Free Audiobooks - Little Brother and The Trial

Audiobook Sync's summer of free audiobooks continues. First, I've linked in the info from the ebook or audiobook version of each title (Amazon has the best reviews), then a link to get your copies free. You can't get any titles that have been missed, but once they are loaded into Overdrive (which you will need to install, if you are not already using it for library books), they are yours to keep (there is no expiration date). Two new titles each Thursday, so be sure to check back next week.!

Little Brother ($9.99 Kindle; $31.68 Audible), by Cory Doctorow, read by Kirby Heyborne.

Book Description
Marcus, a.k.a “w1n5t0n,” is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works–and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school’s intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.

But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison where they’re mercilessly interrogated for days.

When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself.

The Trial ($9.99 Kindle; $28.95 Audio CD), by Franz Kafka, read by Rupert Degas.

Book Description
Someone must have been telling tales about Josef K. for one morning, without having done anything wrong, he was arrested.

A successful professional man wakes up one morning to find himself under arrest for an offence which is never explained. The mysterious court which conducts his trial is outwardly co-operative, but capable of horrific violence. Faced with this ambiguous authority, Josef K. gradually succumbs to its psychological pressure. He consults various advisers without escaping his fate. Was there some way out that he failed to see? Kafka's unfinished novel has been read as a study of political power, a pessimistic religious parable, or a crime novel where the accused man is himself the problem.

One of the iconic figures of modern world literature, Kafka writes about universal problems of guilt, responsibility, and freedom; he offers no solutions, but provokes his readers to arrive at meanings of their own. This new edition includes the fragmentary chapters that were omitted from the main text, in a translation that is both natural and exact, and an introduction that illuminates the novel and its author.

Click HERE to sign up for an account and get the free downloads. Don't forget, you'll also need to install the Overdrive software (there is a link at Sync). 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).

Buy a Book with Visa, Get a $10 Credit (KSO)

This offer is for those with the Kindle Wi-Fi with Special Offers or Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi with Special Offers only. Turn on your wireless, click Menu, Sync & Check for New Items, then on View Special Offers after the sync has completed. You should see a new offer:

Use your Visa® card to buy select Kindle books and get a $10 Amazon.com credit.

Click on the offer, then click on the link on the offer page sign up and get an email with the promotion code. Sign-up for this offer expires on July 21. You'll get an email (right away) with a link to the special Special Offers page. There is no promotion code on this one; instead, just buy any book from the list between now and July 31; if you return a book during this period, it won't count, but you can do so and purchase a different book during the promotion period.

There are a few things to watch for with this offer:

• I don't see any requirement to click on the offer, but it won't hurt do so from at least one KSO on your acccount.
• Second, you cannot use an existing gift card balance to buy the books and you must use a Visa Card for payment. To do so, follow the directions to ensure that a Visa Card is your one-click payment method on your Kindle, then call Kindle Support and have them freeze your current gift card balance while you put thru your purchase of a book from the list. This tip is one learned from the previous $10 for $10 purchase offer (which you can still take advantage of, using this trick).
• You must have a KSO registered to your account when you make the purchases and when you get and apply the promotion code (which will be sent out by Aug 21).
• The offer is limited to those in the US and only one per customer (not per KSO device).
• I'd assume that the promotional credit won't be valid on any Agency book, but with hundreds of thousands of other choices, I know that I won't have any problem finding something to spend it on. With some of the books, you could never read them and still be ahead, essentially being paid up to $6.18 to purchase a book.

I'm going to highlight one book on the offer list: The Brass Verdict ($9.99), by Michael Connelly, because not only could you get this one essentially for free, but you can pick up the first book in the Harry Bosch series, The Black Echo for only 99 cents right now (although it's not part of the offer). The former is the the second title in the Mickey Haller series and unites the two series for the first time. You can also pick up the first in the Haller series, The Lincoln Lawyer, which was made into a movie recently and is also on the list for this offer, if you would rather start there. The only reason I'm not grabbing these three on this offer is that I already had all three in my library.

Book Description
Things are finally looking up for defense attorney Mickey Haller. After two years of wrong turns, Haller is back in the courtroom. When Hollywood lawyer Jerry Vincent is murdered, Haller inherits his biggest case yet: the defense of Walter Elliott, a prominent studio executive accused of murdering his wife and her lover. But as Haller prepares for the case that could launch him into the big time, he learns that Vincent's killer may be coming for him next.

Enter Harry Bosch. Determined to find Vincent's killer, he is not opposed to using Haller as bait. But as danger mounts and the stakes rise, these two loners realize their only choice is to work together.

Bringing together Michael Connelly's two most popular characters, The Brass Verdict is sure to be his biggest book yet.

Save $10 on Video Games (KSO)

This offer is for those with selected Kindle Wi-Fi with Special Offers or Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi with Special Offers only. Turn on your wireless, click Menu, Sync & Check for New Items, then on View Special Offers after the sync has completed. You should see this new offer:

Save $10 on video games at Amazon.com

Click on the offer, then click on the link on the offer page sign up and get an email with the promotion code. Sign-up for this offer expires on July 3.

You'll get an email (right away), a link to the Special offer page and a promotion code to enter at checkout. Once you have the promotional code, you have until August 3 to complete your purchase. Like previous offers, this one requires you to use the full checkout process in order to enter your promotional code. Also, like all Amazon sales that use promotional codes, if you have a gift card balance, you must use it for the payment (if there is not a sufficient balance, then you can pick which credit card or other payment to use).

