Amazon's Father's Day Sweepstakes

I missed this one yesterday, but Amazon is having a Father's Day Sweepstakes. You need to enter every day and, today only, you can win a Kindle! All you have to do is visit the Father's Day Sale page and complete an online entry form for one of the Daily Prizes shown (and only one; you can only enter once a day). I'll put a link for the contest on the ad banner on the left, so we'll all be reminded to enter each day thru the 18th. Official rules, here.

There are some good deals on the page, such as the $20 off DEWALT tools special offer. What you may not have found is that there are extra deals for Amazon Moms; but, you don't have to be a Mom (or even in the program) to get the special prices. Included in their specials is a page of books that qualify for an extra 10% off with coupon code BOOK4DAD. I see two books about grilling, on hunting, fishing and foraging, two just on fishing and one book about survival, which should cover about every dad out there, when it comes to interacting with and finding his own food ... unless your's only hunts fast food. In that case, there is a book on Skills and Manners for the Modern Man or perhaps a book about Man's Best Friend (I'm considering
Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You A Better Friend to Your Pet myself, although in the Kindle edition, as we have a new addition to the house, who is now 10 weeks old and just starting with puppy training). If you Dad has a Kindle, of course, you can gift him a book from the the big Amazon Sunshine Deals sale, but you'll have to hurry - it ends this coming Wednesday! If you want to wait to give him the notice until the big day, send the gift using his name, but to your own email address. Then, forward the email to him late Saturday night, so it's in his email that morning (or load the book on his Kindle that night, if you share an account, as I do with my parents).

Amazon has also started their free overnight shipping in Electronics, for selected items, for those who wait until the very last minute to do their ordering (just a hint, though: even with overnight shipping, you generally can't get delivery on the weekends, so don't wait too long).

Win a $250 Gift Card from Amazon

Be sure to head over to Amazon's Facebook page and enter their contest to win a $250 gift card. You'll need a Facebook account and need to click the Like button on their page, then enter your name, email address and a phone number to enter.

Odds of winning are low, of course, but 10 lucky people will win and the one thing they'll all have in common is that they entered the contest, which ends on 6/23/11. Full rules are available HERE.

Holiday Contest Winners (Updated)

I haven't managed to get in contact with all the winners from the big Holiday Giveaway or the last Harlequin book giveaway, so I'm going to list the posts here that contain a winner. If you are the winner, leave your contact info (an email address that I can use to get more info) on either the winning post or here, on this post, so that we can get everything mailed out. Any winner that we can't find by Thursday will get skipped and I'll go down the list (already determined, I generated extras, just in case) until everything is gone.

Winners are announced in the comments of these posts (listed in no particular order):

1. Holiday Giveaways
2. Free Read Roundup
3. 21 Free Pre-Orders & New Releases on Kindle - Act Fast!
4. Free Book (Kindle) - Living for God's Glory
5. Free Book (Kindle/nook) - Marry Me
6. Celebrate Jane Austen's Birthday with Free Books!
7. Bargain Book Roundup - XMAS gifting, Part II
8. Free Book (Kindle) - In Christ Alone
9. Eight Free Books (Kindle)
10. Book Giveaway - A McKaslin Homecoming

Holiday Giveaways

Since it's the holidays and since my loot box is starting to overflow, I'm going to be giving away a number of items over the next couple of weeks. First up, I have three HUGlight Flexible Hands Free Book Lights, all donated by HUGLight. You may remember a while back that they sent some in for me to evaluate; the ones I had set aside for me were all grabbed up by family members to try. Not only can you use these when reading, but anytime you need a hands-free light (such as working on your car or inside a computer). I have three unopened packages that I'm giving away. In addition, HUGLight is giving away some of the lights, some Amazon gift cards and a Kindle, on their Facebook page. All you have to do is LIKE them, then fill out the entry form (only once) and check back on their page now and then.

Next up, I have four of the Smak-Dab Cover Secure Clip for the Kindle DX/2/3, which were donated by Smak-Dab. I was a beta tester for these when the Kindle 3 first came out. I liked them so much that I emailed them and asked if I could have a few to give away. As you can see in the picture, this is just a small clip that is used to secure the cover to your Kindle. I haven't seen much need for this with my DX, as the cover I have is magnetic and stays snugly closed on the back, but if you have the K2 or K3 and any of the clip-in covers, you know that there is a tendency to sometimes try to open the cover the wrong way. This is especially a problem, I've found, with the lighted cover, as I was sticking my fingers between the corner of the Kindle and trying to grab hold of the light to pull it out. With the Smak-Dab in place, not only can I no longer do this, there is no possibility of the cover opening backwards. I actually placed mine on the side, rather than the top, as shown, but it works in either location.

