Book Reviews and Bargain reads for the Amazon Kindle, nook, Kobo, Sony and other ereaders, Kindle Fire, nookColor, Kobo Vox, and other tablets, along with some games, music, technology and computers tossed in now and then.
Getting Sassy, by D.C. Brod, is free on Kindle (repeat) and from Barnes & Noble (new).Book DescriptionGet the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
With her nearly broke and practically homeless mother about to land on her doorstep, Robyn Guthrie learns that desperation can play havoc with a daughter’s scruples. Otherwise, why would she even consider kidnapping a goat and holding it for ransom?
50 Ways to Hex Your Lover, the first title in the Jazz Tremaine series by Linda Wisdom, is a repeat freebie in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble. You can also get the next three in the series at bargain prices right now (at least, you can at Amazon:Book DescriptionGet the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Jazz can't decide whether to scorch him with a fireball or jump into bed with him.
Jasmine Tremaine, a witch who can't stay out of trouble.
Nikolai Gregorivich, a drop-dead gorgeous vampire cop on the trail of a serial killer.
The sizzling love affair between Jazz and Nick has been off-again, on-again-for about 300 years. Mostly off, lately. But now Nick needs Jazz's help, and while Jazz and Nick try to figure out their own hearts and resist their ever-increasing attraction, they must steer clear of a maniacal killer with super-supernatural powers. They are surrounded by a hilarious cast of oddball paranormal characters, including Irma, the chain-smoking ghost who haunts Jazz's sports car, Dweezil, her ghoul of a boss, and Fluff and Puff, a pair of bunny slippers with sharp teeth and short tempers (watch your ankles)!
Blame It on the Mistletoe ($9.99 Kindle), the fourth and latest title in the Bright's Pond series by Joyce Magnin, is free from Barnes & Noble and ChristianBook, courtesy of Christian publisher Abingdon Press.Book DescriptionGet the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Is There Really a Fountain of Youth in Paradise?
Welcome back to Bright 's Pond, where strange happenings are afoot at the Greenbrier Nursing Home. Strange even for Bright 's Pond. The residents suddenly act like kids again riding trikes, climbing trees, and of all things falling in love. Some of the townsfolk blame it on the crooked new gazebo, or its builder, a quirky little man who quotes Don Quixote, collects water from the fountain at the Paradise trailer park, and disappears on a regular basis.
While Chief of Police Mildred Blessing investigates the mystery, Griselda and her friends deal with a luau Thanksgiving, preparations for the Christmas pageant, and maybe even an upcoming wedding. Only, in Bright 's Pond, nothing ever really goes as planned . . .
Goy Crazy (US/DE/UK), by Melissa Schorr, is free in the Kindle store.Book Description
Rachel Lowenstein can't help it. She's got a massive crush on a goy: Luke Christensen, the gorgeous star of the basketball team at St. Joseph's prep.
But as the name implies, he's not exactly in Rachel's tribe. Rachel just knows her parents would never approve.
Then Rachel's Jewish grandmother issues a stern edict--"Don't go with the goyim!"-- sealing Rachel's fate and presenting her with a serious dilemma.
Everyone's got an opinion--from her annoying neighbor Howard to her newly social-climbing best friend. Should Rachel follow her heart and turn her back on her faith? Or should she heed her family's advice and try and find a nice Jewish boy?
With an unforgettable cast of characters and razor-sharp wit, Melissa Schorr's debut novel is an engaging comedy about a girl's decision to go goy crazy.
The Tiny Fork Diet (Main/UK), by Lord Alan Sugar, is free for UK customers in the Kindle store. This is a single chapter (#7) from The Way I See It (US/UK), but you can't get it as a sample (the sample doesn't even give you all of chapter one).Book Description
Alan Sugar is back, and this time he's taking on the world in this entertaining, opinionated and funny new book. You'll learn what he thinks of over-priced poncy restaurants and discover his latest weight-loss regime, the Tiny Fork Diet. He explains why would-be entrepreneurs should stop moaning, reveals the secrets of his own success and explains why today's health and safety culture is stifling business, as well as being an insult to our intelligence. He also insists we should stop spouting jargon and speak plain English, tells us what's wrong with teenagers and why he respects Katie Price more than most celebrities.
Crammed full of brilliant stories, amusing rants and sound advice, The Way I See It is Lord Sugar's last word on life, the universe and everything from the nation's favourite straight-talking businessman.
Birthday surprise!Afton of Margate Castle (Theyn Chronicles #1)
Beautiful, headstrong Afton is taken from her parents at an early age and raised in the castle, a companion to the earl’s daughter. Schooled in the ways of kings and surrounded by splendor, Afton falls in love with the earl’s son, brave, Calhoun, her childhood protector.
But Calhoun’s mother, the Lady Endeline, has much different plans for him than marriage to a villein’s daughter. Suddenly Afton’s world is torn viciously apart. She is cast out of the castle, given to a man she fears and despises as a reward for his loyalty—an all too clear reminder that, for all her dreams, she is nothing but a villein.
Now all she has left is a burning desire for vengeance . . .
Roanoke: The Lost Colony (Keepers of the Ring #1)
In 1587, a fleet of English ships set sail for the Virginia colony. During a storm, one ship became separated from the others and was never seen again. The settlers on board were presumed lost at sea, but there is both historical and legendary evidence that the colonists actually founded the Roanoke colony.
Veteran novelist Hunt ("Theyn Chronicles") reimagines this slice of Colonial history through the eyes of Jocelyn White, a newlywed reluctant to leave her home in England for the wild shores of the New World. White's journey is fraught with danger, but her dependence on God and God's providence carry her safely through. Hunt's engaging historical romance will appeal to fans of B.J. Hoff and Patricia Hickman. Recommended for most collections.
Then Comes Marrisge (novella)
This humorous novella looks at a young couple who reaches their first anniversary to discover that marriage is not what they anticipated. They are forced to take a close and sobering look at their own behavior, at their marriage--and what marriage is really all about. A light-hearted AND serious look at the roller coaster ride of marriage.
