Operation EBook Drop - Free Ebooks for Overseas Troops

Edward C. Patterson is a prolific author, with a number of books available on the Kindle platform, all of them at bargain prices -- most are 99 cents and none over $4.00. He has generously been offering free assistance (and a free book) to other authors just starting out in the ebook world and is very active on several ebook forums, including the Kindle Forums at Amazon and the Author forums at Kindleboards.com. A week ago, he offered free books to a service member overseas who had a Kindle, but no whispernet access (time is often plentiful, but money tight, for those on overseas duty), sending a zipped up copy of all of his books via email. The offer quickly snowballed from there, giving birth to what was originally called Operation Kindle Book Drop, but quickly became Operation EBook Drop as it became apparent that there are many more ebook readers than the Kindle in the deployment zones. I asked Ed to write a guest blog here to let you know about it (and how to apply, if you are overseas or know someone who is).

Operation EBook DROP Takes Off

It's been five days since I serendipitously ran into to a soldier on an Amazon thread who said that the men and women deployed in the Military overseas have more Kindles per head than ordinary citizens (logically, that makes sense), but have no way to get books down via WiFi as Whispernet doesn't cover "overseas." My response was to offer my own published books (13 of them) in accessible Kindle files to this troop. That was the gesture, and the soldier responded with great joy and appreciation. Done! However, since our on-line conversations were hi-jacking the thread, I created a new thread for this issue, and lo and behold, interest sparked. More troops were saying they would love books. Military family members were impressed. So I went to Kindleboards.com, where many Indie authors hang out and launched a poll to canvas any interest among other authors.

Five days later - we have Operation EBook Drop, with over two dozen authors and a wall of military recipients, and . . . the participation of Smashwords.com, a major on-line eBook distributor, who picked up this project and has made the creation of the books and their turn-around to the troops an overnight wonder.

The program is simple. Authors publish their books on Smashwords.com and set-up a 100% off discount generating a code. Coalition Armed Force Members deployed and overseas who are interested in the program send me a request along with their location and unit name. I then forward their email address to the list of authors and they begin sending links and discounts codes to the military member. In five days, my estimate is that over 300 free book discount codes have left author's desks.

This first stage is quite simple. Smashwords sees an even wider vision involving military agencies. Here's a link to the full vision:

Smashwords Supports Operation Ebook Drop

Meanwhile, my Blackberry has been going nutz, but I keep saying to myself that we are just paying forward one nice gesture. And after all, how can we put a price on these brave men and women?


Edward C. Patterson
Formerly Spec 5. E. Patterson
USArmy, 6th Battalion, 60th Artillery (1966-1968)

So, what can you do to help? For now, help spread the word. If you know of someone in the military, stationed overseas and who reads, send them a link about the program. They don't need any particular ebook reader, as Smashwords has formats available that can be read on many platforms and on any PC. They don't even need to choose a format ahead of time, as they can set up their library on Smashwords, adding books as they get coupon codes and download those books in any format, as many times as they want (and share them with anyone else overseas, as well, but not with those in the states).

If you are an author, get your books up on Smashwords, generate the 100% off coupon codes you'll need and then email Ed (the details are on the Smaswords blog post, above), to be added to the distribution list as he receives the contact info for each recipient. You'll then send the coupons directly to each serviceman, so you can keep in touch or send a personal note. If you aren't sure how to start with getting your books published in an electronic format or have only worked with PDF files in the past, be sure to pick up Ed's free book, Are Your Still Submitting Your Work to a Traditional Publisher? (also available on Kindle for 99 cents)

You can also support the effort by checking out some of the author's involved and perhaps buying one or two of their books, if they are of interest to you. I'll be featuring a few of them each week, with links to their books. I'm starting off with Ed's books, which you can check out on Smashwords or in the Kindle Store.

