Happy Martin Luther King Day!

I hope that those of you who have the day off are having a great three-day weekend (and maybe getting caught up a bit on your reading). It's a good excuse to introduce a bit of history into your (or your kid's) reading and you don't have to spend a fortune to do so. Which means, you can probably skip The Murkin Conspiracy: An Investigation into the Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ($85.56) and Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Image of God ($42.76), unless you are a serious scholar. The books in this post are all under 4 dollars, with three of them aimed at young readers.

Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.? ($3.99), by Nancy Harrison and Bonnie Bader

Book Description
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was only 25 when he helped organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott and was soon organizing black people across the country in support of the right to vote, desegregation, and other basic civil rights. Maintaining nonviolent and peaceful tactics even when his life was threatened, King was also an advocate for the poor and spoke out against racial and economic injustice until his death—from an assassin’s bullet—in 1968. With clearly written text that explains this tumultuous time in history and 80 black-and-white illustrations, this Who Was…? celebrates the vision and the legacy of a remarkable man.

Meet Martin Luther King, Jr ($3.99), by James T. De Kay

Book Description
Illus. with black-and-white photos. This revised edition of the popular Random House Step Up(TM) Biography of the great civil-rights leader and advocate for peaceful resistance now includes new text and additional dynamic photos.

Martin Luther King, Jr ($1.99), by Ruchir Shah

Book Description
A historical graphic novel on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. The comic book gives the history of Martin Luther King, Jr. in pictures and narrations.

Voices of Radical Change: Greatest Speeches of Political and Social Transformation ($3.99), by Anne Brown

Book Description
Speeches of visionaries and great leaders who inspired change and influenced the course of history. Every speech marks a figure or moment in history that represents political or social transformation.

A thoughtful compilation of orations from revered figures with whom most readers are already familiar: Mother Theresa, Thomas Paine, Galileo, Bill Gates, Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King, Jr., Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Chief Seattle, and Barack Obama, to name a few.

One Buck Books

While looking thru the bargains for children's books, I ran into these for adults. From Sizzling Romance to Religion and Gandhi to keep the peace between them, all are currently marked down under a buck!

Hot Westmoreland Night ($0.81), by Brenda Jackson, is the seventeenth in her Westmoreland series.

Book Description
He knew better than to lust after the hired help. But Ramsey Westmoreland's new cook was just so delectable...it was enough to make the Denver rancher rethink his rules. When temptation got the best of him, he discovered Chloe Burton was just as hot in the bedroom as she was in the kitchen.

Though their affair was growing steamier by the minute, Ramsey couldn't help but question Chloe's true motives. And when he discovered her ultimate betrayal, he was set to satisfy himself with cold showers. Until he realized his fatal mistake: never underestimate the power of the human heart, especially a Westmoreland's.

What a Westmoreland Wants ($0.81), by Brenda Jackson, is the nineteenth (and latest) in her Westmoreland series.

Book Description
Mr. September: Callum Austell, sexy Australian ranch owner

His Deepest Desire: The elusive Gemma Westmoreland

The Seduction Plan: Get her on his turf--ASAP!

He'd been biding his time, and now the perfect opportunity had arrived to pursue the ultimate object of his affections. Offering Gemma a job to decorate his new home meant she had to come to him. And on his territory, the Aussie knew he could easily woo her into his bed. But this Westmoreland woman was no pushover. If Callum was going to get what he wanted--as always--the millionaire just might have to utter three little words first.

In Too Deep ($0.81), by Brenda Jackson & Olivia Gates, was just released in July of this year.

Book Description
A fabulous summer two-in-one--twice the scandal all in one unforgettable volume!

Husband Material by Brenda Jackson
Beware the jilted husband: Matthew Birmingham never played fair...especially when it came to his ex-wife. When she moved across the country, he moved back to their estate--back to their bedroom--determined to win back her love...by any means necessary.

The Sheikh's Bargained Bride by Olivia Gates
Meet the shocked groom: Sheikh Adham saw marriage as a business venture, his wife a mere convenience...until they portrayed the loving couple in public. Would finally seeing his bride in a new light shatter all his rules?

Star of His Heart ($0.95), by Brenda Jackson, is also a new release, this one from August.

Book Description
Drop-dead-gorgeous Ethan Chambers loves his life as Hollywood's most eligible--and elusive--bachelor. Plus, the talented actor has just gotten an offer he can't refuse: a starring role on TV's hit medical drama. But it's the show's sultry makeup and wardrobe director who's got his pulse racing--and making him think twice about staying single.

Getting the gig on Paging the Doctor has thrust Rachel Wellesley into the unwelcome glare of the spotlight. She wants to paint the story, not be the story. But when Rachel starts falling for the show's sinfully sexy star, she knows it's time to get her own heart checked. But how can she give up these passionate nights in Ethan's arms? Now, as the cameras roll and her creative vision comes to life, is Rachel finally ready for her close-up--with the man of her dreams?

Spontaneous ($0.86), by Brenda Jackson, is also a new release, from May of this year.

Book Description
Kimani Cannon knows she's in trouble the second she lays eyes on 6'4" of luscious male. The best kind of trouble, too...mm-mmm! Duan Jeffries turns out to be the perfect man--charming, considerate...and the best lover she's ever had. Too bad Mr. Delicious is just a one-night stand....

Until Kim needs a date to her mother's (fifth) wedding! Duan's willing to act the part of her fiancé... as long as it means full benefits. More amazing sex? No problem!

Then Kim finds out that Duan's got his own private agenda. Suddenly, she doesn't know what to believe. Her head and heart are telling her to be careful. But the sensual thrumming in her blood is turning out to be much more persuasive....

Fear not, there is more than one author in today's list! Impetuous ($0.86) was Lori Foster's first published book, way back in 1996 (ok, don't laugh; someone out there probably does think that is a long time ago).

Book Description
Grade school teacher Carlie McDaniels trades in her frumpiness for the look of an exotic harem girl, at least for one costume party. So long, spinsterhood--and hello, tall, dark and handsome Tyler Ramsey....

Even after the best night of their lives, Tyler hasn't guessed the identity of his harem hottie...and Carlie plans on keeping him in the dark. After all, a gorgeous guy like Tyler would never fall for his smart-talking best friend. And Carlie's not sure she wants to know what would happen if he ever unveiled the naked truth!

Where There's a Will ($0.95), by Katriena Knights, was published by Samhain, so heed the content warning.

Book Description
The terms of the will seem crazy...until she meets the man to fulfill them. When Chloe Sullivan's great uncle dies, leaving her his house and a not-quite castle in the Highlands of Scotland, Chloe's more than willing to take a vacation across the pond to check it all out. When she gets there, she finds out there's a catch—if she wants to keep her inheritance, she has to marry a Scot.

And her great uncle even left her a suggestion as to who.

Malcolm MacTavish is taken with the lovely, straightforward Chloe the moment he sees her at the airport. But they can't enjoy more than a brief fling, since she’s planning to go back to the States. The more he gets to know her, though, the more he wants to try to change her mind.

Until he finds out about the will...

Warning: This title contains a Highland fling (a.k.a explicit sex), Scottish accents and gratuitous jokes about the Loch Ness Monster.

Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth ($0.95), by Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi & Mahadev H. Desai

Book Description
Translated by Mahadev Desai and with a New Preface. The only authorized American edition.

