Free Game - Granny In Paradise

Today's free game download from Amazon is Granny In Paradise is another one that I own (and have played a lot). I don't think I've ever beaten it (but that may be because I play it on my netbook).

Game Description

• Super Granny Is Back.
• Over 170 Levels
• 5 Worlds To Explore
• Create Your Own Adventures.

Super Granny is back, and she's ready to rumble. While on a well-deserved vacation, Granny's kitties are abducted. Run, dig, climb, swing, float and tumble through 5 worlds and over 170 levels, as you rescue Granny's missing cats and outwit the minions of the nefarious Dr. Meow. With a built-in level editor you can create your own adventures for hours and hours of additional fun!

New Kindle App - Calendar Pro

Calendar Pro (A Schedule Tool for Kindle) ($0.99), by Jujuba Software, is a new app for Kindle this morning. There have been a number of Kindle "books" that tried to fill the need for a calendar on Kindle, but this is the first Active Content app in that arena. So far there are two reviews, one of which is 5-star and almost reads as if it was written by an employee of the company that developed the app (it's a glowing review), while the other is one-star and is complaining about not being able to buy the app outside the US. I guess these one-star complainers haven't noticed that the availability isn't up to the developers - none of the Kindle apps are available outside the US and I suspect it's because of US technology export laws, not some unwillingness to allow people to get the apps on the part of Amazon or the developers (some of whom are not even US companies, in the first place, and can't buy their own apps in the Kindle store).

App Description
Calendar Pro is a calendar for Kindle.

Calendar Pro allows you to create events, edit existing events, and view these events by day, month, or year. You can create multiple events within a day, month, or year, and events can overlap, be a full day in length, or extend for multiple days. Each event can also be personalized with a title, location, description, and time.

Upcoming appointments are visible in the Agenda View, and you can quickly change the period you are viewing with the page turn buttons. Calendar Pro is easy to use, and each screen has a help page that describes controls and keyboard shortcuts.

Organize your day with Calendar Pro!

Free Book (noDRM) - Sons Of The Great Satan

Sons Of The Great Satan ($2.99 Kindle), by Anthony Roberts, is free on Smashwords, tonight only, using coupon code SJ82P.

Book Description
When American teenager Joey Andrews and his family arrive in Tehran, Iran in 1976 they find an expatriate paradise within one of the world's oldest civilizations. Through the bold and imperious leadership of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, this ancient land is thrust into the modern age bringing great progress to some and seething resentment to others. It is the twilight of an empire, the last golden hours before the fall of darkness.

SONS OF THE GREAT SATAN leads the reader through a cataclysmic event as seen through the lives of the Andrews family of Peligrosa, Texas and the Zadehs of Tehran, Iran. Joey Andrews and Farhad Zadeh form a friendship amid a naive wonderland of teenage sex, drugs and rock'n'roll that explodes into a firestorm that rocks a nation.

As a work of historical fiction, SONS OF THE GREAT SATAN is a tale of culture clash, international politics, heroism, friendship, cowardice and sinister betrayal. The character and beliefs of the Shah of Iran, President Jimmy Carter and the Ayatollah Khomeini are all put to the test as the whirlwind of chaos engulfs them all. The actions of these powerful men play out on the world stage and forever change the lives of those who called Tehran home in the late 1970s.

The paths of Iran and America have been intricately bound by blood and violence for many decades. What happened between these two nations continues to reverberate today.

SONS OF THE GREAT SATAN is based on the author's impressions as a teenager living in Iran prior to the Islamic revolution. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this work are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictionally.

Click HERE to get the free book.

Free Game Download - Burger Shop

Amazon is feature a free game download every day for the next week. Today's is Burger Shop, which they had marked down for a short while last year ($3.49), but normally sells for $6.99. It's on of those addicting (but silly) games that you can spend a lot of time playing (I liked it well enough to buy it, so I'd definitely recommend it at this price).

Game Description

• Burger Making Fun For Everyone.
• More Than 60 Upgrade Items.
• 96 Trophies To Collect.
• Play Story, Relaxed Or Challenge Mode.

After receiving a set of strange blueprints in the mail, you build an extraordinary food-making contraption and open a restaurant! Your goal? Make food and satisfy customers until you discover the truth behind the mysterious blueprints and the BurgerTron 2000! With several game play modes, more than 60 upgrades and 96 trophies to collect, there's never a dull moment as your kitchen sizzles with excitement! If you fry it, they will come...to your Burger Shop!