Smashwords Kindle Come, Wewoka & Diary of Medicine Flower
Smashwords Kindle The Academician - Southern Swallow - Book I
Smashwords Kindle The Jade Owl
Smashwords Kindle The Third Peregrination - The Jade Owl - Book II
Smashwords Kindle The Dragon's Pool - The Jade Owl Book III
Smashwords Kindle No Irish Need Apply
Smashwords Kindle Bobby's Trace
Smashwords Kindle Look Away, Silence
Smashwords Kindle Turning Idolater
Smashwords Kindle Surviving an American Gulag
Smashwords Kindle The Closet Clandestine
Smashwords Kindle Cutting the Cheese

Monthly Kindle Book Budget: May

Quite a few free reads last month (some of which I would not have purchased, otherwise, although now and then one of the free reads is one I have on my Wish List). Several books have gone up in price since I purchased them and I've started noticing that some of the books purchased this year have disappeared from the Kindle store entirely (Summer's Path by Scott Blum and all of Boyd Morrison's books, for example).

May

The Night Gardener	George Pelecanos		$1.99
Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith #1: Precipice	JOHN JACKSON MILLER		$0.00
The Colorado Sequence	Stacey Cochran		$0.80
Like Warm Sun on Nekkid Bottoms	Chuck Austen		$1.59
The Red Cross of Gold IX:. The Queen of the Abyss	Brendan Carroll		$1.59
The Red Cross of Gold VIII: The Silver Caduceus	Brendan Carroll		$1.59
The Red Cross of GoldVII:. The Wisdom of Solomon	Brendan Carroll		$1.59
The Red Cross of Gold VI:. the Dragonslayer	Brendan Carroll		$1.59
The Red Cross of Gold V:. the Quinta Essentia	Brendan Carroll		$1.59
The Red Cross of Gold IV:. The Hesperian Dragon	Brendan Carroll		$1.59
The Red Cross of Gold III:. The Head of the Crow	Brendan Carroll		$1.59
The Red Cross of Gold II:. The King of Terrors	Brendan Carroll		$1.59
The Red Cross of Gold I:. The Knight of Death	Brendan Carroll		$1.59
The Grove	John Rector		$0.99
CLAWS	Stacey Cochran		$1.59
25 Language Phrasebook	MobileReference		$0.01
Irreconcilable Differences	James R. Strickland		$0.99
Looking Glass	James R. Strickland		$0.99
Migration of the Kamishi (The Feral World)	Gaddy Bergmann		$0.99
In Her Name: Empire	Michael R. Hicks		$1.59
Felonious Jazz	Bryan Gilmer		$1.99
Dragon Ring	Lettie Prell		$0.99
A Lifetime of Vengeance	P. J. Grondin		$0.99
The Network Imperative: Community or Contagion?	Yoram (Jerry) Wind, Paul R. Kleindorfer		$0.00
Master Of The Game	Sidney Sheldon		$0.99
Call Me (Joker's Wild Series)	Lena Matthews		$0.00
Living With Your Kids Is Murder	Mike Befeler		$3.99
The Merchant of Death	D.J. MacHale		$0.00
The Huntress	Shiloh Walker		$0.00
Crossroads: Navigating Your Calling and Career	Colin Creel		$0.00
Kiss of Midnight	Lara Adrian		$0.00
Once Bitten, Twice Shy	Jennifer Rardin		$0.00
Weapons of Choice (Axis of Time, Book 1)	John Birmingham		$0.00
Elric: The Stealer of Souls	Michael Moorcock		$0.00

For the month, that's 34 books, $34.79 in total, for $1.02 per book. Definitely within the monthly budget (but the TBR stack is getting quite high). Here's the break-down by month, for the year-to-date:

Month	No. Books	Total Cost	Per Book
January	59	$83.47	$1.41
February	43	$29.97	$0.70
March	32	$33.44	$1.05
April	22	$13.11	$0.60
May	34	$34.79	$1.02
Totals	190	$194.78	$1.03

Book Review: The Truth About You

Thomas Nelson provided me a review copy of The Truth About You: Your Secret to Success, by Marcus Buckingham. I'm not sure how well this one will translate to the digital world (but it is available on Kindle), as there is both a DVD and a memo pad included in the book. The first thing you are instructed to do is to watch the film (22 minutes). At various points, you use the two-sided memo pad to record activities that you love (that made you feel strong) and those you loathed (you felt weak, bored, etc). Any memo pad could be used for the exercise, of course, but you will miss a third or so of the content without the DVD. The book itself is quite short, at 110 pages, so it isn't one you'll be reading for hours each day. Instead, there are short sections that require to think, reflect and act. Rather than trying to work on your weaknesses and eliminate them, this program has you work on your strengths, find jobs that use them and then carve out that job over time to match you, rather than trying to mold yourself to the job.

