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Thursday, May 26, 2011

My Hometown: One of Most Well-Read Cities in the US

I know I buy a lot of ebooks, but I can't really take credit (alone) for my hometown making it to #11 on the list. In fact, we beat out a number of cities much larger than we are. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. We managed to escape the recent round of Borders closures and have an ever-busy large used bookstore, as well as having 4 large chain bookstores, at least one University bookstore (and press) and numerous small bookstores.  And, I see a number of Kindles and even nookColors when out in town, in addition to paperbacks and hardcovers being read at the solo tables in restaurants.

So, tell me: did your town make the list?
Amazon.com Reveals the Most Well-Read Cities in America
Cambridge, Mass., tops the list with the most books, magazines and newspapers purchased per capita of any city in the United States

SEATTLE, May 26, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

(NASDAQ: AMZN)--Just in time for the summer reading season, Amazon.com announced its list of the Top 20 Most Well-Read Cities in America. After compiling sales data of all book, magazine and newspaper sales in both print and Kindle format since Jan. 1, 2011, on a per capita basis in cities with more than 100,000 residents, the Top 20 Most Well-Read Cities are:
  1. Cambridge, Mass.
  2. Alexandria, Va.
  3. Berkeley, Calif.
  4. Ann Arbor, Mich.
  5. Boulder, Colo.
  6. Miami
  7. Salt Lake City
  8. Gainesville, Fla.
  9. Seattle
  10. Arlington, Va.
  11. Knoxville, Tenn.
  12. Orlando, Fla.
  13. Pittsburgh
  14. Washington, D.C.
  15. Bellevue, Wash.
  16. Columbia, S.C.
  17. St. Louis, Mo.
  18. Cincinnati
  19. Portland, Ore.
  20. Atlanta

In taking a closer look at the data, Amazon.com also found that:
  • Not only do they like to read, but they like to know the facts: Cambridge, Mass.--home to the prestigious Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology--also topped the list of cities that ordered the most nonfiction books.
  • Boulder, Colo., lives up to its reputation as a healthy city by topping the list of cities that order the most books in the Cooking, Food & Wine category.
  • Alexandria, Va., residents must be reading a lot of bedtime stories - they topped the list of the city that orders the most children's books.
  • Summer reading weather all year long? Florida was the state with the most cities in the Top 20, with Miami, Gainesville and Orlando making the list.

"In anticipation of the summer reading season--one of our favorite times to catch up on pleasure reading and unwind with the new titles being published this season--we're excited to reveal the Most Well-Read City list," said Mari Malcolm, managing editor of Books, Amazon.com. "We hope book lovers across the country enjoy this fun look at where the most voracious readers reside, and that everyone gets the chance to relax with some great summer reads."

For summer reading suggestions for adults, teens and kids, please visit:

New Kindle App - Sticky Notes

Another new Kindle app this morning: Sticky Notes (A Note Taking Tool for Kindle) ($0.99), by Mobigloo. This looks like it will have a pretty nice interface, letting you see the first few lines of each note, as if there were sticky notes actually posted to the face of the Kindle. It's competitor, Notepad (which I own), instead shows a list of the note titles (so, more per page), but you have to open a note to see any of the contents.

Book Description
Sticky Notes offers an easy way to keep information readily available by creating electronic notes on your Kindle.

Whether you want to write down ideas, quck lists, reminders, or phone numbers, Sticky Notes provides an efficient and intuitive graphic interface to do so. Sticky Notes features up to nine notes per screen and multiple pages so you can write and organize up to 250 notes. The appearance of the notes can be customized, allowing you to choose the font and size; and a zoom feature that lets you edit your notes full screen which can be helpful for longer notes.

Sticky Notes will help you keep your thoughts organized and always accessible on your Kindle!

Lady Gaga Encore - New Album 99 Cents (Today Only)

Amazon sold so many of Lady Gaga's new album, Born This Way, at 99 cents on Monday that their Cloud Drive servers could not keep up with the number of transactions, which meant that those who bought after about 8:00 AM on the eastern coast had to wait hours, sometimes until the next day, to access all the tracks. Some people may have hesitated to get a copy then, due to the flood of one-star reviews that were criticizing the delivery, not the album, or were waiting to listen to the album before buying it as a gift. Or, perhaps you just didn't find out about the sale until it was too late?

