Seven Free Books from New Word City (K)

There are seven new free titles from New Word City today (and three still free from their earlier promotions). Here are the new titles:

1. The Real Pirates of the Caribbean, by Colin Woodard
2. The Making of The Constitution, by Thomas Fleming
3. George Washington's First Test, by Thomas Fleming
4. The Story of Flight, by Andrew Curry
5. Harry Truman Gives 'Em Hell, by Willard Sterne Randall and Nancy Nahra
6. What You Can Learn from Dwight D. Eisenhower, by Maurice Coyle and Donna Sammons Carpenter
7. The Wikinomics Way, by Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams

Free Book - A Child al Confino (K/N/E)

Update: 1/23/12 Now free from Sony.

A Child al Confino: The True Story of a Jewish Boy and His Mother in Mussolini's Italy, by Eric Lamet, is a repeat freebie in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble.

Book Description
Eric Lamet was only seven years old when the Nazis invaded Vienna—and changed his life and the lives of all European Jews forever. Five days after Hitler marched in, Eric Lamet and his parents fled for their lives. Unable to remain together, the family split—he and his mother hid out in Italy, while his father returned to his native Poland and an even darker fate.

In this remarkable feat of memory and imagination, Lamet recreates the Italy he knew from the perspective of the scared and lonely child he once was. We not only see the hardships and terrors faced by foreign Jews in Fascist Italy, but also the friends Eric makes and his mother's valiant efforts to make a home for him.

In a style as original as his story, the author vividly recalls a terrible time yet imbues his recollections with humor, humanity, and wit. With a rare compassion toward friend and foe alike, little Eric Lamet shows us that there is light to be found in the darkest places—and that we should remember the good as well as the bad.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Get the free ebook from Sony.

Free Book - John F. Kennedy (K)

John F. Kennedy, A Life, by The Editors of New Word City, is free in the Kindle store.

Book Description
John F. Kennedy’s assassination has been the subject of public and cultural fascination (a film by Oliver Stone, a novel by Stephen King, endless conspiracy theories) for nearly 50 years. It’s time, this brief biography argues, to give equal consideration to Kennedy’s life.

Five Free Books from New Word City (K)

New Word City has five new books free today (which are likely only to be free today):

1. What You Can Learn from Sam Walton
2. In Search of the Last Czar, by Joshua Hammer
3. Salem 1692: What Devil's Made Them Do It?, by Bruce Watson
4. Clearing the Mind for Creativity, by John Kao
5. Lessons of a Brand Manager, by Michael F. Golden

Free Book - Henry Ford's Way (K)

Henry Ford's Way (US/UK) is free in the Kindle store, courtesy of New Word City.

Book Description
Henry Ford’s vision of a car for Everyman and a living wage for his employees created the middle class and forever changed America. But the deeply flawed genius got lost in his own new world. Among the lessons you can learn from his life: Make yourself stand out. If you find a diamond, don’t throw it away. Don’t neglect your opportunities no matter how remote. Understand your weaknesses. When you do recognize your mistakes, don’t punish the world for them.

Nine Free Books from New Word City (K)

These are all short "mini-books", so I'm grouping them all together. It's likely that one or all may only be free in the Kindle store today, as New Word City has been doing recently, and not likely to be free elsewhere.

Decadent Desserts, by Stonyfield Farm

Book Description
Dessert just got even better. Use Stonyfield’s recipes for decadent dessert to make your favorite treats a little less sinful.

What's Your Strategic Heartbeat?, by Jon L. Luther

Book Description
For close to 45 years, Jon Luther, a 2010 inductee into the Menu Masters Hall of Fame, whose members include Wolfgang Puck, Colonel Sanders, and Jacques Pepin, has been running some part of the U.S. food-service industry - from managing the cafeteria at the Wurlitzer jukebox and company to leading Dunkin’ Brands, serving 3 million customers a day around the world. Drawing on lessons learned in that long career, he describes how he overcame organizational inertia and reset the organizational inertia and reset the strategic direction of three of the companies he has led. In each case, he began by identifying the epicenter of the brand, the strategic heartbeat.