Somewhere along the line, I won two copies of the audio CD version of Little Pink House: A True Story of Defiance and Courage ($29.98; $12.99 Kindle), by Jeff Benedict. So, I'm giving away one copy as a sort of "grand prize".

Book Description
Suzette Kelo was just trying to rebuild her life when she purchased a broken-down Victorian house perched on the waterfront in New London, CT. The house wasn't particularly fancy, but with lots of hard work Suzette was able to turn it into a home that was important to her, a home that represented her new found independence.

Little did she know that the City of New London, desperate to revive its flailing economy, wanted to raze her house and the others like it that sat along the waterfront in order to win a lucrative Pfizer pharmaceutical contract that would bring new business into the city. Kelo and fourteen neighbors flat out refused to sell, so the city decided to exercise its power of eminent domain to condemn their homes, launching one of the most extraordinary legal cases of our time, a case that ultimately reached the United States Supreme Court.

In Little Pink House, award-winning investigative journalist Jeff Benedict takes us behind the scenes of this case -- indeed, Suzette Kelo speaks for the first time about all the details of this inspirational true story as one woman led the charge to take on corporate America to save her home.

I also won two hardcover copies of A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy ($17.99; $9.99 Kindle), by Thomas Buergenthal, and I'm giving away one of those, as well.

Book Description
Thomas Buergenthal, now a Judge in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, tells his astonishing experiences as a young boy in his memoir A LUCKY CHILD. He arrived at Auschwitz at age 10 after surviving two ghettos and a labor camp. Separated first from his mother and then his father, Buergenthal managed by his wits and some remarkable strokes of luck to survive on his own. Almost two years after his liberation, Buergenthal was miraculously reunited with his mother and in 1951 arrived in the U.S. to start a new life.

Now dedicated to helping those subjected to tyranny throughout the world, Buergenthal writes his story with a simple clarity that highlights the stark details of unimaginable hardship. A LUCKY CHILD is a book that demands to be read by all.

There are also 12 harlequin books in the box, four of which are now spoken for (the winners will be notified soon).

So, how do you enter? Just make a comment (preferably one that pertains to the post) on any post. Including this one. There will be another post just for the harlequin books, as I know that they are not everyone's cup of tea, and the winners of those will be chosen only from the commenters on that post. I'm going back to the beginning of this month, so those who've been active commenters before get a few extra chances. I'll start drawing names at random later this week and I want to try to get everything given away by the middle of next month, so the winners can have at least one unexpected gift under their tree.

Be sure to also enter Amazon's new contest to win one of thirty $100 Kindle Gift Cards, on their Facebook page. They are giving away one gift card each day from Black Friday until Christmas, but you only need to enter a single time.

If you are anywhere that Ruby Tuesday has a restaurant, they are giving away a free appetizer to anyone that likes them on Facebook and enters their email info on this page. I signed up for mine this morning and it's already arrived!

Great Deals on Magazines PLUS Win One of 30 Kindles

Just in time for holiday giving, Amazon has dropped the price of many of their print magazine subscriptions, with some as low as $4.95/year. Be sure to click on each category, including More Discounted Magazines, as some of the multi-year deals (such as the 2 year subscription to Organic Gardening at $18.84) are located there. I also found discounts on many magazine product pages that are not highlighted on the deals page, so be sure to check out your favorites; you may not want to subscribe to Dish (a high end food magazine going for $111.58/year), but Cooking Light (one of my favorites) is discounted to $12/year.

Amazon has also added an additional incentive to order early this year, as they are also giving away 30 Kindles this month (one for each day of the week, although each entry period runs for several days). You can enter up to five times a day and each print magazine subscription is a single entry, so space those orders out, if you were going to buy more than one (you can also enter by mail, with no purchase necessary). You can use the Amazon subscriptions to buy for yourself, including extending an existing subscription, or give as a gift to someone else (complete with a gift card to print out to give to the recipient).

Magazines Kindle-A-Day Giveaway

Amazon is giving away 30 Kindles for the month of November, and when you subscribe to a print magazine at Amazon.com, you're automatically entered for a chance to win. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Ends 11/30/10. See official rules.

