Today's Deals 3/9, Part II

Amazon has matched the Nook Daily Find price on Losing It, by Cora Carmack ($1.99).

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is The Whistling Season ($1.99), by Ivan Doig [Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]. We generally pick up all of this author's books (which used to be much harder to find, pre-Kindle), as he was hubby's classmate and writes about the area where they both grew up.

Book Description
Can't cook but doesn't bite." So begins the newspaper ad offering the services of an "A-1 housekeeper, sound morals, exceptional disposition" that draws the hungry attention of widower Oliver Milliron in the fall of 1909. And so begins the unforgettable season that deposits the noncooking, nonbiting, ever-whistling Rose Llewellyn and her font-of-knowledge brother, Morris Morgan, in Marias Coulee along with a stampede of homesteaders drawn by the promise of the Big Ditch-a gargantuan irrigation project intended to make the Montana prairie bloom. When the schoolmarm runs off with an itinerant preacher, Morris is pressed into service, setting the stage for the "several kinds of education"-none of them of the textbook variety-Morris and Rose will bring to Oliver, his three sons, and the rambunctious students in the region's one-room schoolhouse. A paean to a vanished way of life and the eccentric individuals and idiosyncratic institutions that made it fertile, The Whistling Season is Ivan Doig at his evocative best.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Bloodlines ($2.99), by Richelle Mead [Penguin], author the Vampire Academy series.

Book Description
The first book in Richelle Mead's New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series--now in paperback [sic]

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive--this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

Originally released as a Kindle Serial, today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Monstrous ($1.99), by Sean Platt and David W. Wright [47North].

Book Description
They say that behind every comedian lurks a tortured soul…

Yet, comedian Henry Black finally has everything he’s always dreamed of: a thriving career, and a wife and daughter who he loves more than life itself. After years of struggle, he finally has it made.

Until three men force their way into his home, killing Henry and destroying the safe, comfortable world he has built for his family.

But that is only the beginning of his hellish torment. He wakes in purgatory, where he’s met by two men, both offering a choice. Randall offers a chance at heaven. Boothe, however, offers something far more tempting—a chance to go back to his life.

A chance to see if his family is okay.

For Henry, there is no choice. He accepts Boothe’s deal. But with every deal comes a price: his body is twisted to match his sins, and Henry is no longer the man his wife remembered—Henry is no longer a man at all.

He is monstrous.

Thrust into darkness and madness—unable to be with the people he loves—Henry embraces his new form, and his new supernatural abilities, and does the only thing he can: avenge his murder. But as Henry grows closer to the truth of what happened on that terrible night, he grows further from his humanity.

How far will he go to seek revenge?

And is he willing to sacrifice his soul?

From the authors who brought you Z 2134, Yesterday’s Gone, and ForNevermore, comes another dark tale sure to keep you waiting for the next episode.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is eight beloved Ramona Quimby books (a National "PTA Family Favorites" series) by Beverly Cleary and Tracy Dockray [HarperCollins], for $1.99 each.

Ramona Quimby, Age 8

Riding the school bus alone isn't the only new experience making third grade exciting for Ramona Quimby. From befriending a boy called Yard Ape to delivering her book report in the style of a television commercial, Ramona's enthusiasm for life is infectious and irresistible.

That's not to say all is perfect. Having to go to the Kemps' house after school is Ramona's own particular burden—especially the chore of being nice to pesky little Willa Jean. When Ramona gets sick and throws up in class, she feels as though things can't get worse!

In this Newbery Honor Book, newly illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers, Beverly Cleary lovingly chronicles Ramona's experiences as she faces all of her third-grade challenges with imagination and determination.

Ramona the Brave

Bravely and fearlessly, Ramona Quimby approaches first grade, but in short order she's upset by her mother's return to work, a teacher who doesn't understand her, and what appear to be monsters under the bed. What else could possibly go wrong?

Well, plenty. Whether she's proudly defending older sister Beezus from the taunts of sixth-grade boys or enduring a copycat classmate, Ramona has never felt so misunderstood. Will she give in to her frights—or will she exhibit the spunk her family warmly believes she possesses?

Beverly Cleary draws a loving portrait of a little girl learning to face down her fears. With lively new illustrations by Jacqueline Rogers, this vibrant edition of Ramona the Brave is a delight.

