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Sunday, November 14, 2010

Spotlight on SourceBooks

Rather than focusing on an author, today's bargain roundup focuses on a single publisher. This publisher has started featuring bargain prices on a number of books and changing up the offerings every week or so. Since this isn't one of the big-5 Agencies, Amazon is then discounting them even more. I'll start out with the officially discounted books and then throw in a few others I found while searching.

All three titles in Helen Hollick's Pendragon's Banner Trilogy are on sale for $2.39, starting with Kingmaking, followed (in order) by Pendragons Banner and Shadow of the King.

Who was THE MAN
Who became THE LEGEND
We know as KING ARTHUR?


Kingmaking
"You are the Pendragon, rightful Lord of Dumnonia and the Summer Land; Lord of less Britain. By all that is right, you ought be seated where Vortigern sits…You ought to be King."

Here lies the truth of the Lord of the Summer Land.

This is the tale of Arthur flesh and bone. Of the shaping of the man, both courageous and flawed, into the celebrated ruler who inspired armies, who captured Gwenhyfar's heart, and who emerged as the hero of the Dark Ages and the most enduring hero of all time.

This is the unexpected story of the making of a king — the legend who united all of Britain.

* Book One of the Pendragon's Banner Trilogy
* Includes bonus reading group guide


Pendragons Banner
... covering 459-465 A.D. This is not a fairy tale or fantasy. There is no Merlin, no sword in the stone, and no Lancelot. This is the most accurate Arthurian legend ever written, based on historical evidence and meticulous research.

At age twenty-four, King Arthur has the kingdom he fought so hard for and a new young family. But keeping the throne of Britain—and keeping his wife and three sons safe—proves far from easy. Two enemies in particular threaten everything that is dear to him: Winifred, Arthur's vindictive first wife, and Morgause, priestess of the Mother and malevolent Queen of the North. Both have royal ambitions of their own.

In this story of harsh battles, secret treasonous plots, and the life-threatening politics of early Britain's dark ages, author Helen Hollick boldly reintroduces King Arthur as you've never seen him before.


Shadow of the King
They knew what was coming.Man and beast knew what lay ahead.After the war cry.Bitter the grave.At long last, the peace King Arthur was born to usher in has settled over the realm. But Arthur was also born to be a warrior… and all true warriors are restless without a fight. Yearning for battle and ever-loyal, Arthur is easily deceived into setting sail for Gaul to defend its territories—leaving his country vulnerable and leaderless.A beacon of hope in a land of desolation, he was to be the Lord of the Summer Land for now and forever. But first, the Pendragon must face the ultimate test, one that will take all his courage, strength of will, and honor to survive.Because once destiny is fulfilled, can you ever truly win again?

Zombies for Zombies ($3.99), by David Murphy & Daniel Heard

Book Description
So, you've been bitten by a zombie?

Bummer.

But there's no need to panic! Yes, your life will be undergoing a major transformation, but this doesn't have to be the end-all it once was when the Disaster first hit. There have been significant breakthroughs in the last decade in helping you keep significant parts of your wit and dignity. Together we can limit the damage.

Zombies for Zombies is a motivational guide designed specifically to make a profound difference in your accidental, strange new life. You say you don't want to become another one of those ghastly creatures you see on the news out in the Tempe Containment Zone? You don't have to—if you follow the great advice inside, including:

  • How to dress for your new lifestyle Handy recipes for brains
  • Fitness ideas for keeping you somewhat energetic
  • New skin-care techniques to help ward off "rotting flesh syndrome"
  • How to overcome that darned zombie social stigma
  • Dance steps for the motor-impaired
Completely Revised and Updated Since the Containment Zone Disaster!

Kama Pootra ($3.99), by Daniel Cole Young

Book Description
52 Mind-Blowing Ways to Poop

The only known translation of an ancient manual instructing readers in the art of enlightened bathroom experience, the Kama Pootra offers a thrilling rediscovery of the tiled path to porcelain nirvana.

Willing seekers will find fifty-two progressive positions designed to maximize how you do number two.

Every time the bathroom door closes, a new experience awaits.


