Kindle Sunshine Deals Sale

Those of us in the US were jealous last month, when the UK Amazon Kindle site had their Spring Spectacular Kindle eBook Sale. But now that summer has hit, it's our turn and Amazon has gone all out with their Sunshine Deals sale. Over 600 books, prices as low as 99 cents, none higher than $2.99 and you can sort by price group ($0.99, $1.99 and $2.99). This sale ends at 23:59 Wednesday, June 15, 2011 PST, but don't wait until the last minute to read thru the samples and get the ones you want.

I can already see that I'm going to have to buy at least one new Gift certificate this month, on top of the $10 credit that showed up in my account sometimes yesterday, courtesy of one of the Kindle KSO offers; I've already spent it on a couple of $5 MP3 albums and picked out my $1 album, to boot: Alligator Records 40th Anniversary Collection. It's list price is $7.99, I paid a dollar and it looks like I have another $1.01 credit in the MP3 store (I won't know if I can use that, too, until I find another one to buy).

So, what looks good on this sale? Below are a few that I am getting a sample (or already own). Be careful, though - I found a couple of titles where I own them on Kindle, but the publisher has replaced the edition I purchased with a new one, with a new ASIN and removed the older edition (which should not be allowed; not only does it make it harder to see if you purchased a book, it blocks lending when this happens). I always search the Manage My Kindle page before I buy on Kindle, at least for older books that sound familiar.

Diet/Exercise/Nutrition

99 cents

Free Book (EPUB/nook) - Lot's Return to Sodom

Update: 6/8/11 Now in the Kindle store, Lot's Return to Sodom, but at $9.99. Let's let Amazon know it is free elsewhere!
Update: 6/4/11Now free for the nook (and still not available on Kindle).
Update: 6/10/11 Now free on Kindle!

Lot's Return to Sodom, the sequel to In the Belly of Jonah (free on Kindle and others) in the Liv Bergen Mystery series by Sandra Brannan, is free from Kobo and Sony. So far, this one isn't available for nook or Kindle and is only in paperback in those stores; since today is the first release day (and there's not even a pre-order for the third in the series, mentioned in the synopsis), I'd grab this one as fast as you can.

Book Description
The Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is no place for buttoned-down citizens--unless, of course, they're trying to hide a murder or two.

In this second book in the eponymous series, Liv Bergen is back with a vengeance--a righteous one. The gutsy, sharp-witted amateur sleuth pulls out all the stops as she solves the murder of her brother Jens' fiancee, Michelle, and clears his name. As it turns out, more than one person in Liv's sleepy hometown wanted Michelle dead. A trail of clues leads Liv through the Black Hills, where she encounters half a mil- lion hardcore bikers and sideline gawkers--many clad in nothing but black leather thongs and bikinis--who have turned the place into a sodomitical playground saturated in booze.

Further complicating matters, Liv is an eyewitness to a second homicide, which calls down upon her the uninvited attentions of the men- acing leader of a biker gang called Lucifer's Lot. The cat-and-mouse game that ensues puts Liv in the path of her admirer Streeter Pierce, who's gone undercover with a fellow FBI agent to find both Michelle's murderer and a perp the agency calls the Crooked Man. Liv taps every ounce of brains and brawn she has to avoid becoming the killer's next victim, which wins her the further respect of Streeter.

By the end of Lot's Return to Sodom, Streeter has shown his admiration for Liv by giving her Beulah, an FBI bloodhound who is certain to help them track down the still-at-large Crooked Man in book three.

Click HERE for the free book from B&N.
Click HERE to get the free book from Kobo
Click HERE to get the free book from Sony.

Free Book Updates (EPUB/nook)

Some Kindle only freebies that are now free from other sources in EPUB format (or for the nook):

• The Voyage of Promise (EPUB/nook)
• Fortunes of War (EPUB/nook)
• In the Belly of Jonah (EPUB/nook)
• Journey to the Well (nook)
• This Fine Life (nook)
• The Time Machine (EPUB)
• Freaks (nook)

Thanks to all who posted earlier today and/or sent emails (and keep them coming). I reset the feed to Facebook, so it appears to be up to date again (it always lags a couple of hours, as FB only checks for updates every now and then). I also enabled the mobile template for the blog and tested it from my Android phone. Google should detect your mobile device automatically and strip the frames (and the ads/widgets on the page), making it easier to use. I can't really control how Facebook works, though, so the one using Facebook on his mobile may have to switch to the blog itself, for now.

