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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Bargain Book Roundup

A few random bargains I found trolling the bookstores tonight. Kobo still has this coupon code available for non-Agency books: KoboSpring1 ($1 off; unlimited use, expires 4/30).

Diabetes For Dummies ($0.99 Kindle), by Alan L. Rubin MD, is one of three editions in the Kindle store (one is a bit updated, another for the UK; both are $10 or more).

Book Description
Diabetes affects millions of Americans each year, but thanks to medical breakthroughs, many diabetics live long and happy lives. In a sense, a diagnosis of diabetes is both good and bad news, with the bad news being that you’ve been diagnosed, but the good news being that you’ll make some changes in your lifestyle that will not only prevent complications but help you lead a healthier life.

Now in its second edition, Diabetes For Dummies provides the most up-to-date information about the disease, covering everything from new medications to recent studies on ethnic groups and children.

Packed with ways to prevent or reverse the effects of diabetes and Web sites to find out more, as well as exposing myths about the disease, this is the ultimate guide to understanding and managing diabetes. You’ll even find delicious recipes from top chefs that satisfy every palette. Don’t let this disease stop you from enjoying life—survive and thrive with Diabetes For Dummies, Second Edition!


That Sleep of Death ($1.33 Kindle), by Richard King, has too tempting a premise, so I grabbed it up after reading just a couple of pages of the sample.

Book Description
Sam Wiseman runs an independent bookstore near McGill University in the heart of Montreal. His existence is untroubled and his relationships are steady - until the day he stops a shoplifter. Out of this seemingly innocent incident, Sam becomes friends with Gaston Lemieux, a police detective with a great affection for nineteenth-century British novels.

The friendship comes into play when Sam discovers the body of professor Harold Hilliard - a long-time customer of the store - dead in his office at McGill. Sam is implicated in the murder when it is discovered that the victim is clutching a special order form from Sam's store in what clearly is an attempt to reveal the identity of his murderer.

Part police-procedural and part cozy mystery, That Sleep of Death introduces a new sleuth to the Canadian murder-mystery scene - one whose continuing presence will be anticipated and enjoyed for mysteries to come.


The Last Bookstore In America ($2.99 Kindle), by Amy Stewart, is an indy published title NYT bestselling author (Wicked Bugs is releasing May 3), which has an entirely different role for the bookstore.

Book Description
Nothing is what it seems in the offbeat and out-of-the-way town of Eureka, California. Shrouded in fog and hidden behind a curtain of redwoods, this rundown mill town is home to a peculiar cast of characters, a unique homegrown horticultural industry, and one of the last bookstores in America.

No one is more surprised by the unlikely survival of the Firebreathing Dragon than Lewis Hartman, its newest owner. By the time his uncle Sy died and left the bookstore to Lewis, even the most ardent bibliophiles had abandoned printed books in favor of a charming and highly literate digital device called the Gizmo. Bookstores all over the country had closed their doors. But somehow, the Firebreathing Dragon has kept going.

Lewis and his wife Emily find themselves in the unlikely position of owning one of the last bookstores in America. But how has the Firebreathing Dragon managed to survive the death of the book? And if it isn't keeping itself afloat selling books, what is it selling? Reporters, federal agents, and corporate executives out to salvage their own imperiled industries all converge on the bookstore to uncover its secrets. What they discover is a small town that has fallen under the spell of the Firebreathing Dragon's unique offerings.

In her first work of fiction, bestselling author and bookstore owner Amy Stewart takes an offbeat and lighthearted look at small-town life and the future of that marvelous two thousand year-old communication device, the printed book.


Far from Gringo Land ($1.28 Kindle), by Edward Myers, is a title for young adults (or anyone wanting to work on their Spanish a bit, although that isn't necessary to enjoy the story, from what I can tell).

Book Description
Rick Dresner is spending the summer with the Romero family, who live in a barrio in the hills of Santo Domingo, Mexico. He'll help them build a house on their land, and in return, they'll provide room and board and help Rick improve his Spanish. But the construction project turns out to be a lot tougher than Rick had imagined. Language and cultural differences lead to awkwardness and misunderstanding, especially when he falls for a rich American girl from a very different part of town. In this new twist on the classic fish-out-of-water story, it's a middle-class white boy who's out of his element and must change and grow to adapt to his surroundings.

The Telephone Gambit: Chasing Alexander Graham Bell's Secret ($2.22 Kindle), by Seth Shulman

Book Description
A gripping intrigue at the heart of one of the world’s most important inventions.
While researching Alexander Graham Bell at MIT’s Dibner Institute, Seth Shulman scrutinized Bell’s journals and within them he found the smoking gun, a hint of deeply buried historical intrigue. Delving further, Shulman unearthed the surprising story behind the invention of the telephone: a tale of romance, corruption, and unchecked ambition.Bell furtively—and illegally—copied part of Elisha Gray’s invention in the race to secure what would become the most valuable U.S. patent ever issued. And afterward, as Bell’s device led to the world’s largest monopoly, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, he hid his invention’s illicit beginnings. In The Telephone Gambit, Shulman challenges the reputation of an icon of invention, rocks the foundation of a corporate behemoth, and offers a probing meditation on how little we know about our own history.