Book Giveaway - A McKaslin Homecoming

Harlequin has one again shipped me several books to give away. This time, it's A McKaslin Homecoming (out of print), by Jillian Hart. I have four copies to give away, so leave a comment to get into the drawing. As with the last one, tweet the giveaway, post it on your blog or facebook (or put in your newsletter, if you have one) and you get an extra entry. Leave a new message for each and an email address that I can use to contact you if you win.

Book Description
When contacted by her long-lost grandmother, Lauren McKaslin wanted to reconnect--with all the warmhearted Montana McKaslins. For too long, she'd relied solely on herself and her faith. But mistrustful lawman Caleb Stone stood in the way, and his questions about her were intimidating. Was his attention more than a protective instinct? Now that she believed in family again, perhaps this was also the time to believe in true love.

Free Book (Contest) - The Second Coming

If you missed getting a copy of The Second Coming, by David H. Burton, last month, you have a chance to get it free today. The first 10 commenters (and there are already a couple) on this blog post get it free (not here, click the link!).

Book Description
Five hundred years have passed since the Earth shifted on its axis - a catastrophic event that wiped out civilization and released the powers of the dead back to Earth. With technology long abandoned, a dark age has shrouded our world once more. Travel to a future of blood sacrifice, demons, witchcraft, and an immoral God that has returned to reclaim his former dominion.

The Second Coming is the first novel in the Words of the Prophecy series.

Free Book and a Contest at Kobo

As a reader pointed out, you can pick up The Scent of Shadows, by Vicki Pettersson, free at KoboBooks in (DRM'd) EPUB format. It isn't the "Free" edition from Amazon, though, so no bonus material, however, you can download it today and start reading.

Book Description
When she was sixteen, Joanna Archer was brutally assaulted and left to die in the Nevada desert.

By rights, she should be dead.

Now a photographer by day, she prowls a different Las Vegas after sunset—a grim, secret Sin City where Light battles Shadow—seeking answers to whom or what she really is . . . and revenge for the horrors she was forced to endure.

But the nightmare is just beginning—for the demons are hunting Joanna, and the powerful shadows want her for their own . . .

Kobo is also running a contest to win one of 10 Kobo eReaders. Every book purchased during the contest period gets you an entry (remember, they are a Canadian company, so the rules may be a bit different than found at US companies).

CONTEST DETAILS

Duration: Next 2 weeks only (April 22nd - May 6th)

Two weekly draws to be held on the following dates:

* First draw with 5 eReaders available to be won(one per winner): April 29th
* Second draw with 5 eReaders available to be won (one per winner): May 6th

1 eBook Purchase = 1 contest entry

Every eBook you buy is one entry to WIN!

All the official rules can be found HERE, but essentially all you do is buy the books you would have anyway (remember, Kobo's books are not Kindle compatible), up to six entries per person. Since the rules specify clicking on the "Buy Now" button, this and other free books won't count (unless they bring back coupon, which it does not appear they will do, due to the agency model forced upon them by publishers).

Free Travel Guides from Lonely Planet

Download the Lonely Planet Travel Guides iPhone/iPad app from Lonely Planet and get the San Francisco City Guide (valued at $15.99) and the Mexican Spanish Phrasebook (valued at $9.99) for free. In addition, as a Volcano Relief effort to assist those stuck in Europe with grounded flights, they are giving away city guides to 13 European destinations (offer valid thru Thursday, April 22), which normally sell for $15.99 each.

In response to the widespread chaos caused by the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano, Lonely Planet is offering 13 of its European iPhone guides free.

‘Travellers stuck in unfamiliar places need access to practical information as well as suggestions on what to do whilst stranded’, said Tom Hall, Lonely Planet Travel Editor. ‘That’s why we’re giving away iPhone city guides to major affected destinations.’

The cities included are:

• Amsterdam
• Barcelona
• Berlin
• Budapest
• Copenhagen
• Istanbul
• London
• Moscow
• Munich
• Paris
• Rome
• Stockholm
• Vienna

If you doing a bit of traveling, you might want to check out their website. If nothing else, you might want to sign up for their contest to win a free trip around the world.

Win a $1,000 Gift Card from Amazon

Sign up to receive emails from the Amazon Clothing Store and you can win a $1,000 Gift Card at Amazon. The only "catch" is that you can only use it on goods and ebooks sold directly by Amazon, so many of the ebooks available for Kindle won't qualify, due to the new Agency Model, where they are being sold by the publisher instead. Then again, there are lots of other things at Amazon that do qualify, including the Kindle itself.