Do Ants Have Assholes? ($3.99), by Jon Butler & Bruno Vincent

Book Description
A venerable and historic newspaper, the Old Geezer is read and respected by the world's most conscientious, upright citizens. When these beacons of
respectability have serious questions, they turn to the Old Geezer's "Questionsand Answers" page.

Do Ants Have Assholes? collects the enlightening answers to thought-provoking questions such as:

  • If you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant, what do you do?
  • How many men would it take to kill an elephant with their bare hands?
  • If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do they all have to drown?
  • Are "crabs" related to crabs?
  • What if there were no hypothetical questions?

Coloring Outside Autism's Lines ($2.39), by Susan Walton

Book Description
Your Road Map to Rediscovering Joy, Fun, and Togetherness

Having a child with an autism spectrum disorder may mean that you have to change your life. It can seem as though there are so many things you just can’t do. But there are adventures—large and small—that kids with autism love, and they are waiting for your whole family! Just think outside of the ordinary, look for reachable sensory experiences, come prepared, and keep an open mind, and everyone in your family can go along for a great ride. This book is packed with exciting ideas for families living with autism, with everything you need to know to make them a reality. Including:

  • Unconventional backyard fun: zip lines, trampolines, tree stumps, and even exercise bikes!
  • Easy ways to adapt public places such as bowling alleys, ice skating rinks, and swimming pools into stress-free outings
  • Surprising activities that can lead to lifelong interests
  • Dreaming big: there’s a world of amusement parks, water slides, camping, and other family getaways that are truly within reach
  • Special activities for grandparents and extended family members
  • How to team up with other parents to maximize the fun
With tips and advice from dozens of creative families who have found fun with autism and want you to do the same!

25,001 Best Baby Names ($3.99), by Lesley Bolton

Book Description
In a time when brand new names appear every day and classic names keep making comebacks, 25,001 Best Baby Names comes to the aid of frazzled parents-to-be with the easiest to use, most convenient and most up-to-date book available.

The perfect reference to make naming girls and boys quick and painless, 25,001 Best Baby Names is thoroughly researched and updated to reflect recent trends in baby names. In a compact format and with incredible variety, 25,001 Best Baby Names includes names with origins from around the world.

Including 30 fun lists to help you choose the perfect name - or just to make you laugh while browsing - 25,001 Best Baby Names makes naming your baby easier than ever!


It may be the wrong season for Best Summer Drinks ($3.99), by Ray Foley, but that just means you get a head start for next year (or for your beach themed "let's pretend it isn't winter" party this winter).

Book Description
Perfect summer promo or cash-wrap title, from the ultimate authority on bartending, Bartender Magazine.

From Bartender Magazine, the number one publication for the bartending trade and the most respected name in bartending, comes The Best Summer Drinks, the perfect recipe guide for the hottest drink time of year.

Written by the ultimate authority on bartending, this book contains 500 summer cocktail and appetizer recipes submitted by the world's best bartenders, including:

  • Summer Breeze
  • Fourth of July
  • Blue Lemonade
  • South Wind
  • Sun Stroked
Perfect for impulse purchase at cash-wrap areas, The Best Summer Drinks is sure to find its way into the pocket of anyone who loves libations.

If you picked up Rebecca Ann Collins's Pemberley Chronicles when it was free earlier this month, you may want to grab up two more in the same series, Ladies of Longbourn ($2.99) and Recollections of Rosings ($2.84). Both are Amazon discounts, so could change at any moment. These are the fourth and eighth in the series, respectively.

Ladies of Longbourn
Anne-Marie Bradshaw is the granddaughter of Charles and Jane Bingley. Her father now owns Longbourn, the Bennet's estate in Hertfordshire. A young widow after a loveless marriage, Anne-Marie and her stepmother Anna, together with Charlotte Collins, widow of the unctuous Mr. Collins, are the Ladies of Longbourn. These smart, independent women challenge the conventional roles of women in the Victorian era, while they search for ways to build their own lasting legacies in an ever-changing world.

The ladies find strength, companionship, and friendship together as they work to build a children's hospital, deal with a deadly outbreak of influenza, and help a gentle lady flee a violent and destructive marriage.