One thing I didn't like about the book was the binding. The DVD holder and memo pad holder are the front and back covers of the book, so you are stuck holding the fairly awkward result when reading the book, which also won't lay flat. I think with a bit of coaxing, you could separate the book from the outer hard cover (but, you'll want to be careful not to tear it up doing so), but it still isn't likely to lie flat). You can blow thru the book in an hour, but working the exercises with the memo pad will take you longer; anywhere from a few hours, to the rest of your career/life.

Book Description
An Experience to Revolutionize Your Life from Marcus Buckingham - the World's Leading Expert on Career Success!

Want to know what you are supposed to do with your life? The Truth About You is an experience to unlock life's toughest questions. The process this revolutionary toolkit teaches will create higher satisfaction and performance in life and work. This cutting-edge product includes:

Enhanced DVD. A high-energy film reveals how and why you must discover and prioritize your strengths and includes access to a wealth of downloadable resources, including five bonus Strength Tip videos.

Interactive Book. With insightful exercises and tried-and-true life wisdom no one else will tell you, the book takes you to the location of your most powerful and unchanging talents.

ReMemo Pad. Designed for a life on-the-go, the ReMemo Pad becomes your companion to complete the task of revealing your strengths using your everyday experiences.

Perfect for high school and college students, young professionals, and people simply wanting to revitalize their career, The Truth About You helps you develop the kind of clarity and passion that drives a successful and satisfying future. Marcus Buckingham will help you discover the real truth, the truth about you . . . it will be your secret to success.

Monthly Kindle Book Budget: April

It's been a slow month for buying books here, what with the large to-be-read stack already on my Kindle. I did get all the free books for the month and a very few others, but overall stayed well under the Kindle budget for the month.

April

Holy Bible, GOD'S WORD Translation (GW) by Baker Publishing Group	$0.00
Holy Bible, Today's New International Version, TNIV by Zondervan	$0.00
Because He Loves Me: How Christ Transforms Our Daily Life by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick	$0.00
The Quran - A Pure and Literal Translation by The Monotheist Group	$0.95
Afraid by Jack Kilborn	$1.99
Miss Fix-It by L. C. Monroe and Nicolette Derens	$0.00
Put Your Dream to the Test: 10 Questions that Will Help You See It and Seize It by John C. Maxwell	$0.00
The Second Ship (The Rho Agenda : Book One) by Richard Phillips	$0.99
Kindle Shortcuts and Kindle-friendly Websites by MobileReference	$0.01
ReThink: Introduction by Ric Merrifield	$0.00
Rethink: Key Concepts by Ric Merrifield	$0.00
Rethink (Chapter 1): How the -How- Trap Is Trapping You by Ric Merrifield	$0.00
Rethink: Index by Ric Merrifield	$0.00
Outsmart (Intro & Chapter 1): It's a Smart, Smart, Smart, Smart World by Jim Champy	$0.00
Outsmart (Epilogue) by Jim Champy	$0.00
Inspire (Intro & Chapter 1): From Tired to Inspired by Jim Champy	$0.00
Stories I Never Told the Speaker: The Chaotic Adventures of a Capitol Hill Aide by Marshall L. Lynam	$0.80
Retirement Homes Are Murder by Mike Befeler	3.99
Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary for Kindle (KJV) (cross linked with built in Bible) (1) by matthew henry	$2.39
Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary for Kindle (ASV) (cross linked with built in Bible) (1) by matthew henry	$1.99
The Bounty: The Malloy Family Book 1 by Beth Williamson	$0.00
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott	$0.00

