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Sunday, May 5, 2013

Nook Daily Find 5/5

Wind Dancer ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Jamie Carie [B&H Books], is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.
Book Description
Raised in a British-held frontier town during the American Revolution, Isabelle Renoir is not like other women around her. A free spirit, she dances in the moonlight as a praise offering to God and is more at home fearlessly taking her long rifle and knife into the woods for adventure and inspiration.

But Isabelle’s latest journey may be more than even her strength can handle when a huge storm throws the raven-haired beauty off course and into the path of rugged American spy Samuel Holt. After matching wits and denying their passion for each other, they are attacked by Indians, held prisoner, and forced to watch the horrific killing of Isabelle’s brother. Now together but in captivity, they must fight spiritual forces that no knife or rifle could ever conquer in order to be free.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Kindle Daily Deals 5/4

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Maisy Goes Camping ($1.99), by Lucy Cousins [Candlewick].
Book Description
When Maisy sets off to go camping in the country, it’s only natural that all her friends come along, too. But they soon find that pitching a tent is not an easy thing to do. Even if they do manage to keep the tent up, there’s the matter of fitting them all in — Maisy, Charley, Cyril, Tallulah, and finally, the huge elephant, Eddie. What a squeezy squish-squash! Good night, campers! Uh-oh-what’s that popping sound?

Age Range: 2 and up

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is A Prayer for Owen Meany ($1.99), by John Irving [HarperCollins].
Book Description
I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice—not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.

In the summer of 1953, two eleven-year-old boys—best friends—are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy's mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn't believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after that 1953 foul ball is extraordinary.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Crystal Flame ($1.99), by Jayne Ann Krentz [backlist/Purple Papaya].
Book Description
Kalena is focused on a single task…the assassination of the man who destroyed her family. Once he is gone, she will live her life as a free woman. She just has to extract herself from an arranged Trade Marriage first. She has a plan for that.

Her husband, Ridge, works for Quintel, the man Kalena has been sent to kill. Ridge is the Fire Whip, Quintel’s enforcer, and not exactly the type to become involved in a Trade Marriage with an innocent country girl. But he looks forward to instructing Kalena in her wifely duties.

Kalena and Ridge have no plans for a lasting relationship, but the success of their mission depends on learning to trust each other and the passion that flares between them.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is 10 Star Wars books for $1.99 apiece, blowing the Nook Daily Find selection out of the galaxy!

I'm listing below the additional nine titles on the Kindle Deal, which include both text novels and graphic novels; the latter are an especially good deal at this price, as they are often at or above $10 in price. May the 4th be with you!

Darth Plagueis: Star Wars by James Luceno [Random House]
He was the most powerful Sith lord who ever lived.
But could he be the only one who never died?

“Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? It’s a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise that he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.”
—Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith

Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived. Possessing power is all he desires. Losing it is the only thing he fears. As an apprentice, he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith. And when the time is right, he destroys his Master—but vows never to suffer the same fate. For like no other disciple of the dark side, Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power . . . over life and death.

Darth Sidious: Plagueis’s chosen apprentice. Under the guidance of his Master, he secretly studies the ways of the Sith, while publicly rising to power in the galactic government, first as Senator, then as Chancellor, and eventually as Emperor.

Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, Master and acolyte, target the galaxy for domination—and the Jedi Order for annihilation. But can they defy the merciless Sith tradition? Or will the desire of one to rule supreme, and the dream of the other to live forever, sow the seeds of their destruction?

Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!
Tatooine Ghost: Star Wars by Troy Denning [Random House]
Han Solo and Leia Organa take center stage, and stunning revelations from the past play a critical role in shaping the future, as the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Star by Star now turns to a crucial chapter in the classic Star Wars saga.

The deaths of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, and victory at the Battle of Endor by no means spelled the end of the Empire. In the aftermath, the New Republic has faced a constant struggle to survive and grow. And now a new threat looms: a masterpiece of Alderaanian art—lost in transit after the planet’s destruction—has resurfaced on the black market. Offered at auction, it will command a handsome price . . . but its greatest value lies in the vital secret it conceals—the key to a code used to communicate with New Republic agents deep undercover within the Empire. Discovery of the key by Imperial forces would spell certain disaster. The only option is recovery—and Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO have been dispatched to Tatooine to infiltrate the auction.

