Last night's UK freebies are now free for US Kindle readers (one also now free as a DRM-free EPUB) and some new formats on an older freebie.:
- Write That Book Already!
- Strategy Power Plays
- Creed (Kindle/noDRM)
- Fuse of Armageddon (Kindle/nook/EPUB)
- For Time and Eternity (Kindle/nook/EPUB)
- Shedding Skin (Kindle/nook)
Today's Free Android App at Amazon is an interactive children's book, The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin, by Oceanhouse Media, Inc. This is the type of app that will be perfect on the Kindle Fire, so it's a shame it isn't already out (although there is good reason they delayed launch until closer to Christmas), but for those of you that already have an Android phone or tablet, be sure to pick this one up. If you don't have compatible hardware yet, you might want to check out my earlier post for some tips on getting Amazon's Android apps now (the app runs fine in VirtualBox, btw, if you want to read it with your kids tonight).Book Description
"One day in the pumpkin patch the strangest little pumpkin hatched. Spookley wasn't like his friends—where they had curves, he had ends."
So begins The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin. This delightful and inspiring book for your Android device combines the original text of author Joe Troiano and artwork of Susan Banta with features that entertain and promote reading.
Spookley the square pumpkin was different. In a world where "the only good pumpkins are round pumpkins," Spookley is shunned. Until one day during a terrible storm he gets the chance to make a difference. In The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin, a unique pumpkin delivers a special message of tolerance and self-acceptance that's just right for Halloween or any day of the year.
This Oceanhouse Media omBook features professional narration, background sounds, and enlarged artwork for each scene. Children can choose the Read to Me option if they would like the audio narration but want to go at their own pace (turning the pages themselves); beginning readers can opt for the Read it Myself mode. Auto Play reads the entire story without any prompting or page-turning, which is especially useful for very young children.
Support for Little Readers
To help kids learn to read in a fun way, individual words are highlighted as the story progresses and words zoom up when pictures are touched. Kids can slide a finger from right to left on the screen, and the "page" actually turns just like a real book. The overall effect is to make a classic story come alive, providing hours of entertainment for all ages.
Zombie, Ohio: A Tale of the Undead ($1.99), by Scott Kenemore, is the Kindle Daily Deal. I usually skip the zombie books, but I read the sample on a recommendation and ended up buying this one in August.Book Description
“No one is safe in a zombie apocalypse. Not even a zombie.”
When rural Ohio college professor Peter Mellor dies in an automobile accident during a zombie outbreak, he is reborn as a highly intelligent (yet somewhat amnesiac) member of the living dead. With society crumbling around him and violence escalating into daily life, Peter quickly learns that being a zombie isn’t all fun and brains. Humans—unsympathetic, generally, to his new proclivities—try to kill him at nearly every opportunity. His old friends are loath to associate with him. And he finds himself inconveniently addicted to the gooey stuff inside of people’s heads.
As if all this weren’t bad enough, Peter soon learns that his automobile accident was no accident at all. Faced with the harrowing mystery of his death, Peter resolves to use his strange zombie “afterlife” to solve his own murder.
Skillfully combining the genres of horror, humor, and film noir, Zombie, Ohio weaves an enthralling and innovative tale that any fan of the current zombie craze is sure to relish. Followers of detective and horror fiction alike will find something to love about Zombie, Ohio—a tale of murder, mystery, and the walking dead.
Goth Girl Rising ($2.70 Kindle; B&N), by Barry Lyga, is the Nook Daily Find; price matched at Amazon.Book Description
Time is a funny thing in the hospital. In the mental ward. You lose track of it easily.
After six months in the Maryland Mental Health Unit, Kyra Sellers, a.k.a. Goth Girl, is going home. Unfortunately, she's about to find out that while she was away, she lost track of more than time. Kyra is back in black, feeling good, and ready to make up with the only person who's ever appreciated her for who she really is. But then she sees him. Fanboy. Transcended from everything he was into someone she barely recognizes. And the anger and memories come rushing back.
There's so much to do to people when you're angry. Kyra's about to get very busy.
