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Thursday, October 13, 2011

New Kindle Games and Apps

There are a number of new games out on Kindle, including several just for the Halloween season that were released today. I'll try to catch us up on all the ones that I haven't mentioned previously. If you have the newest Kindle (no keyboard, no touch), you may run into some games that don't work (don't worry, Amazon seems pretty good at preventing you from purchasing one that isn't compatible), while others have been getting updates to ensure that they do work (such as the free Dots and Boxes, updated Oct 3).

Futoshiki Halloween Edition ($0.99) is a logic puzzle by Braintonik Games
Book Description
Futoshiki Halloween Edition takes an eerie twist as witches and zombies take over in a graveyard game board.

The rules of Futoshiki remain deceptively simple but the game is challenging and addictive. Each row and column must be filled with unique numbers. However, Futoshiki has a twist. It adds greater-than or less-than signs between some cells. You must honor these signs in order to solve and complete the puzzles.

This collection of 120 spooky puzzles is grouped into four different sets ranging from easy to expert. The graveyard grids are 5x5 in easy, medium, and hard modes. Expert mode holds thirty 7x7 puzzles. The game features annotations to help you keep track of possible solutions, and a hint function to help you keep playing if you get stuck.

Get Futoshiki Halloween Edition and have a scream!

Ultimate Halloween Quiz ($0.99), by HandyX
Book Description
Do you know Mary Shelley from Marilyn Manson, or Freddy from Jason?

Bring fear to your bones and take the horror challenge. Featuring hundreds of spine chilling questions, this funny, scary, and educational quiz will test your knowledge of all things dark and evil. Questions topics include horror movies, Halloween facts, scary novels, gruesome history, magical creatures, myths and legends. Halloween will never be the same!

Answer sets of questions in rounds of 10, or in a continuous stream. If you think you know it all then crank up the tension with the question countdown timer for an even greater challenge. In the 'Timer Play' contestants in the hot seat are under increased pressure to correctly answer questions before the time runs out!

Do you have the courage to answer them all?

Blossom Halloween Edition ($1.99) is a puzzle game by Braintonik Games
Book Description
Planting takes an eerie twist in Blossom Halloween Edition, where you are challenged to create a network of pipes that feed your Jack-O-Lanterns with potion from the witch's pot.

The goal of the game is to build an irrigation system that delivers a spooky brew to pumpkins by manipulating the game tiles with pipes on them. Just select the pipe tiles and rotate them until the potion flows through them and reaches the pumpkins to make them grow.

When a pipe is connected to the witch's cauldron it will fill up with potion. Make sure the brew flows in all the pipes to keep your pumpkins menacing. You'll have to rotate the tiles with pipes, pumpkins, and that all-important cauldron to make each part of the grid connect together and fill up every tile. All the pumpkins need to be connected to the cauldron and every pipe must be used to finish the puzzle. Are you facing a drought? The Hint system is there to help you figure out the next best move.

Halloween may be just around the corner, but with Blossom Halloween Edition's 120 puzzles, waiting has never been such a guilty pleasure!

Mahjong Solitaire Halloween Edition ($3.99), by Mobigloo
Book Description
It's time to celebrate Halloween with this special edition of the popular matching game Mahjong Solitaire on Kindle.

In Mahjong Solitaire, you match pairs of identical tiles in order to remove them from the board. Only free tiles can be matched. Tiles are considered free if they do not have other tiles to either the left or right of them, or on top of them. The objective of the game is to clear all the tiles from the board. The game ends when all tiles have been removed or when there are no more free tiles left to match.

Mahjong Solitaire tracks the number of pairs of free tiles available to be matched for you. In addition, the game allows for unlimited undos, and contains a Hint feature that will give you suggestions for your next move, as well a Shuffle feature that will rearrange the tiles when you get stuck.

The Mahjong Solitaire Halloween Edition gives you 13 different game board layouts to choose from and two special Halloween tile sets. This game is so fun it's scary!

