Almost Free Book (Kindle) - Milrose Munce and the Den of Professional Help

Milrose Munce and the Den of Professional Help, by Douglas Anthony Cooper, is a single penny in the Amazon Kindle store. Aimed at young readers (age 9-12), this one has only five-star reviews (you can't see them on the Kindle book page, but HERE under the paperback version.

Book Description
No one except Milrose Munce knows that ghosts of former students live in his school. Not only is Milrose aware of these ghouls – he’s on a first-name basis with all of them. Of course, some are more likeable than others: the third floor is the home to nearly all of his good friends. Most of them – like Imploded Ig, Deeply Damaged Dave, and Toasted Theresa – were the victims of science experiments gone wrong though they do manage to maintain a sense of humour about their demise. Then there are the ghost athletes who lurk in the basement – a pretty disagreeable group, the majority of them having died after a particularly clumsy manoeuvre on the school’s sports field.

After Milrose is given yet another detention for offering his teacher an answer that was just a bit too clever, his life takes an unexpected turn. He is sent to a hidden den in the school’s basement to receive Professional Help. Here, he and the quick-witted Arabella, a fellow captive, are put under round-the-clock supervision of the maniacal Massimo Natica. Fortunately for Milrose and Arabella, once they join forces with their ghostly friends, Massimo Natica doesn’t stand a chance.

In the tradition of Edward Gorey and Roald Dahl, the dark comedy and imaginative brilliance of Milrose Munce and the Den of Professional Help will appeal to adults as much as it will to younger readers.

Collections coming (SOON!) to the Kindle

Amazon has announced version 2.5 of the Kindle software today, which will finally include a method of organizing your Kindle books, which they (copying Sony) are calling Collections (too bad, as tagging is already a mobipocket feature and more powerful than Sony's Collections). Unfortunately, it looks like all the original Kindle buyers will be left out in the cold, as there is only a footnote that they are at version 1.2 and there doesn't appear to be an update in the works. So, those of us with an original Kindle will have to keep using separate SD cards and software like Calibre to manage our books. Even the note-based tagging workaround that many have used on their Kindle 2's is useless on the original Kindle, due to the slowness of the search facilit, once you get a few hundred (or more) books on it.

Several of the updates seem to be geared towards younger readers (Really? Twitter sharing of passages from a book? As if that social network isn't filled with enough trivia). Nor am I much interested in what passages in a book others marked as interesting (although it looks to be a readily exploited feature if used by students to skip reading an entire book when preparing a report), while other features are those that original Kindle owners have been asking for all along (and which could have been developed for that hardware platform without much difficulty, especially tagging). Passwords have long been needed and locking your Kindle is something many business users have wanted (as have a few people who don't want others to see what they are reading), but parents have been asking for parental locks on their Kindles even louder and it doesn't appear those are included. I know I'd love to be able to mark books (using my Manage My Kindle page) as to which Kindle is allowed to access a book - that would make it easier for families with multiple Kindles, where the romance and sports readers don't want to see each others titles, for the most part. I'll definitely use the PDF enhancements on my DX, I suspect, and perhaps the Collections feature there will be useful (even though I only keep a small subset of my books there).

Here's a list of the coming enhancements:

• Collections: Organize your books and documents into one or more collections.
• PDF Pan and Zoom: Zoom into PDFs and pan around to easily view small print and detailed tables or graphics.
• Password Protection: Password protect your Kindle when you're not using it.
• More Fonts & Improved Clarity: Enjoy two new larger font sizes and sharper fonts for an even more comfortable reading experience.
• Facebook & Twitter Posts: Share book passages with friends on Facebook and Twitter directly from your Kindle.
• Popular Highlights: See what the Kindle community thinks are the most interesting passages in the books you're reading.

Amazon is rolling out the new software update to a limited group of Kindle users (it sounds like theses have started) and plans a broad release in late May 2010. They are updating in batches, so don't be surprised if your Kindle doesn't get the update right away. This update also appears to take a while to download, install and reboot (the estimate is about 10 minutes), during which time you should not power off or reset your Kindle.

Click HERE for additional details and for updates on the release schedule.

