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Thursday, September 8, 2011

Today's Deals and Bargain Books

Beautiful Creatures ($2.99), by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day.
Book Description
There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

The Hornet's Sting: The Amazing Untold Story of World War II Spy Thomas Sneum ($1.99), by Mark Ryan
Book Description
The exploits of Tommy Sneum, the Danish-born spy who died in 2007, made him a legend in espionage circles. But until now, the full extraordinary story of Sneum’s action-packed career as a British-run spy has never been told.

Based on hundreds of hours of interviews with Sneum, Mark Ryan describes how Tommy made an incredible escape from Denmark in a battered old Hornet Moth aircraft - which he had to refuel in mid-air by climbing out on the wing. Later, he escaped from Denmark again - by walking across a treacherous frozen sea on which two of his companions died. Tommy brought over precious intelligence about the Nazi radar installations in Denmark and their atom bomb - his reward was to be imprisoned in Brixton as a suspected double agent and threatened with execution.

He cheated the hangman - but it is only with the publication of this enthralling book that Sneum can be celebrated as, in the words of Professor R.V. Jones, Churchill’s chief of scientific intelligence, ‘one of the true heroes of World War II’. 12 black-and-white photographs

Making of a Gentleman ($1.99), by Shana Galen, is the second in the series started with Making of a Duchess ($4.61).
Book Description
Twelve years in prison has stripped him of his humanity...

Armand, Comte de Valère has lost the ability to interact with polite society, until his family hires him a beautiful tutor, and he starts to come alive again...

Saving him is her only chance to escape a terrible fate...

Felicity Bennett vows she'll do whatever it takes to help Armand fight back the demons that have held him captive for so long...

With Felicity's help, Armand begins to heal, until a buried secret threatens to destroy their growing passion...

It Happened One Bite ($1.99), by Lydia Dare
Book Description
From a castle in the rugged Scottish Highlands to the glittering salons of Edinburgh high society, the playground for the rich, titled and undead will never be the same when ultra-correct gentleman vampire Lord Kettering and feisty witch Blaire Lindsay make sparks fly.

Reinventing Rachel ($0.99), by Alison Strobel, is greatly discounted; this author has had two books offered free, both of which are back up in the $10 range.
Book Description
God let Rachel Westing down. For twenty-six years she’s done everything by the book; she figures He should have her back. But then she learns her fiancé is cheating on her. Her parents are getting a divorce. And her Christian mentor has a pill addiction. Where is God in all this? Nowhere, as far as Rachel can see. Wounded, bitter, and with a shattered faith, she quits her job and goes across the country to live with Daphne—her childhood best friend whose soul Rachel once thought she was meant to save.

Confident, successful, fun-loving Daphne sets about helping Rachel reinvent herself, and for a while it’s exciting. But when another tragedy shakes Rachel to the core, what little bit of self-possession she has left begins to unravel. A true-to-life story that will draw you in and keep you biting your nails until the end.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Free Book (EPUB) - The Diet Detective's Automatic Diet

The Diet Detective's Automatic Diet ($4.61 Kindle), by Charles Stuart Platkin is free from Copia. Comparing using Look Inside, it appears to be the same book (just a new cover at Copia). I usually load their books into Adobe ADE (and from there to one of my EPUB readers), but you may want to read this one in the COPIA reader app, as there are copious notes available from the author, that are only accessible using their shared notes feature.
Book Description
In The Diet Detective's Automatic Diet, Charles Stuart Platkin, Ph.D., M.P.H., one of the country's leading weight-loss advocates and popular syndicated columnist of "The Diet Detective," synthesizes cutting-edge weight-loss research into an easy-to-follow 10-step process that can become automatic for anyone, a process that has proven successful for tens of thousands of the author's clients as well as for the author himself, who has lost 50 pounds-and kept it off for over 10 years-using the principles in this book. Research has proven repeatedly that fad diets are misguided in their focus on advocating or restricting particular foods and that the only way to permanently lose and maintain weight is through behavioral and lifestyle modification. Learning to identify one's "fat patterns"-the behavioral reasons why when we lose weight we always gain it back again-and how to break them enables readers to relearn how to create a relationship with food and fitness that is comfortable and maintainable, and shows that an individual's weight is completely within his or her control-regardless of genetics, metabolism, or other hard-to-control factors.
Click HERE for the free book from Copia.