Poker of the Dead ($1.99) is a Hold'em Poker solitaire game by Gameblend Studios
Book Description
Zombies are trying to break down your door! Play "heads up" poker against them to stay alive. Fortunately, zombies aren't normal poker opponents. They have no brains, never fold, and will always call your bet. Play the odds to fend them off and earn new high scores. To win, survive all seven days (10 hands per day). At the start of a hand, you and the zombie are dealt 2 cards each. Next follows 3 betting rounds, over which 5 shared cards are dealt. At each stage, you can call, raise, fold, or go all-in (if available). The best 5-card hand wins the pot. Win 3 hands to activate the "all-in" shotgun, and use it to double your money and blast a zombie. Each new day increases the stakes with higher ante and bet amounts. If you run out of money, the game is over. Poker of the Dead features a full tutorial, detailed game statistics and 12 special challenges to complete.

Can you survive the horde of poker playing zombies? Try Poker of the Dead today!

Mystery Castle: Dawn of Illusion ($1.99), by Runestone Games Limited, is a puzzle-maze game.
Book Description
Mystery Castle: Dawn of Illusion is a puzzle adventure featuring Monty the wizard as he attempts to save the inhabitants of the castle from an evil creature of the night.

You play Monty on his quest as he outwits fiendish puzzles on his journey deeper and deeper into the mysterious castle, to the inevitable showdown with a monster too scary to name. You must tread carefully on cracked and crumbling floors, while using teleporting staircases and magical keys to enter new areas. You may even need to push boxes into dangerous crags to make new paths and use bombs to get through walls to complete your quest. If you find the Eye of Truth, you can explore places that were once hidden as you try to uncover the identity of the creature assaulting the castle.

Mystery Castle: Dawn of Illusion is well suited for people who like puzzles and brain teasers, and contains 24 levels of excitement and adventure. Can you solve all the mystery puzzles in the castle? Monte is counting on you!

Ultimate Physics Quiz ($1.99), by HandyX
Book Description
Fun with Physics? Yes, believe it with Ultimate Physics Quiz!

Learning and practicing science is always more fun when it's part of a game. This application uses game play to challenge both kids and adults alike. Questions range from basic ones, such as "What does a microphone convert?" to advanced questions, such as "When two simple harmonic waves interfere, vector addition of which characteristics takes place?" Different game play modes can be used to test your speed and understanding. For example, you can play under the pressure of a timer, or see how far you can get with continuous multiple choice questions.

Explore physics concepts by answering questions in Measurement and Units, Heat and Light, Properties of Matter, Space, Universe and Stars, Motion, Work, Power and Energy, Electricity & Magnetism Forces, Light and Sound Waves, Electricity and Nuclear Physics, and Atomic Physics.

So if you are learning physics at school, or if you just want to test your knowledge, put yourself in motion and have an Ultimate Physics Quiz moment!

The Little Stick that Could ($1.99) is an interactive book for kids by Mobilehead
Book Description
The Little Stick that Could is an interactive book in which the reader embarks on an adventure in which their choices help shape the story and ultimately the outcome.

In this story, Stick's girlfriend Sally has been captured by a Dragon! Help guide Stick through his adventures to rescue Sally by solving riddles and fighting your way to save the damsel in distress. There are multiple endings, different moral choices, and plenty of battles of swords and wits to keep young readers engaged for many readings. You can join the fun by reading with your child, and by exploring the riddles and choices Stick faces together.

Get The Little Stick that Could and embark on a memorable adventure with your child.

Anywhere Spreadsheet ($3.99), by Nickel Buddy, is the lone Kindle App in today's lineup.
Book Description
Anywhere Spreadsheet allows you to create, edit, and save spreadsheets on your Kindle.

Use and modify the included templates, or create your own to track your budget, log your running miles, maintain a price list, track your gas mileage, do unit conversions...the possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

With Anywhere Spreadsheet you can insert and delete rows and columns, change row height and column width, set background shades and borders, format data as numbers, dates, currency or normal text. You can format your text by making it bold or italic and by changing its alignment, font shade and font size. You can even create charts and import and export data in CSV files to your PC.

