Google Play 25 Cent Specials

It looks like my earlier find of Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto (Amazon/Google) is going to be today's 25 cent album. The movie rental today is American Psycho ($2.99 Amazon; $0.25 Google), starring Christian Bale, Justin Theroux.

We Need to Talk About Kevin ($0.25 Kindle; Google), by Lionel Shriver, is today's 25 cent book special from Google. Amazon has already price matched, but don't expect it to last more than a day. It looks somewhat interesting and at a quarter, I'm grabbing to to look thru later on.

Book Description
That neither nature nor nurture bears exclusive responsibility for a child's character is self-evident. But generalizations about genes are likely to provide cold comfort if it's your own child who just opened fire on his feellow algebra students and whose class photograph—with its unseemly grin—is shown on the evening news coast-to-coast.

If the question of who's to blame for teenage atrocity intrigues news-watching voyeurs, it tortures our narrator, Eva Khatchadourian. Two years before the opening of the novel, her son, Kevin, murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and the much-beloved teacher who had tried to befriend him. Because his sixteenth birthday arrived two days after the killings, he received a lenient sentence and is currently in a prison for young offenders in upstate New York.

In relating the story of Kevin's upbringing, Eva addresses her estranged husband, Frank, through a series of startingly direct letters. Fearing that her own shortcomings may have shaped what her son became, she confesses to a deep, long-standing ambivalence about both motherhood in general—and Kevin in particular. How much is her fault?

We Need To Talk About Kevin offers no at explanations for why so many white, well-to-do adolescents—whether in Pearl, Paducah, Springfield, or Littleton—have gone nihilistically off the rails while growing up in the most prosperous country in history. Instead, Lionel Shriver tells a compelling, absorbing, and resonant story with an explosive, haunting ending. She considers motherhood, marriage, family, career—while framing these horrifying tableaus of teenage carnage as metaphors for the larger tragedy of a country where everything works, nobody starves, and anything can be bought but a sense of purpose.

Today's 25 app is Paper Camera (Amazon, Google). This would be a lot more fun if the Kindle Fire had a camera, but it works fine on my phone and tablet (both of which have cameras).

App Description
Paper camera offers a camera filter that transforms your reality into more than just a photo. Using your camera video feed, view the world just the way an artist would recreate it--all in real time. Like what you see? Take a picture; it lasts longer.

What You See Isn't What You Get
Upon launching Paper Camera, immediately see what's in front of you through the video feed, but expect it to look like a cartoon world, artist's sketch, or unique digital creation. Scroll through the many lens filters and experience your reality like you've never seen it before.

Life as Art
Watch the world as you know it transform. Choose from unique camera filters not typical in a camera app such as, Granny's Paper, Pastel Perfect, Comic Boom, Sketch Up, Acquarello, Old Printer, Neon Cola, Con Tours, Bleaching, and Gotham Noir.

Through a Paper Frame
The camera options are displayed along the wrinkled edge of your Paper Camera screen. Use the sketched arrows to move through your many filter options, and watch as each alters your reality in real time. Use the sliding scales to adjust the contrast, brightness, and lines to create the exact look you prefer.

Capture and Share a New World
Take multiple photos in as many filters as you like by tapping the red camera sketch in the lower right-hand corner. Each shot is automatically saved to your device's photo gallery after a brief display on the screen. Choose the small share icon in the upper right-hand corner to share the last photo taken. Enjoy your creative quest through the lens of a paper camera.

Free Book and App - The Zoo / Zoo Club (K)

Chroma Club has made both a childrens's book, The Zoo, and an Android app, Zoo Club, free today, in honor of Martin Luther King Day.

The Zoo
Based on the popular story of 3 friends and their dream to make the best zoo ever.

Zoo Club
Zoo Club is an interactive game for people who want to run a virtual zoo. Custom design your zoo, hire your zoo keepers, and take care of pandas, tigers, elephants, unicorns, dragons, dinosaurs, and many more. Earn money by doing zoo show puzzles. Join the zoo community now!

10 cent Android Apps & Comics Sale

It's the last day of the 10 cent apps in the Android Market. Six of today's (12) choices are also 10 cents at Amazon, with only Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim in both stores, but still full price at Amazon. This last title was a Free App of the Day back in April and still might fall in price before midnight.

These are the titles that you can pick up in the Amazon Appstore for $0.10:

• Puffle Launch, by Disney
• Sentinel 3: Homeworld, by Origin8 Technologies Ltd.
• Hyper Jump, by Camel Games
• Color & Draw for kids: Phone Edition, by Tipitap (also works on tablets, but not the KFire)
• Star Chart, by Escapist Games Limited
• Camera ZOOM FX, by Androidslide, is not currently compatible with KFire and the Android version has numerous effects packs for free download that are not in the Amazon store. But, for 20 cents total, I just bought both - I get all the effects now on my tablet and hopefully the app will be updated at Amazon to work with the KFire later on.

comiXology is having a sale on DC Comics' Fell comics series. You use the free app, Comics, by comiXology, to view these comics, which are priced at 99 cents per volume. I don't see them at all on the Kindle or in the Amazon Appstore and in paperback they are either out of print or over $10 per volume. Once you pick up the app, they have several free comics you can try out, before committing to buying any -- but the sale on this series ends today, so act fast.

