UK Kindle Daily Deal 5/21

They Were Counted (£0.99 UK), the first novel in the Transylvanian Trilogy by Miklos Banffy, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $7.19).

Book Description
Painting an unrivalled portrait of the vanished world of pre-1914 Hungary, this story is told through the eyes of two young Transylvanian cousins, Count Balint Abády and Count László Gyeroffy. Shooting parties in great country houses, turbulent scenes in parliament, and the luxury of life in Budapest provide the backdrop for this gripping, prescient novel, forming a chilling indictment of upper-class frivolity and political folly, in which good manners cloak indifference and brutality. Abády becomes aware of the plight of a group of Romanian mountain peasants and champions their cause, while Gyeroffy dissipates his resources at the gaming tables, mirroring the decline of the Austro-Hungarian Empire itself. The first book in a trilogy published before World War II, it was rediscovered after the fall of Communism in Hungary and this edition contains a new foreword.

They Were Found Wanting (£0.99 UK), the second novel in the Transylvanian Trilogy by Miklos Banffy, is the second Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $7.19).

Book Description
The tale of the two Transylvanian cousins, their loves, and their very different fortunes continues in this second volume of the Transylvanian trilogy. Balint Abady is forced to part from the beautiful and unhappily married Adrienne Uzdy, while Lazlo Gyeroffy is rapidly heading for self-destruction through excessive drinking and his own fecklessness. Politicians, quarreling among themselves and stubbornly ignoring their countrymen's real needs, are still pursuing their vendetta with the Habsburg rule of Hungary from Vienna. Meanwhile, they fail to notice how the Great Powers-through such events as Austria's annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908-are moving ever closer to the conflagration of 1914-1918 that will destroy their world forever. Contrasting a life of privilege and corruption with the lives and problems of an expatriate Romanian peasant minority whom Balint tries to help, this portrait is an unrivalled evocation of a rich and fascinating aristocratic world oblivious of its impending demise.

They Were Divided (£0.99 UK), the concluding volume in the Transylvanian Trilogy by Miklos Banffy, is the third Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $7.19).

Book Description
The final part of Banffy's trilogy reflects the rapidly disintegrating course of events in Central Europe. In the foreground the lives of Balint, with his ultimately unhappy love for Adrienne, and his fatally flawed cousin, Laszlo Gyeroffy, who dies in poverty and neglect, are told with humour and a bitter-sweet nostalgia for a paradise lost through folly. The sinister and fast moving events in Montenegro, the Balkan wars, the apparent encirclement of Germany and Austria-Hungary by Britain, France and Russia, and finally the assassination of Franz Ferdinand all lead inexorably to the youth of Hungary marching off to their death and the dismemberment of their country.

Kindle Daily Deals 5/19

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Hugh Howey's Silo Saga, two omnibus editions for $1.99 apiece. These are self-published, multi-million sellers, so popular that Howey was able to force a print-only deal from traditional publishers (and has both print and movie deals worldwide). I bought the Wool Omnibus the last time it was on sale, but put off reading it for quite a while, thinking that the hype was just that; don't make the same mistake: add this to the top of your reading list. I bought the Shift Omnibus as soon as I finished Wool and paid more than today's sale, so save a few bucks and pick them both up. I've blurred the description on the second volume, though - you don't want to read anything that will give away the plot or ending of the first before you've read it. I can only hope that this sale is signaling that the third series, Dust, is nearing publication.

Wool Omnibus Edition (companion audiobook $0.99)

This Omnibus Edition collects the five Wool books into a single volume. It is for those who arrived late to the party and who wish to save a dollar or two while picking up the same stories in a single package.

The first Wool story was released as a standalone short in July of 2011. Due to reviewer demand, the rest of the story was released over the next six months. My thanks go out to those reviewers who clamored for more. Without you, none of this would exist. Your demand created this as much as I did.

This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside.

Shift Omnibus Edition

This is the sequel to the New York Times bestselling WOOL series. It combines the three Shift books (First Shift, Second Shift, and Third Shift) into a single e-book in order to save the reader a few bucks. The saga concludes with DUST, which will be available in late 2013.

In 2007, the Center for Automation in Nanobiotech (CAN) outlined the hardware and software platform that would one day allow robots smaller than human cells to make medical diagnoses, conduct repairs, and even self-propagate.