Free two-day shipping on Kindle

Just in time for Mother's Day, Amazon has brought back their free 2-day shipping offer on the Kindle and Kindle DX. Order either one today and you'll get free shipping and delivery by Friday. According to the countdown clock I see on the order pages, you have until 11PM EST to place your order (one-day shipping is $3.99 for those with Amazon Prime, letting you procrastinate until tomorrow to place your order). I know my mother uses her Kindle daily and I'd get one for my M-I-L, if she were not in such a remote area that she has no Whispernet access (and no computer, either, for USB downloads). Of the two, the Kindle DX has larger fonts and better speakers, for those who use the Text-to-Speech feature, while the Kindle is quite a bit easier to hold, has buttons on both sides and is more transportable.

How to redeem:

• Add Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation) or Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device (9.7" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation) to your Shopping Cart.
• When you're done shopping, click "Proceed to checkout." Select Two-Day Shipping.
• On the final checkout page, the shipping discount will appear in the upper-right corner of your Order Summary.
  

Additional details on the offer can be found HERE.

If your mother already has a Kindle, don't forget to print off a Kindle Gift Certificate, which can double as a Mother's Day card.

Five Dollar Cookbooks

No matter how much I love my Kindle, so far I prefer traditional paper copies of cookbooks when I am cooking (best of both worlds: the ebook version to read or check at the store and the paper copy to use in the kitchen). Barnes & Noble is trying to tempt me to add to my collection with their $5 Cookbook Sale, with titles ranging from The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry to Incredibly Easy Gluten-Free Recipes. There are five pages of books included in the sale, a few of which caught my eye and I'm highlighting below. Where available at Amazon, I've included prices and links so you can find reviews.

The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry ($9.99 Kindle), by Kathleen Flinn

This is the funny and inspiring account of Kathleen Flinn-s struggle in a stew of hot-tempered chefs, competitive classmates, her own -wretchedly inadequate- French, and the basics of French cuisine. Flinn was a thirty-six-year-old middle manager trapped on the corporate ladder-until her boss eliminated her job. So she cashed in her savings and moved to Paris to pursue her lifelong dream of attending the venerable Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. Fans of Julie & Julia and the late Julia Child will be richly rewarded by this vibrant tale of self-discovery, transformation, and ultimately love.

Incredibly Easy Gluten-Free Recipes ($9.98 Amazon, 4-for-3 promotion eligible), by the Staff of Publications International

Cutting gluten out of your diet? That s no reason to deprive yourself of flavor and variety. Going gluten-free may sound awfully limiting, but there are plenty of delicious options, many more than the forbidden foods. The wonderful recipes in this book will show you new ways to prepare old favorites like pizza, cookies, and casseroles without a speck of gluten.

With this cookbook, you are covered for a gluten-free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. Nobody has to be on a special diet to love these delicious dishes:
Grilled Fish Tacos
Cajun Chicken and Rice
Cheese Grits with Chiles & Bacon
Ham and Potato Pancakes
Turkey Piccata
Almond Flour Pound Cake
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant($9.99 Kindle), by Jenni Ferrari-Adler

In this delightful and much buzzed-about collection of essays, 26 writers and foodies invite readers into their kitchens to reflect on the secret meals they relish when no one else is looking. Part solace, part celebration, part handbook, Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant offers a wealth of company, inspiration, and humor-and finally, recipes that require no division or subtraction.

Featuring essays by: Steve Almond, Jonathan Ames, Jami Attenberg, Laura Calder, Mary Cantwell, Dan Chaon, Laurie Colwin, Laura Dave, Courtney Eldridge, Nora Ephron, Erin Ergenbright, M. F. K. Fisher, Colin Harrison, Marcella Hazan, Amanda Hesser, Holly Hughes, Jeremy Jackson, Rosa Jurjevics, Ben Karlin, Rattawut Lapcharoensap, Beverly Lowry, Haruki Murakami, Phoebe Nobles, Ann Patchett, Anneli Rufus and Paula Wolfert.

Outstanding in the Field: A Farm to Table Cookbook, by Jim Denevan & Marah Stets

Instead of bringing food to guests in a traditional restaurant setting, Jim Denevan brings diners to their food, creating what Alice Waters has called “the restaurant I always imagined.” His innovative organization, Outstanding in the Field, sets up dinner tables in fields, ranches, dairies, vineyards, and community gardens across the country for alfresco meals that truly reconnect us with the land and people that produce our food.