10 cent Android Apps & Free Book Updates

I forgot to check these until later today and I couldn't post until now, but if you get this tonight, you might want to check these apps at Amazon, as they are 10 cents tonight:

• All By Myself - Little Critter, by Oceanhouse Media, Inc - a picture book for children
• SketchBook Mobile, by Autodesk Inc. - previously a free app of the day
• Where's My Water?, by Disney - a cute looking game
• FlightTrack, by Mobiata - usually $5, keeps track of air flights
• Shazam Encore, by Shazam Entertainment Ltd. - discover and share music

Of course, there are several more in the Android Market at 10 cents that are not in the Amazon store, at all, with 12 total 10 cent apps available today. There is a drawing program for kids (tablet edition, not for phones) and a couple of games that look interesting.

Also, there are a couple of additional formats on free books from later this afternoon:

• Believe You Can (Kindle/nook/EPUB)
• Tiger Eye (Kindle/iBooks) - Canadians only

There has been a lot of activity in the Kindle store the last few days -- Indie authors are now allowed to join the Kindle Lending Library and, if they do, have their books free for up to 5 days in each 90 day period (if they do join the KLL, then the book has to be exclusive to Amazon during the 90 day period, so some authors are not jumping in). As a result, the number of books in the Lending Library is now at near 50,000, but much of that appears to be self-published (with "list" prices ranging from 99 cents to over $300!). You can check out the non-public domain free ebook list or browse the list of all Prime Eligible Lending Library books, but I found a that adding some limits on price helped me to find more traditionally published titles in the Lending Library. If you bought your Kindle Fire on release date, you have two more days to borrow this month's book, before you'll need to decide if you are going to renew Prime.

Android Appsale - 10 cent Apps

Google is celebrating 10 Billion Downloads in the Android Market, with 10 apps for 10 cents apiece every day (for 10 days, but we missed a couple). I played around trying to get these with the Android simulator (but had no success) and did find on my tablet or phone that I first had to log in to the Google Wallet and update my payment method (since it had been a while since I purchased anything in the Market). But, one neat thing I found is that some of the apps that are on sale are also the same price in the Amazon Appstore today, such as TETRIS and Space Physics, which I just picked up for a dime apience and which work with the Kindle Fire and my Asus tablet (unlike the versions in the Google Market, such as Tetris, which was only going to work with my phone). I did pick up Talking Tom 2 from Google and there are several other apps worth looking at, if only to see if one you are interested in is also in the Amazon store.

Check back each day until the promotion ends and then double check the Amazon Appstore, if you want the app on your Kindle Fire (today's score: I bought three from Amazon and four from Google, so a total of 70 cents!).

Bargain Book (Kindle) and Bargain App (Kindle Fire/Android)

I don't know about you, but I've spent the day trolling thru the selections on the CyberMonday Kindle Deal. I've made a few notes on my original post of some good bargains I found, but wanted to highlight this one in a separate post, for those who might not see my updates.

All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Beautiful, and All Things Wise and Wonderful: Three James Herriot Classics ($5.99), by James Herriot, is an impossibly long title, but accurately describes what you get - the first three titles from this great author and less than half the sale price from yesterday. I had the first one here as a review copy, but jumped all over this one and also picked up his other two books that are on sale: Every Living Thing and The Lord God Made Them All.

My old paperback copies are long worn out and I had even started looking for replacements before the Kindle came out, so I'm very happy to have found these at such a reasonable price (the entire series for than the list price of just one).

Book Description
Timeless stories from a country veterinarian about the animals and people that shape life in a sleepy English town

Perhaps better than any other writer, James Herriot reveals the ties that bind us to the natural world. Collected here are three of his masterpieces—All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Beautiful, and All Things Wise and Wonderful—which have been winning over animal lovers everywhere for almost fifty years. From his night visits to drafty barns during freezing northern England winters, to the beautiful vitality of rural life in the summertime, to the colorful menagerie of animals—and their owners—that pass through his office, Herriot vividly evokes the daily challenges and joys that come with being a veterinarian.

Witty and heartwarming, these classic books also feature an original introduction from the author’s son, Jim Wight, and bonus archival photos courtesy of the Herriot estate.

I also wanted to let those who need a solution for accessing their home or office computer remotely know that LogMeIn Ignition is currently half-price, $14.99, in the Amazon Appstore. I know it sounds like quite a bit, but the iPad edition is $40 and the Amazon/Android version usually $30. I've been using the free version of LogMeIn for years and love it (it crashes less and stays connected to the internet better than any other I've tried, although I'd still be using pcAnywhere if I still had fixed IP). I've already tried it out on the Kindle Fire (works great) and since I got it in the Appstore, I'll be able to load it on my phone and Asus Tablet (but not iPad) without further payment.

Book Description
LogMeIn Ignition lets you to take your home and office computers with you wherever you go. Directly control your Mac or PC, all your programs, and all your files from you Android mobile. Need to access an important presentation or document from your work computer while out of the office? Just tap open LogMeIn Ignition. Remotely access your computer as if you're sitting right in front of it. Run any business application like CRM, ERP, Salesforce, or Microsoft Office from your mobile device. Have your files and contacts with you at all times. Give colleagues or family IT support without going anywhere near their machine.

LogMeIn Ignition works on Android 1.5 and higher with LogMeIn software on your computer (LogMeIn Free or Pro), and has been optimized for Android tablets. The app offers intuitive and flexible navigation modes, including screen and mouse moves. Search computers to quickly locate which machine you want. Be in several places at once using the multiple monitor switch. Access the full onscreen keyboard to work remotely on all of your computers. Stream sound from your Windows-based PC using LogMeIn Pro. Set the app to Wake-On-LAN.

