovin' your way to a healthier you! Uniquely motivational, explore an in-game world where the more you step, the richer your world becomes. Discover new places and goodies every day! The only fitness-focused game that keeps you in the game with great music! Move to the beat of 120 songs, including 20 favorite licensed tracks, including masters performed by the original artists! Hits include: Boom Boom Pow by the Black Eyed Peas, How Do You Sleep? by Jesse McCartney, La La Land by Demi Lovato, and more! Get a visual feel for how well you're doing through charts and graphs that show burned calories, distance traveled, steps taken and more! Play with the peripheral of your choice! Accepts input from the DanceDanceRevolution Wii Controller, Wii Remote and Nunchuk, or Wii Balance Board.

Amazon One-day Only Book for a Buck

Amazon has A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers, by Kate L. Turabian, et al, on sale today (only) for 99 cents. And, unlike the previous one-day sales they've had lately, they announced it early enough for me to let you know about it here.

Book Description
Dewey. Bellow. Strauss. Friedman. The University of Chicago has been the home of some of the most important thinkers of the modern age. But perhaps no name has been spoken with more respect than Turabian. The dissertation secretary at Chicago for decades, Kate Turabian literally wrote the book on the successful completion and submission of the student paper. Her Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, created from her years of experience with research projects across all fields, has sold more than seven million copies since it was first published in 1937. Now, with this seventh edition, Turabian-s Manual has undergone its most extensive revision, ensuring that it will remain the most valuable handbook for writers at every level-from first-year undergraduates, to dissertation writers apprehensively submitting final manuscripts, to senior scholars who may be old hands at research and writing but less familiar with new media citation styles. Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, and the late Wayne C. Booth-the gifted team behind The Craft of Research-and the University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff combined their wide-ranging expertise to remake this classic resource. They preserve Turabian-s clear and practical advice while fully embracing the new modes of research, writing, and source citation brought about by the age of the Internet. Booth, Colomb, and Williams significantly expand the scope of previous editions by creating a guide, generous in length and tone, to the art of research and writing. Growing out of the authors- best-selling Craft of Research, this new section provides students with an overview of every step of the research and writing process, from formulating the right questions to reading critically to building arguments and revising drafts. This leads naturally to the second part of the Manual for Writers, which offers an authoritative overview of citation practices in scholarly writing, as well as detailed information on the two main citation styles (-notes-bibliography- and -author-date-). This section has been fully revised to reflect the recommendations of the fifteenth edition of The Chicago Manual of Style and to present an expanded array of source types and updated examples, including guidance on citing electronic sources. The final section of the book treats issues of style-the details that go into making a strong paper. Here writers will find advice on a wide range of topics, including punctuation, table formatting, and use of quotations. The appendix draws together everything writers need to know about formatting research papers, theses, and dissertations and preparing them for submission. This material has been thoroughly vetted by dissertation officials at colleges and universities across the country. This seventh edition of Turabian-s Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations is a classic reference revised for a new age. It is tailored to a new generation of writers using tools its original author could not have imagined-while retaining the clarity and authority that generations of scholars have come to associate with the name Turabian.

Yesterday's book, How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less, by Cal Newport, is actually still marked down to $4.65 (the one-day only price).

Book Description
Looking to jumpstart your GPA? Most college students believe that straight A’s can be achieved only through cramming and painful all-nighters at the library. But Cal Newport knows that real straight-A students don’t study harder—they study smarter. A breakthrough approach to acing academic assignments, from quizzes and exams to essays and papers, How to Become a Straight-A Student reveals for the first time the proven study secrets of real straight-A students across the country and weaves them into a simple, practical system that anyone can master. You will learn how to:

  • Streamline and maximize your study time
  • Conquer procrastination
  • Absorb the material quickly and effectively
  • Know which reading assignments are critical—and which are not
  • Target the paper topics that wow professors
  • Provide A+ answers on exams
  • Write stellar prose without the agony
A strategic blueprint for success that promises more free time, more fun, and top-tier results, How to Become a Straight-A Student is the only study guide written by students for students—with the insider knowledge and real-world methods to help you master the college system and rise to the top of the class.

Dark and Disorderly under a Buck

Today's 99 cent book from Carina Press is Dark and Disorderly, by Bernita Harris, the first in a new series. Unlike yesterday, when Amazon was the last to get this one up, they got the price changed in the morning (although no one had it around midnight, when I checked). The only reason I haven't grabbed my copy this morning is that this is one of the galleys that Carina Press has sent me to review (and I'm bumping it up the list).

Book Description
"I was standing there naked when my dead husband walked into my bathroom..."

Lillie St. Claire is a Talent, one of the rare few who can permanently dispatch the spirits of the dead that walk the earth. Her skills are in demand in a haunted country, where a plague of ghosts is becoming a civic nuisance.

Those skills bring her into conflict with frightened citizens who view Talents as near-demons. Her husband comes to see her as a Freak; so when Nathan dies after a car crash, she is relieved to be free of his increasingly vicious presence. Lillie expects to be haunted by Nathan's ghost, but not to become Suspect #1 for her husband's murder and reanimation.

But what's most surprising of all is the growing attraction between her and psi-crime detective John Thresher. He thinks that Lillie killed Nathan--and Nathan must agree, because his zombie is seeking revenge. Now she and Thresher must work together to solve her husband's murder--before his corpse kills her...

Free Books (Sony) - Kaplan College Prep Guides

Sony has joined the crowd offering free books from Kaplan Publishing. Like Amazon, there are only a couple of titles, but these are available to US customers. Update: Just added a few more, for a total of six at Sony (so far).

Kaplan ACT Strategies for Super Busy Students: 15 Simple Steps to Tackle the ACT While Keeping Your Life Together ($7.99 Kindle)

Book Description
This practical, organized, and easy-to-understand approach gives busy students the 15 basic steps they need to master the Math, English, Reading, and Science sections of the ACT. Kaplan ACT Strategies for Super Busy Students 2009 Edition is the ideal tool for test takers who need all of Kaplan’s tried-and-true methods in a condensed format that fits in with their busy lives. The book includes:
  • Kaplan's exclusive, time-saving strategies
  • Full-length practice test with complete answer explanations
  • Targeted review and realistic practice for the Math, English, Reading, and Science sections of the ACT
  • Preparation for the optional writing component
  • Stress management tips
Sharp Writing: Building Better Writing Skills ($3.99 Kindle), is one that isn't geared only towards students. There are sections on business writing and personal correspondence, in addition to academic writing.

Book Description
Sharp Writing is a compact guide with all the information you need to increase your grasp of language and boost your writing skills using Kaplan's easy-to-follow Building Block Method.