To make it easy to be productive right away, Anywhere Spreadsheet comes with the following templates: Sale Price Calculator, Temperature Converter, Length Converter, Percent Calculator, Tip Calculator, Body Mass Index Calculator, Thank-you note list, Weight Tracker, Running Log, Road Trip Log, Gas Mileage Log and even a Chore List!

Track and calculate important data everywhere you go with Anywhere Spreadsheet.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Today's Deals and Bargain Books


Update: B&N has priced matched Amazon on Kitchen Confidential.

Last night's UK Kindle books are now free for US Kindlers and from B&N, an EPUB format was added to one Kindle freebie, while a long-term EPUB only freebie is now on Kindle and one free last month has returned. Oddly enough, all of today's updates are on Christian published titles.

Kitchen Confidential ($9.49 $1.99 Kindle; $3.18 B&N; $3.49 Kobo - coupon eligible), by Anthony Bourdain, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day. I bought this in paper a while back, then replaced it with the ebook earlier this year, or I'd snap it up today.
Book Description
Kitchen Confidential reveals what Bourdain calls "twenty-five years of sex, drugs, bad behavior and haute cuisine."

Last summer, The New Yorker published Chef Bourdain's shocking, "Don't Eat Before Reading This." Bourdain spared no one's appetite when he told all about what happens behind the kitchen door. Bourdain uses the same "take-no-prisoners" attitude in his deliciously funny and shockingly delectable book, sure to delight gourmands and philistines alike. From Bourdain's first oyster in the Gironde, to his lowly position as dishwasher in a honky tonk fish restaurant in Provincetown (where he witnesses for the first time the real delights of being a chef); from the kitchen of the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, to drug dealers in the east village, from Tokyo to Paris and back to New York again, Bourdain's tales of the kitchen are as passionate as they are unpredictable. Kitchen Confidential will make your mouth water while your belly aches with laughter. You'll beg the chef for more, please.

13 1/2 ($4.99 Kindle, B&N; $18.69 Kobo), by Nevada Barr, is today's Nook Daily Find, with the price matched at Amazon, as well. Doesn't look like you'll be getting this one as a library book anytime soon, either, unless you listen as an audiobook (I checked three libraries).
Book Description
With 13 ½, Nevada Barr, New York Times bestselling author of the award-winning Anna Pigeon novels, has written a taut and terrifying psychological thriller. It carries the reader from the horrifying 1970s murder spree of a child— dubbed “Butcher Boy” by a shocked public—in Rochester, Minnesota, to Polly, the abused daughter of Mississippi “trailer trash,” to post-Katrina New Orleans.

In Jackson Square in the French Quarter a tarot card reader told Polly Deschamps she would be a success. Thirty years later, Polly is a respected professor of literature with good friends and her own home—a safe life for her and her two daughters.

Butcher Boy, released on his seventeenth birthday, shook the snow from his boots and headed south.
New Orleans, a Mecca for runaways then and now, offers sanctuary but never forgiveness.


When Polly falls in love with Marshall Marchand, a restoration architect who is helping to rebuild her adopted city, shadows of the past rise out of the poisoned ground of New Orleans as thick and deadly as the toxic waters of the flood.

Like history, some crimes are doomed to repeat themselves. Evil stays the same, only the victims’ names change. As two broken pasts collide in an uncertain present, Polly is determined that her children’s names will never be on that list.