Free App - Documents To Go Full Version

Today only, you can download a free Key (license) for Documents To Go in the Amazon Appstore. You'll need to install the free Documents To Go 3.0 Main App on your Kindle Fire (or other Android device) first, then make sure it is working. After that, install the key (grab it today, even if you won't install it for a while, before it goes back to $15) to unlock all the features.

App Description
View, edit, and create native Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files with Documents To Go Full Version Key.

With over one million downloads and 225,000 paying customers, Documents To Go Full Version Key is one of the bestselling office applications on the market. The app was designed and developed with the Android user in mind--everything from the menus to the touchscreen and trackball are supported to create a familiar look and feel. Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint file formats are reproduced with the original PC user interface, with only minor tweaks to ensure a seamless transition to the mobile platform.

With Documents To Go Full Version Key, viewing, editing, and creating documents from your mobile device is a cinch. Documents To Go Full Version Key is your complete solution for documents with a full range of viewing and--most notably--editing features.

Please note: You must install the free Documents To Go Main App in order to unlock and access all the features available in Document To Go.

Kindle Fire - Email, Magazines and Non-Amazon Apps

Although there is a generic Email app that ships with the Kindle Fire, you'll want to run over today and grab Enhanced Email, by Quantum Solutions, while it is free (normally $10). This app lets you integrate free and corporate email accounts, yet still keep them separate (so you don't accidentally reply to your work emails with a hotmail account). Since I make extensive use of folders, it wins over the included app hands-down (the included app shows my folders, but won't show any email inside the folders).

Book Description
You go through a ton of e-mail every day. You need an e-mail client that can handle your needs, and an app that can bring it all together and make your life easier. Grab the Enhanced Email app, and get your inbox under control.

Enhanced Email is a fully featured, lightweight e-mail client, offering support for multiple Exchange/POP/IMAP accounts in a single app. No more switching between programs--get all your e-mail accounts in one place. Plus, the Enhanced Email app integrates with your existing native contacts and calendar apps.

This e-mail app will replace all others on your Android-powered device. Enhanced Email supports: Exchange 2000/2003/2007/2010 SP1/2012, Zimbra Collaboration Server, and just about every POP/IMAP server. Key features include: Combined inbox view aggregates mail for all mailboxes into a single location, international Yahoo Plus! provider support, auto-BCC support, and HTML inbound/outbound support for POP/IMAP accounts only.

One of the most hyped promos for the Kindle Fire seems to be teh 90 day free trials on "selected" magazines. So far, there are seventeen of these, including Bon Appetit ($1.99/month), which is a normal Kindle magazine subscription (but it only can be purchased/read if you have a Kindle Fire), and SELF Magazine ($1.99/month or $19.99/year), which is actually an Android App that contains the magazine. The app is free and if you already subscribe, you should be able to connect it to your current subscription at no extra charge (I couldn't tell if that was paper or electronic, though). Since it is an app, you don't see if in the same part of the Fire, it isn't really "Kindle" content (if you subscribe, you should be able to set up the subscription to work with any Android device) and they are able to offer an annual subscription discount, which you don't see on normal Kindle subscriptions. I don't know when the 90 day offers will end, but suspect it won't be before the end of the year, so feel free to try one or two now and others next month. Don't count on holding too many magazines on the Fire on the same time, though, as some are 200 MB/issue (Self, current issue). With the app based magazines, also, it looks like Amazon sets up an annual subscription by default (to be billed after your 90 day trial) and each magazine has to "install" after downloading (like any Android app). Bon Appetit, on the other hand, I downloaded like any magazine/subscription in the Kindle store and moving it to my Favorites bar automatically marked it to "keep" on the Kindle and you can manage sending back issues to additional devices on the Manage My Kindle page.

There are a number of other exclusive Kindle Fire magazines available, that only come with the standard 14-day trial, including O, The Oprah Magazine.

One cool thing with Self magazine - each article is a scrollable page, so one swipe moves off that article (left/right) or to the next/prev page (down/up). The cover had an embedded video (happy holidays!), you can click on pictures on a page to get more information and no doubt there are more cool features I haven't discovered. I'll be signing up for WIRED, Conde Nast Traveler and The New Yorker Magazine, to see how they work in this format, but so far, all have been very readable (Bon Appetit recipes have required some zooming to increase font size, though). You'll have to dig thru reviews to make any sense of them, though, as there are a ton of folk without a Kindle Fire leaving one star reviews to protest that they can't get these.

If you still prefer paper magazines (or want to send a subscription to someone this Christmas), be sure to check out the $5 Off Magazine Sale, which includes annual subscriptions to Reader's Digest for $5, Vegetarian Times for $7 and Taste of Home under $8. A lot of the choices are "auto-renewing", but this only means you can manage your subscription at Amazon, just as you do Subscribe and Save items: you'll gen an email when it is time to renew, can cancel at any time, etc.

If you want to watch movies, you have a couple of choices in addition to streaming Amazon Prime videos. Netflix and Hulu Plus are, of course, the two biggies and both are in the Amazon Appstore (although if you search for "Netflix" you won't find the app). I've tried both Netflix and Amazon Prime videos and both look great, both let you resume a video on another device, but Netflix beats Amazon hands down, as it prompts you on screen with what you left off watching and lets you build a queue of shows to watch. It's great when watching a TV series, as you are prompted with the next episode (even if it is a new season) as soon as you finish watching the current one. If you want some help picking out a movie, there is the built-in IMDB app or you can pick up Movies, by Flixster, in the Appstore.