For the month, that's 22 books, $13.11 in total, for $0.60 per book. Sure, it includes several business chapters that are not real books, but I've left off several titles I got for free from other sources. Here's the break-down by month, for the year-to-date:

Month	No. Books	Total Cost	Per Book
January	59	$83.47	$1.41
February	43	$29.97	$0.70
March	32	$33.44	$1.05
April	22	$13.11	$0.60
Totals	156	$159.99	$1.03

If you add in the cost of the Kindle itself, that's about $3.33 per book. Of course, we have more than one Kindle, where with paperbacks we'd be able to pass them around, but at double or more the cost per book. We also have roughly 80 pounds less paper taking up room on the shelves (estimating 8 oz per book - a bit high for paperback, low for hardbacks). We might not have purchased the exact same books, of course, but these calculations also leave out all the classics and other free books we have to read on the Kindle (such as the two recent John Hart novels).

Book Review: The Noticer by Andy Andrews

Are you a puppy dog, a cat, a canary or a goldfish? This is just one of the introspective questions you may find yourself asking as you read Andy Andrews' The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective (Hardcover $12.23; Kindle $9.99; Audio CD $15.63).

In The Noticer, Andrews, bestselling author of The Traveler's Gift (Paperback $10.19; Kindle $9.99), tells the (purported) true story of how he discovered the seven principals revealed in his earlier books. Broke, lonely and homeless, depressed and feeling hopeless, he is approached by an itinerant philosopher named Jones ("not Mr. Jones ... just Jones"), who describes himself as "a noticer" and who advises him that all his problems are simply a matter of perspective. Starting with a request to "move into the light," advice that he ask himself each day what things about himself other would want him to change and a crash course in biographies of individuals who had risen above their humble beginnings and gone on to do great things, he gradually sees his life change, developing his seven principals, getting married, having children and building his career as an author and inspirational speaker.

Twenty five years later, Jones is back in town and changing the lives of many others. All have different problems and yet have the same problem, according to Jones: a lack of perspective. Jones turns up at a critical moment in each person's life, knows their name and most secret problems and deals out advice that saves the day. A marriage on the rocks is saved by a realization that the two have different ideas on how love is expressed (puppies and goldfish can co-exist, but they need to learn new dialects of love in order to speak to each other). Teens just exploring dating get advice on how to find someone they might want to spend the rest of their life with (and why they should be thinking about that and not just dating those they are attracted to with no thoughts of the futures).

Whether the person he speaks to is suicidal, settling in to mark time until death, doing just enough to get buy and cheating those around them, Jones (or Garcia or Chen, depending on who he talks to) is able to show them how to change their perspective in order to find a purpose or direction for the rest of their lives.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and it's a quick, light read (embracing it's lessons and changing your life would be the difficult and lengthy part). However, having the main protaganist shift racial features as you concentrate on different ethnic names, keeping the same physical appearance not just for the 25 year span of the book, but also for the lifetimes of several older characters, as well as being both omniscent and able to disappear into thin air simply doesn't jive with the claim of a true story at the end of the first chapter. Unless perhaps the author has a slightly warped perception of reality, one not shared with most others on the planet (at least the more sober and sane ones). It also doesn't add to the story, as a nice parable and story of a messenger of god is colored by the claim. I'd recommend the book, but also that you skip pages 19 and 20 when you do (it's easy enough to forget that the author's name is the same as that of the main narrator, as it is both seldom used and he isn't present for a large part of the story,which truly is about Jones and the lessons he imparts to those whose lives he touches).

Monthly Kindle Book Budget: March

Continuing with my Monthly Kindle Book Budget, this one gets me caught up for the year.

