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Sunday, September 18, 2011

Today's Deals and Bargain Books

House Rules ($0.99), the third in the Joe DeMarco series by Mike Lawson, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day. I bought this one back in July, but at least it wasn't at full price (it was on sale for $1.99 then). The next in the series, House Secrets, is also currently on sale ($4.99).
Book Description
Mike Lawson’s Joe DeMarco thrillers have drawn praise for their fine-tuned suspense, off-kilter characters, intricate plots, and revealing portrait of Washington, DC behind closed doors. In House Rules, a terrorist bombing of the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel is narrowly avoided. Then a private plane headed straight for the White House ignores warnings and is shot down. An atmosphere of fear and panic overruns the country, and when the junior senator from Virginia proposes to deport all noncitizen Muslims and run extensive background checks on all Muslim Americans, his bill gains surprising traction.

Speaker of the House John Mahoney is not pleased. He knows it is the kind of knee-jerk response people will come to regret, like Japanese internment camps, and he needs to find a way to kill the bill before it exposes a secret he wants to keep. So Mahoney calls his man DeMarco. An average guy who struggles with debt, divorce, and an unreasonable boss, DeMarco is an unlikely hero, in over his head, relying on old friends as he attempts to get to the bottom of the attacks in this riveting read, full of suspense, fascinating characters, humor, and timely political intrigue.

About the Author
MIKE LAWSON, a former senior civilian executive for the U.S. Navy, is the author of two previous novels starring Joe DeMarco. His first book, The Inside Ring, was rated by the Seattle Times as one of the top ten thrillers of 2005 and nominated for a Barry Award.

If you are a gamer, you can save 80% on 4 Strategy First bundles or 70% off any individual Strategy First title on Amazon's Game Downloads Deal of the Week. The War Games bundle has 6 titles, while the Amazon's Choice bundle has nine, several of which have quite high list prices. I looked at some of the games inside the $1.99 Disciples II: Gold Edition bundle and found that the individual games range from $20 to $54, depending on whether or not you can find them as downloads or only as traditional boxed items w/ a CD/DVD. A boxed version of the bundle is $44 and doesn't include the 5 Bonus Quests.


It turns out that the Cassie Palmer Series, by Karen Chance, is an even better deal for those in the US, as it is currently marked down to $7.51. Each of the books in the bundle are selling for $7.99, so you get four for less than the price of one.
Book Description
Clairvoyant Cassandra Palmer's magical powers are a mixed blessing-she may be able to contact spirits but sometimes this can be a whole lot more trouble than it's worth. Battling with vampires, feys and mages who all seek supremacy, Cassie must use her powers wisely in order to save herself - and the world. The Cassie Palmer Series includes Touch the Dark, Claimed by Shadow, Embrace the Night and Curse the Dawn.

Life Support ($1.99) is the first title in the Santee series by Robert Whitlow.
Book Description
Alexia Lindale knows her new case is a matter of life and death. She doesn't have a clue what it will do to her heart...and soul.

From the Christy-award-winning author of The List, The Trial, and The Sacrifice comes this twisting tale of tough decisions, mixed motives, and mysterious, healing grace.

Baxter Richardson survived a fall from a cliff while hiding in the mountains. Whether he'll make it through the next few weeks is unclear. His survival depends on the machines that help him breathe. On the haunted, unstable wife who wants to pull the plug and hide her secrets. On the doting father who wants him alive for reasons of love and money. On the conflicting legal documents that send the fight to court. And, on the music and prayers of an extraordinarily gifted pianist.

The Walking People ($1.95), by Mary Beth Keane, is drastically marked down, currently $10 less than the paperback price (looks like Amazon is clearancing out the hardcovers and marked the Kindle book down below that price).
Book Description
Greta Cahill never believed she would leave her village in the west of Ireland until she found herself on a ship bound for New York, along with her sister Johanna and a boy named Michael Ward. Greta discovers that in America she can fall in love, raise her own family, and earn a living.

Though she longs to return and show her family what she has made of herself, her decision to spare her children knowledge of a secret in her past forces her to keep her life in New York separate from the life she once loved in Ireland, and tears her from the people she holds closest. Even fifty years later, when the Ireland of her memory bears little resemblance to that of the present day, she fears that it is still possible to lose all when she discovers that her children—with the best of intentions—have conspired to unite the worlds she’s so carefully kept separate for decades.