Today's Deals and Bargain Books

First up, the following books are all now free for US Kindlers, in addition to those in the UK; all but one is also free from Barnes & Noble and ChristianBook:
For those who have a Kindle with Special Offers, there are only two days left on these two deals (you must already have the coupon codes in-hand, at this point):
For those who shop at Kobo, I've put the coupon codes that I know about in a table at the left of the page (just below the free MP3 of the day that I select). Fictionwise's 55% off coupon code, 090311, is still working, but could expire at any time. They've finally updated their new selections for the week; they were behind due to the holiday. Their Secure eReader works with the eReader app (most platforms) and the original nook. I found a new Susan Krinard (Code of the Wolf) that I don't have and one that I have only as a galley for review (Heather Graham's Sacred Evil), just on a quick look-thru. Either is $3.06 with coupon (if you can use FW's format), but checking at Amazon, I found that Sacred Evil is being discounted to $3.99 there. FW's multiformat works with all ereaders and it looks like the November fiction magazines are now out, so I've definitely added those to my order.

The End of America ($2.79), by Naomi Wolf, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day.
Book Description
In a stunning indictment of the Bush administration and Congress, best-selling author Naomi Wolf lays out her case for saving American democracy. In authoritative research and documentation Wolf explains how events of the last six years parallel steps taken in the early years of the 20th century's worst dictatorships such as Germany, Russia, China, and Chile. The book cuts across political parties and ideologies and speaks directly to those among us who are concerned about the ever-tightening noose being placed around our liberties. In this timely call to arms, Naomi Wolf compels us to face the way our free America is under assault. She warns us with the straight-to-fellow-citizens urgency of one of Thomas Paines revolutionary pamphlets that we have little time to lose if our children are to live in real freedom. Recent history has profound lessons for us in the U.S. today about how fascist, totalitarian, and other repressive leaders seize and maintain power, especially in what were once democracies. The secret is that these leaders all tend to take very similar, parallel steps. The Founders of this nation were so deeply familiar with tyranny and the habits and practices of tyrants that they set up our checks and balances precisely out of fear of what is unfolding today. We are seeing these same kinds of tactics now closing down freedoms in America, turning our nation into something that in the near future could be quite other than the open society in which we grew up and learned to love liberty, states Wolf. Wolf is taking her message directly to the American people in the most accessible form and as part of a large national campaign to reach out to ordinary Americans about the dangers we face today. This includes a lecture and speaking tour, and being part of the nascent American Freedom Campaign, a grassroots effort to ensure that presidential candidates pledge to uphold the constitution and protect our liberties from further erosion. The End of America will shock, enrage, and motivatespurring us to act, as the Founders would have counted on us to do in a time such as this, as rebels and patriotsto save our liberty and defend our nation.

The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe ($0.99), from DENON Classics, is a good deal on music to read by (whether on your Kindle or elsewhere). There is an issue with the samples (track 2, for example, as random clicks that are audible), but according to the comments, that has been cleared up in the actual downloads. It's not 99 tracks, but you still get over 2 hours of hand-selected music for under a buck (and DENON is well known in music circles). This is a ONE DAY ONLY sale, so grab it while you can.


The Judas Strain with Bonus Material ($1.99 pre-order Kindle, B&N), the fourth in the Sigma Force series by James Rollins, is one that any fan will want to add to their library. If you want to sample first, you can do that with the full price edition; just don't wait too long on the Bonus Edition, as these generally disappear from the Kindle catalog shortly after they are published (I've previously managed to snag one of these for Map of Bones and Black Order; both are now gone from Kindle and the B&N stores, but Black Order with Bonus Material is still $1.99 from Kobo. There's currently also a short story in this series available, The Skeleton Key (Kindle, B&N), for 99 cents.
Book Description
From the depths of the Indian Ocean, a horrific plague has arisen to devastate humankind—unknown, unstoppable . . . and merely a harbinger of the doom that is to follow.

