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Saturday, July 30, 2011

Free and Bargain Book Roundup, Part II

Be sure to also check out Part I of this post, to see all the bargains and coupon codes.

You can read The Wee Free Men ($6.99), the 30th in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, for free online. I tried it and it does work, but you need Adobe Flash (so that likely means only on a PC or Mac, not an ereader browser or an iThing).

Book Description
A nightmarish danger threatens from the other side of reality . . .

Armed with only a frying pan and her common sense, young witch-to-be Tiffany Aching must defend her home against the monsters of Fairyland. Luckily she has some very unusual help: the local Nac Mac Feegle—aka the Wee Free Men—a clan of fierce, sheep-stealing, sword-wielding, six-inch-high blue men.

Together they must face headless horsemen, ferocious grimhounds, terrifying dreams come true, and ultimately the sinister Queen of the Elves herself. . . .


The Last Detective ($3.99), by Robert Crais

Book Description
Elvis Cole is back...

With his acclaimed bestsellers, Hostage (a New York Times Notable Book) and Demolition Angel, Robert Crais drew raves for his unstoppable pacing, edgy characterizations, and cinematic prose. Now, in The Last Detective, Crais returns to his signature character, Los Angeles private investigator Elvis Cole, in a masterful page-turner that probes the meaning of family and the burdens of the past.

Elvis Cole's relationship with attorney Lucy Chenier is strained. When she moved from Louisiana to join Elvis in Los Angeles, she never dreamed that violence would so easily touch her life -- but then the unthinkable happens. While Lucy is away on business and her ten-year-old son, Ben, is staying with Elvis, Ben disappears without a trace. Desperate to believe that the boy has run away, evidence soon mounts to suggest a much darker scenario.

Joining forces with his enigmatic partner, Joe Pike, Elvis frantically searches for Ben with the help of LAPD Detective Carol Starkey, as Lucy's wealthy, oil-industry ex-husband attempts to wrest control of the investigation. Amid the maelstrom of personal conflicts, Elvis and Joe are forced to consider a more troubling lead -- one indicating that Ben's disappearance is connected to a terrible, long-held secret from Elvis Cole's past.

Venturing deep inside a complex psyche, Crais explores Elvis's need for family - the military that embraced him during a troubled adolescence, his rock-solid partnership with Pike, and his floundering relationship with Lucy - as they race the clock in their search for Ben. The Last Detective is Robert Crais' richest, most intense tale of suspense yet.


The Clockwork Rocket ($3.99), is the latest work by Greg Egan, whose Zendegi is still available for free.

Book Description
In Yalda's universe, light has no universal speed and its creation generates energy.On Yalda's world, plants make food by emitting their own light into the dark night sky.

As a child Yalda witnesses one of a series of strange meteors, the Hurtlers, that are entering the planetary system at an immense, unprecedented speed. It becomes apparent that her world is in imminent danger -- and that the task of dealing with the Hurtlers will require knowledge and technology far beyond anything her civilisation has yet achieved.

Only one solution seems tenable: if a spacecraft can be sent on a journey at sufficiently high speed, its trip will last many generations for those on board, but it will return after just a few years have passed at home. The travellers will have a chance to discover the science their planet urgently needs, and bring it back in time to avert disaster.


Red-Headed Stepchild ($1.99), the first title in the Sabina Kane series by Jaye Wells, is a paranormal page-turner, featuring a vamp/mage-born female assassin. The latest in the series, Violet Tendencies ($1.99) is a short story, but there is a full length novel, Silver-Tongued Devil, coming out the first of next year.

Book Description
In a world where being of mixed-blood is a major liability, Sabina Kane has the only profession fit for an outcast: assassin. But, her latest mission threatens the fragile peace between the vampire and mage races and Sabina must scramble to figure out which side she's on. She's never brought her work home with her---until now.

This time, it's personal.


Stolen Innocence ($2.99), by Lisa Pulitzer and Elissa Wall

Book Description
In September 2007, a packed courtroom in St. George, Utah, sat hushed as Elissa Wall, the star witness against polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs, gave captivating testimony of how Jeffs forced her to marry her first cousin at age fourteen. This harrowing and vivid account proved to be the most compelling evidence against Jeffs, showing the harsh realities of this closed community and the lengths that Jeffs went to in order to control the women in it. Now, in this courageous memoir, Elissa Wall tells her incredible and inspirational story of her time in the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), detailing how she emerged from its confines to help bring one of America's most notorious criminals to justice.