Far Bright Star ($3.30) and Coal Black Horse ($1.62), by Robert Olmstead, are both clearance priced.
Far Bright Star
Set in 1916, Far Bright Star follows Napoleon Childs, an aging cavalryman, as he leads an expedition of inexperienced soldiers into the mountains of Mexico to hunt down Pancho Villa and bring him to justice. Though he is seasoned at such missions, things go terribly wrong and the patrol is brutally attacked. After witnessing the demise of his troops, Napoleon is left by his captors to die in the desert.

Through him we enter the conflicted mind of a warrior as he tries to survive against all odds, as he seeks to make sense of a lifetime of senseless wars and to reckon with the reasons a man would choose a life on the battlefield. Olmstead, an award-winning writer, uses his precise, descriptive prose to explore the endurance and fate of the last horse soldiers. The result is a tightly wound novel that is as moving as it is terrifying.


Coal Black Horse
When Robey Childs's mother has a premonition about her husband, a soldier fighting in the Civil War, she does the unthinkable. She instructs her only child to retrieve his father from the battlefield and bring him home. Just fourteen and ill-prepared for the journey, Robey sets off wearing the coat his mother sewed to ensure his safety: blue on one side, gray on the other. However, it is the gift of an uncommon horse that changes Robey's destiny— a horse that becomes his only companion, guide, and protector.

As they plunge into a world of death and destruction, Robey is cloaked in the invincibility of youth. But the horrors of war, the truth of his own nature, and the inextricable connection between the two turn the boy into the best a man can be—and the worst, irrevocably scarred by all that he has seen and done.

This "powerful, redemptive narrative" in the tradition of The Red Badge of Courage is a brutally honest portrait of what war does to men and how it allows—even compels—them to love what they should hate.

Up! ($1.79), by David Niven
Book Description
Insufficient healthcare coverage, a weakened economy, the fragile environment—most people would be hard pressed to find even one example of how things are better today than they were yesterday. How about one for each day of the year? In his engaging and informative new book, Up!, David Niven, the best-selling author of the 100 Simple Secrets series (more than a million copies sold in the U.S. alone), gives us 365 examples of how life is better now than ever before. We think we’re running out of time—but we actually live twice as long as our great-grandparents did. We think our culture is in decline—but worldwide IQ scores are higher today than ever before. We think life keeps getting harder—but the percentage of people who feel happy is growing every year. Well researched and full of insight, Up! not only proves that life today is a vast improvement from the past but also that it continues to get better with each passing day. For those who need convincing or for those who need reminding, Up! is a great resource for appreciating how far we’ve come and realizing that, in all ways, things are truly looking Up!

Called: "Hello, My Name is Mrs. Jefferson, I Understand Your Plane is Being Hijacked?" ($4.61), by Lisa Jefferson and Felicia Middlebrooks
Book Description
September 11, 2001. On what seemed like a normal Tuesday morning, Lisa Jefferson left for work—unaware of the special assignment God had prepared for her. Just a couple of hours later, she took the most important call of her life.

Lisa was the Verizon supervisor who spoke with Todd Beamer during the final minutes of United Airlines Flight 93. She prayed with Todd, then listened as he and the other heroes on that flight stood up to the terrorists controlling their airplane.

This ordinary woman was changed by the extraordinary events of that day. She writes, “We can live out our days trying to make sense of the senseless, or we can trust God.” Her story will inspire your faith that God is in control of even the most tragic experiences—and that He has a purpose for your life.

Crimes Against Liberty: An Indictment of President Barack Obama ($3.30), by David Limbaugh, is an updated edition (the older edition is $3.12)
Book Description
As Americans, liberty is an inalienable right that is granted to us by God, protected by the Constitution, and upheld by our government. Yet, Barack Obama doesn’t seem to share that view. To him, liberty is a threat to the government’s power and something to be squashed by any means possible, as bestselling author David Limbaugh shows to devastating affect in his new book, Crimes Against Liberty. In Crimes Against Liberty, Limbaugh issues a damning indictment of President Barack Obama for encroaching upon and stripping us of our individual and sovereign rights. Laying out his case like he would a criminal complaint, Limbaugh presents the evidence—count-by-count—against Obama. From exploiting the financial crisis for political gain, to restricting our personal freedoms through invasive healthcare and “green” policies, to endangering America with his feckless diplomacy and reckless dismantlement of our national security systems, Limbaugh proves—beyond a reasonable doubt—that Obama is guilty of crimes against liberty. Comprehensive and compelling, this is Limbaugh’s most powerful book yet.