Kaplan Portable GMAT ($4.79 Kindle)

Book Description
Kaplan Portable GMAT includes:
  • Essential information about the test structure and scoring
  • Exclusive score-raising tips and strategies
  • Focused practice for each components of the test
  • Targeted review of each question type
Kaplan PMBR Final: Constitutional Law: Core Concepts and Key Questions ($9.59 Kindle)

Book Description
Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Constitutional Law provides substantive outlines of core concepts and summary outlines. It also includes diagnostic true/false questions, multiple choice questions, and essay questions, which help students understand the black letter law of Constitutional Law and prepare for success on their exams.

Sharp Vocab ($3.99 Kindle)

Book Description
Sharp Vocab features:

  • A 12-question diagnostic quiz to show readers where they need the most help.
  • Topics broken down by subject to make it easy for the reader to group concepts together for easier memorization.
  • A variety of practice exercises with detailed answer explanations for every topic.
  • A 30-question recognition and recall practice set that includes material from the entire chapter, (and a few questions that cover material from the previous chapters) to once again reinforce what the reader has learned on a larger scale.
  • Detailed answer explanations that follow each practice set.
Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Dictionary ($2.39 Kindle)

Book Description
Boost your verbal skills for the SAT exam with this powerful, portable dictionary featuring 1,000 of the most frequently tested words on the SAT.

Getting a great score on the SAT exam is essential for getting into a top college, and being equipped with serious verbal skills is crucial for SAT success. Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Dictionary, Second Edition takes a fun approach to building up your verbal ability, and includes:

  • 1,000 frequently tested SAT words, including their definition, pronunciation and part of speech
  • Helpful sentences to illustrate the proper use of each word
  • Catchy mnemonic devices that help make words memorable
  • Lots of fun illustrations throughout
Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Dictionary is perfect for serious students who want portable SAT prep and great test scores. Its perfect for an on-the-go lifestyle, and for use in conjunction with our other comprehensive SAT guides and workbooks.

Here are the links for the free books from Sony:
Sharp Writing
Super Busy Students 2009
Kaplan Portable GMAT
Kaplan PMBR Final: Constitutional Law
Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Dictionary
Sharp Vocab

I'm already seeing a few more popping in (I don't know if they'll get all 92 that have been free on iBooks), so I set up a search you can run to see what others Kaplan has for free, HERE.

Free Books (Sony) - Sophie's World & Sophie's Secret

Two books from Nancy Rue are free in the Sony ebookstore, courtesy of Christian publisher Zondervan's Zonderkidz division.

Sophie's World ($4.99 Kindle) the first in Sophie series

Book Description
When future film director Sophie LaCroix visits Williamsburg, Virginia, her imagination sends her straight into the eighteenth century. An unlikely heroine, Sophie's forced to use her new-found war tactics to foil a heinous plot and save a friend from impending humiliation by the popular girls.

Sophie's Secret ($4.99 Kindle) the second in Sophie series

Book Description
Sophie and her friends launch an 'archaeological expedition' and make a disturbing discovery. Sophie keeps digging to uncover a shocking family secret. In light of this new revelation, will she ever be able to trust her parents again?

Here are the links for the free books from Sony:
Sophie's World
Sophie's Secret

Free Book (Sony) - Catwalk

Catwalk ($7.99 Kindle), by Melody Carlson, is free in the Sony ebookstore, courtesy of Christian publisher Zondervan.

Book Description
Big Apple. Bigger Problems.The success of the Forrester sisters' On the Runway TV show lands them a hot ticket to Fashion Week in New York City. Paige is determined to garner the attention of New York's top designers, but her newfound fame threatens to go to her head. Erin wants to help promote the work of some eco-minded designers, but struggles to be taken seriously. Can Paige keep her prima donna behavior in check? Will Erin's involvement hurt the people she's really trying to help? Success in the big city comes with even bigger challenges, and as the pressure grows, so does the drama.

Click HERE to get the free download from Sony.

Evil, Inc. under a Buck (Canada Only)

Evil, Inc., by Glenn Kaplan, is marked down to 84 cents for Canadian Kindle customers tonight ($7.99 in the US or you can pick up the paperback for 88 cents).

Book Description
Ken Olson thought he had it all--a loving wife, a beautiful baby, and a career on the fast track. But soon after his big promotion, his whole world is shattered by a monstrous crime. A crime committed by the CEO of his own company. A crime his company will cover up at any cost.

Stripped of everything but his passion to bring the CEO to justice,-Olson uncovers the dark and dangerous world behind the corporate jets and executive mansions--the private armies of mercenary killers who do the corporation's dirtiest work under the guise of "plausible deniability," the offshore banking havens with their clandestine black-hole accounts, and the relentless greed of the lucky few at the top.

Olson's struggle pits him against a host of deadly rivals--the most brutal killer in the international private military underworld, the network anchorwoman with a beautiful face and not a hint of conscience, the aristocrat who pulls the strings of power and never dirties his hands, the hot young actress who makes sex a tool of deception, and, of course, his own chief executive, a bloodthirsty psychopath who has hijacked the corner office.

Set against the backdrop of today's business world, where mega-mergers slash thousands of jobs and yield million-dollar executive payouts, Evil, Inc. is a thrilling, ticking time bomb of a story--a tale of one man's fight against the vicious, backstabbing politics of the corporation, where ruthless power mongers rule and human life counts for nothing against the bottom line.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Fatal Affair under a Buck

Kobo will be running one book from Carina Press for only 99 cents each day for the next week. Today's book is Fatal Affair ($3.89 $0.99 Kindle), by Marie Force. I haven't downloaded this one (yet), but I do know that Carina Press opposes DRM and the books I've purchased from them at other ebookstores have been DRM free. So, you should get an EPUB that you can run thru Calibre and easily convert for your Kindle or any other ereader.

Update: OK, I bought the book and tested it - it has DRM added, despite the publisher. So, this one is EPUB readers only, no Kindles!

Update #2: For Canadian customers only, this one is $0.93 in the Kindle store!

Update #3: 99 cents for US customers in the Kindle store!

Book Description
Washington, D.C., Metro Police Detective Sergeant Sam Holland needs a big win to salvage her career-and her confidence-after a disastrous investigation. The perfect opportunity arises when Senator John O'Connor is found brutally murdered in his bed, and Sam is assigned to the case. Matters get complicated when Sam has to team up with Nick Cappuano, O'Connor's friend and chief of staff...and the man Sam had a memorable one-night stand with years earlier. Their sexual chemistry still sizzles, and Sam has to fight to stay focused on the case. Sleeping with a material witness is another mistake she can't afford-especially when the bodies keep piling up.

Click here to purchase from Kobo.

Friday, August 27, 2010

The 99 Most Essential Allegros

In another great deal for those who load classical music onto their Kindle for listening while reading, Amazon has the MP3 download version of The 99 Most Essential Allegros currently marked at $1.99. I'm not going to list the cuts included, as there are (obviously) 99 of them (totaling just under 10 hours of music!), but there are many you will recognize immediately upon hearing them, including Flight of the Bumblebee, In the Hall of the Mountain King and Ride of the Valkyries.