If you were sitting on the fence about the Alex Kava Bundle ($14.58), by Alex Kava, grab it now while it works out to about $2.50/title. This bundle contains A Perfect Evil, Split Second, The Soul Catcher, At the Stroke of Madness, A Necessary Evil, the first five novels in her popular Maggie O'Dell series and One False Move, a stand-alone novel.

The Lady Julia Grey Bundle ($8.83), by Deanna Raybourn, is a big mark-down from the usual price. You can pair it up with Dark Road to Darjeeling , from the $1 Mystery Book KSO offer to get the complete series for under $10.

Book Description
"To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching on the floor."

Starting with her husband's sudden death, Lady Julia Grey is swept into a world of mystery and deceit. It is also the world of the enigmatic and maddeningly attractive private investigator Nicholas Brisbane...

From the extravagant world of Victorian aristocrats to the wild moors of Yorkshire, experience the intrigue and romance of all three Lady Julia Grey mysteries by RITA Award-winning author Deanna Raybourn, now available in one convenient download. Bundle includes: Silent in the Grave, Silent in the Sanctuary and Silent on the Moor.


Bound by Shadow ($4.99), by Anna Windsor, barely squeaked under the bargain price cutoff, but looks interesting and is over 400 pages in the paper edition.

Book Description
Falling for a demon can be hazardous to your heart.

Riana Dumain is a fully trained Sybil, a warrior priestess battling evil whose practical magic keeps her grounded in earthly science–and desires. She knows that gorgeous NYPD detective Creed Lowell is dangerous, and possibly a foot soldier of the evil Legion cult, using his badge and drop-dead looks to consolidate demonic power.

Creed’s low-profile Occult Crimes Unit pulls Riana and her two sister Sybils into the case of a politician’s son, murdered in a ritualistic sacrifice. Soon, Riana’s instincts prove true. Creed, the hottest half-human she’s ever known, a demon in bed and out, is guarding a trapdoor to hell. And unless Riana can find a way to tame her mystery man’s treacherous inner self (and her heart), all of Manhattan may be enveloped by darkness.


Summer Storm ($2.99), by Kristina Dunker and Margot Bettauer Dembo (Translator).

Book Description
The day begins innocently enough: Annie and her friends are enjoying a leisurely afternoon of sunbathing when an ominous storm approaches. In the scramble to leave, Annie realizes her cousin Gina is missing. After a fruitless search in the rain, the teens call the police. And as the hours tick by, Annie’s fear for Gina’s safety mounts. How could this have happened? Wasn’t anyone watching her? Didn’t anyone see?

The possibilities are too horrific to consider, and Annie turns for support to the friends who were with her and Gina on that fateful afternoon. But as the days pass without a trace of the lost girl, accusations begin to fly between friends, and disturbing information about one of their own comes to light. At first Annie refuses to believe it. But as the evidence begins to mount and the accused does nothing to clarify the situation, Annie realizes the relationships she once held dear are not at all what they seemed. And if a girl can’t trust her best friends…who can she trust?


Sleepaway Girls ($2.99), by Jen Calonita

Book Description
When Sam's best friend gets her first boyfriend, she's not ready to spend the summer listening to the two of them call each other "pookie." Sick of being a third wheel, Sam applies to be a counselor-in-training at Whispering Pines camp in the New York Catskills. But what she doesn't realize is that it's not going to be all Kumbaya sing-alongs and gooey s'mores. If Ashley, the alpha queen of Whispering Pines, doesn't ruin Sam's summer, then her raging crush on the surfer-blond and flirtatious Hunter just might. At least she has playful Cole, who's always teasing her, but is oh-so-comfortable to hang out with, and the singular gang of girls that become fast friends with Sam-they call themselves the Sleepaway Girls.