But trouble is waiting when they arrive: an Imperial Star Destroyer is orbiting Tatooine on the lookout for Rebels; a mysterious stranger at the auction seems to recognize Leia; and an Imperial officer’s aggressive bidding for the Alderaanian painting could foil the Solos’ mission. When a dispute erupts into violence, and the painting vanishes in the chaos, Han and Leia are thrust into a desperate race to reclaim it—before Imperial troops or a band of unsavory treasure-peddlers get there first.

Dangerous as the chase is, for Leia it leads into especially dark territory. Already haunted by the specter of her infamous father, and fearful that his evil may infect future generations, she has suffered a disturbing Force-vision of Luke turning to the dark side. As she battles beside Han against marauding TIE fighters, encroaching stormtroopers, and Tatooine’s savage Tusken Raiders, Leia’s struggle with the warring emotions inside her culminates in the discovery of an extraordinary link to the past. And as long-buried secrets and truths at last emerge, she faces a moment of reckoning that will forever alter her destiny . . . and that of the New Republic.
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #1 - Force Storm by John Ostrander, Randy Stradley, Jan Duursema and Dan Parsons [Dark Horse Comics]
Here begins the tale of the dawn of the Jedi, the Star Wars of 25,000 years ago—before lightsabers, before hyperspace travel, before the Jedi spread throughout the galaxy, when connections to the Force were new.

On the planet Tython, a group of beings—scientists, philosophers, and warriors—strive to maintain peace and to balance the mystifying power known as the Force. But a stranger is coming, one who will disrupt the balance with his arrival and his own connection to the Force. Everything in their system is about to change . . . The doors to the galaxy have been opened! Collects Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi—Force Storm #1–#5.
Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command by Haden Blackman, Rick Leonardi, Dan Green and Michael Kutsch [Dark Horse Comics]
Still haunted by the death of Anakin Skywalker's beloved Padmé in Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vader is tasked with a mission to locate a lost Imperial expeditionary force—led by the son of Vader's rising nemesis, Moff Tarkin. But the perils of Vader's journey into the unexplored Ghost Nebula are compounded by traitors among his crew and the presence of the system's religious leader, Lady Saro.

• Collects the five-issue miniseries.
• Written by The Force Unleashed's Haden Blackman!
• Art by Rick Leonardi of Aliens vs. Predator: Three World War!
The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force by Daniel Wallace, Paul Allan Ballard, Jeff Carlisle and Tommy Lee Edwards [becker&mayer! Press]
Unlock the secrets and share in the knowledge that has educated generations of Jedi—from the history and hierarchy of the Jedi Order to the mastery of the Force and the nuances of lightsaber combat.

Handed down from Master to Padawan, each Jedi who has held and studied this copy has annotated the pages—adding his or her personal experiences and lessons they’ve learned. This copy is now passed to you.
Path of Destruction: Star Wars (Darth Bane): A Novel of the Old Republic by Drew Karpyshyn [Random House]
Once the Sith order teemed with followers. But their rivalries divided them in endless battles for supremacy. Until one dark lord at last united the Sith in the quest to enslave the galaxy–and exterminate the Jedi. Yet it would fall to another, far more powerful than the entire Brotherhood of Darkness, to ultimately realize the full potential of the Sith, and wield the awesome power of the dark side as never before.

Since childhood, Dessel has known only the abuse of his hateful father and the dangerous, soul-crushing labor of a cortosis miner. Deep in the tunnels of the desolate planet Apatros, endlessly excavating the rare mineral valued throughout the galaxy, Dessel dreams of the day he can escape–a day he fears may never come. But when a high-stakes card game ends in deadly violence, Dessel suddenly finds himself a wanted man.

