Free Audiobook - Water for Elephants

Update: It's confirmed! Anyone can download this one, even without owning a Kindle. Note that the offer may disappear at any moment, once Audible figures out that the KSO requirement isn't being enforced.

Amazon and Audible are giving away a free download of Water for Elephants ($6.99 Kindle), by Sara Gruen, narrated by David LeDoux and John Randolph Jones. This is supposed to be a Kindle with Special Offers deal, but you don't have to actually claim the offer on this one (I didn't and it downloaded just fine). In fact, the KSO page says it is to read on your Kindle, but you can download it to your PC, just like any other Audible book (and presumably copy it to any device, although I haven't tried that, yet).

I even tried looking at the order page without being logged in and it appears as if ANYONE can grab this one for free, even without a KSO registered to their account. Since everyone I know has a KSO, here, can someone without one give it a try and leave a comment to let me know if it works? You'll need an Audible account, of course, and be sure that you are not being charged ($$ or credits) before completing the order, if you give this a go.

Book Description
An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of Riding Lessons.

When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.

Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.

Get the free audiobook from Audible.

Just in case the product page gets "fixed", here are some more details on the KSO offer:

• You must claim the offer by November 2, 2001 (note that this is TOMORROW, only a 2 day window).
• You have to add the audiobook to your account by November 9, 2011 (not that this is only a one week period, not an entire month, as usually occurs)

Today's Deals

Wow! It must be the first of the month! Twelve new free books this morning (counting the one that was UK only) and there is more to come. I'm skipping the bargain books this morning, but only because I'm off to look thru the new list of 100 Kindle books for $3.99 or less, hand selected by the editors at Amazon. I will mention one title, The Berry Bible: With 175 Recipes Using Cultivated and Wild, Fresh and Frozen Berries ($1.99), by Janie Hibler, which I bought as soon as it came out on Kindle, in April of last year (and, at full price, too). This was an out-of-print title from William Morrow Cookbooks and amongst the earliest books that Amazon has brought back to life under their AmazonEncore imprint.

Book Description
Few foods capture the sweetness of nature like fresh berries, whether eaten straight off the bush or baked to perfection beneath a flaky crust. Now berry lovers can maximize their enjoyment with The Berry Bible, the new offering from James Beard Book Award-winning author Janie Hibler.

Part encyclopedia, part cookbook, The Berry Bible begins with an explanation of the health benefits of nutrient-rich berries and goes on to profile dozens of important culinary berries and berrylike fruits in the vibrantly illustrated "A-to-Z Berry Encyclopedia." Tips on how to remove berry stains and freeze for the off-season pave the way for 175 delectable recipes that use cultivated, wild, fresh, and frozen berries.

From Blackberry-Blueberry Cardamom Muffins, Mango-Raspberry Summer Soup, and Boysenberry Applesauce to Blackberry-Port Lamb Shanks, Almond-Gooseberry Cream Pie, and The Perfect Strawberry Shortcake, these succulent dishes are sure to garner The Berry Bible a permanent spot in any kitchen.

About the Author
Janie Hibler is a contributing writer to Gourmet, Food & Wine, and Bon Appetit magazines. She is the past president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the author of five books, including the bestselling Dungeness Crabs and Blackberry Cobblers, and Wild About Game, winner of the 1999 James Beard Award for Best Book: Single Subject. She divides her time between her home in Portland, Oregon, and her cabin in the Cascade Mountains.

If you partied a bit too hearty last night, you might need to pick up a copy of So Now You're a Zombie: A Handbook for the Newly Undead ($1.99), by John Austin, today's Kindle Deal of the Day (although I'd hold off on the pictures until after any queasiness has passed).

Book Description
Being undead can be disorienting. Your arms and other appendages tend to rot and fall off. It’s difficult to communicate with a vocabulary limited to moans and gurgles. And that smell! (Yes, it’s you.) But most of all, you must constantly find and ingest human brains. Braaaains!!!

What’s a zombie to do?

