Araminta Spookie and Septimus Heap

Angie Sage has two series for children, Araminta Spookie and Septimus Heap. The entire first series is on sale (except for book 3, Frognapped, which isn't available on Kindle, yet) and a couple of the second are marked down and just squeaked under the $5 mark. The first series is aimed at grades 2-4, while the second is grades 5-8.

My Haunted House ($2.39), Book 1 in the Araminta Spookie series

Book Description
Araminta Spookie lives in a wonderful old haunted house, but her crabby aunt Tabby wants to move. Aunt Tabby is determined to sell their house -- Araminta has to stop her! With the help of a haunted suit of armor named Sir Horace, a ghost named Edmund, and a lot of imagination, Araminta hatches a plot for an Awful Ambush that is so ghoulish, it just might work!

The Sword in the Grotto ($2.39), Book 2 in the Araminta Spookie series

Book Description
Sir Horace is about to turn five hundred years old! Araminta and Wanda need to find him the perfect gift. Araminta finds an ancient sword in a grotto hidden under her haunted house and it should be a cinch to get it. But she wasn't planning on the nasty surprise of a portcullis-trap and a rising tide in the grotto. Will Araminta and Wanda make it to Sir Horace's birthday party?

Vampire Brat ($2.39), Book 4 in the Araminta Spookie series

Book Description
Araminta thinks something horrible is hiding in the deep, hidden passages of Spookie House -- could it be a werewolf? Add to that the arrival of Uncle Drac's creepy nephew, Max, and Araminta knows things will never be the same. Max is Wanda's new best friend, and Araminta finds him annoying. She comes up with a plan to figure out what Max is up to -- and also to capture the werewolf. But will it work?

Ghostsitters ($3.19), Book 5 in the Araminta Spookie series

Book Description
When Aunt Tabby and Uncle Drac head off to Transylvania, Araminta is upset they're going to be away on her birthday. However, when it turns out that her almost-grown-up cousin, Mathilda, will be babysitting, it seems things couldn't get any better. But Mathilda's brought along trouble: two rowdy teenage ghosts, Ned and Jed, who listen to no one. It's a disaster! Can the girls figure out a way to get Ned and Jed out of the house for good?

Magyk ($4.79), Book 1 in the Septimus Heap series

Book Description
The Magyk Begins Here Septimus Heap, the seventh son of the seventh son, disappears the night he is born, pronounced dead by the midwife. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across an abandoned child in the snow -- a newborn girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take her into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this mysterious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son Septimus?

Flyte ($4.79), Book 2 in the Septimus Heap series

Book Description
It's been a year since Septimus Heap discovered his real family and true calling to be a wizard. As Apprentice to Extra Ordinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand, he is learning the fine arts of Conjurations, Charms, and other Magyk, while Jenna is adapting to life as the Princess and enjoying the freedom of the Castle.

But there is something sinister at work. Marcia is constantly trailed by a menacing Darke Shadow, and Septimus's brother Simon seems bent on a revenge no one understands. Why is the Darke Magyk still lingering?

Physik ($4.79), Book 3 in the Septimus Heap series

Book Description
When Silas Heap unSeals a forgotten room in the Palace, he releases the ghost of a Queen who lived five hundred years earlier. Queen Etheldredda is as awful in death as she was in life, and she's still up to no good. Her diabolical plan to give herself everlasting life requires Jenna's compliance, Septimus's disappearance, and the talents of her son, Marcellus Pye, a famous Alchemist and Physician. And if Queen Etheldredda's plot involves Jenna and Septimus, then it will surely involve Nicko, Alther Mella, Marcia Overstrand, Beetle, Stanley, Sarah, Silas, Spit Fyre, Aunt Zelda, and all of the other wacky, wonderful characters that made magyk and flyte so memorable.

Queste ($4.79), Book 4 in the Septimus Heap series

Book Description
There's trouble at the Castle, and it's all because Merrin Meredith has returned with Darke plans for Septimus. More trouble awaits Septimus and Jenna in the form of Tertius Fume, the ghost of the very first Chief Hermetic Scribe, who is determined to send Septimus on a deadly Queste. But Septimus and Jenna have other plans -- they are headed for the mysterious House of Foryx, a place where all Time meets and the place where they fervently hope they will be able to find Nicko and Snorri, who were trapped back in time in physik. But how will Septimus escape the Queste?

That leaves just the last two in the series, Syren ($9.99) and The Magykal Papers ($9.71)..

The Chronicles of Narnia

It looks like the entire The Chronicles of Narnia series, by CS Lewis, has gone on sale and all but one of the title is now $3.99. The series is now 59 years old, but still finds readers with each generation. I've listed them in order, below.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ($3.99)

Book Description
Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy find their way through an old wardrobe into the world of Narnia. There, they unite with Aslan to fight the White Witch and save Narnia from perpetual Darkness.

Prince Caspian ($3.99)

Book Description
Troubled times have come to Narnia as it is gripped by civil war. Prince Caspian is forced to blow The Great Horn of Narnia, summoning the help of past heroes, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. Now they must overthrow Caspian's uncle, King Miraz, to restore peace to Narnia.