Mohandas K. Gandhi is one of the most inspiring figures of our time. In his classic autobiography he recounts the story of his life and how he developed his concept of active nonviolent resistance, which propelled the Indian struggle for independence and countless other nonviolent struggles of the twentieth century.

In a new foreword, noted peace expert and teacher Sissela Bok urges us to adopt Gandhi's "attitude of experimenting, of tesing what will and will not bear close scrutiny, what can and cannot be adapted to new circumstances," in order to bring about change in our own lives and communities. All royalties earned on this book are paid to the Navajivan Trust, founded by Gandhi, for use in carrying on his work.

The Apocalypse of Ahmadinejad: The Revelation of Iran's Nuclear Prophet ($0.89), by Mark Hitchcock

Book Description
He stands only 5-foot-4 and smiles incessantly. But behind that charismatic persona beats the heart of a genocidal terrorist.

Meet the World’s Most Dangerous Man
In his provocative, well-researched exposé of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, prophecy expert Mark Hitchcock unveils the insidious agenda behind this radical Shiite’s regime:

Ahmadinejad plans to hasten the return of the Islamic messiah by ushering in his vision of the apocalypse.
His ultimate goal–driven by his fanatical ideology–is to bring the Mahdi, or Twelfth Imam, out of hiding. And he plans to do so by arming his country with nuclear weapons, then exporting the Iranian revolution to the world by destroying Israel and the United States.

But there’s a bizarre twist to Ahmadinejad’s nightmarish intentions: This ardent zealot may well be part of God’s plan to set the stage for a scenario prophesied more than 2,500 years ago. Hitchcock presents compelling evidence that Ahmadinejad’s actions, including his alliances with Russia and many of Iran’s neighbors, have placed his nation–and the world–on a collision course toward the war of Gog and Magog.

Discover the truth about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, his role in biblical prophecy, and what it means for the world–and you.

Having a Real Relationship with God ($0.89), by Kay Arthur

Book Description
This brand new Bible study series from beloved Bible teacher Kay Arthur and the teaching staff of Precept Ministries tackles important issues in brief, easy-to-grasp lessons you can benefit from personally or as part of a small group. Each book in the series includes six 40-minute studies designed to draw you into God’s Word through basic inductive Bible study. As Kay explains, "Rather than simply reading or listening to what others say about a subject, you are going to see for yourself what God says about it."Join one of the world’s most respected Bible teachers in a study that will revolutionize your thinking--and your life.

Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to have a meaningful and authentic relationship with God--one that really works in the day-in-day-out circumstances of your life?

This powerful inductive study will help you discover for yourself how such a rewarding relationship with God is possible. Kay Arthur opens the Bible to show you the way to salvation, with a special focus on where you stand with God, how your sin keeps us from knowing him, and how Christ bridged the chasm between humanity and God.

Begin your journey to genuine faith. Let Kay Arthur show you the way.

The last of the bargains on this list is for my readers in Australia only. Being God's Man in the Face of Temptation, by Stephen Arterburn, Kenny Luck & Todd Wendorff, is $5.49 for those in the US (even more for the UK and Canada), but is only $0.89 for those in Australia! It would be interesting to find out how much it costs someone in Australia to send it as a gift to someone in another country; since it's available internationally, it should be possible, but I have no idea which price would be charged.

Book Description
All men are tempted to compromise. But not all men do. Some have learned the secret of being undivided between what they believe and how they actually think and live.

They possess integrity. They’ve gained new perspectives on the trials and temptations they face, new tools to help them survive automatic human responses to challenging situations, and new actions which produce humility and flexibility in God’s strength. You can be a man of integrity too.

Confession breaks the power of temptation in men of integrity; connection with other men sustains the victory. Being God’s Man…in the Face of Temptation will help you–whether in individual or group study–confront this pervasive problem in God’s wisdom and strength. And begin to live the undivided life.

Free Book (ADE/PDF) - Awake in the Dark (One Day Only)

Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert ($9.99 Kindle), by Roger Ebert with foreword by David Bordwell, is free today (only) from the University of Chicago.

Book Description
Roger Ebert has been writing film reviews for the Chicago Sun-Times for over forty years. In fact, no critic alive has reviewed more movies than he has. Yet his essential writings have never been collected in a single volume—until now. With Awake in the Dark, both fans and film buffs can finally bask in the best of Ebert’s work. The reviews, interviews, and essays collected here present a picture of his numerous contributions to the cinema and cinephilia. From The Godfather to GoodFellas, from Cries and Whispers to Crash, the reviews in Awake in the Dark span some of the most exceptional periods in film history.

In addition, the extraordinary interviews gathered in Awake in the Dark capture Ebert engaging not only some of the most influential directors of our time—Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Werner Herzog, and Ingmar Bergman—but also some of the silver screen’s most respected personalities, including actors as diverse as Robert Mitchum, James Stewart, Warren Beatty, and Meryl Streep.

America’s most celebrated film critic, Ebert is a writer whose exceptional intelligence and bursts of insight have shaped the way we think about the movies. Awake in the Dark will be a treasure trove not just for fans of this seminal critic but for anyone desiring a fascinating and compulsively readable chronicle of film since the late 1960s.

Click HERE to sign up for the free book. You'll need to enter your email address, then check your email for the link to download the book. Mine arrived within seconds and I'd recommend downloading the book today as well (you get a .ACSM file, which, when opened, will load the PDF book inside of Adobe ADE). This is a DRM'd PDF that is not compatible with the Kindle.

Free Book (PDF) - Being Young

Being Young ($9.99 Kindle), by Astrid Young, is a free download from Wowio this month.

Book Description
Neil Young is known as one of rock’s great artists, his influence extending far beyond his own generation. Being Young looks at a lifetime of love, humor, disappointment, and proud moments, picking up where Scott Young’s book Neil and Me left off in 1984. The book is a testament to a Woodstock-generation rocker whose independence and determination have seen him through his life as a prolific musician who is still producing to this day.

Being Young by Neil Young’s sister, Astrid Young, offers a fresh perspective on one of rock’s most recognized cultural icons. Astrid goes deep inside the motivations that shaped their family unit, exploring all the ways it came apart and how, in the end, a tenacious and undeniable kindred spirit was able to pull it back together. The story is in part a celebration of the legacy of a family that many of us grew up feeling we knew and in part the meaningful and intimate reflection of one who experienced it all.

Astrid Young started writing creatively at an early age. A musician by trade, her career has taken her around the world, both on her own and singing backup for her brother Neil Young. Astrid lives in Toronto.

This PDF eBook includes a new chapter from the updated print edition plus a bonus, WOWIO-exclusive video interview with Astrid Young (you’ll need recent versions of Adobe Reader and QuickTime to view the video within the eBook).

Click HERE for the free download. There are about three different places you can click to get the book once there; it'll be a Secured PDF, but loads in Adobe Reader (ADE isn't required).

Bargain Book Roundup

Louise Penny is one of the authors with a "free preview" up at Amazon currently. A much better way to gain new readers for an author is to drop the price of an earlier book and for this author, the publisher is doing that as well. Still Life, the first in her Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, is currently marked down to $2.99.

Book Description
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.

William R. Forstchen is the co-author of another free preview title and also has a bargain book available. This time, though, it doesn't look like the publisher did it, as Arena ($2.99), the first in the Magic: The Gathering series (and the only one of the series he authored) appears to be self-published.

