UK only Kindle freebies that are now free in the US; three of them are also now free from Barnes & Noble.
A couple of free books have had EPUB formats added:
Those who ordered a
Kindle Fire will have exclusive access to over 100 DC comics, according to
their blog. The first two are now up for pre-order (
Watchmen and
Superman Earth One). I've also seen some Kindle Fire only children's books in the Kindle store (
Art & Max,
The Circus Ship and
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?) and there is already a page up for the
Kindle Fire Newsstand (coming in November), which will include exclusive 3-month trials on some magazines (however, I've heard rumors of prices that are double or even higher vs. print, even though you get the same ads and the delivery and print costs are completely gone on the publisher's end).
Those looking for a legal ebook copy of the Harry Potter books will have to wait another six months (or more), as the servers at PotterMore are swamped, just in their limited beta, and they are not read to open the store (either in a limited way or to the general public), according to
their blog. Looks like "first half 2012" is their new goal to reinvent the ebookstore, but just for one author and using Overdrive for fulfillment (like a library; perhaps it's a "permanent loan"?). It's widespread rumor that your name or other identifying info will be embedded in the books you buy, which is supposed to prevent them being pirated and passed around. Of course, they are all over the pirate sites now, so anyone who wanted to pirate them probably already has; it's a shame she didn't just drop the edited manuscripts on Amazon DTP and B&N's PubIt, if she really wants to cut out her publisher, and let the leading ebookstores do what they do best. I also wonder what this will do to the announced new Sony ebook reader, which was supposed to ship with the HP book pre-installed (or, perhaps the rumor of an exclusive period for that reader really is true, despite denials from the HP site). Having those on the reader would have been a huge push for Christmas sales.
The Hangman's Daughter (
$0.99), by Oliver Pötzsch and Lee Chadeayne (Translator), is today's Kindle Deal of the Day. This is an Amazon exclusive translation under their AmazonCrossing label; one I picked up last year, when it came out.
Book Description
Germany, 1660: When a dying boy is pulled from the river with a mark crudely tattooed on his shoulder, hangman Jakob Kuisl is called upon to investigate whether witchcraft is at play. So begins The Hangman's Daughter--the chillingly detailed, fast-paced historical thriller from German television screenwriter, Oliver Pötzsch--a descendent of the Kuisls, a famous Bavarian executioner clan.
How Doctors Think ($8.61 Kindle,
$3.14 B&N), by Jerome Groopman, is the Nook Daily Find.
Book Description
How Doctors Think is a window into the mind of the physician and an insightful examination of the all-important relationship between doctors and their patients. In this myth-shattering work, Jerome Groopman explores the forces and thought processes behind the decisions doctors make. He pinpints why doctors succeed and why they err. Most important, Groopman shows when and how doctors can -- with our help -- avoid snap judgments, embrace uncertainty, communicate effectively, and deploy other skills that can profoundly impact our health.
Richie Tankersley Cusick's
Vampire (
$2.99) has been released as an ebook by Open Road. You can pre-order it now, for Oct 4 delivery, along with
seven of her other titles that are making their ebook debuts (all titles from '89 thru '94) and I suspect more of her titles will follow.
Book Description
A young girl attracts the attention of a killer who’s thirsty for blood
Darcy never expected to spend a summer vacation living with her long-lost uncle Jake. Although he’s only six years older than her, they have never met. By the end of the summer, she’ll know him better than she ever wanted.
Jake and his friends share a dark sense of humor. He lives in the Dungeon, a wax museum filled with gory scenes of famous monsters. His favorite is the statue of Dracula, which stares out with lifelike eyes and crimson lips. His friends seem to be obsessed with vampires, and one of them is even playing Dracula in a play. It’s all harmless fun until the bodies of murdered young girls start appearing in the back alleys of their small town—throats cut and necks bitten. One of Jake’s friends is playing vampire for real, and he has his eyes on Darcy’s neck.
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Richie Tankersley Cusick including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection.
The Name of the Rose (
$3.99), by Umberto Eco and William Weaver (translator), has been sitting on my shelves for a while, mocking me with it's size (hardcover, over 500 pages). Now, it's on it's way to the used bookstore and can mock me from the archives of my Kindle, instead.
Book Description
A spectacular best seller and now a classic, The Name of the Rose catapulted Umberto Eco, an Italian professor of semiotics turned novelist, to international prominence. An erudite murder mystery set in a fourteenth-century monastery, it is not only a gripping story but also a brilliant exploration of medieval philosophy, history, theology, and logic.
