Spotlight on SourceBooks

Rather than focusing on an author, today's bargain roundup focuses on a single publisher. This publisher has started featuring bargain prices on a number of books and changing up the offerings every week or so. Since this isn't one of the big-5 Agencies, Amazon is then discounting them even more. I'll start out with the officially discounted books and then throw in a few others I found while searching.

All three titles in Helen Hollick's Pendragon's Banner Trilogy are on sale for $2.39, starting with Kingmaking, followed (in order) by Pendragons Banner and Shadow of the King.

Who was THE MAN
Who became THE LEGEND
We know as KING ARTHUR?

Kingmaking
"You are the Pendragon, rightful Lord of Dumnonia and the Summer Land; Lord of less Britain. By all that is right, you ought be seated where Vortigern sits…You ought to be King."

Here lies the truth of the Lord of the Summer Land.

This is the tale of Arthur flesh and bone. Of the shaping of the man, both courageous and flawed, into the celebrated ruler who inspired armies, who captured Gwenhyfar's heart, and who emerged as the hero of the Dark Ages and the most enduring hero of all time.

This is the unexpected story of the making of a king — the legend who united all of Britain.

* Book One of the Pendragon's Banner Trilogy
* Includes bonus reading group guide

Pendragons Banner
... covering 459-465 A.D. This is not a fairy tale or fantasy. There is no Merlin, no sword in the stone, and no Lancelot. This is the most accurate Arthurian legend ever written, based on historical evidence and meticulous research.

At age twenty-four, King Arthur has the kingdom he fought so hard for and a new young family. But keeping the throne of Britain—and keeping his wife and three sons safe—proves far from easy. Two enemies in particular threaten everything that is dear to him: Winifred, Arthur's vindictive first wife, and Morgause, priestess of the Mother and malevolent Queen of the North. Both have royal ambitions of their own.

In this story of harsh battles, secret treasonous plots, and the life-threatening politics of early Britain's dark ages, author Helen Hollick boldly reintroduces King Arthur as you've never seen him before.

Shadow of the King
They knew what was coming.Man and beast knew what lay ahead.After the war cry.Bitter the grave.At long last, the peace King Arthur was born to usher in has settled over the realm. But Arthur was also born to be a warrior… and all true warriors are restless without a fight. Yearning for battle and ever-loyal, Arthur is easily deceived into setting sail for Gaul to defend its territories—leaving his country vulnerable and leaderless.A beacon of hope in a land of desolation, he was to be the Lord of the Summer Land for now and forever. But first, the Pendragon must face the ultimate test, one that will take all his courage, strength of will, and honor to survive.Because once destiny is fulfilled, can you ever truly win again?

Zombies for Zombies ($3.99), by David Murphy & Daniel Heard

Book Description
So, you've been bitten by a zombie?

Bummer.

But there's no need to panic! Yes, your life will be undergoing a major transformation, but this doesn't have to be the end-all it once was when the Disaster first hit. There have been significant breakthroughs in the last decade in helping you keep significant parts of your wit and dignity. Together we can limit the damage.

Zombies for Zombies is a motivational guide designed specifically to make a profound difference in your accidental, strange new life. You say you don't want to become another one of those ghastly creatures you see on the news out in the Tempe Containment Zone? You don't have to—if you follow the great advice inside, including:

• How to dress for your new lifestyle Handy recipes for brains
• Fitness ideas for keeping you somewhat energetic
• New skin-care techniques to help ward off "rotting flesh syndrome"
• How to overcome that darned zombie social stigma
• Dance steps for the motor-impaired

Completely Revised and Updated Since the Containment Zone Disaster!

Kama Pootra ($3.99), by Daniel Cole Young

Book Description
52 Mind-Blowing Ways to Poop

The only known translation of an ancient manual instructing readers in the art of enlightened bathroom experience, the Kama Pootra offers a thrilling rediscovery of the tiled path to porcelain nirvana.

Willing seekers will find fifty-two progressive positions designed to maximize how you do number two.

Every time the bathroom door closes, a new experience awaits.

Do Ants Have Assholes? ($3.99), by Jon Butler & Bruno Vincent

Book Description
A venerable and historic newspaper, the Old Geezer is read and respected by the world's most conscientious, upright citizens. When these beacons of
respectability have serious questions, they turn to the Old Geezer's "Questionsand Answers" page.

Do Ants Have Assholes? collects the enlightening answers to thought-provoking questions such as:

• If you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant, what do you do?
• How many men would it take to kill an elephant with their bare hands?
• If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do they all have to drown?
• Are "crabs" related to crabs?
• What if there were no hypothetical questions?

Coloring Outside Autism's Lines ($2.39), by Susan Walton

Book Description
Your Road Map to Rediscovering Joy, Fun, and Togetherness

Having a child with an autism spectrum disorder may mean that you have to change your life. It can seem as though there are so many things you just can’t do. But there are adventures—large and small—that kids with autism love, and they are waiting for your whole family! Just think outside of the ordinary, look for reachable sensory experiences, come prepared, and keep an open mind, and everyone in your family can go along for a great ride. This book is packed with exciting ideas for families living with autism, with everything you need to know to make them a reality. Including:

• Unconventional backyard fun: zip lines, trampolines, tree stumps, and even exercise bikes!
• Easy ways to adapt public places such as bowling alleys, ice skating rinks, and swimming pools into stress-free outings
• Surprising activities that can lead to lifelong interests
• Dreaming big: there’s a world of amusement parks, water slides, camping, and other family getaways that are truly within reach
• Special activities for grandparents and extended family members
• How to team up with other parents to maximize the fun

With tips and advice from dozens of creative families who have found fun with autism and want you to do the same!