Book Description
As the fighter-mages of the four great Houses prepare for their annual battle, a powerful stranger arrives and he is interested in the fifth House, destroyed a generation ago--but why is the Grand Master afraid of him?

The Glass Devil ($2.99), by Helene Tursten, is the third volume of her Inspector Huss series.

Book Description
The principal of a high school telephones his friend, Inspector Andersson of the Göteborg Crime Police; one of his teachers failed to show up for work. To Inspector Irene Huss’ surprise, on the basis of this vague complaint her boss drives out with her to a remote cottage in snowbound southern Sweden to investigate. There they find a body, its head blasted by a rifle. Teacher Jacob Schyttelius has been murdered. When they go to break the news to his elderly parents, Pastor Sten Schyttelius and his wife, they find the couple dead in their beds, each shot between the eyes. Upside-down pentagrams have been drawn in blood on their computer screens. The only surviving member of the family is a daughter, now residing in London, but she is too distressed to be interviewed. Is the killer a member of a satanic cult? Is it the parish treasurer, rumored to have been embezzling church funds? Or one of the assistant pastors, tired of waiting for a promotion? Perhaps the attractive blonde who sings in church and practices witchcraft? Irene Huss has a hunch that the answer lies in England, and she travels there twice to discover the reason for this triple homicide.

Finding Iris Chang: Friendship, Ambition, and the Loss of an Extraordinary Mind ($1.30), by Paula Kamen

Book Description
Iris Chang's mysterious suicide in 2004, at age thirty-six, didn't seem to make any sense. She had more to live for than anyone, including fame, fortune, beauty, a husband, and child. Some even wondered if the controversial author of the Rape of Nanking had been murdered. Long-time friend Paula Kamen was among those left wondering what had gone so wrong. Seeking to reconcile the suicide with the image of Chang's "perfect" life, Kamen searched her own memory and scoured Chang's letters, diaries, and archival material to fill in the gaps of Chang's personal transformation-from awkward teen to homecoming princess in college, from "ex-shy person" to world-class speaker and international human rights pioneer-and later decline into mental illness and paranoia. A literary investigation of an important writer's journey, Finding Iris Chang is a tribute to a lost heroine, a portrait of the real and vulnerable woman who inspired so many around the world.

Mafia Summer ($1.17), by E. Duke Vincent

Book Description
One a Sicilian Hell's Kitchen gang leader, the other a sickly but brilliant Orthodox Jewish boy who lives next door, Vinny Vesta and Sidney Butcher meet on a fire escape during the blistering New York City summer of 1950. Their friendship develops over the course of a summer that will change Vinny's fortunes forever, at a cost he could never have imagined. Based on a true story, Mafia Summer brilliantly captures a pivotal moment in Mafia history and in the lives of the teenagers caught up by the Mob.

The Secret Hangman ($1.56), by Peter Lovesey, is the seventh in his Peter Diamond series.

Book Description
Widowed Inspector Peter Diamond is being pursued by a secret admirer as he pursues a serial killer. Delia Williamson, a mother of two young girls who works as a waitress, is first reported missing by her own mother. She is found in a public park, hanged from the crossbar of a children’s swing set. There seems to be no reason for her to have committed suicide, and the postmortem reveals that she was murdered. Her present partner, her ex-husband, and a traveling salesman who dined at her table in the restaurant where she worked, are all suspects. Then her former husband is found in a cave, also hanged. A remorse suicide? Diamond doesn’t think so. When a well-to-do couple is found dead, both hanged, a suicide pact is suggested. Diamond is dubious; too many couples are dying by the same method. Before he can figure out what is going on, one more person will die.

Howling Dead ($2.39), by M.H. Bonham

Book Description
Which earrings look best with fur? Kira Walker is a geek and UNIX systems administrator who has a bad hair day at least once a month. But when a wolf attacks Kira and her BFF in downtown Denver around the full moon, she-s devastated. Now, like it or not, Kira is unemployed, and the head of Denver-s werewolf pack is getting a little too friendly for her tastes. And, oddly, she keeps finding herself naked in front of road workers. Caught in this new world, Kira discovers there are sinister forces at work. Rogue werewolves have declared war against humans, and when Kira-s other BFF is kidnapped, it gets Kira snarling mad. Can she solve the riddle of the Enchanted Forest before the rogue werewolves kill again? Fashion-challenged Kira will learn that werewolves have a strong bite.

Blood, Smoke and Mirrors ($4.40), by Robyn Bachar, is from the publisher with the best content warnings, Samhain.

Book Description
Even a bad witch deserves a second chance.

Wrongly accused of using her magic to harm, the closest Catherine Baker comes to helping others is serving their coffee. Life as an outcast is nothing new, thanks to her father-s reputation, but the injustice stings. Especially since the man she loved turned her in.

Now the man has the gall to show up and suggest she become the next Titania? She-d rather wipe that charming grin off his face with a pot of hot java to the groin.

Alexander Duquesne has never faltered in his duties as a guardian-until now. The lingering guilt over Cat-s exile and the recent death of his best friend have shaken his dedication. With the murder of the old Titania, the faerie realm teeters on the brink of chaos. His new orders: keep Cat alive at all costs.

Hunted by a powerful stranger intent on drawing her into an evil web, Cat reluctantly accepts Lex-s protection and the resurrected desire that comes along with it. Lex faces the fight of his life to keep her safe-and win her back. If they both survive.

Warning: This book contains one tough and snarky witch, one gorgeous guardian, explicit blood drinking, magician sex, gratuitous violence against vampires and troublemaking Shakespearean faeries.

Presumed Dead ($4.79) looks to be the start of a new series, Dylan Scott Mysteries, from Shirley Wells and new publisher Carina Press.

Book Description
Dylan Scott has problems. Dismissed in disgrace from the police force for assaulting a suspect, he has no job, his wife has thrown him out and-worse luck-his mother has moved in. So when Holly Champion begs him to investigate the disappearance of her mother thirteen years ago, he can-t say no, even though it means taking up residence in the dreary Lancashire town of Dawson-s Clough for the duration.

Although the local police still believe Anita Champion took off for a better life, Dylan-s inquiries turn up plenty of potential suspects: the drug-dealing, muscle-bound bouncer at the club where Anita was last seen; the missing woman-s four girlfriends, out for revenge; the local landowner with rumored mob connections-the list goes on. But no one is telling Dylan all they know-and he soon finds that one sleepy Northern town can keep a lot of secrets.

Bargain Book Roundup, Part II

The Jungle Book ($3.19), by Diane Wright Landolf

Book Description
Mother and Fatherwolf aren’t looking for trouble, but when a small man-child toddles by their cave, they decide they can’t leave him alone in the jungle. They take the boy into their pack, name him Mowgli, and raise him as one of their own cubs. Mowgli learns the law of the jungle from the big old brown bear Baloo and Bagheera the black panther, but even they can’t keep an eye on him all the time!