The Case of the Mystery Mark (Nicki Holland Mysteries #1)
Strange things are happening at Pine Grove Middle School. Ever since the new girl came to Pine Grove Middle School, Nicki Holland and her friends have witnessed vandalism, dog-napping, stolen papers, and threatening notes. Is there a connection? Nicki and her friends want to find out before something terrible happens to one of them!
A Married Man's Guide To Christmas, by Robert Henry, is free in the Kindle store.Book Description
In the great tradition of guy-humor everywhere, here comes humorist Robert Henry’s growling, good-hearted rant about holiday madness, A MARRIED MAN’S GUIDE TO CHRISTMAS. Henry reveals the truth about Christmas through the eyes of a typical married man. “Remember, it’s not how you celebrate the joyous season. It’s whether you are still alive, married, sleeping indoors, with a healthy prostate, and without a rap sheet on January 4th that counts.”
Husbands will laugh out loud. Dads will slap their knees and keel over (have CPR ready). Wives, daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts, female co-workers and sales clerks who dread seeing men mumble and mutter their way through the Christmas section at BIG BOX DISCOUNT WAREHOUSE will nod in recognition at the syndrome best described as “CAN I SURVIVE UNTIL NEW YEAR’S?”
A Married Man’s Guide To Christmas is a must for every guy who wants the women in his life to understand why he’d rather buy them gift certificates than brave the treacherous online world of lingerie catalogs. Why have just a joyous season, when you can have a Christmas filled with laughs that don’t include finding pictures of Uncle Herbert in a teddy?
Irreverent, honest, and biodegradable, Robert Henry has captured the essence of the holiday season for all men in A Married Man’s Guide To Christmas. So grab it today for all the beleaguered males on your Xmas list and all the long-suffering females who just want the lights strung on the front porch by Christmas Eve, the honey-do list completed before Aunt Sookie arrives with her flatulent Pekinese, and that expensive bottle of Scotch left mostly full until the tinsel is hung, the presents are wrapped, and the home owner’s association has accepted your apology for spelling out a less-than-jolly greeting in solar-powered candy canes on your front lawn.
Skipped Parts, the first title in the GroVont Trilogy by Tim Sandlin, is a repeat freebie in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble and Sony. Right now, you can also pick up the next title in the series, Sorrow Floats, for $1.64 (Kindle) and the third, Social Blunders, for $6.76 (Kindle; $6.56 KoboSkipped PartsGet the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Banished to the hinterlands of Wyoming, rebellious Lydia Callahan and her thirteen-year-old son Sam have no choice but to cope. But while Lydia drinks and talks to the moose head on the wall, Sam finds a friend in local girl Maurey Pierce.
One of the wildest, raunchiest, most heartfelt coming-of-age novels of the past thirty years, Skipped Parts puts Tim Sandlin in the upper echelon of contemporary comic novelists.
Sorrow Floats
One of five men could be Sam Callahan's father. Is knowing the truth worth the havoc he'll cause trying to find out?
Laid low by divorce-the result of an endless stream of poor choices-Sam decides it's time he met his dad. But his quest to meet the men and discover the truth does more than just shake up the five likely suspects-it pretty much napalms the lives of everyone he meets.
Social Blunders
One of five men could be Sam Callahan's father. Is knowing the truth worth the havoc he'll cause trying to find out?
Laid low by divorce-the result of an endless stream of poor choices-Sam decides it's time he met his dad. But his quest to meet the men and discover the truth does more than just shake up the five likely suspects-it pretty much napalms the lives of everyone he meets.
A**holeology, by Steven B. Green, Dennis Lavalle and Chris Illuminati, is free in the Kindle store.Book DescriptionGet the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Steve Carrell--the Pretend Asshole
Ari Gold--the Hollywood Asshole
Simon Cowell--the Trying-Too-Hard Asshole
Mickey Rourke--the Reformed Asshole
Barney Stintson--the True Asshole
To truly be an asshole is an art form. It requires the perpetrator to be cocky yet quietly confident, snide as well as sincere, sneaky while in your face. Better men than most have failed miserably. That's why there's this guide--the first book to walk you through the tricks of the trade and the numerous benefits the attitude reaps.
You will find essential information on how to sharpen your prick skills. Whether you're way too over-the-top and need to tone it down, or are a shy wallflower who needs to turn it up, this book is your crash course in assholeology. You will now be able to get everything you ever wanted--in work, love, and life--by being an asshole.
It's every guy's handbook on how to be an asshole, without getting a black eye.
Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids, by Rob Elliott, is free in the Kindle store.Book DescriptionGet the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
What happens to race car drivers when they eat too much? They get indy-gestion. Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids provides children ages 7-10 many hours of fun and laughter. Young readers will have a blast sharing this collection of hundreds of one-liners, knock knock jokes, tongue twisters, and more with their friends and family! This brand new book will have children rolling on the floor with laughter and is sure to be a great gift idea for any child.
Tales from the Drunk Diet, by Luc Carl, is free to pre-order in the Kindle store. Although it's an excerpt from a larger volume, it appears that an effort has been made to make it self-contained (rather than just a set number of samples), although we won't be sure until it is released the first week of January.Book Description
An excerpt taken straight from Lüc Carl’s upcoming memoir, The Drunk Diet: How I Lost 40 Pounds…Wasted, a beer-soaked tale of a long-haired, leather-clad rock ’n roll party-maker who transformed a whiskey-and-5:00AM cheeseburger lifestyle into a wildly successful weight-loss regime.
Full of charismatic wit and insane stories about his life, this excerpt is a mix of memoir and advice: laugh and be inspired while he takes you along on his hilarious journey to become healthier and fitter, and live vicariously through a guy who likes to have a good time, ALL the time (even if that now means running 8 miles a day).
There are eleven free humor/cartoon calendars in the Kindle store today, all of which can be viewed on any Kindle device. I've pulled one up on both the Kindle 3G and an Android tablet and they are black-and-white pencil drawings, and work equally well on both devices. All are from Andrews McMeel Publishing and the artists include Jonny Hawkins, Ross and Kathy Petras. Grab one or two or grab them all; put a different one on each Kindle or the same one on all you have. In any case, there shouldn't be any excuse not to be enlightened, inspired or cheered up every day of the next year, depending on your selection. If these eleven don't do it for you, though, they also have another fourteen more on sale for 99 cents each (and four at $5.59).
