Free Audiobook - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The unabridged audiobook performance of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (reg $9.99), by L. Frank Baum, narrated by Anne Hathaway, is free direct from Audible. As is often the case with public domain works, there are a number of editions of the ebook on Kindle, with prices ranging from free to several dollars.

Book Description
One of the best-known stories in American culture, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has stirred the imagination of young and old alike for over 100 years. Best Actress nominee Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married, Alice In Wonderland), fresh from filming one of this year's most anticipated films, The Dark Knight Rises, lends her voice to this uniquely American fairy tale.

Follow the adventures of young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto as they get swept away into the magical land of Oz , where they encounter characters and places you may remember from the movie - and several more that never made it to the big screen - on an unforgettable journey to the Emerald City.

"It's such a wonderful book and I was so happy to be a part of bringing it to life", Ms. Hathaway said. "There are a lot of great voices in it. The more fun you have with it, the sillier and the more free you get with it, the better it is because it's a story that can handle it. It's amazing to be able to discover something new about something you feel you know so well."

Get the free audiobook from Audible.

Today's Deals

Today's Kindle Deal of the Day is Garden of Lies ($1.99), by Eileen Goudge (Open Road).

Book Description
Goudge’s blockbuster classic: A new mother’s desperate decision sets in motion a dramatic series of events leading to an epic romance

Sylvie wants to be a good wife to Gerald, who offers the privileged life she could only dream of, growing up. When they wed eight years ago, the country was in the throes of the Depression, and she thought she’d made the right choice. She wants to please her new husband, and bear his children. But no matter how hard she tries, she cannot give him her whole heart.

She thinks something is wrong with her until Nikos, the earthy Greek handyman, shows her what real passion is — and gives her a child. Sylvie knows Gerald will never accept the newborn, with her black eyes and dark hair, and she despairs until a fire in the hospital gives her a way out. In the confusion she switches her daughter for another’s, a bold act that resonates through the decades and culminates in one of the most passionate love stories portrayed in contemporary fiction.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Eileen Goudge including rare photos from the author’s personal collection.

The Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK is for two titles: Radio Congo ($2.02 / £1.29 UK), by Ben Rawlence and Confessions from Correspondentland ($1.70 / £1.09 UK), by Nick Bryant (no US editions).

Radio Congo

In this compelling debut, Ben Rawlence sets out to gather the news that never travels far – the news from the uneasy peace being made in Congo’s ‘silent quarter’. He travels by foot, bike, and boat, taking his time and meeting the people who are making a life in one of the world’s most dangerous places. He introduces us to Colonel Rachid, a guerrilla turned army officer; the Lebanese cousins Mohammed & Mohammed, young tin traders shipped to Africa by their family; and the priest Jean-Baptiste, who explains the price of beer and normality. Along the way, Rawlence exposes the real story of Congo, during and after the war.

Confessions from Correspondentland

Since making his journalistic debut breaking into Piers Morgan’s office, Nick reveals how he has rattled Donald Rumsfield, slept through 9/11, had tea with President Karzai, struggled into fireproof underwear, and got a free lunch out of the Tamil Tigers.

Casting a sideways glance at this influential profession, its glamour, and its sometimes shady practices, Nick also provides bite-sized intelligent insight into the countries he files from.

The 3,000 Hit Club ($1.57 Kindle, $2.99 B&N), by Fred McMane, is the Nook Daily Find. It's not only better than price matched on Kindle, at nearly half price, buy you can also buy the paperback for only $1.97.

Book Description
Meet the members of the most exclusive club in Major League Baseball. There is no award, there are no ceremonies, but nothing can compare to the pride and glory felt by a player as he hits that miracle milestone: 3,000. Since Cap Anson first reached the mark in 1897, only twenty-eight baseball players have ever heard the crack of ball and bat over 2,999 times; this newly updated edition of The 3,000 Hit Club captures the unique stories and career highlights of each one. In this distinctive collection of history and stats, veteran sportswriter Fred McMane takes readers onto the field and up to the plate with baseball’s greatest players. From Pete Rose and Willie Mays to Ricky Henderson and Derek Jeter, The 3,000 Hit Club has it all.

Toy Story Junior Novel ($3.41 Kindle, $1.99 B&N), by Disney Press, is the Nook Daily Find for Families.

Book Description
This junior novel retells the classic story of the original Toy Story and shows just what happens when a new toy comes to town!