The Clique #3: The Revenge of the Wannabes ($1.99), by Lisi Harrison

Book Description
Weeks before Christmas. Alicia and Olivia are on their way to Manhattan so the Teen People editors can do a story on them about winning the Octavian Country Day uniform design contest. When Massie finally processes that the girls who hijacked her victory are also modeling for Teen People, she is livid. It should have been her. 'Ehmagod, what will everyone think when they find out it wasn't me who was asked to model? I will be SO over.' Massie decides it's time to get revenge. This snake can not lay idle in the weeds for one more second. Kristen and Dylan throw out terrible 'revenge' suggestions and Massie vetoes them all. She will think of something! But first she has to go home and exfoliate. The social minefields of Westchester County's most privileged middle school girls drive the page-turning action of this addictive series, set in New York City's most elite suburban county. The Clique . . . the only thing harder than getting in is staying in.

The Clique #4: Invasion of the Boy Snatchers ($1.99), by Lisi Harrison

Book Description
The holidays are over and Massie's room is chock-full of new things from Santa: jeans, sweater, and a new . . . roommate? Once Claire unpacks, Massie's room feels more crowded than a Zac Posen sample sale. But what's worse, Claire isn't the only person moving into Massie's territory -- Alicia's hot cousin, Nina, shows up from Spain and starts edging in on all the Briarwood boys, including Massie's crush! Will Nina, with her super-tight mall clothes, make every boy in Westchester fall in love with her? Or will Massie toss her out faster than last season's Sevens jeans? The social minefields of Westchester County's most privileged middle school girls drive the page-turning action of this addictive series, set in New York City's most elite suburban county. The Clique . . . the only thing harder than getting in is staying in.

Battlefield of the Mind Devotional: 100 Insights That Will Change the Way You Think ($2.99), by Joyce Meyer

Book Description
This bestselling author and speaker offers a companion devotional to her award-winning message, "Battlefield of the Mind."

Toward the Goal: The Kaka Story ($0.99), by Jeremy V. Jones

Book Description
learnt that it is faith that decides whether something will happen or not.At the age of eight, Kaka already knew what it he wanted in life: to play soccer, and only soccer. He started playing in front of his friends and family, but when he suffered a crippling injury doctors told him he would never play again. Through faith and perseverance Kaka recovered, and today he plays in front of thousands of fans every year. As the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year and winner of the Ballon d'Or, this midfielder for Real Madrid has become one of the most recognized faces on the soccer field.

Budget Celebrations: The Hostess Guide to Year-Round Entertaining on a Dime ($3.99), by Shelley Wolson

Book Description
Preparing to host any type of gathering can be filled with shopping hassles, time pressures and anxiety over the costs. No more! This all-in-one guide is the ultimate resource for stress-free, budget-friendly entertaining for every special occasion.

Jam-packed with simple and exciting ideas to make every holiday festive, this book offers creative ways to celebrate in style year-round, without spending a fortune. Best of all, you'll be able to throw a great party that you can relax and enjoy right along with your family and friends!

From traditional holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas to birthdays, anniversaries and family reunions, this collection of over 250 inspiring photos and easy-to-follow instructions gives you all the information you'll need to have a good time without breaking the bank. Inside you'll find delicious, efficient menus and recipes to amaze all your guests; festive and elegant decorating tips and tricks to set the mood for every occasion; low-cost, crafty ways to bring holiday spirit into your home and involve your family in the process.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder ($3.19), by Joanne Fluke, is one of 11 volumes in the Hannah Swensen series that are marked down under $5.

Book Description
Discover the delicious mystery that started it all!

No one cooks up a delectable, suspense-filled mystery quite like Hannah Swensen, Joanne Fluke’s dessert-baking, red-haired heroine whose gingersnaps are as tart as her comebacks, and whose penchant for solving crimes—one delicious clue at a time—has made her a bestselling favorite. And it all began on these pages, with a bakery, a murder, and some suddenly scandalous chocolate-chip crunchies. Featuring a bonus short story and brand new, mouthwatering recipes, this limited edition of the very first Hannah Swensen mystery is sure to have readers coming back for seconds…

Hannah Swenson already has her hands full trying to dodge her mother’s attempts to marry her off while running The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden, Minnesota’s most popular bakery. But once Ron LaSalle, the beloved delivery man from the Cozy Cow Dairy, is found murdered behind her bakery with Hannah’s famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him, her life just can’t get any worse. Determined not to let her cookies get a bad reputation, she sets out to track down a killer.

Who would have the sheer audacity—and the motive—to kill the most punctual delivery man Hannah ever had? Topping the list is the high school football coach. What exactly was his wife doing, making the rounds with the milkman? Could Max Turner, owner of Cozy Cow Dairy, have had a secret he didn’t want to share with his top employee? The more Hannah snoops, the more suspects turn up. Why has Lake Eden’s most prominent prodigal son, Benton Woodley, just resurfaced? And what about the mysterious Mr. Harris who seemed interested in buying the property next to the dairy, but then disappeared? This is one murder that’s starting to leave a very bad taste in Hannah’s mouth. And if she doesn’t watch her back, Hannah’s sweet life may get burned to a crisp.

Filled with a healthy sprinkling of humor and a delightful assortment of nuts, CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE MURDER serves up a great new mystery series and introduces a delicious, down-home sleuth that mystery readers will surely savor for years to come.

Napoleon and the Hundred Days ($1.89), by Stephen Coote

Book Description
A masterly blend of history and novelistic narrative about Napoleon's triumphant return from captivity and the critical days before Waterloo.

In Vienna, 1815, as the political aristocrats of Europe assemble to determine the fate of the continent after defeating Napoleon, the news arrived that Napoleon had escaped captivity and was returning to France. Bonaparte-the revolutionary turned emperor and "disturber of the world's peace"-was fast approaching Paris, gathering troops and taking cities without firing a single shot. He had returned, and it would be just one hundred days before he met his enemies in a final, epic battle.

In Napoleon and the Hundred Days, Stephen Coote vividly re-creates the rise and fall of Bonaparte's empire, and brings to life the characters who shaped it: Wellington, Britain's Iron Duke; Josephine, Napoleon's great love; Talleyrand, his duplicitous minister; FouchŽ, the sinister head of the secret police; BlŸcher, the uncouth yet courageous Prussian commander; and, of course, Napoleon himself. Displaying his customary blend of a historian's eye and a novelist's dramatic style, Stephen Coote describes how the path to war became inevitable and how, at the battle at Waterloo, the fatigued but ever arrogant Napoleon met his match. This is a dazzling portrait of the legendary emperor, whose genius, courage, and tenacity won-and lost-him a vast empire.

Siesta Lane: One Cabin, No Running Water, and a Year Living Green ($1.03), by Amy Minato, is one that I picked up.

Book Description
A poet at heart, Amy Minato rejects her life of consumption in Chicago to go back to nature-specifically, to a commune in Oregon, where she rediscovers herself.

Victory for Us Is to See You Suffer: In the West Bank with the Palestinians and the Israelis ($1.19), by Philip C. Winslow

Book Description
A rare, firsthand account of life in the West Bank by a UN relief worker and journalist

During the second intifada, Philip C. Winslow worked in the West Bank with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), driving up to 600 miles a week between almost every Palestinian town, village, and refugee camp and every Israeli checkpoint in the occupied territory. He returned just before the onset of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.

