Bargain Book Duo and some Notes

Save up to 70% this weekend at Kobo (no coupon code). The Kobo Glo eInk ereader is marked down to $99 this weekend (USA only, use coupon code GL625), but the big news is a 1/2 price sale on the Kobo Mini at $39.99.

It's the last day for those with Amazon Prime to borrow a book that is Prime Lending Eligible.

Sony has a $1.99 sale going on; if you don't want EPUB, most are being price matched at Amazon (if you do want EPUB, you only get the $1.99 price if you add it to the cart from the sale page). I can't tell if the sale was supposed to end on Saturday or not, since it's still up and live early Sunday morning.

B&N has their top-selling ebooks marked at 50% off this weekend (in addition to their NOOK Book Two-for-One Weekends Offer in store sale). Even at that price, some are cheaper in the Kindle store all the time (or within a dollar or two), but there are quite a few that were dropped below the $5 mark. So, check out the sale and then double check with Amazon, if you prefer to read on your Kindle.

Kiss of Surrender ($0.89 Kindle), the second Deadly Angels novel by Sandra Hill [HarperCollins], looks to be a humorous urban fantasy. The just released Kiss of Temptation is the third in the series and also on sale, at $2.99. For those who prefer to start the series at the beginning, Kiss of Pride is under $5.

Kiss of Surrender

What romance reader can resist a hero who is both Viking…and vampire? In the second installment of New York Times bestselling author Sandra Hill's exciting Deadly Angels series, Nicole Tasso, Navy SEAL is powerless to resist the "vangel" in her midst… And the mystery surrounding her thousand-year-old suitor only makes him more desirable…and more dangerous! Filled with Sandra Hill's trademark combination of smoldering sensuality and laugh-out-loud humor, Kiss of Surrender: A Deadly Angels Book will leave paranormal and urban fantasy romance fans hungry for more from this award-winning author.

Kiss of Temptation

Kiss of Tempation is the third romance in New York Times bestselling author’s Sandra Hill’s beloved Deadly Angels series.

For centuries, Ivak Sigurdsson has served the archangel Michael as a vangel – a viking vampire angel. Ready to demonstrate that he is more than just a libidinous heartbreaker, he agrees to help lawyer Gabrielle Sonnier. But while her problems are in need of serious attention, so is their attraction for one another.

Sexy and sassy, Kiss of Temptation features plenty of witty innuendo, passion, and a hint of mystery. Fans of paranormal romance will enjoy this racy page-turner featuring a strong, smart heroine and a bad boy turned hero.

Fatal Error ($0.99 Kindle), by Colleen Thompson [Montlake Romance], is joined by a number her novels at $2.99, including her just released novel (from this week!), Head On.

Fatal Error

West Texas gossip paints every story a more interesting shade, especially when a married man goes missing with a small-town banker’s wife and a stolen fortune. Susan Maddox is tired of feeling like an abandoned woman, and even angrier when neighbors insist she’s the one getting away with murder. Maybe her handsome-as-sin, bad-boy brother-in-law isn’t the smartest choice of an ally, especially since she’s never been able to forget a star-studded night in his convertible back in high school. But who else can she trust to recover damning information from her husband’s crashed hard drive? Who else can pick up the pieces when intruders set fire to her home, a truck runs her off the road, and a trail of dead men stops her cold? Who else will help her uncover a fatal error?

Head On

Hell On Wheels...

The full moon brings out the crazies; anyone in emergency services knows that. But for hospice nurse Beth Ann Decker, the gruesome murder that rocks Hatcher County is shockingly unexpected. As is the return of the Texas community's most hated prodigal son -- Mark Jessup. Sixteen years before, the town's bad boy was behind the wheel of a pickup that left three cheerleaders dead and Beth Ann so badly injured that people whispered she'd have been better off in the grave with them. Jessup is all man now -- tough, uncompromising, rich -- and a possible suspect in this new killing. Beth Ann knows he's the last person she should be spending time with, especially when a nighttime intruder makes it clear that she herself is a target. But in Mark's heated gaze, Beth Ann sees something a lot more exciting than pity. No matter how dangerous the road ahead, she's dead set on meeting life, and love...Head On.

