Today's Deals

Today's Kindle Deal of the Day is Heat Wave ($1.99), by Richard Castle. This is also the Kobo Today's Deal, for those looking for an EPUB edition, and may be coupon eligible (since I bought it there some time ago, I can't test it).

Book Description
A New York real estate tycoon plunges to his death on a Manhattan sidewalk. A trophy wife with a past survives a narrow escape from a brazen attack. Mobsters and moguls with no shortage of reasons to kill trot out their alibis. And then, in the suffocating grip of a record heat wave, comes another shocking murder and a sharp turn in a tense journey into the dirty little secrets of the wealthy. Secrets that prove to be fatal. Secrets that lay hidden in the dark until one NYPD detective shines a light.

Mystery sensation Richard Castle, blockbuster author of the wildly best-selling Derrick Storm novels, introduces his newest character, NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat. Tough, sexy, professional, Nikki Heat carries a passion for justice as she leads one of New York City's top homicide squads. She's hit with an unexpected challenge when the commissioner assigns superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook to ride along with her to research an article on New York's Finest. Pulitzer Prize-winning Rook is as much a handful as he is handsome. His wise-cracking and meddling aren't her only problems. As she works to unravel the secrets of the murdered real estate tycoon, she must also confront the spark between them. The one called heat.

The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance ($1.60 / £0.99 UK), edited by Trisha Telep, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $7.99).

Book Description
Fall in love with someone out of this world.If love transcends all boundaries then paranormal romance is its logical conclusion. From the biggest names around, here are 24 tales to take you to another time and place. Let Alyssa Day, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Cheyenne McCray, Jeaniene Frost, Ilona Andrews, Kelley Armstrong, Maria V. Snyder, Carrie Vaughn, Allyson James Marland and others show you powers beyond your wildest imaginings. Within these pages mythical beasts, magical creatures of all shapes and sizes, heart-stoppingly handsome ghosts, angels, and mortals with extra-sensitive sensory perception play out the themes of extraordinary desires.

King of Heists: The Sensational Bank Robbery of 1878 That Shocked America ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by J. North Conway, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
King of Heists is a spellbinding account of the greatest bank robbery in American history, which took place on October 27, 1878, when thieves broke into the Manhattan Savings Institution and stole nearly $3 million in cash and securities—around $50 million in today’s terms. One of the largest banks in the world, the Manhattan Savings Institution was a depository for the money, jewelry, securities, and other valuables of some of the most prominent, wealthy citizens of New York City.

In an absorbing narrative set against the colorful backdrop of New York in the Gilded Age, J. North Conway tells the story of those who plotted and carried out this infamous robbery, how they did it, and how they were tracked down and captured.

The robbery was planned to the minutest detail by the mysterious and notorious George L. Leslie—a society architect whose double life as the nation’s most prolific bank robber led him to be dubbed the “King of the Bank Robbers.” Despite his reputation, he was never caught and never spent a day in jail.

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales / With an Introduction by Lemony Snicket ($9.50 Kindle, $2.99 B&N), by Chris Van Allsburg, is the Nook Daily Find for Families. This was one of the Amazon Best Books of the Month, November 2011, and I've reported the lower price on the Kindle book page; if enough of us do, it should drop down to match by this evening.

Book Description
An inspired collection of short stories by an all-star cast of best-selling storytellers based on the thought-provoking illustrations in Chris Van Allsburg’s The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.

For more than twenty-five years, the illustrations in the extraordinary Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg have intrigued and entertained readers of all ages. Thousands of children have been inspired to weave their own stories to go with these enigmatic pictures. Now we’ve asked some of our very best storytellers to spin the tales. Enter The Chronicles of Harris Burdick to gather this incredible compendium of stories: mysterious, funny, creepy, poignant, these are tales you won’t soon forget.

This inspired collection of short stories features many remarkable, best-selling authors in the worlds of both adult and children's literature: Sherman Alexie, M.T. Anderson, Kate DiCamillo, Cory Doctorow, Jules Feiffer, Stephen King, Tabitha King, Lois Lowry, Gregory Maguire, Walter Dean Myers, Linda Sue Park, Louis Sachar, Jon Scieszka, Lemony Snicket, and Chris Van Allsburg himself.

Van Allsburg's Harris Burdick illustrations have evoked such wonderment and imagination since Harris Burdick's original publication in 1984; many have speculated or have woven their own stories to go with his images. More than ever, the illustrations send off their eerie call for text and continue to compel and pick at the reader's brain for a backstory—a threaded tale behind the image. In this book, we've collected some of the best storytellers to spin them.

Today's Deals

Today's Kindle Deal of the Day is Psychopath ($0.99), by Dr. Katherine Ramsland and Marilyn Bardsley.