Amazon Clothing's $1000 Gift Card Sweepstakes Official Rules

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPSTAKES. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

...Eligibility. If you are an individual legal resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia and are 18 or older at the time of entry, you are eligible to enter the Sweepstakes...

How to Enter. You may enter the Sweepstakes beginning at 12:00:01 a.m. (PST) on April 15, 2010 and ending at 11:59:59 p.m. (PST) on May 31, 2010 (the "Sweepstakes Period").... Limit one entry per e-mail address.

...Prize. We will award a total of 1 prize during the Sweepstakes Period, consisting of a $1,000 Amazon.com Gift Certificate ("GC"). The total approximate retail value of the prize is $1,000. You may only use the GC for purchases of eligible goods on Amazon.com.

Read the rest of the rules and enter the contest HERE.

Contest Winners - Marrying for King's Millions

Thanks to random.org, I have winners for the extra copies of Marrying for King's Millions ($3.40 Kindle), by Maureen Child, that Harlequin sent. I've sent emails to the winners and will mail out the books early next week. Congratulations to:

Marilee

Alisa K

Stacy

Eliss

Book Description
Wed and bed one of his biggest client's unsavory daughters? No thanks. But the only way millionaire Travis King could get the man off his back was to marry someone else. So he handpicked his temporary and on-his-terms bride--hometown girl Julie O'Hara. The woman was desperate and should easily fade into the background. And, as per their contract, she'd do exactly what he wanted during their year of platonic marriage. Unless what he wanted began to change...

Book Giveaway - Marrying for King's Millions

Harlequin has once again sent me a surprise package: five paperback copies of Marrying for King's Millions (out of print; $3.40 Kindle), by Maureen Child.

So, I have four copies that I will mail out to four lucky readers (I've already read the remaining copy and will pass it on locally). I'll draw names from those who comment on this post. I'll keep the contest open until midnight (US/EDT) March 15, 2010. Be sure to leave me an EMAIL address that can be used to contact you (I'll need a real mailing address later on for the winners, but don't leave that here in the comments). If you subscribe on the Kindle or mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook or your own blog, leave a separate comment for each one, to get multiple entries.

Book Description
Wed and bed one of his biggest client's unsavory daughters? No thanks. But the only way millionaire Travis King could get the man off his back was to marry someone else. So he handpicked his temporary and on-his-terms bride--hometown girl Julie O'Hara. The woman was desperate and should easily fade into the background. And, as per their contract, she'd do exactly what he wanted during their year of platonic marriage. Unless what he wanted began to change...

Winners - The Cowboy's Christmas Miracle

Thanks to all who entered the contest for a paperback copy of The Cowboy's Christmas Miracle and to those who have left comments over the last few days. I've consulted random.org and these are the winners of the four copies of the book that I have.

#5 Linda
#13 susan
#3 Arlene
#16 Deedles

However, I could not find an email address for all four of you. So would Linda the Librarian and Susan, please leave a comment here with an email address. I'll then send you a private message and get your mailing address.

Congratulations, again!

Book Giveaway - The Cowboy's Christmas Miracle

In the post on Christmas Eve was an unexpected package from Harlequin - five paperback copies of The Cowboy's Christmas Miracle ($3.60 Kindle), by Raeanne Thayne. Included was a Christmas card and a letter encouraging me to give away the extra copies.

So, I have four copies that I will mail out to four lucky readers (I'll keep one to read). Since there are (to my surprise) more than four of you out there, I'll draw names from those who comment on this post. I'll keep the contest open thru the end of the year and have the drawing on January 1st, 2010. Anyone who comments between now and midnight (US/EDT) December 31, 2009, is eligible. Be sure to leave me an EMAIL address that can be used to contact you (since I'll need a real mailing address later on -- don't leave that here in the comments). If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook or subscribe on the Kindle, leave a separate comment for each one, to get multiple entries.

Book Description
Christmas was tough for widow Jenna Wheeler and her four children. But even though she'd sold part of her family's land to make ends meet, she was determined to spin the holiday into the stuff of magic—no matter what it took. Now if she could only find a job….

Maybe her new landlord could oblige—gorgeous, child-averse Carson McRaven. He needed a chef, and he knew the lovely Jenna could do a bang-up job—if only she could keep her brood out of his hair. But as he found himself catapulted into the cheerful chaos of her family…not to mention Jenna's arms… he learned more about the spirit of Christmas than he'd ever dreamed.