B&N Dropping out of Tablet Market

I think we all saw the writing on the wall when B&N started with the massive discounts on the Nook HD and HD+, but now it is official: they will continue selling existing inventory "at amazing prices through the holiday" (or until they run out) and will then concentrate on their eInk readers (the Simple Touch and Glow) and Apps (which leaves those on computers prior to Windows 8 out in the cold, as well; if you read on your PC, be sure to save your install file for the Nook or Nookstudy application, somewhere). Here's the press release (which also talks about how much they've lost in hardware business). If you've been wanting a tablet, the Nook HD/HD+ isn't a bad choice, especially at the prices they have been charging recently.

Those with Nook libraries should be fine for now and B&N says they will be coming out with new eInk readers in the future, as well as continuing their reader Apps on various platforms. If you own stock in the company, that's taken a big hit today and I suspect the resale value of the nook tablets may take a bit of hit, as well (it isn't that high on most electronics, anyway, though). B&N says they will continue to create Nook Apps, as well, but I don't see the point (unless they allow them to run on any tablet that can access the Google Play store, which would free the apps I have at B&N, now).

I just hope that they continue with their read-in-store program (which was broken, yet again, when I went to the store Sunday, after a 2 week lapse; yet, I was told my time for the day was up as soon as I arrived and given the usual lame (and incorrect) advice that maybe I'd been there the night before or perhaps a particular book had a time limit ... yet the several books I tried all refused to work), although I suspect it may eventually disappear as well (it stopped working entirely on the original nook, long before I decided to just sell it, along with the nook Color I replaced).

Reader News

If you buy books from B&N, but read on your PC, be sure to back up the programs you downloaded, as they are discontinuing Nook for PC. There will be "Nook for Web", but that sounds suspiciously like the Cloud Reader at Amazon (which is slow and clunky and only to be used for previews or emergencies, in my opinion). The iOs App remains (and, for now, so does Nook Study, but that is no doubt on borrowed time, if the Microsoft sale of the education unit at B&N goes thru). So far, the download button remains (and there are still many readers out there who download and transfer via USB, so I don't see it leaving soon), for thoae that back up their purchases offline.

In other Barnes & Noble news, you can pick up one of their NOOK HD Tablet or HD+ Tablets right now, at a substantial discount: $70 off the 6" HD ($129) and $120 off the 9" HD+ ($149)!. That's so low, that the only reason to stick with the 6" is that your purse won't fit the larger one inside. I have the larger of the two and it is a good screen and I use it to read in the B&N store. You are limited only to the Nook and Google Play stores for music, books and apps, but that covers most of what is out there (if you root the device, you can do more, but I suspect most people won't be doing that). It works well for web and email access, playing games, etc., although I mainly use it for reading and email access. The battery life seems to be better than the Kindle Fire (but nothing like the iPad, which has amazing battery life for a tablet).

If you've been hanging on to your Kindle DX for reading PDF's, then keep an eye out for the new 13.3" eInk slate device coming from Sony this year (hopefully to be released in the US and not just Japan). It's super thin, lightweight, has a 3 week battery life, comes with a stylus that not only is used for page controls, but lets you make notes on PDF's (and hopefully blank documents). The 4GB of storage on board can be expanded via the microSD slot and you can share your notes with others (miss a class, get another's notes and view them on your own copy of the textbook!).

Nook Simple Touch under $20

Update: If you buy $30 on a single purchase (two readers, perhaps?), you also get a $10 gift certificate to use on a future purchase at RadioShack.

This is an in-store deal only and only at selected Radio Shacks. No doubt they are closing out on these, but if you have been wanting an eInk reader for your Nook Books, perhaps one that you won't be as upset if the kids break, this is a heck of a deal. You can search from the online product page for the Nook Simple Touch and see if a store near you has these in stock. One trick, I found, was to increase the search distance to 50 miles, as the default 5 miles often won't even find a store in the same zip code. In our city, it appears that only one store location has these in stock and I suspect more and more will sell out as the sale progresses this week.

Pair this with a cover from Barnes & Noble, all but one of which are selling for $15 or less online and in-store right now (that high dollar one is also under $20), and you can have a perfect Mother's Day Gift for less than the cost of dinner out for two.

eReader and Accessories Deals for Mother's Day

There are a number of ereader deals going on right now, although the best I saw in the US Kindle store was up-to-50% off Kindle Fire cases and up-to-50% Kindle and Paperwhite covers, plus an offer to Get $2 in MP3s with select Kindle Accessories.

For those who can purchase from the German Amazon store, though, you do get a good deal:

Surprise Mom and Dad with the perfect gift. When you purchase a Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD or Kindle Fire HD 8.9, you can add-on a Kindle to the order for only 49 euros (30 euros off).