There are a lot more free apps in the Amazon Appstore, such as Pandora Internet Radio, Rhapsody (which has bought out Napster), AccuWeather, The Weather Channel, MapQuest or Words With Friends, that you'll want to explore (and don't forget that there is a new free app every day, free for one day only). Sometimes it's a game and sometimes it's an office productivity app, but I've managed to snag quite a few good ones over the last few months (and missed a few, as well).

The question, though, is what do you do if you want to run an Android app that either is in the Amazon Appstore, but Amazon won't let you you have for the Kindle Fire (such as Aldiko or Kobo Reader) or that Amazon can't or won't sell in the Appstore, such as the NOOK for Android app? Amazon lets you run some outside content, such as with Netflix or Comics, but with others they seem to be trying to lock out the competition.

You could root your Kindle Fire (which has already been done, apparently), giving you access to Google's Android Marketplace. But that will also open your Kindle up to possible problems with updates and you are on your own if you have a problem (including bricking the device if you do it wrong). So, I don't recommend this as a solution for any but the most technical of readers. Instead, you can do what I did: use a setting on the Fire's menu to allow running apk files (app installation files) that are not from the Amazon Appstore. To find this setting, press (click) the top menu area (where the config icon and battery status are), then choose More. Scroll down to find Device, click and then scroll down to find "Allow Installation of Applications from Unknown Sources". Click to toggle the setting to On and then confirm in the dialog box that this could cause issues (when you are done installing apps, I recommend you set this back to Off).

Then, open the web browser and go to m.getjar.com. Choose any app (Nook for Android is here, for example) and click to download. The first time you try this, you'll be prompted to load the GetJar app first (I had to install it, then search again for the Nook app). The GetJar app downloads quickly, so you can slide down the notification bar almost instantly to click and install it (I stuck GetJar on my favorites, for now, but you can just let it hide in your Apps folder after it is installed). Click Open after it installs, search for apps and install away. If you have problems with the search inside GetJar, try the search on the web (don't set the Kindle Fire as your device, as that can limit the search results) and when you click to download, you'll be prompted for where to send the APK - choose GetJar.

One app I really wanted was DropBox. I use it a lot and it isn't in the Appstore. Box, from box.net, is though and I used it to get the APK onto the Fire to run it. Just install Box and create an account there. From your computer, download the Dropbox APK and copy it to your box.net directory. From the Fire, open up Box and click on the APK file - it will download and you'll be prompted to install it. So far, it works great here. Now I can access all my Dropbox files, including books that are in Adobe ADE formats. To view these, you need a reader app such as Aldiko. It's in the Amazon store, but they won't let you load it onto the Fire. It's on GetJar, but every time I tried to get it, there was an error message. I had a copy of the Aldiko APK on my computer, but could not tell you where I found it; a search of Google, turned up a number of possible places to get a version, including one on the Aldiko site, itself. Again, I stuffed the APK over onto Box.net (or Dropbox, once you have it installed), clicked and once the download was complete, just installed and ran. I've already tested it on a review copy of a cookbook - looks pretty good, if considerably smaller than on the iPad.

So, there you have it - no rooting required, no alternate boot-up (as the NookColor requires), but I have the Nook App, Aldiko and DropBox all running without any problems at all. I haven't bother with Kobo (Aldiko works for most Kobo books; in fact, it will even read most nook books, with a bit of finagling), but I will probably try to get the official Google apps next, so I can get Google Maps and the native Gmail app that I am used to on my phone. And the time it took you to read about how to do it yourself is probably longer than how long it will take to get the apps installed (even if you have to create an account on Box.Net).

How to get started with Android Apps at Amazon

In order to buy any Android Apps at Amazon, you must have at least one Andriod device registered with Amazon. The only way to do this (that I can find), is to install the Amazon Appstore app onto an Android phone or tablet and then log into your Amazon account on the device.

Once you have done this, you can buy apps and leave them in your library (you don't have to install them). If you don't have a device, you can borrow one from a friend or even use one on display in a store (I found this out while testing tablets at Best Buy, were I bought the Asus Transformer (that I am, painfully, trying to use to write this post).

These are the general steps involved:

[A] On a tablet that doesn't have the Appstore installed:

1. Go to the Amazon Android Apps and Devices page and send yourself an email, where it says "Add a device". Use an account that you can log in on the web, preferable gmail.

2. Use the Settings app on the device to allow installation of apps from outside the Android Market. On this tablet, you open Settings, choose Applications and check the box next to Unknown sources.

3. Open the email from Amazon and click the link to download the Appstore app. When it has downloaded, click on it to open/install.

[B] On a device/tablet that has the Appstore installed:

1. If borrowing a tablet with the app installed, you need to have the friend de-register the app (go into Settings, Applications, Manage Applications, find Appstore and select Clear Data). This doesn't remove the device from his account (so, he can still buy apps) and you'll do this same step later on (which leaves a device registered to your account, but prevents anyone from using the device to purchase apps using your Amazon account).

Once you completed either [A] or [B], run the Appstore app and log in. You can then go to any Android app page using the Android device or your computer (or the iPad) and click to buy an app. It is not automatically installed, but just added to your library.

When you are done shopping from the device, be sure to use the steps in [B-1] above to remove your login information from the device (but leave the device registered to your account, so you can get new apps using the website). If you "borrowed" a device at a store, it's a good ideao to also remove the Appstore app when you are done (same place as [B][1], but choose Uninstall after you do Clear Data).