The Funniest Cop Stories Ever, by Tom Philbin and Scott Baker, is free in the Kindle store (and marked down to $1.99 at Barnes & Noble).Book Description
Cops are the people who see and hear it all. They work at one of the world's most dangerous jobs, but it's also one of the most entertaining. When their lives are at risk¿and even when they aren't¿cops encounter constant weirdness and stupidity in human behavior. The Funniest Cop Stories Ever collects the strangest, most amusing stories about stupid crooks, bungled crimes, and station-house banter. A true look at what life is like behind the badge, the tales in The Funniest Cop Stories Ever were collected by real-life ex-New York City policeman Scott Baker and coauthor Tom Philbin. Anecdotes are told by the real-life cops who experienced them and include:
A foot chase after a dwarf who karate-kicked his girlfriend's door and assaulted her while wearing a tuxedo and carrying a violin case.
A beggar who ended people's pay phone calls so he could demand their extra spare change.
A narcotics bust on a guy who claimed the crack cocaine¿and his pants¿didn't belong to him.
Is It Good for the Jews?: More Stories from the Old Country and the New ($9.90 Kindle), by Adam Biro and Catherine Tihanyi, is this month's free book from The University of Chicago Press.Book DescriptionSign up for the free book from the University of Chicago. You'll need to enter your email address, then check your email for the link to download the book. Mine arrived within seconds -- you get a .ACSM file, which, when opened, will load the PDF book inside of Adobe ADE. This is a DRM'd PDF and is not compatible with the Kindle.
“Jewish stories,” writes Adam Biro, “resemble every people’s stories.” Yet at the same time there is no better way to understand the soul, history, millennial suffering, or, crucially, the joys of the Jewish people than through such tales—“There’s nothing,” writes Biro, “more revelatory of the Jewish being.”
With Is It Good for the Jews? Biro offers a sequel to his acclaimed collection of stories Two Jews on a Train. Through twenty-nine tales—some new, some old, but all finely wrought and rich in humor—Biro spins stories of characters coping with the vicissitudes and reverses of daily life, while simultaneously painting a poignant portrait of a world of unassimilated Jewish life that has largely been lost to the years. From rabbis competing to see who is the most humble, to the father who uses suicide threats to pressure his children into visiting, to three men berated by the Almighty himself for playing poker, Biro populates his stories with memorable characters and absurd—yet familiar—situations, all related with a dry wit and spry prose style redolent of the long tradition of Jewish storytelling.
A collection simultaneously of foibles and fables, adversity and affection, Is It Good for the Jews? reminds us that if in the beginning was the word, then we can surely be forgiven for expecting a punch line to follow one of these days.
I asked over in the B&N forums if today's Nook Daily Find was going to be fixed (since it isn't a deal, at all) and the only result was that I can't even find my question was in the forums (which are a pain to navigate) and they haven't updated the NDF page or the book's price. A reader commented, though, that she thought that Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government ($8.59 Kindle; $3.30 B&N), by P. J. O'Rourke, was supposed to be today's Daily Find -- there is, at least, a bargain price on it. Don't ask me, though, how she found this was "supposed" to be it, as the book I posted earlier is still featured on the B&N Nook page, the main home page (as an ad) and on the NDF official page.Book Description
Called “an everyman’s guide to Washington” (The New York Times), P. J. O’Rourke’s savagely funny and national bestseller Parliament of Whores has become a classic in understanding the workings of the American political system. Originally written at the end of the Reagan era, this new edition includes an extensive foreword by the renowned political writer Andrew Ferguson—showing us that although the names and the players have changed, the game is still the same. Parliament of Whores is an exuberant, broken-field run through the ethical foibles, pork barrel flimflam, and bureaucratic bungling inside the Beltway that leaves no sacred cow unskewered and no politically correct sensitivities unscorched.
A Modern Witch ($0.99 US/UK), by Debora Geary, is self-published, full-length novel and on sale for today only (at least, that's what the author has planned), as a Halloween special.Book Description
Can you live 28 years without discovering you're a witch?
Lauren is downtown Chicago's youngest elite realtor. She's also a witch. She must be - the fetching spell for Witches' Chat isn't supposed to make mistakes. So says the woman who coded the spell, at least.
The tall, dark, and handsome guy sent to assess her is a witch too (and no, that doesn't end the way you might think). What he finds in Lauren will change lives, mess with a perfectly good career, and require lots of ice cream therapy.
A Modern Witch is light contemporary fantasy with a good dose of humor, a little romance, and characters you won't want to leave.
Wicked By Any Other Name ($0.99 US/UK), by Linda Wisdom, I just grabbed without sampling, as I have a few others from this author.Book Description
Stasi Romanov uses just a little witch magic in her lingerie shop, running a brisk side business in love charms. A disgruntled customer threatening to sue over a failed love spell brings Trevor Barnes to town. Trevor's the best attorney around, and he just happens to be a wizard. Everyone knows that witches and wizards make a volatile combination—sure enough, the sparks fly and almost everyone's getting singed. Add to that Cupid playing a practical joke, a lunar eclipse that nearly precipitates a witch hunt, and some very mysterious goings on at the magical lake, and the feisty witch and gorgeous wizard have more than simply a possible lawsuit on their hands. Can they overcome their objections and settle out of court—and in the bedroom?
Merely Magic ($0.99 US), by Patricia RiceBook Description
Magic is her birthright...
The daughter of one of the strongest magical lineages, Ninian Malcom Siddons is a powerful witch. Determined to only use her magic for good, she lives a simple, solitary life as a healer in her village, where she meets Drogo.
A man of science doesn't believe in anything he can't see...
Lord Drogo Ives believes only logic and science can explain the wonders of the universe and doesn't believe the local folklore about Malcolm witches and Ives men, until he meets Ninian.
Despite the odds against them and their (many) differences, the bond between Drogo and Ninian grows stronger each moment they are together... until the chaos and danger surrounding them forces each to decide: their love... or their lives...
