Book Reviews and Bargain reads for the Amazon Kindle, nook, Kobo, Sony and other ereaders, Kindle Fire, nookColor, Kobo Vox, and other tablets, along with some games, music, technology and computers tossed in now and then.
The Iron Duke, a short novel by L. Ron Hubbard, is free in the Kindle store. This is a reprint edition from Galaxy Press' Stories from the Golden Age project.Book Description
Blacky Lee is a man wanted by nearly every government in Europe, who happens to be the spitting image of a leader in the Balkan kingdom of Aldoria. With nowhere else to hide, the enterprising Lee flees to Aldoria and attempts to make the most of his mistaken identity in a startling tale of intrigue, humor and romance.
New Word City has five new books free today (which are likely only to be free today):
Breathless ($0.99), by Jessica Warman, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day.Book Description
When Katie Kitrell is shipped off to boarding school by her distant father and overbearing mother, it doesn't take her long to become part of the It Crowd. She's smart, she's cute, and she's an Olympic-bound swimmer who has a first class ticket to any Ivy League school of her choice. But what her new friends, roommate, and boyfriend don't know is that Katie is swimming away from her past, and from the schizophrenic older brother, Will, who won't let her go. As Katie's star rises, her brother descends deeper into insanity. And when he does the unthinkable, it's all Katie can do to keep her head above water.
The AmazonCrossing translation of Empire of Dreams ($1.82 / £0.99 UK), by AUTHOR, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $1.69!).Book Description
An intriguing and hypnotizing work of postmodern fiction from groundbreaking Hispanic-American writer Giannina Braschi, Empire of Dreams chronicles a decade-long love affair with 1980s New York and all its contradictions. The city’s perversions and passions, power and marginality, grandeur and squalor come vibrantly to life in each of the book’s three sections. “Book of Clowns and Buffoons” imagines life in the city as a carnival-style spectacle that ultimately ends in chaos. Inspired by the Puerto Rican Day parade, a bucolic celebration reclaims the city in “Pastoral.” And “The Intimate Diary of Solitude” spoofs the magical realism of Latin American novelists such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez with its tale of aspiring actress-writer Mariquita Samper, who records the days of her increasingly outlandish life in a mystical diary. Wildly imaginative, rich and complex, Empire of Dreams has garnered glowing praise for being “an ‘in-your-face assertion’ of the vitality of Latino culture in the US” (New York Daily News).
American Gods (The Tenth Anniversary Edition) ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), by Neil Gaiman, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle. If you haven't read this one or have been waiting to replace your dog-eared copy, I highly recommend you snatch this up while it is discounted (be careful searching from your device, as there is still the original $9.99 edition and a $14.99 Tenth Anniversary edition in the Kindle store that contains additional enhanced Audio of the author reading the Introduction, Note on Text, Interview with Jesus and How Dare You and various excerpts throughout, which are only accessible on an iThing). Even if you already have a digital copy, you may want to get this one, as well, as it is about 12,000 words longer than the first published edition, restoring the text to include the sections Gaiman cut sole due to length considerations the first time around. You also get a couple of intro/note pages up front, and in the back an appendix, interview, and reading group discussion questions in this edition.Book Description
First published in 2001, American Gods became an instant classic—an intellectual and artistic benchmark from the multiple-award-winning master of innovative fiction, Neil Gaiman. Now discover the mystery and magic of American Gods in this tenth anniversary edition. Newly updated and expanded with the author’s preferred text, this commemorative volume is a true celebration of a modern masterpiece by the one, the only, Neil Gaiman.
A storm is coming . . .
Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the magic day when he could return to Eagle Point, Indiana. A man no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, all he wanted was to be with Laura, the wife he deeply loved, and start a new life.
But just days before his release, Laura and Shadow’s best friend are killed in an accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered, Shadow accepts a job from a beguiling stranger he meets on the way home, an enigmatic man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. A trickster and rogue, Wednesday seems to know more about Shadow than Shadow does himself.
