Today's Deals

If it seems like forever since you've seen a Kindle Special Offer, you would be correct. There are only three deals still active (one ends tomorrow) and the last one to show up was May 1. Instead, I am starting to see some short-time AmazonLocal deals show up that are for Amazon products (Kindle, MP3), rather than for mostly companies I've never dealt with (and for products that even at half price, seem to be priced to high). Today's deal (good thru tomorrow, from what I can see, or until they sell out), is for "half-price" movie tickets via Fandango. Fandango has pretty much a monopoly on advance ticket sales and if you use them (and don't go to matinees with prices already near the $6 mark), this is a pretty decent deal. Pay $6 and get a voucher for Fandango good for $12 off one ticket. Must be used by Sep 30 (or reverts to $6 value) and limit two vouchers per person. You can order them via your Kindle (uses your default payment type) or online.

Speaking of AmazonLocal, I signed up for a the "$20 Off a Certified Refurbished Kindle" voucher, but don't really have a need for it. It must be used by May 29, 2012, so if you would like it (and plan on buying a Kindle in the next few days), leave a comment below with an email address (I'll moderate and not publish the comments). I'll pick someone in the morning and email you the voucher. Please, only comment if you can use the voucher. I'll have another contest this weekend, with a number of iTunes codes, that everyone can participate in.


Today's Kindle Deal of the Day is It Happened on the Way to War ($1.99), by Rye Barcot.

Book Description
In 2000 Rye Barcott spent part of his summer living in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. He was a college student heading into the Marines, and he sought to better understand ethnic violence-something he would likely facelater in uniform. He learned Swahili, asked questions, and listened to young people talk about how they survived in poverty he had never imagined. Anxious to help but unsure what to do, he stumbled into friendship with awidowed nurse, Tabitha Atieno Festo, and a hardscrabble community organizer, Salim Mohamed.Together, this unlikely trio built a non-governmental organization that would develop a new generation of leaders from within one of Africa's largest slums. Their organization, Carolina for Kibera (CFK), is now a global pioneer of the movement called Participatory Development, and washonored by Time magazine as a "Hero of Global Health." CFK's greatest lesson may be that with the right kind of support, people in desperate places will take charge of their lives and create breathtaking change.Engaged in two seemingly contradictory forms of public service at the same time, Barcott continued his leadership in CFK while serving as a human intelligence officer in Iraq, Bosnia, and the Horn of Africa. Struggling with the intense stress of leading Marines in dangerous places, he took thetools he learned building a community in one of the most fractured parts of Kenya and became a more effective counterinsurgent and peacekeeper.It Happened on the Way to War is a true story of sacrifice and courage and the powerful melding of military and humanitarian service. It's a story of what America's role in the world could be.

About the Author
Rye Barcott founded the renowned non-governmental organization Carolina for Kibera (CFK) with Salim Mohamed and Tabitha Atieno Festo while he was an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After graduation, he served as a Marine for five years on active duty. In 2006 ABC World News named then Captain Barcott a Person of the Week and Person of the Year for his dual service to Kibera and the Marine Corps. As a Reynolds Social Entrepreneurship Fellow, he earned master's degrees in business and public administration from Harvard University. He is currently a member of the World Learning Board of Trustees and a TED Fellow living in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Ashes ($1.72 / £1.09 UK), the first title in the trilogy by Ilsa Bick, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $7.69 on Kindle and from Kobo, where it is coupon eligible). The second in the series, Shadows, is now available to pre-order in the US and should release in September in both the US and UK.

Book Description
It could happen tomorrow . . .

An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.
Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.

For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.

Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling novel about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation.

Presentations in Action: 80 Memorable Presentation Lessons from the Masters ($12.99 Kindle, $1.99 B&N), by Jerry Weissman, is the Nook Daily Find; this title was free on Kindle last September.