Strange Neighbors ($0.99 US/UK), by Ashlyn Chase, I picked up a few months ago.Book Description
He's looking for peace, quiet, and a little romance...
There's never a dull moment when hunky all-star pitcher and shapeshifter Jason Falco invests in an old Boston brownstone apartment building full of supernatural creatures. But when Merry MacKenzie moves into the ground floor apartment, the playboy pitcher decides he might just be done playing the field...
A girl just wants to have fun...
Sexy Jason seems like the perfect fling, but newly independent nurse Merry's not sure she's ready to trust him with her heart...especially when the tabloids start trumpeting his playboy lifestyle.
Then pandemonium breaks loose and Merry and Jason will never get it together without a little help from the vampire who lives in the basement and the werewolf from upstairs...
Awaken the Highland Warrior ($0.99 US/UK), by Anita Clenney, I picked up during the summer.Book Description
Historian Bree Kirkland has always been in love with the past, but when she accidentally wakes an ancient Scottish warrior who's spent the past 150 years sleeping in her backyard, her present is suddenly fraught with danger. Faelan has awakened from the time vault ravenous--in more ways than one. He grieves for his lost family, wondering who sent the woman to wake him. If she's a demon, Faelan will have to kill her. If she's innocent, she's unleashed the gates of hell in her backyard. Either way they must rely on each other to save their future.
Wolf Next Door ($0.99 US/UK), by Lydia Dare, is the third in her Westfield Wolves series. I have the first in this series, Certain Wolfish Charm, but not the second, Tall, Dark and Wolfish, so I may hold off on getting it (... then, again ...).Book Description
They can't even be in the same room together...
Ever since their failed elopement years ago, Prisca Hawthorne has taunted, insulted, and in every way tried to push him away. If only her heart didn't break every time Lord William Westfield left her...
But staying apart is even worse...
Lord William throws himself into drinking, gambling, and debauchery and pretends not to care about Prisca at all. But when he returns to find a rival werewolf vying for her hand, he'll stop at nothing to claim the woman who should have been his all along.
Can Prisca forgive the unforgivable, or are the moon-crossed lovers going to be forced into a battle of wills that could be fatal?
Kiss at Your Own Risk ($0.99 US), by Stephanie Rowe, I also picked up over the summer.Book Description
rinity Harpswell is a cursed Black Widow-death and mayhem are all part of the job description. If she can manage to go just one more week without accidentally killing someone, she'll break this killer curse and put her Black Widow days behind her. When sexy Blaine Underhill III shows up at her door and asks for her help rescuing his friend from the clutches of Death's evil grandma, Trinity gets pulled into a daring high stakes adventure. As Blaine and Trinity join forces to take down a series of underworld assassins, they may just learn that love is the deadliest game of all.
Emma and the Vampires (A Jane Austen Undead Novel) ($0.99 US/UK), by Wayne Josephson, is another entry into a pretty crowded genre, but has good reviews.Book Description
What better place than pale England to hide a secret society of gentlemen vampires?
In this hilarious retelling of Jane Austen's Emma, screenwriter Wayne Josephson casts Mr. Knightley as one of the most handsome and noble of the gentlemen village vampires. Blithely unaware of their presence, Emma, who imagines she has a special gift for matchmaking, attempts to arrange the affairs of her social circle with delightfully disastrous results. But when her dear friend Harriet Smith declares her love for Mr. Knightley, Emma realizes she's the one who wants to stay up all night with him. Fortunately, Mr. Knightley has been hiding a secret deep within his unbeating heart-his (literal) undying love for her... A brilliant mash-up of Jane Austen and the undead.
Wild Sight: An Irish tale of deadly deeds and forbidden love ($0.99 US/UK), by Loucinda McGary, I bought in the Spring.Book Description
Sensual romantic suspense set in Ireland featuring a hero with psychic powers.
Cursed with the Irish clairvoyance known as "The Sight," Donovan O'Shea fled to America to escape his "gift." Fifteen years later, his father's illness has forced him to return to the family homestead where years earlier, Donovan's mother disappeared into the fens and was never seen again. Now the same fens are offering up secrets, both ancient and recent, and restoring a terrible legacy that just may drive him mad. And if this were not trouble enough, a beautiful woman walks into his life, claiming to be his half-sister.
Rylie Powell never knew her real father. Her mother would only say he was a charming Irishman who seduced her, married her, and then abandoned her and his baby daughter. But after her mother's death, Rylie finds tantalizing clues about her father that send her off to Northern Ireland and an archeological site on Dermot O'Shea's property, the man listed on her birth certificate as her father.
Did Dermot O'Shea father both Donovan and Rylie?
What is Donovan's connection to the Celtic High King Niall of the Nine Hostages?
And what secrets do the fens hold that invites murder?
Heart of the Wolf ($0.99 US/UK), by Terry Spear, I picked up last year.Book Description
Their forbidden love may get them both killed.Bella is a red werewolf, sole survivor of the fire that killed her entire pack. Devlyn is a beta male werewolf in a pack of grays. Forced to flee her adopted gray pack when the alpha male becomes a vicious threat, she struggles to live as a lone wolf, until Devlyn, the gray male who rescued her as a pup, comes to bring her home.When a local red werewolf goes on a killing spree, Bella and Devlyn must flee the murderer, the police and their vengeful pack leader. With the full moon rising, and her heat upon her, Bella can’t resist the pull to her destined mate, even if means Devlyn will have to face the wicked alpha male in a fight to the death...A sizzling paranormal romance based on extensive research on how wolves live and behave in the wild, creating a fascinating world of nature and fantasy.
I'm cheating a bit and going to list all "The Illustrated Edition" titles by Jane Austen together. They are all 89 cents in the US and just a bit over $1.10 for those in the UK. Amazingly, I have all but one of these in my library.Sense and Sensibility (US/UK)
This special edition of Sense and Sensibility includes the famous illustrations by Charles Edmond Brock, created in 1898. Brock and his brothers were all successful illustrators of the day and often posed for each other using costumes, props and furniture in their Cambridge studio. Brock’s younger brother, Henry, also illustrated Austen’s books and joined him in illustrating other Austen releases for this set of 1898 editions.