Free Classics from B&N (nook)


Barnes and Noble is continuing their free Classics in the B&N Free Library this week, with a new set of free classics, eleven of which have not be offered for free previously. This weeks theme is After Dark...
Tales to Read Under the Covers
:
  1. Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
  2. Dracula by Bram Stoker
  3. Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe
  4. The Inferno by  Dante Alighieri
  5. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
  6. Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
  7. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson
  8. Heart of Darkness and Selected Short Fiction by Joseph Conrad
  9. Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Franz Kafka
  10. Time Machine and The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells
  11. Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Writings by Washington Irving
  12. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
These editions are not exactly the same as you would find at Gutenberg; Barnes and Noble Classic Series editions generally have been more carefully proofread and have introductions and scholarly notes inserted in the beginning to aid in understanding the text. If you are building a summer reading list for a student, stocking up for lit classes in college or just want to revisit the classics, these are a great (free) resource.These are DRM'd epubs, though, so will only be readable on a nook or one of the B&N reader apps.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing - 99 cents (today only!)

Amazon has The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing, by Michael Harvey, marked down to 99 cents. They announced this on twitter as a one-day promotion, but didn't post it until nearly 8PM eastern; I'd expect the price to stick until at least 3AM here (and maybe most of tomorrow, but I would not count on it).

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.

Free Audiobooks - Handbook for Boys and Oliver Twist

Audiobook Sync's free giveaway continues. This week, there is, once again, one title available globally and one that is limited to distribution.

Handbook for Boys ($5.99 Kindle) by Walter Dean Myers, read by Peter Francis James

Book Description
Jimmy and Kevin could really use a guide to life.

Their activities almost land them in juvenile detention until Duke employs them in his Harlem barbershop. Duke has rules for everything. But is he offering good advice or just more aggravation?

In the groundbreaking tradition of the award–winning Monster and Bad Boy: A Memoir, Walter Dean Myers fashions a complex, layered novel about the rules for success. Handbook for Boys is the book that he wishes he could have read while growing up. It is also the book young people need to read today.


Oliver Twist ($0.00 Kindle), by Charles Dickens, read by Martin Jarvis; this selection is available only in the US and Canada.

Book Description
Dickens's classic morality tale of a starving orphan caught between opposing forces of good and evil is a powerful indictment of Victorian England's Poor Laws. Filled with dark humor and an unforgettable cast of characters Oliver Twist, Fagin, Nancy, Bill Sykes, and the Artful Dodger, to name a few Dickens's second novel is a compelling social satire that has remained popular since it was first serialized in 1837-39.

Click HERE to get the free downloads.

For those who are just finding out about Audiobook Sync, there are two new ones each week, so you have to keep checking back. You can't get any titles that have been missed, but once they are loaded into, they are yours to keep (there is no expiration date). Get today's titles quickly, as there will be two new ones up each Thursday. You'll have to sign up for an account and install Overdrive (if you are not already using it for library books). In addition, you end up clicking about three pages, for each book, before the audiobook actually downloads. Don't stop so long as you still see a button that talks about your Sync download (or until you see the Overdrive software open up). Once in Overdrive, you'll need to tell it where to save the files (just click OK to use the default location, since Overdrive will keep track of them for you), then again to actually start the download (by default, all parts of the book are downloaded; I would suggest not changing this in the last dialog box, just click on OK to get the download started).

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Free Book (PDF) - Major Karnage (Tonight Only!)

Major Karnage ($9.95 Kindle), by Gord Zaja, is free direct from Wowio, tonight only.

Book Description
DON'T TALK TO HIM ABOUT THE WAR!!!!

It has been 20 years since The War, and Major John Karnage has finally settled into retirement: locked up in an insane asylum, with an explosive device embedded in the back of his neck to curb his violent tendencies.

Karnage and his troopers have been deemed unfit to live in normal society. Like a bit of old chewing gum stuck under a coffee table, the world has left The War and its scarred, unstable veterans behind. The military has been disbanded and World Peace has descended upon the Earth. Its inhabitants live happy, profitable lives under the global rule of the benevolent Dabney Corporation. All is tea and roses in this new, sanitized world . . .

Until a terrifying threat from beyond the stars rears its squiggly head! An invading armada of aliens threatens to destroy the Earth, and it's up to Major Karnage to stop them—as long as he doesn't accidentally blow his own head off first.


Click HERE to get the free book. You'll need to "like" Wowio on Facebook (so, you'll need an account on FB), then you'll see the download link after the curtain opens.

The Clayborne Brides by Julie Garwood - 99 Cents!

The Clayborne Brides: One Pink Rose, One White Rose, One Red Rose, by Julie Garwood, is available to pre-order for 99 cents (just don't accidentally click the other link for this title, as it is selling for $23.99!). This is triple-title anthology contains the second, third and fourth novels in the Claybornes' Brides (Rose Hill) series. The first in the series, For the Roses, isn't digitized yet (but I'll keep an eye out, in case they list it for 99 cents for a short time, as well, as they did for three other of her novels, earlier this month, a deal that has already expired if you missed it).

If you previously pre-ordered this volume at $7.99, you will want to find your order, cancel it, and re-order at this price point, as the pre-order guarantee doesn't apply to Kindle books. I don't expect this 99 cent deal to last long and they'll only lower the price on a pre-order if it is selling for less at the time of delivery.

THE CLAYBORNES ARE BACK -- AND LOVE IS IN BLOOM!

First introduced in Julie Garwood's magnificent New York Times bestseller For the Roses, the Clayborne brothers have been embraced by millions worldwide. Now the individual stories of these three spirited brothers -- once a mismatched gang of street urchins -- are told in a trio of special novels.

ONE PINK ROSE
Travis, the youngest of the Clayborne brothers, escorts mail-order bride Emily Finnegan to Montana -- but Emily makes it perfectly clear that she's taking charge of her destiny and nothing is going to interfere...except the journey with Travis across this beautiful, rugged land that opens her eyes -- and her heart.

ONE WHITE ROSE
Douglas Clayborne will never turn his back on anyone in need, and everyone in Blue Belle, Montana knows it...but his quiet strength faces its ultimate battle when he meets ranch owner Isabel Grant. Douglas may stop the outlaws from stealing her land, but he can't stop Isabelfrom stealing his heart.

ONE RED ROSE
Adam Clayborne has always loved the power of books. An escaped slave, reading has been his only ticket to the wonders of distant lands....Until the irresistible Genevieve Delacroix comes to Montana. Genevieve shares Adam's dreams of seeing the world, and is determined to teach Adam what he'll never learn from a book -- that true freedom only comes when you open your heart.

Kindle 3 is Shipping!

Update: It's been confirmed by Amazon (looks like I let the cat out of the bag, as I reported this two hours before Amazon). I've included the press release below.