Free Songs of the Day

A selection of free MP3's from Amazon (these are often free only for a short time, so add them to your Cloud Player while you can).

• Love Hurts, by Roy Orbison
• Bad Woman Blues, by Trampled Under Foot
• For Maria, by RM Hubbert
• Ave Maria [Bach - Gounod], by Sven Libaek Orchestra
• Moth, by Sugarplum Fairies

Although not quite free, these albums are substantially discounted. The first one is today's Deal of the Day, so I'd expect the price to increase tomorrow.

• The 99 Most Essential Renaissance Masterpieces ($1.99)
• The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music, by London Philharmonic Orchestra & David Parry ($1.99)
• Beethoven's Last Night, by Trans-Siberian Orchestra ($2.99)

Free Book (nook) - Soft Apocalypse

Soft Apocalypse ($7.99 Kindle), by Will McIntosh, is this week's Free Friday book at Barnes and Noble. I only expect this one to be free a few days (Monday, at the latest), so grab it quick.

Book Description
What happens when resources become scarce and society starts to crumble? As the competition for resources pulls America's previously stable society apart, the "New Normal" is a Soft Apocalypse. This is how our world ends; with a whimper instead of a bang. New social structures and tribal connections spring up across America, as the previous social structures begin to dissolve. Soft apocalypse follows the journey across the South East of a tribe of formerly middle class Americans as they struggle to find a place for themselves and their children in a new, dangerous world that still carries the ghostly echoes of their previous lives.

Click HERE for the free book from B&N.

Free Android Apps - SUPER WHY! and wordoid!

wordoid!, by Sean Wilson, is a word game for ages 9+ that is currently free in the Amazon Android Appstore. I don't know if the price will go up later, but the reviews are very good (other than two people that could not get it to install on Android 2.2).

Game Description
If you're a word person, you'll find wordoid! to be right up your alley. This fun, fast-moving word game for your Android device is easy to learn but hard to put down.

Connect letters on a grid to create words--you'll receive new letters and earn points for every word you make. Wild card and bonus tiles add to the fun and help you boost your score. Race against the clock and see how many words you can create!

• Play this fun, fast-moving word game on your Android device
• Connect letters on a grid to create words
• Earn points and new letters with every word you create
• Race against the clock to increase your score and advance to higher levels
• Make strategic use of wild card and bonus tiles

SUPER WHY! a children's reading app by PBS KIDS, is free for a limited time, exclusively in the Amazon Appstore. After the free period (time limit unknown), the app will sell for $2.99.

Game Description
Reading For Heroes
SUPER WHY! from PBS KIDS makes learning to read and write so fun that kids won't realize they're absorbing essential literacy skills. This app features an intuitive, kid-friendly interface, and best of all, kids learn not to be afraid of learning from mistakes. Based on the hit PBS KIDS show, this colorful, action-packed app features the show's four characters in four different games. Journey to Storybook Village and learn the wonders of reading and writing with Super Why, Princess Presto, Wonder Red, and Alpha Pig. And why yes, Alpha Pig does fly!

Four Games, Four Worlds
When you launch SUPER WHY!, you're presented with a menu of four games: Super Why's Story Saver, Princess Presto's Wands Up Writing, Wonder Red's Rhyming Time, and Alpha Pig's Lickety Letter Hunt. It's easy to exit from each game and start another one at any time. Clearly written rules are available from the main screen. For an added challenge, combine all four games in "Play All" mode by selecting the SUPER WHY! book.

• Play four original games that help build literacy skills
• Practice the alphabet, rhyming, spelling, writing, and reading
• Interact with main characters from the TV series SUPER WHY!
• Learn from your mistakes in a fun way
• Please note that this application requires an additional 17MB download

New/Free Kindle Game - Dots and Boxes

Dots and Boxes joins the list of free Kindle Games available from Amazon Digital Services.

Game Description
The classic game of Dots and Boxes comes to Kindle!

In Dots and Boxes, you are presented with a set of dots in a 5x5 grid. One by one, each player must fill in a horizontal or vertical line between two dots. The player that completes a box by filling in the fourth side captures that box. Completing a box allows a player to immediately make another move. When all 16 boxes are claimed, the player with the most boxes wins.

Play against Kindle at Easy, Medium or Hard difficulty levels. You can also play against another person in Pass 'n' Play mode and select whether a match requires 2, 3 or 4 wins to complete. Dots and Boxes comes with tips and instructions to help you if you get stuck, and also tracks your best scores, wins, and ties for each difficulty level.