For those people, Amazon has brought the 99 cent price back as a one-day encore ($11 less than at the fruit flavored competition). If you don't want to burn a copy for your kids or grandkids (and they are teens or adults with their own accounts), this is a perfect time to gift them a copy (and get your upgrade to 20GB of Cloud Drive storage at the same time).

Product Details
  • Original Release Date: May 23, 2011
  • Release Date: May 23, 2011
  • Label: Streamline/Kon Live/Interscope
  • Copyright: (C) 2011 Interscope Records
  • Record Company Required Metadata: Music file contains unique purchase identifier.
  • Total Length: 1:01:10
  • Genres: Pop/General

Three Buck Books

These are mostly available from Amazon, but a few are EPUB only deals. All are currently on sale for $3.00 or less. Many of these are also Agency publisher titles, so will be the same price on all platforms, provided the book is available at multiple ebookstores, so you might want to check Barnes & Noble or Sony.

Blood Vines ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Erica Spindler, is a stand-alone novel. You'll also find a few others under $4 and under $5 in the Kindle store for this author.

Book Description
In this bare-knuckled adrenaline ride from New York Times bestselling author Erica Spindler, Alex Clarkson’s worst nightmares are about to come true…

A sinister, hooded figure…

When Alexandra Clarkson starts having terrifying visions filled with blood and ceremonial images, she tries to find a rational explanation – maybe her mind is playing tricks on her, resurrecting creepy tableaux from her research on religious ceremonies and sects. But when Alex’s mother, Patsy, commits suicide without leaving behind any information, Alex is left wondering: could she be haunted by something from the childhood she doesn’t remember?

Naked, writhing bodies…

Detective Daniel Reed was the last person to speak to Patsy. What he reveals to Alex is shocking. Twenty-five years earlier, Patsy was married to Harlan Sommer, one of Sonoma County’s most prominent vintners, when their infant son disappeared without a trace. The loss destroyed the Sommers’ marriage, causing Patsy to leave and take Alex with her.

A dead child…

Called on to investigate the identity of a baby’s remains unearthed in a Sonoma vineyard, Reed had picked up a trail that led him to Patsy in San Francisco. Now Reed and Alex both wonder if the cold bones could be her baby brother Dylan, and Alex decides to accompany Reed back to Sonoma for the investigation. No sooner does she arrive, however, than she is drawn deep into the search for a twisted killer…


Eight Million Ways to Die ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Lawrence Block, is the fifth in his Matthew Scudder series.

Book Description
Nobody knows better than Matthew Scudder how far down a person can sink in this city. A young prostitute named Kim knew it also—and she wanted out. Maybe Kim didn't deserve the life fate had dealt her. She surely didn't deserve her death. The alcoholic ex-cop turned p.i. was supposed to protect her, but someone slashed her to ribbons on a crumbling New York City waterfront pier. Now finding Kim's killer will be Scudder's penance. But there are lethal secrets hiding in the slain hooker's past that are far dirtier than her trade. And there are many ways of dying in this cruel and dangerous town—some quick and brutal ... and some agonizingly slow.

All the Flowers Are Dying ($1.99 Kobo), by Lawrence Block, isn't on Kindle, from what I can tell.

Book Description
In his sixteenth Matthew Scudder novel, All the Flowers Are Dying , New York Times bestselling author Lawrence Block takes the award-winning series to a new level of suspense and a new depth of characterization. Building on the critical and commercial success of Hope to Die , Block puts Scudder -- and the reader -- at the very edge of the abyss. Scudder, a complex character who has grown and aged in real time, confronts the implacable challenge of mortality. But he must also tackle a determined, relentless, and icily inhuman adversary, perhaps the most unforgettable villain Block has ever created. A man in a Virginia prison awaits execution for three hideous murders he swears, in the face of irrefutable evidence, he did not commit. A psychologist who claims to believe the convict spends hours with the man in his death row cell, and ultimately watches in the gallery as the lethal injection is administered. His work completed, the psychologist heads back to New York City to attend to unfinished business. Meanwhile, Scudder has just agreed to investigate the ostensibly suspicious online lover of an acquaintance. It seems simple enough. At first. But when people start dying and the victims are increasingly closer to home, it becomes clear that a vicious killer is at work. And the final targets may be Matt and Elaine Scudder. The suspense is breathtaking, the outcome never certain. A series that has garnered no end of awards -- the Edgar, the Shamus, the Philip Marlowe, the MalteseFalcon -- has ascended to a dizzying new height. With this novel, Lawrence Block, who recently received the Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement from the Crime Writers Association of the United Kingdom, is at the very top of his form.