Thankfully, zombiologist John Austin details everything you need to know, as a newly undead soul, to hunt, fight, and feed on the living. As the first handbook written specifically for the undead, So Now You’re a Zombie explains how you ended up in this predicament, the stages of zombification, and what you need to survive in this zombiphobic world. Dozens of helpful diagrams outline attack strategies, such as the Ghoul Reach, the Flanking Zack, the Bite Hold, and the Aerial Fall, to secure your human prey. You’ll even learn how to successfully extract the living from boarded up farmhouses and broken down vehicles.

This handbook also explores the upside of being a zombie. Gone are the burdens of employment, taxes, social networks, even basic hygiene, allowing you to focus on simple necessities in “life”: the juicy gray matter found in the skulls of the living.

The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have ($3.39 Kindle, B&N), by Mark Nepo, is the Nook Daily Find (and price matched at Amazon).

Book Description
Cancer survivor, poet, and philosopher Mark Nepo has consciously allowed life to move through him. The Book of Awakening is the result of his journey of the soul and will inspire others to embark on their own.

Nepo speaks of spirit and friendship, urging readers to stay vital and in love with this life, no matter the hardships. Encompassing many traditions and voices, Nepo's words offer insight on pain, wonder, and love. Each entry is accompanied by an exercise that will surprise and delight the reader in its mind-waking ability.

Free Book (Kindle/EPUB/nook) - Chili Con Corpses

Update Also free from Sony.

Chili Con Corpses (US/UK/DE), the third title in the Supper Club Mystery series by J.B. Stanley, is free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble.

Book Description
Things are chugging merrily along for librarian James Henry. He has a closet filled with new clothes, a trimmer waistline, and a closer bond with his father. His only real problem is that his girlfriend Lucy's interest in him seems to have inexplicably cooled. When schoolteacher Lindy suggests the club members join a Mexican cooking class, James jumps at the idea. Over cervezas and black bean dip, the supper club members warm to their new adventure. The class heats up even more when a reporter and her friends, twin sisters with supermodel physiques, enroll. But when people start turning up dead, and the evidence points toward Lindy, things become hotter than a jalapeño. James, who was looking to add a little more spice to his life, gets much more than he bargained for.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Get the free ebook from Sony.

Free Book (Kindle/nook) - One September Morning

One September Morning (US/UK), by Rosalind Noonan, is free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble, where it is a repeat freebie.

Book Description
The moment Abby Fitzgerald sees two soldiers approach her front door, she knows her husband is dead. John Stanton, who gave up his career as a star NFL running back to serve after 9/11, has been killed in Iraq. Suddenly Abby's kitchen is overflowing with casseroles brought by the army wives' club to which she has never really belonged. And her in-laws arrange a lavish funeral at Arlington National Cemetery in spite of Abby's misgivings. John had grown to hate the war even though he loved his country, and Abby can't reconcile the complex man she knew with the version being portrayed by self-serving politicians, military, and the media.

Shell-shocked, Abby strives to cope with her own heartache while comforting John's loved ones, including his mother Sharice, his staunchly anti-war sister Madison, and his bitter younger brother Noah. But amidst her loss is a growing conviction that the truth about John's death is far from over.

Gripping, thoughtful, and emotionally powerful, One September Morning is a story of loyalty and betrayal, of a shattered family's journey toward healing, and of the courage it takes to confront the truth not just about our enemies, but about those we love best.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble. Be careful from the nook, as there is another edition which is full price.

Free Book (Kindle) - Love Finds You in Victory Heights, Washington

Love Finds You in Victory Heights, Washington (US/UK), by Tricia Goyer, is free in the Kindle store.

Book Description
The Second World War has stolen Rosalie's fiance from her. But rather than wallow, Rosalie throws herself into her work at the Boeing plant in Victory Heights, shooting rivets into the B-17 bombers that will destroy the enemy. A local reporter dubs her Seattle's Own Rosie the Riveter, and her story lends inspiration to women across the country. While Rosalie's strong arms can bear the weight of this new responsibility, her heart cannot handle the intense feelings that begin to surface for Kenny, the handsome reporter. Fear of a second heartbreak is a powerful opponent - but will it claim victory over love?