FROM THE NEW INTRODUCTION
Obama presents an image of a man wholly unfazed by the debt crisis. This leaves conservatives, and a growing number of independents, scratching their heads wondering how any president could so zealously obstruct the reforms necessary to save the nation. More and more Americans are wondering whether Obama is merely incompetent, or if he’s following some kind of Machiavellian scheme to deliberately damage the nation’s financial future.

. . . To assume Obama has the best interests of this nation at heart offers little comfort. For regardless of his ultimate motives, one thing is clear: he is pursuing an agenda that, unless reversed, will destroy the nation. The inescapable fact is that Obama is an incorrigible leftist ideologue who is unable to comprehend the glaring signs that his policies don’t work.

Spend $5 on / Get $5 for Instant Video (KSO)

This offer is for those with a Kindle with Special Offers only. View the Special Offers on your Kindle (Menu, Special Offers) and you should see a new promotion (if you don't, turn on your wireless, click Menu, Sync & Check for New Items, then after the sync has completed, go to the Special Offers screen):

Spend $5 and get $5 in the Amazon Instant Video Store

Click on offer, then click on the link on the offer page sign up and get an email with the promotion code. Sign-up for this offer expires on September 21. You'll get an email (right away), a link to Special Offer page. There is no promo code on this one - once you have signed up, if you spend $5 on Instant Videos at Amazon before October 21, then you'll get a $5 credit, also for Instant Videos, deposited to your account sometime on or before November 21 (Amazon usually sends you an email a day or so later, to notify you of the credit).

This offer is limited to one per device AND one per customer (and, like all recent offers, is non-transferable).

There is no limit to the selection, so you essentially can rent $10 worth of instant videos at Amazon for half price. You can also use the promo on purchases, although there are not a lot of low-end movies, nothing says you can't buy a few episodes of a TV show or buy a full season or higher cost movie, that you were going to buy anyway, then get the credit. One good page to bookmark is the Instant Video Daily Deals page, where you can find links to the $0.99 and $1.99 daily/weekend rental deals, as well as any other Instant Video deals that Amazon is running. Keep in mind that the $5 is a true minimum - renting or purchasing a single item at $4.99 isn't "close enough"; with most pricing ending in .99, that essentially means you'd need to spend closer to $6 to take advantage of the deal. For those that rent Amazon's movies anyway, though, this is free money for your account.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Today's Deals and Bargain Books

There is a new coupon code for Kobo, Firstreadca1, which gets you $1 off any non-Agency title. One-time use, valid thru Sep 23. Over at Fictionwise, 091611 will get you 45% off on all but Samhain titles (expires on Tues/Wed).

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread ($0.99), by Kate DiCamillo and Timothy Basil Ering (Illustrator), is today's Kindle Deal of the Day.
Book Description
Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon,up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.

For those in the UK (only), you can get a great deal on Karen Chance's books, which are currently discounted to £1.99 each. This deal is only in the UK Kindle store (not for UK customers shopping in the main Amazon.com Kindle store).
Titles included in the sale:
  1. Curse the Dawn
  2. Death's Mistress
  3. Embrace the Night
  4. Midnight's Daughter
  5. Claimed by Shadow
  6. Touch the Dark
  7. Hunt the Moon
Those in the UK can also get the Cassie Palmer Series omnibus for £6.99; this volume includes Touch the Dark, Claimed by Shadow, Embrace the Night and Curse the Dawn.

The Girl Who Was on Fire: Your Favorite Authors on Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games Trilogy ($4.49), by Leah Wilson, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Mary Borsellino, Sarah Rees Brennan, et al.
Book Description
Katniss Everdeen’s adventures may have come to an end, but her story continues to blaze in the hearts of millions worldwide.