Once again, this offer can be used more than once per accounts, so long as you have more than one KSO registered:

4. Limit one promotional code per device.

Just click on the ad on each device to receive the individual promotion codes via email.

This one will be easy to find something to use it on, since any physical game int the Amazon Game store can be used, it will just be difficult to narrow down the choices. Today's Deal of the Day is a Kinect game, Child Of Eden, that is already $15 off, while I also see some Ubisoft 3DS Games all at $10 off to browse thru.

Free Audiobook - The Wind in the Willows

Until midnight in the UK, you can get a free audiobook edition (abridged) of the children's classic The Wind in the Willows ($4.74 Kindle; $19.95 unabridged audiobook), by Kenneth Grahame, read by Sir Derek Jacobi, from AudioGo (a division of the BBC). You will need an account with a billing address, but don't need to add any credit card info.

Book Description
The enchanting tale of Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad, read by Emmy Award winner Sir Derek Jacobi.

When Mole goes boating with the Water Rat instead of spring-cleaning, he discovers a new world. As well as the river and the Wild Wood, there is Toad's craze for fast travel and motor-cars that leads them all on a timeless adventure.

Click HERE for the free audiobook. There are numerous editions of this classic in the Kindle store (including the illustrated one from Puffin Classics linked in above), or you can skip over to MobileRead's archives and get a version in most formats (all DRM-free).
Illustrated:

• Mobi
• LRF
• IMP

Original text only:

• LRF
• PDF optimized for Sony displays

New Kindle Games/Apps and 99 Cent Game Sale

Amazon has a number of new entries in the Active Content for Kindle category, some games and a few apps. Since it is sometimes difficult to find these, I'll highlight those that I haven't previously mentioned. In addition, be sure to check the end of the post for the titles included in the 99 Cent Kindle Game Sale (sadly, Pirate Stash isn't on this one, as I'm holding out for a sale on it).

Math Star ($2.99) is a new learning game from puzzle.tv. If this is up your alley, then be sure to also grab Why Math Isn't an Awful Nerd, by Jason Marshal, which is still free on Kindle.

Book Description
How good is your math? Find out by taking the Math Star Challenge, and progress through 100 increasingly difficult levels to see how good you really are.

Math Star features ten different game types including "Add it Up!", "Takeaway!", "Multiple Trouble!" and "Divide and Conquer". Also included are fun and challenging games like "Fill the Gap!", "Fifty Fifty!" and "Decimal Danger!". With math problems ranging in difficulty from '2+2=?' to complicated decimal and fraction based equations, Math Star is suitable for all ages and abilities. Four user profiles let you save your progress and compare high scores with friends and family who may also wish to play.

Math Star adapts quickly to the proficiency of the user. The level at which you start is initially based on your age, and adjusts up or down according to your performance in the Main Challenge portion of the game. In addition to the Main Challenge, you can practice at your current level by selecting one of the Quick Games. As you progress through levels, you will unlock new Quick Games to play.

Improve your math today with this entertaining game. Are you a Math Star?

Kee-Ko's Quest ($1.99), by A Gamz

Book Description
Kee-Ko's Quest is a puzzle game in which you need to rearrange objects to clear a path for Kee-Ko, a robot.

Kee-Ko works in a factory alongside other robots. Her boyfriend, F4R4W4Y, has been reassigned to a different room at the end of the factory. Kee-Ko has assigned another robot to take her place, and now intends to make her way to her boyfriend's new room. She and all the other robots in the factory are built to move only on the rails set on the factory floor, and she'll need to move other robots out of her way to exit each room.

Help Kee-Ko navigate all 100 rooms and get to the end of the factory. Earn badges for accomplishments, beat your previous times, see how many rooms you can solve in the minimum number of moves, or just enjoy the challenge of solving them. If you want to skip ahead, feel free. You can complete the rooms in any order you like and return to each room just the way you left it.

Help Kee-Ko find F4R4W4Y and enjoy the challenge of solving clever puzzles at the same time!

YAHTZEE ($4.99 $0.99), by Electronic Arts Inc.

Book Description
Now you can play YAHTZEE, the classic dice game on Kindle.

Roll the dice with YAHTZEE, a game in which players roll five dice to try and make 4-of-a-kinds, full houses, and straights. Keep the dice you want and re-roll the rest, but think carefully to score the best combination and the most points!

YAHTZEE for Kindle has three modes to enjoy. Play in Classic Mode and brave the luck of the roll, or remove luck from the game and play in Duplicate Mode where each person plays with identical die rolls and only your strategy can make the difference. You may also compete in Battle Mode, where your goal is to reduce your opponents score.

Play solo or Pass 'n' Play with up to 3 other players. Track stats like best scores, total victories, win ratios and more. Share the fun with 3 difficulty levels: easy, medium and hard.

One of the world's favorite dice-driven game scores again. Now play it anywhere you take your Kindle.

Affairs of the Court ($1.99), by Choice of Games

Book Description
Affairs of the Court is an interactive romance novel where you control the main character. In each chapter, you choose how the story proceeds, unlocking different endings.

Play the role of a young noble who comes to court in search of love and power, and catches the sovereign's eye. Plunge into court politics and change the course of history, or pursue a love affair that rocks the kingdom to its foundations. Match wits with the schemers of the court, or play your suitors off each other.