Sense and Sensibility, first published in 1811, was Austen’s first published novel. The story revolves around the Misses Dashwood, Elinor and Marianne, left in reduced circumstances after their father’s death. Their new home is a cottage on a distant relative’s property, where they experience both romance and heartbreak.
Marianne meets the dashing John Willoughby who courts her with poetry and flowers. Meanwhile, staid, sober neighbor Colonel Brandon also falls in love with Marianne, but she makes her preference for his rival clear. Elinor is in love with the diffident Edward Ferrars, a young man of good breeding and high moral standing. Their sentiments are quite compatible but his ambitious sister Fanny has other plans for him and works to separate these kindred souls.
As true love finds its way to persevering over all obstacles, the impetuous sister gains maturity and balance and the cautious sister has her emotional awakening.
Pride and Prejudice (US/UK)
This special edition of Pride and Prejudice includes the famous illustrations by Henry Matthew Brock, originally created in 1898. Brock and his brothers were all successful illustrators of the day and often posed for each other using costumes, props and furniture in their Cambridge studio. Brock’s older brother Charles also illustrated other editions of Pride and Prejudice, and joined him in illustrating other Austen releases for this set of 1898 editions.
Pride and Prejudice was published anonymously in 1813. It was Jane Austen’s second novel and became her most popular. Considered by many to be the very first romance novel, the book features Elizabeth, an independent-minded heroine, and Darcy, a dark, brooding, rich, handsome hero. Jane Austen’s wit and insight into human nature are legendary and make Pride and Prejudice a book to be savored over and over again.
Pride and Prejudice is the deceptively simple story of Elizabeth Bennet, second eldest of five unmarried daughters of an affable country gentleman and a very silly lady whose mission in life is to marry them off. When a wealthy young man moves into the neighborhood, he brings with him his friend Mr. Darcy, who falls in love with Elizabeth - much to his own chagrin - after insulting her and earning the derision of the entire neighborhood. The necessity for both of them to overcome their pride and see each other for the people they really are is the backbone of an enduring comedy of manners and love story.
Persuasion (US/UK)
This special edition of Persuasion includes the famous illustrations by Charles Edmond Brock, created in 1898. Brock and his brothers were all successful illustrators of the day and often posed for each other using costumes, props and furniture in their Cambridge studio. Brock’s younger brother, Henry, also illustrated Austen’s books and joined him in illustrating other Austen releases for this set of 1898 editions.
Persuasion was Austen’s last completed novel, published in 1816 and featuring a heroine who has rejected her true love when her family and friends discourage the match. When he reappears eight years later, having made his fortune, Anne Elliott must now decide whether she is strong-willed enough to decide for herself where her own best interests lie.
Eight years after rejected suitor Frederick Wentworth goes off to sea, Sir Elliott’s extravagance has forced his family into reduced circumstances. His daughter, twenty-seven year old Anne, no longer expects to marry, and has fond memories and somewhat stinging regrets about her decision to turn Frederick down at the urging of her family, who wanted her to aim higher. When Wentworth returns, having made his fortune, Anne is given a second chance at love, but she must be strong enough to think and decide for herself, then find a way to win him back.
Northanger Abbey (US/UK)
This special edition of Northanger Abbey includes the famous illustrations by Henry Matthew Brock, originally created in 1898. Brock and his brothers were all successful illustrators of the day and often posed for each other using costumes, props and furniture in their Cambridge studio. Brock’s older brother Charles joined him in illustrating other Jane Austen releases for this set of 1898 editions.
Northanger Abbey was Austen's first completed novel but was published posthumously in 1817. Austen sold the novel to a bookseller in 1803 - for £10 - who decided not to publish it. Her brother bought it back for the same amount after her death.
Catherine Morland is the daughter of a country clergyman, one of ten children. She devours Gothic novels and has an active imagination. After a lively season in Bath, she is invited to Northanger Abbey, where she finds the house is not the dark, moody Gothic mansion of her imaginings.
Catherine’s exciting season in Bath leads her to become acquainted with the dashing John Thorpe, who encourages her flights of fancy and attempts to divert her from his rival Henry Tilney. But Henry extends an invitation she can’t resist and she finds herself visiting Northanger Abbey. There, as a “heroine in training,” she is determined to bring one of her favorite Gothic novels to life, but the charming and very down to earth Mr. Tilney eventually brings her to see that real life can be even more interesting than the most spine-chilling Gothic fantasy.
Mansfield Park (US/UK)
This special edition of Mansfield Park includes the famous illustrations by Henry Matthew Brock, originally created in 1898. Brock and his brothers were all successful illustrators of the day and often posed for each other using costumes, props and furniture in their Cambridge studio. Brock’s older brother Charles joined him in illustrating other Jane Austen releases for this set of 1898 editions.
Mansfield Park is Jane Austen's version of a Cinderella story. Fanny Price is a poor relation living with her rich uncle and aunt, Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram, and their children. Edmund, the second son, is the only one who treats her with kindness and they develop a strong bond, until the dashing Henry Crawford and his lovely sister Mary come to visit. The Crawfords are outwardly charming, but their indifferent upbringing leaves them unable to distinguish right from wrong, and Fanny must watch her beloved Edmund almost fall into Mary’s trap.
Fanny Price is meek and mild, and unfailingly good. When the Crawfords introduce risky activities into her social set, she tries to prevent disaster, but the production of a play leads all the members of the family astray and Edmund almost falls irretrievably in love with the beautiful Mary. Fanny watches with trepidation and much pain, until Edmund’s own high sense of morality brings him to the right conclusions about which is the better woman, on the inside.
Emma (US/UK)
This special edition of Emma includes the famous illustrations by Charles Edmond Brock, created in 1898. Brock and his brothers were all successful illustrators of the day and often posed for each other using costumes, props and furniture in their Cambridge studio. Brock’s younger brother, Henry, also illustrated Austen’s books and joined him in illustrating other Austen releases for this set of 1898 editions.