The Dummy Line ($7.99 US; £0.99 UK), by Bobby Cole, is the first of two titles, recently highlighted in the Kindle Post, that are a much better deal for those in the UK. They can't blame another publisher, though, as this one is from AmazonEncore.
Book Description
Avid hunter Jake Crosby is thrilled that his nine-year-old daughter Katy shares his love of the outdoors. His wife, Morgan, on the other hand, does not, which means Jake and Katy enjoy an abundance of hunting, fishing, and camping trips together. So when they head off into the Alabama woods for a spring turkey hunt, Jake expects nothing out of the ordinary. But even his worst nightmares could not prepare him for what befalls them that evening, when a band of drug dealers attempts to break into their remote camp. Desperate to protect his daughter and himself, Jake makes a gut-wrenching decision. His quick thinking enables him and Katy to escape…but brings the gang of vengeful criminals hot on their trail. Gambling on his knowledge of the land and hunting skills, he leads their bloodthirsty pursuers on a perilous cat-and-mouse game deep within the Noxubee River swamp. Jake knows they all won’t come out alive—but he will do whatever is necessary to make sure Katy does. Taut and engrossing, The Dummy Line explores what happens when an ordinary man is pushed to extraordinary lengths to protect the one he loves most and those for whom he feels responsible.

The Greenhouse ($7.99 US; £1.99 UK), by Audur Ava Olafsdottir and Brian FitzGibbon (Translator), is the second titles that is a better deal for those in the UK. This time around, the publisher is AmazonCrossing.
Book Description
For Lobbi, the tragic passing of his mother proves to be a profound catalyst. Their shared love of tending rare roses in her greenhouse inspires him to leave his studies behind and travel to a remote village monastery to restore its once fabulous gardens. While transforming the garden under the watchful eye of a cinephile monk, he is surprised by a visit from Anna, a friend of a friend with whom he shared a fateful moment in his mother’s greenhouse, and the daughter they together conceived that night. In caring for both the garden and the little girl, Lobbi slowly begins to assume the varied and complex roles of a man: fatherhood with a deep relationship with his child, cooking, nurturing, and remaining also a son, brother, lover, and…a gardener. A story about the heartfelt search for beauty in life, The Greenhouse is a touching reminder of our ability to turn the small things in everyday life into the extraordinary.

Living with the Mind of Christ: A Lenten Study for Adults ($4.40 US, $0.55 Canada), by James A. Harnish, is greatly discounted for those north of the border.
Book Description
This is the 11th year for a thematic Lenten study offering. This study will include 7 sessions, one for each Sunday in Lent, including Easter Sunday. Each session features a scripture reference, a personal reading and questions for personal reflection or group discussion; suggestions for ways to deepen the Lenten journey or a focus for the coming week may also be included.

This particular study is based on Philippians 2:1-11 (“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…”). The goal is to discover what it might look like for us, in very practical ways, to live with the mind of Christ.

When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? ($2.51), by George Carlin (most definitely NOT a Christian published title).
Book Description
On the heels of George Carlin's #1 New York Times bestseller Napalm & Silly Putty comes When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? -- infused with Carlin's trademark irreverent humor and biting cultural observations.

Here we go again . . . George Carlin's hilarious When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? offers his cutting-edge opinions and observational humor on everything from evasive euphemistic language to politicians to the media to dead people. Nothing and no one is safe!

Despite the current climate of political correctness, Carlin is not afraid to take on controversial topics.

Everyday Angels ($0.99), by Jenny Smedley
Book Description
Do I have an angel? Does my angel care about me? How can I contact my angel? Can my angel appear to help and guide me? These are just a few of the questions that Jenny Smedley, world renowned angel expert, regularly receives in letters from her readers, prompting her to write this book. It saddened Jenny to think that some people still don't think they deserve an angel. Packed with tales of angel encounters, both dramatic and everyday, and also with new tips on how to connect with your angels and even get evidence of their presence, this book should convince everyone who reads it that every single person (and even our four-legged friends!) really does have a guardian angel.

Love Your Body ($1.99), by Louise Hay
Book Description
In this wonderful little book, bestselling author Louise L. Hay brings you 54 affirmation treatments designed to help you create a beautiful, healthy, happy body. If you are challenged by a particular part of your body, use the corresponding affirmations daily until you realize positive results.

How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf ($3.99), by Molly Harper
Book Description
Even in Grundy, Alaska, it’s unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham—who has been openly critical of Mo’s ability to adapt to life in Alaska—has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble.