March

How To Do Your Own Dentistry By: Chris Reynolds	$0.45
The Healthy House Answer Book: Answers to the 133 Most Commonly Asked Questions By: John Bower, Lynn Marie Bower	$0.00
The Crimson Shadow By: R. A. Salvatore	$7.99
Trail Food: Drying and Cooking Food for Backpacking and Paddling By: Alan Kesselheim	$7.96
Assassin's Apprentice By: Robin Hobb	$0.00
Red Mars By: Kim Stanley Robinson	$0.00
Blood Engines By: T.A. Pratt	$0.00
His Majesty's Dragon By: Naomi Novik	$0.00
Settling Accounts In at the Death By: Harry Turtledove	$0.00
Settling Accounts Return Engagement: Book One of the Settling Accounts Trilogy By: Harry Turtledove	$0.00
Soul Identity By: Dennis Batchelder	$0.01
The Life and Loves of April Johnson By: Eve Vaughn	$0.00
The Reinvention of Chastity By: Eve Vaughn	$0.00
The Babysitter's Code By: Laura Lippman	$0.00
The Legend of Witch Bane (The Witch Bane Saga) By: Kevis Hendrickson	$0.99
World Wide Rave: Creating Triggers that Get Millions of People to Spread Your Ideas and Share Your Stories By: David Meerman Scott	$0.00
Pacific Avenue By: Anne L. Watson	$0.01
The Wild's Call By: Jeri Smith-Ready	$0.00
The Boys of Chattanooga By: Clyde R. Hedges	$2.71
BARRACUDA By: Mike Monahan	$0.99
Uncubicled By: Josh McMains	$1.60
The Keeper of Eternity By: Devyn Quinn	$0.00
Easton's Bible Dictionary for Kindle (instant definition lookup while reading any Bible) (Updated) By: Easton's	$1.99
Still Waters (Sophie Green Mysteries, No. 4) By: Kate Johnson	$0.00
The Adamas Blueprint By: Boyd Morrison	$0.99
The Palmyra Impact By: Boyd Morrison	$1.59
The Ark By: Boyd Morrison	$1.59
Persuader By: Lee Child	$0.00
Numenon (Bloodsong Series) By: Sandy Nathan	$0.99
The Complete User's Guide To the Amazing Amazon Kindle 2: A Kindle Owners Toolkit Of Over 500 Tips, Tricks, & Links (DRM-Free with Text-to-Speech Enabled, User-Friendly) By: Stephen Windwalker	$0.99
Strong's Concordance By: Packard Technologies (www.christiancdrom.com)	$1.60
Elfhunter (A Tale of Alterra, The World That Is) By: C S Marks	$0.99

For the month, that's 32 books, $33.44 in total, for $1.05 per book.

A couple of the free ones I already had in paperback (so, off to the used bookstore with those) and the three by Boyd Morrison I could have grabbed for free on his web site ($4.17), but by buying at Amazon, we could all download via Whispernet when we get around to reading them. I paid $3.99 for Summer's Path, which is available free this month. I also purchased Soul Identity twice, but the second copy was only a penny (and was so I could see if there was a difference in the versions: there is not). Quite a few that I would not have purchased, normally, but might read since I have them (most of those Harlequins, for example), but at least a couple of the freebies were on my wish list to purchase later.

Here's the break-down by month, for the year-to-date:

Month	No. Books	Total Cost	Per Book
January	59	$83.47	$1.41
February	43	$29.97	$0.70
March	32	$33.44	$1.05
Totals	134	$146.88	$1.09

Not bad per book (even with those public domain titles tossed in) and definitely enough to keep us occupied for at least a few weeks.

Monthly Kindle Book Budget: February

Continuing with my Monthly Kindle Book Budget ....