Enjoy Dots and Boxes on Kindle today!

Free Book Updates and Bargain Roundup

For the Kobo prices listed below, remember that you can take $1.00 off the listed prices, using coupon code KoboSpring1 (unlimited use, expires 4/30). Those of you in the UK may want to take glance at Mills and Boon: to celebrate the Royal Wedding, they have everything online at 20% off with coupon code ROYAL (expires midnight, 4/29).

The following are now free in the US Kindle store:

• Baby, I'm Yours
• The Shepherd

This one is now free in EPUB format:

• The Duchess's Tattoo

You can get the regular edition of Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox or the Kindle Edition with Audio/Video for $3.89.

Book Description
When Artemis Fowl’s mother contracts a life-threatening illness, his world is turned upside down. The only hope for a cure lies in the brain fluid of the silky sifaka lemur. Unfortunately, the animal is extinct due to a heartless bargain Artemis himself made as a younger boy. Though the odds are stacked against him, Artemis is not willing to give up. With the help of his fairy friends, the young genius travels back in time to save the lemur and bring it back to the present. But to do so, Artemis will have to defeat a maniacal poacher, who has set his sights on new prey: Holly Short. The rules of time travel are far from simple, but to save his mother, Artemis will have to break them all…and outsmart his most cunning adversary yet: Artemis Fowl, age ten.

Kindle Edition with Audio/Video
Includes video footage from Eoin Colfer's one man stage show, Fairies, Fiends, & Flatulence. See different selections from the show in every Artemis Fowl eBooks 1-7.

Guardian of Lies with Bonus Material, by Steve Martini, is currently a $1.99 pre-order. The cover says this is a "Free Edition", so I suspect the price will go down before it is delivered. If you are going to get this one from B&N or Kobobooks, though, I'd suggest waiting until the May 10 release date, as they are not nearly as easy to get a refund from, if the price drops a day or two later (and sometimes they charge you when you order, not on delivery). If you aren't sure you want this one, get a sample from the full price edition. I'm going to pre-order it now, though, as many of these special editions disappear shortly after they are released, which is what happened with the free edition of Shadow of Power from this same author, last year (which this book follows in the Paul Madriani series).

Book Description
For a limited time, meet bestselling author Steve Martini's hero Paul Madriani in this special, discounted digital edition of Guardian of Lies, including excerpts from The Rule of Nine and Martini's forthcoming Madriani thriller, Trader of Secrets (available May 31).

In Guardian of Lies, fate has bound attorney Paul Madriani to a young Costa Rican woman accused of a horrific crime, ensnaring them both in a frightening conspiracy that ranges beyond U.S. borders. A Cold War nightmare is being reshaped for a new century—a threat too terrible to imagine yet too real to be ignored—leading Madriani, his partner Harry Hinds, and the fugitive Katia directly into the path of an unstoppable, very angry assassin. From the halls of American justice to the jungles of South America and a dark secret buried since the days of Castro's ascendance, the race is on to prevent the unthinkable—by unveiling the hidden truth protected by the "Guardian of Lies."

Vlad: The Last Confession ($2.39 pre-order), by Chris (C.C.) Humphreys, is one you might want to grab from Kobo, if you can read DRM'd EPUB's (it's $1.39 with coupon code KoboSpring1).

Book Description
Dracula. A name of horror, depravity and the darkest sensuality. Yet the real Dracula was just as alluring, just as terrifying, his tale not one of a monster but of a man... and a contradiction.

His tale is told by those who knew him best. The only woman he ever loved...and whom he had to sacrifice. His closest comrade...and traitor. And his priest, betraying the secrets of the confessional to reveal the mind of the man history would forever remember as The Impaler. This is the story of the man behind the legend...as it has never been told before.

Promise Not to Tell ($1.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Jennifer Mcmahon

Book Description
Forty-one-year-old school nurse Kate Cypher has returned home to rural Vermont to care for her mother who's afflicted with Alzheimer's. On the night she arrives, a young girl is murdered—a horrific crime that eerily mirrors another from Kate's childhood. Three decades earlier, her dirt-poor friend Del—shunned and derided by classmates as "Potato Girl"—was brutally slain. Del's killer was never found, while the victim has since achieved immortality in local legends and ghost stories. Now, as this new murder investigation draws Kate irresistibly in, her past and present collide in terrifying, unexpected ways. Because nothing is quite what it seems . . . and the grim specters of her youth are far from forgotten.