25,001 Best Baby Names ($3.99), by Lesley Bolton

Book Description
In a time when brand new names appear every day and classic names keep making comebacks, 25,001 Best Baby Names comes to the aid of frazzled parents-to-be with the easiest to use, most convenient and most up-to-date book available.

The perfect reference to make naming girls and boys quick and painless, 25,001 Best Baby Names is thoroughly researched and updated to reflect recent trends in baby names. In a compact format and with incredible variety, 25,001 Best Baby Names includes names with origins from around the world.

Including 30 fun lists to help you choose the perfect name - or just to make you laugh while browsing - 25,001 Best Baby Names makes naming your baby easier than ever!

It may be the wrong season for Best Summer Drinks ($3.99), by Ray Foley, but that just means you get a head start for next year (or for your beach themed "let's pretend it isn't winter" party this winter).

Book Description
Perfect summer promo or cash-wrap title, from the ultimate authority on bartending, Bartender Magazine.

From Bartender Magazine, the number one publication for the bartending trade and the most respected name in bartending, comes The Best Summer Drinks, the perfect recipe guide for the hottest drink time of year.

Written by the ultimate authority on bartending, this book contains 500 summer cocktail and appetizer recipes submitted by the world's best bartenders, including:

• Summer Breeze
• Fourth of July
• Blue Lemonade
• South Wind
• Sun Stroked

Perfect for impulse purchase at cash-wrap areas, The Best Summer Drinks is sure to find its way into the pocket of anyone who loves libations.

If you picked up Rebecca Ann Collins's Pemberley Chronicles when it was free earlier this month, you may want to grab up two more in the same series, Ladies of Longbourn ($2.99) and Recollections of Rosings ($2.84). Both are Amazon discounts, so could change at any moment. These are the fourth and eighth in the series, respectively.

Ladies of Longbourn
Anne-Marie Bradshaw is the granddaughter of Charles and Jane Bingley. Her father now owns Longbourn, the Bennet's estate in Hertfordshire. A young widow after a loveless marriage, Anne-Marie and her stepmother Anna, together with Charlotte Collins, widow of the unctuous Mr. Collins, are the Ladies of Longbourn. These smart, independent women challenge the conventional roles of women in the Victorian era, while they search for ways to build their own lasting legacies in an ever-changing world.

The ladies find strength, companionship, and friendship together as they work to build a children's hospital, deal with a deadly outbreak of influenza, and help a gentle lady flee a violent and destructive marriage.

Jane Austen's original characters - Darcy, Elizabeth, Bingley, and Jane - provide a framework of solid values and commentary to anchor a dramatic story full of wit and compassion.

Recollections of Rosings
Sisters Catherine Harrison and Becky Tate, daughters of Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins, have very different personalities and temperaments. Both grew up in the shadow of Rosings Park, domain of the formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, but as adults their paths diverged dramatically.

When a catastrophe at Rosings Park brings Becky back to visit her sister, the two clash about their aspirations for the marriage of Catherine’s young daughter, and both women are forced to confront the ghosts of the past—in particular, Lady Catherine’s cruelty and deception.

As the shocking truth emerges, the Darcy and Bingley families rally. But it may be too late for the sisters to find the love and happiness they were denied so long ago.

Rogues Handbook ($2.99), by Jeff Metzger

Book Description
The Rogue’s Handbook contains everything you need to know to be the most desired man in your city or nation. If you wish to reinvent yourself as someone who leaves clenched fists and flushed, heaving bosoms in your wake, read on carefully.

About the Author
Jeff Metzger was born in Portland, Oregon. His fondest memories include masterminding a jailbreak in Cuba, rendezvousing with history's most infamous ex-CIA agent, and being chased through the streets of Madrid. At home in Austin, Mr. Metzger enjoys quiet mornings of writing and reading.

Horrid Henry's Christmas ($3.99), by Tony Ross & Francesca Simon, is just one of nine titles in the Horrid Henry series that are selling for $3.99. This is a bestselling series from the UK, for kids in grades 1-4.

Book Description
In this installment in a best-selling chapter-book series from the U.K., self-centered Horrid Henry wreaks total havoc at the Nativity play, destroys the Christmas tree, and almost ruins the holiday lunch. His irreverent actions are made tolerable through the ridiculousness of the incidents and the appeal to the naughty side in readers' personalities. Ross's mischievous black-and-white cartoon drawings are the perfect choice to carry them off. Large print and simple vocabulary make this title an easy read and a fun read-aloud.

Invasion of the Party Snatchers ($2.86), by Victor Gold, is definitely not a title for children (and doesn't have anything to do with throwing a party)..

Book Description
Victor Gold wants his party back.

Gold is the former press aide to Barry Goldwater and the former speechwriter and senior advisor for George H. W. Bush. He is incensed that the Neo-Cons and the Evangelical Right have betrayed the ideals of the conservative cause. Now he's fighting back.

A Republican insider for 40 years, Gold is ready to tell all about the war being waged for the GOP's soul, the elder Bush's opinion of his son's presidency, the significance of the Democratic resurgence, and how Goldwater would have reacted to it all.

Among Gold's explosive disclosures is the truth about Cheney's manipulation of George W., and the chilling, puppet-like role of the President amongst Neo- and Theo-Conservatives.