Operatives of the shadowy covert organization Sigma Force, Dr. Lisa Cummings and Monk Kokkalis search for answers to the bizarre affliction aboard a cruise liner transformed into a makeshift hospital. But a sudden and savage attack by terrorist hijackers turns the mercy ship into a floating bio-weapons lab.

Time is an enemy as a worldwide pandemic grows rapidly out of control. As the seconds tick closer to doomsday, Sigma’s commander, Gray Pierce, must join forces with the beautiful assassin who tried to kill him—following the trail of the most fabled explorer in history into the terrifying heart of an astonishing mystery buried deep in antiquity and in humanity’s genetic code.

Also included in this edition is an excerpt from The Devil Colony, featuring Sigma Force.

If you missed Angel Fire ($0.99), by Lisa Unger (originally released under Lisa Miscione), the last time it was marked down, this is your second chance to grab the start of the Lydia Strong series at a bargain price.
Book Description
The childhood murder of Lydia Strong’s mother has turned her into a woman obsessed with bringing brutal killers to justice. The reclusive, bestselling true-crime writer and investigative consultant has made a life out of chasing monsters. And her powerful intuitions rarely fail her.

When three adults—loners, drifters—go missing, no one seems to notice except for Lydia. Enlisting the help of her friend, former FBI agent Jeffrey Mark, Lydia starts an investigation of her own. But when someone raises the stakes and goes after Lydia—just as fifteen years ago when she put the FBI on the trail of her mother’s killer—the real hunt begins.

Harry Connolly's Child of Fire ($0.99) is also still (again?) greatly discounted. The first in the Twenty Palaces series, I don't expect it to remain at this price for much longer. The second in the series, Game of Cages, is down to $5.99, not a great discount, but better than the usual $7.99.
Book Description
Ray Lilly is living on borrowed time. He’s the driver for Annalise Powliss, a high-ranking member of the Twenty Palace Society, a group of sorcerers devoted to hunting down and executing rogue magicians. But because Ray betrayed her once, Annalise is looking for an excuse to kill him–or let someone else do the job.

Unfortunately for both of them, Annalise’s next mission goes wrong, leaving her critically injured. With the little magic he controls, Ray must complete her assignment alone. Not only does he have to stop a sorcerer who’s sacrificing dozens of innocent lives in exchange for supernatural power, he must find–and destroy–the source of that inhuman magic.

The Black Ice ($1.99), by Michael Connelly, is the second in the Harry Bosch series. If you picked up The Black Echo when it was 99 cents in July, now is the time to get next in the series.
Book Description
Narcotics officer Cal Moore's orders were to look into the city's latest drug killing. Instead, he ends up in a motel room with a fatal bullet wound to the head and a suicide note stuffed in his back pocket. Working the case, LAPD detective Harry Bosch is reminded of the primal police rule he learned long ago: Don't look for the facts, but the glue that holds them together. Soon Harry's making some very dangerous connections, starting with a dead cop and leading to a bloody string of murders that wind from Hollywood Boulevard to the back alleys south of the border. Now this battle-scarred veteran will find himself in the center of a complex and deadly game-one in which he may be the next and likeliest victim.

Blue Bloods ($2.69), by Melissa De La Cruz, is the start of her vampire series for young adults/teens. The fourth in the series, The Van Alen Legacy, is still marked down to $4.24.
Book Description
Schuyler Van Alen is confused about what is happening to her. Her veins are starting to turn blue, and she’s starting to crave raw meat. Soon, her world is thrust into an intricate maze of secret societies and bitter intrigue. Schuyler has never been a part of the trendy crowd at her prestigious New York private school. Now, all of a sudden, Jack Force, the most popular guy in school, is showing an interest in her. And when one of the popular girls is found dead, Schuyler and Jack are determined to get to the bottom of it.