In the same year, the CBS network re-aired a program about the effects of propranolol on sufferers of extreme trauma. A simple pill, it had been discovered, could wipe out the memory of any traumatic event.

At almost the same moment in humanity’s broad history, mankind had discovered the means for bringing about its utter downfall. And the ability to forget it ever happened.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Our Husband ($0.99), by Stephanie Bond [backlist/NeedtoRead]. Originally published by St. Martin's Press.

Book Description
OUR HUSBAND is a laugh-out-loud romantic mystery!

Hell hath no fury like three women scorned... Three women from different walks of life--a doctor, a socialite, and a stripper--find out they have one thing in common: a husband! When the magnanimous hubby winds up dead, the unlikely trio band together to track down a killer, and along the way, discover a lot more than they bargained for.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Dead Witch Walking ($1.99), the first novel in The Hollows series by Kim Harrison [HarperCollins, with the companion audiobook for $3.49]. I love this series and originally read them all in paper; if you read urban fantasy at all, you should definitely pick this up; check your libraries, though, as there was a free Bonus Edition a while back.

Book Description
The underground population of witches, vampires, werewolves—creatures of dreams and nightmares—has lived beside humans for centuries, hiding their powers. But after a genetically engineered virus wipes out a large part of humanity, many of the "Inderlanders" reveal themselves, changing everything.

Rachel Morgan, witch and bounty hunter with the Inderland Runner Services, is one of the best at apprehending supernatural lawbreakers throughout Cincinnati, but when it comes to following the rules, she falls desperately short. Determined to buck the system, she quits and takes off on the run with an I.S. contract on her head and is reluctantly forced to team up with Ivy, Inderland's best runner . . . and a living vampire. But this witch is way out of her league, and to clear her name, Rachel must evade shape-changing assassins, outwit a powerful businessman/crime lord, and survive a vicious underground fight-to-the-death . . . not to mention her own roommate.

Today's Kindle Kid's Daily Deal is Seeds of America: Forge ($0.99), by Laurie Halse Anderson [Simon and Schuster], with the companion audiobook for $3.49.

Book Description
In this compelling sequel to Chains, a National Book Award Finalist and winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson shifts perspective from Isabel to Curzon and brings to the page the tale of what it takes for runaway slaves to forge their own paths in a world of obstacles—and in the midst of the American Revolution. The Patriot Army was shaped and strengthened by the desperate circumstances of the Valley Forge winter. This is where Curzon the boy becomes Curzon the young man. In addition to the hardships of soldiering, he lives with the fear of discovery, for he is an escaped slave passing for free. And then there is Isabel, who is also at Valley Forge—against her will. She and Curzon have to sort out the tangled threads of their friendship while figuring out what stands between the two of them and true freedom.

Age Level: 10 and up

Nook Daily Find 5/19

Dial C for Chihuahua ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Sony), by Waverly Curtis [Kensington Books], is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle and at Sony. This was free in all the major stores two months ago, so you probably already have it in your libraries.

Book Description
"I am Pepe. But you can call me el Jefe."

Pepe may have soft white fur, big brown eyes, and mucho attitude--but he's no furry fashion fad. Pepe can talk--even if his new owner, Geri Sullivan, seems to be the only person who can understand him.

When Geri takes on her first assignment for a quirky investigator named Jimmy G and stumbles over a Seattle millionaire's corpse, Pepe proves to be worth his weight in liver treats. Suspicion falls on the not-so-grieving widow, who wants to finance a reality TV show, Dancing With Dogs.

Normally, Pepe wouldn't be caught muerte in a sparkly costume. However, he has to sniff out the real killer and keep Geri safe. Lesser dogs might flinch. But Pepe isn't the kind to turn tail and run....

UK Kindle Daily Deal 5/19

I Am The Secret Footballer (£0.99 UK), by The Secret Footballer, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $4.39).

Book Description
"It is often said that 95% of what happens in football goes on behind closed doors. Many of these stories I shouldn't be telling you about. But I will."

Who is The Secret Footballer? Only a few people know the true identity of the man inside the game. But whoever he is - and whoever he plays for - he is always honest, always fearless and always opinionated.

Now, for the first time, he reveals everything you need to know about the hidden world of professional football - the extraordinary highs, the desperate lows, and what it's really like to do the job most of us can only dream of.

Kindle Daily Deals 5/18

Today's Gold Box at Amazon is Up to 60% Off Select Kensington Laptop and Tablet Accessories.

