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Friday, March 23, 2012

Today's Deals

This deal isn't as good as the KSO offer was, as it is limited to a total $20 discount, but you can get 20% off Grocery and Gourmet using coupon code MAR20OFF (up to a $100 order). On the other hand, anyone can take advantage of the discount, provided you have (and use) the Amazon Rewards Visa Card (if you don't have one, they are offering a $50 bonus if you sign up and are approved, making this a super-bargain of $70 off $100). It's also limited to a single order, so you will want to add several items to your cart and use the check out process. You can't use one-click buying, in any case, as you must enter the promo code and the discount can't be combined with Subscribe & Save discounts. There are a lot of items to choose from, including many gluten free items I normally buy, anyway, and the category even includes a number of dog treats and Easter candy.

Dystopian Fiction for Young Adults is today's Kindle Deal of the Day, with five novels priced at $1.99 apiece. Apparently the fastest growing age segment for Young Adult titles is now adults (for a variety of reasons, including better writing and more selection, I suspect) and I'll be helping that trend along today, as I'm probably going to get four of the five selections.

The Eleventh Plague ($1.99), by Jeff Hirsch. This one was originally promoted with one of the Sneak Peek editions designed to boost sales figures without actually giving you anything; I've held off until now, but at this price I'm grabbing it.
In an America devastated by war and plague, the only way to survive is to keep moving.

In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two-thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade. But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing--and their lives--forever.
Ashes, Ashes ($1.99), by Jo Treggiari
A thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares.

Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.
The Scorpio Races ($1.99), by Maggie Stiefvater, is an Amazon Best of 2011 Editors' Pick.
Some race to win. Others race to survive.

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.

Some riders live.

Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a choice. So she enters the competition - the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

As she did in her bestselling Shiver trilogy, author Maggie Stiefvater takes us to the breaking point, where both love and life meet their greatest obstacles, and only the strong of heart can survive. The Scorpio Races is an unforgettable reading experience.
Empty ($1.99), by Suzanne Weyn
A dystopic look at what happens to one American town when all the fossil fuels run out...

It's the near future - the very near future - and the fossil fuels are running out. No gas. No oil. Which means no driving. No heat. Supermarkets are empty. Malls have shut down. Life has just become more local than we ever knew it could be.

Nobody expected the end to come this fast. And in the small town of Spring Valley, decisions that once seemed easy are quickly becoming matters of life and death. There is hope - there has to be hope - just there are also sacrifices that need to be made, and a whole society that needs to be rethought.
Green Heart ($1.99), by Alice Hoffman, is an omnibus consisting of two previously published (short) novels: Green Angel and Green Witch. Purchased separately, these would cost over $14, which seems a bit outrageous for what are barely loner than novella length pieces (but, such is the children's/teen market). At the current discount of $1.99, though, it looks like it's worth a try, especially for teen/young women.
A two-fold tale of grief and hope loss and love told as only Alice Hoffman can.

When her family is lost in a terrible disaster 15-year-old Green is haunted by loss and the past. Struggling to survive in a place where nothing seems to grow and ashes are everywhere Green retreats into the ruined realm of her garden. But in destroying her feelings she also begins to destroy herself. It is only through a series of mysterious encounters that Green relearns the lessons of love and begins to heal as she tells her own story.

As she heals Green lives every day with feelings of loss. Her family is gone the boy she loves is missing and the world she once knew has been transformed by tragedy. In order to rediscover the truth about love hope and magic she must venture away from her home collecting the stories of a group of women who have been branded witches for their mysterious powers. Only through their stories will Green find her own heart's desire.

The 15 Minute Rule ($1.57 / £0.99 UK), by Caroline Buchanan, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $8.39).
Book Description
The Fifteen Minute Rule sets out to help us tackle those things that we are always putting off: starting an exercise regime, looking for a new job, doing our tax returns or learning a new skill. Or perhaps doing something to improve the quality of life, by learning to fight depression or confront an annoying habit. Perhaps it's simply clearing the huge pile of clutter from your desk. Whatever it is, all you need is fifteen minutes and before you know it, some weeks later, you have accomplished a task you couldn't bring yourself to start.

The hardest thing to overcome when you're trying to start something daunting and new is to actually start. That mountain of paperwork in front of you that looks like it will take hours to go through and hours of mind-numbing sorting is hard to contemplate for most - but fifteen minutes isn't. Fifteen minutes is manageable and can bring minor and major results, each one providing satisfaction and a boost in self-esteem.

This book is for those people who need instant gratification and also those long-term players who recognise the benefits of consistency and dedication.

First among Equals ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Jeffrey Archer, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.
Book Description
Charles Seymour, second-born son, will never be the earl like his father, but he did inherit his mother's strength-and the will to realize his destiny...Simon Kerslake's father sacrificed everything to make sure his son's dreams come true. Now it is Simon's chance to rise as high as those dreams allow...Ray Gould was born to the back streets but raised with pride-a quality matched by a sharp intellect and the desire to attain the impossible...Andrew Fraser was raised by a soccer hero turned politician. Now it's his turn for heroics, whatever the cost.

From strangers to rivals, four men embark on a journey for the highest stakes of all-the keys to No. 10 Downing Street. Unfolding over three decades, their honor will be tested, their loyalties betrayed, and their love of family and country challenged. But in a game where there is a first among equals, only one can triumph.
BONUS MATERIAL INCLUDED: 1st chapter of Jeffrey Archer’s newest novel SINS OF THE FATHER, coming May 2012.

SINS OF THE FATHER: On the heels of the international bestseller Only Time Will Tell, Jeffrey Archer picks up the sweeping story of the Clifton Chronicles….

Only days before Britain declares war on Germany, Harry Clifton, hoping to escape the consequences of long-buried family secrets, and forced to accept that his desire to marry Emma Barrington will never be fulfilled, has joined the Merchant Navy. But his ship is sunk in the Atlantic by a German U-boat, drowning almost the entire crew. An American cruise liner, the SS Kansas Star, rescues a handful of sailors, among them Harry and the third officer, an American named Tom Bradshaw. When Bradshaw dies in the night, Harry seizes on the chance to escape his tangled past and assumes his identity.

On landing in America, however, Bradshaw quickly learns the mistake he has made, when he discovers what is awaiting him in New York. Without any way of proving his true identity, Harry Clifton is now chained to a past that could be far worse than the one he had hoped to escape.

Inkheart ($7.91 Kindle, $1.99 B&N), the first title in the Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke, is the Nook Daily Find for Families. This was made into a movie (which reminds me, I never did get around to watching it) and should be a good book for teens and young adults (or adults, for that matter). I've reported the lower price to Amazon, but if it hasn't dropped by tonight, I'll probably grab it at B&N.
Book Description
From the author of the sensational New York Times bestseller The Thief Lord comes a thrilling new adventure about magic and self-discovery.

Meggie lives a quiet life alone with her father, a bookbinder. But her father has a deep secret--he possesses an extraordinary magical power....

One cruel night, Meggie's father reads aloud from a book called INKHEART-- and an evil ruler escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie is smack in the middle of the kind of adventure she has only read about in books. Meggie must learn to harness the magic that has conjured this nightmare. For only she can change the course of the story that has changed her life forever.

This is INKHEART--a timeless tale about books, about imagination, about life. Dare to read it aloud.