More details can be found on this page and the deal is only valid thru 18:00 May 9 (in Germany, not the usual Seattle time). Be sure to add both to the cart and go thru the full checkout process (no one-clicking) and verify that you see the discount before completing the order.

For those who read EPUBs on occasion, there are a few more deals to be had:

• Kobo Glo eReader with free SleepCover (retail: $39.99) and free shipping (purchase by May 8 & get guaranteed delivery by Mother's Day) from Powell's Bookstore and nearly the same deal for this in Canada at FutureShop.ca
• In the UK, get a Kobo Mini in black or white for £39.99 from Box.UK (via their ebay store)
• Also in the UK, B&N has lowered the price of the Nook to £29 and the GlowLight to £69 (may also be good in-store)
• Here in the states, those with a B&N membership can get $50 off the Nook HD and $90 off the Nook HD+ using the coupons sent to you in the mail recently (if you toss them away, unopened, better take a look for them!). This drops the HD to $149 and the HD+ to $179, which is a pretty decent deal and it's available both in-store and online. For a lucky few, though, you'll find that some B&N stores are selling the HD+ for $149, without the coupon, and are willing to ship it out to you, as well. The best bet, though, is to get hold of one of those coupons, which is valid thru May 12.
• In-store only at B&N, I've been seeing massive discounts on covers for the older nook eInk and tablets, with an entire table covered with covers, all for $15 or less. I just did a quick check online and it appears that the sale is valid there too, with covers for the nook Tablet available there (including the tempting Angry Birds in Green cover), but there were nook Color and original Nook covers also at my store on the sale.

New Kindles can now be Pre-ordered

Amazon has finally unlocked the ordering system and you can now pre-order any of the new Kindles and reserve your place in line. I've updated the links in my original post and am including a quicklist both in this post and on the main blog page, at the top-right corner of the page.

I've already placed my orders and noticed that a mystery $30 credit had appeared in my account - it came off of the Kindle Paperwhite that I ordered, but don't ask me where the credit came from (I still have a mystery $200 credit, too, but don't know what I have to order to get it to be used).

New Kindle Family

• Kindle
• Kindle Paperwhite
• Kindle Paperwhite 3G
• Kindle Fire
• 7" Kindle Fire HD
• 8.9" Kindle Fire HD
• Kindle Fire HD with 4G LTE wireless

Kobo Announces Three New Readers

The Amazon announcement is still an hour off, so I've been surfing the web, looking for leaks (such as the new Kindle commercial). I found rumors that Barnes & Noble will be bringing out a new tablet this fall, although it may just join their current offerings, rather than replacing the original Color and current Tablet, both of which are still available, and across the big news from Kobo. They scooped Amazon by announcing three new reader devices, two of which are eInk based: Kobo Glo ($129.99), a side-lit 6" eInk reader similar to the nook Glow, and Kobo Mini ($79.99), a 5" touchscreen reader for those who want the most portability - just don't try to walk around with it in your pocket as shown on their web page or you'll probably break the screen. The Kobo Arc ($199.99), looks a lot more like a nook Tablet than the old Kobo Vox, which I thought was a very disappointing tablet; the specs on this new tablet look like they may have a winner, this time. One great feature of the Kobo Arc will be full access to the Google Play store, which B&N and Amazon both lock you out of.

There are also some accessories announced, but nothing can be pre-ordered yet; after my very bad experience pre-ordering a Vox (because they are in Canada, many US credit card companies can stop transactions; despite many confirmations from Kobo, my Vox never shipped and I had to get someone in the company to assist personally to get one here), I'll hold off ordering one until they are actually shipping. I know I used to be able to buy Kobo's readers at Books-A-Million, locally, but they seem to have discontinued them and have adopted B&N's nook as their ereader of choices (which seems to be a very bad business choice, since that would then give you much faster access to B&N's ebookstore and not BAM's), so mail-order will probably be the best way to get a reader in the US. Kobo is starting to partner with independent bookstores, but I don't know if any local stores will be signed up. Those of you in Canada and Japan will probably be able to find the devices in local retail stores.

Back to those Amazon rumors: some people think they saw an iPad size Kindle tablet in the commercial that was leaked, but it really looks more like an ultraBook (there are shots with a keyboard and a mouse). Others are talking about an Amazon phone, which would probably be a great mid-range Android based phone, that (like the Kindle Fire), doesn't try to scoop up the high end/business market, but will be an irresistible choice for those who have a lot of content in the Amazon Cloud.