More than just a murder mystery, Jennifer McMahon's extraordinary debut novel, Promise Not to Tell, is a story of friendship and family, devotion and betrayal—tautly written, deeply insightful, beautifully evocative, and utterly unforgettable.

Annie, Get Your Guy & Messing Around with Max ($3.82 Kindle; $3.89 Kobo), by Lori Foster, is a double feature from Harlequin.

Book Description
Annie, Get Your Guy
What was a woman supposed to do?

Guy Donovan had always treated Annie Sawyers like a little sister. But Annie already had a brother—what she wanted was a husband. Guy, to be precise! So when he announced his plans to get engaged—to the wrong woman!—Annie set out to seduce him. Which would have been a lot easier if Guy wasn't playing hard to get...

Messing Around With Max
His love life was going to the dogs!

Max Sawyers would do anything for his mangy, bad-tempered mutt, Cleo—he'd even give up his footloose lifestyle and take a wife. The trouble was, the only woman Cleo had ever taken a liking to was Maddie Montgomery. And Maddie was also the only woman on the planet who didn't want to snag Max permanently!

Never a Bride ($2.39 Kindle; Kobo), by Amelia Grey

Book Description
Her name is on everyone's lips...
When he left for America six years ago, the handsome Viscount Stonehurst never suspected that he would return home to England to find his lovely fiancée embroiled in the scandal of the decade. The woman he planned on making his wife has been kissing every man in London...except him!

But scandal doesn't matter in search of the truth...
Engaged and then abandoned, Mirabella Wittingham is determined to find the man who drove her cousin to suicide, even if it means ruining her reputation and disgracing herself in the process...When her plans go awry, Mirabella has no choice but to turn to her long-lost fiancé for help. But can she trust the man who deserted her so many years ago, or is he destined to fail her yet again?

Race to Splendor ($3.89 Kindle; Kobo), by Ciji Ware

Book Description
Inspired by female architect Julia Morgan, this is the riveting tale of a race against time to rebuild two luxury hotels after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake destroyed 400 city blocks and left 250,000 homeless.

Morgan’s fictional protegee Amelia Bradshaw and client J.D. Thayer will sacrifice anything to see the city they love rise from the ashes; in the process, they can’t help but lose their hearts.

Frommer's Royal Wedding: How to See the Sights on the Big Day and Happily Ever Afterwards ($1.99 Kindle), by Frommer's.

Book Description
Frommer’s The Royal Wedding is your expert guide to seeing the best of the momentous and historic events taking place in London on April 29th, the day of the Royal marriage, joining Prince William and Kate Middleton. And then how to enjoy the big city after they have tied the knot, and Happily Ever Afterwards! Get the inside track on where to go, when to go, how to get about and how best to enjoy the pomp, history and fairytale-like proceedings as we give you a unique insight into the future King of England’s ceremony and celebrations. We’ll help you join the party, find a seat and take the opportunity of a lifetime to see the Royal couple wind their way around the most significant sites of London: St. James’s Park, Clarence House, Horse Guard’s Parade, Whitehall, Parliament Square, Buckingham Palace, The Mall and Westminster Abbey. Find out where to eat, shop, stay and have fun like a Royal, plus all you need to know about the Royal Family and the festivities to create an inspired trip, full of choices for the Big Day and beyond. Includes 20 full-color photos and a route of the wedding procession.

In celebration of the Royal Wedding, Codename: Dancer ($2.99), by Amanda Brice, is free for all my readers, direct from the author. To get the book, email the author on Friday, April 29 (only), and let her know what format you prefer.

Book Description
Aspiring ballerina Dani Spevak is thrilled when hit TV show Teen Celebrity Dance Off comes to the campus of her performing arts boarding school. She trades the barre for the ballroom and gets set to cha-cha-cha to stardom with Hollywood wonderboy Nick Galliano.

At first their partnership is awkward, because Dani is in awe of her longtime teen idol crush. But soon their chemistry is heating up the dance floor and the attraction moves into real life.

Her excitement is short-lived, because someone wants her off the show. Bombs, poisoning, arson… Will Dani’s 15 minutes of fame be over before she reaches age 15? Dani and her friends are suddenly at the center of some serious sabotage. And if she doesn’t find out who is behind it, her next pirouette could be her last.

It’s like Nancy Drew in toe shoes in this light-hearted tween mystery, a finalist for Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart® Award for Best Young Adult Romance.

Wildest Heart ($2.39 Kindle; Kobo), by Rosemary Rogers

Book Description
Passionate, headstrong Lady Rowena Dangerfield and dark, dangerous outlaw Lucas Cord... two destinies intertwined under the blazing New Mexico sun...