Grade Level: 3 and up

Today's Deals

The Kindle Deal of the Day is stuck on The Princess Bride, so I'll have to check later to see if there is a new one today. In the meantime, the B&N Weekend Deal is Runner ($7.55 Kindle; $3.99 B&N), the sixth title in the Jane Whitefield Series by Thomas Perry. I've reported the lower price and usually if enough people do so, it will drop later in the day.

Book Description
Jane Whitefield—the fierce and resourceful heroine of Thomas Perry's most popular thrillers—returns from retirement to guide a fugitive out of danger.

For more than a decade, Jane Whitefield pursued her unusual profession: “I’m a guide . . . I show people how to go from places where somebody is trying to kill them to other places where nobody is.” Then she promised her husband she would never work again, and settled in to live a happy, quiet life as Jane McKinnon, the wife of a surgeon in Amherst, New York. But when a bomb goes off in the middle of a hospital fundraiser, Jane finds herself face to face with the cause of the explosion: a young pregnant girl who has been tracked across the country by a team of guns-for-hire. That night, regardless of what she wants or the vow she’s made to her husband, Jane must come back to transform one more victim into a runner. Her quest for safety sets in motion a mission that may be as much of a rescue operation as it is a chance for revenge. .

The Child Who ($1.54 / £0.99 UK), by Simon Lelic, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $9.99).

Book Description
A quiet English town is left reeling when twelve-year-old Daniel Blake is discovered to have brutally murdered his schoolmate Felicity Forbes. For provincial solicitor Leo Curtice, the case promises to be the most high profile – and morally challenging - of his career. But as he begins his defence Leo is unprepared for the impact the public fury surrounding Felicity’s death will have on his family - and his teenage daughter Ellie, above all. While Leo struggles to get Daniel to open up, hoping to unearth the reasons for the boy’s terrible crime, the build-up of pressure on Leo’s family intensifies. As the case nears its climax, events will take their darkest turn. For Leo, nothing will ever be the same again . . .

Praying God's Word: Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds ($3.99 Kindle, B&N), by Beth Moore, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
Beth Moore's #1 best-selling book (more than one million copies in print) is available in paperback for the first time!

Praying God's Word is the perennial favorite Scripture-prayer resource designed to help us decisively overcome specific strongholds: pride, idolatry, addiction, loss, depression, unbelief, temptation, and more.

No matter how overwhelmed or out of control a person may feel today, Beth boldly reminds us that nothing is bigger or more powerful than the Lord. With this landmark book we learn to wield the sword of the Spirit, praying God's Word to break free from anything that has a hold on us until the joy and authority of Christ rules in our lives.

The movie tie-in edition of Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer ($4.79 Kindle, $1.99 B&N), the tenth title in the series Megan McDonald, is the Nook Daily Find for Families.

Book Description
Roar! It’s not bad enough that Mom and Dad are heading to California, leaving Judy and Stink with Aunt Awful (er, Opal), but now Judy’s two best friends are going Splitsville, too. Just when it looks like her summer is going to be BOR-ing - eureka! - Judy comes up with the most thrill-a-delic plan ever. Get ready for a race involving tightrope walking, Scream Monster riding, and way more! Add in a treasure hunt for Judy’s teacher, a midnight stakeout, a runaway ice-cream truck, and a dash of Bigfoot, and what have you got? The Judy Moodiest summer ever! Based on the screenplay by Kathy Waugh and Megan McDonald.

Grade Level: 1 and up

Random Deals and Updates

The Fictionwise code for this weekend is 072112 for 40% off non-Samhain books; adds on to any other discounts.

Get 30% off thru 22 July at Mills & Boon using coupon code code JUL12ZS.

Get 25% off any non-Agency book in the Sony bookstore using coupon code 7/12MISSYOU25 (case sensitive). You need to click on "Redeem Code" in the upper right corner of the web page. Once applied to the account, the coupon will work on the next eligible book purchase (exp 7/23).

Another great deal on cover jackets from M-Edge, this time over on Tanga ( haven't deal with this site, but it seems to be a pretty decent "deals" site): M-Edge Executive Jackets for Kindle Fire, Nook or Dell Streak for $4.99 (limit 2) plus $3.99 S&H (flat, covers two jackets).