My Favorite Midlife Crisis (Yet) ($2.51), by Toby Devens

Book Description
Dr. Gwyneth Berke has a perfect life…until one day she walks into her pantry, lets out a little scream of disbelief and begins the following list: What to do when you find out that your husband is in love with your interior decorator, Brad (or, A Midlife Crisis Checklist)

• Get divorced (this is a must!)
• Quickly discover a lifetime supply of humor (this will also help with your children and your mentally deteriorating father)
• Stop sulking, show a little spirit and start a new life plan (also a must)
• Recruit your two very dear, newly single friends to help you with it
• Don’t look back and enjoy the ride!

Embedded ($2.64), by Ross Dale, is also a title for adults (the subtitle is "Confessions of a Sex Journalist").

Book Description
ROSS DALE is a Wesleyan graduate serenely sailing through post-college life when he gets the offer he can't refuse. For double his pay, Playboy TV wants him to produce their show Sexcetera, an explicit experience in journalism billed as "true stories from the sexual frontier." A prep student from a sheltered home, Dale finds himself everywhere he never imagined he'd go: shooting gang bangs with the West Coast Gang Bangers, attending the annual Nudes-A-Popping Festival at an Indiana nudist resort, brothels in Amsterdam, swinger parties and more.

Behind Dale's initial shock, a fascination grows for the characters in front of the camera: some funny, some gross, all facing the pressure of trying to balance humdrum, day-to-day existence with outrageous sex lives. Plus one of his leading ladies, a gorgeous and naked soft-core movie queen, just might have a thing for him. Dale's odd job becomes a life-changing adventure, and he's enjoying the ride.

By turns hilarious, wry, and deliciously erotic, Dale evokes the bizarre world of pornography and the people who inhabit it, and gives readers a story about finding love in the least likely of places.

Best St. Louis Sports Arguments ($1.68), by Bryan Burwell

Book Description
Who’s the best? Who’s the worst?

Every St. Louis fan knows that the only thing better than watching sports is arguing about them-picking the best, the worst and who will come out on top. And no city tears its sports teams apart like we do in the Gateway City.

St. Louis Post–Dispatch sports columnist Bryan Burwell takes you inside the 100 best debates in St. Louis sports. Covering the Rams, Cardinals (football and baseball), Blues and beyond, every question you want to debate is here-as well as a few surprises.

Cardinals–Cubs:

• Is it really a “great” rivalry?
• Does Mark McGwire belong in the Hall of Fame?
• Whitey, Red or Tony: Who’s the best all-time Cardinal manager?
• Who was more responsible for the Rams’ Super Bowl victory: Dick Vermeil or Mike Martz?
• Did the Blues make the right move in trading Brendan Shanahan?
• Should St. Louis have an NBA franchise?

SEALed with a Ring ($3.99), by Mary Daughtridge, is the third book in her SEALed series. I already have SEALed with a Kiss ($4.69) and may pick this one up out of sequence. Like the first book in the series, this one is over 400 pages, in print.

Book Description
She’s got it all…except the one thing she needs most

Smart, successful businesswoman JJ Caruthers has a year to land a husband or lose the empire she’s worked so hard to build. With time running out, romance is not an option, and a military husband who is always on the road begins to look like the perfect solution…

He’s a wounded hero with an agenda of his own Even with the scars of battle, Navy SEAL medic Davy Graziano is gorgeous enough to land any woman he wants, and he’s never wanted to be tied down. Now Davy has ulterior motives for accepting JJ’s outrageous proposal of marriage, but he only has so long to figure out what JJ doesn’t want him to know…

Free Copy of The Nation (Sony)

Don't forget that this is week two for the giveaway at Sony for The Nation.

• Click HERE to get this week's issue of The Nation (again, click on "Current Issue $0", not the subscription link).

Once it's in your cart, go thru the regular checkout procedure (be sure your total is $0).

Kindle Kandle - Two for $17

If you missed the previous deal on the Kandle LED Book Light in White, when they were two for $10 (they normally sells for $25 apiece),  you may want to jump on this new deal before they sell out again. They must have sold thousands at 2/$10 and I suspect they'll have similar results with the new price. The black version is still "sold out" (in that the deal code won't work for them, although they are marked down to $18.95 each, plus shipping), but the white ones are marked down to $16.95 and, if you use the coupon code KANDLELT (the same as before), you'll get them at half price, so long as you buy two or more. Even if you only need one, these make great stocking stuffers and small gifts. I always keep a few items on hand for last minute gifts and this one works for anyone that reads, whether on paper or an ereader.

You must first add two (or more) of the Kandles to your cart (don't use one-click checkout or passphrase checkout), click on Edit Your Cart (make sure your quantity is 2), then on Proceed to Checkout. Enter the promotional code KANDLELT in the box underneath where it says "Do you have any promotional claim codes?" and click on Apply. Check your Order Summary box in the top, right corner. You should now see the new price in the Order Total. If you have a gift certificate balance on your account, you do have to use it in order to use this or any other promotion (don't change your default payment unless it's just to change credit cards).

Update: Be sure to read the comments on this post. You must pick the correct vendor (Ozeri) for the Kandle or the coupon code won't work!

Update #2: You can use the code and buy just one Kandle for $8.47. If you have Free Prime Shipping, there's no shipping charge. If you are not a prime member, then buying two will trigger the free Super Saver shipping, even though your total after the discount is below $25.