Ramona's World

Ramona Quimby is sure fourth grade will be "the best year of her life, so far." She can show off her calluses from swinging on the rings in the park, sit across the aisle from the boy she calls Yard Ape, and enjoy her cheerful new teacher, Mrs. Meacham. Most exciting of all, Ramona has a new best friend, Daisy.

Fourth grade doesn't turn out quite the way Ramona has hoped. Mrs. Meacham wants her to improve her spelling. Ramona also must be a good role model for her baby sister, Roberta. And Mrs. Quimby wants her to spend more time with, the super-perfect Susan. Fourth-grade life isn't always easy, but it's full of adventure, and at the end of it all- a "zeroteenth" birthday to celebrate!

Ramona Forever

Ramona's third-grade year is off with a bang when Howie Kemp's rich uncle Hobart returns from abroad. From all the whispers between Mrs. Quimby and Ramona's aunt Beatrice, it's clear that the grown-ups have a secret—but whether it's to do with Uncle Hobart or Mrs. Quimby's suspicious tummy bulge remains to be seen.

Ramona has a lot on her mind: Beezus's teenage moods are driving everyone crazy, family pet Picky-picky hasn't been looking too well, and Mr. Quimby's new job offer might mean a big move. But all these worries vanish in the light of not one, but two exciting announcements.

Beverly Cleary's beloved Ramona Forever is as timeless as its title. In this new edition, with fresh, funny illustrations by Jacqueline Rogers, Ramona Geraldine Quimby is pesty, brave, blunderful, and wonderful—forever!

Ramona and Her Father

Ramona Quimby's cozy seven-year-old world changes when her father unexpectedly loses his job. Quickly, Ramona resolves to do her part to help make ends meet, but her grand plan to star in a TV commercial backfires!

Despite Ramona's efforts to keep her father—and her family—cheerful, weeks go by as Mr. Quimby is unable to find work, and bills and worries pile up. As Christmas approaches, Ramona crosses out every item on her wish list, keeping only "one happy family" as her heart's desire.

Beverly Cleary's Ramona and Her Father is a Newbery Honor Book and has been called "true, warm-hearted, and funny" by ALA Booklist. In this glowing edition with lively new illustrations by Jacqueline Rogers, Ramona's spunky, generous spirit shines.

Ramona and Her Mother

Ramona Quimby is seven and a half—"right now," as she likes to say. She's growing up every day and that brings many changes, including new pajamas so cozy that Ramona wears them under her clothes to school.

But even though Ramona's getting bigger, she sometimes feels left out of the more grown-up relationship between her older sister, Beezus, and their busy working mom. Mrs. Quimby tells friends she "couldn't get along without Beezus," but does this mean she doesn't need Ramona?

With affectionate humor, Beverly Cleary shows Ramona—and us—just how much her mother loves her. Jacqueline Rogers's spirited illustrations make this new edition of Ramona and Her Mother one that readers will cherish.

Beezus and Ramona

Four-year-old Ramona Quimby has an imagination that often leads to unintended trouble. She mortifies older sister Beezus at the library; disrupts an entire art class; and one rainy day, invites all her neighborhood friends over for a party—without even asking her mother.

Sometimes Beezus can be patient with Ramona. After all, they are sisters. But when Ramona almost ruins Beezus's birthday, it's the last straw. Beezus knows she ought to love Ramona—but how can she get along with someone so exasperating?

In this tale of two sisters, Beverly Cleary writes with sympathy for Beezus and affection for Ramona. Newly illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers, Beezus and Ramona proves that the Quimby girls don't have to be alike in order to be unforgettable.

Ramona the Pest

Ramona has been waiting years just to get to kindergarten, and once she's there she wants everyone to know it. She pretends to snore during quiet time to prove what a good rester she is. She yanks on prissy classmate Susan's curls—not to be mean, but because their "boinginess" is so tempting. And she gleefully plays the baddest witch on Halloween.

Big sister Beezus and others call her Ramona the Pest. Perhaps they don't understand that a littler person sometimes has to be "a little bit noisier and a little bit more stubborn in order to be noticed at all."

Beloved author Beverly Cleary documents Ramona's hilarious—and heartwarming—struggles to make her way in a perplexing world. With gloriously fresh illustrations by Jacqueline Rogers created for this new edition, Ramona the Pest is the perfect tale for the spirited five-year-old in all of us.