Book Description
H. H. Holmes was a central character in Erik Larson’s hugely successful The Devil in the White City, which is planned as a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Holmes is commonly viewed as a real-life Hannibal Lecter, a devious and cunning serial killer without equal. Holmes used the persona of a successful doctor and entrepreneur to draw untold numbers of young women to his three-story Chicago hotel to experiment on before killing them. Not one to waste, he’d often deflesh the corpses to sell the skeletons to medical schools. He enjoyed trying out methods of murder and watching his victims die. Scientists from his era believed Holmes’ brain would unlock the secret of his perversity, but he denied them the chance to find out. Today, we can figure him out without access to his brain. We know more today about the neuroscience of sadistic psychopaths and we can better understand what his brain – if dissected – would reveal. For the first time, we can look to research findings about killers to decode Holmes’s vile behavior.

An Epic Swindle: 44 Months with a Pair of Cowboys ($1.60 / £0.99 UK), by Brian Reade, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $9.39).

Book Description
AN EPIC SWINDLE is the inside story of how Liverpool FC came within hours of being re-possessed by the banks after the shambolic 44-month reign of American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett. It is the tale of a civil war that dragged Britain's most successful football club to its knees, through the High Court and almost into administration. Players Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher tell of their anger at the broken promises, as well as their pain at watching loyal fans in open revolt. Manager, chief executive, board members, leading fans and journalists reveal the turmoil at a revered sporting institution run by two men at war with each other, who trampled Liverpool's cherished traditions into the gutter. No story sums up the naked greed at the heart of modern football quite like Hicks' and Gillett's attempt to turn a buck at Liverpool. No-one has had as much access to the truth, or tells it with as much passion, wit and insight as Brian Reade. AN EPIC SWINDLE is the riveting story of how close one of the great football clubs came to financial implosion.

Catch of the Day ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), by Kristan Higgins, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle. At B&N, there are two editions, both on sale - the link is for the newest of the two; at Amazon, there are also two editions, only one on sale price, and it appears to be the older edition (but cuter cover).

Book Description
What's the market price on a decent guy these days?

Maggie Beaumont's luck is about to change. Sure, she's known for her bad romantic choices—her former boyfriend broke up with her by bringing his new girlfriend home for a visit. And then there was the crush she had on a gorgeous young Irishman, who turned out to be Father Tim, the parish's new priest.

But romantic salvation has arrived in the form of handsome, if surly, fisherman Malone. It turns out there's a heart of gold underneath his barnacle-clad exterior. Will this catch of the day turn into the dish of a lifetime?

Winnie the Pooh: Party in the Wood ($4.99 paperback. 4-for-3 eligible; $3.99 B&N), by Lisa Ann Marsoli and Disney Storybook Artists, is the Nook Daily Find for Families (requires NOOK Color or NOOK Tablet); no Kindle edition.

Book Description
When Pooh and his friends set out to find the perfect tail for Eeyore (since his is missing), the fun ends happily with a party in the Hundred-Acre Wood! The storybook includes over 20 stickers!

Today's Deals

Today's free MP3 is an audiobook edition of the New Revised Standard Version New Testament.

Today's Kindle Deal of the Day is The Deal ($0.99), by Adam Gittlin.

Book Description
Everything about Jonah Gray screams success movie-star good looks, expensive clothes, a Park Avenue penthouse, and a seven-figure income. A cutthroat, rainmaking New York city commercial real estate broker, Jonah craves opulence and power. He beds models, romps the globe on the weekends and sees the world as his for the taking. Jonah Gray has it all. Or at least he had it all.

When a friend presents Jonah with the deal of a lifetime, Jonah jumps at the chance. All Jonah has to do is act quickly, invest half a billion dollars in prime NY office buildings, and collect a huge payoff.

But this golden opportunity is anything but. Within days of signing on, Jonah is mysteriously thrust into the epicenter of an international and personal scandal.

Forced to explore a whole new territory where he can trust no one, and where danger, death and deception lurk at every corner, Jonah will learn some painfully hard lessons about the quest for easy money.

Closing this deal could mean losing everything.

Dark Redemption ($1.61 / £0.99 UK), by Stav Sherez, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $8.39).

Book Description
A Dark Redemption introduces DI Jack Carrigan and DS Geneva Miller as they investigate the brutal rape and murder of a young Ugandan student. Plunged into an underworld of illegal immigrant communities, they discover that the murdered girl's studies at a London College may have threatened to reveal things that some people will go to any lengths to keep secret...

Unflinching, inventive and intelligent, A Dark Redemption explores a sinister case that will force DI Carrigan to face up to his past and DS Miller to confront what path she wants her future to follow.

The Baker's Wife ($3.40 Kindle, B&N), by Erin Healy, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, so why is Audrey weakening day by day?

It's been a tough year for Audrey's family. Her husband Geoff, a pastor, lost his job after a scandal rocked their congregation.

Audrey hasn't lost faith. She's held her family together. Their attempt to resurrect a failing bakery is an effort to heal the family wounds and restore their place in the community.

Late to the bakery one dim, foggy morning, Audrey turns into the intersection in front of the shop and strikes a vehicle that she can't see even after the collision settles. Emerging from her car into the fog, she discovers she's hit a motor scooter. There's no rider in sight. There's blood, though, so much that she slips in it, injuring her wrists.