Product Description
The perfect accessory for any eBook, the Kandle by Ozeri is designed for the Amazon Kindle 1, 2, and DX, Sony Reader Digital Books, and other eBook Readers. Newly updated in July 2010 with improved lighting, the Kandle by Ozeri features a new patent pending design that attaches to eBooks and printed books without blocking the screen or page. It also boasts double pivoting arms that allow for easy positioning and adjustment to tailor the screen illumination. The Main Pivoting Arm rotates 90 degrees from its closed position, and the Upper Pivoting Arm rotates another 70 degrees for complete customization. Unlike other eBook lights, the Kandle by Ozeri is powered by two lifetime x2 LEDs that are optimized to distribute light evenly without creating glare or eyestrain. Petite and light, the Kandle by Ozeri is ultra portable and folds into a closed position where the LEDs are fully protected from scratches or breakage. Ships with 2 CR2032 batteries installed, a bonus set of extra batteries, and a protective pouch included.

• New patent-pending "WideLip" grip that does not block the screen on the Kindle, Sony Reader and other eBook readers.
• Newly updated in July 2010 with increased brightness, the Kandle is powered by two lifetime X2 LEDs optimized to distribute uniform light without creating glare or eyestrain (batteries included).
• Double pivoting arms allows for easy positioning and adjustment for tailored screen illumination.
• WideLip grip attaches to books without blocking text on the page, and works perfectly as a stable, free-standing night light.
• Ships with 2 CR2032 batteries installed, a bonus set of extra batteries, and a protective pouch included.

Holiday Bargain Roundup - Books and Music

No new freebies today, but I just noticed that the limit on the number of 6" Kindles, whether the Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, 6 or the Kindle 3G Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6, you can buy has been dropped from 5 down to 3. With this latest generation of Kindles, there has been a maximum purchase limit almost from the beginning and strong holiday demand must have already started or be highly anticipated. After all, they have sold out every holiday season so far. For that reason, I don't expect to see Amazon matching the rumored door-buster price that Best Buy will have on the WiFi only nooks on Black Friday: 10 units per store at $99.99 each. If you are planning on ordering for Christmas, I wouldn't wait too late; any Kindles ordered this month or next can be returned up to the end of January, 2011, rather than the standard 30 day return period.

For those of us that already have our Kindles, I've uncovered a few more holiday bargains, both holiday themed reading and some free and deeply discounted music.

12 Stocking Stuffer ($9.39) is a 12-story anthology from Harlequin Special Releases.

Get out the mistletoe! Twelve days of Christmas...twelve stories filled with the magic of holiday romance...perfect reading for a snowy winter's day. Bundle includes Faith, Hope and Love, The Christmas Bride, Christmas Passions, A Seasonal Secret, Return of the Light, Star Light, Star Bright, Naughty or Nice?, Christmas Fantasy, A Christmas Marriage Ultimatum, A Prince for Christmas, The Millionaire's Christmas Wish and Merry Christmas, Baby.

Bluegrass Christmas ($1.25), by Allie Pleiter

An Old-Fashioned Christmas

That's what led new believer Mary Thorpe to start over in quaint Middleburg, Kentucky. As director of the church's Christmas pageant, Mary's job is to bring the townspeople together, to remind them what the season is really about. But everyone is all riled up over one very handsome man: the man daring to run against Middleburg's popular long-standing mayor. Mac MacCarthy wants change. Mary wants things to stay as they are. Is there a happy medium? Both Mac and Mary are in for one very big Christmas surprise.

I'll Be Home for Christmas and One Golden Christmas ($2.27), by Lenora Worth, contains two full length novels (512 page total, in print).

Christmas bells and wedding bells chime in these classic tales by Lenora Worth

I'll Be Home For Christmas
Just weeks before Christmas, widowed mother Myla Howell and her two children are saved from the streets by a wealthy oil tycoon nicknamed "Scrooge." Has the chill surrounding Nick Rudolph's icy heart begun to thaw in time for the holidays?

One Golden Christmas
Take one small-town Christmas pageant. Add in three motherless children with a secret holiday wish and a handsome widowed father. Mix just so with pageant director Leandra Flanagan. Will yield big surprises by December 25th.

His Christmas Bride ($1.75), by Dana Corbit

The only gift Dylan Warren used to want was Jenna Scott's love. But his former childhood best friend broke his heart. Now, their matchmaking mothers insist the Warren and Scott clans celebrate the holiday together. Suddenly he and Jenna are paired on a mission to bring Christmas to a family who lost everything but each other. Jenna's kindness to the displaced little boys reminds Dylan why he loved her. Could joyful jingle bells soon be joined by the chime of wedding bells?

Atheists Guide to Christmas ($1.01), by Ariane Sherine, is a little different from your typical holiday themed read (and definitely not from a Christian publisher).

Last year, Guardian journalist Ariane Sherine launched the Atheist Bus Campaign and ended up raising over £150,000, enough to place the advert 'There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life' on 800 UK buses in January 2009. Now Ariane and dozens of other atheist writers, comedians and scientists are joining together to raise money for a very different cause.

The Atheist's Guide to Christmas is a funny, thoughtful handbook all about enjoying Christmas, from 42 of the world's most entertaining atheists. It features everything from an atheist Christmas miracle to a guide to the best Christmas pop hits, and contributors include Richard Dawkins, Charlie Brooker, Ben Goldacre, Jenny Colgan, David Baddiel, Simon Singh, AC Grayling, Brian Cox and Richard Herring.

The 99 Most Essential Christmas Masterpieces ($1.99), is another of the amazing samplers that Amazon has come out with. This one has nearly 6 hours of classical (not classic) Christmas music. There are three more of these two dollar samplers available right now: The 99 Most Essential Schumann Masterpieces, The 99 Most Essential Dvorák Masterpieces and The 99 Most Essential Piano Pieces. For under six bucks, you can add 30 hours of excellent performances to your collection.

Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You ($3.99), by Katharine McPhee, is one of the top-selling bargain holiday albums. You can find even more holiday music in the Holiday MP3 Store, such as Susan Boyle's The Gift ($11.99) and $5 albums from James Taylor, Mariah Carey, Elvis Presley and more.

From here down, the remaining musical choices are all free albums or singles.

The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree is an hour of free holiday music from VeggieTales, which your kids will love (and it's ok if you listen, too).

The Very Merry Christmas Sugo Holiday Sampler is a free instrumental sampler.

Chacra World Music Holiday Sampler

Timeless Christmas, has Neil Sedaka, Irish Tenors and Michael McDonald.

The Karaoke Channel - Best Traditional Christmas Songs probably isn't the best option for music while you are reading, but may be just what you need for a holiday party.

There are also a number of singles that you can get for free. Here are a few that I picked up:

Winter Wonderland - Album Version, by Point Of Grace
Christmas Train, by Carey Bell
I'm Your Santa, by Lil Ed & the Blues Imperials
Deck The Halls, by Los Straitjackets
The Bell Medley, by Classic Christmas Singers
Christmas Song, by Mogwai
Carol Of The Bells, by The Proclivities
Deck The Halls, by Sean Smith
This Christmas, by Brian Courtney Wilson
Wish You A Merry Xmas, by The Korgis

Refurbished Kindle 3G $139 and Power Adapter Alternatives

When picking out a new Kindle or one to give as a gift, there is another option to buying the latest generation Kindle 3G or Kindle Wi-Fi: you can also pick up a refurbished Kindle 2nd Generation that has the same 3G chip (although no wi-fi) as the latest Kindles. These come and go (and prices can fluctuate) in availability, but right now Amazon has them available for $139.99, which is the same price as the wi-fi only edition.

Why buy the older technology, which admittedly has a screen with lesser contrast? Because not everyone has wi-fi available and the 3G can be easier to use, especially for the less technically oriented amongst us (after all, 3G is on or off, there aren't any passwords or settings to worry about). As to the screen contrast - it's a big improvement over the original Kindle, but I find that all of the generations are more than sufficient for reading. Pictures are better, of course, and you get PDF handling in the Kindle 2nd Generation and if it is updated to the latest firmware, it handles all of the games that are out on Kindle. Eventually, I'm sure, it will be considered quite outdated (at least, for non-reading uses of the Kindle), but for now it's a fine ereader.

Like all the Kindles with a cellular chip, from the original to the latest generation Kindle 3G, access to the Kindle store and wikipedia is free of any monthly or data usage charges. Since the original Kindle was introduced, there has also been an "experimental" web browser built in and it can be used to surf practically the entire internet (although you don't get movies and can't download some file types) and, despite persistent, ill-informed posts to the contrary on the Amazon forums, this remains free of charge - no monthly plan, no usage fees or overage fees - in the US (and has been reported for some other countries, although the Amazon product page hasn't said that is permitted in all regions where Kindle is sold).

If fact, you could buy this Kindle and use it ONLY for checking your email when you are not at home and it would have paid for itself in under three months, just in savings versus a cell phone or aircard data subscription.

Currently, there are only two models with refurbished units available. Both are 2nd  generation, global versions and have AT&T wireless coverage, with the same 30 day guarantee you get with the new Kindle units. The only question is, whether they have the same extended holiday return period (until the end of January), that other new items at Amazon are enjoying thru the end of the year.

• Kindle (6" Display, Global Wireless) ($139.99)
• Kindle DX (9.7" Display, Global Wireless) ($269.99)

You will notice, though, that the charging adapter does not ship with these refurbished units, at least according to the descriptions. You might get one anyway (I did), but if not, there are some good alternatives that are quite inexpensive. You can still charge via your computer (if it has powered USB ports, which some notebooks and netbooks do not, especially when operating on battery power, themselves) or with any wall unit USB charger that has a micro-USB end or accepts a standard USB cable (after all, that's all their power adapter is). In fact, even if you have the power adapter that came with your Kindle, I'd urge you to consider upgrading to something like the Belkin Mini Surge Protector Dual USB Charger ($10.88). Not only does it give you more power sockets than you started with, it adds surge protection for all three and the two USB charging slots it contains (which means you can charge your phone and Kindle from the same charger, which is what I do, rather than having two plugged in, sucking up extra power when not in use). This particular unit even has free standard shipping, so you don't have to have Prime or meet the $25 minimum purchase to get it. This is an especially good design to carry with you when traveling, as so few hotel rooms have enough power outlets to let you set up your laptop and chargers (or get to them easily).

Description

• 360-degree rotating plug with 4 locking position
• Provides complete surge protection through all outlets
• Offers compact, lightweight, efficient design
• Features mini-USB cable to charge virtually any USB device including BlackBerry® and Motorola® RAZR phones
• Comes with Lifetime Product and $75,000 Connected Equipment Warranties
  

Although the Amazon branded Kindle Replacement Power Adapter is $19.99, there are a number of alternatives available, such as this Amazon Kindle 2 (2nd Generation) USB Car Charger, USB Wall/Travel Charger, Earphones, and Screen Protector/Guard kit for $3.40 (and free shipping). Even better, if you buy two or more items from CrazyOnDigital, you get 10% off the order.