No pics this time (and if I missed any spelling, I'm blaming the tablet's keyboard, which keeps moving the cursor on me).

ETA: OK, I tried out VirtualBox, which you can install on most computers and laptops: there is an installer for Windows, OS X, Linux and Solaris. If you are a techie, it's not too bad an install -- use the directions I found, install the ISO you are instructed to download onto the virtual hard drive (when you run off the image, choose to install to the hard drive, then skip down a ways in the directions), making sure to create a fake SD card, as the Amazon download requires one. Once it is set up, use the Settings tab to change the boot order, so the Hard Drive is first, the start up the VM.

Click thru any messages, until you see a green lock icon. On the Machine Menu, choose Disable Mouse Integration. Then, click inside the VM and OK a the message that displays. Click and drag the green lock upwards, to unlock the desktop.

Click the menu on the right to see your apps, scroll down to Settings, then Applications and check the box to allow Unknown sources. Press escape a few times, then open the Browser and go to https://www.amazon.com/app-email (or open your email client in the browser and click the link from Amazon). The app installer will download automatically (provided you created an SD card); run it by clicking and dragging on the menu bar at the top. Install the app, open it and log in to Amazon. Once you've managed to get thru the setup, though, you can then buy apps from the Amazon web page and don't have to mess with the Virtual Box program any longer.

There is no doubt a more elegant method, but to back out of an app or window, I just pressed the Escape key until I returned to the desktop. To get out of the VM desktop, press the Right CTRL key one time, then close the VM window. You might want to either Take a Snapshot (a named restore state) or use either the Save Machine State or the Send Shutdown Command when closing the app - that way, if you need to get to the VM again, you can skip some of the installation you just did. Using Save Machine State is the easiest, but snapshots let you back up after installing any app that causes a problem.

Today's Deals and Bargain Apps

Fall is in the air and it's time for Amazon's pre-Christmas $5 Magazine Sale. So far, I think I've used this sale every year for the past two or three to pick up a renewal or two for myself or a family member. The sale ends Oct 11, though, so don't wait too long to make a selection. Also, these are paper editions (don't expect to see this kind of price on the Kindle Fire!), which actually works well for several of the Christmas subscriptions I give out each year.


Additional formats and/or sources are available for these free books:

• A Brisket, A Casket (Kindle/EPUB/nook)
• The Bite Before Christmas (Kindle/EPUB/nook)
• Deadworld (Kindle/EPUB/nook)
• Jim Champy's Deliver! (Kindle/nook)
• Wickedly Charming (Kindle/EPUB/nook)
• Rain Song (Kindle/EPUB/nook)
• When All My Dreams Come True (Kindle/EPUB/nook)
• Embers of Love (Kindle/EPUB/nook)
• Ransomed Dreams (Kindle/EPUB/nook)
• Lady in the Mist (Kindle/EPUB/nook)
• While We're Far Apart (Kindle/EPUB/nook)
• Maid to Match (Kindle/EPUB/nook)
• Prairie Rose (Kindle/EPUB/nook)
• The Brotherhood (Kindle/EPUB/nook)
• Terror by Night (Kindle/EPUB)

The first title in Ted Dekker's Lost Books Series, Chosen ($8.99 Kindle; $2.89 B&N), is today's Nook Daily Find. This is a young adult extension of his Circle series, aimed at the Christian market.

Book Description
Think with your heart and prepare to die for you have been Chosen.

The land of the Forest Dwellers has been decimated by the Horde under the watchful eye of the vilest of all creatures, Teeleh. Thomas Hunter, supreme commander of the Forest Guard, is forced to lower the recruitment age of his army from 18 to 16. From among thousands, four new recruits are chosen to lead--and perhaps die--for the greater good.

The chosen four are sent on a quest to prove their character, but their mission takes a dramatic turn when they are intercepted, sworn to secrecy, and redirected to a different endgame. Now they must find the seven lost Books of History. Books that have power over the past, present, and future. Books whose words are alive. Books sought by the Dark One that control not only the destiny of their world . . . but that of ours as well.

Susanna Kearsley's Winter Sea ($1.99) is today's Kindle Deal of the Day. The price is the lowest I've seen on it (and better than I paid in June).

Book Description
History has all but forgotten...

In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown.

Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.

But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth-the ultimate betrayal-that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her...

If you are still hanging on to your $2 Android credit, you might want to take a look at Business Calendar, by Mikado Software, currently on sale for $1.99. It has rave reviews, syncs with Google Calendar and should work great with the Kindle Fire (for off cloud calendar access) as well as most Android phones. If you signed up for the credit and don't yet have a device, you'll have until December 15, which is plenty of time after the Kindle Fires have shipped.

App Description
Business Calendar is a complete calendar application that synchronizes with your Google calendars. Features include smooth scroll- and zoom-in multi-day view (1-14 days), graphical and textual presentation, and quick fade in/out calendars using the favorite bar.

With Business Calendar on the job, you'll never forget another appointment. This app includes drag and drop functionality, search function, easy switching between time line bars, and event titles in month view. This app also has an intuitive new handling option: just swipe your finger over any days of interest in the month view and open them in the multi-day view.

If you are more of a game player, UNO, by Gameloft, is on sale for 99 cents, as are all three variations of Angry Birds: Ad-Free, Seasons and Rio. I already have two (and you can get all three for just under the price of just one of them for the nookColor), but I'm tempted by UNO. B&N still has the Mighty Eagle (but only in store), but i see two unlockers for AB at Amazon and a free Angry Birds Profiler that lets you save multiple profiles for the game, so you can share a single tablet without ruining each other's progress (basically, multiple bookmarks for the game).