For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it’s love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he’s worried that he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen, yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. Except if he’s not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated. . . .

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and It's All Small Stuff: SIMPLE WAYS TO KEEP THE LITTLE THINGS FROM TAKING OVER YOUR LIFE ($2.99), by Richard Carlson
Book Description
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and It's All Small Stuff is an audiobook that tells you how to keep from letting the little things in life drive you crazy. In thoughtful and insightful language, author Richard Carlson reveals ways to calm down in the midst of your incredibly hurried, stress-filled life.

You can learn to put things into perspective by making the small daily changes Dr. Carlson suggests, including advice such as "Choose your battles wisely"; "Remind yourself that when you die, your 'in' box won't be empty"; and "Make peace with imperfection".

The World According to Mr. Rogers ($2.), by Fred Rogers
Book Description
Since his death in February 2003, the outpouring of affection for Fred Rogers has been overwhelming. He was familiar to millions as the host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and adored by children and adults alike. But most people don’t know that Fred Rogers was also an ordained minister who made it his life’s mission to work with families and inspire people every day. In fact, all proceeds from the sales of this book will go to the Fred Rogers’ Fund, which continues Fred Rogers’ work around the country to promote the healthy emotional, social, and intellectual development of children.

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO MISTER ROGERS is a collection that testifies to Fred Rogers’ deep intelligence about human nature – no matter the age of the person. His writings are featured in sections on Love, Friendship, Respect, Individuality, Honesty, Education and Reassurance. In his speeches, transcripts and interviews, Fred Rogers exposed his true self in order to help us understand that there is much more that unites us than divides us.

Making Toast ($1.99), by Roger Rosenblatt
Book Description
When his daughter, Amy—a gifted doctor, mother, and wife—collapses and dies from an asymptomatic heart condition, Roger Rosenblatt and his wife, Ginny, leave their home on the South Shore of Long Island to move in with their son-in-law, Harris, and their three young grandchildren: six-year-old Jessica, four-year-old Sammy, and one-year-old James, known as Bubbies. Long past the years of diapers, homework, and recitals, Roger and Ginny—Boppo and Mimi to the kids—quickly reaccustom themselves to the world of small children: bedtime stories, talking toys, playdates, nonstop questions, and nonsequential thought. Though reeling from Amy's death they carry on, reconstructing a family, sustaining one another, and guiding three lively, alert, and tender-hearted children through the pains and confusions of grief. As he marvels at the strength of his son-in-law, a surgeon, and the tenacity and skill of his wife, a former kindergarten teacher, Roger attends each day to "the one household duty I have mastered"—preparing the morning toast perfectly to each child's liking.

With the wit, heart, precision, and depth of understanding that has characterized his work, Roger Rosenblatt peels back the layers on this most personal of losses to create both a tribute to his late daughter and a testament to familial love. The day Amy died, Harris told Ginny and Roger, "It's impossible." Roger's story tells how a family makes the possible of the impossible.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter ($2.99), by Tom Franklin
Book Description
Tom Franklin's extraordinary talent has been hailed by the leading lights of contemporary literature—Philip Roth, Richard Ford, Lee Smith, and Dennis Lehane. Reviewers have called his fiction "ingenious" (USA Today) and "compulsively readable" (Memphis Commercial Appeal). His narrative power and flair for character-ization have been compared to the likes of Harper Lee, Flannery O'Connor, Elmore Leonard, and Cormac McCarthy.

Now the Edgar Award-winning author returns with his most accomplished and resonant novel so far—an atmospheric drama set in rural Mississippi. In the late 1970s, Larry Ott and Silas "32" Jones were boyhood pals. Their worlds were as different as night and day: Larry, the child of lower-middle-class white parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, single black mother. Yet for a few months the boys stepped outside of their circumstances and shared a special bond. But then tragedy struck: Larry took a girl on a date to a drive-in movie, and she was never heard from again. She was never found and Larry never confessed, but all eyes rested on him as the culprit. The incident shook the county—and perhaps Silas most of all. His friendship with Larry was broken, and then Silas left town.

