Today's Deals

Play the Puzzle contest at Kobo, daily thru Christmas!

BooksonBoard has a coupon code, ChristmasOnBoard, good for 26% off (list price of) non-Agency books; remember, using a reader app such as Aldiko, you can now read non-B&N drm'd EPUB's on your Kindle Fire!. They also have several books half-price thru Christmas - I checked a couple and their price beat the Kindle price each time.

As a reminder, all posts are dated and many free book offers or price discounts last for a limited time (sometimes only a day or a few hours). Be sure to double check the price before one-clicking (especially those Kindle Lending Library titles, which can appear free when they most definitely are not).

Additional formats on free books:

• The Whole Bible Story (Kindle/nook/EPUB)
• Faith (Kindle/nook/EPUB)
• 11:15: The Making of a Halfling (Kindle/nook/EPUB)
• Clockwork Fagin (Kindle/nook/iBooks/EPUB/Audio)
• The Incredible Tito (Kindle/nook/EPUB/iBooks)

Graceling ($0.99), the first title in the teen Seven Kingdoms Trilogy by Kristin Cashore, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day. I actually have an older (Topaz) edition of this one in my library, so you might want to check your's also, if you've been reading on Kindle for a while.

Book Description
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Gently by the Shore ($1.54 / £0.99 UK), the second in the Inspector George Gently series by Alan Hunter, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $7.19).

Book Description
You’ll find plenty of bodies stretched out on a summer beach – but they’re not usually dead...

In a British seaside holiday resort at the height of the season, you would expect to find a promenade and a pier, maybe some donkeys, ‘Kiss-Me-Quick’ hats, candy floss and kids building sandcastles. You would not expect to find a naked corpse, punctured with stab wounds, lying on the sand.

Chief Inspector George Gently is called in to investigate the disturbing murder. The case has to be wrapped up quickly to calm the nerves of concerned holidaymakers. No one wants to think that there is a maniac on the loose in the town but with no clothes or identifying marks on the body, Gently has a tough time establishing who the victim is, let alone finding the killer. In the meantime, who knows where or when the murderer might strike again?

The Elf on the Shelf ($4.99 B&N), by Carol V. Aebersold, is the Nook Daily Find (not available on Kindle). One word of warning - this one is only readable on a nookColor or nookTablet. For those who do have one of the required readers, the book will read to your kids (presumably for the times when you are away and can't do so). If the Elf is living on your shelf this year and you think it's adorable and want more activities for it to participate in, be sure to check out 101 Elf On The Shelf Ideas, while if you have grown to hate the elf (or perhaps can't remember to move him around, either), be sure to read the very funny Over Achieving Elf on the Shelf Mommies (I'm pretty sure that if you love one of these, you'll hate the other).

Book Description
The best-selling Christmas tradition, The Elf on the Shelf, is now available on the Nook! In this e-book edition, the water-color illustrations are brought to life allowing you to interact with Santa and his favorite scout elf. Children of all ages will enjoy playing hide-'n-seek with the elf, adding presents to Santa's bag, or helping the elf fly and twirl through the sky. For the family that already has the hardcover keepsake edition, the Nook version is sure to add a new dimension of fun to this treasured family classic.

This NOOK Kids Read and Play book features narration, animation and interactivity. Kids can choose to hear the story read aloud and play activities on select pages of the book. Animations replay with a simple tap. Plus, kids can tap to enlarge text and pinch & stretch to zoom in on pictures.

More Free Audiobooks

I have found several more free audiobooks for you, from LearnOutLoud and Tantor Press. Once "purchased", most of these can be downloaded any time. LearnOutLoud also has 49 audiobooks marked down to $1.99 each you may want to browse thru. Over at Tantor Audio, they feature a number of titles for $6.99 each month (it's easiest to find these on their Facebook page) and the rest of their audiobook catalog is 50% off right now.

First up, seven free editions of Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol ($9.95 Amazon) that have been gathered together by LearnOutLoud (although one of the editions is one I told you about earlier this month). Some of these require an account and are only free for a limited time, so don't dawdle.

Book Description
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman and Hall and first released on 19 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visitations of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim.

The book was written and published at a time when Britain was experiencing a nostalgic interest in its forgotten Christmas traditions, and at the time when new customs such as the Christmas tree and greeting cards were being introduced. Dickens' sources for the tale appear to be many and varied but are principally the humiliating experiences of his childhood, his sympathy for the poor, and the Christmas stories of Washington Irving.

The tale was pirated immediately, was adapted several times to the stage, and has been credited with restoring the holiday to one of merriment and festivity in Britain and America after a period of sobriety and somberness. A Christmas Carol remains popular, has never been out of print, and has been adapted to film, opera, and other media.

Links for the free downloads (with formats noted; several include a download of the text of the book, as well):

1. LearnOutLoud, narrated by Antonia Bath (MP3 & MPEG-4) *free today only
2. ChristianAudio, narrated by Simon Vance (M4B, MP3, EPUB) *free this month only
3. LibriVox, narrated by Glen Hallstrom (MP3, OGG, M4B, ZIP, TXT, RSS)
4. iTunes, narrated by Patrick Horgan (podcast)
5. Wired for Books, narrated by Karen Chan (MP3, RealAudio Stream)
6. Mercury Theatre, narrated by Orson Welles & The Campbell Playhouse (RealAudio, MP3)
7. Lit2Go, narrated by Rick Kistner (MP3, TXT/HTML)

Tantor Audio is offering a free download of both the audiobook and ebook of Favorite Stories of Christmas Past ($11.95 Amazon), by Clement C. Moore, Nora A. Smith, Louisa May Alcott, et al, narrated by Renée Raudman and Alan Sklar.