One year later (in our world) after the adventures described in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie are sitting on a railway station on their way back to school. Suddenly they feel something dragging them away.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader ($4.79)

Book Description
Lucy, Edmund, and their cousin Eustace, are magically transported onto the ship, Dawn Treader, where King Caspian is searching for the seven lost friends of his father. On the voyage, the children meet many fantastical creatures, including the great Aslan himself.

Aslan does not always choose the most obvious people to enter Narnia, and C. S. Lewis begins The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by telling us, -There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.- Not surprisingly, Eustace does not like his cousins, Lucy and Edmund, and when they are sent to stay with him one summer, Eustace can only think how he can make their stay miserable. But this is before the three children see the picture in Lucy's room. Edmund and Lucy recognize it at once as a Narnian ship.

The Silver Chair ($3.99)

Book Description
King Caspian's beloved son Prince Rilian has disappeared. Aslan sends Eustace and his school friend Jill to Narnia on a quest to search for the young prince and defeat the evil Witch.

When Eustace Scrubb next goes to Narnia, he finds that more than seventy Narnian years have passed since The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. To Eustace, it has only been a few weeks, but once more Narnia is in great danger. Caspian's only son, the young Prince Rilian, has disappeared and there is no one to take the throne when the old King dies.

The Magician's Nephew ($3.99)

Book Description
When Digory and Polly are tricked by Digory's peculiar Uncle Andrew into becoming part of an experiment, they set off on the adventure of a lifetime. What happens to the children when they touch Uncle Andrew's magic rings is far beyond anything even the old magician could have imagined.

Hurtled into the Wood between the Worlds, the children soon find that they can enter many worlds through the mysterious pools there. In one world they encounter the evil Queen Jadis, who wreaks havoc in the streets of London when she is accidentally brought back with them. When they finally manage to pull her out of London, unintentionally taking along Uncle Andrew and a coachman with his horse, they find themselves in what will come to be known as the land of Narnia.

The Horse and His Boy ($3.99)

Book Description
Shasta escapes from the land of Calormen with a Narnian warhorse, Bree. Along with Aravis and her horse Hwin, they uncover a Calormene plot to conquer Narnia and must find a way to save Narnia and its people.

The Horse and His Boy takes place even before the adventures in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe have ended. It begins in Calormen, a land far to the south of Narnia, beyond Archenland, where animals cannot talk and humans can still be treated as slaves.

The Last Battle ($3.99)

Book Description
Many Narnian years have passed since Eustace and Jill helped ensure the Royal line. But when they are jerked back violently into this strangest of lands they find the present King in danger and Narnia facing its darkest hour. With Eustace and Jill at his side, the King, the noble unicorn Jewel and a few remaining loyal subjects must stand fast against the powers of evil and darkness and fight the Last Battle to decide the future of this once glorious kingdom.

Happy Veteran's Day

Green Books campaign: The Organic Farmer's Business Handbook

This review is part of the Green Books campaign. Today 100 bloggers are reviewing 100 great books printed in an environmentally friendly way. The goal is to encourage publishers to get greener and readers to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books. This campaign is organized by Eco-Libris, a green company working to green up the book industry by promoting the adoption of green practices, balancing out books by planting trees, and supporting green books. A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on the Eco-Libris website.

I learned of the campaign fairly late in the signup period, but managed to find a book that piqued my interest. The Organic Farmer's Business Handbook: A Complete Guide to Managing Finances, Crops, and Staff-and Making a Profit ($23.07 Paperback), by Richard Wiswall, was provided by Chelsea Green Publishing for this review. This is large format paperback, 184 pages, printed on chlorine-free, recycled paper and includes a companion CD-ROM with four spreadsheets and a doc file, all of which worked fine in the Open Office included on my netbook. A Kindle edition is available ($18.46), but I would not recommend it, even on the DX - the worksheets can be a bit of a strain to read even on paper and may be impossible as tables on the Kindle, plus you don't get the companion CD.

Most books on organic farming/gardening approach the subject from the gardening viewpoint. This book, however, introduces the organic farmer to several of the concepts needed to run a farm as a successful business, starting with the principle that profit is not evil (including a chapter on how to plan for a retirement where you don't have to keep working the farm until you die or sell off the farm to afford it). There are worksheets to help determine which crops are making money (after expenses which include more than just materials) as well as track payroll taxes (although I'd suggest considering a program like Quickbooks to handle that part of the business). The worksheets are pretty involved and some of the print is quite small on the page, but each one is included in one of the spreadsheets on the companion CD. The book may not make the actual gardening any easier (or find you reliable laborers), but it should assist in deciding which crops to grow and which markets to attend (if it costs you more to get ready for a market than you sell, you're better off not harvesting the crops at all). With a bit of hard work, good weather and proper planning, you might even get to the income level he discusses in the first chapter, bringing in after-expense profits in the six figures (at which point you might want an accountant rather than a do-it-yourself book for tax planning).

