Music to Read By

Amazon continues to have a number of good albums and songs available both free and at a tremendous discount that make good background music when reading (or just for listening at other times).

Shanachie: Cool Urban Jazz may not be what everyone thinks of as Urban Jazz, but it also isn't elevator music (as the only negative review accuses). It is an album that you can place on the Kindle and listen along while reading, without being too distracted (or worry about having others hear what you are playing, which is not the case with all the free songs you'll find out there).

Speaking of samplers, Amazon has really pulled out the stops on Free World Music Samplers. They currently have an entire page of free albums, although it can be a bit confusing to get to the download page - first click on an album cover that looks interesting, such as the one shown here, Tuff Gong Worldwide World Music Sampler, which is almost entirely Ziggy Marley & family performances. You'll first go to a page that features related albums from the same part of the world and in the same musical genre. Look around the top of the page or on the right margin and you should see the album a second time - click on it and you'll then see the Album Page where you can download the sampler for free (always verify the price before you one-click on Get MP3). What better way to read Three Cups of Tea than while listening to Music From The Middle East?

Change Is Gonna Come, by Bettye Lavette, is one of those samples that fulfills it's purpose perfectly: it leaves you wanting more. You can't go wrong getting the rest of the album (Change Is Gonna Come Sessions, $4.95) or with any of the rest of her catalog.

The next one isn't free, but is a bargain at $2.99. Amazon has put together what they consider to be The 99 Most Essential Pieces of the Romantic Era, over thirteen and a half hours of music. I suspect the price will soon rise to $7.99, as their other Essential collections are priced (still a bargain at that price). Like the other Essential collections, this one is classical music. It contains several songs that everyone will recognize, even if they don't consider themselves classical music listeners (Also Sprach Zarathustra or The Valkyrie: Ride of the Valkyries, for example).

As a final selection, be sure to listen to Whitney Houston's new album, I Look To You ($9.99 MP3), courtesy of Oprah (if you miss it there, I've also found it as a free listen at rhapsody.com, last.fm, imeem.com and even QVC.COM (yes, the shopping network).

Click HERE to listen now.

Free Audiobook: The Divine Comedy

Looks like I forgot to include a link to this one earlier in the month; today is the last day to get this one for free (you can download it anytime, once it's in your library).

ChristianAudio's free download this month is The Divine Comedy (Unabridged) Dante Alighieri, translated by John Ciardi (Hardcover $40.78;Paperback $12.21; Kindle $9.99). After adding the audiobook to your cart (choose the Download format), enter the coupon code AUG2009 during checkout. Once your order is complete, you can download in either WMA or MP3 format. To use on the Kindle, download the MP3 files and copy them to the audible\ directory on your Kindle (or the SD card for the Kindle 1). Due to the size, you may only be able to copy over a few chapters at a time (and the filename is displayed on the Home page, so make sure to name them appropriately, so you can play the chapters in order).

Dante's poetic masterpiece is a moving human drama, an unforgettable visionary journey through the infinite torment of Hell, up the arduous slopes of Purgatory, and on to the glorious realm of Paradise-the sphere of universal harmony and eternal salvation. Translated by John Ciardi.

Free books from Smashwords: Fantasy and Sci-Fi

Several independent authors have started publishing their books on Smashwords, either in addition to, or instead of the Kindle. Not only can they set their own price (and keep more of the purchase price, compared to Amazon), but they can offer coupons for free or discounted books and support multiple ereader platforms with a single upload. There are several interesting downloads available right now; today I'll highlight some fantasy and science fiction finds. Remember that on Smashwords, there is no DRM and multiple formats, so you can read it on your PC, your Kindle or just about any other ebook reader out there. Books you purchase there stay in your library, so you can re-download them later. For a free book, just make sure to click on the "Add To Library" link just above the EBook Description section of the page.

Kevis Hendrickson's Rogue Hunter (Chronicles of the Rogue Hunter) ($1.99 Kindle) is now available in on Smashwords and he is letting everyone download it for free this weekend.

Book Description
Zyra Zanr, intergalactic bounty hunter for hire, has hunted fugitive criminals for many years. However, her true goal is to destroy the Zaragos Crime Syndicate whose agents ruthlessly murdered her father. But Zyra's vendetta with Zaragos leads her on a forlorn crusade that puts her at odds with not only the law, but also her own religious principles.

While hunting a notorious fugitive on the distant side of the galaxy, Zyra stumbles onto a conspiracy by Zaragos to murder the senators of the Intergalactic Alliance. Zyra learns that this plot is just the tip of the iceberg, for there is a clandestine force operating behind Zaragos that seeks to destroy not only the Intergalactic Alliance, but mankind as well. Zyra will have to put aside her selfish quest of revenge if she is to uncover the mastermind behind this plot and save humanity from an impending holocaust.