The reviews definitely won't be the "sponsored review" type (I know what that commenter means), although I will still mention indie books (just as I do now), some of which may be books I received for review (and some not; they may just be free downloads I stumbled upon elsewhere). I do use the galleys I receive now to decide what comments I make about a book, if it gets mentioned for other reasons (a few have been so bad, I have to warn you about; others get a "definitely recommended", including some I paid full price for). But, I need to start adding a few more reviews of the galleys I get - I can put them on my book review blog (it's new and, so far, duplicates reviews from here), but it doesn't have the same audience. And only putting reviews at Amazon means they get lost in the crowd (although I do have a few there, too). Since I have to actually read a book (yes, every single, measly word and no speed reading) before I feel I can write a review, there won't be much chance of them taking over the posts.

Free Book (nook) - Miss You Most of All

Miss You Most of All ($8.49 Kindle), by Elizabeth Bass, is free from Barnes and Noble.

Book Description
Few things are as lasting as the bond between sisters. In her poignant debut, Elizabeth Bass explores the lengths one cobbled-together family will go to for each other. . .

Sassy Spinster Farm is a place to find solace. At least, that's what it's become since Rue and her sister, Laura, transformed their childhood Texas homestead into a successful tourist destination. It's where Rue is raising her pre-teen daughter on her own--while trying to keep her outspoken sister in check. It's not easy, but together, it seems there's nothing the two can't handle--until an unexpected, and not entirely welcome guest shows up in the middle of one warm summer night.

Moving and uplifting, here is a beautifully written novel about the bonds we are born into and those we create for ourselves--and of the strength that comes in loving without limits.

Click HERE to get the free book from B&N.

New Kindle Game - Choice of the Vampire

Choice of the Vampire ($2.99), a text-based adventure game by Choice of Games, is a new Active Content game in the Kindle store. I'm tempted by this one (but would like to see a review or two, first).

Book Description
Choice of the Vampire is a text-based game where your choices control the story.

Play as a newly created vampire, struggling to survive your first nights of immortality. Begin your two-hundred-year journey as a vampire in New Orleans of 1815, and choose whether to seek love, power, or redemption as you negotiate the growing pains of the young Republic.

Throughout the game you'll choose between a set of options which decide the action your vampire will take next. Will you embroil yourself in the intrigues of elder vampires? Can an undead creature find true love? How will you balance your waning humanity against your thirst for blood?

If you love gamebooks, you'll love Choice of the Vampire. Its unique approach to interactive fiction allows larger, deeper, and richer stories than traditional gamebooks. Will you discover all of the hidden endings?

Please note: Choice of the Vampire contains content that may be inappropriate for children.

New Kindle Game - Scripps Spelling Bee: Word Games

Scripps Spelling Bee: Word Games ($2.99), by THQ, is a new Active Content game in the Kindle store.

Book Description
Scripps Spelling Bee on Kindle offers three word games: Word Search, Honeycomb Hunt and Mystery Bee.

In Word Search, the game displays a word box with words hidden among a grid of letters. The round is completed once you've found all the words or 10 minutes have passed.

Honeycomb Hunt is a word scramble game. You are given a list of words and a grid of hexagon blocks containing letters. The object of the game is to rotate clusters of letters until all the words on the list are found. The trick is that you must move letters by rotating them without disturbing a word you had previously created.

Mystery Bee is a hangman-style game. For each wrong guess, a body part is filled in on a picture of a bee. If you need them, you can get clues such as the definition of the word, or word's origin.

Scripps Spelling Bee can be used to learn new words in 4 different levels of difficulty, and Spelling Bee can also help you learn your own word lists. Just type your study words into a word list and you can use those words in the games.

Scripps Spelling Bee will help make it fun to learn new words or to study your personal word lists. Get it today so you can truly "Bee" a champion!