Lady Rowena Dangerfield travels from the exotic palaces of India to the splendor of the Royal Court of London to the savage New Mexico frontier to lay claim

to her inheritance and live freely as only she would dare. In the violent, untamed American Southwest, she finally meets a man as strong as she is: Lucas Cord, a dark, dangerously handsome, half-Apache outlaw.

Fighting scandal, treachery, and murder, Luke is determined to have Rowena for his own, and as their all-consuming passion mounts, no one is going to stop him...

Peach Cobbler Murder ($4.30 Kindle; $4.39 Kobo), by Joanne Fluke, is just one of this series that is under $5 on Kindle (or at Kobo), for those that can't take advantage of the Apple Turnover Murder Bundle (4 books for $9.99). Pick these up to start the series and grab Devil's Food Cake Murder for $9.99 w/ the $10 credit (for those with the Kindle Wi-Fi with Special Offers).

Book Description
With The Cookie Jar, Hannah Swensen has a mouthwatering monopoly on the bakery business of Lake Eden, Minnesota. But when a rival store opens, tensions begin to bubble...

As she sits in her nearly empty store on Groundhog Day, Hannah can only hope that spring is just around the corner--and that the popularity of the new Magnolia Blossom Bakery is just a passing fad. The southern hospitality of Lake Eden's two Georgia transplants, Shawna Lee and Vanessa Quinn, is grating on Hannah's nerves--and cutting into her profits.

At least Hannah has her business partner Lisa's wedding to look forward to. Unfortunately, Shawna Lee has finagled an invitation to the reception--and is bringing her Southern Peach Cobbler for the dessert table. Things go from bad to worse when Shawna Lee and Hannah's sometime-boyfriend, Detective Mike Kingston, are no-shows to the wedding. When Hannah sees lights on at the Magnolia Blossom Bakery after the reception, she investigates--and finds Shawna Lee shot to death.

Everyone in town knew the Cookie Jar's business was suffering--a fact that puts Hannah at the top of the initial list of suspects. But with a little help from her friends, Hannah's determined to track down whoever had the right ingredients to whip up a murder. . .

Includes 10 Original Dessert Recipes For You To Try!

If you, like me, grew up with Saturday Night Live (you can stop reading now, Mom!), staying up past your curfew to watch those early year episodes, then you'll definitely want to grab Live From New York: An Uncensored History Of Saturday Night Live (as told by it's Stars, Writers and Guests), by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller, while it is marked down to $2.99.

Book Description
WHEN A YOUNG WRITER named Lorne Michaels talked NBC executives into taking a chance on a new weekend late-night comedy series, nobody really knew what to expect-not even Michaels. But Saturday Night Live, launched in 1975 and still thriving today, would change the face of television. It introduced brash new stars with names like Belushi, Radner, Chase, and Murray; trashed taboos that had inhibited TV for decades; and had such an impact on American life, laughter, and politics that even presidents of the United States had to take notice. Now, Pulitzer Prize-winner Tom Shales and bestselling author James Andrew Miller bring together stars, writers, guest hosts, contributors, and craftsmen for the first-ever oral history of Saturday Night Live, from 1974, when it was just an idea, through 2002, when it has long since become an institution. In their own words, dozens of personalities recall the backstage stories, behind-the-scenes gossip, feuds, foibles, drugs, sex, struggles, and calamities, including personal details never before revealed. Shales and Miller have interviewed a galaxy of stars, including Mike Myers, Chris Rock, Bill Murray, Tom Hanks, Adam Sandler, Chevy Chase, Will Ferrell, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Martin, Jon Lovitz, Jane Curtin, Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Dana Carvey, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Garrett Morris, Molly Shannon, Damon Wayans, Chris Elliott, Julia Sweeney, Norm Macdonald, and Paul Simon-plus writers like Al Franken, Conan O'Brien, Larry David, Rosie Shuster, Jack Handey, Robert Smigel, Don Novello, and others who got their big breaks as part of the SNL team. The Coneheads, the Blues Brothers, Buck-wheat, Wayne and Garth, Hans and Franz, the Cheerleaders, Todd DiLaMuca and Lisa Loopner, "Cheeseburger cheeseburger," Mango, the Church Lady, Ed Grimley-they're all here. And for every fabulous character on-screen there was an outrageous maverick, misfit, or rebel behind the scenes. Live from New York does what no other book about the show has ever done: It lets the people who were there tell the story in their own words, blunt and loving and uncensored.