Game Description
Gameloft has brought this classic family card game to your Android device, in all its colorful, turn-reversing glory.

For the uninitiated, Uno resembles the card game Crazy 8s, but Uno is far crazier than its inspiration. There are always four players in a single match. The deck has four colors: Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow; and the cards are numbered from 0 to 9. You drop a card from your hand into the discard pile to match either the color or the number laid by the previous player. The first person to drop all his cards is the winner. But within the deck are special cards that add an element of surprise to the game: Wild Card, Reverse, Skip, Draw Two Cards, and the dreaded Draw Four Wild Card. These special cards make Uno wildly unpredictable. Just as someone thinks they're about to win the game, the momentum can suddenly swing against them. And you must exclaim "Uno!" when you're down to one card, or you have to draw two cards!

Uno comes in three game modes: Quick Play, Tournament, and Multiplayer. Quick Play allows you to get in a single game against three Android opponents. In Tournament, you try to win the best of five matches. In Multiplayer, you can play against human and computer opponents, assigning the four player positions to either a person or the Android. Within all these modes, Uno keeps track of your statistics and achievements. Uno comes with a full range of options, including profile set-up, difficulty level, scoring and penalty rules, sound and assistant toggles, different backgrounds, challenge and force play modes, and options to enable Uno 7-0 and Jump-In. Uno!

Today's Deals and Bargain Books

Last night's free book for UK Kindlers is now free for those in the US and also free at Barnes & Noble.

• Deadly Sanctuary (Kindle/nook)

Today is the last day for two different KSO offers:

• Get $5 in Amazon MP3's for Free
• Save $25 on Textbooks

If you take advantage of the second, you'll also get $5 in MP3 credits at Amazon. I'm still considering a couple of garden plant books that I found there under Agriculture, along with books on keeping bees or chickens in your backyard, mixed in with the "real" textbooks; there are all kinds of books that are not "textbooks" in the strictest sense. It looks like a number of "For Dummies" books qualify for this and for a 4-for-3 promotion, which would mean saving even more than $25 if you used them as part (or all) of your $100 qualifying purchase. (Kindle books are excluded from this offer; it's hardcover and paperbacks only)

A Thousand Tomorrows ($1.99), the first book in the Cody Gunner series by Karen Kingsbury, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day. I actually highlighted One Tuesday Morning / Beyond Tuesday Morning Compilation Limited Edition: WITH Beyond Tuesday Morning (9/11) ($9.99) this week (on the 12th) and if you bought it, you may want to get a refund and buy the two individual books instead, because what you might not see on the Deal of the Day page is that Just Beyond the Clouds (the second in the same series) is also marked down to $1.99; that means you can get the combo for under $4! I will warn you, though - don't read the plot line of the second book if you haven't finished the first one.

A Thousand Tomorrows
#1 bestselling author Karen Kingsbury weaves a powerful story of a young couple whose love must face the ultimate challenge.

Cody Gunner has no use for real love. Abandoned as a child by the person he needed the most, he swears he will never allow himself to love again. Ali Daniels denies love as well. Carrying a terrible secret, she lives life to the fullest, taking risks and refusing relationships. When Cody and Ali meet, their first instincts are to hide behind their emotional walls, seemingly doomed to repeat the patterns they have established for most of their lives. But their attraction is too strong, and soon they're doomed in another way, for neither can avoid falling in love, regardless of the consequences. Only after three years--a thousand tomorrows later--do they realize at what cost their relationship comes. In the end, they must decide if love is worth the ultimate price.

Just Beyond the Clouds
#1 bestselling author Karen Kingsbury tells the heartwrenching story of Cody Gunner, a widower fighting for stability, and the woman who wants to help him trust again--even when trust is the most terrifying thing of all.

Still aching over his wife's death, Cody Gunner can't bear the thought of also letting go of his Down's Syndrome brother, Carl Joseph. Cody wants his brother home, where he will be safe and cared for, not out on his own in a world that Cody knows all too well can be heartless and insecure. So when Carl Joseph's teacher, Elle, begins championing his independence, she finds herself at odds with Cody. But even as these two battle it out, they can't deny the instinctive connection they share, and Cody faces a crisis of the heart. What if Elle is the one woman who can teach Cody that love is still possible? If Cody can let go of his lingering anger, he might just see that sometimes the brightest hope of all lies just beyond the clouds.

There's been a lot of speculation on the 'net lately, as to what new device Amazon is going to bring out this holiday season. Most of it has concluded there will be a 7" Android tablet (and if not, there are lots of those being released to choose from) and one thing I know that you'll want to do with one of those is to be able to print any documents you have on it (although it's extremely unlikely you'd be able to print any ebooks, you should be able to print your clippings file or highlights from your kindle.amazon.com/ page). Today, Amazon is giving away the premium (unlocked) version of PrinterShare Mobile Print, by Dynamix USA, over in the Android Appstore. You do have to have some type of Android device registered (although some have commented that they managed to get an Android simulator running on a PC and use that, you can also borrow someone else's device, just long enough to register at Amazon, I suspect), but one "purchased," the app will stay on your account. I've been adding a number of games and apps to my account (there is a new one free, daily, so I'm adding a link back on the menu to the left, just below the daily Free Mp3, for those that want to check out the selections); even if Amazon doesn't bring out an Android tablet, I know I can always dual-boot my nookColor or I might pick up one of the very tempting new tablets with a camera, to use for games and video/voice calls.