New Kindle Game - Flash Cards: Alphabet and Spelling for Kids

Flash Cards: Alphabet and Spelling for Kids ($1.99), by Digi Ronin Games, is a new Active Content game in the Kindle store.

Book Description
Flash Cards: Alphabet and Spelling for Kids uses flash cards to help children study the alphabet and practice the spelling of 76 US English words. Children can review words that are new to them, practice with multiple-choice options, or fill in answers directly.

The title has two different play modes, each designed for a different level of basic proficiency. The first mode focuses on early learners, and shows an image and asks the child to identify the first letter of the object shown. The second mode is more challenging; it displays an image and asks the child to spell out the name of the object shown.

To give students timely feedback, correct answers are acknowledged and incorrect answers are corrected immediately. A high score table lists the ten highest scores to help track improvement.

Turn your Kindle into an alphabet and spelling learning tool today!

Last Chance Bargain Books

This will likely be the last day of bargain prices on these young adult/teen books, which have already started going back up in other stores.

Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball ($1.99), by Risa Green

Book Description
In a world where nothing is certain, a little magic couldn’t hurt…right?

When Erin Channing’s favorite aunt dies, Erin is bequeathed a pink crystal ball and a set of weird instructions. Granted, Aunt Kiki (aka Aunt Kooky) always lived “outside the box.” But now Erin and her two best friends are convinced that the pink crystal ball holds the key to their future—or at least the key to getting dates…

Consider Your Fate to Be Sealed . . .

• Absolute knowledge is not unlimited; let the planets be your guide to the number.
• There are sixteen ways to die, but four of them you will never see.
• The future belongs to you alone. Other voices will be disappointed.
• One rotation is as far as you can see. Only uncertainty lies beyond.

Summer of Skinny Dipping ($1.79), by Amanda Howells

Book Description
Sometimes I still wake up shivering in the early hours of the morning, drowning in dreams of being out there in the ocean that summer, of looking up at the moon and feeling as invisible and free as a fish. But I’m jumping ahead, and to tell the story right I have to go back to the very beginning. To a place called Indigo Beach. To a boy with pale skin that glowed against the dark waves. To the start of something neither of us could have predicted, and which would mark us forever, making everything that came after and before seem like it belonged to another life.

My name is Mia Gordon: I was sixteen years old, and I remember everything.

Picture the Dead ($1.79), by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown

Book Description
A ghost will find his way home.

Jennie Lovell's life is the very picture of love and loss. First she is orphaned and forced to live at the mercy of her stingy, indifferent relatives. Then her fiancé falls on the battlefield, leaving her heartbroken and alone. Jennie struggles to pick up the pieces of her shattered life, but is haunted by a mysterious figure that refuses to let her bury the past.

When Jennie forms an unlikely alliance with a spirit photographer, she begins to uncover secrets about the man she thought she loved. With her sanity on edge and her life in the balance, can Jennie expose the chilling truth before someone-or something-stops her?

Against the brutal, vivid backdrop of the American Civil War, Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown have created a spellbinding mystery where the living cannot always be trusted and death is not always the end.

Dreaming Anastasia ($1.99), by Joy Preble, was free at the end of January and has been $1.99 since, but should be going back up in price next month.

Book Description
What really happened to Anastasia Romanov?

Anastasia Romanov thought she would never feel more alone than when the gunfire started and her family began to fall around her. Surely the bullets would come for her next. But they didn't. Instead, two gnarled old hands reached for her. When she wakes up she discovers that she is in the ancient hut of the witch Baba Yaga, and that some things are worse than being dead.

In modern-day Chicago, Anne doesn't know much about Russian history. She is more concerned about getting into a good college—until the dreams start. She is somewhere else. She is someone else. And she is sharing a small room with a very old woman. The vivid dreams startle her, but not until a handsome stranger offers to explain them does she realize her life is going to change forever. She is the only one who can save Anastasia. But, Anastasia is having her own dreams…

iDrakula ($1.99), by Bekka Black, may require you to do some research, if you are not a big texter (then again, so does reading Shakespeare in the original).