There is a trio of titles from Thomas Fleming:

John Adam's for the Defense
Here, from New York Times bestselling author and historian Thomas Fleming, is the surprising and little-known story of the trial that followed the Boston Massacre. John Adams undertook, on the eve of the American Revolution, to defend the hated British soldiers who fired into a mob, killing five. There are echoes of our own times in the events that followed.

The Imperial Congress
Today’s spectacle of an imperial Congress battling the president of the United States – be his name Barack Obama or George Bush – is unsettling to many Americans. But it should not come as a surprise. Since the earliest days of the republic, writes New York Times bestselling historian Thomas Fleming, Congress has sought to seize power for itself and diminish the presidency.

Presidents on Presidents
All American presidents have had things to say about their fellow chief executives. Once in a great while, writes New York Times bestselling historian and novelist Thomas Fleming, their comments were even flattering.

The editors of New Word City have three biographies that are free to download:

Ronald Reagan: A Life
President Ronald Reagan presided over, and had a hand in, many of the major world events of the twentieth century, from the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union to an unprecedented resurgence of the U.S. economy. Called The Great Communicator, he was reticent when it came to the story of his own life. Here’s his inspiring story.

Jack London, A Life
Jack London is best remembered for his novels White Fang and Call of the Wild. But his life was every bit as thrilling and tumultuous as his words. Born the illegitimate son of a San Francisco spiritualist, he went on to be a cannery worker, sailor, gold prospector, war correspondent, and self-made celebrity. And he published 51 books. Here’s his amazing story.

Rudyard Kipling, A Life
One of the greatest of English writers, Rudyard Kipling created a literary world teeming with unforgettable people, animals, moral quandaries, and unforgettable wisdom. But snobbish critics and a misreading of Kipling’s political views have condemned him to decades of undeserved neglect. No more. Here’s the fascinating (and surprising) story of his life.

Free Book - Benjamin Franklin in Paris (K)

Benjamin Franklin in Paris, by Thomas Fleming, is free in the Kindle store courtesy of publisher New Word City; it's only likely to be free for today and possibly tomorrow.

Book Description
Here’s New York Times bestselling historian and novelist Thomas Fleming on how 70-year-old Benjamin Franklin charmed Paris and pulled off a diplomatic miracle that led to the British defeat in the American Revolution.

Free Book - Ronald Reagan's Leadership Lessons (K)

Ronald Reagan's Leadership Lessons is free in the Kindle store courtesy of publisher New Word City; it's only likely to be free for today and possibly tomorrow.

Book Description
Ronald Reagan was a product of America’s heartland, a kid who had a Huck Finn childhood and never lost his aw-shucks, all-American optimism. He moved to Hollywood, became a minor film star, and got involved in politics -- at first on the left. But in the shadow of the 1950s’ anti-communism furor, he moved to the right and began a steady rise to the pinnacle of power. Initially derided as a lightweight, a not-too-bright actor incapable of leading a nation, he proved his detractors wrong. Using extraordinary charm, conviction, communication skills, and stagecraft, Reagan became one of the most beloved, admired, and influential presidents in American history. Here, in this brief eBook, is what you can learn from his story.

Free Book - Robert E. Lee (K)

Robert E. Lee: The Last Cavalier, by Willard Sterne Randall, and Nancy Nahra, is free in the Kindle store, courtesy of New Word City. It's likely to only be free today, as seems to be their new marketing scheme this month.

Book Description
Born the son of a wastrel Revolutionary War hero, Robert E. Lee grew up in genteel poverty, only attending West Point because it was tuition-free. He distinguished himself for valor in the Mexican War. Although he was subsequently offered command of all Union forces in the Civil War, he refused to fight against his fellow Virginians and instead took command of Confederate forces. This fascinating book gives new insight into both Lee’s character and the strategies that ultimately determined the outcome of the Civil War.

Free Book - Dwight Eisenhower, A Life (K)

Dwight Eisenhower, A Life is free in the Kindle store, courtesy of New Word City. It's likely to only be free today, as seems to be their new marketing scheme this month.