More than twenty years have passed. Larry, a mechanic, lives a solitary existence, never able to rise above the whispers of suspicion. Silas has returned as a constable. He and Larry have no reason to cross paths until another girl disappears and Larry is blamed again. And now the two men who once called each other friend are forced to confront the past they've buried and ignored for decades.

Dead on the Delta ($3.99), by Stacey Jay, is currently on sale from Simon and Schuster. She's self-published the related (and later) novella, Valentine's Day of the Undead ($3.25)
Book Description
Once upon a time, fairies were the stuff of bedtime stories and sweet dreams. Then came the mutations, and the dre-ams became nightmares. Mosquito-size fairies now indulge their taste for human blood—and for most humans, a fairy bite means insanity or death. Luckily, Annabelle Lee isn’t most humans. The hard-drinking, smart-mouthed, bicycle-riding redhead is immune to fairy venom, and able to do the dirty work most humans can’t. Including helping law enforcement— and Cane Cooper, the bayou’s sexiest detective—collect evidence when a body is discovered outside the fairy-proof barricades of her Louisiana town.But Annabelle isn’t equipped to deal with the murder of a sixyear- old girl or a former lover-turned-FBI snob taking an interest in the case. Suddenly her already bumpy relationship with Cane turns even rockier, and even the most trust-worthy friends become suspects. Annabelle’s life is imploding: between relationship drama, a heartbreaking murder investigation, Breeze-crazed drug runners, and a few too many rum and Cokes, Annabelle is a woman on the run—from her past, toward her future, and into the arms of a darkness waiting just for her. . . .

Huntress ($2.99), by Nicole Hamlett, is also self-published. The first in what appears to be a planned series, it looks interesting (cool cover and nice synopsis).
Book Description
"Fate is an ugly bitch who will screw with your life every single chance she gets."

Grace Murphy, a newly single mother finds this out as she's trying to figure out how to lead a perfectly normal life. The big question becomes, what do you do when you find out that your mother is Diana, the Goddess of the Hunt and she expects you to take up the family business?

You can try hiding, but escaping when you have an ex-husband to deal with, a kid to raise and an unknown being who's trying to kill you is tricky at best.

Now the woman who couldn't put a bookshelf together without getting sweaty and perplexed must learn how to roar...without getting herself and everyone she loves killed.

Saving the world? Not a problem.

Getting home in time for chocolate chip pancakes might be a whole other matter, though...

Goddess With a Blade ($3.82), a full-length novel by Lauren Dane, is currently discounted by Carina Press.
Book Description
Rowan Summerwaite is no ordinary woman. Physical vessel to the Celtic Goddess Brigid and raised by the leader of the Vampire Nation, she's a supercharged hunter with the power to slay any vampire who violates the age-old treaty.

A recent string of murders has her at odds with Las Vegas's new Scion, the arrogant and powerful Clive Stewart. The killings have the mark of Vampire all over them, and Rowan warns Clive to keep his people in line—or she'll mete out her own brand of justice.

Though her dealings with Clive are adversarial to say the least, Rowan is intensely aware of her attraction to him. But she can't let it distract her from her duty—to find and battle the killer before more women die.

Kissed by Darkness ($2.99), a self-published novel by Shéa MacLeod, is either pretty good or she's bribed a number of people into leaving stellar reviews. There aren't as many reviews on the second in the Sunwalker Saga, Kissed by Fire, but they are all five-star.
Kissed by Darkness
Danger is always on the menu for Morgan Bailey, a sexy and street-smart bounty hunter, who prowls the dark underworld of Portland, Oregon hunting creatures of the night. Morgan’s never met a vampire she couldn’t dust or a demon she couldn't kill until she's hired to destroy a new kind of mystical threat: the Sunwalker.

A powerful immortal once believed myth, the Sunwalker carries with him an ancient secret which, if left unchecked, will destroy Morgan’s world. Pursued by a passionate Templar Knight and the target of the local vampire clans, an ancient power is awakened within her, unlike anything she’s ever known. Morgan must uncover the truth behind her mission and about herself, before the Darkness lurking inside swallows her whole.