On the run from vengeful Republic forces, Dessel vanishes into the ranks of the Sith army, and ships out to join the bloody war against the Republic and its Jedi champions. There, Dessel’s brutality, cunning, and exceptional command of the Force swiftly win him renown as a warrior. But in the eyes of his watchful masters, he is destined for a far greater role in the ultimate Sith plan for the galaxy–if he can prove himself truly worthy.

As an acolyte in the Sith academy, studying the secrets and skills of the dark side at the feet of its greatest masters, Dessel embraces his new Sith identity: Bane. However the true test is yet to come. In order to gain acceptance into the Brotherhood of Darkness one must fully surrender to the dark side through a trial by fire that Bane, for all his unquenchable fury and lust for power, may not be strong enough to endure . . . especially since deception, treachery, and murder run rampant among the Sith disciples, and utter ruthlessness alone is the key to survival. Only by defying the most sacred traditions, rejecting all he has been taught, and drawing upon the long-forgotten wisdom of the very first Sith can Bane hope to triumph–and forge from the ashes of that which he must destroy a new era of absolute dark power.
Star Wars: Legacy #1 - Broken by John Ostrander, Jan Duursema, Dan Parsons and Adam Hughes [Dark Horse Comics]
The future of Star Wars is here in an all-new adventure set more than a century after Return of the Jedi and the New Jedi Order!

The Jedi Temple is attacked, an Emperor is betrayed, and the Sith are born anew! A lot can happen in a hundred years, but that's just the beginning of the story! Not since Luke Skywalker first stepped aboard the Millennium Falcon has the galaxy seemed like such a vast, exciting, dangerous place!

Readers will meet a host of new characters, see fleets of new spaceships, and visit scores of exotic locations—some new and some familiar.

This is a perfect jumping-on point for any reader.

• Collects issues #1-#3 and #5-#7 of the Legacy series.
Star Wars: Agent of the Empire-Iron Eclipse by John Ostrander, Stephane Roux, Stéphane Créty and Julien Hugonnard-Bert [Dark Horse Comics]
Imperial power is at its height. With Palpatine on the throne and his chief enforcer, Darth Vader, leading fleets of Star Destroyers and legions of stormtroopers across the galaxy, the Empire is an unstoppable force for order and peace.

But not every political problem requires military might; not every negotiation depends on a show of force. Sometimes all diplomacy needs to succeed is the right man, in the right place, with the willingness to get the job done. No matter what it takes. Collects Star Wars: Agent of the Empire—Iron Eclipse #1–#5.
Star Wars: Empire # 1 - Betrayal by Scott Allie, Ryan Benjamin and Brian Horton [Dark Horse Comics]
In the weeks before the events in Star Wars: A New Hope, as the Death Star is readied for its fateful first mission, a power-hungry cabal of Grand Mofs and Imperial Officers embark on a dangerous plan to kill Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader and seize control of the Empire!

When word that a "Jedi" has made an appearance on a backwater world lures Vader away from his master, the cabal makes its move. But even the galaxy isn't enough of a prize to sate the ambitions of some of the conspirators, and before long the would-be assassins are turning on one another. Their plans are further complicated by the actions of bounty hunter Boba Fett. And, of course, they may have fatally underestimated the cunning of their primary target: Emperor Palpatine!

Nook Daily Find 5/4

Heir to the Empire ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), the first title in the Star Wars Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

For the true Star Wars fan, Amazon has several discounts going on, this week only: 53% off on the Star Wars Trilogies on Blu-Ray, up to 60% off Family Guy Star Wars titles and 50% off on three Star Wars books, including Star Wars: The Blueprints.
Book Description
It's five years after Return of the Jedi: the Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and driven out the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet to a distant corner of the galaxy. Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting Jedi Twins. And Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of Jedi Knights. But thousand of light-years away, the last of the emperor's warlords has taken command of the shattered Imperial Fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the new Republic. For this dark warrior has made two vital discoveries that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to build. The explosive confrontation that results is a towering epic of action, invention, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale--in short, a story worthy of the name Star Wars.

Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!