Today's Deals 3/9, Part I

Amazon is running behind on posting their Daily Deals again today, so I'm listing just the UK and Nook Daily deals and will catch the others up later in the morning.

Losing It ($5.99 Kindle, $1.99 B&N), the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller by Cora Carmack, is the Nook Daily Find.

Book Description
Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible—a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half a brain would ever believe.

And as if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theater professor.

She'd left him naked in her bed about eight hours earlier. . . .

Keeping Secrets (£0.99 UK), by Sue Gee, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (no US edition).

Book Description
Keeping Secrets is the absorbing story of two very different sisters: of their complex relationships with each other, with the men they love, and with their children. Hilda is clever, purposeful, self contained, a woman whose ordered life is focused on her teaching career, who lives alone and who, until she meets Stephen, a married man, has successfully kept emotion at a distance. In contrast, her younger sister Alice is someone whose feelings have always threatened to overwhelm her. She has always felt in Hilda’s shadow, and her uncertainty and insecurity have receded only with the love of her husband, Tony, and the birth of her children.

When she discovers that Hilda has decided to have Stephen’s child she feels her territory is being invaded, and all her anxieties resurface. But as the birth of her baby draws near, Hilda’s own problems emerge. She comes to realise that there are limits to her self-sufficiency, and that her relationship with Stephen is not as perfect as she had though. Meanwhile, Stephen’s wife Miriam, physically and emotionally isolated at their house in Norfolk, has kept her own secrets, and made her own discoveries. As the hot summer wears on, the lives of all three women come to a turning point, with a climax which none of them has envisaged.

From the author of Spring Will Be Ours, this poignant novel explores the dilemma of the single woman who longs to have a child, and finds no easy solutions.

Bargain Book Trio

Beat the Reaper ($2.99 Kindle), by Josh Bazell. This is a stand-alone novel (so far; a series seems to be in the works) and appears to be a fairly funny read, with a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

Book Description
Dr. Peter Brown is an intern at Manhattan's worst hospital, with a talent for medicine, a shift from hell, and a past he'd prefer to keep hidden. Whether it's a blocked circumflex artery or a plan to land a massive malpractice suit, he knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men.

Pietro "Bearclaw" Brnwna is a hitman for the mob, with a genius for violence, a well-earned fear of sharks, and an overly close relationship with the Federal Witness Relocation Program. More likely to leave a trail of dead gangsters than a molecule of evidence, he's the last person you want to see in your hospital room.

Nicholas LoBrutto, aka Eddy Squillante, is Dr. Brown's new patient, with three months to live and a very strange idea: that Peter Brown and Pietro Brnwa might-just might-be the same person ...

Now, with the mob, the government, and death itself descending on the hospital, Peter has to buy time and do whatever it takes to keep his patients, himself, and his last shot at redemption alive. To get through the next eight hours-and somehow beat the reaper.

Spattered in adrenaline-fueled action and bone-saw-sharp dialogue, BEAT THE REAPER is a debut thriller so utterly original you won't be able to guess what happens next, and so shockingly entertaining you won't be able to put it down.

A Life in Stitches: Knitting My Way Through Love, Loss, and Laughter ($1.99 Kindle), by Rachael Herron

Book Description
In these 20 heartfelt essays, Rachael Herron celebrated romance novelist by day, 911 dispatcher by night, shows how when life unravels there s always a way to knit it back together again, many times into something even better. Honest, funny, and full of warmth, Herron s tales, each inspired by something she knit or something knit for her, will speak to anyone who has ever picked up a pair of needles. From her very first sweater (a hilarious disaster, to say the least) to the yellow afghan that caused a breakup (and, ultimately, a breakthrough), every piece has a moving story behind it. This beautifully crafted and candid collection is perfect for the knitter who loves to read and the reader who loves to knit.

My last selection isn't a single book, but the first four books of Lisa Black's Theresa MacLean series. Unlike the top two, these four are also on sale at Kobo, giving your an EPUB option, as well. The fifth in the series, Blunt Impact, is coming out in April, but so far only has a pre-order page for the Hardcover edition. I have the first two in the series, from pre-Kindle days, but this looks like a good time to pick up the missing volumes.