As an Amazon affiliate, I get generic reports when people order using my links.Nothing that identifies anyone or even what is ordered at the same time, just a daily summary of what items were both ordered and shipped (so that Amazon can tell me if I made anything that month; the advertising fees from Amazon support both the blog costs and my reading habit). Several readers have placed orders for the new Kindle and Kindle Wi-Fi and this morning one of them is showing that it "shipped" sometime yesterday!

So, one lucky reader has a new Kindle that is "on it's way" -- which may mean, it's in a truck on the loading dock, waiting to be joined by several thousand others, in order to get the best shipping deal from the post office, or it may mean that it's already on the way via UPS or Fedex.

I just checked the status of my order and it has switched to "Shipping Soon", which generally means that shipping labels have been printed and it's being processed/packaged (so the order can't be changed or canceled), but that the package isn't quite wrapped up and on the truck, just yet. My lighted cover is also being processed at the same time (it originally had a week later delivery estimate). Looks like the UPS/Fedex folk will be making to the house this week, after all!

So, did you order one? If so, are you the lucky one whose order has already shipped?

Update: Here's the full press release from Amazon:
New Generation Kindles Are the Fastest-Selling Kindles Ever and Already the Best-Selling Products on Amazon
New Kindles start shipping to customers today--two days ahead of previously announced release date

SEATTLE, Aug 25, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

(NASDAQ: AMZN)--Amazon.com today announced that more new generation Kindles were ordered in the first four weeks of availability than in the same timeframe following any other Kindle launch, making the new Kindles the fastest-selling ever. In addition, in the four weeks since the introduction of the new Kindle and Kindle 3G, customers ordered more Kindles on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk combined than any other product, continuing Kindle's over two-year run as the bestselling product across all the products sold on Amazon.com. The new Kindles started shipping to customers today--two days earlier than previously announced.

"Kindle is the best-selling product on Amazon.com for two years running and our new generation Kindles are continuing that momentum," said Steven Kessel, senior vice president, Amazon Kindle. "Readers are excited about all that the new Kindle has to offer--50 percent better contrast, 20 percent faster page turns, 15 percent lighter, up to one month of battery life--and a new price of only $139."

The all-new Kindle has an electronic-ink screen with 50 percent better contrast than any other e-reader, a new sleek design with a 21 percent smaller body while still keeping the same 6-inch-size reading area, 15 percent lighter weight at just 8.5 ounces, 20 percent faster page turns, up to one month of battery life with wireless off, double the storage to 3,500 books, no glare even in bright sunlight and built-in Wi-Fi--all for only $139. The all-new Kindle 3G with all of these new features plus the convenience of free 3G wireless is only $189.

Early comments from product reviewers on the new Kindle include:

"This e-book reader's lighter weight and complete overhaul make the third-generation Kindle the best reader from Amazon yet... After spending some quality time curled up with the new Kindle, I have to say it's the first e-reader in months that's left me wanting to read more. Its solid build quality, along with its improved design, integrated store, and cross-platform transportability (books are usable on any Kindle reader app, including iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, and PC) all add up to a winner that shoots to the head of the pack." - PC World

"Despite some predictions that the iPad and other Web-oriented tablets would start the Kindle doom clock ticking, its continued popularity bodes well for the future of single-purpose long-form reading devices. The new third-generation Kindle only makes that future brighter. All its basic virtues--instant downloading from an abundantly stocked store, light weight, ability to read in sunlight--are still there, with significant improvements in text readability, physical design, and battery life." - Wired

"...given its new low price along with its massive library of ebooks and dead-simple book buying, the Kindle keeps its crown as our Editors' Choice. Simply put, it's the best dedicated ebook reader you can buy." - PC Magazine

"Amazon's newest Kindle (simply called "Kindle," though it's sometimes referred to as the "Kindle 3") is the best ebook-reading device on the market." - Fast Company

Also in the four weeks since their introduction:

* Kindle and Kindle 3G are the most gifted and most wished for products on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk combined.
* Customers in 125 countries on six continents from Austria to Zimbabwe have already placed orders for the new generation Kindles. Some of the most remote shipments will be sent as far away as Mongolia and the Northern Mariana Islands.
* Customers are already ordering books to read on their new Kindles. The most popular are the books in Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, "Star Island" by Carl Hiaasen and "The Rembrandt Affair" by Daniel Silva.

Kindle offers the largest selection of the most popular books people want to read. The U.S. Kindle Store now has more than 670,000 books, including New Releases and 107 of 111 New York Times Best Sellers. Over 550,000 of these books are $9.99 or less, including 73 New York Times Best Sellers. Over 1.8 million free, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are also available to read on Kindle devices. More than 235,000 books have been added to the Kindle Store in just the last seven months, including New York Times Best Sellers "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest," "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" and "The Passage."

Kindle lets you Buy Once, Read Everywhere--on Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle DX, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry and Android-based devices. Amazon's Whispersync technology syncs your place across devices, so you can pick up where you left off. With Kindle Worry-Free Archive, books you purchase from the Kindle Store are automatically backed up online in your Kindle library on Amazon where they can be re-downloaded wirelessly for free, anytime.

Customers can discover full details and order the new Kindle and Kindle 3G at www.amazon.com/kindle3G and www.amazon.com/kindleWi-Fi.

For high-resolution images of the new generation Kindle, visit www.amazon.com/pr/kindle/images.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle, Kindle 3G and Kindle DX are the revolutionary portable readers that wirelessly download books, magazines, newspapers, blogs and personal documents to a crisp, high-resolution electronic ink display that looks and reads like real paper. Kindle 3G and Kindle DX utilize the same 3G wireless technology as advanced cell phones, so users never need to hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot. Kindle is the #1 bestselling product across the millions of items sold on Amazon.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, and www.amazon.cn. As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

SOURCE: Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc.
Media Hotline, 206-266-7180
www.amazon.com/pr/kindle

Free Book (Sony) - Julip

Julip ($8.80 Kindle), by Jim Harrison, is free in the Sony bookstore today.

Book Description
In three novellas, Jim Harrison takes us on an American journey as he leads us through the wondrous landscape of the human heart. Julip follows a bright and resourceful young woman as she tries to spring her brother from a Florida jail-he shot three of her former lovers "below the belt." The Seven-Ounce Man continues the picaresque adventures of Brown Dog, a Michigan scoundrel who loves to eat, drink, and chase women, all while sailing along in the bottom 10 percent. The Beige Dolorosa is the haunting tale of an academic who, recovering from the repercussions of a sexual harassment scandal, turns to the natural world for solace. In each of these stories, the irresistible pull of nature becomes a magnificent backdrop for exploring the toughest questions about life and love.