AdverKindle - First Impressions

My Kindle Wi-Fi with Special Offers ($114) has arrived from Amazon (despite a scare of delayed delivery due to the storms hitting the eastern half of the country; I even received a nice email from Amazon 25 minutes ago about the delay; which is roughly 3 hours after I received it). Amazon may not have named it the AdverKindle, but I kind of like the nickname and promptly named mine just that (although it was just after I took the pics, so it doesn't have it's real name in them). I've taken a few pics to show the differences between it in the K3G that I have (couldn't track down Hubby's K3-WiFi, but they are essentially the same).

I've already signed up for one offer and had it sent to my inbox: Get a $10 Amazon credit if you buy a "bestseller" with your Visa card. Turns on that the list of 48 books isn't all $9.99 and above books, either, and I can buy a book for as little as $3.82 and get the credit ($6 increase to my account!). You do have to use your Visa card (any Visa), so need to (a) make sure you don't have a current gift card balance and (b) set you one-click settings to use a Visa card. So, I have my offer, but haven't tried it out yet - I still have 83 cents in credit on my account and I already have several of the books on the list, so want to spend the credit first, in case it requires the full purchase go onto my Visa card. Another offer tells you about the 3x points when using an Amazon visa card (which I have), but if you don't have one, wait: I've seen ad copy for an offer of $100 back if you sign up for a new Amazon Visa card using one of the Special offers, but that one isn't on my Kindle yet.

The first thing you notice, even before opening the box, is that the box itself tells you this is the Kindle with Special Offers (no doubt to make it easier for those in the warehouse). Other than that, there is no indication inside the box or on the Kindle that it is any different from a regular Kindle WiFi. In fact, until you turn WiFi on for the first time and get it registered (mine was automatic, as soon as the Wifi was on), you don't even get any ads; they have to download via WiFi. Once you do, though, you get a screensaver such as the one above, with a matching ad at the bottom of the home page (left) after you use the slide to turn the Kindle on (the matching ad on the home page matches the screensaver that was previously seen). If you want to take advantage of an offer, you use the 5-way to move down to the ad and click on it (just like you use it to open a book). When you do, you get a new ad page (right) , which has a clickable link to get the offer sent to your email (the main email on the Amazon account -- which could get a bit irksome, if you have more than one of these Kindles on a shared account, as that one email address will get all the offer links). Clicking on the link resulted in an email, just as promised, which in turn had the link to the list of books and the full terms of the offer. If you buy a book you were already intending to get, it ends up being essentially free, such as with Virgin River books 1-4 or Devil's Food Cake Murder ($9.99 each), but most of the books are actually below $10, so you end up being paid to buy the book (use the extra on one of the Agency books and you end up getting one of those at a discount!).

Other than the ads, there is no difference between this Kindle and the WiFi only Kindle my husband has. It doesn't have the 3G access my K3G has (which I use when not at home, on the road or during power outages), but it also isn't rebooting constantly (as my K3G now does, after the last update, anytime the wireless is on). The big question is whether or not I'll keep it: perhaps sell one of the others off or use it just to read review copies? If enough ads that are interesting turn up in the first 30 days, it could work out to be a free backup reader.

To see a gallery of pics for my new Kindle Wi-Fi with Special Offers, click HERE.

Free Book (EPUB) - 2:46: Aftershocks

If you purchase 2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake ($9.99 Kindle), by The Quakebook Community, from Amazon, 100% of the price (after VAT) goes to disaster relief in Japan (where the aftershocks continue, seemingly daily). However, if you don't want to donate, or the price is out of reach, you can get it free from Sony (DRM'd EPUB only). Instead of a directed donation, Sony set up a page for the book and asks that you visit the Japanese Red Cross on your own to make a donation.

Book Description
In just over a week, a group of unpaid professional and citizen journalists who met on Twitter created a book to raise money for Japanese Red Cross earthquake and tsunami relief efforts. In addition to essays, artwork and photographs submitted by people around the world, including people who endured the disaster and journalists who covered it, 2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake contains a piece by Yoko Ono, and work created specifically for the book by authors William Gibson, Barry Eisler and Jake Adelstein.