In The Girl Who Was on Fire, thirteen YA authors take you back to Panem with moving, dark, and funny pieces on Katniss, the Games, Gale and Peeta, reality TV, survival, and more. From the trilogy's darker themes of violence and social control to fashion and weaponry, the collection's exploration of the Hunger Games reveals exactly how rich, and how perilous, protagonist Katniss’ world really is.
  • How does the way the Games affect the brain explain Haymitch’s drinking, Annie’s distraction, and Wiress’ speech problems?
  • What does the rebellion have in common with the War on Terror?
  • Why isn’t the answer to “Peeta or Gale?” as interesting as the question itself?
  • What should Panem have learned from the fates of other hedonistic societies throughout history—and what can we?
The Girl Who Was on Fire covers all three books in the Hunger Games trilogy.

CONTRIBUTORS: .Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Mary Borsellino, Sarah Rees Brennan, Terri Clark, Bree Despain, Adrienne Kress, Cara Lockwood, Elizabeth M. Rees, Carrie Ryan, Ned Vizzini, Lili Wilkinson, Blythe Woolston, Sarah Darer Littman

Love Bites: The Beginning of the Others Bundle ($9.99), by Christine Warren, contains both One Bite With A Stranger and Big Bad Wolf in a single volume ($7.99 separately). These two are actually the sixth and the eighth titles in her Novels of the Others series.
Book Description
Bundle includes:

One Bite With a Stranger - When Regina’s friends insist on setting her up a “Fantasy Fix” to help her get over her cheating ex, she dreams up some kinky out-of-this-world encounters that they could never possibly bring to life. But the next thing Regina knows, her friends have got her laced into a shiny black corset, tight leather pants, and a sexy pair of stilettos. It’s time for some downtown vampire-fantasy fun.

Big Bad Wolf - Missy Roper’s fantasies have revolved around Graham Winters since the moment they met. But the imposing leader of the Silverback werewolf clan always seemed oblivious to Missy’s existence. At least he was, until Missy collides with him at a party and then abruptly runs away—arousing Graham’s interest…and wild desires.

Linda Lael Miller fans have two new titles, Creed's Honor and The Creed Legacy ($4.99 each), that have joined her under $5 list. These are the second and third in her Creed Cowboy series, both released this year; the first title in the series, A Creed in Stone Creek, is just over "bargain price," at $5.38.
Creed's Honor
Conner Creed knows exactly who he is: a hardworking rancher carrying on his uncle's legacy in Lonesome Bend, Colorado. Maybe a small-town cowboy's life isn't his dream, but he owes the man who took him in as a kid. Until the identical twin brother he's been estranged from for years reenters his life.

Conner struggles with identity issues as he gets to know his wilder brother. And then he meets Tricia McCall, a beautiful woman who knows a thing or two about living someone else's dreams. Together, they just might find their own dreams right here in Lonesome Bend….


The Creed Legacy
Rough-and-tumble rodeo cowboy Brody Creed likes life on the move. Until a chance encounter with his long-estranged twin brother brings him "home" for the first time in years. Suddenly Brody is in Creed territory—at thirty-three, he's a restless bad boy among family with deep ties to the land and each other. And a secret past haunts him as he tries to make plans for his future.

Carolyn Simmons is looking for Mr. Right in Lonesome Bend, as the ticktock of her biological clock gets ever louder. Then she falls for gorgeous Brody Creed, the opposite of everything she wants. Until lassoing his wild heart becomes everything both of them need.


Saving Gracie: How One Dog Escaped the Shadowy World of American Puppy Mills ($3.68), by Carol Bradley
Book Description
A compelling true story of one dog's rescue from a Pennsylvania puppy mill

This touching narrative uses the poignant makeover of Gracie, a sickly Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, to tell the story of America's hidden puppy mills-commercial kennels that breed dogs in horrific living conditions and churn out often-diseased and emotionally damaged puppies for sale.

Saving Gracie chronicles how one little dog is transformed from a bedraggled animal worn out from bearing puppies into a loving, healthy member of her new family; and how her owner, Linda Jackson, is changed from a person who barely tolerated dogs to a woman passionately determined not only to save Gracie's life, but also to get the word out about the millions of American puppy mill dogs who need our help.