The Adventurers ($0.99 B&N), by Harold Robbins, is just one of several titles on sale by this author in both the B&N (11 titles at $2.99) and Kindle stores (6 titles at $2.99).

Book Description
Harold Robbins, a novelist known for steamy passion in his works, stirs up passion of a different kind in The Adventurers, a story of revolution and danger in the sultry jungles of South America. As a young boy, Diogenes Alejandro Xenos, witnesses the murder of his mother and sister by a band of marauders. As "Dax" grows to adulthood, he channels his fear and hatred into a desire for revolution, swearing revenge on those in power as he upsets the status quo.

His actions make him an outlaw, living on the fringes of society in a land turned upside down with corruption. He is wanted by men and women alike-but for very different reasons. This epic tale of escape from the horrors of a third-world regime is one of Harold Robbins' most ambitious novels ever, combining his trademark sensuality with political intrigue and a globe-spanning variety of exotic locales. Lose yourself in The Adventurers.


History Buff's Guide to the Civil War ($1.20 Kindle; $1.39 Kobo; $1.50 B&N), by Thomas R. Flagel

Book Description
Do You Think You Know the Civil War?

The History Buff’s Guide to the Civil War clears the powder smoke surrounding the war that changed America forever. What were the best, the worst, the largest, and the most lethal aspects of the conflict? With over thirty annotated top ten lists and unexpected new findings, author Thomas R. Flagel will have you debating the most intriguing questions of the Civil War in no time. From the top ten causes of the war to the top ten bloodiest battles, this invaluable guide to the great war between the states will delight and inform you about one of the most crucial periods in American history.


Charles Sumner and the Coming of the Civil War ($1.20 Kindle; $1.50 B&N), by David Herbert Donald

Book Description
The Puliter-Prize winning classic and national bestseller returns!

In this brilliant biography?a Pulitzer Prize?winning national bestseller?David Herbert Donald, Harvard professor emeritus, traces Sumner's life as the nation careens toward civil war. In a period when senators often exercised more influence than presidents, Senator Charles Sumner was one of the most powerful forces in the American government and remains one of the most controversial figures in American history. His uncompromising moral standards made him a lightning rod in an era fraught with conflict.

Sumner's fight to end slavery made him a hero in the North and stirred outrage in the South. In what has been called the first blow of the Civil War, he was physically attacked by a colleague on the Senate floor. Unwavering and arrogant, Sumner refused to abandon the moral high ground, even if doing so meant the onslaught of the nation's most destructive war. He used his office and influence to transform the United States during the most contentious and violent period in the nation's history.

Charles Sumner and the Coming of the Civil War presents a remarkably different view of our bloodiest war through an insightful reevaluation of the man who stood at its center.


Rebels at the Gate: Lee and McClellan on the Front Line of a Nation Divided ($1.20 Kindle; $1.50 B&N), by W Hunter Lesser

Book Description
Rebels at the Gate is the dramatic story of the first Union victories of the Civil War and the events that caused Virginians to divide their state. In a defiant act to sustain President Lincoln's war effort, Virginia Unionists created their own state government in 1861-destined to become the new state of West Virginia.

Stealing Secrets: How a Few Daring Women Deceived Generals, Impacted Battles and Altered the Course of the Civil War ($1.20 Kindle; $1.50 B&N), by H. Donald Winkler

Book Description
Clandestine missions. Clever, devious, daring. Passionately committed to a cause.

During America’s most divisive war, both the Union and Confederacy took advantage of brave and courageous women willing to adventurously support their causes. These female spies of the Civil War participated in the world’s second-oldest profession—spying—a profession perilous in the extreme. The tales of female spies are filled with suspense, bravery, treachery, and trickery. They took enormous risks and achieved remarkable results—often in ways men could not do.

As stated on the grave marker of Union spy Elizabeth Van Lew:
“She risked everything that is dear to man—friends, fortune, comfort, health, life itself.”

Told with personality and pizzazz, author H. Donald Winkler uses primary Civil War sources such as memoirs, journals, letters, and newspaper articles, plus the latest in scholarly research, to make these incredible stories come alive.


Lincoln For President ($1.20 Kindle), by Bruce Chadwick

Book Description
The untold story of the drama, controversy, and incredible political genius of Lincoln's first presidential campaign

In May of 1860, Republican delegates gathered in Chicago for their second-ever convention, with the full expectation of electing William Seward their next presidential candidate. But waiting in the wings was a dark horse no one suspected, putting the final touches on a plan that would not only result in a most unexpected candidacy, but the most brilliant, innovative, and daring presidential campaign in American history. He went by the name of Lincoln.

Lincoln for President is the incredible story of how Lincoln overcame overwhelming odds to not only capture his party's nomination but win the presidency. His amazingly modern strategy included the first media campaign blitz, convention tactics that originated the concept of "Chicago politics," and a deft manipulation of the electoral college. His bold tactics changed forever the way presidential campaigns are won…not to mention the course of American history.