The absence of the scooter driver is a mystery, especially to Sergeant Jack Mansfield, the detective and church member who drove Geoff from his pulpit. The scooter belongs to Jack's wife, Julie, a teacher at the local high school. She has vanished like morning fog.

Though there is no evidence to support Jack's growing suspicion that Audrey and Geoff were involved in Julie's disappearance, the detective is convinced of their guilt. Jack's ability to reason slips as the leads on his wife dry up.

When Jack takes the tiny bakery and its patrons hostage, Audrey must find Julie and unravel the secret of her own mysterious suffering before Jack comes undone.

Kristy's Great Idea ($4.61 Kindle, $1.99 B&N), the first title in The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin, is the Nook Daily Find for Families.

Book Description
It all began with a great idea...Kristy Thomas' brilliant business plan to form a club of friends who will babysit for neighbours gets off to a flying start wit the help of Claudia Kishi (vice-president), Mary Anne Spier (secretary), and Stacey McGill (treasurer). Friendships are forged, adventures begun and life lessons learned in the first book of the series that took the world by storm.

Today's Deals

Today's Kindle Deal of the Day is Second Honeymoon ($1.99), by Joanna Trollope.

Book Description
Now that her third and last child has left the nest, Edie Boyd's life turns suddenly and uncomfortably silent. She begins to yearn for the maternal intimacy that now seems lost to her forever. Be careful what you wish for…Before long, a mother-and-child reunion is in full swing: life away from the nest has proven to be unexpectedly daunting to the children, who one-by-one return home, bringing their troubles. With an unannounced new phase of parenthood suddenly stretching ahead of her, Edie finds her home more crowded than ever. In this touching, artful novel, Joanna Trollope has created a family drama for the ages, a moving story of work, love and eternal parenthood.

The AmazonEncore edition of Carry Yourself Back to Me ($1.61 / £0.99 UK), by Deborah Reed, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $4.99).

Book Description
Famed alt-country artist Annie Walsh has more than enough reason to sing her version of the blues, including a broken heart, a stalled career, and a troubled family. Annie seeks refuge from an upended love affair with her producer, Owen Pettybone, by sequestering herself at home with her old dog Detour, surrounded by a lush Florida tangelo grove. There, she spends her days furiously sanding down the house’s every veneer in a vain attempt at erasing the painful memory of the love she lost. Soon, however, this quiet, small town existence—far from recording studios, ardent fans, and affairs of the heart—comes crashing down around her. A violent murder connected to her brother Calder threatens to tear her family apart and forces Annie to shore up her loyalties and uproot profound disappointments from her distant past. The evidence stacks against Calder, compounded by his lifelong affliction with Tourette syndrome that causes some in the community to cast aspersions on the soundness of his mind. As the circumstances converge to challenge lifetime ties and forge unexpected new bonds, this soulful, stirring novel shifts its narrative from an imperiled and ever-changing present, where each hour brings an unforeseen and unwelcome piece of news, to the poignant childhood days of first allegiances and life-altering loss. Like a fine and forlorn love ballad, the gifted, conflicted Annie lulls the reader into a journey through love and loss that mines the mysterious, and, at times, paradoxical rhythms of the human heart. As vibrant as Annie's treasured tangelo grove, Carry Yourself Back to Me cultivates an always tender, sometimes tart, portrait of one family’s regret and redemption. Inflected with melancholy and redeemed by melody, this deeply affecting novel is certain to strike a resonant chord with music fans and lovers of fine fiction everywhere.

The Everything Spanish Phrase Book - Special eBook Edition ($3.25 Kindle, B&N), by Cari Luna, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
With the increase in travel to Spanish-speaking countries-as well as the rise in the Latino population in the United States-a growing number of people are in need of a quick reference to help them communicate. The Everything Spanish Phrase Book remedies these shortcomings with a practical, real-world approach to learning the language that is both quick and easy to use. From ordering dinner and asking for directions, to working and communicating in Latino communities, this handy guide provides readers with all they need to speak Spanish in any setting. Organized by situation, The Everything Spanish Phrase Book contains the right words for, traveling and making reservations, dining and shopping, speaking Spanish in a business setting, and working with the Latino community. Fully indexed and complete with a pronunciation guide and helpful dictionaries, this books is the ideal resource for business or pleasure. This eBook special edition contains exclusive bonus content featuring more than 200 Spanish idioms and expressions--decoded!

The Grapes of Math ($6.99 paperback; no Kindle edition; $2.49 B&N), by Greg Tang, is the Nook Daily Find for Families (requires NOOK Color, NOOK Tablet or NOOK Kids for iPad).

Book Description
"How many grapes are on the vine?
Counting each takes too much time.
Never Fear, I have a hunch
There is a match for every bunch!"

Greg Tang, a lifelong lover of math, shares the techniques that have helped him solve problems in the most creative ways! Harry Briggs's vibrant & inviting illustrations create a perfect environment for these innovative games. So open your mind-and have fun!