In Victory for Us Is to See You Suffer, Winslow captures the human aspects of the conflict during the years of suicide bombings and Israeli reprisals in the West Bank—the daily struggles, fear, and anger of Palestinian farmers and teachers, and the hostility of Israeli soldiers and settlers. On this small territory, punctuated with hundreds of heavily guarded crossings and physical barriers, nervous young Israeli soldiers who believe they are fighting terrorists enforce stringent controls over the movement of Palestinians trying to live on their own land. Working with UNRWA, Winslow negotiated the delivery of humanitarian aid through army checkpoints, often finding himself the target of anger from both Palestinians and Israelis. He returned as a journalist, in the wake of the Hamas victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections, to interview people on both sides of the checkpoints and look at the decades-long destructive cycle through their eyes. From these unique multiple perspectives, Winslow offers an uncensored view of the realities on the ground that have made a just political solution and enduring peace so difficult.

The Great Bird Flu Hoax: The Truth They Don't Want You to Know About the "Next Big Pandemic" ($1.17), by Dr. Joseph Mercola, is a bit surprising a subject from Christian publisher Thomas Nelson.

Book Description
The U.S. government is now practically screaming that a new avian super-flu will likely kill millions of Americans. The mainstream media is entirely onboard, as are drug companies and other corporations poised to benefit immensely off the paranoia. But there is NO coming bird flu pandemic. It's an elaborate scheme contrived by the government and big business for reasons that boil down to power and money.

Presenting eye-opening evidence that casts serious doubt on the truthfulness of reports about the virus's ability to transmit, and its mortality rates around the world, renowned physician Dr. Joseph Mercola reveals the secrets about the great bird flu hoax. In compelling fashion he provides you the real facts you need to know to protect you from a far greater ill - corporate and governmental greed.

The New Terrorism: Fanaticism and the Arms of Mass Destruction ($1.17), by Walter Laqueur

Book Description
Recent attacks in Oklahoma City, at the World Trade Towers, and at American embassies in Africa demonstrate the horrifying consequences of a terrorist strike. But as technological advances make weapons of mass destruction frighteningly easy to acquire, a revolution is occurring in the very nature of terrorism--one that may make these attacks look like child's play.

In The New Terrorism Walter Laqueur, one of the foremost experts on terrorism and international strategic affairs, recounts the history of terrorism and, more importantly, examines the future of terrorist activity worldwide. Laqueur traces the chilling trend away from terrorism perpetrated by groups of oppressed nationalists and radicals seeking political change to small clusters of fanatics bent on vengence and simple destruction. Coinciding with this trend is the alarming availability of weapons of mass destruction. Chemical and biological weapons are cheap and relatively easy to make or buy. Even nuclear devices are increasingly feasible options for terrorists. And with the information age, cyber terrorism is just around the corner. Laqueur argues that as a new quasi-religious extreme right rises, with more personal and less ideological motivations than their left-wing counterparts, it is only a matter of time before the attainability of weapons of mass destruction creates a terrifying and unstable scenario.

From militant separatism in Kashmir to state-sponsored extremism in Libya and ecoterrorism in the West, The New Terrorism offers a thorough account of terrorism in all its past and current manifestations. Most importantly, it casts a sober eye to the future, when the inevitable marriage of technology and fanaticism will give us all something new to think about.

This Time, This Place: My Life in War, the White House, and Hollywood ($1.01), by Jack Valenti

Book Description
With the nation at war in the 1940s, twenty-two-year-old Jack Valenti flew fifty-one combat missions as the pilot of a B-25 attack bomber with the 12th Air Force based in Italy. In the 1960s, with the nation reeling from the assassination of a beloved president and becoming embroiled in a far different kind of war in Vietnam, he was in that fateful Dallas motorcade in 1963, flew back to Washington with the new president, and for three years worked in the inner circle of the White House as special assistant to President Lyndon Johnson. Then, for the next thirty-eight years, with American society and popular culture undergoing a revolutionary transformation, Valenti was the public face of Hollywood in his capacity as head of the Motion Picture Association of America.

Been there, done that, indeed. Texas-born and Harvard-educated, Valenti has led several lives, any one of which could have provided ample material for an unforgettable memoir. As it is, This Time, This Place is the gripping story of a man who saw the terrible face of war while fighting with skill and bravery for his country; who was in the room, listening, participating, and remembering, as political decisions were made that would benefit or devastate countless lives in this country and on the other side of the world; and who championed the interest of the vast and globally influential movie industry with tenacity and vision. The list of boldface names whom Valenti knew and with whom he worked is as varied as it is astonishing in number. Aside
from LBJ, there were Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Kirk Douglas, Frank Sinatra, Robert McNamara, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Julia Roberts, Cary Grant, Lew Wasserman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jack Nicholson, Michael Douglas, Warren Beatty, and Bill Clinton, to begin a very long list.

The life of a man who earned both the Distinguished Flying Cross and his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is inherently intriguing, but Valenti’s warm, sometimes rueful, always engaging account gives this memoir a depth of humanity and a taste of life’s unpredictability that will linger long after you turn the final page. From growing up poor but largely oblivious to that fact in a hardscrabble neighborhood of Greek and Italian immigrants in Houston to rising to the highest summits both of national government and Hollywood, This Time, This Place is a candid and clear-eyed reflection of the joys and sorrows, ambitions and disappointments, of a life fully recognizable in its extraordinary variety. It is also a sweeping and important historical record, written by a brilliantly successful man who helped to shape politics and entertainment in the second half of the twentieth century, and who always found himself in the center of the current storm.

Dictionary of Republicanisms: The Indispensable Guide to What They Really Mean When They Say What They Think You Want to Hear ($1.10), by Katrina vanden Heuvel

Book Description
George W. Bush, a self-proclaimed straight-talking Texan, has been roundly lampooned for his weak grasp of the English language: "subliminable," "resignate," and transformationed" being only a few of his malapropisms. As ridiculous as Bush sometimes sounds, we shouldn't underestimate him or the right-wingers who put him in power, because they never say what they mean or mean what they say.

Over the past few decades, the radical right has engaged in a well-funded, self-conscious program of Orwellian doublespeak, transforming American political discourse to suit their political ends. "Private accounts" became "personal accounts." "Massachusetts liberal" was used to slur John Kerry's record. And their "compassionate conservative" tax cuts were neither conservative nor compassionate, unless you happen to be a Republican fat cat.

Sick and tired of their sinister deceptions, celebrated Nation editor Katrina vanden Heuvel set out to explode their verbal gymnastics by asking her readers to suggest satirical definitions of Republican jargon. The result was a grassroots groundswell of hilarious submissions from Americans who are mad as hell and aren't going to take it any more. She has collected the best in this very funny and very necessary book.

Warbreaker ($2.99), by Brandon Sanderson

Book Description
After bursting onto the fantasy scene with his acclaimed debut novel, Elantris, and following up with his blockbuster Mistborn trilogy, Brandon Sanderson proves again that he is today’s leading master of what Tolkien called “secondary creation,” the invention of whole worlds, complete with magics and myths all their own.

Warbreaker is the story of two sisters, who happen to be princesses, the God King one of them has to marry, the lesser god who doesn’t like his job, and the immortal who’s still trying to undo the mistakes he made hundreds of years ago.

Their world is one in which those who die in glory return as gods to live confined to a pantheon in Hallandren’s capital city and where a power known as BioChromatic magic is based on an essence known as breath that can only be collected one unit at a time from individual people.