Description

• Protect your screen with the Full Screen Cover Screen Guard / Protector
• Comes with Headphones that will allows you to listen to your books without disturbing others with the speaker function
• Charge your Amazon Kindle 2 w/ the USB Wall Charger take a spare wall charge when you're on vacation
• Charge your Amazon Kindle 2 with the USB Car Charger when you're on the road simply plug in the car charger to your car
• Chargers requires USB cable that comes with your Kindle 2
  

For those who live or travel outside the US, only one other item is a must have: some type of power plug adapter, such as the All-in-One Travel Power Plug Adapter for US, UK, EU, AU ($3.50). This one contains all the adapters you'll need in one item, so no more baggie of adapter parts to keep track of (or lose, which is more likely). Note that this one is not a voltage converter, but if your items are multi-voltage, you are all set.

Description

• Compatible with worldwide standard; converts two-prong, US-style power plugs to fit a variety of other outlet styles.
• Suitable for over 150 countries
• Surge protection and safety shutter
• Power indicator light
• You can transform the adapter into 4 configurations for different standard: European, United Kingdom, United States, Australia
  

New Kindle Game - Texas Hold 'em

There is a new game out for Kindle, Texas Hold 'em ($3.99), from Electronic Arts.

Game Description
With EA Texas Hold'em for Kindle, you can play the popular style of poker - anytime, anywhere.

EA Texas Hold'em is easy to play whether you're a poker pro or brand-new to Texas Hold'em. Choose between 3 difficulty levels and challenge 6 unique in-game characters in Career Mode. Sharpen your poker skills in Practice Mode, or Pass 'N Play with up to 4 friends. Earn 16 different awards, track your stats, and even get help from the in-game Advisor.

Play the best odds and rake in huge pots in EA Texas Hold'em.

Bargain Book Roundup - Military and Action/Thrillers

Some of these are Agency priced books and will be the same in all the stores, while others are discounts offered at Amazon alone. Links are to the Amazon versions, just for simplicity. To start off with, I've chosen some titles that are about the Veteran's to which today is dedicated. After that, it's all military, action and thrillers. Don't stop before the end, as I saved one of the really good ones for the last.

Tiger Force: A True Story of Men and War ($1.99), by Michael Sallah & Mitch Weiss, is an adaptation of a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative series originally published in the TOLEDO BLADE.

Book Description
At the outset of the Vietnam War, the Army created an experimental fighting unit that became known as "Tiger Force." The Tigers were to be made up of the cream of the crop-the very best and bravest soldiers the American military could offer. They would be given a long leash, allowed to operate in the field with less supervision. Their mission was to seek out enemy compounds and hiding places so that bombing runs could be accurately targeted. They were to go where no troops had gone, to become one with the jungle, to leave themselves behind and get deep inside the enemy's mind.

The experiment went terribly wrong.

What happened during the seven months Tiger Force descended into the abyss is the stuff of nightmares. Their crimes were uncountable, their madness beyond imagination-so much so that for almost four decades, the story of Tiger Force was covered up under orders that stretched all the way to the White House. Records were scrubbed, documents were destroyed, men were told to say nothing.

But one person didn't follow orders. The product of years of investigative reporting, interviews around the world, and the discovery of an astonishing array of classified information, Tiger Force is a masterpiece of journalism. Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for their Tiger Force reporting, Michael Sallah and Mitch Weiss have uncovered the last great secret of the Vietnam War.

A More Unbending Battle ($1.35), by Peter Nelson, looks at WWI, The War to End All Wars, and one where nearly all the Veteran's have now passed away. It's a terrific price and looks at the history of the all-black National Guard unit that served in France (and was on the front lines longer than any other US unit).

Book Description
The night broke open in a storm of explosions and fire. The sound of shells whizzing overhead, screeching through the night like wounded pheasants, was terrifying. When the shells exploded prematurely overhead, a rain of shrapnel fell on the men below-better than when the shells exploded in the trenches... In A More Unbending Battle, journalist and author Pete Nelson chronicles the little-known story of the 369th Infantry Regiment-the first African-American regiment mustered to fight in WWI. Recruited from all walks of Harlem life, the regiment had to fight alongside the French because America’s segregation policy prohibited them from fighting with white U.S. soldiers. Despite extraordinary odds and racism, the 369th became one of the most successful-and infamous-regiments of the war. The Harlem Hellfighters, as their enemies named them, spent longer than any other American unit in combat, were the first Allied unit to reach the Rhine, and showed extraordinary valor on the battlefield, with many soldiers winning the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor. Replete with vivid accounts of battlefield heroics, A More Unbending Battle is the thrilling story of the dauntless Harlem Hellfighters.

Turning Idolater ($0.89), by Edward C. Patterson, isn't a military themed title (although he has those), but is by a veteran who is the driving force behind Operation EBook Drop, that matches up soldiers and authors to get them free ebooks while serving overseas. All of his novels do, however, have either LGBT characters or a LGBT theme, so may not be for everyone.

Book Description
Philip Flaxen, who strips past his jockstrap on the Internet for manluv.org, acquires a rare gift - a book that transforms his life. With it, he sparks with a famous author, whittles away at a new craft, swims with an odd circle of new acquaintances and is swept up in mayhem. Philip leaves the world of the Porn Nazi and enters the realm of crisp possibilities - great expectations and dark secrets that unravel over deep waters.

Follow this whodunit as Philip Flaxen "turns idolater" and never looks back - a tale of Internet strippers, back street murders, Provincetown glitz, New York City nightlife and a love story for the ages. If you liked "No Irish Need Apply" and loved "Bobby's Trace", you will absolutely adore "Turning Idolater". Life is filled with serendipity, pleasurable and bracing, but on the fringes and in the heart, life can be a very bloody business.