Click HERE for the free download.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

100 Free Back-to-School iBooks from Kaplan

Apple seems to be determined to position the iPad as the device of choice. This week, they've teamed up with Kaplan Publishing to give away 100 books in a Back-to-School promotion, but one that anyone can participate in ... so long as you have an iPad (or an iBooks capable iPhone or iPod Touch; my older iPhone is not). There isn't a link to use in particular, as the ibookstore isn't accessible unless you are running the iBooks app, which, although free, only works on select Apple devices. From inside the iBookstore, wait until the scrolling banner on the top of the main page shows the ad for Learn Anytime, Anywhere/100 free titles, click it and you'll be taken to the correct page to access the deal (be careful, though, as at least one title was still showing a price as of 9:30AM EST). You have until August 30th (according to the press release) to purchase the books, but they should stay on your bookshelf after that (otherwise, we all need a book on speed-reading first).

The selection is pretty deep; 22 titles on law school prep, for example, including study guides for finals in several subjects. I tried it a bit early and was able to access the list with the original prices and most of the titles were listed for $4.99 or $9.99.  So far, I've purchased several of the titles, but they haven't actually downloaded to the point that I can read them (they act like the one pre-order title that is on my bookshelf).  If any of you take advantage of this offer, let me know if your books download right away or see to be stuck as a pre-order, as mine are.

Here's a copy of the press release (note that the titles may have changed since this was released):
Kaplan Kicks off Back-to-School for Everyone with Free book Downloads Offer
Only on the iBookstore


August 24 – 30, 2010


High school students; college students; future doctors, lawyers, MBA’s and nurses; and many more can find over 90 valuable Kaplan test prep guides, study aids, and related titles that would normally cost hundreds of dollars, for free on the iBookstore from August 24 -30th. Anyone can enjoy these titles on their iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch device with the iBooks app.


These titles represent a significant one-time savings for students getting ready to prepare for college entrance exams, qualify for advanced certifications, and improve their understanding over a range of academic subjects.


To download free Kaplan ebooks on the iBookstore, visit kaplanpublishing.com/itunes
No promotional code is needed because the cost will appear as $0.00.


If you don’t already have the iBooks app you can download it for free at
www.itunes.com/apps.ibooks


(This promotion is not available on any other eReading device)


The complete list of titles offered:
  1. Call To Nursing
  2. Collected Writings
  3. Corpus
  4. Crime: Its Cause and Treatment
  5. Evolution of Modern Medicine
  6. First Year Nurse
  7. First Year Teacher
  8. Get Into Graduate School
  9. Get Into Medical School
  10. Impaired
  11. Kaplan 101 Algebra Practice Questions
  12. Kaplan 101 ASVAB Practice Questions
  13. Kaplan 101 Biology Practice Questions
  14. Kaplan 101 GMAT Verbal Practice Questions
  15. Kaplan 101 GRE Quantitative Practice Questions
  16. Kaplan 101 GRE Verbal Practice Questions
  17. Kaplan 101 MAT Practice Questions
  18. Kaplan 101 SAT/PSAT Critical Reading Practice Questions
  19. Kaplan 101 SAT/PSAT Writing Practice Questions
  20. Kaplan ACT Strategies for Super Busy Students
  21. Kaplan AP Biology 2011
  22. Kaplan AP Macroeconomics/Microeconomics 2011
  23. Kaplan CCRN
  24. Kaplan GMAT Math Workbook
  25. Kaplan GMAT Verbal Foundations
  26. Kaplan GMAT Verbal Workbook
  27. Kaplan GRE & GMAT Exams Writing Workbook
  28. Kaplan GRE Exam Advanced Math
  29. Kaplan GRE Exam Advanced Verbal
  30. Kaplan GRE Exam Math Workbook
  31. Kaplan GRE Exam Subject Test: Psychology 2009-2010
  32. Edition
  33. Kaplan GRE Exam Verbal Workbook
  34. Kaplan MCAT Biology Review
  35. Kaplan MCAT General Chemistry Review
  36. Kaplan MCAT Organic Chemistry Review
  37. Kaplan MCAT Physics Review
  38. Kaplan MCAT Practice Tests
  39. Kaplan MCAT Verbal Reasoning and Writing Review
  40. Kaplan Medical Internal Medicine Question Book
  41. Kaplan Medical USMLE Master the Boards Step 3
  42. Kaplan Medical USMLE Step 1 Qbook
  43. Kaplan Medical USMLE Step 2 CK Qbook
  44. Kaplan Medical USMLE Step 3 Qbook
  45. Kaplan NCLEXPN 20102011 Edition
  46. Kaplan NCLEXRN 20102011 Edition
  47. Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Civil Procedure
  48. Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Conflict of Laws
  49. Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Constitutional Law
  50. Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Contracts
  51. Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Corporations
  52. Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Criminal Law
  53. Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Criminal Procedure
  54. Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Evidence
  55. Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Family Law
  56. Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Property
  57. Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Remedies
  58. Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Torts
  59. Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Trusts
  60. Kaplan PMBR FINALS: Wills
  61. Kaplan PMBR: Multistate Performance Test (MPT)
  62. Kaplan PMBR: Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam
  63. (MPRE)
  64. Kaplan Portable GMAT
  65. Kaplan Portable GRE Exam
  66. Kaplan Portable SAT
  67. Kaplan SAT Critical Reading Workbook
  68. Kaplan SAT Math Workbook
  69. Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Dictionary
  70. Kaplan SAT Subject Test Chemistry 2010-2011 Edition
  71. Kaplan SAT Subject Test: Biology E/M
  72. Kaplan SAT Subject Test: Mathematics Level 1
  73. Kaplan SAT Subject Test: Mathematics Level 2
  74. Kaplan SAT Subject Test: U.S. History Edition
  75. Kaplan SAT Writing Workbook
  76. Kaplan SSAT & ISEE
  77. Law School Labyrinth
  78. Lives in the Balance
  79. Manual of Surgery
  80. Math for Nurses
  81. MBA Fundamentals: Accounting and Finance
  82. Med School RX
  83. Memorable Thoughts of Socrates
  84. Notes on Nursing
  85. Paralegal's Handbook
  86. Path of the Law and The Common Law
  87. Routine Miracles
  88. Saving Lives
  89. Sharp Vocab
  90. Sharp Writing
  91. Socratic Dialogues
  92. SOS: Stressed Out Students' Guide to Dealing with Tests
  93. SOS: Stressed Out Students' Guide to Handling Peer Pressure
  94. SOS: Stressed Out Students' Guide to Saying No to Cheating
  95. Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands
  96. Reflections on Doctors
  97. Real Life of an Internist
  98. New Lives
  99. Meditations on Hope
  100. Final Moments

Free Book (Sony) - The Last Days of a Rake

The Last Days of a Rake, by Donna Lea Simpson, is free in the Sony bookstore today. This title was free from BooksOnBoard this past June and still isn't available in the Kindle store. This is a novellette (approx 50-60 pages in the Sony software)  from the new publisher Carina Press and is a companion piece to Love & Scandal ($4.69 Kindle), which released on June 21.