Jane Austen's original characters - Darcy, Elizabeth, Bingley, and Jane - provide a framework of solid values and commentary to anchor a dramatic story full of wit and compassion.


Recollections of Rosings
Sisters Catherine Harrison and Becky Tate, daughters of Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins, have very different personalities and temperaments. Both grew up in the shadow of Rosings Park, domain of the formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, but as adults their paths diverged dramatically.

When a catastrophe at Rosings Park brings Becky back to visit her sister, the two clash about their aspirations for the marriage of Catherine’s young daughter, and both women are forced to confront the ghosts of the past—in particular, Lady Catherine’s cruelty and deception.

As the shocking truth emerges, the Darcy and Bingley families rally. But it may be too late for the sisters to find the love and happiness they were denied so long ago.


Rogues Handbook ($2.99), by Jeff Metzger

Book Description
The Rogue’s Handbook contains everything you need to know to be the most desired man in your city or nation. If you wish to reinvent yourself as someone who leaves clenched fists and flushed, heaving bosoms in your wake, read on carefully.

About the Author
Jeff Metzger was born in Portland, Oregon. His fondest memories include masterminding a jailbreak in Cuba, rendezvousing with history's most infamous ex-CIA agent, and being chased through the streets of Madrid. At home in Austin, Mr. Metzger enjoys quiet mornings of writing and reading.


Horrid Henry's Christmas ($3.99), by Tony Ross & Francesca Simon, is just one of nine titles in the Horrid Henry series that are selling for $3.99. This is a bestselling series from the UK, for kids in grades 1-4.

Book Description
In this installment in a best-selling chapter-book series from the U.K., self-centered Horrid Henry wreaks total havoc at the Nativity play, destroys the Christmas tree, and almost ruins the holiday lunch. His irreverent actions are made tolerable through the ridiculousness of the incidents and the appeal to the naughty side in readers' personalities. Ross's mischievous black-and-white cartoon drawings are the perfect choice to carry them off. Large print and simple vocabulary make this title an easy read and a fun read-aloud.

Invasion of the Party Snatchers ($2.86), by Victor Gold, is definitely not a title for children (and doesn't have anything to do with throwing a party)..

Book Description
Victor Gold wants his party back.

Gold is the former press aide to Barry Goldwater and the former speechwriter and senior advisor for George H. W. Bush. He is incensed that the Neo-Cons and the Evangelical Right have betrayed the ideals of the conservative cause. Now he's fighting back.

A Republican insider for 40 years, Gold is ready to tell all about the war being waged for the GOP's soul, the elder Bush's opinion of his son's presidency, the significance of the Democratic resurgence, and how Goldwater would have reacted to it all.

Among Gold's explosive disclosures is the truth about Cheney's manipulation of George W., and the chilling, puppet-like role of the President amongst Neo- and Theo-Conservatives.


My Favorite Midlife Crisis (Yet) ($2.51), by Toby Devens

Book Description
Dr. Gwyneth Berke has a perfect life…until one day she walks into her pantry, lets out a little scream of disbelief and begins the following list: What to do when you find out that your husband is in love with your interior decorator, Brad (or, A Midlife Crisis Checklist)
  • Get divorced (this is a must!)
  • Quickly discover a lifetime supply of humor (this will also help with your children and your mentally deteriorating father)
  • Stop sulking, show a little spirit and start a new life plan (also a must)
  • Recruit your two very dear, newly single friends to help you with it
  • Don’t look back and enjoy the ride!

Embedded ($2.64), by Ross Dale, is also a title for adults (the subtitle is "Confessions of a Sex Journalist").

Book Description
ROSS DALE is a Wesleyan graduate serenely sailing through post-college life when he gets the offer he can't refuse. For double his pay, Playboy TV wants him to produce their show Sexcetera, an explicit experience in journalism billed as "true stories from the sexual frontier." A prep student from a sheltered home, Dale finds himself everywhere he never imagined he'd go: shooting gang bangs with the West Coast Gang Bangers, attending the annual Nudes-A-Popping Festival at an Indiana nudist resort, brothels in Amsterdam, swinger parties and more.