Veronika Decides to Die ($0.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Paulo Coelho, is Today's Deal at Kobo, price matched on Kindle. This is just one of 12 of the authors's books that are on sale for 99 cents in both the Kindle store and at Kobo.

Book Description
Twenty-four-year-old Veronika seems to have everything -- youth and beauty, boyfriends and a loving family, a fulfilling job. But something is missing in her life. So, one cold November morning, she takes a handful of sleeping pills expecting never to wake up. But she does -- at a mental hospital where she is told that she has only days to live.

Inspired by events in Coelho's own life, Veronika Decides to Die questions the meaning of madness and celebrates individuals who do not fit into patterns society considers to be normal. Bold and illuminating, it is a dazzling portrait of a young woman at the crossroads of despair and liberation, and a poetic, exuberant appreciation of each day as a renewed opportunity.

Today's Deals

In Celebration of Day Against DRM, O'Reilly Books is having a one day 50% deal on all ebooks and videos. Use code DRMFREE at checkout.

Angry Robot Books is having a one day sale today, 50% off anything in their catalog, until noon on Saturday, May 5th (UK time). Again, use discount code DRMFREE at checkout! Their books are in EPUB format, but DRM-free, so are easily converted via Calibre. You'll want to double check prices against Amazon and Kobo (where coupons work), but for authors that aren't discounted in either store, this direct sale is a good deal. You can pay via PayPal, which will take care of any currency conversion.

There's no particular sale, but all books purchased direct from Baen Books are always DRM-free (and you can download any format, so you don't have to worry about conversion). Not sure if you'd like a particular author? Check out the Baen Free Library, which offers dozens of SciFi and Fantasy books entirely free (mostly early works by authors or in series).

Over at Amazon, you can tell if a book is DRM-Free by looking for the label Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited in the Product Details section. If a book is DRM-free, then you can back up on your own, in case Amazon's library feature fails or disappears, in addition to being able to easily convert the book for any reader you might happen to own (now or in the future). Sadly, it seems more and more indie authors adding their backlist thru the Amazon KDP program are opting NOT to make their books DRM-free, in fear that they'll be pirated (I have news for them - the pirates already "have" their books, not that they read them, they mostly just collect hoards of "stuff"). If being able to back up your books is important to you, drop a note to an indie author you've read, if you see that the author is using DRM on their books.

Additional formats on free books:

• The Billionaire's Curse (K/N/E)
• Already Home (K/N/E/I)
• Huff and Puff (K/N)

Today's Kindle Deal of the Day is The Perfect Assassin ($0.99), by Ward Larsen. I bought this one last year, on sale, but at three times the price.

Book Description
One perfect shot will change the course of history. Christine Palmer, a young American doctor sailing solo across the Atlantic, makes an incredible discovery - a man narrowly clinging to his life in the frigid waters. But there is much more to this desperate survivor than meets the eye.David Slaton is a Kidon - a highly-trained, highly-precise, and highly-dangerous assassin. The Kidon is both the hunter and the hunted, and he and Christine are in grave danger. Will they win in this race against time?With the precision of a sharpshooter, author Ward Larsen weaves an intricate tale of espionage and intrigue.

50 Facts That Should Change the World ($1.61 / £0.99 UK), by Jessica Williams , is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $1.84, but appears to be a "2.0" edition and the description is entirely different).

Book Description
Why is marriage worth £200,000 a year? Why will having children make you unhappy? Why does happiness from winning the lottery take two years to arrive? Why does time heal the pain of divorce of the death of a loved one - but not unemployment? Everybody wants to be happy. But how much happiness - precisely - will each life choice bring? Should I get married? Am I really going to feel happy about the career that I picked? How can we decide not only which choice is better for us, but how much better it is for us? The Happiness Equation descibes how we can measure emotional reactions to different life experiences and presents them in ways to which we can relate. How, for instance, monetary values can be put on things that can't be bought or sold in the marketplace - such as marriage, friendship, even death - so that we can objectively rank them in order of preference. It also explains why some things matter more to our happiness than others (e.g. why seeing friends is worth more than a Ferrari) while others are worth almost nothing (like sunny weather). Nick Powdthavee - whose work on happiness has been discussed on both the Undercover Economist and Freakanomics blogs - brings the reader cutting-edge research on how we value our happiness in a witty and engaging style.

Star Wars The Old Republic Comics, Volume 1 ($10.87 paperback, $4.99 B&N; no Kindle edition), by Alexander Freed, is the Nook Daily Find (requires NOOK Color, NOOK Tablet or NOOK for Android-Tablet).

Book Description
Set in the newest corner of the Star Wars galaxy!

After hundreds of years, the Sith Empire has returned to the galaxy, determined to crush the Republic that sent them into exile. For young Sith Teneb Kel, it is his only chance to rise above his lowly beginnings as a slave and prove his worth to the Dark Council. Yet their mission for him is unexpected. He will not hunt Jedi, but rather a fellow Sith - the Emperor's apprentice!