Book Description
World-renowned presentation coach Jerry Weissman has spent 20 years helping top executives succeed in the most important business presentations of their lives. Here’s what he’s learned: the best way to get his message across is to show his techniques in action. Weissman does just that: he teaches how to make spectacularly successful presentations by showing exactly how great presenters have done it. Weissman dives into his library of outstanding presentations, sharing examples from current events, politics, science, art, music, literature, cinema, media, sports, and even the military. His compelling examples don’t just demonstrate what’s universal about effective human communication: they also reveal powerful ways to solve the specific challenges presenters encounter most often.

This book’s five sections focus on each element of the outstanding contemporary presentation: Content: Mastering the art of telling your story; Graphics: Designing PowerPoint slides that work brilliantly; Delivery skills: How to make actions speak louder than words; Q&A: How to handle tough questions; Integration: How to put it all together.

From clarifying “What’s in it for you?” to crafting better elevator pitches, improving flow to using anecdotes, Presentation in Action is packed with solutions–and packed with inspiration, too!

The Sea of Monsters ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), the second title in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, is the Nook Daily Find for Families, price matched on Kindle. I paid more than this when I bought it two years ago (in fact, when I bought everything in the series). Definitely recommended if you have tweens/teens in the house, this series was read by adults here (think of it as a US Harry Potter, but with Gods, Demigods and Monsters) and it appears that the first four books in the series are all below the $5 mark.

Book Description
After a summer spent trying to prevent a catastrophic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson finds his seventh-grade school year unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson—a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy to have any “normal” friends. But things don’t stay quiet for long. Percy soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: the magical borders which protect Half-Blood Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner by the Cyclops Polyphemus on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters, the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millennia—only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new name…the Bermuda Triangle. Now Percy and his friends—Grover, Annabeth, and Tyson—must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes by the end of the summer or Camp Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his family—one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon’s son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.

Real Life & Liars with Bonus Excerpt ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Kristina Riggle, is my pick for the Today's Deal at Kobo, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
For a limited time at a special price, enjoy Kristina Riggle's heartwarming novel Real Life & Liars along with an excerpt from her upcoming new novel, Keepsake, on sale June 26, 2012.

Sometimes you find happiness where, and when, you least expect it.

For Mirabelle Zielinski's children, happiness always seems to be just out of reach. Her polished oldest daughter, Katya, clings to a stale marriage with a workaholic husband and three spoiled children. Her son, Ivan, so creative, is a down-in-the-dumps songwriter with the worst taste in women. And the "baby," impulsive Irina, who lives life on a whim, is now reluctantly pregnant and hitched to a man who is twice her age. On the weekend of their parents' anniversary party, lies will be revealed, hearts will be broken...but love will also be found. And the biggest shock may come from Mirabelle herself, because she has a secret that will change everything.

Get $2 Off Select $5 MP3 Albums

Another great MP3 deal, for those with either a Kindle Fire or access to any Android device that can run the Amazon MP3 app: Get $2 Off Select $5 MP3 Albums When You Purchase on the Amazon MP3 App for Android or Kindle Fire. You must use either the App or the Music Store from the Kindle Fire, not a web browser to purchase the album. So, although I've linked in the list here, to make it easier to see which albums are on the list (it's mostly the same as the May $5 MP3 Albums list, but not quite the same, as I saw a $2.99 Memoryhouse album hiding on this offer's page; you may or may not get the $2 discount on it, since it isn't a "$5 album"), you'll need to do a manual search on your device to find the album and purchase it. Be sure that you don't accidentally grab a version that has a digital booklet with it, also, as those are specifically excluded.

There's no date indicated on when this offer ends, so I wouldn't wait too long to try it (right now, I see a box about the offer on the product details page for the albums included - so long as you can see that, it should still be a valid promotion). I also don't see any information as to whether or not this is a "limit one" offer, so if anyone buys two from the list, could you leave a comment and let us all know if you received the discount each time? Also, if you have any problems getting the discount (on the earlier Lumineers $2 off discount that had the same purchase requirements, I didn't get my $2 off and had to email support to get a credit). OK, I found two albums on the list that I wanted and decided to chance it - in fact, you do get the $2 discount for each album purchased, with no apparent limit (other than that there are only about 100 albums that qualify).