Behind Dale's initial shock, a fascination grows for the characters in front of the camera: some funny, some gross, all facing the pressure of trying to balance humdrum, day-to-day existence with outrageous sex lives. Plus one of his leading ladies, a gorgeous and naked soft-core movie queen, just might have a thing for him. Dale's odd job becomes a life-changing adventure, and he's enjoying the ride.

By turns hilarious, wry, and deliciously erotic, Dale evokes the bizarre world of pornography and the people who inhabit it, and gives readers a story about finding love in the least likely of places.


Best St. Louis Sports Arguments ($1.68), by Bryan Burwell

Book Description
Who’s the best? Who’s the worst?

Every St. Louis fan knows that the only thing better than watching sports is arguing about them-picking the best, the worst and who will come out on top. And no city tears its sports teams apart like we do in the Gateway City.

St. Louis Post–Dispatch sports columnist Bryan Burwell takes you inside the 100 best debates in St. Louis sports. Covering the Rams, Cardinals (football and baseball), Blues and beyond, every question you want to debate is here-as well as a few surprises.

Cardinals–Cubs:

  • Is it really a “great” rivalry?
  • Does Mark McGwire belong in the Hall of Fame?
  • Whitey, Red or Tony: Who’s the best all-time Cardinal manager?
  • Who was more responsible for the Rams’ Super Bowl victory: Dick Vermeil or Mike Martz?
  • Did the Blues make the right move in trading Brendan Shanahan?
  • Should St. Louis have an NBA franchise?

SEALed with a Ring ($3.99), by Mary Daughtridge, is the third book in her SEALed series. I already have SEALed with a Kiss ($4.69) and may pick this one up out of sequence. Like the first book in the series, this one is over 400 pages, in print.

Book Description
She’s got it all…except the one thing she needs most

Smart, successful businesswoman JJ Caruthers has a year to land a husband or lose the empire she’s worked so hard to build. With time running out, romance is not an option, and a military husband who is always on the road begins to look like the perfect solution…

He’s a wounded hero with an agenda of his own Even with the scars of battle, Navy SEAL medic Davy Graziano is gorgeous enough to land any woman he wants, and he’s never wanted to be tied down. Now Davy has ulterior motives for accepting JJ’s outrageous proposal of marriage, but he only has so long to figure out what JJ doesn’t want him to know…

Free Copy of The Nation (Sony)

Don't forget that this is week two for the giveaway at Sony for The Nation.
  • Click HERE to get this week's issue of The Nation (again, click on "Current Issue $0", not the subscription link).
Once it's in your cart, go thru the regular checkout procedure (be sure your total is $0).

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Kindle Kandle - Two for $17

If you missed the previous deal on the Kandle LED Book Light in White, when they were two for $10 (they normally sells for $25 apiece),  you may want to jump on this new deal before they sell out again. They must have sold thousands at 2/$10 and I suspect they'll have similar results with the new price. The black version is still "sold out" (in that the deal code won't work for them, although they are marked down to $18.95 each, plus shipping), but the white ones are marked down to $16.95 and, if you use the coupon code KANDLELT (the same as before), you'll get them at half price, so long as you buy two or more. Even if you only need one, these make great stocking stuffers and small gifts. I always keep a few items on hand for last minute gifts and this one works for anyone that reads, whether on paper or an ereader.

You must first add two (or more) of the Kandles to your cart (don't use one-click checkout or passphrase checkout), click on Edit Your Cart (make sure your quantity is 2), then on Proceed to Checkout. Enter the promotional code KANDLELT in the box underneath where it says "Do you have any promotional claim codes?" and click on Apply. Check your Order Summary box in the top, right corner. You should now see the new price in the Order Total. If you have a gift certificate balance on your account, you do have to use it in order to use this or any other promotion (don't change your default payment unless it's just to change credit cards).

Update: Be sure to read the comments on this post. You must pick the correct vendor (Ozeri) for the Kandle or the coupon code won't work!

Update #2: You can use the code and buy just one Kandle for $8.47. If you have Free Prime Shipping, there's no shipping charge. If you are not a prime member, then buying two will trigger the free Super Saver shipping, even though your total after the discount is below $25.