In the tradition of Kathy Reichs and Jeffery Deaver, a talented novelist introduces a gutsy forensic investigator caught in the middle of an explosive crisis.

Takeover ($1.99 Kindle, Kobo)

Early one Thursday morning, forensic scientist Theresa MacLean is called to the scene of a gruesome murder. The body of a man has been found on the front lawn of a house in suburban Cleveland, the back of his head bashed in. Although it's not the best start to her day, Theresa has been through worse. What unfolds during the next eight hours, though, is nothing she could ever have imagined.

Downtown at the Federal Reserve Bank, her police detective fiancé is taken hostage with six others in a robbery masterminded by two clever criminals. When she arrives at the scene, Theresa discovers that the police have brought in the city's best hostage negotiator: handsome, high-profile Chris Cavanaugh. He hasn't lost a victim yet, but Theresa wonders if he might be too arrogant to save the day this time around.

When her fiancé is injured, she seizes the opportunity to trade places with him. Once on the inside, she will use all her wiles, experience, and technical skills to gain control of the situation. But what initially appears to be a bank heist turns into something far more complex and deadly, and Theresa must decide how much more she is willing to sacrifice in order to save the lives of innocent people as well as her own.

Evidence of Murder ($1.99 Kindle, Kobo)

Lisa Black, a former forensic scientist whose electrifying thrillers bear the indelible mark of authenticity, brings us Evidence of Murder—a riveting tale of crime and detection sure to enthrall fans of Patricia Cornwell and TV’s C.S.I. New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen calls Black’s new novel, “another tense and unputdownable thriller. She is, quite simply, one of the best storytellers around.” Evidence of Murder delivers that and more—as returning heroine, forensic investigator Theresa MacLean, looks into the death of a young mother that may have terrifying consequences for an innocent child.

Trail of Blood ($1.99 Kindle, Kobo)

Seventy-five years ago, a madman nicknamed the Torso Killer terrorized Cleveland. His horrific spree lasted four years and crisscrossed the entire city. Overall, he was credited with more than a dozen murders. And he was never caught.

Today, forensic scientist Theresa MacLean is called to an abandoned building where a desiccated, decapitated body has been found in a room that's been sealed off for years. Although there's no immediate proof, everyone assumes the same thing: that the newly discovered corpse was a Torso Killer victim. The body has decayed beyond recognition, leaving few forensic clues, but Theresa sees this as an opportunity to shed some light on a big piece of Cleveland's past that until now has been shrouded in mystery.

But then another body—this one recently deceased—turns up, and all signs at the scene seem to indicate the work of a new Torso Killer. Suddenly, Theresa's investigation takes on a whole new meaning. Her examination of the old body has opened a door to the past—a door someone wanted to keep closed—and she shifts her focus from solving a historical puzzle to catching a very dangerous, present-day psychopath.

But as the body count rises, Theresa finds herself nearer to danger than she ever imagined. For the killer is keeping a watchful eye on Theresa, and she begins to feel his presence everywhere. Each step brings them closer and closer to each other—at one point separated by no more than a speeding train in a railroad switchyard—as Theresa scours the city in her hunt for a murderous lunatic intent on reliving a terrifying past.

Defensive Wounds ($1.99 Kindle, Kobo)

In this fourth novel in Lisa Black’s captivating suspense series, forensic investigator Theresa MacLean finds herself embroiled in a case in which high-powered defense attorneys start turning up dead.

When Marie Corrigan, a Cleveland defense attorney with a history of falsifying evidence, is found dead at the Ritz-Carlton, most would agree that she had it coming. Before entering the crime scene, Theresa knows she’s walking into a forensic nightmare—for hotels are teeming with trace evidence. But what she finds is even worse than she imagined.

Then two more bodies show up in quick succession, and Theresa’s investigation takes on a whole new urgency as authorities suspect they have a serial killer on their hands. But as she searches for the connection between the victims, Theresa begins to fear that both she and her daughter are closer to danger than they realize. And a mother will stop at nothing to protect the life of her child.