If you still have the $2 Facebook MP3 credit (good thru tomorrow), you can combine it with this one, giving you a net price of $1 on any of the albums included. Alas, I spent my credit on John Handy's Live At Monterey album; although the album is priced at $9.99, you can get each of the two 1/2 hour long cuts for 99 cents apiece (If Only We Knew and Spanish Lady), leaving two cents to spend on something else. Another good choice for that credit would be Lionel Richie's Tuskegee album, which is currently on sale at $2.99 (not included in this sale, though, so you can't double up the credits on it).

The Fine Print
Purchase Select $5 MP3 Albums on Your Kindle Fire or on the Amazon MP3 App for Android and Get a $2 Discount Applied at Purchase.

1. Search for any eligible $5 MP3 album title in the Amazon MP3 App for Android or Kindle Fire. If you don't have the Amazon MP3 App for Android, download it here.
2. Purchase your album by clicking the "Buy" button and your $2 discount will be automatically applied to your order. The credit only applies to album purchases and not individual song purchases from the albums. The discount will not apply to album purchases made in the Amazon MP3 webstore or through your Kindle Fire browser. This promotion does not apply to digital booklet versions of the $5 album titles.
3. After your purchase, you can confirm that your $2 credit was applied by checking your order confirmation, which will be sent to you by e-mail.
4. Additional terms and conditions apply.

Today's Deals

Today's Free Android App is CrossMe, which is a "Japanese crossword known as a Nonogram". Normally $5, it looks like it would be fun and has a lot of 5 star reviews.

If you wanted Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl on your Kindle, Amazon price matched B&N's deal price from yesterday, so it's currently $1.99; there is no telling when it will go back up, though, so grab it fast.

Today's Kindle Deal of the Day is Mystery Walk ($1.99), by Robert R. McCammon. The publisher is Open Road and my rule of thumb with them is to snap up anything they discount to this level, if it is at all interesting; they only deal with bigger name author's backlist titltes. Several reviews claim that this is McCammon's best work and the only one-star review I saw was a complaint about a used hardcover being the wrong book ordered (which should have been a 3rd party merchant comment, not a review of the book itself).

Book Description
Two young psychics do battle with an ancient evil

Billy Creekmore was born to be a psychic. His mother, a Choctaw Indian schooled in her tribe’s ancient mysticism, understood that the barrier between life and death is permeable. She knew how to cross it, and used that knowledge to help the dead rest easier. She passed that power on to her son, and he has spent his whole life learning how to communicate with the dead to prevent them from meddling with the living.

Though his powers are the same, Wayne Falconer’s background could not be more different. The son of a prominent preacher, he would be disowned if his father learned he was using supernatural powers in service of the church. Though they don’t know each other, Billy and Wayne share a recurring dream—and a common enemy. When a nightmarish monster descends on their community in Alabama, mankind’s fate will rest in their hands.

Darke ($2.04 / £1.29 UK), the sixth book of the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $6.99). Another excellent teen/YA series and the only one I don't yet have in my Library; maybe it will drop in the US one day (it's not as though I have nothing in my TBR list).

Book Description
Septimus is on the threshold of his fourteenth birthday, which falls on the shortest day of the year. While everyone celebrates and the Castle is lit with the traditional candles, Septimus has greater concerns on his mind. He has finally reached the period in his Apprenticeship known as Darke Week. During this crucial time, he hopes to undertake the very dangerous mission of restoring Alther from Banishment, following the attempted invasion of the Castle of Syren. But while this preoccupies him, other Darke things are afoot in the Castle.
Written with Angie Sage's characteristic humor, Septimus Heap, Book Six: Darke is a compelling fantasy adventure filled with surprises, thrills, and laugh-out-loud moments. Readers will revel in the action-packed story as they realize the wisdom of Magyk—that all things are meant to be part of a living whole.