Amazon price matched today's Nook Daily Find: The Island ($5.24 $2.99), by Elin Hilderbrand [Hachette].

If you signed up for the free copy of Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs from Sony, check your emails for both the code and instructions (redeem first, then add the book to your cart; verify zero total before checkout).

Today's Kindle Teen Daily Deal is A Series of Unfortunate Events Collection Books 1-3 with bonus material: The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, The Wide Window ($2.99), by Lemony Snicket [HarperCollins]. This is a pretty good deal, especially if you missed the big pricing snafu in 2010, which resulted in nearly all the books being listed as free for a few hours. If you have kids (or grandkids) in the right age range, you'll probably end up getting the entire series at some point, as it is a fun read. The collections work out to about the same $5-$6/title that you pay individually, with the current sale (usually closer to the $8-$10 range), including the massive omnibus of the entire series, A Series of Unfortunate Events Collection: Books 1-13 with Bonus Material, which is currently marked down 52%, to $79.99 (that's $6.15/title). Of course, this last title is so huge, you actually get the entire first book in the sample, from what I can see in checking it out in the online preview.

Book Description
Lemony Snicket’s unhappy tale of the unlucky Baudelaire siblings begins with The Bad Beginning. In this short bothersome book alone, the three orphans encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.

Should you not mind deadly serpents, slippery salamanders, lumpy beds, large brass reading lamps, long knives, and terrible odors, then proceed with caution to the second book in the miserable series, The Reptile Room.

Readers unbothered by inclement weather, hungry leeches, and cold cucumber soup will want to continue with the third installment, The Wide Window. Others will not.

If you’ve got the stomach to wade through the first three tragic tales in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, then this troubling collection might be the one for you. Several loathsome extras, including a compilation of unsettling quotations and a very disturbing portrait, await those who successfully complete the wretched journey. You’ve been warned!

Age Level: 8 and up

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Five Little Pigs ($1.99), by Agatha Christie (HarperCollins).

Book Description
Beautiful Caroline Crale was convicted of poisoning her husband, yet there were five other suspects: Philip Blake (the stockbroker) who went to market; Meredith Blake (the amateur herbalist) who stayed at home; Elsa Greer (the three-time divorcee) who had roast beef; Cecilia Williams (the devoted governess) who had none; and Angela Warren (the disfigured sister) who cried 'wee wee wee' all the way home.

It is sixteen years later, but Hercule Poirot just can't get that nursery rhyme out of his mind…

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Guardians of Stone ($1.99), by Anita Clenney [Montlake Romance].

Book Description
In the tradition of Indiana Jones, a feisty heroine with a sixth sense, and two sexy heroes, a dark, reclusive billionaire and a mercenary bodyguard are on a hunt for four powerful relics that could change their lives…and the course of history. But relics aren’t Kendall’s only quest. Eventually, she’ll have to choose between her sexy boss and her badass bodyguard.

Kendall Morgan is a human bloodhound. Spending her childhood hunting relics with her ambitious archeologist father, she knew the two of them shared a sixth sense for the history and location of objects—sometimes even people. What she didn’t know was that their paranormal gift could ultimately be their undoing.

After the tragic plane crash that killed her father as well as her childhood best friend, Kendall dedicated her life to finding and protecting relics. When mysterious, sexy billionaire Nathan Larraby hires her for his latest expedition—the search for four powerful relics—she’s thrown into a world of high-octane danger. He sends brooding mercenary Jake Stone to watch Kendall’s back, but he may have created danger of a different kind.

As the team chases down clues, a man called the Reaper makes a play for the artifacts and will stop at nothing to put them to his own sinister use. What’s worse is that Nathan hasn’t told the whole story, and the dark secrets he’s keeping could cost them the mission…and their lives.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Some Girls Bite ($2.99), the first novel in the Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill [Penguin], with the companion audiobook for $4.49. I originally bought this in paper, then replaced it during a sale at Fictionwise (along with the rest of the series that was available then). It looks like a new novel is coming out this year and can now be pre-ordered for delivery in August: Biting Bad.

Book Description
First in a brand new series about a Chicago graduate student's introduction into a society of vampires.

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn't exactly glamorous, but it was Merit's. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.

Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she?s traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan Lord o the Manor Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred- year-old vampire, he has centuries? worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects her gratitude? and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan?s attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone's still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago's nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war and there will be blood.