Book Description
President Dwight D. Eisenhower is largely remembered as the genial, smiling face of placid 1950s America. But his life and accomplishments - he wrestled with the Cold War, McCarthyism, and school desegregation, among other hot-button issues - tell a far more complex story. Here is his surprising and inspiring story.

Free Book - Margaret Thatcher (K)

Margaret Thatcher: A Life, from The Editors of New Word City, is free in the Kindle store.

Book Description
Margaret Thatcher served as Britain’s Prime Minister for 11 years. She prevailed by the force of her ideas, her iron will, her whip-sharp wit, and the strength of her character. Here’s here inspiring story.

Free Book - Songs of Three Islands (K-UK)

Songs of Three Islands: A Story of Mental Illness in an Iconic American Family (Main/UK), a memoir by Millicent Monks, is free for UK customers in the Kindle store. It won't likely be free for US customers, as this edition is currently geographically restricted; there is a US edition at $9.99, with a different publisher.

Book Description
Millicent Monks was born into one of the most famous families in America; her great-grandfather was the brother of Andrew Carnegie.
Their fabled wealth enabled them to amass great houses and even private islands, but it was a dynasty torn apart by a succession of tragedies: suicide, alcoholism, and extremities of mental illness were passed on from generation to generation.

For the women in the family, the consequences of this legacy have been painful. After a difficult childhood, the author’s daughter was diagnosed at the age of eighteen with what is now known as borderline personality disorder, a debilitating mental illness that was for the parents—in the words of the novelist Sebastian Faulks—"a public shame as well as private devastation." Like all mothers of children afflicted with this condition, Monks suffered from guilt and self-recrimination as she struggled to heal a disease that had no cause but for which she was held responsible.

In the end, through the intervention of a wise Jungian therapist, meditation, and—most important of all—acceptance, the author achieves a self-insight that enables her and her daughter to arrive at a delicate peace. Songs of Three Islands powerfully demonstrates that we are not defined by our inheritance alone.

Free Book - Michelle Obama (K)

Michelle Obama: A Life, by The Editors of New Word City, is free in the Kindle store.

Book Description
First Lady Michelle Obama is one of the most admired, and least understood, women in America. The direct descendent of slaves, she graduated from Princeton University and the Harvard Law School, and she seemed primed for a life of prestige and wealth. Then she left that path for a life of public service and marriage to Barack Obama. Here’s her inspiring story.

Free Book - I Want it Now! (K)

I Want it Now! A Memoir of Life on the Set of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, by Julie Dawn Cole, is free in the Kindle store.

Book Description
In 1970, Julie Dawn Cole was cast as the unforgettable Veruca Salt in the classic motion picture Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder. Since its release in 1971, this epic musical has endured as a favorite of children from around the world with a fan base that encompasses generations of movie goers. With its unforgettable characters, chocolaty landscapes and everlasting music, this charming fairy-tale mixes these ingredients into what has been become a cinematic classic from literary legend Roald Dahl.

Praised by critics worldwide and often featured in broadcasts with other masterpiece musicals, it remains a timeless treasure. Acclaimed film critic Robert Ebert wrote: "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is probably the best film of its sort since The Wizard of Oz. It is everything that family movies usually claim to be, but aren't: Delightful, funny, scary, exciting, and, most of all, a genuine work of imagination."

Julie Dawn Cole has written an enchanting and richly illustrated memoir that offers a rare look behind the stage curtain to this ageless film. Splendidly illustrated with personal letters, never-seen-before photographs and documents; her mesmerizing story chronicles the entire production experience and tells of the remarkable journey of how she became known worldwide as a really bad egg. Filled with countless funny and touching memories, her story takes readers behind-the-scenes of Willy Wonka and the resulting coming of age journey that brought the cast together again after nearly a quarter century. I Want it Now takes readers beyond the world of pure imagination and behind the scenes to this universally cherished motion picture. A true-to-life Charlie Bucket tale, Julie's story is unforgettable...