Book Description
The classic vampire story that started it all gets new life for a generation of connected teens

18-year-old Jonathan Harker is diagnosed with a rare blood disorder after visiting a Romanian Count. His girlfriend Mina and a pre-med student named Van Helsing team up to investigate the source of the disease. The teenagers discover a horrifying truth: the Count is a vampire. The harrowing events unfold through emails, text messages, web pages, Twitter feeds, and instant messaging—the natural modernization of Bram Stoker’s original Dracula, which was written in letters, diary entries, and news clippings.

Gawain and Lady Green ($1.79), by Anne Eliot Crompton

Book Description
“You love me, Lady Green. Even as I love you.”

Gwyneth wasn’t supposed to fall in love with Gawain. Not like this. Gawain was the May King—a sacrifice offered to the Goddess for a bountiful harvest in return. Gwyneth knows this. His fate has been decided by powers beyond her control. But the warmth of his touch and the taste of his lips have blurred the lines of what she knows to be true. Now Gwyneth is willing to risk everything to keep Gawain alive, even if it means losing him forever...

In truth, in very truth, I do…

Happy Memorial Day

If you aren't out on the water (or the beach), you may want to check out a few of the Memorial Day sales going on.

• Kobo doesn't really have a sale, but they do have their $1 off, unlimited use coupon code back in force. Use may27us1, expires 5/30/11.
• Carina Press has a 99 cent sale going on, HERE, for the first in series titles. They also have a number of titles at Kobo for $2.39 and you can use the coupon code above, dropping the prices to $1.39.
• Fictionwise has a 45% off coupon that is still working, 052711. Their new books for the week have been posted and you get 15% off up front, plus the coupon code. Remember that all their books that are not "multiformat" do have DRM and are not Kindle compatible; this week it looks like most DRM'd Romance and several genres in DRM-Free formats have been added.
• A number of indie writers have put together a Blog Tour de Troops and are giving away a free copy of their book to anyone who comments and for each commenter, another free copy to be donated to troops overseas. The first day's tour starts HERE, the second day HERE, the third day HERE and day four (the last), HERE. Even though it is Monday, you can leave a comment on any (or all) of the blogs involved and get both a free book and an entry into a drawing to win a free Kindle.

Free Book (EPUB) - Manual For Living

Manual For Living: Reality - TIME ($0.99 Kindle), by Seth David Chernoff, is free from Borders and Kobo this morning. This is a single-chapter freebie (much like the business shorts from FT Press), with the full collection of Manual For Living titles going for $4.99 (Kindle/Kobo) to $7.99 (B&N). This appears to be self-published, but the publisher is listed as Spirit Scope Publishing. If you do decide to pick up the full title from Kobo, be sure to use the coupon code may27us1 to get $1 off (unlimited use, expires 5/30/11). In fact, using the coupon code, you can buy each of the individual mini-books that make up the whole, at no cost (each is 99 cents and with the coupon code they are free).

Book Description
Award-winning book by two-cancer survivor! TIME, the FREE SAMPLE BOOK. A genuine user's guide to the meaning of life, the award-winning Manual For Living: Reality will change the way you see the world. Its straightforward guidance and practical wisdom will help you remain true to your path and purpose in life. Find True Fulfillment and Lasting Happiness, Overcome Your Fear Of Death, Learn How to Fully Experience Life, Reconnect with Your Inner Truth, and Discover Your True Purpose.

Click HERE to get the book from Borders (you'll probably have to use the desktop app on this one).
Click HERE to get the book from Kobo.

Free Book (EPUB) - Traveling Light

Traveling Light ($8.54 Kindle), by Max Lucado, is free from ChristianBook, courtesy of Christian publisher Thomas Nelson. This title has been free in various ebookstores earlier this month (although not on Kindle), but is back to full price in those stores.

Book Description
Weary travelers. You’ve seen them—everything they own crammed into their luggage. Staggering through terminals and hotel lobbies with overstuffed suitcases, trunks, duffels and backpacks.

Backs ache. Feet burn. Eyelids droop.

We’ve all seen people like that.

At times, we are people like that—if not with our physical luggage, then at least with our spiritual load.