By using breath and drawing upon the color in everyday objects, all manner of miracles and mischief can be accomplished. It will take considerable quantities of each to resolve all the challenges facing Vivenna and Siri, princesses of Idris; Susebron the God King; Lightsong, reluctant god of bravery, and mysterious Vasher, the Warbreaker.

The Georgian Star: How William and Caroline Herschel Revolutionized Our Understanding of the Cosmos ($2.88), by Michael Lemonick

Book Description
Responsible for the greatest advances in astronomy since Copernicus, William and Caroline Herschel forever transformed our view of the heavens.Trained as a musician, amateur scientist William Herschel found international fame after discovering the planet Uranus in 1781. Though he is still best known for this finding, his partnership with his sister Caroline yielded groundbreaking work, including techniques that remain in use today. The duo pioneered comprehensive surveys of the night sky, carefully categorizing every visible object in the void. Caroline wrote an influential catalogue of nebulae, and William discovered infrared radiation. Celebrated science writer Michael Lemonick guides readers through the depths of the solar system and into his protagonists' private lives: William developed bizarre theories about inhabitants of the sun; he procured an unheard-of salary for Caroline even while haggling with King George III over the funding for an enormous, forty-foot telescope; the siblings feuded over William's marriage and eventually reconciled. Erudite and accessible, The Georgian Star is a lively portrait of the pair who invented modern astronomy.

Bargain Book Roundup, Part IV

The bargain book roundup for this month continues, this time with non-fiction and humor. These change price frequently and drastically, to check the prices at Amazon before one-clicking. Several that were under $2 last week are anywhere from $10 to $15 this week (so didn't make the roundup).

Fugitive Denim: A Moving Story of People and Pants in the Borderless World of Global Trade ($2.15), by Rachel Louise Snyder

Book Description
Rachel Louise Snyder reports from the far reaches of the multi-billion-dollar denim industry in search of the people who make your clothes. From a cotton picker in Azerbaijan to a Cambodian seamstress, a denim maker in Italy to a fashion designer in New York, Snyder captures the human, environmental, and political forces at work in a complex and often absurd world. Neither polemic nor prescription, Fugitive Denim captures what it means to work in the twenty-first century.

Mike Bloomberg ($2.60), by Joyce Purnick

Book Description
Michael Bloomberg is not only New York City's 108th mayor; he is a business genius and self-made billionaire. He has run the toughest city in America with an independence and show of ego that first brought him great success-and eventually threatened it. Yet while Bloomberg is internationally known and admired, few people know the man behind the carefully crafted public persona.

Hope Leslie: Catharine Maria Sedgwick ($3.79), edited by Mary Kelley

Book Description
Set in seventeenth-century New England, Hope Leslie (1827) portrays early American life and celebrates the role of women in building the republic. A counterpoint to the novels of James Fenimore Cooper, it challenges the conventional view of Indians, tackles interracial marriage and cross-cultural friendship, and claims for women their rightful place in history. At the center of novel are two friends. Hope Leslie, a spirited thinker in a repressive Puritan society, fights for justice for the Indians and asserts the independence of women. Magawisca, the passionate daughter of a Pequot chief, braves her father's wrath to save a white man and risks her freedom to reunite Hope with her long-lost sister, captured as a child by the Pequots and now married to Magawisca's brother. Amply plotted, with unforgettable characters, Hope Leslie is a rich, compelling, deeply satisfying novel.

Forget You Had a Daughter ($4.28), by Michael Tierney

Book Description
Having lived a successful life in Bangkok that included friends, two teaching jobs, and her own apartment, Sandra Gregory recounts how her life took a terrible turn in 1993 and how she experienced a journey from prison to renewal. While recuperating from dysentery and dengue fever, Gregory ran out of money. With mounting medical bills to pay, she met a heroin addict who offered her $1,000 to smuggle his personal supply of heroin to Japan. It was just enough to pay her medical bills and buy a ticket home, but Gregory was arrested at Bangkok airport before she even boarded the plane. Detailing the four and a half years she spent in the notorious Lard Yao prison, dubbed the "Bangkok Hilton," Gregory describes scenes of horrific brutality and suffering before being transferred to a British jail to serve the rest of her 22-year sentence. She tells of her daily fight for survival, of many women who died with no medical care or loved ones around them, and of her acceptance of her guilt and ultimate redemption.

How to Raise a Jewish Dog ($3.99), by Rabbis of Boca Raton Theological Seminary

Book Description
Questions to Ask a Breeder: 1. What kind of job is this, growing dogs? 2. Are these dogs nice? I mean of course they are. But if not, is this refundable? 3. Is this a stable business? Do you make a decent living? 4. Does the insurance kill you or is it okay? 5. Dogs are animals ? does this mean you qualify for some kind of Federal ranch subsidies? 6. What do I say to people who want to know how I can spend $1500 and up on a dog when there are so many dogs to be rescued from the pound?

The (make-believe) Rabbis of the (fictional) Boca Raton Theological Seminary have developed the essential dog training program for raising a Jewish dog. For the first time, the same dynamic blend of passive-aggressiveness and smothering indulgence, that unique alloy of infantilization and disingenuous manipulation that created generations of high-achieving Jewish boys and girls, can be applied to create a generation of high-achieving Jewish doggies. Written (for real) by Ellis Weiner and Barbara Davilman, co-authors of the bestselling Yiddish with Dick and Jane and Yiddish with George and Laura, this essential "guide" is sure to be a complete howl.

Fun with Phone Solicitors: 50 Ways to Get Even ($1.99), by Robert Harris

Book Description
They wake you up Saturday morning, waste your time, and interrupt meals and precious couch time. They're phone solicitors-the only group more despised than lawyers. Now here's your chance to strike back-hustle the hustlers, annoy the annoying-and have a blast with these fifty foolproof ways to get even. Drive 'em nuts with:

• The Receptionist Ruse: Pretend to transfer your tormentor and then press sever
• The Verbatim Variation: Repeat everything the caller says in a singsong tone.
• The Drop-the-phone Drill: The more drops you can get before the solicitor hangs up, the higher your score!

Creative! Relieves stress! Fun for the whole family!

How to Stay Single Forever ($1.99), by Jenny Lombard

Book Description
With this handbook today's independant woman can easily avoid meaningful relationships with aplomb. The 101 strategies are fully explained, may be used alone or in combination and include tips such as using baby talk in bed and be brutally honest.

Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me ($4.99), by Ben Karlin

Book Description
The Emmy award-winning former executive producer of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report has assembled a stellar lineup of men who have one thing in common: all have been dumped...and are willing to share their pain and the lessons learned.

Relationships end. And in almost all of them, even the most callow among us take something away. This is a book about that something, whether it be major life lessons, like "If you lie, you will get caught," simple truths like, "Flowers work," or something wholly unique like, "Watch out for the high strung brother in the military."

This anthology will be comprised of longer and shorter pieces, drawn from an array of impressive celebrities, writers and public figures. Some pieces may be a paragraph in length while others will be full-blown essays. All of them will be about that salient something men take away from a failed relationship. Yes, men learn.

This is not a touchy-feely book. This is not a self-help book. This is a book packed with smart, funny and insightful stories from men you probably thought never got dumped, or if they did, would never admit it.