In conceiving Emma Woodhouse, Jane Austen set out to create a heroine “whom no-one but myself will much like.” A naive and spoiled young lady, she is at the pinnacle of local society and lives with her doddering father. Her neighbor Mr. Knightley is the hero of the tale. Ten years her senior, he sees Emma’s faults, and delights in pointing them out to her.
Emma, as an heiress, has no need to marry, but she feels strongly that her less fortunate friends must certainly do so, and she is tireless in promoting the best interests of those she holds dear. Her first project is her new friend Harriet Smith, a young lady of unknown parentage, but sweet disposition. After thoroughly disrupting a match between Harriet and a handsome young local farmer, Emma pushes Harriet to aim for the vicar, who himself has his eye on Emma. By the time that misunderstanding is untangled, Emma has Mr. Knightley thoroughly disapproving of her. Against the backdrop of Highbury society, Emma is a charming tale of a young woman coming of age, learning to mind her own business, and discovering her own heart resides with the strong, steadfast gentleman next door.
Highland Hellcat ($4.99 US/ $0.94/£0.59 UK), by Mary WineBook Description
In the raw, rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands, tumultuous times bred warrior men and women who fought for country, keep, and kin, and loved as passionately as they lived. An illegitimate son, chosen as laird after the ruling Douglas clan slaughtered his family, Connor Lindsay is surrounded by men who challenge his right to lead. Looking for a virtuous bride to cement his leadership by presenting him with an heir, he kidnaps a feisty laird’s daughter. To keep this Highland Hellcat in his bed, he’ll have to do battle with the Douglases, the Church, and most of all Brina herself.
Yours for the Taking ($5.99 US/$0.94/£0.59 UK), by Robin KayeBook Description
Gina is convinced that he is either gay... or her perfect match
Administrative assistant Gina accepts a marriage of convenience with gallery owner Ben Walsh so she can get out of debt. Besides, with his beautiful apartment, art collection, and impressive culinary skills, Gina's convinced the sexy bachelor is gay. Ben needs to be married before the year is out to prevent his grandfather from selling his inheritance, so he takes Gina to meet his grandfather in Idaho-or, as the city girl refers to it, Hell on Earth. But there Gina realizes Ben's every bit a hot, straight man, and Ben begins to think a real marriage with Gina just might be possible after all...
SEALed Forever ($5.59 US/$0.94/£0.59 UK), by Mary Margret DaughtridgeBook Description
In this fourth sexy contemporary romance featuring the personal side of being a Navy SEAL by author Mary Margret Daughtridge, Navy SEAL Garth Vale rescues an abandoned baby while running an undercover mission for the CIA. He desperately needs the help of local MD Bronwyn Whitescarver, who has her own reasons to get involved...
Highlander's Sword ($4.61 US/$0.94/£0.59 UK), by Amanda ForesterBook Description
A quiet, flame-haired beauty with secrets of her own...
Lady Aila Graham is destined for the convent, until her brother's death leaves her an heiress. Soon she is caught between hastily arranged marriage with a Highland warrior, the Abbot's insistence that she take her vows, the Scottish Laird who kidnaps her, and the traitor from within who betrays them all.
She's nothing he expected and everything he really needs...
Padyn MacLaren, a battled-hardened knight, returns home to the Highlands after years of fighting the English in France. MacLaren bears the physical scars of battle, but it is the deeper wounds of betrayal that have rocked his faith. Arriving with only a band of war-weary knights, MacLaren finds his land pillaged and his clan scattered. Determined to restore his clan, he sees Aila's fortune as the answer to his problems...but maybe it's the woman herself.
Highland Rebel ($4.79 US/$0.94/£0.59 UK), by Judith JamesBook Description
Amidst the upheaval of Cromwell's Britain, Jamie Sinclair's wit and military prowess have served him well. Leading a troop in Scotland, he impetuously marries a captured maiden, saving her from a grim fate.
A Highlands heiress to title and fortune, Catherine Drummond is not the woman Jamie believes her to be. When her people effect her rescue, and he cannot annul the marriage, Jamie goes to recapture his hellcat of a new wife...
In a world where family and creed cannot be trusted, where faith fuels intolerance and war, Catherine and Jamie test the bounds of loyalty, friendship, and trust...
Wild Highland Magic (MacInnes Werewolves) ($4.61 US/$0.94/£0.59 UK), by Kendra Castle Book Description
She's a Scottish Highlands werewolf, but no one's ever shown her how to use her powers…
Growing up in America with a father who hates his own nature, Catrionna MacInnes has always tried desperately to control her powers and pretend to be normal. Now her father has brought her and her sisters to Scotland to reunite with the pack they fled years ago…
He's a wizard prince with a devastating secret…
Bastian an Morgaine has found sanctuary among the MacInnes werewolf clan but no relief from the soul-searing curse that haunts him. The minute Cat lays eyes on Bastian, she knows she's met her destiny. In their first encounter, she unwittingly binds him to her for life, and now they're both targets for the evil enemies that are out to destroy their very souls…
Love Drunk Cowboy ($6.39 US/$0.98 Canada), by Carolyn BrownBook Description
All Austin Lanier wants is to sell her inherited watermelon farm, slip on her stilettos and run back to corporate America. Until the drop dead sexy cowboy next door, Rye O'Donnell, decides he'll only take the farm if he can get the fiery woman who owns it as part of the deal...
Carolyn Brown's first five cowboy/country music single title mass market romances have sold over 65,000 copies.
BoneMan's Daughters ($1.99), by Ted Dekker, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day. That's a good price on a good book (and one that is appropriate to read, for the Halloween season, if you are into a good thriller); looks like I bought it a couple of years ago, but a nowhere near this good a price.Book Description
They call him BoneMan, a serial killer who's abducted six young women. He's the perfect father looking for the perfect daughter, and when his victims fail to meet his lofty expectations, he kills them by breaking their bones and leaving them to die.
Intelligence officer Ryan Evans, on the other hand, has lost all hope of ever being the perfect father. His daughter and wife have written him out of their lives.
Everything changes when BoneMan takes Ryan's estranged daughter, Bethany, as his seventh victim. Ryan goes after BoneMan on his own.
But the FBI sees it differently. New evidence points to the suspicion that Ryan is BoneMan. Now the hunter is the hunted, and in the end, only one father will stand.