Solemate: Master the Art of Aloneness and Transform Your Life ($2.99), by Lauren Mackler

Book Description
Many people spend years waiting for an ideal partner--a"soul mate" to make them feel happy and complete. Others settle for unfulfilling relationships out of a deep-seated fear of being alone. In Solemate, Lauren Mackler provides a groundbreaking road map for achieving mastery of your own life so you can experience a sense of wholeness and well-being whether you're on your own or in a relationship. It's about becoming the person you were meant to be, treating yourself well, and shedding the old beliefs and behaviors that limit your ability to realize your greatest potential. It's about becoming your own cherished solemate.

Drawing from her own experiences; those of her clients; and the fields of psychology, physiology, sociology, holistic healing, and strategic business practices, Mackler has developed a unique program for reclaiming your innate wholeness. This gradual, step-by-step process involves understanding where your self-defeating patterns come from and how to move beyond them. She helps you uncover and retrieve your authentic self- who you really are beneath the layers of life conditioning. This program will help you live in a more conscious and deliberate way and align your actions with the results you want in your life.


101 Ways to Jump Start Your Intuition ($0.99), by John Holland

Book Description
Intuition is the language of the soul, and we’re all born with the natural ability of an inner-knowing. As we go through life, we have a inborn tendency to pull away from what was once totally natural to us. In 101 Ways to Jump-Start Your Intuition, psychic medium John Holland guides you through 101 quick and easy lessons to help you understand, develop, and work with your internal sense of intuition. This small yet valuable book will become your companion as you rely more on intuition for direction, insight, clarity, and wisdom on a daily basis. Each of the mini-lessons comes with its own affirmation or inspirational statement to complement and strengthen each of the 101 lessons. This book reinforces the idea that intuition is a reminder of the power of the human spirit, but more important, that when we listen to its advice, it can lead us to a life of unlimited potential.

The Breakthrough Experience ($0.99), by John DeMartini

Book Description
This book is about breaking through the barriers that keep us from experiencing our true nature as light. It presents inspiring science and philosophy in a way that is completely accessible to anyone, to reveal and explore the universal laws and principles that underlie our very existence. Those principles are set forth in extraordinary but true stories of ordinary people having astonishing and moving life experiences, and they make the most profound concepts easily understood. Most important, it is an extremely real and practical manual for understanding why we live the way we do, and how to transform our lives into our highest vision. You will learn a formula to manifest your dreams, discover the secrets of opening your heart beyond anything you have imagined, find out how to increase love and appreciation for every aspect of your life, receive profound insights on how to create more fulfilling and caring relationships, reawaken your birthright as a true genius, transcend the fears and illusions surrounding the myth of death, and reconnect with your true mission and purpose on Earth. That is all true, but mainly, this book will deeply touch and inspire you with respect to your own greatness and potential—and the magnificence of every single human soul. This is not just a book, it is what the title implies—an Experience—and it is impossible to go through it without being moved, challenged, and changed. Welcome to . . . The Breakthrough Experience.

If you missed Lockdown ($2.99), the first in the Escape from Furnace series by Alexander Gordon Smith, when it was on sale last year, you have another chance at it now.

Book Description
Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison.

Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world.


The Warsaw Anagrams ($2.79 Kobo), by Richard Zimler, isn't in either the Kindle or nook ebookstores (although you can get it in hardcover).

Book Description
Warsaw, 1941--an exhausted and elderly psychiatrist named Erik Cohen makes his way home to the Jewish ghetto after being interned in a Nazi labor camp. Yet only one visionary man-Heniek Corben- can see him and hear him. Heniek soon realizes that Cohen has become an ibbur-a spirit. But how and why has he taken this form?

As Cohen recounts his disturbing and moving story, small but telling inconsistencies appear in his narrative. Heniek begins to believe that Cohen is not the secular Jew he claims to be, but may, in fact, be a student of practical Kabbalah-of magic. Why is he lying? And what is the importance of the anagrams he creates for the names of his friends and relatives? Heniek traces his suspicions and comes to an astonishing conclusion-one that has consequences for his own identity and life, and perhaps for the reader's as well.


The Stranger ($2.99), by Simon Clark

Book Description
he small town of Sullivan has barricaded itself against the outside world. It is one of the last enclaves of civilization and the residents are determined that their town remain free from the strange and terrifying plague that is sweeping the land—a plague that transforms ordinary people into murderous, bloodthirsty madmen. But the transformation is only the beginning. With the shocking realization that mankind is evolving into something different, something horrifying, the struggle for survival becomes a battle to save humanity.