Book Description
Print documents (DOC, DOCX, XLS, XSLX, PPT, PPTX, PDF, TXT) from your smartphone's SD card and from Google Docs. Also print email from Gmail, photos from the SD card, contacts, agendas, SMS or MMS, call logs, and even web pages directly from your device to a printer right next to you or anywhere in the world.
Premium Features

Please note: This is the premium, unlocked version of PrinterShare Mobile Print. All the premium features are available, and no key is required.

Premium Features: nearby direct printing via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth without PC; nearby printing to PC or Mac shared printers; unlimited remote printing. You do not have to buy pages or have a subscription on the receiving computer (Mac or PC).

Nearby Printing: you can print to WiFi printers shared on your Local Area Network from your Android phone without having to install PrinterShare computer software. You don't need to log in or sign up with the system for Nearby Printing. A wide variety of printers are supported.

Remote Printing over the Internet: make sure you've installed the PrinterShare software on the computer connected to the printer, just like when you print from computer to computer using PrinterShare, then just log in to your free account with your smartphone and find and select the printer you want to print to. In addition, from your mobile device you may look for printers shared by others, select one, and print on it.

Hue and Cry ($1.38), the first in the Hew Cullan Mystery series by Shirley McKay, has dropped again to the impulse buy range (only a penny more than I paid this past June). Polygon, an imprint of UK publisher Birlinn, seems to have the entire series marked way down (or the author is self-publishing in the US and has just copied her UK publisher into the listing field).

Book Description
1579, St. Andrews. A thirteen-year old boy meets his death on the streets of the university city of St. Andrews and suspicion falls upon one of the regents at the university, Nicholas Colp. Hew Cullan, a young lawyer recently returned home from Paris, uncovers a complex tale of passion and duplicity, of sexual desire and tension within the repressive atmosphere of the Protestant Kirk and the austerity of the academic cloister.

Amazon has matched Barnes & Noble's pre-order price on Georgette Heyer's Toll-Gate( Kindle, B&N); you can now order from either store for $1.99. More of her books are also being marked back down to the $1.59-$1.99 range on Kindle; I counted 29 books now back at sale prices or lower.

Book Description
His exploits were legendary...

Captain John Staple, back from the battlefront, is already bored with his quiet civilian life in the country. When he stumbles upon a mystery involving a disappearing toll-gate keeper, nothing could keep the adventure-loving captain from investigating.

But winning her will be his greatest yet...

The plot thickens when John encounters the enigmatic Lady Nell Stornaway and soon learns that rescuing her from her unsavory relatives makes even the most ferocious cavalry charge look like a particularly tame hand of loo. Between hiding his true identity from Nell and the arrival in the neighborhood of some distinctly shady characters, Captain Staple finds himself embarked on the adventure-and romance-of a lifetime.

In Seconds ($4.10), by Brenda Novak

Book Description
They're back…

Laurel Hodges has changed her identity twice. She's been on the run for the past four years, trying to outdistance the gang members who blame her for the death of one of their own. She's finally found peace and stability in the small town of Pineview, Montana. But just when Laurel thinks she and her children are safe…the nightmare starts all over again.

The Crew, a ruthless prison gang with ties to Laurel's brother, will never forget and they'll never forgive. And now that they've finally tracked her down, they'll stop at nothing.

Sheriff Myles King, who happens to live next door with his thirteen–year–old daughter, appoints himself Laurel's personal guardian. His growing attraction to her could change his life—Myles is beginning to picture marriage and family. But it could also end his life. If he can't save her, everything he's built, everything he wants, could be destroyed. In seconds…

The Barefoot Book: 50 Great Reasons to Kick Off Your Shoes ($3.99), by L. Daniel Howell

Book Description
Americans are chronic shoe-wearers. We buy shoes for infants who can’t yet walk. We wear shoes almost constantly, certainly in public spaces, and often within the comfortable walls of our own homes. If we’d like, we can purchase shoes for just about any occasion or purpose imaginable, in a vast array of styles, colors, materials, and prices. Well, of course. We need shoes. We need them for warmth and for protection. We wear shoes to be fashionable and because it’s expected. It’s just what we do. And what’s wrong with that?

The Barefoot Book explores this question and provides a surprising answer. What’s wrong is that chronic shoe wearing is negatively affecting our health and especially the health of our feet. Most of us have experienced pain and blisters caused by wearing an ill-fitting shoe. In some cases, it’s only a matter of minutes before we realize the damage our shoes are causing to our feet. The long-term consequences of chronic shoe wearing are more difficult to connect but are abundant nonetheless.

According to author L. Daniel Howell, the warm, moist environment of a shoe-clad foot makes a perfect condition for fungus and bacteria to grow. Poorly fitting shoes cause or exacerbate a host of foot issues from hammer-toes, bunions, and ingrown toenails to fallen arches and Hallux valgus. And high heeled shoes are the worst culprits of all with chronic use damaging the knees, spine, and posture. In fact, continuous wearing of shoes – any shoes – is a problem.

Howell explains how shoes redistribute weight, alter joints, weaken foot muscles, decrease foot flexibility, and eliminate sensory feedback from the sole and shock absorption of the arch. This leaves feet weak, fragile, and even more dependent on shoes. Although shoes are meant to protect our feet, they can sometimes cause more problems than they prevent. This is especially true for women, who tend to wear the most unnatural types of shoes, such as high heels. In fact, high heels are likely to blame for the fact that women outnumber men in rates of foot problems by four to one.