Zyra must come to terms with the violent role she plays in trying to keep peace in the galaxy, as well as the fact that a lone wolf may not be able to stop the coming Armageddon.

Rogue Hunter takes Zyra on a quest of adventure and descent into darkness, ultimately pitting the forces of good against evil in an epic struggle that can only result in the liberation or destruction of one woman’s soul while the fate of humanity rests in the balance.

Today is the last day, but you can download it at Smashwords for free in several formats. Click HERE for the download.

It's also the final days for the free download of Wesley Allison's Princess of Amathar. You have to use a coupon code after adding the book to your cart, RE32Y, which is valid until August 30.

Transported to the artificial world of Ecos, Earth man Alexander Ashton struggles to understand the society of his new friends the Amatharians. As he does so, he finds himself falling in love with their princess and being thrust into a millennium-long war with their mortal foes the reptilian Zoasians. Princess of Amathar is a sword-swinging novel of high adventure.

Ghost Of The Black: A 'Verse Full Of Scum, by Alan Baxter. The first time I saw mention of this one, I wasn't the only one that thought it was a poetry volume. But that is 'Verse, not Verse, and it's punk sci-fi to the core.

Book Description
Ghost is possibly the best bounty hunter in the universe and he always gets the job done. At least, that's the reputation that he rides on. When the DAP employ him to track down and capture a rogue Magicker that's running across the galaxy killing anyone that gets in his way, Ghost realises that this is a job that could cost him his reputation. It's also a job that could cost him his sanity.


Hero Wanted, by Dan McGirt, is my fantasy pick this week. This one is worth getting, just for the cover art alone (the book itself is getting pretty good reviews, as well).

Book Description
A rollicking fantasy romp across the Eleven Kingdoms with reluctant hero Jason Cosmo and cynical wizard Mercury Boltblaster. Forced to flee his home in Lower Hicksnittle and pursued by bounty hunters, demons, and the sinister Dark Magic Society, Jason goes from the bright realm of The Gods to the depths of the Incredibly Dark Forest to learn the awful truth behind the price on his head.

Monthly Kindle Book Budget: June

I'm a bit behind in posting my book purchases, so today I'll try to get caught up a bit.

June

Miss Kitty, Rocky and the Immortals	Jay A. Stout	$1.59
Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse	James Wesley Rawles	$6.96
Loving A Lost Lord	Mary Jo Putney	$0.00
Kiss Me Again	Dee Tenorio	$0.00
The Psychokitty Speaks Out: Something of Yours Will Meet a Toothy Death	Max Thompson	$1.59
The Psychokitty Speaks Out: Diary of a Mad Housecat	Max Thompson	$1.59
The Rules: A Guide For People Owned By Cats	Max Thompson	$1.19
Green Cost Cutting: Five Ways to Get Lean Now	Andrew Winston	$0.00
VICARIOUS	Jon F. Merz	$1.59
For the New Intellectual: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand	Ayn Rand	$1.99
Rogue Hunter (Chronicles of the Rogue Hunter)	Kevis Hendrickson, Carolyn Wright, Carol Dennis	$0.99
Her Wiccan, Wiccan Ways	Traci Hall	$0.00
The Caliphate	Jack Stewart	$0.10
Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot	Andrea Leininger, Bruce Leininger	$0.00
Identity Crisis	Debbi Mack	$1.27
Cuba Blue (A Qui Agillar Havana Cuba Mystery)	Robert W. Walker, Lyn Polkabla	$1.59
Murder In Metropolis (Metropolis Mystery Series)	Lonnie Cruse	$0.80
Dead Man's Rain	Frank Tuttle	$0.00
The Widow	Carla Neggers	$0.00
Deception	Sharon Cullen	$0.00
MetaGame	Sam Landstrom	$0.80
The Hope Of Glory: 100 Daily Meditations on Colossians	Sam Storms	$0.00
One Second After	William R. Forstchen	$9.99
Dune (40th Anniversary Edition)	Frank Herbert	$1.99
The Clutter Diet: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life	Lorie Marrero	$9.99
PARALLAX	Jon F. Merz	$1.59
Finding Juliet	Frank Sennett	$0.99
The Walk	Lee Goldberg	$1.40
Faking It	Elisa Lorello	$1.59
Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas. (complete) Published by MobileReference (mobi)	Thomas Aquinas	$0.99
Summa Theologica, all three parts in a single file, with active table of contents	Saint Thomas Aquinas	$0.99
Seducing Jane Porter	Dominique Adair	$0.00
The Nine Lives of Clemenza	Holly Christine	$0.80
For Love of Mother Not	Alan Dean Foster	$0.00
Magic Kingdom for Sale--Sold!	TERRY BROOKS	$0.00
Performance Criteria: Droid Wars I	Mandy M. Roth	$0.00
Nurse Jackie on SHOWTIME	Liz Brixius & Linda Wallem and Evan Dunsky	$0.00

