Game of the Day - Princess Isabella

Amazon's Game Download of the Day is a $2.99 download of Princess Isabella: A Witch's Curse, which is a hidden object game and puzzle game. The reviews are pretty much universal in praising the gameplay and graphics, but do note that it's a fairly short one, solvable in a few hours.

Game Description

• Try To Reverse The Curse.
• 135 Game Scenes.
• Tricky And Challenging Puzzles.
• Can You Defeat The Evil Witch?

Princess Isabella is all set to marry the love of her dreams, Prince Adam. After returning home from a trip, however, she finds that an evil curse has been placed on her castle by a mysterious witch. The curse has placed evil in every room, and turned everyone inside the castle into mirrors! Follow a fairy friend as you piece together the clues and save her friends and family in this gorgeous Hidden Object Adventure game!

Magazine Bargains under Five Bucks

Much as I love my Kindle, for magazines I still prefer paper (so far). Between the pictures (and even ads), the ability to rip out pages and just leave it behind after reading, magazines are just more versatile than the current implementations of electronic magazines, at least as far as those available on ereaders. Last winter I signed up for Backpacker when it was $5 a year (currently $9.95 for two years) and used several other inexpensive subscriptions as gifts. I was glancing thru the current sale and found a few other at five dollars or less for a year.

Boston Magazine ($4.95/year)
New England Home ($4.95/year)
Seventeen ($5.00/year)
Time Out New York Kids ($4.95/year)
Teen Vogue ($5.00/year)
Scholastic Parent And Child ($4.97/year)
Ladies Home Journal ($5.00/year)
Popular Mechanics ($7.00/year) (technically over the limit, but still a good bargain)

Free Overnight Shipping; Clothes and Accessories for your Kindle

I know there are a lot of women getting either a new Kindle (or even a a Kindle DX for Mother's Day), but they won't be getting Amazon's Burgundy Red Leather Cover ($34.99) unless it's already been ordered, as it's now out of stock (so is the Pink one). If you haven't placed an order and need it by tomorrow, you are in luck, as Amazon has Free Overnight Shipping on both Kindle models today.

That won't help with a new cover or skin, though, as even the black cover is two to three weeks behind on shipping. There are, however, some third party choices available and some of those are at amazing bargain prices. I haven't tried any of these myself and some have one or two bad reviews, but the overall reviews seem pretty positive (and some of these covers look just like M-Edge or other high dollar covers). Most of these will incur third-party shipping charges and I doubt you can get them overnight (which would negate the bargain prices), but they are a nice option for those shopping for themselves or who aren't in quite as big a hurry on their gifts.

Her Abstraction and Pink Tranquility Protective Decal Skins ($14.99). No idea if this one is completely new, but it's new to me and would match a pink cover quite well. I like having a skin on my Kindle, as it was picking up smudge marks from handling, before I covered it.

• Each kit covers the front and back of the Amazon Kindle 2
• Non permanent adhesive backing that allows you to simply peel off the skins with no sticky residue
• Scratch resistant protective shields made out of high-quality vinyl
• Thin enough to maintain compatibility with most accessories and cases; tough enough to absorb the minor abuse that makes a device look dingy
• Compatible with Kindle 2 only. NOT for Kindle 1.

CrazyOnDigital has a super price on their Red Leather Case ($8.98), which ships with both an anti-scratch screen protector (which I personally see no need for) and a free CrazyonDigital wristband (these come with many of their products and again, see kind of a waste of space, but your kids might want it). They also have a Black Leather Case for $12.98, with screen protector (but no wristband).

• Securely holds Amazon Kindle 2 in place with flexible strap on each corner
• Sturdy and stylish leather exterior protects Kindle
• Soft suede interior protects screen from scratches
• Premium quality leather case for latest generation Amazon Kindle 2 E-book reading device

There are also a number of case styles available, such as these: the Brown Executive Leather Sleeve ($3.99), the Purse Style Carrying Sleeve ($4.99), theCrocodile Skin Case ($4.99) and the Executive Designer Leather Case Cover ($4.99), as well as a number of NeoPrene Cases and Sleeves, for those who are avoiding leather.

One item I'd pick up for sure, if I was using a Kindle 2 instead of a DX and original Kindle, is this stand: Sync and Charging Dock Cradle ($4.99). If they come up with one for the DX, I'm going to snap it up - charging and angled for reading all at the same time, it would be perfect for use in the Kitchen.

I'm also a bit tempted by some of their accessory kits, such as the one with Green Lime skin case + Auto Car Charger + Home Travel Charger + 2X Screen Protectors for $1.99 -- the skin won't fit mine, but both chargers will work (with the DX), as will the screen protectors (on my K1). Even with shipping, it's under five bucks.

I don't think the Hard Crystal Cases ($1.99) have been all that popular, but the Silicone Skins (this one's pink) ($0.99) seem to be a pretty good deal and can be bought in sets of several colors ($7.99) or picked up as part of a massive Accessory Kit ($14.99) that has four skins, a hard case, a travel charger, a car charger, two screen protectors and a set of earbuds along with a unique Crazyondigital fishbone headphone winder.