The release of The Old Republic promises to be a Star Wars event of the highest order, a game-changing moment that will mobilize legions of fans to explore a never-before-seen piece of the Star Wars mythology!

Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye ($5.38 Kindle,$1.99 B&N), by Geronimo Stilton, is the Nook Daily Find for Families.

Book Description
Enter the world of Geronimo Stilton, where another funny adventure is always right around the corner. Each book is a fast-paced adventure with lively art and a unique format kids 7-10 will love

Who Is Geronimo Stilton?
That's me! I run a newspaper, but my true passion is writing tales of adventure. Here on Mouse Island, my books are all best-sellers! What's that? You've never read one? Well, my books are full of fun. They are whisker-licking good stories, and that's a promise!

Book 1
It all started when my sister, Thea, discovered a mysterious map. It showed a secret treasure on a faraway island. And before I could let out a squeak of protest, Thea dragged me into her treasure hunt! In no time at all, we'd set sail for the island. It was an adventure I'd never forget....

About the Author
Geronimo Stilton was born in New Mouse City, Mouse Island. He is Rattus Emeritus of Mousomorphic Literature and Neo-Ratonic Comparative Philosophy. In his spare time, Mr. Stilton collects antique cheese rinds and plays golf. But what he most enjoys is telling stories to his nephew Benjamin.

Today's Deals

Over at O'Reilly Books, you can get 50% off Microsoft Windows 7 books, thru May 9. "Ebooks from oreilly.com are DRM-free. You get free lifetime access, multiple file formats, free updates."

Today's Kindle Deal of the Day is A Single Thread ($1.99), by Marie Bostwick.

Book Description
Marie Bostwick weaves the unforgettable story of four very different women whose paths cross, changing their lives forever. . .

It's a long way from Fort Worth, Texas, to New Bern, Connecticut, yet it only takes a day in the charming Yankee town to make Evelyn Dixon realize she's found her new home. The abrupt end of her marriage was Evelyn's wake-up call to get busy chasing her dream of opening a quilt shop. Finding a storefront is easy enough; starting a new life isn't. Little does Evelyn imagine it will bring a trio like Abigail Burgess, her niece Liza, and Margot Matthews through her door. . .

Troubled and angry after her mother's death, Liza threatens to embarrass her Aunt Abigail all over town unless she joins her for quilting classes. A victim of downsizing at the peak of her career, Margot hopes an event hosted by the quilt shop could be a great chance to network--and keep from dying of boredom. . .

As they stitch their unique creations, Evelyn, Abigail, Liza, and Margot form a sisterhood they never sought--but one that they'll be grateful for when the unexpected provides a poignant reminder of the single thread that binds us all. . .

Never Mind ($1.61 / £0.99 UK), by Edward St Aubyn, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK. There is no US edition for this first novel in the Melrose series, but US customers instead get a bargain deal on The Patrick Melrose Novels: Never Mind, Bad News, Some Hope, and Mother's Milk ($9.99), while those in the UK pay about $6.50 apiece for the last three in the omnibus edition. the only one in the series then missing is At Last ($11.99 US / $6.65 UK), which released this past January.

Never Mind
THE FIRST PATRICK MELROSE NOVEL At his mother’s family house in the south of France, Patrick Melrose has the run of a magical garden. Bravely imaginative and self-sufficient, five-year-old Patrick encounters the volatile lives of adults with care. His father, David, rules with considered cruelty, and Eleanor, his mother, has retreated into drink. They are expecting guests for dinner. But this afternoon is unlike the chain of summer days before, and the shocking events that precede the guests’ arrival tear Patrick’s world in two.

The Patrick Melrose Novels: Never Mind, Bad News, Some Hope, and Mother's Milk
For more than twenty years, acclaimed author Edward St. Aubyn has chronicled the life of Patrick Melrose, painting an extraordinary portrait of the beleaguered and self-loathing world of privilege. This single volume collects the first four novels---Never Mind, Bad News, Some Hope, and Mother’s Milk, a Man Booker finalist---to coincide with the publication of At Last, the final installment of this unique novel cycle.

By turns harrowing and hilarious, these beautifully written novels dissect the English upper class as we follow Patrick Melrose’s story from child abuse to heroin addiction and recovery. Never Mind, the first novel, unfolds over a day and an evening at the family’s chateaux in the south of France, where the sadistic and terrifying figure of David Melrose dominates the lives of his five-year-old son, Patrick, and his rich and unhappy American mother, Eleanor. From abuse to addiction, the second novel, Bad News opens as the twenty-two-year-old Patrick sets off to collect his father’s ashes from New York, where he will spend a drug-crazed twenty-four hours. And back in England, the third novel, Some Hope, offers a sober and clean Patrick the possibility of recovery. The fourth novel, the Booker-shortlisted Mother’s Milk, returns to the family chateau, where Patrick, now married and a father himself, struggles with child rearing, adultery, his mother’s desire for assisted suicide, and the loss of the family home to a New Age foundation.