For the month, that's 37 books, $40.39 in total, for $1.09 per book. Under budget and a very low per book cost. Two of the books were repurchases of books with bad formatting, so Amazon gave me a credit for the originals (Clutter Diet and Dune), which if purchased at full price would have bumped the total up to $52.37 and $1.42 per book. At least a couple of these are currently unavailable for purchase, due to the fallout from the 1984 book (Amazon has pulled all MobileReference books and is checking copyrights, it seems).

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
June	37	$40.39	$1.09
Totals	227	$235.17	$1.04

Guest Blogger: Author Sam Moffie

Today's post is from guest blogger and author Sam Moffie, whose most recent novel, No Mad, I just reviewed. You can find more info about the author and his work on his web site or by following him on Twitter.
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GOD BLESS YOU MR. VONNEGUT!


When I was a boy, 5000 bottles of Merlot ago, I thought by age 47 it would be a lot easier to break into the limelight. Now I know how Kilgore Trout felt. The man had hundreds of books written, and the only magazines he could find his name in print, were rags that were very poor by pornographic standards. Wait a minute; at least he was getting published regularly.

Based upon my recent experiences in trying to find a reputable agent and/or a publishing house, it appears that American icon Kurt Vonnegut, like his creation Kilgore Trout, would only be published in tasteless porno magazines in today’s totally absurd literary world.

What do I mean?

I have spent the better part of three months sending out 90% intact Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions to various agents and publishing places disguised as The Perfect Martini, only to be rejected time in and time out by all BUT ONE agent, who recognized my sample 20 pages as the first 20 pages of Breakfast of Champions.

Think of that dear reader! If Kurt Vonnegut would be, say my age of 47, we wouldn’t know of him and his characters, because the publishing world would have ignored him. Or as two publishing houses said to me in their little ratty form rejection notes in envelopes THAT I PAID the postage for: “Unfortunately, we have to take a pass,” or “We made our selection, and sorry your story didn’t fit our needs.” I wonder how these two press houses being university affiliated will feel when they get the notice from me about whose writing THEY actually did turn down? For you see, Kurt Vonnegut’s books have always done so well with the university crowd.

Not only am I a huge fan of Vonnegut as a reader; his writing has also served as a sort of teacher for me to try my new trade as a writer of fiction. Although, it is very hard for me to picture Kurt Vonnegut receiving rejection after rejection from notable agents and agencies who after turning you down, do not even send you a personal rejection slip, but scribble a few lines on the original query and mail back to me in my pre-paid stamped addressed envelope how “the work doesn’t fit their need.” “Thanks, I’ll take a pass.” My favorite is: “Not taking on new writers.” How does that one strike you? Imagine how these uber-agents will feel when I inform them how they have rejected the work of Kurt Vonnegut?

This leads me to question a few things. One, obviously, did the agents I query even read the submission? Two, if they did, did they ever read Vonnegut? Three, if they didn’t ever read Vonnegut, what are they doing selling themselves to authors as literary agents who know fiction? And most importantly, four; has an agency or publishing house ever bought a stamp?

I think Mr. Vonnegut would appreciate this story. At least he would admire my imagination in attempting to shine a very small light on today’s publishing world. For sure, Kilgore Trout would be pretty happy with my attempt to kick the publishing world right in the tush, and hopefully shake it out of the slumber it is in when it comes to non-linear fiction, unknown authors, non-celebrity books, diet books, fantasy books, how-to-books, legal books, horror books, and did I mention non-linear as well as unknown authors?

I have been warned by many, that my attempt might embarrass a few people. Agents and publishing houses might boycott me. That this ”hoax” of mine will backfire, because Kurt Vonnegut has only been dead for a short time and the book I picked only 34 years old. My response is two-fold. What, they won’t publish me? They are ignoring me already! Furthermore, I turn to Kurt Vonnegut himself for help.

In 1954 he was hired by “Sports Illustrated.” Knowing very little about sports he was given a picture of a horse which was jumping a fence. Vonnegut spent some time pondering what to write as the caption. His one line was: “The horse jumped over the f---ing fence.” He walked out after leaving that masterpiece.

I guess you could say like Vonnegut, I’m taking a chance.

And, so it goes