Sworn to Silence ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Linda Castillo, is the first in her Kate Burkholder series.

Book Description
A killer is preying on sacred ground....

In the sleepy rural town of Painters Mill, Ohio, the Amish and “English” residents have lived side by side for two centuries. But sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community. In the aftermath of the violence, the town was left with a sense of fragility, a loss of innocence. Kate Burkholder, a young Amish girl, survived the terror of the Slaughterhouse Killer but came away from its brutality with the realization that she no longer belonged with the Amish.

Now, a wealth of experience later, Kate has been asked to return to Painters Mill as Chief of Police. Her Amish roots and big city law enforcement background make her the perfect candidate. She’s certain she’s come to terms with her past—until the first body is discovered in a snowy field. Kate vows to stop the killer before he strikes again. But to do so, she must betray both her family and her Amish past—and expose a dark secret that could destroy her.


One of Those Malibu Nights ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Elizabeth Adler, is the first in her Mac Reilly series.

Book Description
It was just one of those Malibu nights, dark as a velvet shroud, creamy waves crashing onto the shore, breeze soft as a kitten’s breath....

But when Private Investigator to the stars, Mac Reilly, hears the sound of a woman’s scream over the crashing waves, his low-key beach-bum lifestyle is changed forever. A beautiful, distraught woman wearing only a black lace negligee stands in the doorway of a fabulous beach house. In her hand, a gun, and it’s pointed directly at him.

Mac escapes her bullet, but barely. Who is that woman? Days later she’s disappeared and the Smith & Wesson she almost killed him with finds its way into his car.

Not so coincidentally, Allie Ray, star of the big screen and America’s sweetheart, has also gone missing. The two women are connected, and Mac suddenly finds himself tangled up in a web of deception. He’s going to need some help if he’s going to get to the bottom of it all.

This is where Sunny Alvarez comes in. Sunny and Mac have an on-again, off-again relationship. Lately it’s been more off than on. But now he needs her more than ever. Together they go on a quest that takes them from Southern California, to the beaches of Mexico, to the streets of Rome, and the countryside of France. All the while they’re one step behind an elusive murderer and one step ahead of an actress who wants nothing more than to get lost….

With Elizabeth Adler’s trademark descriptions, plot twists, and irresistible characters, One of Those Malibu Nights is beach-reading suspense at its best.


Point Man ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Steve Englehart (who is probably best known for his work with Marvel Comics and DC Comics).

Book Description
Max August was a point man when he served during the Vietnam War, the guy who had to lead his patrol through dangers he couldn't possibly anticipate. Now he’s a disc jockey, at one with the music and his faithful audience . . . until the day when he is swept into a battle invisible to all but the participants.

For nearly five centuries, Cornelius Agrippa has fought against an evil that has threatened to corrupt and destroy everything good and untainted in the world. Now, Max has joined the battle. It wasn't his idea to fight a demonic entity that can become anything it wants: an undying monster or the most desirable woman in the world. Max has been chosen by fate to fight those who would use magick to destroy freedom and wreak havoc on an unsuspecting world. Along with Agrippa and Valerie Drake, a beautiful, talented singer, Max is the only hope of the free world.


Strong Enough to Die ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Jon Land

Book Description
INCLUDES A SNEAK PEAK OF JON LAND'S THRILLING NEW CAITLIN STRONG NOVEL, STRONG AT THE BREAK, AVAILBLE IN JUNE!

Caitlin Strong is a fifth-generation Texas Ranger, proud to wear the badge of her father and grandfather—until a deadly shoot-out along the Mexican border causes her to question her calling.

Five years later, Caitlin is still trying to purge herself of guilt from the day that ended her Ranger career. But a shattering discovery will reopen old wounds, and Caitlin’s renewed investigation into the truth behind the bloody desert firefight uncovers a terrifying plot that reaches into every home and threatens the very core of the country.