“The primary goal,” says the book's editor, a British resident of Japan, “is to record the moment, and in doing so raise money for the Japanese Red Cross Society to help the thousands of homeless, hungry and cold survivors of the earthquake and tsunami. The biggest frustration for many of us was being unable to help these victims. I don’t have any medical skills, and I’m not a helicopter pilot, but I can edit. A few tweets pulled together nearly everything – all the participants, all the expertise – and in just over a week we had created a book including stories from an 80-year-old grandfather in Sendai, a couple in Canada waiting to hear if their relatives were okay, and a Japanese family who left their home, telling their young son they might never be able to return."

ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of the price you pay (net of VAT, sales and other taxes) goes to the Japanese Red Cross Society to aid the victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. If you'd like to donate more, please visit the Japanese Red Cross Society website, where you can donate either via Paypal or bank transfer (watch out for the fees, though!) or the American Red Cross Society, which accepts donations directed to its Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami fund (but only accepts donations made with U.S.-issued credit cards).

And of course, if you like the book, please tell your friends, and tell them to give generously as well! Thank you! Japan really does appreciate your help!

Click HERE for the free book from Sony.

$25 with Kindle 3G and Kindle DX for Mother's Day

The Perfect Deal For Mom--add a $25 Amazon.com Gift Card at no extra cost

when you purchase a Kindle 3G or Kindle DX. See details and terms

Those of you that ordered a Kindle Wi-Fi with Special Offers, for $25 off the regular Kindle Wi-Fi price, should start receiving them today (I'll try to have my impressions later, as mine is still in that big brown truck, circling closer and closer). So far, that's the only way to get that model for $25 off, but, for Mother's Day, Amazon is giving you a free $25 Amazon.com Gift Card when ordered at the same time as a Kindle 3G (black or white) or a Kindle DXG (black only). After all, it won't be much of a surprise, if you were to gift Mom a couple of books before the big day, would it?

You can either check off the box under the Add to Cart/Two-day 1-Click button that says "Add a $25 Amazon.com Gift Card at no extra cost" or you can add the gift card manually, HERE.

Here's the fine print:

To receive your bonus $25 Amazon.com Gift Card with purchase of Kindle 3G (Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6"):

1. Add the Kindle 3G (Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6") and $25 Amazon.com Gift Card described in the promotion to your Shopping Cart in one of two ways:
   • Via the 'Add to Cart' button on each respective product information page, OR
   • Select the $25 Amazon.com Gift Card in the Kindle 3G (Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6") buy box before you click 'Add to Cart'
2. When you are finished shopping, click the "Proceed to Checkout" button.
3. The $25 Amazon.com Gift Card promotion value will be reflected at checkout.
4. Upon completion of the purchase, in accordance with the promotion, the $25 Amazon.com Gift Card will be mailed to the physical address designated by you at checkout through your Amazon account.

Interactive Language Training - Half Price

All eight of 24/7's language training apps for Kindle, are now half price, $1.99, thru May 11. All the apps are $3.99 each and are targeted at reading comprehension. Since the description is nearly identical for each title, I'm only going to include the first one, but there are links for all of the apps.

24-7 French - Vocabulary and 24-7 French - Basic Phrases
24-7 German - Vocabulary and 24-7 German - Basic Phrases
24-7 Italian - Vocabulary and 24-7 Italian - Basic Phrases
24-7 Spanish - Vocabulary and 24-7 Spanish - Basic Phrases

App Descriptions
Learn French/German/Italian/Spanish with your own personal language tutor.

24-7 French/German/Italian/Spanish - Vocabulary is a fun way to learn a language. Going beyond a phrasebook or set of flashcards, this title provides a set of interactive study tools to help you learn the language, including traditional flashcards, a multiple choice quiz, an entertaining hangman-style game, and a write-in quiz to test language recall.

Content includes basic vocabulary organized in 22 categories including Family & Friends, Travel, Home, Office, School, Countryside, Around Town, Other Nouns, Food & Drink, Clothing, Weather, Time & Date, Pronouns, Adjectives, Opposites, Colors, Descriptives and Numbers. French - French/German/Italian/Spanish is different from 24-7's other language tutor title French/German/Italian/Spanish - Basic Phrases in that it provides basic vocabulary terms versus full phrases.

24-7 French/German/Italian/Spanish - Basic Phrases is a fun way to learn a language. Going beyond a phrasebook or set of flashcards, this title provides a set of interactive study tools to help you learn the language, including traditional flashcards, a multiple choice quiz, an entertaining hangman-style game, and a write-in quiz to test language recall.

Content includes conversational phrases organized in 12 categories including First Phrases, Greetings, Getting to Know, Communication, Questions, Wants, Needs, Feelings, Common Expressions, Interjections, To Go, and other common and miscellaneous phrases. French/German/Italian/Spanish - Basic Phrases is different from 24-7's other language tutor title French/German/Italian/Spanish - Vocabulary in that it provides full phrases versus basic vocabulary terms.