Edward St. Aubyn offers a window into a world of utter decadence, amorality, greed, snobbery, and cruelty---welcome to the declining British aristocracy.

Mission Earth, Volume 1 ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), by L. Ron Hubbard, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle. I'm definitely grabbing this one and just noticed that the entire series is priced under $5/volume.

Book Description
From Lord Invay, Royal Historian, Chairman, Board of Censors, Royal Palace, Voltar Confederacy: "Let me state it boldly and baldly:

There is no such planet as 'Earth.'

"If it ever existed at all, it certainly does not exist today or even within living memory.

"So, away with this delusion.

"On the authority of every highly placed official in the land I can assure you utterly and finally, THERE IS NO PLANET EARTH! And that is final!"

With this emphatic disclaimer, we are introduced to MISSION EARTH, an epic told entirely and uniquely by the aliens that already walk among us. Earth is to be invaded and a royal combat engineer must cross 22 light-years to secretly infiltrate the planet. He is also crossing a scheme to use the resources of Earth's most powerful figure to overthrow the confederacy.

With a convicted murderess who trains giant catlike animals, a doctor who creates human biological freaks, a madman who controls Voltar's secret police and a clandestine Earth base in Turkey, a bizarre stage is set and narrated by an alien killer assigned to sabotage the mission and Earth-the planet that doesn't exist.

An advanced species of aliens discovers Earth and fears that its developing technology can someday endanger their empire. Thus begins Mission Earth a spectacular series following the aliens' intricate infiltration of Earth society to bring about its downfall. The Invaders Plan begins the paperback publication of this blockbuster series.

Switched ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), the first title in Sienna Mercer's My Sister the Vampire series, is the Nook Daily Find for Families, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
When Olivia Abbott moves to town, she's excited to join the cheerleading team and make new friends. Then she meets Ivy Vega. At first, Ivy, pale and dressed all in black, looks like Olivia's opposite. Then the girls look beyond the glittery pink blush and thick black eyeliner to discover they're identical—identical twins! Olivia and Ivy are brimming with plans to switch places and pull every twin trick in the book. But Olivia soon discovers that she and Ivy aren't exactly the same. Ivy's a vampire. And she's not the only one in town.

Psych Yourself Rich: Get the Mindset and Discipline You Need to Build Your Financial Life ($8.55 Kindle, $1.99 Kobo), by Farnoosh Torabi, is Today's Deal at Kobo.

Book Description
In Psych Yourself Rich, TV’s newest personal finance star shows how to develop the mindset, discipline, and spirit you need to build a strong financial foundation so you can grow wealth on your own terms, without fear, anxiety, misery, boredom, or even advanced math!? Farnoosh Torabi (as seen on NBC’s Today Show, Yahoo! Finance, and SoapNet’s Bank of Mom & Dad) combines the latest behavioral psychology with real attitude, without lectures! Psych Yourself Rich shows young professionals how to build a healthy view of money, investing, wealth, and aspirations. Torabi discusses how to get beyond "lend-and-spend" to a deeper, more holistic view of money, how to map out a plan of action that matches your needs and goals, and how to put that plan into action! You’ll learn how to stop agonizing and start organizing; become your own biggest "money advocate;" assert yourself to stop getting ripped off by financial institutions; make your money count; build momentum; embrace an entrepreneurial spirit; and get where you want to go, while others spend decades running in place.

Kindle Fire $139

Just in time for Mother's Day and while they last, Amazon has Refurbished Kindle Fires at $139, as today's Gold Box Deal. This was a very popular sale a couple of months ago and Amazon sold out before the end of the day.

In addition, there are Kindle Fire accessories all day as part of the Lightning Deals, so you'll want to check back thru the day to see what other bargains there are. The Marware cover that was $5 off is the exact type of cover I have mine in, so I can prop it up in landscape mode. That offer has expired, but I see another "standing cover" coming up later today, along with a number of other cases and a "desk stand" by Kensington (not on the lightning deals, but very interesting, is this desk stand that lets you keep the charging cord plugged in while using your fire).

Notes on refurbs from Amazon:

These units are usually impossible to tell from brand new (although the Keyboard unit often doesn't ship with the wall charger, buy you can pick one up for under $10 or just charge via your computer) and come with the same warranty from Amazon. You generally can't get the Amazon extended warranty on their refurbished units, but Square Trade has traditionally let buy their extended warranty for refurbs (although I generally recommend against getting a warranty on items like these that are relatively inexpensive and often end up getting replaced by newer technology after a couple of years).

Deal Description
Just in time for Mother's Day, save $30 on a Certified Refurbished Kindle Fire. Kindle Fire is the most-wished-for, most-gifted, #1 best-selling product on Amazon. Each Certified Refurbished Kindle Fire is a pre-owned Kindle Fire that has been refurbished, tested, and is certified to look and work like new. They come with the same one-year limited warranty as a brand-new Kindle Fire.

This offer is valid today only, May 2, 2012, when sold by Warehouse Deals. Offer good while supplies last.

Limit 5 per customer.