In 1327, Brother William of Baskerville is sent to investigate a wealthy Italian abbey whose monks are suspected of heresy. When his mission is overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths patterned on the book of Revelation, Brother William turns detective, following the trail of a conspiracy that brings him face-to-face with the abbey’s labyrinthine secrets, the subversive effects of laughter, and the medieval Inquisition. Caught in a power struggle between the emperor he serves and the pope who rules the Church, Brother William comes to see that what is at stake is larger than any mere political dispute–that his investigation is being blocked by those who fear imagination, curiosity, and the power of ideas.
The Name of the Rose offers the reader not only an ingeniously constructed mystery—complete with secret symbols and coded manuscripts—but also an unparalleled portrait of the medieval world on the brink of profound transformation.
Mainspring (
$2.99 Kindle,
B&N), by Jay Lake
Book Description
Jay Lake's first trade novel is an astounding work of creation. Lake has envisioned a clockwork solar system, where the planets move in a vast system of gears around the lamp of the Sun. It is a universe where the hand of the Creator is visible to anyone who simply looks up into the sky, and sees the track of the heavens, the wheels of the Moon, and the great Equatorial gears of the Earth itself.
Mainspring is the story of a young clockmaker's apprentice, who is visited by the Archangel Gabriel. He is told that he must take the Key Perilous and rewind the Mainspring of the Earth. It is running down, and disaster to the planet will ensue if it's not rewound. From innocence and ignorance to power and self-knowledge, the young man will make the long and perilous journey to the South Polar Axis, to fulfill the commandment of his God.
Conservatives Without Conscience (
$3.99), by John W. Dean
Book Description
On the heels of his national bestseller Worse Than Watergate, John Dean takes a critical look at the current conservative movement
In Conservatives Without Conscience, John Dean places the conservative movement's inner circle of leaders in the Republican Party under scrutiny. Dean finds their policies and mind- set to be fundamentally authoritarian, and as such, a danger to democracy. By examining the legacies of such old-line conservatives as J. Edgar Hoover, Spiro Agnew, and Phyllis Schlafly and of such current figures as Dick Cheney, Newt Gingrich, and leaders of the Religious Right, Dean presents an alarming record of abuses of power. His trenchant analysis of how conservatism has lost its bearings serves as a chilling warning and a stirring inspiration to safeguard constitutional principles.
All Over Creation (
$3.99), by Ruth Ozeki, grabbed my attention in the sample and I'm looking forward to finding out what happened with Yumi and why she hasn't visited home in 25 years.
Book Description
My Year of Meats, Ruth Ozeki’s delicious debut novel, won a devoted following and was hailed by critics as inventing a new genre: the “eco-saga.” Now, Ozeki takes us to the heart of the potato farming industry. When Yumi Fuller returns to her hometown after a twenty-five-year absence, she comes face to face with an old friend, her aging parents, and her conflicted past—as well as the “Seeds of Resistance,” a rollicking environmentalist group that finds trouble wherever they plant themselves. With a quirky cast of characters and a keen eye for the vicissitudes of corporate life, political resistance, youth culture, aging baby boomers, and globalization, as well as the beauty of seeds, roots, and all growing things, All Over Creation offers something for just about everyone.
Three titles in Charlene Baumbich's
Dearest Dorothy series are currently marked down: #1
Are We There Yet? (
$4.99), #5
Merry Everything! (
$3.99) and #6
If Not Now, When? (
$3.99).
Are We There Yet?
For the legions of readers who enjoy books that celebrate life’s simple pleasures, eighty-seven-year-old Dorothy Jean Wetstra and her beloved farming town of Partonville, Illinois, will become instant favorites. In this hilarious, touching series, Charlene Ann Baumbich introduces readers to Dearest Dorothy, who tools around town in a 1976 Lincoln Continental nicknamed “The Tank,” plays bunco regularly with her pals, and grabs a stool at Harry’s counter often enough to stay on top of the latest-breaking news—which she is often creating. In the series debut, Dearest Dorothy, Are We There Yet?, Dorothy faces a decision that may change her town forever, and her gift for shaking things up comes in handy. In the second book, Dearest Dorothy, Slow Down, You're Wearing Us Out!, the town’s irresistible cast of characters is back in full swing as they confront some of the many surprises life sends their way. So pull up a chair and get ready for fireworks, laughter, and we’ll-get-through-it-all-with-faith friendships.
Merry Everything!
