Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void ($8.24 Kindle), by Mary Roach, narrated by Sandra Burr, is today's $7.95 book at Audible. If you watch Eureka and saw the recent episode about the isolation chamber and the origami cranes, you'll find out how that is a mere shadow of the actual candidate selection process in Japan, amongst other behind-the-scenes trivia (Canada? They practice high altitude jumps from a burning space capsule, while China disqualifies candidates with bad breath). Book DescriptionIf you are not an Audible member, you might be interested in the two-book trial membership that has joined the ads on my KSO today. It isn't a KSO offer, though, as it is open to anyone with an Amazon account (making today perhaps the first without two new offers on the 4-day schedule that Amazon has been following). You tie together your Audible and Amazon logins, so that your Audible books can be seen in the archives on any WiFi enabled Kindle (and sent to one directly from your Audible library, as well, eliminating the need to find the USB cable). With the trial, you can get your two books and participate in the New Day, New Deal sale this month and still cancel before the trial is over, with no additional charges or obligation.
“America’s funniest science writer” (Washington Post) returns to explore the irresistibly strange universe of life without gravity in this New York Times bestseller.
Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can’t walk for a year? have sex? smell flowers? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour? To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of quizzical and startlingly bizarre space simulations. As Mary Roach discovers, it’s possible to preview space without ever leaving Earth. From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA’s new space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), Roach takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.
Fine print: This offer is available only to new customers who have never joined an AudibleListener membership plan, or who have never participated in a free trial or handheld device offer.
Water for Elephants ($2.99), by Sara Gruen, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day.Book Description
An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of Riding Lessons.
When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.
Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.