The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge ($1.99), by Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann, is an Open Road publication.
Book Description
The classic work that redefined the sociology of knowledge and has inspired a generation of philosophers and thinkers

In this seminal book, Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann examine how knowledge forms and how it is preserved and altered within a society. Unlike earlier theorists and philosophers, Berger and Luckmann go beyond intellectual history and focus on commonsense, everyday knowledge—the proverbs, morals, values, and beliefs shared among ordinary people.

When first published in 1966, this systematic, theoretical treatise introduced the term social construction,effectively creating a new thought and transforming Western philosophy.

The Lieutenant ($2.76), by Kate Grenville
Book Description
As a boy, Daniel Rooke was always an outsider. At school he learned to hide his clever thoughts from his cruel peers; at home his parents were bemused by their bookish son. Daniel could only hope – against all the evidence – that he would one day find his place in life. By 1788, Daniel has become Lieutenant Rooke, astronomer with the First Fleet as it lands on the unknown shores of New South Wales. As the newcomers struggle to establish a settlement for themselves and their cargo of convicts, and attempts are made to communicate with those who already inhabit this land, Rooke sets up his observatory to chart the stars. But the place where they have landed will prove far more revelatory than the night sky. Out on his isolated point, Rooke comes to know the local Aboriginal people, and forges a remarkable connection with one child, which will change his life in ways he never imagined. Based on real events, Kate Grenville’s stunning new novel conveys the poignancy and emotional power of an extraordinary friendship, and how through it a man might find himself: a story that resonates across the oceans and across the centuries.

Audible Win-Win Sale: $4.95 Audiobooks

Audible is having a Win-Win Sale, with over 200 audiobooks at $4.95 each. There are a few shown when you first click the link, but if you click on the Author links below (there are 5, for sections of the alphabet), you'll open up a table below with dozens of books for each section. The selections are all mixed up, as far as genre, so you'll need to scan thru each table to locate those you are likely to listen to; I know I've seen SciFi, Fantasy, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Literature and many other genres, as I've skimmed thru the lists. The sale ends Sept 20, so you have the weekend to make your choices.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Today's Deals and Bargain Books

Last night's free book for UK Kindlers is now free for those in the US and also free at Barnes & Noble.
Today is the last day for two different KSO offers:
If you take advantage of the second, you'll also get $5 in MP3 credits at Amazon. I'm still considering a couple of garden plant books that I found there under Agriculture, along with books on keeping bees or chickens in your backyard, mixed in with the "real" textbooks; there are all kinds of books that are not "textbooks" in the strictest sense. It looks like a number of "For Dummies" books qualify for this and for a 4-for-3 promotion, which would mean saving even more than $25 if you used them as part (or all) of your $100 qualifying purchase. (Kindle books are excluded from this offer; it's hardcover and paperbacks only)

A Thousand Tomorrows ($1.99), the first book in the Cody Gunner series by Karen Kingsbury, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day. I actually highlighted One Tuesday Morning / Beyond Tuesday Morning Compilation Limited Edition: WITH Beyond Tuesday Morning (9/11) ($9.99) this week (on the 12th) and if you bought it, you may want to get a refund and buy the two individual books instead, because what you might not see on the Deal of the Day page is that Just Beyond the Clouds (the second in the same series) is also marked down to $1.99; that means you can get the combo for under $4! I will warn you, though - don't read the plot line of the second book if you haven't finished the first one.
A Thousand Tomorrows
#1 bestselling author Karen Kingsbury weaves a powerful story of a young couple whose love must face the ultimate challenge.

Cody Gunner has no use for real love. Abandoned as a child by the person he needed the most, he swears he will never allow himself to love again. Ali Daniels denies love as well. Carrying a terrible secret, she lives life to the fullest, taking risks and refusing relationships. When Cody and Ali meet, their first instincts are to hide behind their emotional walls, seemingly doomed to repeat the patterns they have established for most of their lives. But their attraction is too strong, and soon they're doomed in another way, for neither can avoid falling in love, regardless of the consequences. Only after three years--a thousand tomorrows later--do they realize at what cost their relationship comes. In the end, they must decide if love is worth the ultimate price.


Just Beyond the Clouds
#1 bestselling author Karen Kingsbury tells the heartwrenching story of Cody Gunner, a widower fighting for stability, and the woman who wants to help him trust again--even when trust is the most terrifying thing of all.