French/German/Italian/Spanish - Vocabulary is a useful tool for beginners who may wish to refresh basic [language] skills, and a great companion for a trip in a [non-English]-speaking country.

Bargain Book (nook) - A Pizza To Die For

A Pizza To Die For ($9.99 Kindle), by Chris Cavender, is currently available to pre-order on nook for 99 cents. I don't know if the price at Amazon or B&N is a pricing error (although my bets are on B&N), but it's a bit discrepancy. This is the third in his Eleanor Swift series, which starts with A Slice of Murder ($4.09 Kindle; $4.47 B&N; $3.09 Kobo w/ coupon code KoboSpring1) and continues with Pepperoni Pizza Can Be Murder ($6.45 Kindle; $5.43 B&N; $4.29 Kobo w/ coupon).

Book Description
Though it's an unseasonably chilly October in Timber Ridge, North Carolina, Eleanor Swift is warm and cozy in A Slice of Delight--her scrumptious pizzeria. But when snooty Judson Sizemore breezes into town to open an upper-crust pizza parlor nearby, Eleanor's biggest worry is that her beloved restaurant's days may be numbered. . .until she hears Judson's days have come to a most gruesome end. . .

Since half the town saw Judson causing a ruckus in A Slice of Delight before he expired, Eleanor and her saucy sister, Maddie, are the prime suspects. The only way out is to prove their innocence. Soon, a little surreptitious sleuthing reveals that the dough behind Judson's impending pizzeria came from Timber Ridge's resident recluse: crusty oddball millionaire Nathan Pane. It turns out he's Judson's long-lost uncle. . .and someone is after him, too.

As Eleanor digs deeper, her suspect list grows longer than the local soccer team's pizza order--and life in the once quiet town heats up like Maddie's five-alarm Volcano pie. Could it be Judson's gold-digging sister? Or her secret boyfriend? Between working on the case, keeping her customers happy, and even finding time for an old flame, Eleanor's plate is full. But with an unhinged murderer closing in, she'll have to move very quickly--and very carefully--because the killer is already much closer than she thinks. . .

Includes delicious pizza recipe!

Click HERE to order the book from B&N.

Free Book (EPUB) - Heaven is for Real

Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back ($6.13 Kindle), by Todd Burpo, Sonja Burpo, Colton Burpo and Lynn Vincent, is free from Borders (DRM'd EPUB). This is published by Christian publisher Thomas Nelson, who normally has their free books available in all the ebookstores, but I don't see this one free anywhere else.

Book Description
A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven. Heaven Is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.Colton said he met his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how "reaaally big" God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit "shoots down power" from heaven to help us.Told by the father, but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming last battle.

Click HERE to get the free book from Borders.

$25 Appstore Credit with New Android Device

Amazon is stepping up their promotion of Android devices (but, so far, no sign of a KinDroid or other Amazon Branded Android tablet). This week (today thru May 1), you can get a $25 credit to spend in the Amazon Appstore, if you buy one of the Verizon Android devices on this page. If you are thinking of replacing a phone you already have, you can even check your contract, here, to see if you are eligible for an upgrade (or you contract is up so you can switch carriers).

$25 Amazon Appstore Credit with Purchase of Verizon Android Devices

Purchase any Verizon Android phone or tablet from AmazonWireless between 12 midnight PST April 25, 2011, and 11:59 p.m. PST May 1, 2011, and receive a promotional code for $25 in Amazon Appstore credit. Promotional codes will be sent via e-mail within five days of shipment and are valid through December 31, 2011. See terms and conditions for additional details.

Ten Free Indie Books

If you haven't been participating in the first only Blog Tour de Force, you'll want to head over today and comment on each of the ten author's blogs that are participating. Each relevant comment (some have enough of a requirement that you have to read the post to see if you need more than just your email address left) will earn you a chance to win a Kindle, but also will get you either a smashwords coupon code for the author's book or a copy of the book in your email (mobi or epub, but DRM-free). Today's comments are also counting toward declaring a "winner", but it seems to me that those of us getting free books are the real winners (while the authors probably count themselves as winners, all, in that they are getting new readers).

Click HERE, scroll down to where it says "Did you miss a free Ebook?", then click on each book cover to open that author's blog post, add a comment and wait for the books to roll in. Today's the last day to participate.