12 Days of Christmas (Music) Contest at Amazon

Amazon is giving away 12 prize packages in their 12 Days of Christmas Music Contest, each one selected by a different musical artist/group. They also are having one or more of the artist's CD's on sale the day that they are featured; today it is A Cherry Cherry Christmas, by Neil Diamond, for $8.99. on CD or as an MP3 Download

Every day's entry is different, so I've put up a link to the contest in the top banner, so you (and I) can find it each day to enter. The contest started yesterday (you can still enter that day's contest) and continues through through Thursday, December 17.

Free Audiobooks - Sweet Talk & Chivalry

I've tracked down two free audiobooks you can get from Audible.com and a contest where you can enter to win third. First, the free books:

Chivalry, by Neil Gaiman, a live reading recorded for volume 18 of Selected Shorts: Lots of Laughs! (full audiobook $18.48 Audio CD; $19.60/$7.49 Audible), a collection of short stories. This is an unabridged version, but of only Gaiman's story and only 27 minutes long. Make sure you log into your Audible.com account
first, then click HERE to get the free download.

Publisher's Summary
A delicious tale of an elderly British matron who buys the Holy Grail at a rummage sale.

Selected Shorts is an award-winning series of classic and contemporary short fiction read by acclaimed actors. The readings are recorded live at Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City. The Selected Shorts radio series is a co-production of Symphony Space and WNYC, New York Public Radio, and is heard on public radio stations nationwide.

The second is a full book, Sweet Talk ($5.04 Kindle) by Susan Mallery. This one comes to you courtesy of Lion Brand Yarns, giving you something to listen to while you knit.

Book Description
Don't ask Claire Keyes. The twenty-eight-year-old piano prodigy has never had a regular boyfriend, much less a real romance. Her music career has left little room for friends or family—which is just part of the reason she hasn't seen the family bakery or her two sisters in years.

But now Nicole is sick, and Jesse is AWOL. Despite the fact that Claire can't boil water, she's determined to play caretaker. Connecting with her sisters tops her to-do list…along with falling in love, or at least in lust, for the first time.

Ruggedly sexy Wyatt just might fit the bill. Although he keeps saying that he and Claire come from entirely different worlds, he lights up hotter than a bakery oven whenever Claire is near. If this keeps up, she just might sweet—talk him into her bed…and her life.

Click HERE for your free download.

Finally, a contest where you can get the audiobook (CD format) of Right on the Money: Financial Advice for Tough Times. ($9.99 Kindle; $17.24 Audio CD) by Pat Robertson.

Book Description
You know that Pat Robertson is a world-famous televangelist, but did you know that he's also an expert in financial matters? In his weekly broadcast segment, "Money Monday", Dr. Robertson answers viewers' questions about all things financial. His deep knowledge of finance, based on sound economic - and Biblical - principles, has made him a "go to" resource for hundreds of thousands of CBN viewers.
Now he has written a book that is accessible to everyone and provides answers people desperately need in today's tough times.
Among the topics he addresses are how to:
* Create a healthy financial plan
* Devise spending strategies tohelp you live within your budget
* Identify areas where your money can grow
* Build a nestegg
* Maximize your tax savings
* Cut costs
* Diminish your debt
* Invest wisely
* Make prudent financial decisions
* Plan for the future
* Enjoy peace of mind and God's financial protection

RIGHT ON THE MONEY also includes a financial glossary, worksheets and a special section of the most frequently asked questions & answers about keeping what you have and growing your personal net worth.

For your chance at a free copy of the audiobook, leave a comment on J. Kaye's Book Blog.

Free Ebook: Snow Angel

Enter to win the B&H Publishing Group "Romance that Warms the Heart" contest and get a free (PDF) copy of Jamie Carie's Snow Angel ($9.99 for the Kindle edition)!

In honor of the biscuit scenes in Wind Dancer and Snow Angel, B&H Publishing Group is offering a Deluxe Breakfast Sampler from Cracker Barrel to one lucky winner! This $105.00 value prize includes:

Four (3 to 4 oz.) Country Ham Steaks
Two 1 lb. packages of Country Bacon
12 oz. bottle of 100% Pure Natural Syrup
28 oz. jar of Cracker Barrel Apple Butter
One 16 oz. pkg. Cracker Barrel Premium Coffee
Two (28 oz.) jars of Cracker Barrel Fried Apples
5 lb. bag of Cracker Barrel Grits
1 lb. Country Ham Biscuit Cut
1 lb. Country Pepper Coated Bacon, sliced
Two (2 lb.) boxes of Cracker Barrel Pancake Mix

All contest entrants will also receive Jamie Carie's award-winning debut novel Snow Angel as a free digital download. Enter the contest here.