$3 Instant Amazon Video Credit (KSO)

This offer is only for those with a Kindle with Special Offers (including any Kindle Touch or Kindle Keyboard that opts in to Special Offers, which means you can add the offers, grab this one, then turn them back off!):

Get $3 off at Amazon Instant Video

Click on the offer, then click on the link on the offer page sign up and you'll get an email with the promotion code. Sign-up for this offer expires May 6, 2012.

You'll get an email (right away), a link to the Instant Video page, a promotion code and a link to the redemption page. This one works like a gift card and you need to apply the credit to your account first, before going shopping. Once you have entered the promotional code(s), you have until June 6, 2012 to complete your purchases. I'd recommend that you apply the credit right away, since it works on any video purchase - then you can shop on the web, from your Kindle Fire or your Roku and it will be used automatically.

You can use this credit on a rental or to purchase single items or entire television seasons. I'll probably use mine for the occasional 99 cent movie rental; if you have multiple KSO's, be sure you have them registered to different accounts before you try to claim this one or they'll all end up with the same code. With different accounts, each KSO can claim and use the code (three $1 rentals each should be enough to keep you in movies for the month, if you have 2 or 3 KSO's!).

Bargain Book Roundup - Paulo Coelho

HarperCollins has an even dozen of Paulo Coelho's novels on sale for $0.99 apiece. The sale doesn't include The Alchemist, but instead some of his works with which you may not yet be acquainted.

Warrior of the Light ($0.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Paulo Coelho

Book Description
Warrior of the Light: A Manual is an inspirational companion to The Alchemist, an international bestseller that has beguiled millions of readers around the world. Every short passage invites us to live out our dreams, to embrace the uncertainty of life, and to rise to our own unique destiny. In his inimitable style, Paulo Coelho helps bring out the Warrior of the Light within each of us. He also shows readers how to embark upon the way of the Warrior: the one who appreciates the miracle of being alive, the one who accepts failure, and the one whose quest leads him to become the person he wants to be.

Paulo Coelho is one of the most beloved storytellers of our time. Now, in the long-awaited companion to his first novel, Coelho presents a collection of philosophical stories that will delight and guide seekers everywhere.

The Winner Stands Alone ($0.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Paulo Coelho

Book Description
The beloved, bestselling international author of The Alchemist returns with another haunting novel—a thrilling journey into our constant fascination with the worlds of fame, fortune, and celebrity.

A profound meditation on personal power and innocent dreams that are manipulated or undone by success, The Winner Stands Alone is set in the exciting worlds of fashion and cinema. Taking place over the course of twenty-four hours during the Cannes Film Festival, it is the story of Igor, a successful, driven Russian entrepreneur who will go to the darkest lengths to reclaim a lost love—his ex-wife, Ewa. Believing that his life with Ewa was divinely ordained, Igor once told her that he would destroy whole worlds to get her back. The conflict between an individual evil force and society emerges, and as the novel unfolds, morality is derailed.

Meet the players and poseurs behind the scenes at Cannes—the "Superclass" of producers, actors, designers, and supermodels, as well as the aspiring starlets, has-been stars, and jaded hangers-on. Adroitly interweaving the characters' stories, Paulo Coelho uses his twelfth novel to paint an engrossing picture of a world overrun by glamour and excess, and shows us the possibly dire consequences of our obsession with fame.

Veronika Decides to Die ($0.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Paulo Coelho

Book Description
Twenty-four-year-old Veronika seems to have everything -- youth and beauty, boyfriends and a loving family, a fulfilling job. But something is missing in her life. So, one cold November morning, she takes a handful of sleeping pills expecting never to wake up. But she does -- at a mental hospital where she is told that she has only days to live.

Inspired by events in Coelho's own life, Veronika Decides to Die questions the meaning of madness and celebrates individuals who do not fit into patterns society considers to be normal. Bold and illuminating, it is a dazzling portrait of a young woman at the crossroads of despair and liberation, and a poetic, exuberant appreciation of each day as a renewed opportunity.

Eleven Minutes ($0.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Paulo Coelho

Book Description
Eleven Minutes is the story of Maria, a young girl from a Brazilian village, whose first innocent brushes with love leave her heartbroken. At a tender age, she becomes convinced that she will never find true love, instead believing that "love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer. . . ." A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, where she dreams of finding fame and fortune. Maria's despairing view of love is put to the test when she meets a handsome young painter. In this odyssey of self-discovery, Maria has to choose between pursuing a path of darkness -- sexual pleasure for its own sake -- or risking everything to find her own "inner light" and the possibility of sacred sex, sex in the context of love.

This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.

Brida ($0.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Paulo Coelho

Book Description
This is the story of Brida, a young Irish girl, and her quest for knowledge. She has long been interested in various aspects of magic but is searching for something more. Her search leads her to people of great wisdom, who begin to teach Brida about the spiritual world. She meets a wise man who dwells in a forest, who teaches her about overcoming her fears and trusting in the goodness of the world; and a woman who teaches her how to dance to the music of the world, and how to pray to the moon. As Brida seeks her destiny, she struggles to find a balance between her relationships and her desire to become a witch. This enthralling novel incorporates themes that fans of Paulo Coelho will recognize and treasure—it is a tale of love, passion, mystery, and spirituality from the master storyteller.