There is a big half-price sale at Comixology this weekend (exp 11PM EDT 7/22). Included series are Batman and Ultimate Spiderman, with issues at 99 cents (and a couple are free). If you buy thru your iTunes account, you can use any gift cards there (including those bought at discounts thru Best Buy or other sources).

Additional formats on free books:

• Raven Strike (K/N/E)
• Guns (K/N/E/I)
• Life Sentences (K/N/E/I)
• Chasing Sunset (K/N/E)
• Messy Church (K/N/E)
• The Constantine Codex (K/N/E)
• Torch Red (N/E/DF))

The technical difficulties over on Sync with Antony & Cleopatra have been fixed. Be sure to download the audiobook by Wed (preferably before), as these don't stay up after the one-week promotion. If you managed to download the other Antony & Cleopatra audiobook, be sure to save a backup before trying to get the BBC performance (I'd rename it, in windows explorer, also, so the new edition can download) before trying to download the BBC edition or Overdrive will try to download the new book right over the top of the old one; the one you downloaded will still be playable in any MP3 player, but not in Overdrive once you download the BBC title (over at Overdrive, you'll probably find that the new version has been swapped in, already).

Today's Deals

Today's Kindle Deal of the Day is Five Contemporary Romance Novels in The Sullivans series by Bella Andre for $1.99 each. The author warns that this series contains "explicit language, very steamy love scenes...and lots of emotion!"

The Look of Love

With THE LOOK OF LOVE bestselling author Bella Andre introduces you to a fun and emotional contemporary romance series about the Sullivan family. Because when a Sullivan bad boy falls...he falls hard. And it's forever.

Chloe Peterson is having a bad night. A really bad night. The large bruise on her cheek can attest to that. And when her car skids off the side of a wet country road straight into a ditch, she’s convinced even the gorgeous guy who rescues her in the middle of the rain storm must be too good to be true. Or is he?

As a successful photographer who frequently travels around the world, Chase Sullivan has his pick of beautiful women, and whenever he’s home in San Francisco, one of his seven siblings is usually up for causing a little fun trouble. Chase thinks his life is great just as it is—until the night he finds Chloe and her totaled car on the side of the road in Napa Valley. Not only has he never met anyone so lovely, both inside and out, but he quickly realizes she has much bigger problems than her damaged car. Soon, he is willing to move mountains to love—and protect—her, but will she let him?

Chloe vows never to make the mistake of trusting a man again. Only, with every loving look Chase gives her—and every sinfully sweet caress—as the attraction between them sparks and sizzles, she can’t help but wonder if she’s met the only exception. And although Chase didn’t realize his life was going to change forever in an instant, amazingly, he isn’t the least bit interested in fighting that change. Instead, he’s gearing up for a different fight altogether…for Chloe’s heart.

From This Moment On

For thirty-six years, Marcus Sullivan has been the responsible older brother, stepping in to take care of his seven siblings after their father died when they were children. But when the perfectly ordered future he's planned for himself turns out to be nothing but a lie, Marcus needs one reckless night to shake free from it all.

Nicola Harding is known throughout the world by only one name - Nico - for her catchy, sensual pop songs. Only, what no one knows about the twenty-five year old singer is that her sex-kitten image is totally false. After a terrible betrayal by a man who loved fame far more than he ever loved her, she vows not to let anyone else get close enough to find out who she really is...or hurt her again. Especially not the gorgeous stranger she meets at a nightclub, even though the hunger - and the sinful promises - in his dark eyes make her want to spill all her secrets.

One night is all Nicola and Marcus agree to share with each other. But nothing goes as they plan when instead of simply tangling limbs, they find a deeper connection than either of them could have anticipated. And even though they both try to fight it, growing emotions - and sizzling attraction - keep drawing them closer together.

Close enough for them to wonder if stealing one more secret moment together can ever be enough?

Can't Help Falling In Love

Gabe Sullivan risks his life every day as a firefighter in San Francisco. But after learning a brutal lesson about professional boundaries, he knows better than to risk his heart to his fire victims ever again. Especially the brave mother and daughter he saved from a deadly apartment fire...and can't stop thinking about.

Megan Harris knows she owes the heroic firefighter everything for running into a burning building to save her and her seven-year-old daughter. Everything except her heart. Because after losing her navy pilot husband five years ago, she has vowed to never suffer through loving - and losing - a man with a dangerous job again.