Book Description
In Love & Scandal, Collette Jardiniere is outraged when notorious roué Charles Jameson appears to take credit for The Last Days of a Rake, a novel she wrote under the pseudonym Colin Jenkins to satisfy Victorian convention.

Can a rake be true to himself, yet remain free from sin?

Edgar Lankin has lived the life of rake, a man who cares for nothing but the pleasures of the flesh. But it is the seduction—and abandonment—of a gentle maiden that turns him from mere gadabout to immoral cad. Too late, Lankin realizes his self-centered ways have left him incapable of finding enjoyment in anything. Now on his deathbed, he relates the shocking tale of his wasted life to John Hamilton, a school chum who chose a different path.

In telling his story, can Lankin find redemption for the trail of ruined lives he leaves behind?

Free Book (nook) - Map of Bones

Update: the price has gone up and it's now $1.99. The best deal is now for Canadians in the Kindle store, at $1.59.

If you held off on ordering the new edition of Map of Bones, by James Rollins, which was delivered yesterday on the Kindle, and you have a EPUB capable reader, then you may want to pre-order it from Barnes and Noble, where it is free (rather than $1.99), but a week later in delivery that from Amazon. Like the Kindle version, this version contains an excerpt from Altar of Eden, which is once again down to $9.99 on Kindle (and was free from B&N last December).

Book Description
The bestselling master of astonishing adventure James Rollins delivers his most relentlessly exciting page-turner to date—a gripping and explosive novel of an ancient conspiracy to create a terrifying new world order out of the ashes of modern civilization.

The crime is inhumanly cruel with horrific consequences both unthinkable and inevitable. During a service at a cathedral in Cologne, Germany, a band of armed intruders dressed in monks' robes unleash a nightmare of blood and terror, ruthlessly gunning down worshippers and clergy alike. The killers haven't come for the church's gold and valuable artwork, but for a priceless treasure secreted within: the preserved bones of the Three Magi who once came to pay homage to a newborn savior. As they flee the carnage they have wrought, they carry a prize that could reshape the world.

The Vatican is in turmoil, and Lieutenant Rachel Verona of Rome's carabinieri is assigned to lead the investigation. But no ordinary police organization alone can deal with the bizarre theft and massacre, and SIGMA Force—an elite covert arm of the U.S. Defense Department—is called in under the command of Grayson Pierce. New to SIGMA, Pierce assembles a crack team of scientific and Special Forces operatives to unravel the mystery of the stolen bones, and together they set out on a twisting trail through a labyrinth of clues and dark revelations that carry them to the sites of the Seven Wonders of the World—and to the doorstep of the mystical and terrifying Dragon Court.

An ancient, secret fraternity of alchemists and assassins, the master-adepts of the Dragon Court have plans for the sacred remains that will alter the future of humankind in devastating ways that only the maddest of zealots could desire—and they will let nothing and no one stand in their way. Suddenly Pierce, Verona, and the SIGMA team are the hunted as well as the hunters, forced to use every skill they possess to survive as they follow the bones to the ultimate confrontation between darkness and light—in a lost place of history where science and religion will unite to unleash a horror not seen since the beginning of time.

A masterful novel that combines the exhilarating mysticism of The Da Vinci Code with the pulse-pounding action of a Tom Clancy thriller, James Rollins's Map of Bones is destined to be a modern classic that will stand among the very best adventure tales ever written.


Click HERE for the free now $1.99 pre-order in the B&N store.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Bargain Book Roundup

Louise Penny is one of the authors with a "free preview" up at Amazon currently. A much better way to gain new readers for an author is to drop the price of an earlier book and for this author, the publisher is doing that as well. Still Life, the first in her Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, is currently marked down to $2.99.

Book Description
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.

William R. Forstchen is the co-author of another free preview title and also has a bargain book available. This time, though, it doesn't look like the publisher did it, as Arena ($2.99), the first in the Magic: The Gathering series (and the only one of the series he authored) appears to be self-published.

Book Description
As the fighter-mages of the four great Houses prepare for their annual battle, a powerful stranger arrives and he is interested in the fifth House, destroyed a generation ago--but why is the Grand Master afraid of him?

The Glass Devil ($2.99), by Helene Tursten, is the third volume of her Inspector Huss series.

Book Description
The principal of a high school telephones his friend, Inspector Andersson of the Göteborg Crime Police; one of his teachers failed to show up for work. To Inspector Irene Huss’ surprise, on the basis of this vague complaint her boss drives out with her to a remote cottage in snowbound southern Sweden to investigate. There they find a body, its head blasted by a rifle. Teacher Jacob Schyttelius has been murdered. When they go to break the news to his elderly parents, Pastor Sten Schyttelius and his wife, they find the couple dead in their beds, each shot between the eyes. Upside-down pentagrams have been drawn in blood on their computer screens. The only surviving member of the family is a daughter, now residing in London, but she is too distressed to be interviewed. Is the killer a member of a satanic cult? Is it the parish treasurer, rumored to have been embezzling church funds? Or one of the assistant pastors, tired of waiting for a promotion? Perhaps the attractive blonde who sings in church and practices witchcraft? Irene Huss has a hunch that the answer lies in England, and she travels there twice to discover the reason for this triple homicide.

Finding Iris Chang: Friendship, Ambition, and the Loss of an Extraordinary Mind ($1.30), by Paula Kamen

Book Description
Iris Chang's mysterious suicide in 2004, at age thirty-six, didn't seem to make any sense. She had more to live for than anyone, including fame, fortune, beauty, a husband, and child. Some even wondered if the controversial author of the Rape of Nanking had been murdered. Long-time friend Paula Kamen was among those left wondering what had gone so wrong. Seeking to reconcile the suicide with the image of Chang's "perfect" life, Kamen searched her own memory and scoured Chang's letters, diaries, and archival material to fill in the gaps of Chang's personal transformation-from awkward teen to homecoming princess in college, from "ex-shy person" to world-class speaker and international human rights pioneer-and later decline into mental illness and paranoia. A literary investigation of an important writer's journey, Finding Iris Chang is a tribute to a lost heroine, a portrait of the real and vulnerable woman who inspired so many around the world.

Mafia Summer ($1.17), by E. Duke Vincent

Book Description
One a Sicilian Hell's Kitchen gang leader, the other a sickly but brilliant Orthodox Jewish boy who lives next door, Vinny Vesta and Sidney Butcher meet on a fire escape during the blistering New York City summer of 1950. Their friendship develops over the course of a summer that will change Vinny's fortunes forever, at a cost he could never have imagined. Based on a true story, Mafia Summer brilliantly captures a pivotal moment in Mafia history and in the lives of the teenagers caught up by the Mob.