We all lug loads we were never intended to carry. Fear. Worry. Discontent.

No wonder we get so weary. We’re worn out from carrying that excess baggage. Wouldn’t it be nice to lose some of those bags?

That’s the invitation of Max Lucado. With the twenty-third Psalm as our guide, let’s release some of the burdens we were never intended to bear.

Click HERE for the free book from ChristianBook.

Spend $5 on Kindle Singles and get a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card

This offer is for those with the Kindle Wi-Fi with Special Offers or Kindle 3G with Special Offers only (presumably; if anyone out there has the Kindle 3G with Special Offers, can you check your offer page and see if this one is there? I may have to buy one, if the offers are different). View the Special Offers on your Kindle (Menu, Special Offers) and you should see a new promotion (if you don't, turn on your wireless, click Menu, Sync & Check for New Items, then after the sync has completed, go to the Special Offers screen):

Spend $5 on Kindle Singles and get a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card

Click on offer, then click on the link on the offer page sign up and get an email with the promotion code. Sign-up for this offer expires on June 2.

You'll get an email (right away), with a link to Kindle Singles page. However, there are no promotional codes to enter, you just have to click to have the offer sent to your email (for this particular offer, I'm not sure that you even need to do that, but I would, just in case). Then, purchase Kindle Singles adding up to at least $5 between March 29 (today) and June 15 (midnight PT). The $5 gift card will automatically be applied to your account sometime in the month after that (no later than July 15). Full details are here.

I already know the first single I'm going to get: Bittman's Kitchen: What I Grill and Why ($1.99), by Mark Bittman. I've already looked at the sample and was considering buying it, so this deal means I really only have to purchase an additional $3.01 in Kindle Singles to get the gift card.

With the way most singles are priced, that essentially means I have to buy two more at $1.99, since I would end up five pennies short if I bought a $0.99 Single and one at $1.99 (or three at $0.99). Without finding one that ends in .49, you'll actually have to spend $5.95 to get the $5 gift certificate, with this particular deal. So, if you were considering buying a few (or find a few over the next month that interest you), this deal lowers their price. It doesn't, though, give you a 100% return on the money spent (or more, as the first American Express deal did).

Free Book Bonanza ... in German (EPUB)

For those who can read in German (or are, perhaps, taking or considering it as a language in college), there is a bonanza of free books from Borders this morning. These also seem to be free from Kobo, but I could not get a purchase to actually go thru (which leads me to believe these were pricing errors and may disappear from Borders soon, as well. Keep in mind, some have had problems with Borders charging for free books, so remove your credit card info from your account before one-clicking these (and all of these will add to your account without using the desktop app). I'm just going to list the titles and authors (all linked at Borders), since there are so many (and the German is a bit butchered by the font selection at Borders, anyway).

• Rainbow's End - Inspector Jury 2, by Martha Grimes
• De Tweeling, by Tessa De Loo
• Russendisko, by Wladimir Kaminer
• The Treatment, by Mo Hayder
• The Long Road Home, by Danielle Steel
• The Tinder Box, by Minette Walters
• The Ghost, by Danielle Steel
• The Ranch, by Danielle Steel
• Phönix aus Asche: Roman, by Henning Boëtius
• Der Börsenschwindel: Wie Aktionäre und Anleger abkassiert werden, by Günter Ogger
• The Echo, by Minette Walters
• The Sky is Falling, by Sidney Sheldon
• Militärmusik: Roman, by Wladimir Kaminer
• Schönhauser Allee, by Wladimir Kaminer
• Die Söhne der Wölfin: Roman, by Tanja Kinkel
• Esa luz!, by Carlos Saura
• Sturmzeit: Roman, by Charlotte Link
• The Breaker, by Minette Walters
• The Birdman, by Mo Hayder
• The Shape of Snakes, by Minette Walters
• Driving over Lemons, by Chris Stewart

Free Book (EPUB) - Swimming

Swimming, by Enza Gandolfo, is free from Kobo and Borders this morning.