Still aching over his wife's death, Cody Gunner can't bear the thought of also letting go of his Down's Syndrome brother, Carl Joseph. Cody wants his brother home, where he will be safe and cared for, not out on his own in a world that Cody knows all too well can be heartless and insecure. So when Carl Joseph's teacher, Elle, begins championing his independence, she finds herself at odds with Cody. But even as these two battle it out, they can't deny the instinctive connection they share, and Cody faces a crisis of the heart. What if Elle is the one woman who can teach Cody that love is still possible? If Cody can let go of his lingering anger, he might just see that sometimes the brightest hope of all lies just beyond the clouds.

There's been a lot of speculation on the 'net lately, as to what new device Amazon is going to bring out this holiday season. Most of it has concluded there will be a 7" Android tablet (and if not, there are lots of those being released to choose from) and one thing I know that you'll want to do with one of those is to be able to print any documents you have on it (although it's extremely unlikely you'd be able to print any ebooks, you should be able to print your clippings file or highlights from your kindle.amazon.com/ page). Today, Amazon is giving away the premium (unlocked) version of PrinterShare Mobile Print, by Dynamix USA, over in the Android Appstore. You do have to have some type of Android device registered (although some have commented that they managed to get an Android simulator running on a PC and use that, you can also borrow someone else's device, just long enough to register at Amazon, I suspect), but one "purchased," the app will stay on your account. I've been adding a number of games and apps to my account (there is a new one free, daily, so I'm adding a link back on the menu to the left, just below the daily Free Mp3, for those that want to check out the selections); even if Amazon doesn't bring out an Android tablet, I know I can always dual-boot my nookColor or I might pick up one of the very tempting new tablets with a camera, to use for games and video/voice calls.
Book Description
Print documents (DOC, DOCX, XLS, XSLX, PPT, PPTX, PDF, TXT) from your smartphone's SD card and from Google Docs. Also print email from Gmail, photos from the SD card, contacts, agendas, SMS or MMS, call logs, and even web pages directly from your device to a printer right next to you or anywhere in the world.
Premium Features

Please note: This is the premium, unlocked version of PrinterShare Mobile Print. All the premium features are available, and no key is required.

Premium Features: nearby direct printing via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth without PC; nearby printing to PC or Mac shared printers; unlimited remote printing. You do not have to buy pages or have a subscription on the receiving computer (Mac or PC).

Nearby Printing: you can print to WiFi printers shared on your Local Area Network from your Android phone without having to install PrinterShare computer software. You don't need to log in or sign up with the system for Nearby Printing. A wide variety of printers are supported.

Remote Printing over the Internet: make sure you've installed the PrinterShare software on the computer connected to the printer, just like when you print from computer to computer using PrinterShare, then just log in to your free account with your smartphone and find and select the printer you want to print to. In addition, from your mobile device you may look for printers shared by others, select one, and print on it.

Hue and Cry ($1.38), the first in the Hew Cullan Mystery series by Shirley McKay, has dropped again to the impulse buy range (only a penny more than I paid this past June). Polygon, an imprint of UK publisher Birlinn, seems to have the entire series marked way down (or the author is self-publishing in the US and has just copied her UK publisher into the listing field).
Book Description
1579, St. Andrews. A thirteen-year old boy meets his death on the streets of the university city of St. Andrews and suspicion falls upon one of the regents at the university, Nicholas Colp. Hew Cullan, a young lawyer recently returned home from Paris, uncovers a complex tale of passion and duplicity, of sexual desire and tension within the repressive atmosphere of the Protestant Kirk and the austerity of the academic cloister.

Amazon has matched Barnes & Noble's pre-order price on Georgette Heyer's Toll-Gate( Kindle, B&N); you can now order from either store for $1.99. More of her books are also being marked back down to the $1.59-$1.99 range on Kindle; I counted 29 books now back at sale prices or lower.
Book Description
His exploits were legendary...

Captain John Staple, back from the battlefront, is already bored with his quiet civilian life in the country. When he stumbles upon a mystery involving a disappearing toll-gate keeper, nothing could keep the adventure-loving captain from investigating.

But winning her will be his greatest yet...