I Know What You Did Last Summer ($7.99 $2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Lois Duncan, is the Nook Daily Find. An Agency title, it should be price matched on Kindle, so you might want to check again later today. Now price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
Some secrets just won't stay buried.

They didn't mean it. They didn't mean to hit the boy. There was a party, and it was an accident...that wasn't who they were. They were pre-law, a football player, bound for New York. No one could know, so Barry, Julie, Helen, and Ray swore one another to secrecy. But now, a year later, someone knows. Julie receives a haunting, anonymous threat: "I know what you did last summer." The dark lie is unearthed, and before the four friends know it they need to outsmart a killer...or they will be the next to die.

Leave the lights on when reading this classic thriller!

Camp SpongeBob ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), a Level 2 Reader in the SpongeBob SquarePants Leveled Reader series by Molly Reisner, Kim Ostrow and Heather Martinez (Illustrator), is the Nook Daily Find for Families (NOOK Color, NOOK Tablet or NOOK Kids for iPad App), price matched on Kindle (Kindle Fire or Kindle for Android App).

Book Description
Sandy decides to open Bikini Bottom's very first summer camp and asks SpongeBob to be her assistant. But SpongeBob goes overboard trying to make sure that their camp is the best camp ever!

Refurbished Kindle for $49

Get a free $20 off voucher from Amazon Local and use it to buy a Certified Refurbished Kindle ($69). Net cost after entering the promo code: $49! This is the Special Offers version of the Kindle, but at a great price and it includes the same one-year warranty as a new unit, since you are buying it direct from Amazon.

If you are new to AmazonLocal, you sign in using your Amazon account information. You'll need to use a credit card to secure the voucher (but it won't be charged); presumably it is used to verify that you are in the US. This particular offer is listed in the Boston area, but you can use it no matter where you are in the US. Once you've signed up, you'll get an email on how to use the voucher, but essentially you look under "My Vouchers" (click link in upper right corner) and just enter the promo code at Amazon. You have to wait a bit, for the order to be 'processed' before you can get the code, but it usually doesn't take too long for that to happen (mine took less than 2 minutes)

The Fine Print

• Voucher must be redeemed by May 29, 2012
• Ships only to U.S. addresses
• Limited quantities of vouchers are available. One per customer
• Voucher is valid for $20 off the regular price of $69 for a Certified Refurbished Kindle with Special Offers from Amazon.com; customer will be responsible for $49 payment to Amazon.com, plus applicable taxes and shipping charges
• Includes Certified Refurbished Kindle with Special Offers wireless e-reader and USB 2.0 cable; power adapter sold separately
• Certified Refurbished Kindle orders are eligible for Prime and Super Saver Shipping
• Voucher is available for use immediately after purchase
• Voucher not redeemable via 1-Click ordering
• Amazon.com account with valid credit card required to get this voucher

Today's Deals

Save 30% at Mills & Boon thru 24th May 2012, using coupon code MAYSAVE30.

Today is the last day to take advantage of this KSO deal:

• Save 25% on Skins by DecalGirl

Today's Kindle Deal of the Day is Tune in Tokyo: The Gaijin Diaries ($0.99), by Tim Anderson.

Book Description
Everyone wants to escape their boring, stagnant lives full of inertia and regret. But so few people actually have the bravery to run -- run away from everything and selflessly seek out personal fulfillment on the other side of the world where they don't understand anything and won't be expected to. The world is full of cowards. Tim Anderson was pushing thirty and working a string of dead-end jobs when he made the spontaneous decision to pack his bags and move to Japan, “where my status as a U.S. passport holder and card-carrying ‘American English’ speaker was an asset rather than a liability.” It was a gutsy move, especially for a tall, white, gay Southerner who didn’t speak a lick of Japanese. But his life desperately needed a shot of adrenaline, and what better way to get one than to leave behind everything he had ever known to move to “a tiny, overcrowded island heaving with clever, sensibly proportioned people that make him look fat?” In Tokyo, Tim became a “gaijin,” an outsider whose stumbling progression through Japanese culture is minutely chronicled in these sixteen howlingly funny stories. Yet despite the steep learning curve and the seemingly constant humiliation, the gaijin from North Carolina gradually begins to find his way. Whether playing drums on the fly in an otherwise all-Japanese noise band or attempting to keep his English classroom clean when it’s invaded by an older female student with a dirty mind, Tim comes to realize that living a meaningful life is about expecting the unexpected…right when he least expects it.