The Secret Hangman ($1.56), by Peter Lovesey, is the seventh in his Peter Diamond series.

Book Description
Widowed Inspector Peter Diamond is being pursued by a secret admirer as he pursues a serial killer. Delia Williamson, a mother of two young girls who works as a waitress, is first reported missing by her own mother. She is found in a public park, hanged from the crossbar of a children’s swing set. There seems to be no reason for her to have committed suicide, and the postmortem reveals that she was murdered. Her present partner, her ex-husband, and a traveling salesman who dined at her table in the restaurant where she worked, are all suspects. Then her former husband is found in a cave, also hanged. A remorse suicide? Diamond doesn’t think so. When a well-to-do couple is found dead, both hanged, a suicide pact is suggested. Diamond is dubious; too many couples are dying by the same method. Before he can figure out what is going on, one more person will die.

Howling Dead ($2.39), by M.H. Bonham

Book Description
Which earrings look best with fur? Kira Walker is a geek and UNIX systems administrator who has a bad hair day at least once a month. But when a wolf attacks Kira and her BFF in downtown Denver around the full moon, she-s devastated. Now, like it or not, Kira is unemployed, and the head of Denver-s werewolf pack is getting a little too friendly for her tastes. And, oddly, she keeps finding herself naked in front of road workers. Caught in this new world, Kira discovers there are sinister forces at work. Rogue werewolves have declared war against humans, and when Kira-s other BFF is kidnapped, it gets Kira snarling mad. Can she solve the riddle of the Enchanted Forest before the rogue werewolves kill again? Fashion-challenged Kira will learn that werewolves have a strong bite.

Blood, Smoke and Mirrors ($4.40), by Robyn Bachar, is from the publisher with the best content warnings, Samhain.

Book Description
Even a bad witch deserves a second chance.

Wrongly accused of using her magic to harm, the closest Catherine Baker comes to helping others is serving their coffee. Life as an outcast is nothing new, thanks to her father-s reputation, but the injustice stings. Especially since the man she loved turned her in.

Now the man has the gall to show up and suggest she become the next Titania? She-d rather wipe that charming grin off his face with a pot of hot java to the groin.

Alexander Duquesne has never faltered in his duties as a guardian-until now. The lingering guilt over Cat-s exile and the recent death of his best friend have shaken his dedication. With the murder of the old Titania, the faerie realm teeters on the brink of chaos. His new orders: keep Cat alive at all costs.

Hunted by a powerful stranger intent on drawing her into an evil web, Cat reluctantly accepts Lex-s protection and the resurrected desire that comes along with it. Lex faces the fight of his life to keep her safe-and win her back. If they both survive.

Warning: This book contains one tough and snarky witch, one gorgeous guardian, explicit blood drinking, magician sex, gratuitous violence against vampires and troublemaking Shakespearean faeries.


Presumed Dead ($4.79) looks to be the start of a new series, Dylan Scott Mysteries, from Shirley Wells and new publisher Carina Press.

Book Description
Dylan Scott has problems. Dismissed in disgrace from the police force for assaulting a suspect, he has no job, his wife has thrown him out and-worse luck-his mother has moved in. So when Holly Champion begs him to investigate the disappearance of her mother thirteen years ago, he can-t say no, even though it means taking up residence in the dreary Lancashire town of Dawson-s Clough for the duration.

Although the local police still believe Anita Champion took off for a better life, Dylan-s inquiries turn up plenty of potential suspects: the drug-dealing, muscle-bound bouncer at the club where Anita was last seen; the missing woman-s four girlfriends, out for revenge; the local landowner with rumored mob connections-the list goes on. But no one is telling Dylan all they know-and he soon finds that one sleepy Northern town can keep a lot of secrets.

Free Books (Kobo) - John Lutz

Thanks again that alert reader, here are five books free from John Lutz, all on Kobo.

The Ex ($3.19 Kindle) is a stand-alone novel, originally published in 1996

What Deirdre Wants, Deirdre Gets
It's so exciting to start over. Deidre Jones should know, since she's doing just that. The first step was getting out of the mental hospital in St. Louis. There were those who tried to stop her. . .so she had to make them understand: Deirdre gets what she wants. And she wants her ex-husband, David, back. He's got a new wife and a little boy. He's forgotten what he and Deirdre once shared. But it will be easy enough to remind him now that she's moved in upstairs. . .

No Matter Who Has To Die.

For David, his time with Deirdre was a dark chapter he was glad to see end. Their marriage was based on dangerous, obsessive passion-and when David left, he never looked back. He'd hoped it was the same for Deirdre, but her "neighborly" behavior soon proves him wrong. She's doing her best to manipulate herself back into his life: through his child, through seduction. . .through murder. Because Deirdre will do anything to get what can never be hers-and now David is the only one who can stop her. . .


Darker Than Night ($3.19 Kindle) is the first in the Frank Quinn series.

Darker Than Night
A killer dubbed "The Night Prowler" has turned the city that doesn't sleep into a town kept awake by terror. Unseen, he enters couples' homes. Unsuspected, he lingers until the perfect moment arrives. He leaves "gifts" for his victims-before taking their lives.

Enter ex-homicide cop Frank Quinn, still reeling in the wake of an elaborate setup that ended his career. For Quinn, this isn't just any job-it's a last chance to salvage his reputation. As the investigation proceeds, the murderer loses no time stalking new prey: a loan officer and her high-earning husband; a couple who made a killing in the stock market; a pretty actress and her prosperous lover.

With the body count rising, it's up to Quinn to unlock the mystery of a madman's past and end his bloody reign. Quinn's got his work cut out-because in a city the size of New York, any one of 8 million faces could be that of a killer-or his next target. . .


The Night Caller ($4.47 Kindle) is the first in the Night series.

Young, Beautiful...And Dead
When he stumbles across his only daughter's corpse in a deserted beachfront bungalow, devastated Ezekiel Cooper vows to find her murderer. What the former NYPD detective doesn't know is that there have been other victims. Women in Queens, Sarasota, Seattle. Women who seemingly had nothing in common, aside from a grisly fate at the hands of a chillingly clever stranger.

Bent on unmasking the shadowy culprit, Coop soon crosses paths with Maeve Callahan, who's determined to lure in her sister's killer by transforming herself into someone just like her sister. But by changing her appearance, her job, even her routine, Maeve's plan may be working too well. Because lurking in the shadows, just as Coop feared, the elusive serial killer known as the Night Caller watches her every move. . .preparing to pounce again.


The Night Watcher ($4.47 Kindle) is the second in the Night series.

Book Description
Someone is killing wealthy Manhattanites. One by one, the victims are discovered in luxurious high-rise apartments. Bound, gagged-brutally murdered in the "safety" of their own homes, by someone whose modus operandi is as horrifying as anything NYPD Detectives Ben Stack and Rica Lopez have ever seen.