The Digital Photography Book: The Step-by-Step Secrets for How to Make Your Photos Look Like the Pros, Volume 1 ($3.50 Kindle, B&N), by Scott Kelby, is today's Nook Daily Find. Amazon has matched the price on one of the two editions in their store, but you might want to get samples to determine if there is any difference between the two, other than size, since the publisher has entered the same edition date on the two.Book Description
Scott Kelby, the man who changed the "digital darkroom" forever with his groundbreaking, #1 bestselling, award-winning book The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers, now tackles the most important side of digital photography--how to take pro-quality shots using the same tricks today's top digital pros use (and it's easier than you'd think).
This entire book is written with a brilliant premise, and here’s how Scott describes it: "If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me, 'Hey, how do I get this flower to be in focus, but I want the background out of focus?' I wouldn't stand there and give you a lecture about aperture, exposure, and depth of field. In real life, I'd just say, 'Get out your telephoto lens, set your f/stop to f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away.' You d say, 'OK,' and you'd get the shot. That's what this book is all about. A book of you and I shooting, and I answer the questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I've learned just like I would with a friend, without all the technical explanations and without all the techno-photo-speak."
This isn't a book of theory—it isn't full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts: this is a book of which button to push, which setting to use, when to use them, and nearly two hundred of the most closely guarded photographic "tricks of the trade" to get you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos with your digital camera every time you press the shutter button.
Here's another thing that makes this book different: each page covers just one trick, just one single concept that makes your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you'll learn another pro setting, another pro tool, another pro trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. There's never been a book like it, and if you're tired of taking shots that look "OK," and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, "Why don't my shots look like that?" then this is the book for you.
The Intellectual Devotional Modern Culture: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Converse Confidently with the Culturati ($2.70), by David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim, comes to us from Rodale Press.Book Description
In the tradition of the instant bestsellers The Intellectual Devotional and The Intellectual Devotional: American History comes the third installment in this indispensable series. In The Intellectual Devotional: Modern Culture, the authors explore the fascinating world of contemporary culture to offer 365 daily readings that provide the essential references needed to navigate the world today.
Quench your intellectual thirst with an overview of the literature, music, film, personalities, trends, sports, and pop references that have defined the way we live. From the Slinky to Star Wars; Beatlemania to Babe Ruth; flappers to fascism—refreshing your memory and dazzling your friends has never been easier, or more fun. Whether you're a trivia genius, pop-culture buff, or avid reader, you'll be riveted by this comprehensive journey through contemporary culture.
100 Words To Make You Sound Smart ($4.76) is one of eight "100 word" titles discounted under $5 by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries.Book Description
The newest title in the popular 100 Words series is an informative and entertaining resource that can help anyone be right on the money when looking for words that will make a point, seal the deal, or just keep folks listening. Chosen by the editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries, these words will appeal to anyone who wants to be a more compelling communicator—as a worker, consumer, advocate, friend, dinner companion, or even as a romantic prospect.
The book includes a colorful variety of words, including handy words of just one syllable (such as glib) and words derived from the names of famous people (such as Freudian slip and Machiavellian).
There are expressions from popular culture (Catch-22) and words that date back to classical civilization (spartan and stoic). Each word is clearly defined and shown in context with quotations from contemporary sources: magazines, newspapers, broadcast media, movies, and television. For many words, quotations from distinguished authors and speakers are also given and word histories are explained.
Like its predecessors in this successful series, 100 Words to Make You Sound Smart provides an affordable and enjoyable way to communicate more effectively. It offers the coveted gift of gab to anyone who needs to “say it right”—and to anyone who wants to sound more articulate.
I'm Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-Up Comedy's Golden Era ($3.48), by William KnoedelsederBook Description
In the mid-1970s, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Andy Kaufman, Richard Lewis, Robin Williams, Elayne Boosler, Tom Dreesen, and several hundred other shameless showoffs and incorrigible cutups from all across the country migrated en masse to Los Angeles, the new home of Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. There, in a late-night world of sex, drugs, dreams and laughter, they created an artistic community unlike any before or since. It was Comedy Camelot—but it couldn’t last.
William Knoedelseder, then a cub reporter covering the scene for the Los Angeles Times, was there when the comedians—who were not paid for performing—tried to change the system and incidentally tore apart their own close-knit community. In I’m Dying Up Here he tells the whole story of that golden age, of the strike that ended it, and of how those days still resonate in the lives of those who were there.
Men, Money, and Chocolate ($1.99), by Menna Van PraagBook Description
Maya spends each day in her café, dreaming of a perfect life: one filled with love, wealth, and beauty. But she can’t create the life she longs for. She tries to find fulfillment in the pursuit of men and money, and when that doesn’t work, she seeks comfort in chocolate. This just leaves her empty and lost. Then Maya meets a magical stranger who sets her on a path to create the life of her dreams…
This sweet and touching true-life tale about love, success, weight loss, and enlightenment will show you what is possible when you listen to your heart, believe in yourself, and take inspired actions in the direction of your dreams. Based on the author’s actual experiences, this is a tale of transformation that reveals how to love another without losing yourself, find work that makes your heart sing, and revel in the delightful decadence of chocolate without guilt or recrimination!
American Indian Prophecies ($1.99), by Kurt KaltreiderBook Description
American Indian Prophecies: Conversations with Chasing Deer tells of indigenous American culture, values, and spirituality as seen through their prophecies. The book is a series of conversations between young John Peabody of the New England gentry and Chasing Deer, an aged Cheyenne/Lakota and keeper of the true history of the Americas. As the conversations unfold, you see the contrast between Euro-American and American Indian cultures and values, bringing many interesting questions to light. As the conversations unfold, we learn that perhaps the Amercian Indian culture has some of the answers that we are all looking for.
The dog on the cover of Dogs I Have Met: And the People They Found ($3.99), by Ken Foster, looks a lot like some of the ones that frequent our local dog park.Book Description
Ken Foster knows that a dog can change a person's life - and that several dogs can change it even more. His three adopted dogs have helped him overcome a number of difficult times in his life - including a heart condition that saw him land in hospital, and the death of two very close friends."Dogs I Have Found" is a collection of stories, from both the author and other owners of rescued and adopted dogs that show how man's best friend can provide love and friendship during the best and the worst of times.This is a heart-warming volume that is sure to find a place of the bookshelf of dog lovers everywhere.