In Outstanding in the Field, Denevan presents a cookbook full of seasonally inspired dishes from his farm-fresh dinners, sharing more than one hundred recipes with home cooks and food lovers everywhere. Celebrating local ingredients at their height of freshness, favorites include Haricot Vert and Early Girl Tomato Salad with Summer Savory; Burrata Cheese with Nectarines, Mâche, and Hazelnuts; Sea Scallops with Sugar Snap Peas and Chervil; Pure Maple Syrup–Braised Short Ribs; Green Tomato Marmalade; and Upside-Down Fresh Fig Cake. All of the recipes present opportunities to use the most flavorful produce, meats, and cheeses in the area where you live—and suggestions for substitutions when necessary.

America’s appetite for organic and local food has never been stronger and there is no better guide to this growing movement than Jim Denevan. With inspiring recipes, beautiful photographs throughout of farms and food across the country, and information on finding local ingredients and helping Community Supported Agriculture and community gardens, Outstanding in the Field is a cookbook that celebrates the pleasures of raising, preparing, and enjoying good food.

Keo's Thai Cuisine by Keo Sananikone($16.50 Amazon)

The books that ushered in the Thai revolution in kitchens across America is back in a revised edition featuring the classic recipes that earned Keo an international following, along with new recipes fresh from the kitchen of his world-famous restaurant in Hawaii. With over 80,000 books in print, KEO'S THAI CUISINE continues to be the definitive source for home cooks serious about Thai cuisine. Each chapter is structured to allow a beginner to understand the components and philosophy of Thai cuisine, as well as prepare such winning dishes as Keo's Thai Spring Rolls, Evil Jungle Prince with Mixed Vegetables, and Musamen Beef Curry. The fresh new look we've given the revised edition makes the full-color food photography look more enticing than ever.

With over 80,000 books in print, "Keo's Thai Cuisine" continues to be the definitive source for home cooks serious about Thai cooking. Full color.

The GL Diet Made Simple ($9.99, by Antony Worrall Thompson

This is the follow-up to Thompson’s best-selling GI Diet Cookbook and a must for those who have adapted their diet to the sound principles of the Glycemic Index.

The GI diet explained how to manage blood glucose levels to help weight loss and encourage long-term good health. The GL (glycemic load) is an exciting new extension of these principles and measures more accurately the carbohydrate load of food. This means that foods that had previously been considered high GI, e.g. melon, can now be introduced into your diet, as the amount of carbs you would eat in a portion, rather than in a whole melon, is calculated. This will give you a better understanding of how to combine foods to bring down the overall GL and allows an even greater choice of foods to be included in your diet.

Antony Worrall Thompson has created 100 delectable recipes based on the GL to help you lose weight sensibly. His GL Diet is a diet that you can follow for life without missing out on favorite foods – and it offers a tempting range of desserts and treats (allowed because the carb calculation is more precise).

Whether you are already a fan of the GI and looking to expand your recipe collection, or if you are new to the GI/GL, this book will help you to eat healthily, lose weight for good and still enjoy delicious food.

Free Game - Word Monaco

The free game this week at Sandlot Games is Word Monaco ($6.95 Amazon Game Downloads). This was also free back in mid-January, for those who have followed this blog for a while.

I have this installed on my XP notebook, but have been unable to get it to unlock on my Windows 7 computer. Update: I disabled my antivirus software in Windows 7 (since I've been running the same program with no issues on another computer and was using the same install file, there wasn't much risk in this), reinstalled and unlocked with no problem at all. Apparently this can be a problem with some of Sandlot's older games (it depends on the antivirus program, not necessarily the OS version).

Game Description

• A Unique Blend of Word Creation and Solitaire
• 50,000+ Entries In A Massive Word List
• 5 Decks From Easy To Champion
• 75 Progressively Challenging Levels

Welcome to Word Monaco! Relax under the warm sun of the Mediterranean and play a unique blend of word-creation and solitaire. Create words by moving letters from column to column and use power-ups for bonus points. When all of the letters are used, you'll move on to the next of 75 progressively difficult levels in 6 different locations! With a word list of over 50,000+ words and 5 decks of varying difficulty, there are endless possibilities.

Click HERE to sign up for the free download. For step by step purchase and installation instructions, see this post.