The Blood Latitudes ($2.99), by William Harrison

Book Description
When retired reporter Will Hobbs learns his son Buck is being sent on assignment to Africa, he is concerned. Will spent his career covering the volatile territory Buck is headed into and the kinds of danger he is likely to encounter. And Buck leaves a family behind, just as Will did years ago; and Will has feelings that go beyond fatherly affection for Buck's attractive young wife. When news comes of Buck's disappearance, Will is compelled to risk his own life to find him or to find out what has happened to him. Once inside the border of civil war--ravaged Rwanda, Will is kidnapped by some very whacked-out "militia" and is forced to witness incredible violence, torture, and gleeful killing in the name of vengeance. As he struggles to survive and to keep his wits about him, Will has an opportunity to take a look at his life and to determine what he wants for his future. Harrison is the author of several novels, short stories, and screenplays.

Hard Passage ($2.11) and The Judas Project ($1.24), by Don Pendleton

Hard Passage
Acting as unofficial backup to a CIA mission threatening to go hard, Mack Bolan is ready for action on the frigid streets of St. Petersburg, Russia. Soon a mix of blood and intelligence creates a picture of a deal brokered between militant Russian youth gangs and Jihadists--aimed at the United States. With too many pieces missing from the puzzle, Bolan plays the game he's played and won countless times before: shake up the enemy's infrastructure, derail its timetable and declare total war. But the fuse is lit--all the way to the streets of Portland, where America's most violent gangs are being armed and primed to unleash the enemy's ultimate, shocking agenda....

The Judas Project
The Cold War just got hot again...

The old Soviet Bloc espionage games have resumed on a covert and catastrophic new playing field: the U.S. financial markets. The enemy isn't the Russian government, but long-dormant sleeper cells in America's cities, planted by the KGB decades ago. Now a former Kremlin official has found the top-secret files and stolen the blueprint, ready to pocket and manipulate America's resources. He has hijacked operation Black Judas, enlisted the KGB's most lethal assassin to terminate operatives, and has begun reshaping a brilliant plot to steal billions of American dollars. But he didn't plan on a beautiful Russian cop on a vengeance hunt, or an American warrior named Mack Bolan in deadly pursuit, gunning for blood and justice.

Target Response ($4.09), by William and J.A. Johnstone. You can also pre-order Home Invasion for $4.47, currently.

Book Description
Who Is Killing The Army's Killer Elite?

The attacks strike like lightning, a murder blitz targeting America's most ultra-secret organization, the Army's clandestine assassination arm known as the Dog Team. Without warning, Dog Team operatives are being systematically slaughtered, decimating the republic's last, best hope against those who would destroy our freedom.

Surviving the initial onslaught are two of the Team's master assassins, Major Joe Kilroy and Captain Steve Ireland. Now, this supreme warrior duo gathers the remnants of the unit to form the Dog Team's Death Squad to unleash their counterstrike: complete annihilation of a shadowy global cartel owing allegiance to no flag, with a private army of international mercenaries. . .

The darkest and deadliest secret war that ever rocked a nation is about to begin.

Blood Safari ($4.80), by Deon Meyer & K.L. Seegers

Book Description
When the rich and famous visit South Africa, their first port of call is often Body Armor, the personal security company offering two types of protection: the big and intimidating muscle men called Gorillas or the lean and hungry former government body guards, referred to as Invisibles.

Lemmer is a freelance Invisible. The tiny and beautiful Emma le Roux, a brand consultant from Cape Town, wants to hire him. He needs the money, so he listens to her story. Lemmer’s First General Law is: Don’t get involved. But he has never failed as a body guard and he’s also grown a little too fond of Emma. He uncovers simmering racial and political tensions, greed, corruption, and a network of eco-terrorists. He follows the leads until he finds what he’s after: The people who attacked Emma. Getting to them will be extremely dangerous, and exposing them could have international political implications. If he fails, both he and Emma will end up dead. But Lemmer is sick and tired of being invisible. He goes after them, against all odds.

The Advocate ($3.96), by Larry Axelrood

Book Description
The new charge has been brought by the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Owen Dempsey, who is running for governor and knows that prosecuting Tobias will provide him with free, election-year publicity and provide him with the right kind of headlines.

Cole, however, is exhausted, worn out, alone. He has made his career the central focus of his life, and while he appears to be a successful man, he feels old and lost and weary. During his sleepless nights, he sits alone in his penthouse apartment overlooking the lake reflecting on the mistakes he’s made in life and wondering if he has anything to show for it.

By day, however, Cole is energetic and intimidating. He outmaneuvers his opponents and plots brilliant strategies to defend his client. An experienced litigator, he anticipates the dirty tactics of Dempsey’s office and devises a few of his own.

Completing matters is Anthony Benvenuti Jr., the youngest son of Tony “the Babe” Benvenuti, a prominent figure in the Chicago underworld. Tony Jr. is bitter about his conviction for drug-related offenses and blames Cole.

Filled with brilliant legal maneuvering and surprise after surprise, The Advocate spins a complicated, frightening, often humorous path through a spectacular federal trial, ruthless organized crime activity, an unexpected verdict, and a conclusion that will leave even the most avid mystery readers wondering why they didn’t see it coming.

The Cove ($3.99), by Catherine Coulter

Book Description
Into the Cove comes Sally Brainerd, daughter of murdered Amory St. John of Washington, D.C., seeking sanctuary, and FBI Special Agent James Quinlan who's undercover and after her. He's got a murder to solve, and he believes she's the key. But is she really?

Knife Music ($3.99), by David Carnoy

Book Description
Kristen Kroiter was sixteen, a high-school sophomore, when she was injured in a car accident. Dr. Ted Cogan had saved her life when he treated her in the ER six months ago -- but now police detectives were questioning Cogan about her, in intimate detail. What was going on? What had she told them?