Kissed by Fire
Vampire Hunter Morgan Bailey’s life is about to take a turn for the weird. As if Sunwalkers,a Templar Knight, and an ancient Atlantean artifact weren’t enough.

When a MI8 analyst is brutally murdered, Morgan is called to London to investigate. She stumbles across a conspiracy involving an extinct supernatural race. Dragons. But the dragons may not be as extinct as everyone thought.

The Darkness grows inside her. A new power rages out of control. She is stalked through the streets of London by the vampire who murdered her.

Morgan must hunt her own killer. She must uncover the truth. Or humanity will be plunged into a war it can never hope to win.

Shades of Gray ($0.99), by L.M. Pruitt, also appears to be a good start of a new series (Jude Magdalyn). I'd skip her short story prequel, Hole in the Wall, at Amazon; if you want to read it, grab it for free on Smashwords (it also contains the first 18 chapters of Shades of Gray, in case you want a longer sample.
Book Description
Jude Magdalyn Henries lives what many would call an unconventional life.

Orphaned at birth, raised by nuns, a teenage runaway living on the streets… she now earns a living at odd jobs, including one as a fake tarot card reader. Very little about Jude’s life appears normal, by any scale. When she accepts a gig to do a private reading, unconventional takes on an entirely new meaning.

Life as she knows it ends when she’s thrust into a world she never knew existed—one filled with magic, vampires, and her beloved New Orleans on the verge of an underground war. To make matters worse, she's got two men in her life vying for attention, Williams and Theo. Both call to a different part of her, but one scares her just a little bit. Can she step up to the challenges set before her and make the right choices for the greater, which may or not be the greater good?

Save $15 on Blu-ray players and digital media players (KSO)

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

Save $15 on select Blu-ray players and digital media players at Amazon.com

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 October 15.

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 November 15 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).

Limit one offer per customer and per device.

If you don't have a Blu-Ray player to take advantage of the $10 off movie offer, now is your chance to get one at a discount. If you get one of the Panasonic 3D Blu-Ray players, you'll also get a free copy of Avatar 3D (which can only be obtained by buying a Panasonic 3D TV or Blu-Ray player, for now). Don't have a 3D TV? You have until tomorrow to use the $100 HDTV KSO offer! You also get a $5 Instant Video credit at Amazon when you register your player with Amazon (this enables the player to view Amazon Instant Videos).

Personally, I'm thinking of getting the Roku 2 XS, the upgraded model of our current ROKU box (the HD model also included in this offer doesn't do HDTV display). Not only will we then have yet another place to play Angry Birds (the new controller is like motion controlled, like a Wii controller), but we'll be able to test streaming video from Amazon Prime on two TV's when we get a month free with the Kindle Fire. If it works out well, we may kiss DishTV goodbye.

Save $10 on family movie night titles on DVD/Blu-ray (KSO)

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

Save $10 on a purchase of $25 of select family movie night titles on DVD and Blu-ray

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 October 15.

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 November 15 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).

Limit one offer per customer and per device.

Hmmm... Might be the right time to fill in any missing Harry Potter titles or get the Blu-Ray edition of Planet Earth (if you don't already have it).

Free Cookbooks from CostCo (noDRM)

Every year, Costco gives away thick cookbooks to their members. Now, everyone can get them, in DRM-free PDF format, from their website. They have editions from 2002 to 2010 online, along with two Household Almanacs (2007-2008). There are, of course, specific brands mentioned that CostCo sells, but you can usually just ignore that and use the brand of food that you normally buy. These are the titles available:
  1. Smart Cooking (2010)
  2. Home Cooking (2009)
  3. In The Kitchen (2008)
  4. Favorite Recipes (2007)
  5. Cooking in Style (2006)
  6. Creative Cooking (2005)
  7. Easy Cooking (2004)
  8. Cooking (2003)
  9. Entertaining (2002)