February

Murder in the Marais (Aimee Leduc Investigation) By: Cara Black	$0.00
Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods By: Rick Warren	$8.79
Tramping Through Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras Being the Random Notes of an Incurable Vagabond By: Harry Alverson, 1881-1962 Franck	$0.00
Silent in the Sanctuary By: Deanna Raybourn	$0.00
The Holy Bible English Standard Version (ESV) By: Crossway Bibles	$0.00
Last Chance, My Love By: Lynne Connolly	$0.00
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder By: Joanne Fluke	$3.99
Summer's Path By: Scott Blum	$0.00
Rage of Night By: Bryan Belrad	$0.80
Shadowslayers (Blackwood) By: Charlie Martin	$0.80
Irresistible Forces By: Brenda Jackson	$0.00
The Bride's Baby By: Liz Fielding	$0.00
Snowbound By: Janice Kay Johnson	$0.00
A Very Special Delivery By: Linda Goodnight	$0.00
Dancing in the Moonlight By: RaeAnne Thayne	$0.00
Price of Passion By: Susan Napier	$0.00
His Lady Mistress By: Elizabeth Rolls	$0.00
Kiss Me Deadly By: Michele Hauf	$0.00
Hide in Plain Sight By: Marta Perry	$0.00
Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch By: B.J. Daniels	$0.00
Publicani By: Zak Maymin	$0.80
Soul Identity By: Dennis Batchelder	$0.99
The Cook's Illustrated How-to-Cook Library: An illustrated step-by-step guide to Foolproof Cooking By: The Editors of Cooks Illustrated	$0.00
UR By: Stephen King	$2.99
A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison By: James E. Seaver	$0.00
The Story Girl By: L. M. (Lucy Maud), 1874-1942 Montgomery	$0.00
Daily Strength for Daily Needs By: Mary W. Tileston	$0.00
Jacob's Room By: Virginia, 1882-1941 Woolf	$0.00
Understood Betsy By: Dorothy Canfield, 1879-1958 Fisher	$0.00
The Real Diary of a Real Boy By: Henry A. (Henry Augustus), 1856-1943 Shute	$0.00
Medieval People By: Eileen Edna Power	$0.00
Stranded with a Spy By: Merline Lovelace	$0.00
The Life of Hon. William F. CodyKnown as Buffalo Bill the Famous Hunter, Scout and Guide By: William Frederick, 1846-1917 Cody	$0.00
Beautiful Joe An Autobiography of a Dog By: Marshall, 1861-1947 Saunders	$0.00
The Field: Truth and Fiction in Sport History By: Douglas Booth	$0.01
Speed Dating By: Nancy Warren	$0.00
Baby Bonanza By: Maureen Child	$0.00
Slow Hands By: Leslie Kelly	$0.00
Once a Cowboy By: Linda Warren	$0.00
Homespun Bride By: Jillian Hart	$0.00
Falling for God: Saying Yes to His Extravagant Proposal By: Gary W. Moon	$9.99
President Obama's Inaugural Address and Other Speeches and Debates By: Barack Obama	$0.01
Wooden Warriors By: R. P. Repp	$0.80

For the month, that's 43 books, $29.97 in total, for $0.70 per book.

Monthly Kindle Book Budget: January

I thought some of you might be interested in my Kindle book budget (or purchase list, since budget doesn't really fit) each month. These are the titles and prices for those I purchased last month. I do share a Kindle account with my husband and parents, so sometimes their purchases are reflected in the mix (and purchases outside of the Kindle are ignored, as I don't seem to be able to resist those $3 hardbacks when they have megasales down at Borders now and then, especially when they fill in series that I am reading on the Kindle and the Kindle price for the same book is often in the $6 to $10 range). Since I've started this late in the year, I'll start with January thru March, with a total and average per book each month and for the first quarter/year-to-date.