Dead Girls Are Easy ($0.99), by Terri Garey, is the lowest price I've seen on this start of her Nicki Styx series. If you missed it or held off when it was $1.99 last year, be sure to grab it this time around. I've already replaced my paperback copies of this one and the next two in the series. *recommendedBook Description
There's something about almost dying that makes a girl rethink her priorities. Take Nicki Styx—she was strictly goth and vintage, until a brush with the afterlife leaves her with the ability to see dead people.
Before you can say boo, Atlanta's ghosts are knocking at Nicki's door. Now her days consist of reluctantly cleaning up messes left by the dearly departed, leading ghouls to the Light . . . and one-on-one anatomy lessons with Dr. Joe Bascombe, the dreamy surgeon who saved her life. All this catering to the deceased is a real drag, especially for a girl who'd rather be playing hanky-panky with her hunky new boyfriend . . . who's beginning to think she's totally nuts.
But things get even more complicated when a friend foolishly sells her soul to the devil, and Nicki's new gift lands her in some deep voodoo.
As it turns out for Nicki Styx, death was just the beginning.
A Friend of the Family ($1.89), by Lauren Grodstein, has very good reviews and I expect it to jump back up in price, once Amazon clears out some of their hardcover inventory.Book Description
Pete Dizinoff, a skilled and successful New Jersey internist, has a loving and devoted wife, a network of close friends, an impressive house, and, most of all, a son, Alec, now nineteen, on whom he has pinned all his hopes. But Pete hadn’t expected his best friend’s troubled daughter to set her sights on his boy. When Alec falls under her spell, Pete sets out to derail the romance, never foreseeing the devastating consequences.
In a riveting story of suburban tragedy, Lauren Grodstein charts a father’s fall from grace as he struggles to save his family, his reputation, and himself.
Perfectly Dateless and Perfectly Invisible, by Kristin Billerbeck, are both currently marked down to $4.79. Together, the make up the Universally Misunderstood series and are her two of her newest novels from Christian publisher Revell.Perfectly Dateless
Daisy Crispin has 196 days to find the right date for the prom. There's only one problem--her parents won't let her date or even talk to a guy on the phone. Oh, and she's totally invisible at school, has to wear lame homemade clothes, and has no social skills. Okay, so maybe there's more than one problem. Can she talk her parents into letting her go to the prom? Or will they succeed at their obvious attempt to completely ruin her life?
With hilarious and truthful writing, Kristin Billerbeck uncovers the small--and large--mortifications that teen girls encounter. Readers will fall in love with Daisy's sharp wit and resourcefulness as she navigates the world of boys, fashion, family, and friendship.
Perfectly Invisible
It's Daisy Crispin's final trimester of high school, and she plans to make it count. Her long-awaited freedom is mere months away, and her big plans for college loom in the future. Everything is under control. Or is it? Her boyfriend is treating her like she's invisible, and her best friend is selling bad costume jewelry in the school quad--and hanging out with her boyfriend. To top it off, Daisy's major humiliation for the year will be remembered in the yearbook for all eternity. It's enough to make her wonder if maybe being invisible isn't so bad after all.
With more of the funny-but-too-true writing readers have come to expect from Kristin Billerbeck, Perfectly Invisible shows teen girls that everyone is special--no matter what they're going through.
Starting Your Day Right: Devotions for Each Morning of the Year ($2.99), by Joyce Meyer, is from Hatchette imprint FaithWords.Book Description
Readers are invited to start the morning off right with #1 New York Times bestselling author Joyce Meyer's devotions for each day of the year.
Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr ($3.99), by Nancy Isenberg, should be a good one for the history buffs out there. Careful buying direct from your Kindle, though, as there are two editions at the same price and the other is in the Topaz format.Book Description
A controversial challenge to the works of Ron Chernow and David McCullough
With Fallen Founder , Nancy Isenberg plumbs rare and obscure sources to shed new light on everyone’s favorite founding villain. The Aaron Burr whom we meet through Isenberg’s eye-opening biography is a feminist, an Enlightenment figure on par with Jefferson, a patriot, and—most importantly—a man with powerful enemies in an age of vitriolic political fighting. Revealing the gritty reality of eighteenth-century America, Fallen Founder is the authoritative restoration of a figure who ran afoul of history and a much-needed antidote to the hagiography of the revolutionary era.
The Echo Man ($4.99), by Richard Montanari Book Description
Tormented by the exquisite beauty of a concerto and the bloodcurdling cries of a dying woman, the Echo Man composes his own symphony in response: a string of artfully staged slayings—all of them linked to cold murder cases and designed to taunt the police of Philadelphia.
Detective Kevin Byrne hears sounds, too. They wake him in the night, haunt him by day, and remind him of the first homicide suspect he ever arrested: a gifted, beautiful classical musician who inexplicably went mad and became murderous. Now Byrne believes that Philly’s serial killings might be linked to that case. But his partner, Jessica Balzano, has too many bodies on her hands to worry about Byrne’s strange intuition or personal demons—until all the perfectly placed clues, all the evidence, all the deception point Balzano in one direction, and she discovers that the killer is closer than she could ever have suspected.
From the acclaimed author of Merciless, The Echo Man is a masterpiece of suspense that builds to a crescendo of terror and stunning surprise.
Classic Goosebumps #11: The Werewolf of Fever Swamp ($3.79), the fourteenth in the popular Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine, wraps up today's roundup with a perfect book for reading with your kids at Halloween.Book Description
Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf?
There is something weird happening in Fever Swamp. Something really horrible.It started with the strange howling at night. Then there was the rabbit, torn to shreds. Everyone thinks Grady's new dog is responsible. After all, he looks just like a wolf. And he seems a little on the wild side.
But Grady knows his dog is just a regular old dog. And most dogs don't howl at the moon. Or disappear at midnight. Or change into terrifying creatures when the moon is full.
Or do they?