Book Description
Tantor Media presents a collection of some of the most popular Christmas stories read by award-winning narrators Renee Raudman and Alan Sklar. This special anthology will transport listeners back to the Christmases of their youth, when they first heard these holiday tales. From "'Twas the Night Before Christmas", Clement C. Moore's classic depiction of St. Nicholas at work, to O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi", which embodies the very spirit of Christmas, Favorite Stories of Christmas Past has something for everyone.

Also included is Francis Church's moving editorial response to a little girl's Christmastime query, "Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus", as well as seven other Christmas classics that can be heard and shared year after year.

The classics that can be found in Favorite Stories of Christmas Past are: "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" by Clement C. Moore; "The Story of Christmas" by Nora A. Smith; "A Country Christmas" by Louisa May Alcott; "An Empty Purse" by Sarah Orne Jewett; "The Bachelor's Christmas" by Robert Grant; "The Fir Tree" by Hans Christian Andersen; "The Birds' Christmas Carol" by Kate Douglas Wiggin; "Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus" by Francis Church; "The Festival of St. Nicholas" by Mary Mapes Dodge; and "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry.

Tantor Audio's second free download is Gulliver's Travels ($19.95 Amazon), by Jonathan Swift, narrated by David Case.

Book Description
In Gulliver's Travels, the narrator represents himself as a reliable reporter of the fantastic adventures he has just experienced. But how far can we rely on a narrator who has been impersonated by someone else? The work purports to be a travel book, and describes the shipwrecked Gulliver's encounters with the inhabitants of four extraordinary places: Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, and the country of the Houyhnhnms. A consumately skillful blend of fantasy and realism makes Gulliver's Travels by turns hilarious, frightening, and profound. This is one of literature's most disturbing satires on the human condition.

Free Audiobook - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The audiobook edition of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated Ralph Cosham, is free from Audible (normally $16.95)

Book Description
In the more than 100 years since Doyle created the immortal Sherlock Holmes and his assistant, Dr. Watson, no other mystery writer has come close to eclipsing him as the standard bearer in crime fiction. A brilliant London-based "consulting detective," Holmes is famous for his intellectual prowess and is renowned for his skillful use of astute observation, deductive reasoning, and inference to solve difficult cases. Holmes is at the height of his powers here in this collection of 12 of his most famous cases, including "The Red-Headed League" and "The Adventure of the Speckled Band."

Get the free audiobook from Audible.

Free Book (noDRM) - Claimed

Claimed ($2.99 Kindle), the first title in the Brides of the Kindred series by Evangeline Anderson, is today's free holiday gift at AllRomance. This full length novel is a blistering five on the heat level at ARe.

You probably already have her novella Masks, which has been free at Amazon since April (you can also find it free at AllRomance and Ellora's Cave). She also has a novel on sale at Amazon and Ellora's Cave: Blind Date with a Vampire is currently marked down to 99 cents.

Book Description
Olivia Waterhouse has just graduated from nursing school and has her whole life ahead of her—until she gets drafted. Problem is, she isn’t being forced into the Army, she’s been chosen as a Kindred bride.

The Kindred are huge alien warriors—a race of genetic traders whose population is ninety-five percent male. After saving Earth from the threat of invasion they demand a reward—the right to find brides among the population. The chances of being chosen are about the same as those of winning the lottery—guess it’s just Liv’s lucky day.

Baird is a Beast Kindred who recently escaped imprisonment and torture at the hands of the malevolent Scourge. Through the torment and pain only one thing kept him sane—the thought of finding and claiming his bride—Olivia. His need to possess her is a burning intensity that threatens to consume them both.

Angry at having her future and her family taken away from her, Liv vows to fight back the only way she can—by resisting. She has one month on the Kindred Mothership with Baird—their claiming period. If she can keep from having bonding sex with him during that time, she can go home and get on with her life on Earth.

But Baird isn’t going to make it easy for her. Every week he is allowed to touch Liv more and more intimately and according to the contract she signed, she has to let him. She’s determined to resist him but his touch sets her on fire. And just as she thinks she knows what she wants, a twist of fate and an attack by the faceless Scourge AllFather changes everything…

Get the free ebook from from AllRomance. It's DRM-free, so you can download the Mobi edition for your Kindle. If you want more than one format, just repurchase, as downloading locks in a format.

Free Book (noDRM) - Infected: Prey

Prey ($5.38 Kindle), the first title in the Infected series by Andrea Speed, is free direct from LGBT Dreamspinner Press (today only). This is urban fantasy (with apparently no sex scenes, according to comments), but very much M/M leads. If you are into Westerns instead, check back with them tomorrow, as they should have them at 30% off sitewide (no coupon code).

Book Description
In a world where a werecat virus has changed society, Roan McKichan, a born infected and ex-cop, works as a private detective trying to solve crimes involving other infecteds.

The murder of a former cop draws Roan into an odd case where an unidentifiable species of cat appears to be showing an unusual level of intelligence. He juggles that with trying to find a missing teenage boy, who, unbeknownst to his parents, was “cat” obsessed. And when someone is brutally murdering infecteds, Eli Winters, leader of the Church of the Divine Transformation, hires Roan to find the killer before he closes in on Eli.

Working the crimes will lead Roan through a maze of hate, personal grudges, and mortal danger. With help from his tiger-strain infected partner, Paris Lehane, he does his best to survive in a world that hates and fears their kind… and occasionally worships them.

Get the free ebook from Dreamspinner Press. You'll be able to download in a variety of DRM-free formats after you checkout.