Her only hope for success—and survival—is to team up with Cort Wesley Masters, a deadly outlaw who has every reason to want her dead. But he also holds the key to the truth she desperately seeks in the anguished brain of an amnesiac torture victim.

Caitlin’s tormented quest for redemption takes her to a dark world, ranging from Washington to Bahrain to the wastelands of Mexico, as she finds that the strength to live comes from learning how to die.


Bad Day for Sorry ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Sophie Littlefield

Book Description
Winner of the Anthony Award for Best First Novel!

Stella Hardesty dispatched her abusive husband with a wrench shortly before her fiftieth birthday. A few years later, she’s so busy delivering home-style justice on her days off, helping other women deal with their own abusive husbands and boyfriends, that she barely has time to run her sewing shop in her rural Missouri hometown. Some men need more convincing than others, but it’s usually nothing a little light bondage or old-fashioned whuppin' can’t fix. Since Stella works outside of the law, she’s free to do whatever it takes to get the job done---as long as she keeps her distance from the handsome devil of a local sheriff, Goat Jones.

When young mother Chrissy Shaw asks Stella for help with her no-good husband, Roy Dean, it looks like an easy case. Until Roy Dean disappears with Chrissy’s two-year-old son, Tucker. Stella quickly learns that Roy Dean was involved with some very scary men, as she tries to sort out who’s hiding information and who’s merely trying to kill her. It’s going to take a hell of a fight to get the little boy back home to his mama, but if anyone can do it, it’s Stella Hardesty.

A Bad Day for Sorry won an Anthony Award for Best First Novel and an RT Book Award for Best First Mystery. It was also shortlisted for Edgar, Barry, Crimespree, and Macavity Awards, and it was named to lists of the year's best mystery debuts by the Chicago Sun-Times and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.


Wishbones ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Carolyn Haines, is the eighth in her Sarah Booth Delaney series.

Book Description
Southern gal Sarah Booth Delaney packs up her hound dog and her P.I. business and sets off for Hollywood to take a shot at stardom. No stranger to acting, she aces the screen test for a racy remake of the movie Body Heat alongside leading man Graf Miliau. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and why not? Graf has already starred in one of Sarah’s previous affairs and is well on his way to landing a big part in the sequel.

Thrilled as Sarah is, her dream come true comes at a price. She has to leave behind her family’s ancestral home in Mississippi, her closest friends, and the possibility of settling down with her longtime love to film on location in Costa Rica. And it’s not long before rivalries flare, mysterious accidents occur, and this leading lady finds herself in some steamy tabloids without turning up in a single frame of film.

Carolyn Haines’s Wishbones takes the sultry romance and colorful friendships of this delightfully Southern series and heads out west for a mystery that is as thrilling off camera as it is on.


Poison: A Novel of the Renaissance ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Sara Poole, is the first in her Poisoner Mysteries series.

Book Description
In the simmering hot summer of 1492, a monstrous evil is stirring within the Eternal City of Rome. The brutal murder of an alchemist sets off a desperate race to uncover the plot that threatens to extinguish the light of the Renaissance and plunge Europe back into medieval darkness.

Determined to avenge the killing of her father, Francesca Giordano defies all convention to claim for herself the position of poisoner serving Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, head of the most notorious and dangerous family in Italy. She becomes the confidante of Lucrezia Borgia and the lover of Cesare Borgia. At the same time, she is drawn to the young renegade monk who yearns to save her life and her soul.

Navigating a web of treachery and deceit, Francesca pursues her father’s killer from the depths of Rome’s Jewish ghetto to the heights of the Vatican itself. In so doing, she sets the stage for the ultimate confrontation with ancient forces that will seek to use her darkest desires to achieve their own catastrophic ends.


Soldier of God ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), by David Hagberg, is the tenth in his Kirk McGarvey series.

Book Description
"My dearest mother," the letter from the young Saudi Arabian suicide bomber begins, as have so many before it. "The day of joy will soon arrive. Send out presents and sweets; prepare my father and my brother for my wedding to come. My black-eyed wife waits for me in Paradise. Rejoice, o my mother, for we will meet in heaven."