Free Book - What's Next . . . For You? (K)

What's Next . . . For You?, by Patricia and Robert Gussin, is free in the Kindle store, courtesy of Oceanview Publishing.

Book Description
The incredible story of Robert and Patricia Gussin, two retirees who watched with glee as long, successful careers in science and medicine gave way to writing, publishing, and wine-making.

Much more than a memoir and anything but a how-to-start-a-business manual, this book is a clear, easy-to-understand guide to reinventing yourself from real experts-two people who did it themselves and lived to tell the glorious tale.

Through the engaging, first-person, he said/she said narrative, Robert and Patricia Gussin deliver an inspirational guide filled with advice on why it's never too late to reinvent yourself, and why doing what you love (and loving what you do) is always within reach.

A must-read tale of joyfully switching gears, changing careers, and overcoming paralysis by analysis, take the mystery out of that all-too-common question of how to get from where you are to where you want to be.

Free Book - The Secret Holocaust Diaries (K/N/E)

Update: 1/5/12 Now free from ChristianBook.

The Secret Holocaust Diaries, by Nonna Bannister, Denise George and Carolyn Tomlin, is a repeat freebie in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble and Sony, courtesy of Christian publisher Tyndale House.

Book Description
For half a century, a terrible secret lay hidden, locked in a trunk in an attic . . . photos, official documents, and scraps of a diary written by a young girl.

“The time has come when I must share my life story . . . some facts from the past that could make a contribution, however small it may be, to the history of mankind.”

The Secret Holocaust Diaries is a haunting eyewitness account of Nonna Lisowskaja Bannister, a remarkable Russian-American woman who saw and survived unspeakable evils as a young girl. For half a century she kept her story secret while living a normal American life. She locked all her photos, documents, diaries, and dark memories from World War II in a trunk. Late in life she unlocked the trunk, first for herself, then for her husband, and now for the rest of the world.

Nonna’s story is one of suffering, torture, and death—but also of incredible acts of kindness that show the ultimate triumph of faith and love over despair and evil. The Secret Holocaust Diaries is in part a tragedy, yet it’s also an unforgettable true story about forgiveness, courage, and hope.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Get the free ebook from ChristianBook.
Get the free ebook from Sony.

Free Audiobook - Stories I Only Tell My Friends

I've been listening to the audiobook version of Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography ($12.99 Kindle), by Rob Lowe, and today everyone can get a free copy of it from Audible. This showed up today as a Kindle Special Offer, but there isn't a promo code and no claim is necessary, so all you need is an Audible account (use your Amazon login for this one); I suspect the offer is geographically limited to those in the US and possibly Canada. You can still get the backstory free on Kindle, Socs and Greasers: Behind The Scenes of The Outsiders from Rob Lowe's Stories I Only Tell My Friends.

While you are at Audible, you may also be able to take advantage of their Holiday Relief Sale (some of their sales are limited to those with a subscription plan), which features over 100 audiobooks at $9.95 each, which is less than most of their plan credits. If you don't have a subscription and were thinking of getting one (or were planning on getting a new Kindle Fire or other qualifying device, anyway), you can't go wrong with their $100 Promotion deal; you sign up via the link and within a couple of hours, usually, you get an email with a promotion code that you use during checkout (no one-clicking) on any device listed (which includes Kindles, MP3 players, GPS's, headphones/speakers and even laptops and tablets).

Book Description
A wryly funny and surprisingly moving account of an extraordinary life lived almost entirely in the public eye. A teen idol at 15, an international icon and founder of the Brat Pack at 20, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe chronicles his experiences as a painfully misunderstood child actor in Ohio who was uprooted to the wild counterculture of mid-70s Malibu, where he embarked on his unrelenting pursuit of a career in Hollywood. The Outsiders placed Lowe at the birth of the modern youth movement in the entertainment industry. During his time on The West Wing, he witnessed the surreal nexus of show business and politics, both on the set and in the actual White House. And in between are deft and humorous stories of the wild excesses that marked the 80s, leading to his quest for family and sobriety.