Free Nook App - OfficeSuite Professional 7

OfficeSuite Professional 7 ($14.99 Amazon), by Mobile Systems, Inc, is the very first Free Friday App from Barnes & Noble. This was a Free App of the Day selection from Amazon a couple of years ago, so I already have this for my other Android devices, but B&N's tablets are a closed environment: only the apps from the B&N store are easily loaded (unless you dual-boot or root the device, of course). This is a no-brainer, must get, for those who have a B&N Tablet, but not of much use to those with a Kindle Fire or generic Android Tablet. BTW, if you've been considering a Nook HD+, then B&N is running a promotion, both instore and online, that gives a $50 credit to spend in the Nook Store with purchase (be sure to use the coupon code and you only have 30 days to use the credit).

App Description
OfficeSuite is the user's choice and best-selling app in mobile office solutions with over 15 million downloads and over 15,000 reviews on Google Play and Amazon. A number of manufacturers such as Sony, Amazon, Coby, Alcatel, Archos, Barnes and Noble, Pandigital, Polaroid, ViewSonic, Kyocera, Kobo trusted MobiSystems and preloaded OfficeSuite on over 70 million devices worldwide.

Get the free App from Barnes & Noble. I don't know if B&N's store will let you purchase the app without also owning a Nook tablet (neither Amazon nor Google will let you buy an app without a compatible device), but it's worth trying if you are thinking about getting one.

Today's Deals 3/8, Part II

It turns out, Amazon's Kids Daily Deal is I Hunt Killers ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), a young adult novel by Barry Lyga, the same as the Nook Daily Find (which partly explains why it dropped at Amazon before it did at B&N).

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Alarm of War ($1.99), by Kennedy Hudner.

Book Description
Intrigue. Betrayal. A devastating surprise attack and a frantic fight to survive.
Gritty warfare in space as four young officers respond to the alarm of war.

Four officer cadets in the Victorian Fleet meet in training camp. Emily, the young woman who dreams of becoming a Fleet historian, but discovers her real talents lay elsewhere. Grant, the arrogant son of Victoria’s most famous admiral. Hiram, the nervous but brilliant strategist, and Cookie, intent on joining the Fleet Marines. Together, they survive the trials and hardships of training to join the Fleet, unaware that that their home is about to be plunged into a maelstrom.
For three hundred years, the Kingdom of Victoria has enforced peace across the galaxy. But it has grown complacent, and its enemies are ready to strike. The Tilleke Empire and the Dominion of Unified Citizenry have been waiting a long time, and now is their chance. As their web draws closed around Victoria, the band of new officers find themselves on the last line of defense. They’ve been well trained – but will it be enough to save the kingdom?

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen ($1.99), by Mary Sharratt [Houghton Mifflin Harcourt].

Book Description
A triumphant portrait of a resilient and courageous woman and the life she might have lived...

Skillfully interweaving historical fact with psychological insight and vivid imagination, Sharratt’s redemptive novel, Illuminations, brings to life one of the most extraordinary women of the Middle Ages: Hildegard von Bingen, Benedictine abbess, visionary, and polymath.

Offered to the Church at the age of eight, Hildegard was entombed in a small room where she was expected to live out her days in silent submission as the handmaiden of a renowned but disturbed young nun, Jutta von Sponheim. Instead, Hildegard rejected Jutta’s masochistic piety and found comfort and grace in studying books, growing herbs, and rejoicing in her own secret visions of the divine. When Jutta died some thirty years later, Hildegard broke out of her prison with the heavenly calling to speak and write about her visions and to liberate her sisters and herself from the soul-destroying anchorage. Riveting and utterly unforgettable, Illuminations is a deeply moving portrayal of a woman willing to risk everything for what she believed.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is The Cowboy and the Princess ($1.99), a Jubilee, Texas novel by Lori Wilde (HarperCollins).

Book Description
Welcome back to Jubilee, Texas, where New York Times bestselling author Lori Wilde romantically pairs a beautifully princess with Texas royalty: a rugged, totally hot, real-live cowboy! Wilde’s Jubilee novels celebrate homespun, small-town love—a treat for readers of the contemporary romance fiction of Sherryl Woods, Susan Wiggs and Susan Mallery—and her sexy cowboy heroes are sure to make Linda Lael Miller fans swoon. Nobody can resist these handsome, muscular, outdoorsy American icons, especially not the royal runaway bride in The Cowboy and the Princess, who unexpectedly finds her heart’s true desire in blue jeans smack-dab in the middle of America’s Southwest. You won’t want to miss the fireworks when these two worlds romantically collide!