This omnibus edition for Kindle contains both Choice of Romance and its sequel, Choice of Intrigues. The mobile app review website AppSafari called Romance "... a wonderfully fascinating and addictive experience that will leave you playing it over and over again."

If you like gamebooks, you'll love Affairs of the Court. Its unique approach to interactive fiction allows larger, deeper, and richer stories than traditional gamebooks. Will you find true love? Gain a crown? Lose your head? The choice is yours.

Note: May not be appropriate for children.

CodeWord (Codewords and Cryptograms for Kindle) ($0.99), by Oak Systems Leisure Software

Book Description
CodeWord is a word game with a splash of logic.

CodeWord includes two different types of word decryption puzzles in a single title: cryptograms and codewords. A cryptogram is a puzzle where you must map letters to numbers to solve the code. All of the cryptogram puzzles are based on famous quotations, but each letter is replaced by a different letter or number. A codeword puzzle is similar to a crossword, but with no clues. Instead a number in each square represents the letter, and you are given a word to start you off.

CodeWord includes 50 codeword puzzles and 50 cryptograms for a total of 100 puzzles. Hints are available if you would like some help, and if you get stuck you can give up and reveal the solution. You can play at your own pace or against an optional timer if you want more challenge. You can also reset each puzzle so you can replay as many times as you like.

People of all ages who like puzzles and word games will enjoy playing CodeWord.

Puzzle Pack 1 ($0.99), by Oak Systems Leisure Software

Book Description
Enjoy a variety of classic puzzles on your Kindle.

This pack contains 100 puzzles: 20 Sudoku (5 each of Very Easy, Easy, Medium and Hard), 8 American Style Crosswords, 7 British Style Quick Crosswords (which contain more black squares than American Style puzzles), 15 Word Searches, 10 Codewords, 10 Cryptograms, 10 Symbol Blocks (Easy to Hard), 10 Compass Points, and 10 Criss-Cross puzzles.

Play at your own pace or against the clock. Your game is saved, so you can pause partway through a puzzle and return to where you left off. You can also reset each puzzle and try it again as many times as you like. If you get stuck on a more challenging puzzle, you can get hints or give up and see the correct solution.

People who like puzzles and word games, or people who want to try a variety of puzzles will love this fun collection of games on Kindle.

Jumble, 200 Puzzles ($4.99) expands on this series of games from Puzux, with more puzzles than ever.

Book Description
Solve two hundred Jumble puzzles on Kindle with this new interactive version of the popular word scramble game.

Each Jumble puzzle features four jumbled words for you to unscramble, Each Jumble puzzle features four jumbled words for you to unscramble, which gradually identify letters that can be used to solve the bonus phrase. Unscramble the bonus phrase to complete the puzzle. Each puzzle contains a cartoon clue, that will help you crack it, but watch out for puns!

Jumble contains a Solve Puzzle feature if you get stuck and want to see the answer, a Reset Puzzle feature if you want to start over, and a Hints feature to help you out along the way.

Jumble: That Scrambled Word Game! is one of the longest continuously running word games in the world. Try out Jumble on Kindle today and find out why!

Fortune Teller ($1.99), by Sonic Boom

Book Description
Have your Fortune told on Kindle!

Fortune Teller for Kindle helps you look into your future in three unique ways: Fortune Teller Hectar Predicts, Fortune Cookies, and Mystic Pyramid.

Hectar the Fortune Teller will look into his crystal ball and make new predictions every day for different areas of your life: Love, Career, Friendship, Money, and Life. Fortune Cookie is inspired by Chinese fortune cookies. Each cookie may give you advice or reveal your fortune, and you may choose up to 3 cookies per day. Mystic Pyramid is a mystical Egyptian-themed pyramid. You are advised to think of personal questions that are important to you "with great reverence and intent" and press a button to get the Mystic Pyramid's answers.

Don't pass up the opportunity to take a sneak peak at your future on Kindle!

Calendar ($0.99), by 7 Dragons

Book Description
Calendar is a user friendly scheduling tool and daily planner for Kindle.

Calendar lets you see events and to-do lists quickly and easily with day, month and week views. It lets you create events (including recurring events) and daily to-do lists. You can set reminders that show up when you start Calendar; and sort and search tools make working with your data a breeze. US Holidays are included, but you can turn them off if you want to do so.

A Go-to-Date and Go-to-Today feature helps you move around quickly, and fast typing speed with word-wrap helps you work quickly too. You get 6 font sizes and 9 backgrounds or a simple full-screen mode from which to choose, and you can use the built-in Backup and Restore feature to save your calendar data to a PC or Mac.

Put getting Calendar on your to-do list for today!

Calendar - Appointments, Birthdays, Holidays and Sticky Notes ($0.99), by Compulab

Book Description
Calendar is a tool that offers daily planner functions for Kindle users.

You can add and remove notes for appointments, put a sticky note with a short list on a page, and set reminders for the birthdays and holidays that matter to you.

In the Month view, you can quickly see what day is a holiday or a birthday or see if you made a note for that day. In Day view, you can enter appointments and attach short notes for those appointments. You can attach a note to a day, which can be handy if you have a list of things to remember. Calendar also allows you to copy appointments and paste them back in at another time or day.

Use Calendar to manage your schedule on your Kindle today.

Stopwatch and Timer ($0.99), by A Gamz, was the first of two stopwatch apps out for Kindle.

Book Description
A Gamz Stopwatch and Timer provides a stopwatch, countdown timer and a date and time display for Kindle.