January

The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus By: Lee Strobel	$3.75
The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity By: Lee Strobel	$3.75
Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, A By: James, Shapiro	$4.95
Halley's Bible Handbook with the New International Version By: Henry H. Halley	$9.99
The Scourge of God By: William Dietrich	$3.33
One Last Breath By: Stephen Booth	$1.77
Death Dines at 8:30 By: Nick DiChario, Claudia Bishop	$1.74
Dark Celebration: A Carpathian Reunion By: Christine Feehan	$1.60
The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History By: John M. Barry	$3.83
The Book of the Dead By: Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child	$3.71
Down by the River (Grace Valley, Book 3) By: Robyn Carr	$2.16
The Night Before Halloween (Monster Classics) By: Sondi Miller	$0.80
Mother Ghoul's Curses and Rhymes (Monster Classics) By: Sondi Miller	$0.80
The Protector's War By: S. M. Stirling	$3.67
A Meeting at Corvallis By: S.M. Stirling	$2.40
Mighty Hammer Down (Legend of Reason Series) By: David J. Guyton	$1.59
The Clutter Diet: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life By: Lorie Marrero	$9.99
Friends for Life By: Carol Smith	$1.00
The Cabinet of Curiosities: A Novel By: Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child	$1.67
Void Moon By: Michael Connelly	$1.00
When Women Were Warriors Book I By: Catherine M. Wilson	$0.99
The Difference Between Life and Death: Outliving the Flu Pandemic of 2009 By: Dennis Miner	$4.00
Locked Rooms By: Laurie R. King	$1.40
The Skies of Pern By: Anne Mccaffrey	$3.00
Deader the Better, The By: G.M. Ford	$1.64
Hey Diddle Diddle, the Corpse and the Fiddle By: Fran Rizer	$2.46
Easy as 1-2-3 By: Phillip Depoy	$1.93
A Death at the North Pole By: Joel M. Andre	$0.99
Boys of Summer (anthology) By: Julie Elizabeth Leto	$1.00
To Live & Die in Dixie By: Kathy Hogan Trocheck	$1.57
Blood of Eden By: Edward Morris	$0.00
Waiting for the World to End By: Nicole Hunter	$0.99
The Doré Gallery of Bible Illustrations, Complete  By: Paul Gustave Doré	$0.00
Excursions By: Henry David, 1817-1862 Thoreau	$0.00
Civil Disobedience By: Henry David, 1817-1862 Thoreau	$0.00
The Hunting of the Snark By: Lewis, 1832-1898 Carroll	$0.00
How to Live on 24 Hours a Day By: Arnold, 1867-1931 Bennett	$0.00
The Biography of a Grizzly By: Ernest Thompson, 1860-1946 Seton	$0.00
Stickeen By: John, 1838-1914 Muir	$0.00
The People of the Mist By: H. Rider (Henry Rider), 1856-1925 Haggard	$0.00
The Pink Fairy Book By: Andrew, 1844-1912 Lang	$0.00
Art of Money Getting By: P. T., 1810-1891 Barnum	$0.00
Robin Hood By: J. Walker (Joseph Walker), 1874-1960 McSpadden	$0.00
King of the Khyber Rifles By: Talbot, 1879-1940 Mundy	$0.00
The Last American By: John Ames, 1845-1918 Mitchell	$0.00
The New Jerusalem By: G. K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936 Chesterton	$0.00
Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant Volume 1 By: Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885 Grant	$0.00
Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant Volume 2 By: Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885 Grant	$0.00
The Ball and the Cross By: G. K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936 Chesterton	$0.00
All Things Considered By: G. K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936 Chesterton	$0.00
Ragnarok : the Age of Fire and Gravel By: Ignatius, 1831-1901 Donnelly	$0.00
Orthodoxy By: G. K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936 Chesterton	$0.00
The Club of Queer Trades By: G. K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936 Chesterton	$0.00
Tremendous Trifles By: G. K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936 Chesterton	$0.00
Tales of the Jazz Age By: F. Scott (Francis Scott), 1896-1940 Fitzgerald	$0.00
The Art of War By: 6th cent. B.C. Sunzi	$0.00
From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan By: H. P. (Helena Petrovna), 1831-1891 Blavatsky	$0.00
My Summer in a Garden By: Charles Dudley, 1829-1900 Warner	$0.00
In the Heart of the Rockies By: G. A. (George Alfred), 1832-1902 Henty	$0.00

For the month, that's 59 books, $83.47 in total, for $1.41 per book, but there were a number of public domain books that we downloaded in January, which we could have found free elsewhere. Two books consumed nearly 1/4 of the total amount spent, at $9.99 each (one of which is no longer available), while the others were all under $5, almost all of which are now over $5 and including at least two that now are selling for $9.99.

WOW! Looking at this list, it's no wonder I seem to have too many books in my TBR list on the Kindle. Excuse me while I go read .... continued tomorrow!

Reading Challenges

I'm signing up for J.Kaye's Book Blog's 1st in a Series challenge. Challenge rules are pretty simple:

1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
2. Read 12 books that are the first in any series. You may read & list your chosen books any time during the year.
3. Challenge runs January thru December, 2009.
4. You can join anytime between now and December 31, 2009.
5. You do not have to decide your books ahead of time. You can add or subtract from your list during the year.
   