Life as Wednesday’s bodyguard, driver, and errand boy is far more interesting and dangerous than Shadow ever imagined—it is a job that takes him on a dark and strange road trip and introduces him to a host of eccentric characters whose fates are mysteriously intertwined with his own. Along the way Shadow will learn that the past never dies; that everyone, including his beloved Laura, harbors secrets; and that dreams, totems, legends, and myths are more real than we know. Ultimately, he will discover that beneath the placid surface of everyday life a storm is brewing—an epic war for the very soul of America—and that he is standing squarely in its path.
Relevant and prescient, American Gods has been lauded for its brilliant synthesis of “mystery, satire, sex, horror, and poetic prose” (Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World) and as a modern phantasmagoria that “distills the essence of America” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). It is, quite simply, an outstanding work of literary imagination that will endure for generations.
Today's free Android App is EasyMoney, by Handy Apps Inc, which normally sells for $9.95.App Description
EasyMoney is a personal finance app that combines an expense tracker, a checkbook register, a budget manager, and a bills reminder. EasyMoney provides a rich, detailed window into your finances. A simple and intuitive data entry system is combined with a wealth of easily accessible financial information. Input your bills and never lose track of payments. Analyze how and where your money is being spent. Set spending limits on a variety of customizable categories.
Track Your Financial Fortunes
You'll track expenses quickly and easily with the money manager. Business expenses, personal expenses, travel expenses, and more all can be tracked rapidly. You can even track income and expenses for multiple accounts in multiple currencies. Income and expense categories are fully customizable for greater budgeting flexibility. Also, split transactions are supported for more detailed income and expense tracking.
Analyze the Present, Plan for the Future
Interactive reports and graphs let you analyze income, expenses, cash flow, and balance over various customizable date ranges. That kind of analysis can be invaluable to budgeting. With EasyMoney you can set monthly budgets on specific accounts and/or categories and monitor them via color-coded budget health bars. You can also export captured data as QIF and CSV files to desktop money managers such as Quicken.
Keep Your Records Backed Up and Secure
EasyMoney can be locked away from outsiders' eyes with a four-digit security PIN. You can back up your data to your SD card and automate the backup process so that it occurs daily.
Whether you're looking to make sense of your finances, or you just want to make sure you're never late with a payment, EasyMoney is an ideal financial tracking tool.
Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride (US/UK), by Sandra D. Bricker, is free for UK customers in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble, courtesy of Christian publisher Abingdon Press. It should be free for US Kindle customers by morning.Book DescriptionGet the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
As a wedding planner, you'd think she would have the perfect wedding experience...
Sherilyn Caine has left Chicago behind to marry Andrew Drummond IV, an Atlanta native with a family name that tops all the social registers. Landing the job as The Tanglewood's wedding planner is a piece of cake for someone with a Type A personality; she's the perfect fit for a wedding destination hotel known for its attention to even the tiniest details.
But when everything else is going along swimmingly, why are her own wedding plans drowning right before her eyes? One way or the other, Sherilyn is determined to make this wedding work-until the latest development threatens to call the whole thing off. Is it possible that Sherilyn is allergic to her fiance?
Long Time Coming (US/UK), by Sandra D. Bricker, is free for UK customers in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble, courtesy of Christian publisher Abingdon Press. It should be free for US Kindle customers by morning.Book DescriptionGet the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Faithful Christian Deidre Clark-Morris is a professional career-minded woman with a loving husband, but no children. Kenisha Smalls has lived in poverty all her life. She has three children by three different men and has just been diagnosed with inoperable cervical cancer. While the meeting between these two women appears accidental, it becomes their catalyst of hope. Neither woman expects the blessing that God has in store for her. While Deidre will guide Kenisha on the path to eternal life with Jesus Christ, Kenisha will teach Deidre how to stand strong against the hard-knocks of life.