See all the CrazyOnDigital products for Kindle, HERE.

If you prefer to stay with a larger name brand (and I'm very happy with the products I've purchased from them), M-Edge has several new styles to choose from, including a purse-like Journey Bag, which is currently on sale for $29.99 (down from $39.99) and comes in several solid or bright color combos, as well as in three different colors of camouflauge. I have the orange and cream version, shown here and my original Kindle will fit inside, but only without it's M-Edge jacket. The K2 should fit inside fine, even with a cover (especially the original cover or some of the CrazyDigital versions above).

• Perfect for travel, the Journey Bag allows for storage of your Kindle and all its accessories in one compact and attractive messenger bag.
• The Kindle-Compatible Journey Bag is made of durable ripstop nylon with a polar fleece interior
• The interior zipper compartment is specially designed, sized perfectly to accommodate Kindle. Users can slide the naked device into the polar fleece compartment for secure storage of the device while on-the-go. The opposite wall contains two mesh pockets for even more accessory storage.
• The bag has a fully adjustable shoulder strap for comfortable carrying while on-the-go. The front flap contains a hidden latch underneath for extra secure closure.
• The center compartment of the Journey Bag is generously sized to accommodate M-Edge covers, chargers, e-Luminator, pens, and other Kindle accessories. The center compartment zips closed to ensure that Kindle and accessories will never fall out.
• Available in six colors: red, orange, yellow, lime green, navy blue, and black.

There are a lot of more traditional covers to choose from at M-Edge as well, such as the Halsea Kindle Jacket, currently marked down from $59.99 to $39.99. And for most of the M-Edge selections, you still have time to get them for this weekend, as they are fulfilled by Amazon and qualify overnight shipping (even if it isn't free), but only if you hurry.

It looks like you also get an additional $2.50 off the purchase of an M-Edge e-Luminator2 Booklight ($24.99) if it's bought at the same time as the jacket; if the style you want qualifies, you should see this special promotion under the link for Special Offers and Product Promotions just under the product's picture.

Self-Help for under Three Bucks

These three books share a theme of self-help, but are all from very different aspects of the genre. They are also all from the publisher Hatchette and are marked down under three dollars (most likely for the entire month, but there are no guarantees).

Be Like Water: Practical Wisdom from the Martial Arts ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Joseph Cardillo

Book Description
his entertaining and enlightening guide reveals the philosophy behind the martial arts techniques that lead to a creative and fulfilled life. For anyone interested in deepening their quality of life, karate expert Joseph Cardillo delivers an inspiring and essential guide to the spiritual wisdom of the martial arts.Contrary to what many might think, self-defense is not the main purpose of martial arts training. "See with Your Skin; Find Your Range; Be Like Water" are just some of the wise messages at the heart of all martial art practices that help seasoned warriors, Buddhist monks, even kung fu champions like Bruce Lee maintain their trademark calm in the face of chaos. Now, in 16 easy-to-read chapters, Joseph Cardillo outlines a variety of disciplines from Korea, China, and Japan, and provides narrative examples for how they translate into spiritual well being. Complete with reflective exercises, BE LIKE WATER is a well-grounded, step-by-step approach to applying the warrior mind-set to life's daily challenges.

Everyday Enlightenment: The Twelve Gateways to Personal Growth ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), by Dan Millman

Book Description
The author of the bestseller, Way of the Peaceful Warrior presents an important, practical guide that reveals twelve keys to transform everyday life into a spiritual adventure. This text is the culmination of Dan Millman's insights and explorations of human potential. The process, he believes, is a journey of awakening, comprising of 12 gateways which must be passed to fulfill potential in relationships, work, finance and health.

From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi & Ronald S. Miller

Book Description
In this revolutionary and compassionate book, Rabbi Schachter-Shalomi guides older Americans through a spiritual transformation. He teaches readers how to use their life experiences to enrich their elder years, face mortality, repair relationships, develop a regenerative spirit and transmit wisdom to future generations National print ads & publicity. Using brain/mind research, Zalman shows you how to create radically different ageing processes characterised by adventure, passion, mystery and fulfillment.

Free Book (kobo) - Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch ($9.59 paperback), by Marc Strange, isn't available in the Kindle store (and is out of stock in print), but (this week) you can get the ebook for free from KoboBooks.

Book Description
Joe Grundy is an ex-heavyweight boxer whose main claim to fame was that he got knocked out by champ Evander Holyfield. Now he's chief of security for a posh old hotel, the Lord Douglas, in downtown Vancouver, and life is pretty good. But then a young neo-hippie inherits more than half a billion dollars and decides to give it all away. As soon as the kid checks into the Lord Douglas with the intention of holding a press conference to announce the scheme, Joe knows big trouble is headed his way, especially when the kid winds up dead.

Grundy sets out to discover who murdered the would-be philanthropist only to collide with suspects and sucker punches around every corner. Joe had some pretty tough battles during his days in the ring, but this time the stakes are higher, the opponents are lethal, and the final count could be fatal.

Click HERE to get the free download at KoboBooks. It's a DRM'd EPUB, so you'll need Adobe Digital Editions or the reader software from B&N or Sony.