You can use Stopwatch and Timer as a convenient kitchen helper, a break reminder, or as a stopwatch. The stopwatch has lap timers and the ability to pause. With the countdown timer, you can pause your countdown or reset it at any time. The countdown timer also has commonly used presets of thirty seconds, one minute and five minutes to make countdowns quick and easy, or you may enter any duration you wish. Stopwatch and Timer will also tell you how long since your countdown finished -- in case you miss the end.

Make the most of your time by using Stopwatch and Timer today!

Please Note: Stopwatch and Timer does not make sound nor wake up your Kindle. Stopwatch and Timer will however, keep accurate timer or stopwatch times while your Kindle is asleep.

Anywhere Stopwatch ($0.99), by Nickel Buddy, came out second and seems to fill about the same functions as the first stopwatch program. Neither produce any sounds (a Kindle limitation), nor have a large clock display (to be fair, using as such would probably kill you kindle battery quickly).

Book Description
Anywhere Stopwatch is a stopwatch and countdown timer for Kindle.

Use the stopwatch to time your kids at the track, the swimming pool, or just laps around the house. You can save up to 20 stopwatch sessions, so you can go back to see improvement over time. The stopwatch has a lap feature, allowing you to see lap and split times.

Also included is a countdown timer. The display counts down by seconds to 0, and also displays a dial that represents elapsed time and time remaining. Stopwatch does not play sound on Kindle, but the dial makes it easy to see at a glance how much time is left on the timer.

Anywhere Stopwatch is a fun utility that can really come in handy. Get one for your Kindle today!

Cocktail Mixer ($1.99), by HandyX, is a reference title that you can use both when behind the bar at your next party and when shopping for it beforehand.

Book Description
Cocktail Mixer is a collection of recipes for 350 delicious drinks including classic cocktails, seasonal drinks, the coolest new mixes and a selection of non-alcoholic drinks.

The cocktail browser feature helps you find your perfect cocktail by organizing them into easy to use sections. Sections include classic cocktails, shooters, non-alcoholic cocktails, cocktails by base ingredient, cocktails by glass type and a range of occasion and party themes. The advanced search function also lets you search for cocktails by name or cocktails that contain specific ingredients which makes it easy to explore new drinks you're likely to enjoy.

You can keep track of all your favorite drinks using the 'My Favorites' function, and you can learn about cocktail making and ingredients in the comprehensive help section. Cocktail Mixer will help you get the taste you're looking for in your old favorites, and can introduce you to new drinks that may become new favorites.

Start mixing it up today with Cocktail Mixer!

Whew! That's a long list of new Kindle apps and games that have snuck into the store over the last few weeks (at least one of which I'm buying today). If you've managed to resist temptation on the existing titles so far, Amazon seems determined to get you to succumb to your urge to play with your Kindle (rather than just read), with the current 99 cent Kindle Game Sale. All of these are marked down thru July 10 (and no longer). Several of these games usually sell for $5, so this is a great discount to take advantage of. Interestingly, the new YAHTZEE game from Electronic Arts Inc. isn't a part of the official sale, so it's 99 cent price could change at any time.

1. EA Texas Hold'em, by Electronic Arts Inc.
2. SCRABBLE, by Electronic Arts Inc.
3. EA Solitaire, by Electronic Arts Inc.
4. Word Soup, by Fuzzy Bug Interactive
5. Mahjong Solitaire, by Mobigloo
6. MONOPOLY, by Electronic Arts Inc.
7. Hangman 4 Kids, by Sonic Boom
8. EA Sudoku, by Electronic Arts Inc.
9. True Backgammon, by Compulab
10. NY Times Crosswords Vol. 5, by The New York Times
11. NY Times Crosswords Vol. 6, by The New York Times

$2 Free Credit in Amazon MP3 Store & KSO Update

To get your $2 credit in the Amazon MP3 store, click HERE and follow the directions to enter the coupon code CLOUDMP3. Once you've applied it to your account, the next MP3 purchases you make will automatically come out of that credit first (so, you get two free 99 cent songs or $2 off an album, only pay 7 cents for 3 songs from the 69 cent sale, etc). I'm was seriously considering using my credit to get the Rave On Buddy Holly ($3.99 today only) tribute album, then I stumbled over a new $1.99 classical compilation: 99 Must-Have Mozart Masterpieces.

You only have until the 30th to both enter the code and use the credit, so don't let this one get away from you. While you are deciding which songs to buy, be sure to check out these new free samplers:

• Allegro Summer 2011 Sampler
• Partisan Records 2011 Spring Sampler
• Nail Summer 2011 Sampler
• Allegro Classical Summer 2011 Sampler
• Knitting Factory Records 2011 Spring Sampler

KSO Update
If you were wanting to get one of the Kindle Skins using the $15 off $20 offer, but were put off by the $20 requirement, be sure to check out the comments on my post. It looks like you can use it on the Skins that are $19.95 or $19.99, which means you pay just under $5 total!

Free Book (nook) - Tuscan Holiday

Tuscan Holiday ($8.96 Kindle), by Holly Chamberlin, is free from B&N tonight. This title has previously been free in the Kindle store (Jun '10), but feel free to report this lower price (as not everyone had a chance to get it the first time around).