All-in-all, I felt it was a pretty good introduction for someone with an organic gardening background that wants to make it as a commercial farmer. The chapter on production efficiencies uses all organic methods, but doesn't avoid machinery that will be needed for larger operations, while chapters on calculating expenses and costs include hidden costs, marketing and CSAs, as well as special considerations if your spouse is also working on the farm. Most other books on the business of farming have an overwhelming focus on chemical rather than mechanical controls and wholesaling of commodity crops, rather than selling to smaller markets or direct to the customer.

Book Description
Contrary to popular belief, a good living can be made on an organic farm. What's required is farming smarter, not harder.

In The Organic Farmer's Business Handbook, Richard Wiswall shares advice on how to make your vegetable production more efficient, better manage your employees and finances, and turn a profit. From his twenty-seven years of experience at Cate Farm in Vermont, Wiswall knows firsthand the joys of starting and operating an organic farm-as well as the challenges of making a living from one. Farming offers fundamental satisfaction from producing food, working outdoors, being one's own boss, and working intimately with nature. But, unfortunately, many farmers avoid learning about the business end of farming; because of this, they often work harder than they need to, or quit farming altogether because of frustrating-and often avoidable-losses.

In this comprehensive business kit, Wiswall covers:

* Step-by-step procedures to make your crop production more efficient
* Advice on managing employees, farm operations, and office systems
* Novel marketing strategies
* What to do with your profits: business spending, investing, and planning for retirement

A companion CD offers valuable business tools, including easy-to-use spreadsheets for projecting cash flow, a payroll calculator, comprehensive crop budgets for twenty-four different crops, and tax planners.

Get Kindle for PC now

Amazon has released Kindle for PC and the Mac version is promised "soon". After downloading the software, the installation takes a couple of seconds. Here, I see several problems: you are not asked where you wish to install the software and, although an icon appears on your desktop, there is not one in your Programs menu. Also, the program changes the file association for .MOBI and .PRC files so that double clicking on them opens the Kindle for PC app, but most people will already have the mobipocket reader installed, which is a much more powerful program (see limitations below) and will still be required for any DRM'd mobi content purchased outside the Kindle store. So, after the install, you'll have to manually reconfigure the associations (right click on an affected file, click on Properties, then on the Summary page, change the "open with" application to "reader") in order to get your PC back to it's original behavior.

Next, you are prompted to login to your Kindle account.
This then triggers an automatic sync with your account and you should then you'll see a blank HOME desktop (the App crashed here, so I had to restart at this point). Switching to the Archive, I was presented with the covers for all my books, in order by title (you can switch to view by author, as well, but Most Recent only appears as an option on the Home page). Clicking to Shop in the Kindle store opens up a web page (just as it does on the iPhone) in the Kindle store. To read a book, you double click on the title - if you are on the Archive page, it first downloads the book and moves it to the Home page (which you can also accomplish by right-clicking on the title and choosing "Add to Home"). The book opens at the last read location and you can change pages using the arrow keys, the mouse scroll wheel or clicking on next/prev icons on the screen.
You can set bookmarks in the PC App, but no highlights or notes can be made. You can, however, see any notes or marks made using your Kindle (although I didn't see any way to copy them to the clipboard or edit them). Most of the Menu items in the main window lead to the Amazon store, whether to make a suggestion for a future improvement, provide feedback or buy an actual Kindle. The Kindle for PC appears in your list of non-Kindle devices, along with the iPhone App, where you can change it's assigned name or deregister it, if needed. Otherwise, it acts like any other Kindle device.

What we don't get: any method of organization other than title or author. As you can see from my desktop, I have quite a few books (too many, perhaps - the count says 561). There is no option to view the titles in a list format, only with icons (like the Nook LCD screen; at least it isn't only 6 at a time). You can't search for a title using the keyboard, as you can with the Kindle; in fact, there is no search ability at all in the PC App, so the work-arounds used on the Kindle, where Tags are added as Notes, don't work here. You can change font sizes and page back and forth in the book or the home/archive pages and that's about it.

I can see some very interesting possibilities (install it on all the PC's for a class or the student's netbooks, all registered with a classroom name and password, then send the classics to their desktops automatically, for example). The software stays logged in and can access all books on an account (still no child controls or passwords to lock out age inappropriate content), but purchasing books requires a login via the web screen (easily bypassed, if you have the PC set to retain cookies, however, as the actual login screen never occurs with one-click buys such as the Kindle or MP3s or Game Downloads, but that's true of the PC even without the Kindle App). There doesn't appear to be any way to install multiple copies of the App, so if you have a shared household and more than one Kindle account, you'll have to decide which one gets to use the installed PC App (or you'll have to keep deregistering and re-registering to swap back and forth). On the plus side, the program is not limited to the US (as the iPhone App is, since it is only in the US Apple store) -- you can install the Kindle for PC App anywhere that the Kindle itself may be purchased.

Click HERE to download the software on your PC.