Hardcover Price War Spill Over to Kindle Prices

By now, most everyone has heard of the price war between Walmart.com and Amazon.com for pre-orders of hardcover books (and it looks like Target.com is joining the fray). Now, the prices have spilled over into the Kindle prices and you can pre-order upcoming books from bestselling authors, such as First Lord's Fury, by Jim Butcher (November 24, 2009), for $9.00 and have them wirelessly delivered the instant they are released (that beats even the same day delivery Amazon offers only in select cities).

Book Description
For years he has endured the endless trials and triumphs of a man whose skill and power could not be restrained. Battling ancient enemies, forging new alliances, and confronting the corruption within his own land, Gaius Octavian became a legendary man of war-and the rightful First Lord of Alera.

But now, the savage Vord are on the march, and Gaius must lead his legions to the Calderon Valley to stand against them-using all of his intelligence, ingenuity, and furycraft to save their world from eternal darkness.

Of course, that isn't the only book included in the sale (although it is one I've already ordered; remember, if the price drops further before it releases, you get the lowest price, while the price will probably pop back up to $9.99 once it is released). I also see Ice, by Linda Howard, I, Alex Cross, by James Patterson (November 16, 2009), Breathless, by Dean Koontz (November 24, 2009.), and Kindred in Death, by J.D. Robb (November 3, 2009), all for $9.00. You can click HERE to see if any new books pop up on the list. The pre-orders are all at the top of the list and I've included anything from $8 to $9 with at least a 40% discount from list, so you'll find other books in that list, such as the recently released Tommyland ($8.93), by Tommy Lee.

Sony Mystery Book Bundle

My internet is still down today, so a quick post from the coffee shop.

This one's for those with a Sony Reader or who don't mind reading on their computers. Three books (one is an anthology) for the price of one - $5.69.

Candy Cane Murder

'Tis the season for trimming the tree, caroling, baking cookies, and curling up by the Yuletide waiting for Santa to drop down the chimney. But in this festive collection of holiday whodunits, murder is also paying a visit... This anthology includes:

• "Candy Cane Murder" by Joanne Fluke
• "The Dangers of Candy Canes" by Laura Levine
• "Candy Canes of Christmas Past" by Leslie Meier

Bake Sale Murder by Leslie Meier
Ever since local developer Fred Stanton and his wife, Mimi, built five modular homes next door to Lucy Stone's farmhouse, life just hasn't been the same. With Mimi complaining about everything from the state of Lucy's lawn to another neighbor's lovable dog, quaint Tinker's Cove, Maine, is now entangled in cul-de-sac politics and backstabbing. And when Mimi doesn't show up for her shift at The Hat and Mitten Fund bake sale, the scent of burnt sugar leads Lucy to a shocking discovery: Mimi, face down on her kitchen floor--with a knife in her back.
While the police start their investigation, Lucy gets busy writing up the murder for the local Pennysaver--and following a few leads of her own. Lucy knows the women in her neighborhood didn't like Mimi, but they certainly didn't want her dead...right?

This Pen for Hire by Laura Levine
Smarmy personals ads. Daring declarations of love. Writer-for-hire Jaine Austen has penned them all. But when one of the love connections she made is broken up by murder, Jaine finds herself freelancing free-of-charge--and uncovering more than she bargained for...

No one seems to need her help more than geeky, gawky Howard Murdoch. His request is simple enough: a letter proclaiming his undying love for Stacy Lawrence, a gorgeous aerobics instructor. The fact that he's never actually met the woman gives Jaine pause--but she soon overcomes her misgivings, warms up her computer, and starts pitching woo on Howard's behalf. To Jaine's surprise, the letter is a success--the unlikely Romeo lands a date! But his triumph is, sadly, short-lived. On Valentine's Day, Howard finds Stacy bludgeoned to death with a Thigh Master--and is quickly named the prime suspect.

Upon hearing the news, Jaine is shocked. Sure, Howard's awkward, eccentric, and a tiny bit odd. But a murderer? That's hard to believe. Especially after a little sleuthing turns up a whole bunch of people who harbored less-than-loving feelings towards the svelte Stacy. But Jaine had better wrangle her clues quickly, before a crafty killer catches on--and puts a whole new spin on her ghost writing career...

Click HERE to see the bundle (but you'll need to use your Sony software to actually buy it).

Almost Free Game - World of Goo

I first heard about World of Goo ($12.24; PC/Mac) as a WIIWare download ($14.99), but there are versions for your PC, Mac and Linux available, with prices ranging from around $12 to $20. For those of you, like me, who never got around to buying the game or weren't sure if they wanted it, you can get it for your PC, Mac or for Linux as a digital download and pay whatever you want, as little as one penny. It's part of a one-year anniversary sale (World of Goo is a year old) and you can get the game by clicking HERE, then on the Get It button half-way down the screen (there are demos farther down the page). You'll use PayPal to check out, after telling them how much you want to pay, but don't have to have a PayPal account (you can use most major credit cards). The sale ends Monday, Oct 19.

Game Description

• 47 beautiful levels backed with a spell binding soundtrack
• 10 different types of goo, each with their own unique abilities
• Use balloons to steady your creation or give your structure flight!
• A huge variety of different puzzles and situations
• Beautiful, fun, and one of the highlights of this year - PC Gamer

Drag and drop living, squirming, talking globs of goo to build structures, bridges, cannonballs, zeppelins, and giant tongues. The millions of innocent goo balls that live in the beautiful World of Goo are curious to explore. But they don't know that they are in a game, or that they are extremely delicious. The most addicting and awe-inspiring puzzle game will set you on an adventure that you'll never forget!

$1.99 EBook Sale at Drollerie Press

Drollerie Press has been holding a $1.99 sale on their web site - every book at $1.99 or less. They lowered the prices at mobipocket.com, as well and I kept waiting for the Kindle prices to drop, but they never did. In any case, the sale should continue thru tomorrow on the web site. It turns out that the books you buy from them direct are DRM-Free, which means you can load them onto your kindle (unlike the ones at mobipocket.com) and there are multiple formats available, in case you have a different reader. You might want to check out the sale before it ends. If you do buy a book, make sure you don't use the Safari browser to download it. For whatever reason, Safari (at least on the Mac) will scramble the file as it is downloaded, rendering it unreadable. They download just fine with Firefox (on any platform) or Internet Explorer on a PC.

99 Cent Game Download - Ricochet Xtreme

Amazon's Video Game of the Day deal today is a 99 cent game download, Ricochet Xtreme.

Game Description

• 170 Exciting Levels.
• 4 Unique Environments.
• 15 Awesome Power-Ups.
• 13 Specialty Bricks.

Ricochet is an award winning breakout style game featuring state of the art graphics, sound, and lots of new twists on the old classic. It's a winning combination that your WHOLE family will enjoy. As one person wrote us: "My family is thrilled with Ricochet, we have all played it enthusiastically for months!"