Kobo WiFi Reader only $99!

Thru tomorrow, you can pick up a Kobo WiFi Reader at Borders.com or your local Borders store (print this coupon to take with you). It's not as versatile as the Kindle, in many ways (no web browser, no music, dictionary is limited to Kobo/Borders books), but this is a good price on a decent reader that will give you access to public library books in EPUB format and let you read any epubs you pick up elsewhere (other than the B&N nookbooks, which use a proprietary DRM scheme). You can use SD cards with the Kobo (up to 4GB), so you are not limited by the 1GB of free memory on the device. Just the thing for some kids, too, I think, as there is no need for parental controls as there is with a Kindle (I was prompted for a name and password when trying to "buy" a free book, so assume that will hold true even after syncing it to your account).

There is a choice of fonts and sizes (and your choice is remembered, unlike on my older Sony reader), although they don't go as large as the Kindle's and the writing is quite faint at the smaller size (so, not as good for those with reading issues that require large sizes and very dark text). I have an original Kobo and the main difference, other than color, is the addition of wireless to access the Borders bookstore. If you are in Canada or just prefer Kobo's own bookstore, you can sync to the Kobo desktop software instead and you'll access the Kobo store and your bookshelf there, instead. Personally, I just keep my books in Calibre (even DRM'd ones, even though Calibre can't read them) and use it to manage the books on my Kobo. I am tempted, though, to get one of these while it is on sale (too bad the lavender reader is white and silver on the front, but the black ones is a monotone that won't distract from reading).

I asked in my local store - if you keep the box and receipt, they should allow you to bring it back for a full refund in the first 30 days (this is generally NOT true online) and they are planning to honor any exchanges for defects in the first year right in the store (or for two years, if you buy the $50 extended warranty/case/screen cleaner bundle that also has a free coffee coupon inside).

If you are in the local store, don't forget to print this coupon for 33% off any item (other than a Kobo reader or ebook) ... I use mine in the cafe, if there isn't anything else that grabs me.

Free Dr. Who Story, Kobo Reader Deal, Book Discounts

If you are looking for a second ereader device that will get you access to free books you find in EPUB format or your local library's ebooks, you might want to investigate the Wi-Fi Kobo Reader at Borders, currently on sale for $119.99, today and tomorrow, in black or white (lavender is not on sale, but is available) and with double borders bucks for Rewards members. This is an updated version of the Kobo reader that I have, which is a basic, but sturdy reading device. It isn't the fastest and since mine had transfer books via USB cable, not always the most convenient, but it served it's purpose, which was to let me open EPUB books I found outside the Kindle store and to read the occasional library book I managed to find (truthfully, most books I want to read aren't available in the library I joined and my local area still is just promising to add library books, so there aren't that many that I read this way).

One thing to note on the Borders Kobo reader is that it will generally sync with the Borders desktop app, but not the Kobo desktop app. I'll assume the wireless sync is the same, so if you primarily shop at Kobo instead, you might prefer their Kobo reader instead ($139 and up, various starter book bundles available). Regardless of which you get, you can load EPUB formatted books from Kobo, Borders, Sony and most other stores using Adobe Digital Editions (the exception is that B&N's nookbooks won't work on any other reader than their own, due to a proprietary DRM scheme).

Definitely, though, head over and enter the "Scratch 'n Win" Contest at Kobo. You can enter daily thru December 31 and will at least get a coupon code (for anywhere from 10% to 50% off one book), but could win a $25 gift card or a new Kobo Wireless Reader (and a grand prize of a Reader and a $500 gift card).

Hopefully you managed to catch the Dr. Who Christmas show last night (if not, hunt for the next showing, before it's gone). You can get a bonus Dr. Who Christmas book, Snowfall, in PDF form, on the BBC site. Some of the other content there, including watching past episodes in iplayer, are restricted to those in the UK. Those of you that are, no doubt know that you can play games, such as Dr. Who: The Adventure Games, and download content related to the shows (I found character masks, wallpaper, Christmas cards and posters that could all be accessed from outside the UK). Those past episodes are blocked for those of us in the states, but it looks like Amazon is having a sale: $9.99 per season on Video on Demand ($12.68 for Season 5 in HD).