UK Kindle Daily Deal 5/4

The Breadmakers Saga (£0.99 UK), by Margaret Thomson-Davis, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $5.99).
Book Description
The Breadmaker’s Saga follows the story of a Glasgow working class community living through the dark days of the Depression and the Second World War. Clydend, McNair’s Bakery and the surrounding tenements, are all vividly and absorbingly depicted, as are the lives and loves of people like Catriona, a young woman trying to cope with an overbearing husband; the foreman baker Baldy Fowler and his tragic wife, Sarah; Alec Jackson, the philandering insurance salesman; and a host of other colourful characters, who face up to the ordinary challenges of life and the extraordinary challenges of war with honesty, optimism and hope.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Fishy Friday Bargain Book Roundup


Save 50% on all Ebooks and Videos to celebrate Day Against DRM
Over at O'Reilly Books, they are celebrating the Day Against DRM and you can get 50% off a DRM-Free ebook (and their entire catalog is DRM-Free) using coupon code DRM2013;orders over $60 get 60% off, today only. Remember, you also get lifetime updates on any of your purchases at O'Reilly.

Fish Grilled & Smoked: 150 Recipes for Cooking Rich, Flavorful Fish on the Backyard Grill, Streamside, or in a Home Smoker ($2.99 Kindle), by John Manikowski [Storey Publishing]
Book Description
Master fisherman and chef John Manikowski offers seafood lovers 150 succulent recipes for cooking just about anything that swims, including freshwater fish, ocean fish, and shellfish, as well as fish-friendly condiments, sauces, side dishes, and desserts. He even suggests beers and wines that pair well with his dishes. In addition to recipes, you'll find step-by-step instructions for rigging a smoker streamside, operating a smoker at home, and building a full-size backyard smokehouse. You'll even learn which species of fish are best for smoking, and you'll discover the secret of Manikowski's delicious and innovative "soft smoke" method.

Serendip: Fish and Seafood ($4.99 Kindle), by Peter Kuruvita [Murdoch Books]
Book Description
In Serendip: Fish & Seafood, Peter Kuruvita, acclaimed chef from Flying Fish in Sydney, takes us on a rich and rewarding journey through the traditional cuisine of Sri Lanka, its culture of family and ceremony, and the colourful approach to life on this beautiful island nation. Offering Sri Lankan seafood curries such as White Curry and Jardi well as recipes for curry powders, chutneys, sambals and pickles, Serendip: Fish & Seafood is a treasury of delicious and flavoursome dishes.

All the Lives He Led ($3.45 Kindle), by Frederik Pohl [Macmillan]. This has been falling in price along with the paper edition, so could jump back up at any time.
Book Description
Two thousand years after Pompeii’s destruction, a thriller of upheaval—volcanic and political—as only SF Grandmaster Frederik Pohl can write it!

With a keen eye for the humanity in any situation, science fiction icon Frederik Pohl has crafted a compelling new novel of a not-too-distant future we can only hope is merely science fiction.

When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. it gave so little warning that Pompeiians were caught unawares, and many bodies were preserved in volcanic ash. Two thousand years later, in 2079, Pompeii is a popular theme park eagerly anticipating Il Giubeleo, the Jubilee celebration of the great anniversary. But Vesuvius is still capable of erupting, and even more threatening are terrorists who want to use the occasion to draw attention to their cause by creating a huge disaster. As the fateful day draws near, people from all over the world—workers, tourists, terrorists—caught in the shadow of the volcano will grapple with upheaval both natural and political.

At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.

The Magician's Assistant ($2.51 Kindle), by Ann Patchett [Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]
Book Description
Sabine-- twenty years a magician's assistant to her handsome, charming husband-- is suddenly a widow. In the wake of his death, she finds he has left a final trick; a false identity and a family allegedly lost in a tragic accident but now revealed as very much alive and well. Named as heirs in his will, they enter Sabine's life and set her on an adventure of unraveling his secrets, from sunny Los Angeles to the windswept plains of Nebraska, that will work its own sort of magic on her.