The plot thickens when John encounters the enigmatic Lady Nell Stornaway and soon learns that rescuing her from her unsavory relatives makes even the most ferocious cavalry charge look like a particularly tame hand of loo. Between hiding his true identity from Nell and the arrival in the neighborhood of some distinctly shady characters, Captain Staple finds himself embarked on the adventure-and romance-of a lifetime.

In Seconds ($4.10), by Brenda Novak
Book Description
They're back…

Laurel Hodges has changed her identity twice. She's been on the run for the past four years, trying to outdistance the gang members who blame her for the death of one of their own. She's finally found peace and stability in the small town of Pineview, Montana. But just when Laurel thinks she and her children are safe…the nightmare starts all over again.

The Crew, a ruthless prison gang with ties to Laurel's brother, will never forget and they'll never forgive. And now that they've finally tracked her down, they'll stop at nothing.

Sheriff Myles King, who happens to live next door with his thirteen–year–old daughter, appoints himself Laurel's personal guardian. His growing attraction to her could change his life—Myles is beginning to picture marriage and family. But it could also end his life. If he can't save her, everything he's built, everything he wants, could be destroyed. In seconds…

The Barefoot Book: 50 Great Reasons to Kick Off Your Shoes ($3.99), by L. Daniel Howell
Book Description
Americans are chronic shoe-wearers. We buy shoes for infants who can’t yet walk. We wear shoes almost constantly, certainly in public spaces, and often within the comfortable walls of our own homes. If we’d like, we can purchase shoes for just about any occasion or purpose imaginable, in a vast array of styles, colors, materials, and prices. Well, of course. We need shoes. We need them for warmth and for protection. We wear shoes to be fashionable and because it’s expected. It’s just what we do. And what’s wrong with that?

The Barefoot Book explores this question and provides a surprising answer. What’s wrong is that chronic shoe wearing is negatively affecting our health and especially the health of our feet. Most of us have experienced pain and blisters caused by wearing an ill-fitting shoe. In some cases, it’s only a matter of minutes before we realize the damage our shoes are causing to our feet. The long-term consequences of chronic shoe wearing are more difficult to connect but are abundant nonetheless.

According to author L. Daniel Howell, the warm, moist environment of a shoe-clad foot makes a perfect condition for fungus and bacteria to grow. Poorly fitting shoes cause or exacerbate a host of foot issues from hammer-toes, bunions, and ingrown toenails to fallen arches and Hallux valgus. And high heeled shoes are the worst culprits of all with chronic use damaging the knees, spine, and posture. In fact, continuous wearing of shoes – any shoes – is a problem.

Howell explains how shoes redistribute weight, alter joints, weaken foot muscles, decrease foot flexibility, and eliminate sensory feedback from the sole and shock absorption of the arch. This leaves feet weak, fragile, and even more dependent on shoes. Although shoes are meant to protect our feet, they can sometimes cause more problems than they prevent. This is especially true for women, who tend to wear the most unnatural types of shoes, such as high heels. In fact, high heels are likely to blame for the fact that women outnumber men in rates of foot problems by four to one.

If shoes are causing such problems, the solution is obvious: take them off. (Or at least, take them off more often.) Ease out of shoes while sitting at the desk at work. Take the dog on a barefoot walk. Declare the house a barefoot-only zone. Spend an entire weekend without shoes. If we dare, commit to a fully barefoot lifestyle. Simply let our feet breathe.

A startling idea at first glance, the barefoot lifestyle is one that increasingly makes sense in the context of foot health and culture. Americans might love their shoes, but the citizens of many other countries successfully and comfortably go barefoot. In fact, significant differences arise between the typical American foot, which is constantly shod, and that of the typical barefooter. Hint: barefooters are the ones reaping the benefits.

In The Barefoot Book, Howell describes the best and healthiest kinds of shoes to wear for the times we must wear shoes. For the rest of the time, he suggests we go barefoot, and gives tips for getting started on a more barefoot lifestyle. He suggests ways to ease into going barefoot more often, defines the best conditions and situations for going barefoot, identifies the risks, and provides ways to explain to people why you’re going barefoot – particularly if you venture into public areas where shoes are expected.