If shoes are causing such problems, the solution is obvious: take them off. (Or at least, take them off more often.) Ease out of shoes while sitting at the desk at work. Take the dog on a barefoot walk. Declare the house a barefoot-only zone. Spend an entire weekend without shoes. If we dare, commit to a fully barefoot lifestyle. Simply let our feet breathe.

A startling idea at first glance, the barefoot lifestyle is one that increasingly makes sense in the context of foot health and culture. Americans might love their shoes, but the citizens of many other countries successfully and comfortably go barefoot. In fact, significant differences arise between the typical American foot, which is constantly shod, and that of the typical barefooter. Hint: barefooters are the ones reaping the benefits.

In The Barefoot Book, Howell describes the best and healthiest kinds of shoes to wear for the times we must wear shoes. For the rest of the time, he suggests we go barefoot, and gives tips for getting started on a more barefoot lifestyle. He suggests ways to ease into going barefoot more often, defines the best conditions and situations for going barefoot, identifies the risks, and provides ways to explain to people why you’re going barefoot – particularly if you venture into public areas where shoes are expected.

The Sword of Darrow ($2.69), by Hal Malchow and Alex Malchow, is a story you can read with your kids or grandkids (or just read yourself without anyone commenting on it, since it hides on your Kindle).

Book Description
In a magical realm filled with creatures of every possible shape and size, war is brought upon the peaceful kingdom of Sonnencrest by evil goblin King Malmut. Princess Babette, the only surviving member of the royal family, manages to escape and seeks refuge with Asterux, a powerful wizard who agrees to teach Babette magic, and who disguises her as an ugly gypsy girl to protect her from King Malmut’s thugs.

Ten years later, Babette must use the magic she has learned to help aid the kingdom’s only hope at defeating the goblins’ horrible reign: Darrow, a lame boy who can barely pick up a sword but has a great gift for inspiring others. With Babette’s unseen help, Darrow begins a journey to free his country once and for all and bring peace back to Sonnencrest.

Written by a father and his then eight- year-old son who struggled with a learning disability at the time, "The Sword of Darrow" is an enjoyable adventure that shows how even the unlikeliest of heroes can rise up against injustice.

Movie for Dogs ($2.86), by Lois Duncan, is another one you can share with your kids. Although not billed as a series, you can also get Hotel for Dogs and News for Dogs for under $5 each.

Book Description
The hilarious sequel to HOTEL FOR DOGS (made into the hit movie!) and NEWS FOR DOGS! Andi and her canine friends are back for their biggest adventure yet -- Hollywood!

When Andi's brother Bruce wants to enter a dog-themed film-making contest, Andi jumps at the opportunity to become a screenwriter. But neither of them expects what happens next -- a producer wants their movie! Can Andi and Bruce's show (and dogs) go Hollywood?

Kennedy's Wars : Berlin, Cuba, Laos, and Vietnam ($1.99), by Lawrence Freedman

Book Description
In his thousand-day presidency, John F. Kennedy led America through one of its most difficult and potentially explosive eras. With the Cold War at its height and the threat of communist advances in Europe and the Third World, Kennedy had the unenviable task of maintaining U.S. solidarity without leading the western world into a nuclear catastrophe. In Kennedy's Wars, noted historian Lawrence Freedman draws on the best of Cold War scholarship and newly released government documents to illuminate Kennedy's approach to war and his efforts for peace. He recreates insightfully the political and intellectual milieu of the foreign policy establishment during Kennedy's era with vivid profiles of his top advisors--Robert McNamara, Dean Rusk, Robert Kennedy--and influential figures such as Dean Acheson and Walt Rostow. Tracing the evolution of traditional liberalism into the Cold War liberalism of Kennedy's cabinet, Freedman evaluates their responses to the tensions in Berlin, Cuba, Laos, and Vietnam. He gives each conflict individual attention, showing how foreign policy decisions came to be defined for each new crisis in the light of those that had gone before. Readers will follow Kennedy as he wrestles with the succession of major conflicts--taking advice, weighing the risks of inadvertently escalating the Cold War into outright military confrontation, exploring diplomatic options, and forming strategic judgments that would eventually prevent a major war during his presidency. Kennedy's Wars offers a dynamic and human portrait of Kennedy under pressure: a political leader shaped by the ideas of his time, conscious of his vulnerability to electoral defeat but also of his nation's vulnerability to nuclear war. Military and Kennedy enthusiasts will find its balanced consideration of the president's foreign policy and provocative "what if" scenarios invaluable keys to understanding his accomplishments, failures, and enduring legacy.

The German Woman ($1.41), by Paul Griner

Book Description
This riveting war story introduces us to the beautiful Kate Zweig, the English widow of a German surgeon, and Claus Murphy, an exiled American with German roots—two lovers with complicated loyalties.

In 1918, Kate and her husband, Horst, are taken for spies by Russian soldiers and forced to flee their field hospital on the eastern front, barely escaping with their lives. Years later, in London during the Nazis’ V-1 reign of terror, Claus spends his days making propaganda films and his nights as a British spy, worn down by the war and his own many secrets. When Claus meets the intriguing Kate, he finds himself powerfully drawn to her, even after evidence surfaces that she might not be exactly who she seems. As the war hurtles to a violent end, Claus must decide where his own loyalties lie, whether he can make a difference in the war—and what might be gained by taking a leap of faith with Kate.