Product Description
The perfect accessory for any eBook, the Kandle by Ozeri is designed for the Amazon Kindle 1, 2, and DX, Sony Reader Digital Books, and other eBook Readers. Newly updated in July 2010 with improved lighting, the Kandle by Ozeri features a new patent pending design that attaches to eBooks and printed books without blocking the screen or page. It also boasts double pivoting arms that allow for easy positioning and adjustment to tailor the screen illumination. The Main Pivoting Arm rotates 90 degrees from its closed position, and the Upper Pivoting Arm rotates another 70 degrees for complete customization. Unlike other eBook lights, the Kandle by Ozeri is powered by two lifetime x2 LEDs that are optimized to distribute light evenly without creating glare or eyestrain. Petite and light, the Kandle by Ozeri is ultra portable and folds into a closed position where the LEDs are fully protected from scratches or breakage. Ships with 2 CR2032 batteries installed, a bonus set of extra batteries, and a protective pouch included.
  • New patent-pending "WideLip" grip that does not block the screen on the Kindle, Sony Reader and other eBook readers.
  • Newly updated in July 2010 with increased brightness, the Kandle is powered by two lifetime X2 LEDs optimized to distribute uniform light without creating glare or eyestrain (batteries included).
  • Double pivoting arms allows for easy positioning and adjustment for tailored screen illumination.
  • WideLip grip attaches to books without blocking text on the page, and works perfectly as a stable, free-standing night light.
  • Ships with 2 CR2032 batteries installed, a bonus set of extra batteries, and a protective pouch included.

Holiday Bargain Roundup - Books and Music

No new freebies today, but I just noticed that the limit on the number of 6" Kindles, whether the Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, 6 or the Kindle 3G Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6, you can buy has been dropped from 5 down to 3. With this latest generation of Kindles, there has been a maximum purchase limit almost from the beginning and strong holiday demand must have already started or be highly anticipated. After all, they have sold out every holiday season so far. For that reason, I don't expect to see Amazon matching the rumored door-buster price that Best Buy will have on the WiFi only nooks on Black Friday: 10 units per store at $99.99 each. If you are planning on ordering for Christmas, I wouldn't wait too late; any Kindles ordered this month or next can be returned up to the end of January, 2011, rather than the standard 30 day return period.

For those of us that already have our Kindles, I've uncovered a few more holiday bargains, both holiday themed reading and some free and deeply discounted music.

12 Stocking Stuffer ($9.39) is a 12-story anthology from Harlequin Special Releases.

Get out the mistletoe! Twelve days of Christmas...twelve stories filled with the magic of holiday romance...perfect reading for a snowy winter's day. Bundle includes Faith, Hope and Love, The Christmas Bride, Christmas Passions, A Seasonal Secret, Return of the Light, Star Light, Star Bright, Naughty or Nice?, Christmas Fantasy, A Christmas Marriage Ultimatum, A Prince for Christmas, The Millionaire's Christmas Wish and Merry Christmas, Baby.

Bluegrass Christmas ($1.25), by Allie Pleiter

An Old-Fashioned Christmas

That's what led new believer Mary Thorpe to start over in quaint Middleburg, Kentucky. As director of the church's Christmas pageant, Mary's job is to bring the townspeople together, to remind them what the season is really about. But everyone is all riled up over one very handsome man: the man daring to run against Middleburg's popular long-standing mayor. Mac MacCarthy wants change. Mary wants things to stay as they are. Is there a happy medium? Both Mac and Mary are in for one very big Christmas surprise.


I'll Be Home for Christmas and One Golden Christmas ($2.27), by Lenora Worth, contains two full length novels (512 page total, in print).

Christmas bells and wedding bells chime in these classic tales by Lenora Worth

I'll Be Home For Christmas
Just weeks before Christmas, widowed mother Myla Howell and her two children are saved from the streets by a wealthy oil tycoon nicknamed "Scrooge." Has the chill surrounding Nick Rudolph's icy heart begun to thaw in time for the holidays?