Meditations for Men Who Do Next to Nothing (and Would Like to Do Even Less) ($1.99), by N. K. Peske & B.J. Pennacchini

Book Description
As all women know, movies are more than entertainment -- they're self-medication. A good flick is like a soothing tonic that, if administered property, (and in combination with something obscenely high in fat grams), can cure everything from a bad hair day to full-fledged identity crisis. Cinematherapy: The Girl's Guide to_ Movies for Every Mood is a hilarious guide to films to suit women's every emotion (and boy do we have lots of them -- as opposed to men, who basically have 'on' and 'off').

Will Work for Fun: Three Simple Steps for Turning Any Hobby or Interest Into Cash ($3.06), by Alan R. Bechtold

Book Description
Will Work for Fun presents a simple three-step process for turning your favorite hobby or interest into a reliable source of income. Why stay trapped in a job you hate, when you could turn your fun into your job? No matter what your interests are, Alan Bechtold will show you how to what you love into a real moneymaking career. Packed with stories, examples, exercises, and links to online resources, Will Work for Fun is the cure for another dull day at the office.

My Feet Aren't Ugly!: A Girl's Guide to Loving Herself from the Inside Out ($2.85), by Debra Beck

Book Description
Do you sometimes feel like other girls are prettier, more trendy, or more popular than you? Do you ever feel bad about yourself?

In this funny, honest book, teen expert and mentor Debra Beck provides in-depth examples and exercises to develop the tools you need for self-confidence. Learn how to have fulfilling relationships, make good decisions for yourself, respect yourself and others, and love yourself for who you are.

In a humorous, breezy style, this book instructs young women about how to feel good about themselves. Beck uses personal anecdotes from her youth, as well as stories about the young women she knows and works with to illustrate her points and provide examples. She covers topics that include resisting peer pressure, being kind to your body, developing healthy habits, personal responsibility, eating disorders, suicide, and physical intimacy.

The School for Scandal ($2.00), by Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Book Description
Richard Brinsley Sheridan is arguably the only comic dramatist, apart from Shakespeare, who has succeeded in pleasing changing audiences for more than two hundred years. In The School for Scandal he produced a comedy Shakespearean in range, if differing in its components. Its artificial world of heightened wit and heightened folly delights its audience; but at times it engages them with moments of human pain and happiness, before delivering them back to its brilliant comedy. The remarkable poise with which Sheridan holds these various elements together has seen the play consistently hailed as the comic masterpiece of the century. This entirely new edition, prepared for the New Mermaids series by Professor Ann Blake, reappraises and gives full vale to this classic work of comedy.

Rex: A Mother, Her Autistic Child, and the Music that Transformed Their Lives ($1.41), by Cathleen Lewis

Book Description
he inspiring story of Rex, a boy who is not only blind and autistic, but who also happens to be a musical savant.

How can an 11-year old boy hear a Mozart fantasy for the first time and play it back note-for-note perfectly-but struggle to navigate the familiar surroundings of his own home? Cathleen Lewis says her son Rex's laugh of total abandon is the single most joyous sound anyone could hear, but his tortured aversion to touch and sound breaks her heart and makes her wonder what God could have had in mind. In this book she shares the mystery of Rex and the highs, lows, hopes, dreams, joy, sorrows, and faith she has journeyed through with him.

My Three Fathers ($4.05), by Bill Patten

Book Description
Bill Patten grew up in the heart of privileged society to American parents-a debutante mother, a diplomatic father-stationed in Europe. Weekends away from his English boarding school were often spent at the regal country estates of important policy makers and historical figures of the mid-twentieth century. When Bill was twelve years old, his father, William Patten, died, and his mother remarried the renowned columnist Joe Alsop. Patten was swept into Washington during the Kennedy years, where he bore witness to his stepfather's legendary power-brokering, and watched a very different father figure at work. In 1996, when he was forty-seven years old, Bill Patten learned that his biological father was not William Patten, but the noted English diplomat, Duff Cooper. In this quest to know his triumvirate of fathers, Bill Patten offers an unforgettable memoir. My Three Fathers is a search for identity-and a luscious chronicle of a fascinating, bygone era of American aristocracy.

The Think Big Manifesto: Think You Can't Change Your Life (and the World)? Think Again ($3.87), by Michael Port & Mina Samuels

Book Description
Think Bigger. About Who You Are. And What You Offer the World.

Stand for something before someone stands on you. Revolt against the play-it-safe, don't disturb the peace, cynical and silenced society that, more often than not, buries big thoughts.

Michael Port, bestselling author and creator of ThinkBigRevolution.com, knows it's not always easy to think big. But big thinking must happen now; today, tomorrow, and forevermore.

At this very moment, you are the change you want to see in the world—should you choose to accept personal responsibility. Devour every word of The Think Big Manifesto. It is the handbook to your personal revolution.

You are more than you know. And you can do more with less than you think...

• Unhook from the guru track
• Learn how to be comfortable with discomfort
• Join people doing powerful things
• Be one of the big thinkers that others rave about

This book, and life, is not a conceptual, theoretical experiment in how to do big things. No, this is just what you need if you're on, or want to be on, the path to doing big things and are willing to invest in your future.

Join or incite a worldwide revolution that inspires others to follow. All it takes is one big thought and the revolution is unleashed. One thought, one person at a time, quickly followed by another—soon big thinking becomes the norm. Your big thoughts enable you to achieve greatness, be remarkable, and create a better world.

Are you a member of the Think Big Revolution? If so, this is your Manifesto.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People ($4.95), by Stephen R. Covey

Book Description
The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People is a comprehensive program based on developing an awareness of how perceptions and assumptions hinder success---in business as well as presonal relationships. Here's an approach that will help broaden your way of thinking and lead to greater opportunities and effective problem solving. Be Pro-Active: Take the initiative and the responsibility to make things happen. Begin With an End in Mind: Start with a clear destination to understand where you are now, where you're going and what you value most. Put First Things First: Manage yourself. Organize and execute around priorities. Think Win/Win: See life as a cooperative, not a comprehensive arena where success is not achieved at the expense or exclusion of the success of others. Seek First to Understand: Understand then be understood to build the skills of empathetic listening that inspires openness and trust. Synergize: Apply the principles of cooperative creativity and value differences. Renewal: Preserving and enhanving your greatest asset, yourself, by renewing the physical, spiritual, mental and social/emotional dimensions of your nature. Stephen R. Covey is the most respected motivator in the business world today. Learn to use his 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People--and see how they can change your life.

Solving Tough Problems: An Open Way of Talking, Listening, and Creating New Realities ($4.48), by Adam Kahane

Book Description
Tough problems usually dont get solved peacefully. They either dont get solved at allthey get stuckor they get solved by force. These frustrating and frightening outcomes occur all the time. Families replay the same argument over and over, or a parent lays down the law. Organizations keep returning to a familiar crisis, or a boss decrees a new strategy. Communities split over a controversial issue, or a politician dictates the answer. Countries negotiate to a stalemate, or they go to war. Either the people involved in a problem cant agree on what the solution is, or the people with powerauthority, money, gunsimpose their solution on everyone else..The way we talk and listen expresses our relationship with the world. When we fall into the trap of telling and of not listening, we close ourselves off from being changed by the world and we limit ourselves to being able to change the world only by force. But when we talk and listen with an open mind and an open heart and an open spirit, we bring forth our better selves and a better world.