Just in time for the holidays—a Partonville Christmas story that all Dearest Dorothy fans will have on their wish list
Through four Dearest Dorothy novels, Charlene Ann Baumbich has beguiled a growing legion of readers with the humorous and endearing denizens of Partonville, Illinois. Her latest heartwarming addition opens with everyone pitching in to help a local family rocked by tragedy. Meanwhile, Katie Durbin worries that her ambitious plan to revitalize Partonville’s shopping district will crumble under the bullheaded doubts of a few townies—unless a Christmas miracle (and a few of Dearest Dorothy’s prayers) can help her to win those stubborn folks over.
If Not Now, When?
Home is where the heart is-and this Partonville homecoming will warm the hearts of all Dearest Dorothy fans this fall
The colorful characters of Partonville, Illinois, are back once again to delight Charlene Ann Baumbich's ever-growing legion of fans. Dorothy is thrilled that her attorney son Jacob is moving back to their hometown and wonders if he might help Katie Durbin with more than legal matters. Meanwhile, Partonville's mayoral elections have just heated up. Incumbent Gladys McKern is being challenged by Sam Vitner, owner of Swappin' Sam's, whose campaign slogan is "McKern's had her turn! Time to SWAP! VITNER for Mayor!" And the contest to name Katie's new mini-mall incites competition and a mad dash of entries. Through it all, Dorothy's spirit and the Partonvillers' antics will keep readers wanting to circle the town square again and again.
Don't Tell (
$1.99), by Karen Rose
Book Description
It was a desperate plan. But Mary Grace Winters knew the only way to save herself and her child from her abusive cop husband was to stage their own death. Now all that remains of their former life is at the bottom of a lake. Armed with a new identity in a new town, she and her son have found refuge hundreds of miles away. As Caroline Stewart, she has almost forgotten the nightmare she left behind nine years ago. She is even taking a chance on love with Max Hunter, a man with wounds of his own. But her past is about to collide with the present when her husband uncovers her trail and threatens her hard-won peace. Step by step, he's closing in on her- and everything and everyone she loves.
Free-Range Knitter: The Yarn Harlot Writes Again (
$1.99), by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Book Description
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Free-Range Knitter: The Yarn Harlot Writes Again reminds us of the joy we felt upon first encountering her hilarious and poignant collection of essays surrounding her favorite topics: knitting, knitters, and what happens when you get those two things anywhere near ordinary people.
For the 60 million knitters in America, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (a.k.a. the Yarn Harlot) shares stories of knitting horrors and triumphs, knitting successes and defeats, but, mostly, stories about the human condition that ring true for everyone--especially if you happen to have a rather large amount of yarn in your house.
Funny, unique, and gleeful in her obsession, Pearl-McPhee speaks to knitters of all skill levels in this delightful celebration of craft and creativity.
Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go (
$3.99), by Dale E. Basye and Bob Dob (Illustrator), is the first in their
Heck series for middle graders.
Book Description
WHEN MILTON AND Marlo Fauster die in a marshmallow bear explosion, they get sent straight to Heck, an otherworldly reform school. Milton can understand why his kleptomaniac sister is here, but Milton is—or was—a model citizen. Has a mistake been made? Not according to Bea “Elsa” Bubb, the Principal of Darkness. She doesn’t make mistakes. She personally sees to it that Heck—whether it be home-ec class with Lizzie Borden, ethics with Richard Nixon, or gym with Blackbeard the Pirate—is especially, well, heckish for the Fausters. Will Milton and Marlo find a way to escape? Or are they stuck here for all eternity, or until they turn 18, whichever comes first?
The Sunday Philosophy Club( (
$1.99) starts off a new series for Alexander McCall Smith, the
Isabel Dalhousie Mysteries.
Book Description
Isabel, the editor of the Review of Applied Ethics and an occasional detective, has been accused of getting involved in problems that are, quite frankly, none of her business. This may be the case when Isabel sees a young man plunge to his death from the upper circle of a concert hall in Edinburgh. Despite the advice of her housekeeper, Grace, who has been raised in the values of traditional Edinburgh, and her niece, Cat, who, if you ask Isabel, is dating the wrong man, Isabel is determined to find the truth–if indeed there is one–behind the man's death. The resulting moral labyrinth might have stymied even Kant. And then there is the unsatisfactory turn of events in Cat's love life that must be attended to.
Filled with thorny characters and a Scottish atmosphere as thick as a highland mist, The Sunday Philosophy Club is irresistible, and Isabel Dalhousie is the most delightful literary sleuth since Precious Ramotswe.
The Bite Before Christmas (US/UK), by Heidi Betts, is free for UK customers in the Kindle store (and should be free in the US in about a half hour). This is a repeat from last year, but it wasn't free for long then.