Book Description
In this smart, tender, insightful new novel, bestselling author Holly Chamberlin introduces two very different women who, over the course of two unforgettable weeks, learn about unbreakable bonds, unshakeable love, and the chances that come once in a lifetime -- and change us forever...When Elizabeth Caldwell planned a trip to Florence with her daughter, Marina, she secretly hoped for a warm, fuzzy bonding experience worthy of a Lifetime movie. But Marina -- twenty-one, newly graduated, and close to her mom in many ways -- has always been more the PBS type: dependable, practical, and completely in control. Elizabeth knows Marina wants to avoid the kind of "stupid mistake" that left Elizabeth a single mother at twenty-two, and she's bitten her tongue as Marina settles for a wealthy fiance who gives her everything she thinks she wants. After all, Elizabeth? -- unable to bring herself to fully commit to the man she has dated for years -- is hardly an expert in romance. Still, a lot can happen on vacation, especially in Tuscany, where every scent borne on the warm breeze inspires delight, and every view makes the heart soar. There, on streets once walked by Dante and Michaelangelo, Marina is blindsided by a gorgeous Italian named Luca who shows her how gloriously unpredictable passion can be, and Elizabeth finally lets go of the role that has defined her for so long to embrace her own uncertain future...

Click HERE to get the free book from B&N.

Two Buck Pre-Orders (Kindle)

These are all special editions of existing titles, with added "bonus material" tossed in (generally, the bonus is an extended sample of an upcoming book) and all are available to pre-order for $1.99. So, I've linked in both the low-cost pre-order and the existing edition, in case you want to get a sample now before ordering (you can also usually follow the links to the paper edition and get a free online preview there, if you prefer not to send the sample to your Kindle).

Hush, by Kate White (full price edition)

Book Description
New York Times bestselling author and Cosmopolitan's editor-in-chief returns with a sizzling, page-turning thriller in which an ordinary woman flees the scene of a murder—and realizes it's not just the law that's hunting her.

When Lake Warren learns that her husband, Jack, is suing for full custody of their two kids four months after their separation, she's pretty certain that things can't get any worse. The upside is that she's working with the Advanced Fertility Center as a marketing consultant, alongside the attractive, flirtatious Dr. Keaton. But the morning after their one-night stand, Lake finds Keaton with his throat slashed and discovers that things can indeed become worse—they can become deadly.

So as not to jeopardize her case for custody, Lake is forced to lie to the police. Having just been intimate with a man who has been murdered, and wanting to protect herself from being charged with the crime, she begins her own search for the truth. Meanwhile, the police start looking at her closely, people at the clinic start treating her with hostility, and strange clues begin dropping—quite literally—on her doorstep, and Lake realizes that she is dangerously close to dark secrets, both about Keaton and the clinic. But can Lake stop what she's started before it's too late?

The Condition, by Jennifer Haigh (full price edition)

Book Description
The novel that the Wall Street Journal called "a satisfying feat of literary choreography" is now available at a low price for a limited time. This special e-book edition includes the first two chapters of Faith, Jennifer Haigh's "superb fourth novel" (Publishers Weekly, starred review), which will be released on May 10.

In the summer of 1976, during their annual retreat on Cape Cod, the McKotch family came apart. Now, twenty years after daughter Gwen was diagnosed with Turner's syndrome—a rare genetic condition that keeps her trapped forever in the body of a child—eminent scientist Frank McKotch is divorced from his pedigreed wife, Paulette. Eldest son Billy, a successful cardiologist, lives a life built on secrets and compromise. His brother Scott awakened from a pot-addled adolescence to a soul-killing job and a regrettable marriage. And Gwen—bright and accomplished but hermetic and emotionally aloof—spurns all social interaction until, well into her thirties, she falls in love for the first time. With compassion and almost painful astuteness, The Condition explores the power of family mythologies—the self-delusions, denials, and inescapable truths that forever bind fathers and mothers and siblings.

A Quick Bite, by Lynsay Sands (full price edition). I have this one and loved it; definitely recommended if you like a light, funny paranormal romance.

Book Description
That hot guy tied to Lissianna Argeneau's bed? He's not dessert—he's the main course!

Lissianna has been spending her centuries pining for Mr. Right, not just a quick snack, and this sexy guy she finds in her bed looks like he might be a candidate. But there's another, more pressing issue: her tendency to faint at the sight of blood . . . an especially annoying quirk for a vampire. Of course it doesn't hurt that this man has a delicious-looking neck. What kind of cold-blooded vampire woman could resist a bite of that?

Dr. Gregory Hewitt recovers from the shock of waking up in a stranger's bedroom pretty quickly—once he sees a gorgeous woman about to treat him to a wild night of passion. But is it possible for the good doctor to find true love with a vampire vixen, or will he be just a good meal? That's a question Dr. Greg might be willing to sink his teeth into . . . if he can just get Lissianna to bite.

For a limited time, discover the Argeneau saga for only $1.99, plus three excerpts, including The Heiress, The Reluctant Vampire, and a preview of Lynsay’s short story in A Bite Before Christmas, available this October!

The Duke And I, by Julia Quinn (full price edition)

Book Description
Simon Basset, the irresistible Duke of Hastings, has hatched a plan to keep himself free from the town's marriage-minded society mothers. He pretends to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton. After all, it isn't as if the brooding rogue has any real plans to marry - though there is something about the alluring Miss Bridgerton that sets Simon's heart beating a bit faster. And as for Daphne, surely the clever debutante will attract some very worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable. But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, she soon forgets that their courtship is a complete sham. And now she has to do the impossible and keep herself from losing her heart and soul completely to the handsome hell-raiser who has sworn off marriage forever!