As Stack and Lopez investigate the cruel deaths, they have no idea that they are being watched from the shadows-observed by a cunning murderer picking up all the clues necessary to stay one step ahead of the police while perfecting a deadly craft. And when a pattern slowly emerges, the detectives realize that the killings aren't the random acts of a maniac, but the personal campaign of someone bent on retribution. . .someone who's been watching closely and knows their case too well.

Someone whose vengeance will burn forever.


The Night Spider ($4.47 Kindle) and Night Victims ($3.19 Kindle) are actually the same novel, published under two different titles (The Night Spider was the original title). Download either or both; this is the third in the Night series.

All Wrapped Up And Ready To Die
Each woman slept in her Manhattan high-rise, behind securely locked doors. Each was sealed alive in her bedsheets and stabbed repeatedly. Each bled to a slow end. Mouths frozen in silent screams tell little to retired NYPD Captain Thomas Horn and his detectives.

Even a vet like Horn is baffled. Nothing connects the slain women except cruel murder by a cunning intruder. Sparse clues point to a wall-crawling, glass-cutting predator who enters bedroom windows with calculated ease. But as the killer grows bolder, Horn's worst fears are about to come true. Because somewhere in the dark, the Night Spider prepares to take a new victim-and this one won't be a stranger. In a desperate race against time, Horn must snare a psychopath in his own tangled web. . .or die trying.


Links to the books at Kobo:
The Ex
Darker Than Night
The Night Caller
The Night Watcher
The Night Spider
Night Victims

Free Books (Kobo) - Kevin O'Brien

Thanks to an alert reader, here are are two free books from Kevin O'Brien, both in the Kobo store.

The Next To Die ($3.19 Kindle)

Everyone Has Something To Hide...
The virile, all-American husband. The brainy golden girl. The happily-wed bi-coastal couple.

Someone Is Watching...

Someone who has uncovered their darkest secrets. Someone who is hell-bent on making them pay for their sins...

No One Suspects The Truth...

Now there is no escaping the shadowy jury that watches their every move. Infiltrates every part of their lives. Stalking. Judging. Condemning. Punishment will be swift...severe...final...death.


Watch Them Die ($3.19 Kindle)

Book Description
Different Victims - The blonde film student. The brunette paralegal. The red-headed artist.Different Methods - The first victim is strangled. The second is stabbed repeatedly. And the third is pushed out of an open window.Same Madman - In the city of Seattle, no single woman is safe. From afar he watches the ones he so desperately wants. Willing to do whatever it takes to prove his love. But should his latest obsession betray him, he will have no choice but to punish her. By finding new and brutal ways to teach her a lesson. And by finally loving her - to death...

Links to the books at Kobo:
Watch Them Die
The Next To Die

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Free Books (Kobo) - M.W. Phelps

Three books by M. W. Phelps are free tonight in the Kobo bookstore. Be sure to add them to your library, as well as downloading them, if you want to keep access after they go back up in price.

Perfect Poison ($4.16 Kindle)

Serial Killer On Ward C

In Northampton, Massachusetts, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Kristen Gilbert was known as a hardworking, dedicated nurse-so why were her patients dying? So many emergencies and sudden deaths occurred while Kristen made her rounds on Ward C that her colleagues jokingly called her the "Angel of Death." Yet most people didn't suspect the horrifying truth behind the nickname: that Gilbert's polished facade concealed a scheming, manipulative liar and homicidal, narcissistic sociopath.

Lethal Cure


From August 1995 through February 1996, Gilbert dealt out wholesale death. Her victims were helpless patients who trusted her as a caregiver, only to learn too late that she was a killer, her weapon a drug capable of causing fatal heart attacks. But she got away with murder until three of her fellow nurses could no longer ignore the proliferation of deadly "coincidences" on Gilbert's watch. Investigators believe Kristen Gilbert may have been responsible for as many as 40 deaths. As the law closed in, she struck back, faking suicide attempts, harassing witnesses, stalking her ex-boyfriend, and terrorizing the hospital with bomb threats. In March 2001, after being found guilty of four counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder, Angel of Death Kristen Gilbert was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Sixteen Pages Of Shocking Photo
s


Deadly Secrets ($4.47 Kindle)

Behind A Veil Of Tranquility. . .
In the lovely town of Pleasant Valley in upstate New York, the maple trees were ablaze with fall's blood-red color. The air was crisp. And a woman named Susan Fassett left her weekly choir practice at a church-when a killer emerged from the shadows and mercilessly gunned her down. . ..

Was A Realm Of Sexual Depravity Where Murder Was The Last Sin.

Stunned, the police immediately suspected Susan Fassett's husband and surrounded his home. They couldn't have been more wrong. Susan Fassett had been living a secret life, entangled in a passionate web of dominance, lesbian sex, betrayal-and a depraved plan for murder. After detectives untangled a web of secrets and corruption hidden in plain sight, the town of Pleasant Valley would be rocked again when a shocking trial exposed the whole sordid truth. . .


Cruel Death ($4.47 Kindle)

A Life Gone Murderously Wrong. . .
Erika Sifrit was once a high school basketball star and an honors student. Then she married Navy SEAL Benjamin Sifrit and began taking drugs, hoarding diamonds, and turning brutally bad. Some say Erika was abused by "B.J." Some say she pulled his strings. But by the time they reached Ocean City, MD, Erika was packing a gun in her Coach bag and was caught in the grips of new American death ride. . .

A Trail Of Blood And Body Parts. . .

In the sun-kissed, sea-swept resort town of Ocean City, a loving couple crossed paths with Erika and B.J. Sifrit. Shortly thereafter, Erika was wearing a bloody wedding ring on her necklace, while what remained of two dismembered vacationers was buried in a Delaware landfill, and a modern-day "Bonnie and Clyde" story was being written-a lurid tale of madness, money, sex and murder....


Here are the links on Kobo:
Perfect Poison
Cruel Death
Deadly Secrets

Free Music - Tru Thoughts Jazz

Amazon has a nice album up as a free download today, the Tru Thoughts Jazz MP3 Sampler. Just the thing for listening while reading on a lazy Sunday afternoon....

Playlist
  1. One For Nan - Nostalgia 77 Octet - 4:52
  2. Steps Of The Sun - Nostalgia 77 - 5:18
  3. Solstice - The Voices Of Time - 4:49
  4. The Day That Never Came - Jeb Loy Nichols - 4:10
  5. Positive Force - The Skeletons - 3:06
  6. Los Olvidados - Quantic Soul Orchestra - 3:26
  7. Changes - Nostalgia 77 - 5:56
  8. Prayer - Lizzy Parks - 6:03
  9. Milk and Mangoes - Saravah Soul - 3:57
  10. Stonephace - Stonephace - 9:49
  11. Rainclouds - Nostalgia 77 Sessions featuring Keith & Julie Tippett - 5:13