Schuyler wants to find out the secrets of the mysterious Blue Bloods. But is she putting herself in danger? Melissa de la Cruz’s vampire mythology, set against the glitzy backdrop of New York City, is a juicy and intoxicating read.

Lost Cargo ($2.99 Kindle), by Hollister Ann Grant, is free over on Smashwords. It looks interesting and the few reviews are promising and has a dog (and the extra-galactic equivalent, apparently), so I'd say it's worth a download.
Book Description
When college student Travis Maguire chases his dog into Washington, D.C.’s Rock Creek Park wilderness, he finds more than the dog -- he discovers a camera with photos of a mysterious black triangular aircraft that crashed in the woods. Obsessed with the photos and the unknown photographer, Travis searches for the wreck, accompanied by two friends: beautiful Lexie Collins, who’s convinced a UFO came down outside the city, and her brother Burke, who argues that the photos must be fake. Their lives take an unimaginable turn when they encounter a six-eyed galactic animal control officer and the murderous creature he was transporting. Lost Cargo is set in the shadows of Washington’s famous streets, with wicked twists and turns and unforgettable aliens.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Buy a Biography for $1 (KSO)

This offer is only for those with a Kindle with Special Offers:

Buy one of 100 Biographies & Memoirs for $1

To take advantage of this offer:
  1. First, turn on your Kindle with Special Offers, click Menu, then View Special Offers.
  2. Find the offer: Buy one of 100 Biographies & Memoirs for $1. Click on it, then on the link to Email Me This Offer. If you repeat for each KSO on your account, you'll get a separate code for each one, but see my note below on limits on this offer.
  3. You will get an email from Amazon with your promotional code, right away.
  4. Once you have the promotion code (and have selected your book; see below), click this link, then on the button labeled Enter Your Code, at any time up to the expiration date of October 9.
  5. Enter your code and follow the directions.
  6. Choose any of these books and you'll pay only $1.
You'll have a promotion code on your account that will apply to the FIRST book you buy (from the list) after that. Note that even if the book is free, you'll pay a dollar, so be careful which one you pick after you enter the code -- make sure you don't grabbing a low cost title by accident, which can happen if you apply the code right away, before you are ready to buy the book. Current prices range from $1.99 (today's Deal of the Day) to $19.24, with most around $10. You should save the code and not enter it until you are ready to buy a book.

To recap: you must claim the offer by September 9 and must do so from your Kindle with Special Offers. You'll get a promotion code via email and you have until October 9 to enter and redeem the code. Once you enter it, it will work on the next book on the list that you purchase.

This offer says there is a limit of one per customer AND one per device -- I did get two codes, but don't know if the second one will work on the same account (I can always return the book, if it doesn't, I suppose).

Save $30 at MYHABIT (KSO)

This offer is only for those with a Kindle with Special Offers:

Save $30 when you spend $80 at MYHABIT

Click on offer, then click on the link on the offer page to receive an email with the promotion code. Sign-up for this offer expires on September 9.

You'll get an email (right away), a link to the Special Offer page and a promotion code to enter at checkout. Once you have the promotional code, you have until October 9 to complete your purchase. Like previous offers, this one requires you to use the full checkout process in order to enter your promotional code. Also, like all Amazon sales that use promotional codes, if you have a gift card balance, you must use it for the payment (if there is not a sufficient balance, then you can pick which credit card or other payment to use).

This offer can be used more than once per account, so long as you have more than one KSO registered. Just click on the ad on each device to receive the individual promotion codes via email.

MyHabit is an interesting site, owned by Amazon (you can use your Amazon name/password there, as well, but it is a separate login and cart). New deals show up daily, at 9AM ET, with deals lasting until sold out (often minutes after starting, on popular items) or for some multiple of 24 hours. It is definitely a place for those who love to peruse the bargain racks (at high end stores), but who can also make up their minds quickly and act to snag the deals. In addition to men's, women's and children's clothing, they have occasional deals on jewelry, handbags and home furnishings.