For a limited time, discover Julia Quinn for only $1.99! Plus, dip into excerpts from new releases by Julia, Elizabeth Boyle, and Caroline Linden.

Duchess in Love, by Eloisa James (full price edition)

Book Description
A Duke in Retreat
Gina was forced into marriage with the Duke of Girton at an age when she'd have been better off in a schoolroom than a ballroom. Directly after the ceremony her handsome spouse promptly fled to the continent, leaving the marriage unconsummated and Gina quite indignant.

A Lady In the Middle
Now, she is one of the most well-known ladies in London ... living on the edge of scandal—desired by many men, but resisting giving herself to any one.

A Duchess in Love
Finally, Camden, the Duke of Girton, has returned home, to discover that his naïve bride has blossomed into the toast of the ton. Which leaves Cam in the most uncomfortable position of discovering that he has the bad manners to be falling in love—with his own wife!

For a limited time, take a trip back in time with Duchess in Love by New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James for only $1.99! And as a bonus, read excerpts from the next three novels in the series, Fool For Love, A Wild Pursuit, and Your Wicked Ways.

Angel's Tip, by Alafair Burke (full price edition). I'm cheating a bit with title and the next; both are now out and no longer in pre-order status, but both are the same type of promotional bonus book that is $1.99. These come and go and seem to be the only two remaining that are still both available and under $2, so I don't expect them to last long; checking them now, it seems I bought both (but haven't finished them yet).

Book Description
The thriller that the bestselling author Faye Kellerman called "knuckle-biting journey" is now available at a low price for a limited time. This special e-book edition includes the prologue and first three chapters of Long Gone, Alafair Burke's "must read" (Lisa Scottoline) standalone thriller, which will be released on June 21.

In a city full of victims . . . it's hard to choose just one.

Indiana college student Chelsea Hart's wild evening with affluent young party boys in an elite Manhattan club was the most exhilarating and glamorous night of her life. It was also the last.

Now NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher's obsessive hunt for the co-ed's killer—the only chance to save the next victim—is placing her directly in the sights of a psychopath.

The Bronze Horseman, by Paullina Simons (full price edition)

Book Description
See how it all began . . . The golden skies, the translucent twilight, the white nights, all hold the promise of youth, of love, of eternal renewal. The war has not yet touched this city of fallen grandeur, or the lives of two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha Metanova, who share a single room in a cramped apartment with their brother and parents. Their world is turned upside down when Hitler's armies attack Russia and begin their unstoppable blitz to Leningrad.

Yet there is light in the darkness. Tatiana meets Alexander, a brave young officer in the Red Army. Strong and self-confident, yet guarding a mysterious and troubled past, he is drawn to Tatiana—and she to him. Starvation, desperation, and fear soon grip their city during the terrible winter of the merciless German siege. Tatiana and Alexander's impossible love threatens to tear the Metanova family apart and expose the dangerous secret Alexander so carefully protects—a secret as devastating as the war itself—as the lovers are swept up in the brutal tides that will change the world and their lives forever.

Complete with excerpts from Tatiana and Alexander (available now) and The Summer Garden (on sale June 21), the next two books in the trilogy, follow the epic love story of Tatiana and Alexander from the beginning.

Free Book (EPUB/nook) - Bake Sale Murder

Bake Sale Murder ($4.30 Kindle), by Leslie Meier, the thirteenth in her Lucy Stone series, was previously free on Kindle (Aug '10) and is free today from both Barnes and Noble and from Kobo. There's a new book in the series coming this month, English Tea Murder, so I expect this one to be free for Kindle, as well. If you haven't tried the series before, it's fun, light mysteries and there are now seven titles under $5.

Book Description
Ever since local developer Fred Stanton and his wife, Mimi, built five modular homes next door to Lucy Stone's farmhouse, life just hasn't been the same. With Mimi complaining about everything from the state of Lucy's lawn to another neighbor's lovable dog, quaint Tinker's Cove, Maine, is now entangled in cul-de-sac politics and backstabbing. And when Mimi doesn't show up for her shift at The Hat and Mitten Fund bake sale, the scent of burnt sugar leads Lucy to a shocking discovery: Mimi, face down on her kitchen floor--with a knife in her back.

While the police start their investigation, Lucy gets busy writing up the murder for the local Pennysaver--and following a few leads of her own. Lucy knows the women in her neighborhood didn't like Mimi, but they certainly didn't want her dead...right?

Click HERE to get the free book from B&N.
Click HERE to get the free book from Kobo.

Free Book (Kindle/nook) - Living Rich by Spending Smart

Living Rich by Spending Smart: How to Get More of What You Really Want, by Gregory Karp, is a repeat freebie on Kindle and at B&N. The edition at Amazon, though, has been updated, so grab it again if you want the new formatting.

Book Description
As The Millionaire Next Door revealed, building wealth isn’t just about working harder or what you choose to invest in: it’s about spending smarter. Now, award-winning Tribune Company personal finance columnist Gregory Karp shows how to do just that.

This book isn’t about depriving yourself. Instead, Gregory Karp shows how to build real, long-lasting wealth by plugging the money leaks you’re barely aware of and making sure you spend with a purpose.

Karp’s surprisingly painless techniques will help you eliminate wasteful spending in every area of your financial life. You’ll discover how to focus spending on what you really care about...spend less on gifts without becoming a cheapskate...slash your phone bill...pay less for food and still eat what you want...eliminate spending...

