A couple of notes about Harry Potter and Pottermore, some of which I made in comments yesterday, plus a few new ones:
- If you buy the bundle, then you get all seven books individually in your library at Pottermore (and at Amazon or the other partners, if you choose to send them there).
- The books appear at Amazon in your Books section, not Personal Documents. Also, they are apparently flagged to be sent to EVERY device in your account when they hit Amazon -- this still only counts as one download at Pottermore (and you can continue sending them to your Kindles over the years and it doesn't affect Pottermore downloads).
- The US version includes the illustrations and has nice covers (both on Kindle and the EPUB downloads). There don't appear to be any special fonts, but when there is something like a written note, it appears as a graphic (so far) and is quite readable. The UK/GB edition does not have illustrations other than a couple up front and never had fancy fonts, so it isn't an issue for those. Also, the covers are completely different (apparently the last ones used on the paperbacks, not the originals, from what I can tell).
- Although you can't purchase an out-of-country edition for yourself, you can gift them to someone in that country (all you need is an email address); those in Canada get the UK edition and also are able to send the copies to their nook/Sony accounts (in the UK, it's Amazon only), for those interested in that ability. All the recipient will need is the gift code received in email and to set up an account; the books will then be in their library and can be accessed and linked to their accounts (no CC info needed). For those in the US, the bundle works out to $57.54 for the US edition and $61.65 to send a gift of the GB edition.
- Mastercard is a bit more apt to flag your card as fraudulent use on the site - some had theirs frozen (mine did this) and the charge refused, others had the charge go thru and then received calls to keep the card from being frozen. Apparently some debit cards were more Pottermore friendly, as they actually let you enter a code and didn't fail the "added security" set that I never even had a chance to respond to. If you only have a single credit/debit card, you'll want to make sure yours didn't get flagged after using it on the site.
- Apparently the Pottermore site has required that Amazon and the other partners add DRM to the copies that are sent to your accounts there. This despite the addition of the same social DRM (your unique ID encrypted on the inside page). No matter, as you can get the EPUB from the site as one of your 8 downloads and use that as you personal backup.
- Although not that well publicized, Amazon has set up a special page for the Harry Potter Kindle books, which includes links to two exclusive interviews, one with JK Rowling and the other with illustrator Mary Grandpré. The UK page only includes the Rowling interview link, of course.
Today's Kindle Deal of the Day is
Chaos Walking Trilogy, a YA dystopian SciFi thriller series by Patrick Ness, at
99 cents per volume. That means all of you can grab the entire trilogy for what I paid for the first volume and I can complete the series at a bargain. Since the synopsis of the second two contain slight spoilers, I'm going to blur them on the website (just hover your mouse over the section to clear it up).
The Knife of Never Letting Go
Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.
The Ask and the Answer
Part two follows a boy and a girl who are caught in a warring town where thoughts can be heard - and secrets are never safe. Reaching the end of their flight in THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO, Todd and Viola did not find healing and hope in Haven. They found instead their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss, waiting to welcome them to New Prentisstown. There they are forced into separate lives: Todd to prison, and Viola to a house of healing where her wounds are treated. Soon Viola is swept into the ruthless activities of the Answer, while Todd faces impossible choices when forced to join the mayor's oppressive new regime. In alternating narratives the two struggle to reconcile their own dubious actions with their deepest beliefs. Torn by confusion and compromise, suspicion and betrayal, can their trust in each other possibly survive?
Monsters of Men
In the riveting conclusion to the acclaimed dystopian series, a boy and girl caught in the chaos of war face devastating choices that will decide the fate of a world. As a world-ending war surges around them, Todd and Viola face monstrous decisions. The indigenous Spackle, thinking and acting as one, have mobilized to avenge their murdered people. Ruthless human leaders prepare to defend their factions at all costs, even as a convoy of new settlers approaches. And as the ceaseless Noise lays all thoughts bare, the projected will of the few threatens to overwhelm the desperate desire of the many. The consequences of each action, each word, are unspeakably vast: To follow a tyrant or a terrorist? To save the life of the one you love most, or thousands of strangers? To believe in redemption, or assume it is lost? Becoming adults amid the turmoil, Todd and Viola question all they have known, racing through horror and outrage toward a shocking finale.
Hitch 22 (
$1.57 / £0.99 UK), by Christopher Hitchens, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the
US edition is $12.99).
Book Description
Over the last thirty years, Christopher Hitchens has established himself as one of the world's most influential public intellectuals. His originality, bravery, range, and wit made him first a leading iconoclast of the political left and then, later in his career, a formidable advocate of secular liberalism. When the Twin Towers were attacked in September 2001, Hitchens was re-energised again, quickly emerging as one of the fiercest and most influential advocates of war on Iraq. In this long-awaited and candid memoir, Hitchens re-traces the footsteps of his life to date, from his childhood in Portsmouth, with his adoring, tragic mother and reserved Naval officer father; to his life in Washington DC, the base from which from he would launch fierce attacks on tyranny of all kinds. Along the way, he recalls the girls, boys and booze; the friendships and the feuds; the grand struggles and lost causes; and, the mistakes and misgivings that have characterised his life. "Hitch-22" is, by turns, moving and funny, charming and infuriating, enraging and inspiring. It is an indispensable companion to the life and thought of our pre-eminent political writer.
Anno Dracula (
$3.99 Kindle,
B&N), by Kim Newman, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.
Book Description
It is 1888 and Queen Victoria has remarried, taking as her new consort Vlad Tepes, the Wallachian Prince infamously known as Count Dracula. Peppered with familiar characters from Victorian history and fiction, the novel follows vampire Geneviève Dieudonné and Charles Beauregard of the Diogenes Club as they strive to solve the mystery of the Ripper murders.
Anno Dracula is a rich and panoramic tale, combining horror, politics, mystery and romance to create a unique and compelling alternate history. Acclaimed novelist Kim Newman explores the darkest depths of a reinvented Victorian London.
This brand-new edition of the bestselling novel contains unique bonus material, including a new afterword from Kim Newman, annotations, articles and alternate endings to the original novel.
The Muppets The Movie Junior Novel ($4.49 Kindle,
$2.16 B&N), by Katharine Turner, is the Nook Daily Find for Families, price matched on Kindle.
Book Description
This junior novelization based on the new Muppet movie features a full-color insert of photos from the film!