Suicide bombers are coming to America's heartland. Their targets: our most precious and vulnerable assets, our children.

Following the most terrifying lead of his life, CIA Director Kirk McGarvey traces the threat to a terrorist known as Khalil. But upon further investigation he is convinced that Khalil and the Saudi playboy prince Abdul Hasim bin Salman are the same man. The White House wants nothing to do with McGarvey's assumptions; accusing a Saudi prince of such a heinous plan will surely strain the delicate political balance between the US and the Saudis, always thought to be allies as well as our major oil suppliers. But McGarvey refuses to let politics stand in the way of him stopping Khalil, even if it means that the President of the United States will call him a traitor, even if it means he must resign as Director of the CIA to pursue him, and even if it means his meddling will lead to the kidnapping and brutal beating of his own wife.

From the deadly frigid Alaskan waters, to the balmy breezes of the French Rivera and finally to the embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C., Mac has to unravel the latest threat from Osama bin Laden in order to save American school children from a cadre of suicide bombers willing to martyr themselves for the cause as Soldiers of God.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Kindle Apps and Games Sale - 99 Cents

There are several apps and one game on sale in the Kindle store for 99 cents right now. The first one is SCRABBLE, by Electronic Arts Inc., which I gladly paid $4.99 for when it first came out. This is a great deal (and I love this game, which you can play with others or against the computer). If you, like me, have already bought this one, then go get the (free) update, as they promise the graphics are improved. The price goes back up at the end of the month.

Game Description
Simple controls make it easy to play any way you want, whether you're a casual or experienced SCRABBLE player. Pass N' Play with a friend, challenge the Kindle, or play a solo game. If you need help, use the Best Word feature to create the highest scoring word possible. You can even pause the game anytime and pick it up later.

Follow your progress game by game with instant statistics tracking. As your game-play and strategy improves, you'll find more ways to rack up double and triple word scores. Enjoy the number one name in crossword games, and sharpen your vocabulary in a fun new way.


The three apps on sale are from Nickel Buddy and are designed to help you keep on track with your exercise programs. These are half-price and will go back to $1.99 after June 6.

My Yoga Studio (A Yoga Partner on Kindle)
My Yoga Studio is like having a personal yoga teacher on your Kindle.

There are many benefits to practicing yoga. Done properly, yoga can help you increase your strength, flexibility, and balance. It can improve your posture as you become more aware of your body, and it can help you relax, even in the midst of a stressful environment.

My Yoga Studio will guide you step-by-step through a series of poses illustrated with a picture and a text description. As you move through the routine, a timer will count down, showing you how long to hold each pose before gently transitioning to the next. 25 different poses are included. You can use one of three included routines (Sun Salutation, Stress Melter, or Balance & Peace), do poses individually, or create your own custom routine. Exercises are designed to strengthen your core, and do not require any special equipment. As you can do these exercises anywhere you have floor space, My Yoga Studio is a perfect companion for frequent travelers or home use.

My Yoga Studio is ready to be your personal guide anytime you want to steal a few moments to center yourself.


Anywhere Abs (A Workout Partner on Kindle)
Anywhere Abs is like having a workout partner on your Kindle. It will guide you step-by-step through an exercise routine to strengthen your core. The exercises don't require any special equipment and can be performed anywhere there is space on the floor. It's perfect for the frequent traveler or for home use.

Anywhere Abs offers 2 routines, each consisting of 6 timed exercises. A countdown timer guides you through each routine, and a detailed description of each exercise is available at any time.

Having a strong core is important for any sport, and Anywhere Abs makes your workout partner as close as your Kindle.


Anywhere Legs (A Workout Partner on Kindle)
Anywhere Legs is a workout planner for Kindle.

Anywhere Legs will guide you step-by-step through an exercise routine that tones the major muscle groups in your legs. The exercises don't require any special equipment and can be performed anywhere there is space on the floor. It's perfect for the frequent traveler or for home use.

Anywhere Legs offers 3 routines, each consisting of 6 timed exercises. A detailed description for each exercise, pictures of the exercises, and a countdown timer help you complete your workout. Each routine has a beginner, intermediate, and advanced level, and can be completed in just 6-10 minutes.

With Anywhere Legs, your workout is as close as your Kindle.