Click HERE to get the free download from B&N.

Save $15 when you spend $20 on Amazon Kindle Skins (KSO)

Update: I've now seen several messages that this discount works on both $19.99 and $19.95 priced skins, so you should be able to buy any skin that comes up on the link and get the discount! If you don't have Prime, then grab a couple of Smak-Dab Cover Secure Clips to raise your pre-coupon discount over $25 to get free shipping.

This offer is for those with selected Kindle Wi-Fi with Special Offers or Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi with Special Offers only. Turn on your wireless, click Menu, Sync & Check for New Items, then on View Special Offers after the sync has completed. You should see this new offer:

Save $15 when you spend $20 on Amazon Kindle Skins

Click on offer, then click on the link on the offer page sign up and get an email with the promotion code. Sign-up for this offer expires on June 29.

You'll get an email (right away), a link to the Special Offer Details page and a promotion code to enter at checkout. Once you have the promotional code, you have until July 29 to complete your purchase. Like previous offers, this one requires you to use the full checkout process in order to enter your promotional code. Also, like all Amazon sales that use promotional codes, if you have a gift card balance, you must use it for the payment (if there is not a sufficient balance, then you can pick which credit card or other payment to use).

Once again, this offer can be used more than once per accounts, so long as you have more than one KSO registered:

4. Limit one promotional code per device.

Just click on the ad on each device to receive the individual promotion codes via email.

Wouldn't you know it, I just bought a Skin for my Kindle 3G a few weeks ago (just before this offer first downloaded to my KSO). However, my KSO doesn't have a skin (nor does hubby's Kindle WiFi), so I might buy one on the sale, anyway (or just keep it for myself, for when I tire of the skin I have now). Once nice thing about this sale - you can use it on pretty much any skin in the Kindle Skins Accessory store, rather than being limited to just a select list. You can even use it to buy a Skin for an older, 2nd Generation Kindle or the Kindle DX, it appears.

There is one question I have on this offer - it says I must spend "$20 or more", but it is also limited to a single skin. So, it seems to me that the offer would be limited to the $24.99 skins (since most of them are $19.99). If you use the offer, let me know if it works on the $19.99 ones.

Save $25 on $50 of Camping & Backpacking Gear (KSo)

This offer is for those with selected Kindle Wi-Fi with Special Offers or Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi with Special Offers only. Turn on your wireless, click Menu, Sync & Check for New Items, then on View Special Offers after the sync has completed. You should see this new offer:

Save $25 on $50 of Camping & Backpacking Gear

Click on offer, then click on the link on the offer page sign up and get an email with the promotion code. Sign-up for this offer expires on June 29.

You'll get an email (right away), a link to the Eligible Camping & Backpacking Products page and a promotion code to enter at checkout. Once you have the promotional code, you have until July 29 to complete your purchase. Like previous offers, this one requires you to use the full checkout process in order to enter your promotional code. Also, like all Amazon sales that use promotional codes, if you have a gift card balance, you must use it for the payment (if there is not a sufficient balance, then you can pick which credit card or other payment to use).

Once again, this offer can be used more than once per accounts, so long as you have more than one KSO registered:

5. Limit one promotional code per device.

Just click on the ad on each device to receive the individual promotion codes via email.

This is one of the offers I've been looking forward to, so have definitely signed up and will be going thru the lists.

Updated to add: If you buy any item in Sports and Outdoors, then leave a review, you'll be entered to win a $500 Amazon Gift Card (see official rules). This offer isn't limited to those with a KSO and any purchase in the store qualifies (even previous purchase and 3rd party items).

Free Book (nook) - Blood Count

Blood Count ($8.99 Kindle), the ninth in the Artie Cohen series by Reggie Nadelson, is free from Barnes and Noble tonight, making it three in this series free there (and only one on Kindle). Once again, I'm reporting the free price, in the hopes that it will be free on Kindle later.

Book Description
Mid-December 2008. Barack Obama has just been elected; all New York is ecstatic, especially Harlem. On a freezing night a few weeks later, detective Artie Cohen gets a late call from his ex girlfriend, Lily Hanes, begging for his help. Lily has been living at the Louis Armstrong Apartments, one of Harlem's great buildings, while working on Obama's campaign; now her Russian neighbor, Marianna Simonova, has died, and Lily fears she's at fault and needs Artie's Russian connections. Over a weekend when the city is locked in by snow and cold, with the financial markets tanking, one after another people at the Armstrong die. Artie, out of his element, a white detective in a black world, is drawn inexorably into the realm of Sugar Hill and the Armstrong, where almost everybody except for the real estate developers seems locked in the past. Working to solve the murders, Artie tries desperately to win Lily back. Blood Count is a murder mystery, a love story, and a tale about New York, race, real estate, money, and music, with an ending one could never predict. Set in the legendary neighborhood of Sugar Hill, Reggie Nadelson's dramatic new thriller brings Harlem vividly to life.

Click HERE to get the free book from B&N.

Free Book Update - Executive Privilege

Executive Privilege Free with Bonus Material, by Phillip Margolin, was free on Kindle and from B&N and Sony last May. Looks like Kobo got their wires crossed a bit, as they finally have it free today (both for US and Canadian customers). This particular edition isn't available for Kindle any longer, but the standard edition is $8.99.