One Golden Christmas
Take one small-town Christmas pageant. Add in three motherless children with a secret holiday wish and a handsome widowed father. Mix just so with pageant director Leandra Flanagan. Will yield big surprises by December 25th.


His Christmas Bride ($1.75), by Dana Corbit

The only gift Dylan Warren used to want was Jenna Scott's love. But his former childhood best friend broke his heart. Now, their matchmaking mothers insist the Warren and Scott clans celebrate the holiday together. Suddenly he and Jenna are paired on a mission to bring Christmas to a family who lost everything but each other. Jenna's kindness to the displaced little boys reminds Dylan why he loved her. Could joyful jingle bells soon be joined by the chime of wedding bells?

Atheists Guide to Christmas ($1.01), by Ariane Sherine, is a little different from your typical holiday themed read (and definitely not from a Christian publisher).

Last year, Guardian journalist Ariane Sherine launched the Atheist Bus Campaign and ended up raising over £150,000, enough to place the advert 'There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life' on 800 UK buses in January 2009. Now Ariane and dozens of other atheist writers, comedians and scientists are joining together to raise money for a very different cause.

The Atheist's Guide to Christmas is a funny, thoughtful handbook all about enjoying Christmas, from 42 of the world's most entertaining atheists. It features everything from an atheist Christmas miracle to a guide to the best Christmas pop hits, and contributors include Richard Dawkins, Charlie Brooker, Ben Goldacre, Jenny Colgan, David Baddiel, Simon Singh, AC Grayling, Brian Cox and Richard Herring.


The 99 Most Essential Christmas Masterpieces ($1.99), is another of the amazing samplers that Amazon has come out with. This one has nearly 6 hours of classical (not classic) Christmas music. There are three more of these two dollar samplers available right now: The 99 Most Essential Schumann Masterpieces, The 99 Most Essential Dvorák Masterpieces and The 99 Most Essential Piano Pieces. For under six bucks, you can add 30 hours of excellent performances to your collection.

Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You ($3.99), by Katharine McPhee, is one of the top-selling bargain holiday albums. You can find even more holiday music in the Holiday MP3 Store, such as Susan Boyle's The Gift ($11.99) and $5 albums from James Taylor, Mariah Carey, Elvis Presley and more.

From here down, the remaining musical choices are all free albums or singles.

The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree is an hour of free holiday music from VeggieTales, which your kids will love (and it's ok if you listen, too).

The Very Merry Christmas Sugo Holiday Sampler is a free instrumental sampler.

Chacra World Music Holiday Sampler

Timeless Christmas, has Neil Sedaka, Irish Tenors and Michael McDonald.

The Karaoke Channel - Best Traditional Christmas Songs probably isn't the best option for music while you are reading, but may be just what you need for a holiday party.

There are also a number of singles that you can get for free. Here are a few that I picked up:

Winter Wonderland - Album Version, by Point Of Grace
Christmas Train, by Carey Bell
I'm Your Santa, by Lil Ed & the Blues Imperials
Deck The Halls, by Los Straitjackets
The Bell Medley, by Classic Christmas Singers
Christmas Song, by Mogwai
Carol Of The Bells, by The Proclivities
Deck The Halls, by Sean Smith
This Christmas, by Brian Courtney Wilson
Wish You A Merry Xmas, by The Korgis

Friday, November 12, 2010

Refurbished Kindle 3G $139 and Power Adapter Alternatives

When picking out a new Kindle or one to give as a gift, there is another option to buying the latest generation Kindle 3G or Kindle Wi-Fi: you can also pick up a refurbished Kindle 2nd Generation that has the same 3G chip (although no wi-fi) as the latest Kindles. These come and go (and prices can fluctuate) in availability, but right now Amazon has them available for $139.99, which is the same price as the wi-fi only edition.

Why buy the older technology, which admittedly has a screen with lesser contrast? Because not everyone has wi-fi available and the 3G can be easier to use, especially for the less technically oriented amongst us (after all, 3G is on or off, there aren't any passwords or settings to worry about). As to the screen contrast - it's a big improvement over the original Kindle, but I find that all of the generations are more than sufficient for reading. Pictures are better, of course, and you get PDF handling in the Kindle 2nd Generation and if it is updated to the latest firmware, it handles all of the games that are out on Kindle. Eventually, I'm sure, it will be considered quite outdated (at least, for non-reading uses of the Kindle), but for now it's a fine ereader.