Alien Sex: 19 Tales by the Masters of Science Fiction and Dark Fantasy ($2.99 Kindle), edited by Ellen Datlow [Open Road]. As always from this publisher, I can recommend this for any SciFi/Fantasy short story fans. You can see a complete list of the stories and authors included by clicking the book's cover at Amazon and using the Look Inside feature.
Book Description
Harlan Ellison, Richard Christian Matheson, Connie Willis, and many more contribute to a compelling psychological exploration of the many shades of love

An incubus disguised as a high school girl puts a disturbing spin on the teacher/student fantasy. An engineer creates a robot with unexpected consequences during the end of the world. A man becomes the pet of alien invaders. From stories of aliens in other worlds to those living among us, these tales will move you out of your comfort zone and open you up to experiencing something—or someone—completely different.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Ellen Datlow, including rare photos from the editor’s personal collection.

Bunker Hill ($2.99 Kindle), by Howard Fast, is an even better deal in Canada, where it's marked down to $1.02.
Book Description
One battle will determine the fate of Boston

Three thousand soldiers from the world's greatest army are cornered in Boston, surrounded by farmers and doctors turned rebel soldiers and generals. For a week both sides are at an impasse, until June 17, 1775, when the standstill comes to a violent, bloody end on Breed's and Bunker hills.
In Bunker Hill, master storyteller Howard Fast recounts the unlikely battle that changed the course of the Revolutionary War forever. Tensions rise among both the British and Colonial soldiers as political and tactical frustrations, dissent, confusion, and fear threaten to tear both sides apart before the fighting even begins.

Now You See Me ($2.99 Kindle), the first Lacey Flint thriller by S. J. Bolton [Macmillan]
Book Description
One night after interviewing a reluctant witness at a London apartment complex, Lacey Flint, a young detective constable, stumbles onto a woman brutally stabbed just moments before in the building’s darkened parking lot. Within twenty-four hours a reporter receives an anonymous letter that points out alarming similarities between the murder and Jack the Ripper’s first murder—a letter that calls out Lacey by name. If it’s real, and they have a killer bent on re-creating London’s bloody past, history shows they have just five days until the next attempt.

No one believes the connections are anything more than a sadistic killer’s game, not even Lacey, whom the killer seems to be taunting specifically. However, as they investigate the details of the case start reminding her more and more of a part of her past she’d rather keep hidden. And the only way to do that is to catch the killer herself.

Fast paced and completely riveting, S. J. Bolton’s Now You See Me is a modern gothic novel that is nothing less than a masterpiece of suspense fiction. Now You See Me is a Kirkus Reviews Best of 2011 Mysteries title.
One of Library Journal's Best Mystery Books of 2011

Bloodchild: And Other Stories ($3.99 Kindle), by Octavia E. Butler, is another short story collection by a SciFi great, brought back into (e)print by Open Road.
Book Description
Six remarkable stories from a master of modern science fiction

Octavia E. Butler’s classic “Bloodchild,” winner of both the Nebula and Hugo awards, anchors this collection of incomparable stories and essays. “Bloodchild” is set on a distant planet where human children spend their lives preparing to become hosts for the offspring of the alien Tlic. Sometimes the procedure is harmless, but often it is not. Also included is the Hugo Award–winning “Speech Sounds,” about a near future in which humans must adapt after an apocalyptic event robs them of their ability to speak.

In these pages, Butler shows us life on Earth and amongst the stars, telling her tales with characteristic imagination and clarity.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Octavia E. Butler including rare images from the author’s estate.

Louisa May Alcott Collection 39 Works: Little Women Series (Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men, Jo's Boys), An Old Fasioned Girl, Eight Cousins, Rose in Bloom, Mysterious Key, Under the Lilacs, MORE ($1.99 Kindle), by Louisa May Alcott [Doma Publishing House], is a collection of public domain works, all nicely formatted and with an active TOC (and with two additional public-domain works tossed in, as a bonus).
Book Description
Doma Publishing presents to you this Louisa May Alcott Collection, which has been designed and formatted specifically for your Amazon Kindle. Unlike other e-book editions, the text and chapters are perfectly set up to match the layout and feel of a physical copy, rather than being haphazardly thrown together for a quick release.

This edition also comes with a linked Table of Contents for both the list of included books and their respective chapters. Navigation couldn't be easier.