First Aid Guide and Home Doctor ($4.28), by MobileReference

Book Description
n illustrated survival guide with step-by-step instructions, a world-wide list of emergency phone numbers, first aid techniques, and detailed description of what-to-do in over 60 medical emergency conditions. Navigate from Table of Contents or search for words or phrases. FREE Basic First Aid, First Aid Techniques, and Bites Chapter in the trial.

The Bartenders Black Book, Updated 9th Edition ($2.78), by Stephen Kittredge Cunningham & Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Book Description
The newest and ninth edition to the Bartenders Black Book franchise adds 143 brand-new recipes that were created by bartenders, professional and laymen, around the world in the last two years. That brings the total beverage count to 3,000, more than double that of any other drink guide. All the sections have been expanded and updated, including Robert M. Parker, Jr. s Vintage Guide and Mr. Cunningham s already vast Martini section. Of course this book still has all its classic features: an index by ingredients, in-depth mixing instructions, metric conversion tables, a list of every possible garnish, sections on hot drinks, frozen drinks, beers, ales, lagers, and malternatives.

Is It Just Me or Is Everything Shit?: Insanely Annoying Modern Things ($4.99), by Steve Lowe & Alan McArthur

Book Description
An encyclopedic attack on modern culture so hilariously bitter that it actually becomes uplifting. Based on two runaway UK bestsellers, this new American edition has been ingeniously adapted and features exclusive new material for US audiences by Brendan Hay, a former Daily Show headline producer and contributing writer to America: The Book.

If you hate chick lit, Che Guevara merchandise, pop Kabbalah, cosmetic-surgery-gone-wrong-as-tv-programming, DVDs with ads you can't skip, or any of a few hundred other insanely annoying modern things, then this book will finally lend creedence to your frustrations.

Say NOto the awful ideas, terrible people, useless products, and infuriating doublespeak that increasingly dominates our lives. Never before has there been a book so completely full of shit.

Clearly, it isn't just you...

Consumed ($4.02), by Benjamin R. Barber

Book Description
A powerful sequel to Benjamin R. Barber's best-selling Jihad vs. McWorld, Consumed offers a vivid portrait of an overproducing global economy that targets children as consumers in a market where there are never enough shoppers and where the primary goal is no longer to manufacture goods but needs. To explain how and why this has come about, Barber brings together extensive empirical research with an original theoretical framework for understanding our contemporary predicament. He asserts that in place of the Protestant ethic once associated with capitalism-encouraging self-restraint, preparing for the future, protecting and self-sacrificing for children and community, and other characteristics of adulthood-we are constantly being seduced into an "infantilist" ethic of consumption.

Debt Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About ($3.10), by Kevin Trudeau

Book Description
Are you getting deeper and deeper into debt while they make bigger and bigger profits? Not after you read...Debt Cure$ "They" Don't Want You To Know About! In this new book, Kevin Trudeau blows the lid off the banking and credit card industries, exposing the greatest rip off of our citizens in this nation's history. The credit card industry is one of the most profitable industries in this country, but they don't want you to know it. You can fight back! You can apply Kevin's solutions to your debt problems, and keep more money in your pocket today. You can learn how to use credit to build wealth! Read Debt Cure$ and cure your debt forever. You will learn:

• How the credit lending business is rigged against you!
• How the financial industry wants to keep you in debt!
• How the banks and credit card companies are making obscene profits off of you and how you can change that!
• How to reduce or possible totally eliminate your debt!
• How you could cut your payments in half!
• How to correct your credit with two magic words!
• How to improve your credit virtually overnight!
• How to get free money that you never have to pay back!
• Find out why the financial industry wants to keep you in debt.
• Turn bad debt into good credit.
• Create wealth through financial health.

Financial Reckoning Day Fallout: Surviving Today's Global Depression ($1.02), by William Bonner

Book Description
When the first edition of Financial Reckoning Day was published more than six years ago, many critics felt that maverick financial writers Bill Bonner and Addison Wiggin were overly critical of the United States increasing debt and the start of what seemed to be foreshadowing of economic concerns. Fast-forward to 2009, and much of what the authors predicted has come true-high unemployment rates, record setting foreclosures and bankruptcies along with the near global collapse of the financial institutions once thought to be so secure.

With the Second Edition of Financial Reckoning Day, Bonner and Wiggin bring you even more down-to-earth wisdom. This timely guide reveals that the hazards of democratic consumer capitalism and the financial follies of history are not a thing of the past-but an ongoing issue with no end in sight. With this book, you'll gain a better perspective of what's really going on and discover the steps you need to take to survive the difficult times ahead.

• Bonner and Wiggin are astute observers of the global financial arena and perfectly positioned to offer you solid advice in this field
• Discusses what's behind all the financial turbulence, what's in store, and what you can do to safeguard your investments
• Other titles by Bonner: Empire of Debt, Financial Reckoning Day, and Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets
• Other titles by Wiggin: I.O.U.S.A., Demise of the Dollar, and Financial Reckoning Day

Honest and accurate, the Second Edition of Financial Reckoning Day offers you the best chance to protect your assets and grow your portfolio in these difficult financial times.

Thriving in the New Economy: Lessons from Today's Top Business Minds ($2.14), by Lori Ann LaRocco

Book Description
Survive and thrive in today's economy

These are make-or-break times for business leaders. In today's defining moment, the "New Economy," CEOs and other leaders in a wide variety of industries must face unprecedented conditions.

Thriving in the New Economy gives you a unique look into some of today's best economic and business minds. A series of close profiles, the book offers inspirational personal stories, useful advice, and actionable strategies you can use immediately to skirt financial peril, seize opportunities, and flourish in the New Economy.

• Profiles include financial publisher Steve Forbes, The Vanguard Group founder Jack Bogle, Former National Economic Council Director and Former Special Assistant to the President on Economic Policy Lawrence Lindsey, former FDIC chair Donald Powell, Saks CEO Steve Sadove, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. President Jim Lentz, legendary vulture investor Wilbur Ross and more
• Looks at how leaders in economics, banking, automobiles, real estate, and retail are not just avoiding the unraveling economy, but actively evolving and growing their businesses
• \Foreword by H. Wayne Huizenga; Afterword by Rudy Giuliani

If you're looking for the way forward through today's business wilderness, Thriving in the New Economy lets you in on how some leaders use challenges not just to survive but thrive.

The Sages ($2.99), by Charles R. Morris, is one of two identically priced editions. The second one has a subtitle, Warren Buffett, George Soros, Paul Volcker, and the Maelstrom of Markets, but also appears to be in topaz format, so I'd pick this mobi formatted edition.

Book Description
Throughout the violent financial disruptions of the past several years, three men have stood out as beacons of judgment and wisdom: Warren Buffett, George Soros, and Paul Volcker. Though their experiences and styles vary-Buffett is the canny stock market investor; Soros is the reader of shifting global tides in trade and currencies; and Volcker is the regulator and governor, sheriff and clean-up crew-they have very much in common. All three men have more than fifty years of deep involvement in markets. All are skeptical of Wall Street frenzies. They believe that markets tend to be right, but usually only over the medium term. They have seen too many cycles of herd-driven, emotion-riding booms and busts to make their views hostage to the sweeping and simplistic assumptions of "efficient-markets" models. With the benefit of his own deep understanding of markets and finance, Morris brilliantly analyzes the records of these men, distilling their wisdom and experience-and argues for the importance of consistent values in navigating the treacherous terrain of today's globalized world.