Like all the Kindles with a cellular chip, from the original to the latest generation Kindle 3G, access to the Kindle store and wikipedia is free of any monthly or data usage charges. Since the original Kindle was introduced, there has also been an "experimental" web browser built in and it can be used to surf practically the entire internet (although you don't get movies and can't download some file types) and, despite persistent, ill-informed posts to the contrary on the Amazon forums, this remains free of charge - no monthly plan, no usage fees or overage fees - in the US (and has been reported for some other countries, although the Amazon product page hasn't said that is permitted in all regions where Kindle is sold).

If fact, you could buy this Kindle and use it ONLY for checking your email when you are not at home and it would have paid for itself in under three months, just in savings versus a cell phone or aircard data subscription.

Currently, there are only two models with refurbished units available. Both are 2nd  generation, global versions and have AT&T wireless coverage, with the same 30 day guarantee you get with the new Kindle units. The only question is, whether they have the same extended holiday return period (until the end of January), that other new items at Amazon are enjoying thru the end of the year.
You will notice, though, that the charging adapter does not ship with these refurbished units, at least according to the descriptions. You might get one anyway (I did), but if not, there are some good alternatives that are quite inexpensive. You can still charge via your computer (if it has powered USB ports, which some notebooks and netbooks do not, especially when operating on battery power, themselves) or with any wall unit USB charger that has a micro-USB end or accepts a standard USB cable (after all, that's all their power adapter is). In fact, even if you have the power adapter that came with your Kindle, I'd urge you to consider upgrading to something like the Belkin Mini Surge Protector Dual USB Charger ($10.88). Not only does it give you more power sockets than you started with, it adds surge protection for all three and the two USB charging slots it contains (which means you can charge your phone and Kindle from the same charger, which is what I do, rather than having two plugged in, sucking up extra power when not in use). This particular unit even has free standard shipping, so you don't have to have Prime or meet the $25 minimum purchase to get it. This is an especially good design to carry with you when traveling, as so few hotel rooms have enough power outlets to let you set up your laptop and chargers (or get to them easily).

Description
  • 360-degree rotating plug with 4 locking position
  • Provides complete surge protection through all outlets
  • Offers compact, lightweight, efficient design
  • Features mini-USB cable to charge virtually any USB device including BlackBerry® and Motorola® RAZR phones
  • Comes with Lifetime Product and $75,000 Connected Equipment Warranties

Although the Amazon branded Kindle Replacement Power Adapter is $19.99, there are a number of alternatives available, such as this Amazon Kindle 2 (2nd Generation) USB Car Charger, USB Wall/Travel Charger, Earphones, and Screen Protector/Guard kit for $3.40 (and free shipping). Even better, if you buy two or more items from CrazyOnDigital, you get 10% off the order.

Description
  • Protect your screen with the Full Screen Cover Screen Guard / Protector
  • Comes with Headphones that will allows you to listen to your books without disturbing others with the speaker function
  • Charge your Amazon Kindle 2 w/ the USB Wall Charger take a spare wall charge when you're on vacation
  • Charge your Amazon Kindle 2 with the USB Car Charger when you're on the road simply plug in the car charger to your car
  • Chargers requires USB cable that comes with your Kindle 2
For those who live or travel outside the US, only one other item is a must have: some type of power plug adapter, such as the All-in-One Travel Power Plug Adapter for US, UK, EU, AU ($3.50). This one contains all the adapters you'll need in one item, so no more baggie of adapter parts to keep track of (or lose, which is more likely). Note that this one is not a voltage converter, but if your items are multi-voltage, you are all set.

Description
  • Compatible with worldwide standard; converts two-prong, US-style power plugs to fit a variety of other outlet styles.
  • Suitable for over 150 countries
  • Surge protection and safety shutter
  • Power indicator light
  • You can transform the adapter into 4 configurations for different standard: European, United Kingdom, United States, Australia