That's just it, the cops said. She hadn't told them anything. She had died. Looked like a suicide. And Cogan was in a heap of trouble.

Tense and twisting, Knife Music is the story of a doctor struggling to clear his name after being accused of raping and causing the suicide of a young girl. The novel pits Cogan, a forty-three-year-old surgeon and self-described womanizer, against Hank Madden, a handicapped veteran detective. From the outset it's not clear who is victim and who is victimizer, as the usually dispassionate.

Madden grapples with his long-suppressed prejudices and his obsession with bringing Ted Cogan to justice at any cost. It all leads up to the most stunning surprise ending since Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent.

MetaGame ($2.99), by Sam Landstrom, has just been re-published by AmazonEncore. Unlike many of their new releases, this one is currently at a bargain price (often they come back in the $7.99 range).

Book Description
Speculative science fiction at its finest, MetaGame by Sam Landstrom is a ‘future gamers’ field guide and a philosophical cyberpunk adventure. In this original and disturbingly irreverent prospective world, gaming is more than a diversion—and gamers are, literally, in it for life. The OverSoul, an enigmatic, unifying force, offers winners points that add up to currency. Reigning champs are given the gift of immortality—while losers are condemned to aging and death. D_Light is one of the best players in his Family and will do anything to win, even if it means committing murder. When he’s invited to a MetaGame—an exclusive, high-stakes competition—he jumps at the chance. But after the first quest, D_Light’s overly ambitious ways brand him a renegade. With a warped sense of freewill that is needed to prevail, D_Light must either kill someone he’s grown to love—or lose everything.

Pretty Little Dead Things ($3.99), by Gary Mcmahon

Book Description
THOMAS USHER HAS A MOST TERRIBLE TALENT.

Following a car crash in which his wife and daughter are killed, he can see the recently departed, and it's not usually a pretty sight. When he is called to investigate the violent death of the daughter of a prominent local gangster, Usher's world is torn apart once more. For the barriers between this world and the next are not as immutable as once he believed.

Mashing together the grittiest British police procedural with dark supernatural terror, author Gary McMahon creates a refreshingly new take on horror fiction.

Amortals ($3.99), by Matt Forbeck

Book Description
THE VERY BEST PERSON TO CATCH YOUR KILLER…IS YOU.

Matt Forbeck arrives as the new king of high-concept - with a blockbuster action movie in a book. In the near future, scientists solve the problem of mortality by learning how to backup and restore a persons memories into a vat-bred clone. When Secret Service agent Ronan "Methusaleh" Dooley is brutally murdered, he's brought back from the dead one more time to hunt his killer, but this time those who wanted him dead are much closer to home.

A Bomb Built in Hell ($4.99), by Andrew Vachss, author of The Flood, which was briefly free at the end of 2008.

Book Description
Andrew Vachss' pre-Flood novel A Bomb Built in Hell was written in 1973. It was rejected by every publisher, one of whom described it as a "political horror story," others of whom berated it for its "lack of realism," including such things as Chinese youth gangs and the fall of Haiti. And the very idea of someone entering a high school with the intent of destroying every living person inside was just too ... ludicrous.

Readers of Vachss' Burke series will immediately recognize Wesley, the main character of A Bomb Built in Hell. This is his story.

Cypress Point ($4.68), by Diane Chamberlain, is being re-issued under the name The Shadow Wife at the end of the month (and as a trade paperback), but at least for now, you can get it under the previous title at a bargain price. The description reads romance, but the publisher has categorized it as suspense/thriller.

Book Description
It is not a love Joelle D'Angelo would ever have chosen. But it is one she can't deny.

Joelle D'Angelo's best friend, Mara, is left with brain damage after she suffers an aneurysm during the delivery of her son. Alone and grieving, Joelle turns to the only other person who understands her pain: Mara's husband, Liam. And what starts out as comfort between friends gradually becomes something more. Something undeniable. Now all Joelle needs is a miracle.

Torn by guilt and the impossibility of her feelings for Liam, Joelle seeks help from someone she's not even sure she believes in--a healer named Carlynn Kling Shire. Joelle sets out to find Carlynn, knowing that Mara needs something conventional medicine can't supply. And hoping that if Mara is well, Joelle's feelings for Liam will end.

Her search leads her to a mansion in Monterey, California, and into the life of a woman shrouded in mystery. And as Joelle is guided down an unfamiliar path by a woman who is clearly keeping her own secrets, she discovers that some love is doomed, while some love can survive anything.

Hopefully you kept reading until the end, as When Will There Be Good News? ($1.99), by Kate Atkinson, is the "stellar third novel to feature ex-cop turned PI Jackson Brodie" according Publisher's Weekly. All three have been discounted to $1.99 over the last couple of months and with this one, I now have all three (the other two have since returned to their pre-sale $9.99 prices).

Book Description
On a hot summer day, Joanna Mason's family slowly wanders home along a country lane. A moment later, Joanna's life is changed forever...

On a dark night thirty years later, ex-detective Jackson Brodie finds himself on a train that is both crowded and late. Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly hears a shocking sound...

At the end of a long day, 16-year-old Reggie is looking forward to watching a little TV. Then a terrifying noise shatters her peaceful evening. Luckily, Reggie makes it a point to be prepared for an emergency...

These three lives come together in unexpected and deeply thrilling ways in the latest novel from Kate Atkinson, the critically acclaimed author who Harlan Coben calls "an absolute must-read."

Happy Veteran's Day