Only, when Gabe and Megan meet again and uncontrollable flames of desire ignite between them, how can he possibly ignore her courage, determination, and beauty? And how can she deny not only his strong bond with her daughter…but the way his sweetly sensual kisses are challenging her to risk everything she’s been guarding for so long?

This winter, if one - or both - of them aren’t careful, they just might end up falling in love.

I Only Have Eyes For You

Sophie Sullivan, a librarian in San Francisco, was five years old when she fell head over heels in love with Jake McCann. Twenty years later, she’s convinced the notorious bad boy still sees her as the “nice” Sullivan twin. That is, when he bothers to look at her at all. But when they both get caught up in the magic of the first Sullivan wedding, she knows it’s long past time to do whatever it takes to make him see her for who she truly is...the woman who will love him forever.

Jake has always been a magnet for women, especially since his Irish pubs made him extremely wealthy. But the only woman he really wants is the one he can never have. Not only is Sophie his best friend’s off-limits younger sister...he can’t risk letting her get close enough to discover his deeply hidden secret.

Only, when Sophie appears on his doorstep as Jake’s every fantasy come to life—smart, beautiful, and shockingly sexy—he doesn’t have a prayer of taking his eyes, or his hands, off her. And he can’t stop craving more of her sweet smiles and sinful kisses. Because even though Jake knows loving Sophie isn’t the right thing to do...how can he possibly resist?

If You Were Mine

Can two people who have both sworn off love find forever in each other's arms? Find out in IF YOU WERE MINE, the fifth book in Bella Andre's bestselling Sullivan family contemporary romance series.

The last thing Zach Sullivan wants is to take care of his brother's new puppy for two weeks. Until he meets the dog trainer, that is. Heather is bright, beautiful, and he can't stop thinking about her. Unfortunately, she just might be the only woman on earth who wants nothing to do with him.

Heather Linsey can't believe she's stuck working with one of the city's top dogs, auto-shop tycoon Zach Sullivan. Especially when his focus is clear from the start—not only to learn how to deal with his temporary puppy...but also to make her his. Having sworn off love at seventeen when she realized it was nothing more than a pack of lies, Heather has stuck to her vow never to fall for a charming man.

But as Heather's determination to push Zach away only fuels his determination to get closer—and the sensual and emotional connection between them grows more and more undeniable—will the biggest Sullivan bad boy of all tempt her into believing in love again?

The Universe Inside You ($1.54 / £0.99 UK), by science journalist Brian Clegg, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $6.55).

Book Description
Fascinating facts and mind-boggling science of the human body. Built from the debris of exploding stars that floated through space for billions of years, home to a zoo of tiny aliens, and controlled by a brain with more possible connections than there are atoms in the universe, the human body is the most incredible thing in existence. In the sequel to his bestselling Inflight Science, Brian Clegg explores mitochondria, in-cell powerhouses which are thought to have once been separate creatures; how your eyes are quantum traps, consuming photons of light from the night sky that have traveled for millions of years; your many senses, which include the ability to detect warps in space and time, and why meeting an attractive person can turn you into a gibbering idiot.

The Princess Bride ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), by William Goldman, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle. I have an older edition in my library, in the topaz format, but this is newer and presumably updated (and is MOBI formatted, instead).

Book Description
William Goldman's modern fantasy classic is a simple, exceptional story about quests—for riches, revenge, power, and, of course, true love—that's thrilling and timeless.

Anyone who lived through the 1980s may find it impossible—inconceivable, even—to equate The Princess Bride with anything other than the sweet, celluloid romance of Westley and Buttercup, but the film is only a fraction of the ingenious storytelling you'll find in these pages. Rich in character and satire, the novel is set in 1941 and framed cleverly as an “abridged” retelling of a centuries-old tale set in the fabled country of Florin that's home to “Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions.”

The Maze of Bones ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), the first title in The 39 Clues series by Rick Riordan, is the Nook Daily Find for Families, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
The first book in this groundbreaking multimedia series sends readers around the world on the hunt for the 39 Clues. Written by #1 NYT bestseller Rick Riordan, and backed by $100,000 in prizes!Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her decendants an impossible decision: "You have a choice - one million dollars or a clue."Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world's most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39 Clues hidden around the world will reveal the family's secret, but no one has been able to assemble them. Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what's important: hunting clues or uncovering what REALLY happened to their parents.