Book Description
From a family visit to a spooky theatre that goes terribly wrong to the Doctor battling an army of Vampire Warriors high over London, Snowfall is a saga stretching across the centuries and the universe. When two men meet in a mysterious, abandoned railway station, it soon becomes clear they hold a grudge against each other. But they have something else in common - they have both met the Doctor. As they swap stories about their adventures with the Time Lord they're watched by a girl with red hair and her friend... But where is the Doctor and what danger is he facing?

Doctor Who: Snowfall continues our tradition of festive short stories featuring the Doctor at Christmas. But this time the tales are linked and build to an unexpected Christmas conclusion!

As for discount codes, today is the last day for Fictionwise's 60% off sale using coupon code merryxmas2010. If you are new to the site, the "multi-format" books are DRM-free and can be used or converted for any reader, while the EReader books are DRM'd and work only in their app, the B&N apps and the nook (but not the NOOKcolor).

Kobo still has these promotion codes: firstbook (35%) and iOS4 (30%), each good for one non-Agency title.

Rainbow eBooks is running a 30% off sale, thru Jan 2, on every single ebook on the site. They offer LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) books only, all DRM free.

Price War Continues - Kobo Effectively $129!

According to this press release, Borders has lowered the effective price of it's Kobo eReader to $129.00.You still pay $149 (plus sales tax, in most cases), but you'll receive a $20 gift card for use in the store and double rewards points (which is worth a bit more, in-store, as well). The Kobo is still on back order and has a new release date of July 2, according to their not-quite-ready ebookstore (although I did receive mine, on time, and the order page still shows a June 17 release date for the pre-order).

In the meantime, if you get the Borders App for your iPhone or iPad (and presumably the iPod Touch), you can show it in the cafe and get a free coffee. Presumably you could do the same with a notebook PC and the app, but that isn't in the release. The Borders web site, in fact, has nothing of any of these offers in site, unlike Amazon (who splashed it on their front page from the effective time of their price change), so you may want to print out that press release to take to the local store.

Borders Kobo Reader - Pre-Order now for Father's Day

By now, you've probably heard that Borders Bookstore is coming out with their own reader, the Kobo eReader. It's already been introduced in Canada (by KoboBooks, a Borders subsidiary) and is available to pre-order in the US ($149) and Australia ($199 AU; from the Kobo Global website). Delivery should be just in time for Father's Day (current delivery date is June 17). I was talking to the manager at our local store last weekend and he said they will be putting in a download station in place of most or all of the customer service desk, so that customers can purchase ebooks in the store and load them onto their readers. That'll eliminate the need for a computer and for much technical know-how on the part of those who get one (although you can still do your own backups and transfers at home, using either bluetooth or (I'll presume) USB).

So far, there isn't a Borders eBook Store, but it is being worked upon (and scheduled to open in June). There are quite a few differences with the readers available already - a quilted back should make it quite a bit easier to hold, but the big single button on the front seems to perform most of the chores that several keys or buttons are needed for with others. The desktop app is preloaded on the device - hook it to your computer and it will install, eliminating the requirement to find the software yourself (which I've run into with other readers). You get five type sizes and a choice of serif or sans serif fonts; there are several options for sorting books, but the only "collection" appears to be a way to tag "books I'm currently reading". The screen is a now-standard 6" eInk display and the unit is one of the lighter ones out there, at 8 ounces. Capacity-wise, though, you get one gigabyte of memory and an SD slot (but not an SDHC slot) that essentially means an unlimited capacity. So far, the formats supported at ePUB, PDF, and Adobe DRM (which should mean PDF and EPUB); I don't see any support for DOC, TXT or some of the other formats that many other readers support, but all of those are easily converted to ePUB by an application like Calibre.

Once you buy any books at Borders, one big question is always which devices can be used to read them. So far, they have announced free eBook Apps for the Mac, PC, Blackberry, Android, iPhone, and iPad. Books can be synced among devices (including via Bluetooth directly from the Reader to a phone). It looks like you'll be able to buy books from other bookstores, as well, so long as they "support Reader^® Mobile Technology from Adobe." The only downside to their bookstore, that I see so far, is that they claim you'll need to use the Borders eBook Desktop App to search or browse for books (which you will presumably also be able to do in stores). I'd much rather use a web based store and download books to my computer for manual transfers. So far, it appears that only PDF's can be manually loaded, while EPUBs will require the desktop application.

I'm not sure I'd like it for a primary reader, but as a secondary reader (for those DRM'd epubs you keep picking up, to read books from Penguin that you can't get for Kindle, currently, or for additional people in the household, for example), it looks like a very good deal (especially at $100 or so less than the other readers that are the same size).