Never mean-spirited or salacious, Lowe delivers unexpected glimpses into his successes, disappointments, relationships, and one-of-a-kind encounters with people who shaped our world over the last 25 years. These stories are as entertaining as they are unforgettable.

Get the free audiobook from Audible.

Free Book - A Dog Named Slugger [UK] (K)

A Dog Named Slugger (Main/UK), by Leigh Brill (Bell Bridge Books), is a repeat freebie for UK Kindle customers and likely to be free for US customers by morning.

Book Description
The true life story of a dog who changed everything for one woman. For the first time in my life, I didn't need to pretend, I didn't need to be tough: I only needed to be honest. "I have cerebral palsy. I walk funny and my balance is bad. I fall a lot. My hands shake, too. That means I'm not so good at carrying things. And if I drop stuff, sometimes it's hard to just bend down and get it." I waited anxiously for the interviewer's response. She smiled. "It sounds like a service dog could be great for you."

So began Leigh Brill's journey toward independence and confidence, all thanks to a trained companion dog named Slugger. The struggling college student and the Labrador with a "a coat like sunshine" and a tail that never stopped wagging became an instant team. Together, they transformed a challenge into a triumph. Together, they inspired and educated everyone they met. Now, Leigh honors her friend with the story of their life, together.

Free Book (Kindle) - 51/50: The Magical Adventures of a Single Life

51/50: The Magical Adventures of a Single Life, a memoir by Kristen McGuiness, is free in the Kindle store, courtesy of Soft Skull Press (Counterpoint).

Book Description
51 dates. 50 weeks. That was the social experiment Kristen McGuiness—single, living in LA, and entering her thirties newly sober—embarked upon. McGuiness thought facing her struggle with alcoholism would be the hardest part, with love coming easily afterwards. It didn’t. Rethinking her previous dating strategy, she embarks on the ultimate social experiment: 51 dates over the course of 50 weeks, and a chance to claim the life she thought was supposed to be hers.

Dodging CHAs (Cheesy Hollywood Actors) and men with self-diagnosed RAD (Relationship Anxiety Disorder), McGuiness is determined to find the "perfect guy" by being the "perfect girl." But McGuiness, like all of us, has her own issues to contend with: a longing for the wrong kind of men, a penchant for swearing, and a difficult relationship with her father in maximum-security prison. But as the year progresses, McGuiness begins to develop a new hope for her future—the dates transform into truth-seeking missions, and point her toward a life with satisfying work, a supportive family and, with the help of a local shaman, a comforting spirituality. Told with wry humor, pathos, and an engaging lack of self-pity, 51/50 is a moving adventure.

Free Book (Kindle) - Bernhard Schlink on Writing ...

The Kindle Edition with Audio/Video of Bernhard Schlink on Writing The Weekend and the Short Story "The Little Fling", by Bernhard Schlink and Shaun Whiteside(Translator), is free in the Kindle store. The non-enhanced edition listed as an alternative is actually the novel, The Weekend, not a non-enhanced version of this same title. Keep in mind that all Kindle devices and apps can read a Kindle Edition with Audio/Video, but only iThings will have access to the enhanced content.

Book Description
Bernhard Schlink is the bestselling author of "The Reader." His new book, "The Weekend," tells the story of a group of people involved in the political upheaval in Germany in the 1970s and how it affects their lives today. In this Vook, he reflects on terror, politics and his writing process. Bernhard's reflections are paired with chapters from the novel to give insight into the history behind the story. As a special bonus at the end of this Vook, read Bernard Schlink's short story "A Little Fling."

The plot of "The Weekend" revolves around a group of old friends and lovers who reunite for a weekend in a secluded country home after spending decades apart. They excavate old memories and pass clandestine judgments on the wildly divergent paths they’ve taken since their youth. But this isn’t just any reunion, and their conversations about the old days aren’t your typical reminiscences: After twenty-four years, Jörg, a convicted murderer and terrorist, has been released from prison. The announcement of his pardon sends shock waves throughout the country, but before the announcement, his friends—some of whom were Baader-Meinhof sympathizers or those who clung to them—gather for his first weekend of freedom.