Free Ebook, Audiobook and Win a Kindle Contest

Scot Blum is giving away, for a limited time, either a text or audio copy of his book Summer's Path. Several formats are available, including DOC and RTF, so you should be able to convert this one for the Kindle or other reader, as well as read it on your computer or listen on your iPod. As if that were not enough, once you've downloaded the book you can enter his contest to win both an Amazon Kindle and a credit for 65 books. He has a new book, Waiting for Autumn, coming out in April (the preorder for the Kindle Edition is not yet active), but this first book is not available at Amazon, so download it while you can.

Summer's Path is the remarkable story of Don Newport, an engineer that comes face to face with his personal destiny under extraordinary circumstances. After losing his job and his health insurance, Don learns he has a terminal disease with only a few months left to live. On his death bed, he meets Robert, a brazen angel of death that promises to help Don with a graceful exit. As Don prepares to say his last goodbyes to his loving wife, Robert attempts to change Don's perspective about his mortality and proposes an exceptionally unique option.

Robert leads Don through an astounding meditation of life and death and reveals various healing and spiritual concepts including walk-ins, embodiment and soul destiny. On this magical journey of self realization, Don discovers that it's never too late to learn profound life lessons about ourselves and our loved ones.

Kindle Lotto - Score a Kindle by Christmas!

As previously reported, here and practically everywhere on the internet, Amazon's Kindle is sold out until February of next year, if you want a new one. When I posted about the refurbished Kindles over the weekend, a number of people were able to get one (several have them already in hand) and the stock on those sold out on Monday morning. But, don't give up. First, go ahead and place and order for a new Kindle - you can always cancel it if you manage to either win a Kindle in a contest or luck into one of the refurbished units. And here is where you must play the game to win: there have been several "new" refurbished units sold at Amazon after they "sold out" on Monday. As new refurbished Kindles are released end for sale (cleaned, tested and repackaged to look identical to new stock, at least as reported by those who have received theirs this week), they are added back to the web site. But they don't stay there for very long.

To "win" one of these refurbished Kindles, you must frequently check the status on the web site. To jump directly to the listing for the refurbished units and skip the long download times for the entire Kindle description page, bookmark this blog and use the [Check Availability of Refurbished Kindles at Amazon] at the top of the page (or use this address: http://www.tinyurl.com/RefurbKindle), then quickly order when one is in stock. The best way to do this is to set up one-click buying, as that way your order goes through immediately upon clicking the button - no need to log in, select a method of shipping, pick a credit card, etc. Of course, that may lead to a few inadvertent orders, so use this setting with care and consider turning it back off once you have secured your Kindle.

When's the best time to play? That remains unclear -- Amazon is on the west coast and those who've lucked into a unit so far have posted during the day or late in the evening, at least as far as east coast time. Checking first thing in the morning on the east coast is a good idea, but new stock may be posted at any time during the day (which at this time of year, is practically until midnight on the west cost). It's unlikely many will pop up on the weekends, but Saturday see have some stock now and then.

What if you don't want to play Kindle Lotto, but still want to surprise someone with a Kindle this year? Consider ordering a new Kindle and then putting a copy of the order and a printout of the Kindle description page inside an envelope for Christmas. Then buy a couple of paper books, to tide the lucky recipient over until it arrives, along with an Amazon gift certificate so that he or she can start shopping for bargains and favorites (this can be done anytime after your account recognizes that you have a Kindle, even if it isn't registered yet). You could do all this and throw in a nice evening out for dinner and still spend less than the used Kindles being sold in the Amazon Marketplace or on eBay (even if never opened, if you don't buy it direct from Amazon, I would not expect to receive the same warranty or return policy). Good luck!

Win a Kindle!

The refurbished Kindles are now out of stock over at Amazon (although you never know when they'll get more in; as new ones are released, the Amazon allows orders, then takes down the listing when they are sold out). Now, your only chance to get a new Kindle for Christmas seems to be a very overpriced one on eBay or to win one. There are several contests going currently and one of the latest is the Holiday Hell Contest, which is counting down with 12 days of prizes. There is a new prize every day, so be sure to check back daily to win. At the end of the 12 days, they will be giving away two Kindles. Make sure you enter both of the Kindle drawings (details here), as entering the daily contests is a separate entry from the Kindle contest.