Book Description
Kate Wilks is a swimmer a teacher and a writer but she has never been a mother. She believes she has a good and satisfying life until a chance encounter with her ex-husband and his daughter. Suddenly submerged by a past overflowing with grief secrets and betrayals Kate is forced to reassess her life. Swimming is a lyrical story of one womans journey. A novel about loss and survival friendship and love creativity and fulfilment it will resonate with anyone whose life hasnt turned out as planned.

Click HERE to get the free book from Borders.
Click HERE to get the free book from Kobo.

Kindle 3 Splash Proof Case for a Penny

By combining two coupon codes, you can get an OCTOVO Tirim Splash-Proof Case, which usually sells for $24.99, for a single penny (plus S&H - $5 total). Despite the misspellings in the product name at Amazon, this one ships straight from OCTOVO; on their website, though, you'll pay the full $24.99, plus shipping. I've ordered myself one, to use at poolside or in case we get to go to the beach this year.

Description

• Made from soft touch microfiber
• Access to On/Off Button & Charging Port without removing from the case
• Clear read-through panel proving excellent protection from the elements without compromising the reading experience
• Smooth Fit & Finish with Instant access to all navigation controls/keyboard
• Stylish splash-proof case that also keeps out sand dust and dirt

Custom designed for the latest generation Amazon Kindle, this splash-proof case is a necessary accessory for your Kindle. Whether at the beach, pool or gym; in your home or on the subway; this case provides ultimate protection against accidental splashes, moisture, dirt, dust and sand. Whilst offering superior protection against the elements, users can access all controls (including the On/Off Button, Charging Port and Controller) with ease and without removing the Kindle from the case. This sleek and stylish case is made from soft touch microfiber and features a clear read-through panel. Easy use of the Kindles navigation features/keyboard is provided without compromising the reading experience. This case incorporates a perfect blend of functionality and style while snugly protecting your Kindle without adding additional weight or bulk. The Kindle is easily inserted and removed from the case via the Velcro and Lycra opening at the base of the case.

To get the best deal:

1. First, place the case into your cart using the Add to Cart button (don't one-click on this one).
2. Click on Proceed to Checkout and sign in
3. In the order summary page, enter the first promotional code, 4I7WHQR8, and click on Apply. Your total should drop to $5.99 with shipping.
4. Now, enter the second code, 8EISZG3U, and click on Apply. Your total will drop to $5.00 even.
5. Click on Place your Order.

Win a $250 Gift Card from Amazon

Be sure to head over to Amazon's Facebook page and enter their contest to win a $250 gift card. You'll need a Facebook account and need to click the Like button on their page, then enter your name, email address and a phone number to enter.

Odds of winning are low, of course, but 10 lucky people will win and the one thing they'll all have in common is that they entered the contest, which ends on 6/23/11. Full rules are available HERE.

Free Book (nook) - The Winds of Khalakovo

This week's Free Friday book from Barnes and Noble is The Winds of Khalakovo ($7.99 Kindle), by Bradley P. Beaulieu. Published by Night Shade Books, this one has over 450 pages in print (hopefully Amazon will drop the price on it over the weekend, sometime).

Book Description
Among inhospitable and unforgiving seas stands Khalakovo, a mountainous archipelago of seven islands, its prominent eyrie stretching a thousand feet into the sky. Serviced by windships bearing goods and dignitaries, Khalakovo's eyrie stands at the crossroads of world trade. But all is not well in Khalakovo. Conflict has erupted between the ruling Landed, the indigenous Aramahn, and the fanatical Maharraht, and a wasting disease has grown rampant over the past decade. Now, Khalakovo is to play host to the Nine Dukes, a meeting which will weigh heavily upon Khalakovo's future.

When an elemental spirit attacks an incoming windship, murdering the Grand Duke and his retinue, Prince Nikandr, heir to the scepter of Khalakovo, is tasked with finding the child prodigy believed to be behind the summoning. However, Nikandr discovers that the boy is an autistic savant who may hold the key to lifting the blight that has been sweeping the islands. Can the Dukes, thirsty for revenge, be held at bay? Can Khalakovo be saved? The elusive answer drifts upon the Winds of Khalakovo...

Click HERE for the free book from B&N.