The Sword of Darrow ($2.69), by Hal Malchow and Alex Malchow, is a story you can read with your kids or grandkids (or just read yourself without anyone commenting on it, since it hides on your Kindle).
Book Description
In a magical realm filled with creatures of every possible shape and size, war is brought upon the peaceful kingdom of Sonnencrest by evil goblin King Malmut. Princess Babette, the only surviving member of the royal family, manages to escape and seeks refuge with Asterux, a powerful wizard who agrees to teach Babette magic, and who disguises her as an ugly gypsy girl to protect her from King Malmut’s thugs.

Ten years later, Babette must use the magic she has learned to help aid the kingdom’s only hope at defeating the goblins’ horrible reign: Darrow, a lame boy who can barely pick up a sword but has a great gift for inspiring others. With Babette’s unseen help, Darrow begins a journey to free his country once and for all and bring peace back to Sonnencrest.

Written by a father and his then eight- year-old son who struggled with a learning disability at the time, "The Sword of Darrow" is an enjoyable adventure that shows how even the unlikeliest of heroes can rise up against injustice.

Movie for Dogs ($2.86), by Lois Duncan, is another one you can share with your kids. Although not billed as a series, you can also get Hotel for Dogs and News for Dogs for under $5 each.
Book Description
The hilarious sequel to HOTEL FOR DOGS (made into the hit movie!) and NEWS FOR DOGS! Andi and her canine friends are back for their biggest adventure yet -- Hollywood!

When Andi's brother Bruce wants to enter a dog-themed film-making contest, Andi jumps at the opportunity to become a screenwriter. But neither of them expects what happens next -- a producer wants their movie! Can Andi and Bruce's show (and dogs) go Hollywood?

Kennedy's Wars : Berlin, Cuba, Laos, and Vietnam ($1.99), by Lawrence Freedman
Book Description
In his thousand-day presidency, John F. Kennedy led America through one of its most difficult and potentially explosive eras. With the Cold War at its height and the threat of communist advances in Europe and the Third World, Kennedy had the unenviable task of maintaining U.S. solidarity without leading the western world into a nuclear catastrophe. In Kennedy's Wars, noted historian Lawrence Freedman draws on the best of Cold War scholarship and newly released government documents to illuminate Kennedy's approach to war and his efforts for peace. He recreates insightfully the political and intellectual milieu of the foreign policy establishment during Kennedy's era with vivid profiles of his top advisors--Robert McNamara, Dean Rusk, Robert Kennedy--and influential figures such as Dean Acheson and Walt Rostow. Tracing the evolution of traditional liberalism into the Cold War liberalism of Kennedy's cabinet, Freedman evaluates their responses to the tensions in Berlin, Cuba, Laos, and Vietnam. He gives each conflict individual attention, showing how foreign policy decisions came to be defined for each new crisis in the light of those that had gone before. Readers will follow Kennedy as he wrestles with the succession of major conflicts--taking advice, weighing the risks of inadvertently escalating the Cold War into outright military confrontation, exploring diplomatic options, and forming strategic judgments that would eventually prevent a major war during his presidency. Kennedy's Wars offers a dynamic and human portrait of Kennedy under pressure: a political leader shaped by the ideas of his time, conscious of his vulnerability to electoral defeat but also of his nation's vulnerability to nuclear war. Military and Kennedy enthusiasts will find its balanced consideration of the president's foreign policy and provocative "what if" scenarios invaluable keys to understanding his accomplishments, failures, and enduring legacy.

The German Woman ($1.41), by Paul Griner
Book Description
This riveting war story introduces us to the beautiful Kate Zweig, the English widow of a German surgeon, and Claus Murphy, an exiled American with German roots—two lovers with complicated loyalties.

In 1918, Kate and her husband, Horst, are taken for spies by Russian soldiers and forced to flee their field hospital on the eastern front, barely escaping with their lives. Years later, in London during the Nazis’ V-1 reign of terror, Claus spends his days making propaganda films and his nights as a British spy, worn down by the war and his own many secrets. When Claus meets the intriguing Kate, he finds himself powerfully drawn to her, even after evidence surfaces that she might not be exactly who she seems. As the war hurtles to a violent end, Claus must decide where his own loyalties lie, whether he can make a difference in the war—and what might be gained by taking a leap of faith with Kate.