The Twitter Diaries: 2 Cities, 1 Friendship, 140 Characters ($1.57 / £0.99 UK), by Imogen Lloyd Webber and Georgie Thompson, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $7.99). You can join a conversation with one of the authors via Twitter (of course) on May 31.

Book Description
The Twitter Diaries tells the story of pen pals for the 21st century. Two parallel lives separated by an ocean but united over a social network.

Tuesday (@Tuesday Fields), a sports reporter and Stella (@StellaCavill), a men's shoe designer, are Brit 30-somethings who are introduced in NYC on NYE by a mutual friend, a notorious transatlantic TV presenter. They strike up an instant bond.

Over the next 365 days, @TuesdayFields and @StellaCavill put the world to rights, one tweet at a time. From Melbourne to Monaco to Magaluf, the girls flirt and fall out with sportsmen, movie stars... and TV presenters. And then there's their mothers...

December 31st of the same year and @TuesdayFields and @StellaCavill meet again, for the first time since the last time. A lot can happen in a year. It turns out just 140 characters can change everything.

The Twitter Diaries is an instantly recognisable yet fictitious tale all generations can relate to, whether they are one of the world's 140 million and counting transfixed Twitter users or not. Accessible, funny and heart-warming, it's this summer's must read.

Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
On a clear night in late June 2005, four U.S. Navy SEALs left their base in northern Afghanistan for the mountainous Pakistani border. Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader known to be ensconced in a Taliban stronghold surrounded by a small but heavily armed force. Less then twenty-four hours later, only one of those Navy SEALs remained alive.

This is the story of fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of Operation Redwing, and the desperate battle in the mountains that led, ultimately, to the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history. But it is also, more than anything, the story of his teammates, who fought ferociously beside him until he was the last one left-blasted unconscious by a rocket grenade, blown over a cliff, but still armed and still breathing. Over the next four days, badly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell fought off six al Qaeda assassins who were sent to finish him, then crawled for seven miles through the mountains before he was taken in by a Pashtun tribe, who risked everything to protect him from the encircling Taliban killers.

A six-foot-five-inch Texan, Leading Petty Officer Luttrell takes us, blow-by-blow, through the brutal training of America's warrior elite and the relentless rites of passage required by the Navy SEALs. He transports us to a monstrous battle fought in the desolate peaks of Afghanistan, where the beleaguered American team plummeted headlong a thousand feet down a mountain as they fought back through flying shale and rocks. In this rich , moving chronicle of courage, honor, and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers one of the most powerful narratives ever written about modern warfare-and a tribute to his teammates, who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Artemis Fowl ($6.39 Kindle, $1.99 B&N), the first book in the series by Eoin Colfer, is the Nook Daily Find for Families. Note that on Kindle, there are three editions; the other two are both Audio/Video Enhanced Editions, with different prices and file sizes, but I don't see any indication of what the difference in between them.

Book Description
From a strikingly original voice in fiction comes the story of Artemis Fowl, a very unusual hero. Artemis combines the astuteness of Sherlock Holmes with the sangfroid of James Bond and the attitude of Attila the Hun. But even Artemis doesn't know what he's taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of LEPrecon Unit. These aren't the fairies of bedtime stories. These fairies are armed and they're dangerous. Artemis thinks he's got them just where he wants them, but then they stop playing by the rules . . .

Full of unexpected twists and turns, ARTEMIS FOWL opens up a riveting world of magic, mystery, and humor.