I'll be updating this post with books as I read them. I admit that the Ebook Challenge is something of a gimme, since most of the books I read these days are ebooks. I'll update this post thru the year as I make progress or join other challenges.

1. Twilight ~ Stephenie Meyer - Read
2. One for the Money ~ Janet Evanovich
3. Whiskey Sour - J.A. Konrath (Jack Daniels series)
4. Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong - Read
5. Beekeeper's Apprentice - Laurie King
6. Nightlife - Rob Thurman
7. Weapons of Choice - John Birmingham
8. Elric: The Stealer of Souls - Michael Moorcock
9. Kiss of Midnight - Lara Adrian
10. Blood Engines - T. A. Pratt
11. His Majesty's Dragon - Naomi Novik - Read
12. Star Wars: Lost Tribe of The Sith: Precipice - John Jackson Miller

Update: Thanks to Suvudu, most of these first in series books were free. The hardest part was deciding which of their titles to add to the challenge.

The 2009 EBook Challenge - Done!
1. Twilight ~ Stephenie Meyer - Read
2. His Majesty's Dragon - Naomi Novik - Read
3. Small Favor - Jim Butcher - Read
4. Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan - Suze Orman - Read
5. The Outlaw Demon Wails (The Hollows, Book 6) - Kim Harrison - Read
6. The Scourge of God - S.M. Stirling - Read
7. The Clutter Diet - Lorie Marrero - Read
8. Princeps' Fury (Codex Alera, Book 5) - Jim Butcher - Read
9. The Core Program - Peggy Brill and Gerald Secor Couzens - Read
10. Personal Demon (Women of the Otherworld, Book 8) - Kelley Armstrong - Read


The 2009 ARC Reading Challenge
1. The Noticer by Andy Andrews - Read/Reviewed
2. Stonecypher Road - Warren Longwell and Nancy Longwell
3. Until the Skies Fall - Liza Granville
4. Dark Rain - Tony Richards - Read
5. Spiral Hunt - Margaret Ronald - Read
6. The Truth About You - Marcus Buckingham - Read/Reviewed
7. The Red Rubber Ball at Work - Kevin Carroll
8. Joker One - Donovan Campbell
9. Paul of Dune - Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
10. The Saga of Beowulf - R. Scot Johns
11. Certain Jeopardy - Jeff Struecker
12. How To Train A Rock - Paul Steven Stone

Sookie Stackhouse Challenge at Beth Fish and GalleySmith, runs July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010 - read the entire series by Charlaine Harris.
1. Dead Until Dark - Read
2. Living Dead in Dallas
3. Club Dead
4. Dead to the World
5. Dead as a Doornail
6. Definitely Dead
7. All Together Dead
8. From Dead to Worse
9. Dead and Gone

Book Review: The Devil Can Wait

The Devil Can Wait (A Sam Harper Crime Mystery) is the latest in what looks to be a winning crime mystery series from Marta Stephens. The book hits the stands November 2 and I've just finished reading the review copy. Well written and definitely recommended this complex, yet fast paced thriller mostly follows Detective Sam Harper, first introduced in Silenced Cry, as he attempts to stop what appears to be a serial killer on the loose.

The book opens with the latest in a series of murders of teenage gang leaders in Chandler, Massachusetts, then jumps to Columbia, South America, where a drug smuggler is dumped into the jungle after he steals from his employers. Luckily for him, he ends up not far from where his mother hides in the jungle, suspected of being a witch by local villagers, with a ring that holds her power and which her son longs to possess. The ring, however, is known to others and a series of murders follows it's possession, while the drug smuggler follows it's path to Chandler. As he kills those who stand in his way, we discover that the ring is an essential element in the biblical prophecy of the End of Days and he intends to be the one to fulfill it.

As the story progresses and the bodies pile up, all the threads of the story weave together, linking the ring and the serial killer cases together. As the End of the World prophecy is fulfilled, the true face of evil isn't unveiled until it’s nearly too late.