It's also the final week for the Shock-tober Sale, with over 150 audiobooks at $6.95 or less. This week's theme is Ghosts, joining the Werewolves, Zombies and Vampires already on sale; the categories are pretty loosely defined, so you'll find some Urban Fantasy in each week and I spotted The Phantom of the Opera in this week's list. As usual, the sales are only for those with some type of subscription and the extra credit page won't let you see it unless you have 3 fewer credits than you are allowed to carry over for the month (which varies by subscription type).
If you're in the market for a new wireless mouse, the Microsoft 3500, which comes in a huge range of colors and designs, is on sale for 33%-50% off.
Today's Kindle Daily Deal is The Pleasure of My Company ($1.99), by Steve Martin. The companion audiobook is $7.95 and narrated by Martin, himself which should be a treat for his fans.
Book Description
From the bestselling author of Shopgirl comes the tender story of a troubled man who finds love, and life, in the most unexpected place.
Daniel resides in his Santa Monica apartment, living much of his life as a bystander: He watches from his window as the world goes by, and his only relationships seem to be with people who barely know he exists. He passes the time idly filling out contest applications, counting ceiling tiles, and estimating the wattage of light bulbs.
It is through Daniel's growing attachment to Clarissa, and to Teddy, that he finally gains the courage to begin to engage the world outside, and in doing so, he discovers love, and life, in the most surprising places.
Filled with his trademark humor, tenderness, and out and out hilarious wordplay, The Pleasure of My Company is a tour de force sure to delight all of Steve Martin's fans.
The Ritual ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Adam Nevill, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $9.99).
Book Description
And on the third day things did not get better. The rain fell hard and cold, the white sun never broke through the low grey cloud, and they were lost. But it was the dead thing they found hanging from a tree that changed the trip beyond recognition. When four old University friends set off into the Scandinavian wilderness of the Arctic Circle, they aim to briefly escape the problems of their lives and reconnect with one another. But when Luke, the only man still single and living a precarious existence, finds he has little left in common with his well-heeled friends, tensions rise. With limited fitness and experience between them, a shortcut meant to ease their hike turns into a nightmare scenario that could cost them their lives. Lost, hungry, and surrounded by forest untouched for millennia, Luke figures things couldn’t possibly get any worse. But then they stumble across an old habitation. Ancient artefacts decorate the walls and there are bones scattered upon the dry floors. The residue of old rites and pagan sacrifice for something that still exists in the forest. Something responsible for the bestial presence that follows their every step. And as the four friends stagger in the direction of salvation, they learn that death doesn’t come easy among these ancient trees . . .
Aris Returns: A Vampire Love Story ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), by Devin Morgan, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.
Book Description
Psychologist Sarah Hagan thought she had her life under control. She pulled herself together after a painful (and unexpected) divorce. She’s currently dating a successful but neglectful attorney—a relationship that is adequate, if not totally satisfying. She has a few good friends, lives in a beautiful condo in the heart of Chicago, and loves her work as a therapist. From the outside, it looks like her life is almost perfect.
It only takes one patient -- a handsome younger man named Carlos who is on parole for car theft -- to put her well-ordered life into a tailspin. As she regresses him with hypnotherapy, she discovers an unusual presence. Is this some elaborate alter ego that Carlos has created or is something much stranger going on? In Sarah’s attempt to help Carlos deal with his issues of anger and a troubled past, she is captivated by the persona she uncovers through hypnosis – Aris. Aris reveals that he is a vampire whose story begins in the time of Alexander the Great. His retelling of his lives, involvement and apparent demise in the court of Henry VIII keep her spellbound and hungry for more.
On top of grappling with a phantom vampire, Sarah begins to have the most disturbing (and sensual) dreams. They awake the emotion, passion and vulnerability that she thought she had buried for good. The dreams both terrify and excite her as she struggles to make sense out of her world turned upside down. Sarah genuinely cares about Carlos as a patient and wants to help him find his way to a better life, but he has brought chaos, confusion and danger into her neatly buttoned-up reality. And if that’s not enough to deal with, she is inexplicably drawn to Aris in a way she can’t begin to rationalize. Can Sarah possibly love this vampire “ghost” or will he destroy everything she treasures?
Obama ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), by David Mendell, is the Nook Daily Find: Election 2012, price matched on Kindle, where the companion audiobook is $4.95.
Book Description
Barack Obama is arguably the most dynamic political figure to grace the American stage since John F. Kennedy. His meteoric rise from promise to power has stunned even the cynics and inspired a legion of devout followers. For anyone who wants to know more about the man who would be president, David Mendell's Obama is essential reading. Mendell, who has covered Obama for the Chicago Tribune since the beginning of Obama's campaign for the Senate, had far-reaching access to the senator, the details of which he shares in this compelling biography. Positioning Obama as the savior of a fumbling Democratic party, Mendell shows how Obama conquered Illinois politics and paved the way brick by brick for a galvanizing, historic presidential run. With exclusive contributions by family members and advisers, and details on Obama's voting record, this is a complete, complex, and revealing portrait, a must read for anyone interested in American politics in general and Senator Barack Obama in particular.
Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Three Halloween Picture Books for $1.99 each. The first two are Kindle Fire or Kindle App only, but the last one works on any Kindle device.
By the Light of the Halloween Moon, by Caroline Stutson and Kevin Hawkes (Illustrator)
In this “catchy, lilting cumulative tale with glorious comical/scary illustrations” (Kirkus Reviews), a little girl’s toe taps a tune as her legs dangle from a footbridge that has all sorts of creatures hidden underneath. There are cats and witches, bats and ghosts. With lots of repetition, a rhythmic, bouncy text, and imaginative illustrations, this Halloween title is sure to tickle your bones—your funny bones, that is! And for the first time in over a decade, this Halloween gem is back in print.We're Going on a Ghost Hunt, by Susan Pearson and S. D. Schindler (Illustrator)
Susan Pearson has written her own unique version of the popular song, “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt,” introducing four children who go out at night in search of a ghost. After squish-squash-squooshing through a swamp, rustle-rustle-rat-a-tattling through a cornfield, and overcoming all kinds of obstacles on their journey, they come face to face with a ghost in a graveyard. Then—RUN! RUN! RUN!—they race back to the safety of their warm, cozy house. S.D. Schindler’s spirited illustrations bring warmth and humor to this lively rhyming read-aloud.Maddie's Monster Dad, by Scott Gibala-Broxholm
Maddie loves monsters. She loves watching monster movies, eating monster cereal, and drawing monster pictures. She also loves doing things with her dad. But lately her dad has been very busy with work, so Maddie decides to use her Build-a-Beast kit to create a Monster Dad that is never too busy to play. It turns out there are some things that monsters can't do, and maybe a Monster Dad isn't as special as the real thing. The illustrations in gouache and pencil contain clever, fun details that children (and adults) will love.