Book Description
New York Times bestselling author Phillip Margolin is back, this time with a powerful tale of murder that snakes its way through Washington, D.C.'s halls of power, leading straight to the White House and the most powerful office on earth.

When private detective Dana Cutler is hired by an attorney with powerful political connections, the assignment seems simple enough: follow a pretty college student named Charlotte Walsh and report on where she goes and whom she sees. But then the unexpected happens. One night, Cutler follows Walsh to a secret meeting with Christopher Farrington, the president of the United States. The following morning, Walsh's dead body shows up and Cutler has to run for her life.

In Oregon, Brad Miller, a junior associate in a huge law firm is working on the appeal of a convicted serial killer. Clarence Little, now on death row, claims he was framed for the murder of a teenager who, at the time of her death, worked for the then governor, Christopher Farrington. Suddenly, a small-time private eye and a fledgling lawyer find themselves in possession of evidence that suggests that someone in the White House is a murderer. Their only problem? Staying alive long enough to prove it.

Click HERE to get the free book from Kobo.

Free Book (nook) - The Front Porch Prophet

The Front Porch Prophet ($7.96 Kindle), by Raymond L. Atkins, is today's Free Friday ebook from Barnes and Noble (report the price to Amazon and we may get it free by Monday).

Book Description
What do a trigger-happy bootlegger with pancreatic cancer, an alcoholic helicopter pilot who is afraid to fly, and a dead guy with his feet in a camp stove have in common? What are the similarities between a fire department that cannot put out fires, a policeman who has a historic cabin fall on him from out of the sky, and an entire family dedicated to a variety of deceased authors? Where can you find a war hero named Termite with a long knife stuck in his liver, a cook named Hoghead who makes the world's worst coffee, and a supervisor named Pillsbury who nearly gets hung by his employees? Sequoyah, Georgia, is the answer. After a long absence, A. J. Longstreet finds his best friend since childhood, Eugene Purdue, on his doorstep. Eugene now has terminal cancer, and he confronts A. J. with the dilemma of executing a mercy killing when the time arrives. An adventure into the past begins for the both of them, and soon one must make a decision that will alter his life forever.

Click HERE for the free book from B&N.

Free Book (noDRM) - Friendly Fire

Friendly Fire ($2.39 Kindle), by Megan Hart, is free as a DRM-free EPUB from Carina Press, today only.

Book Description
After Agent Kendall Frasier's partner is shot in "friendly fire" during a drug bust, she agrees to take a week's vacation on a tropical island as part of her psychiatric evaluation. Sand, sun, sea—what could be better to help her work through her guilt? Even if the presence of the man responsible for the shooting, Agent Zane Vincent, seems counterproductive to her mental health.

As Kendall gets to know Zane, and realizes he feels worse about what happened than she does, it becomes impossible to hate him. And their mutual attraction becomes impossible to deny.

Kendall and Zane soon agree to put the event that brought them together in the past—and spend the present exploring their most erotic desires. Do they have a future in the real world when their week in paradise is over?

Click HERE to get the free book from Carina Press. Use coupon code FRIENDLYFREE during checkout to drop the price to $0.00 before completing checkout (you should not have to enter any payment info). If you are having problems with the coupon code, try cutting and pasting the code, rather than typing it in, making sure you don't have a space at either end of the code. Also, check the time - these coupons are ONE DAY ONLY and the company cuts them off at midnight where they are (eastern time, US). Last, check to see if another coupon code is being applied to the order (just above the total); if so, click to remove it first, then apply this code.

$5 Instant Video Credit at Amazon

For those of us that signed up for the KSO offer of 50% off on a Roku player, we may want to consider going ahead and ordering it now, rather than waiting until the deadline of August 16. If you activate the Roku player and connect it to your Amazon account by the end of the month, you get a $5 credit for Instant Videos. The offer isn't limited to Roku players, either - if you have purchased a new Vizio, LG,  Panasonic or Samsung HDTV or a Blu-Ray player that is capable of streaming Amazon Instant Videos, you can connect them as well and get the credit. If you have more than one of these, I don't know if you can get more than one credit (there is nothing on the page limiting the offer to one per account; it only mentions that the device must be a new registration with your Amazon account).

Click HERE to get started.

Free Book (nook) - Londongrad

Londongrad ($2.99 Kindle), the eighth in the Artie Cohen series by Reggie Nadelson, is free from Barnes and Noble tonight. It is greatly discounted from the (ridiculous) list price in the Kindle store, but I'm reporting the free price, in the hopes that it will be free on Kindle later.

Book Description
By far Reggie Nadelson's best story takes Artie Cohen--Russan-born New York police detective with a complex past--from New York to London to Moscow in pursuit of the killers of the daughter of his close friend, Tolya. At a time when London is inflamed with the death of Alexander Litvinenko, Artie faces imminent dangers as well as unexpected ones from his deep past. A dramatic new thriller by the author of Disturbed Earth, Red Hook, and Fresh Kills. A journalist and documentary filmmaker, Reggie Nadelson is the author of seven previous Artie Cohen novels: Fresh Kills, Red Hook, Disturbed Earth, Red Hot Blues, Hot Poppies, Bloody London, and Sex Dolls. Comrade Rockstar, her biography of Dean Reed, the American emigre who became the biggest rock star in the Soviet Union, is under option to Tom Hanks. Born in Greenwich Village, Nadelson now lives in downtown Manhattan.

Click HERE to get the free book from B&N.