Fifth Mountain ($0.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Paulo Coelho

Book Description
In the ninth century b.c., the Phoenician princess Jezebel orders the execution of all the prophets who refuse to worship the pagan god Baal. Commanded by an angel of God to flee Israel, Elijah seeks safety in the land of Zarephath, where he unexpectedly finds true love with a young widow. But this newfound rapture is to be cut short, and Elijah sees all of his hopes and dreams irrevocably erased as he is swept into a whirlwind of events that threatens his very existence.

Written with the same masterful prose and clarity of vision that made The Alchemist an international phenomenon, The Fifth Mountain is a quietly moving account of a man touched by the hand of God who must triumph over his frustrations in a soul-shattering trial of faith.

The Devil and Miss Prym ($0.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Paulo Coelho

Book Description
A stranger arrives at the remote village of Viscos, carrying with him a backpack containing a notebook and eleven gold bars. He comes searching for the answer to a question that torments him: Are human beings, in essence, good or evil? In welcoming the mysterious foreigner, the whole village becomes an accomplice to his sophisticated plot, which will forever mark their lives.

A novel of temptation by the internationally bestselling author Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym is a thought-provoking parable of a community devoured by greed, cowardice, and fear—as it struggles with the choice between good and evil.

The Valkyries: An Encounter with Angels ($0.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Paulo Coelho

Book Description
A Magical Tale About Forgiving Our Past and Believing in Our Future

The enchanting, true story of The Valkyries begins in Rio de Janeiro when author Paulo Coelho gives his mysterious master J., the only manuscript for his book The Alchemist. Haunted by a devastating curse, Coelho confesses to J., "I've seen my dreams fall apart just when I seemed about to achieve them." In response, J. gives Coelho a daunting task: He must find and speak with his guardian angel. "The curse can be broken," he replies, "if you complete the task."

Rising to the challenge, Paulo and his wife, Cristina, drop everything, pack their bags, and take off on a forty day adventure into the starkly beautiful and sometimes dangerous Mojave Desert -- where they encounter more than they bargained for. A masterful blend of the exotic locales, dramatic adventure, and magical storytelling, for which Coelho's fictional works are renowned, this true-life account is at once a modern-day adventure and a metaphysical odyssey.

By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept ($0.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Paulo Coelho

Book Description
A poignant, richly poetic story that reflects the depth of love and life.

Rarely does adolescent love reach its full potential, but what happens when two young lovers reunite after eleven years? Time has transformed Pilar into a strong and independent woman, while her devoted childhood friend has grown into a handsome and charismatic spiritual leader. She has learned well how to bury her feelings . . . and he has turned to religion as a refuge from his raging inner conflicts.

Now they are together once again, embarking on a journey fraught with difficulties, as long-buried demons of blame and resentment resurface after more than a decade. But in a small village in the French Pyrenees, by the waters of the River Piedra, a most special relationship will be reexamined in the dazzling light of some of life's biggest questions.

The Witch of Portobello ($0.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Paulo Coelho

Book Description
How do we find the courage to always be true to ourselves—even if we are unsure of who we are?

That is the central question of international bestselling author Paulo Coelho's profound new work, The Witch of Portobello. It is the story of a mysterious woman named Athena, told by the many who knew her well—or hardly at all. Like The Alchemist, The Witch of Portobello is the kind of story that will transform the way readers think about love, passion, joy, and sacrifice.

The Pilgrimage ($0.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Paulo Coelho

Book Description
Here Paulo Coelho details his journey across Spain along the legendary road of San Tiago, which pilgrims have travelled since Middle Ages. On this contemporary quest, he encounters a Chaucerian variety of mysterious guides and devilish opponents and learns to understand the nature of truth through the simplicity of life. The Pilgrimage holds an important place in Paulo Coelho's literary canon. His first book, it not only paved the way for his phenomenal novel The Alchemist, but it also fully expresses his humanist philosophy and the depth of his unique search for meaning.

The Zahir ($0.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Paulo Coelho

Book Description
The narrator of The Zahir is a bestselling novelist who lives in Paris and enjoys all the privileges money and celebrity bring. His wife of ten years, Esther, is a war correspondent who has disappeared along with a friend, Mikhail, who may or may not be her lover.

Was Esther kidnapped, murdered, or did she simply escape a marriage that left her unfulfilled? The narrator doesn't have any answers, but he has plenty of questions of his own. Then one day Mikhail finds the narrator and promises to reunite him with his wife. In his attempt to recapture a lost love, the narrator discovers something unexpected about himself.

Kindle Weekend Deals

I almost forgot to check this weekend's Download Deals at Amazon. Be sure to check out the other winners (Project Nim, Tim McGraw's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 and Crysis) and to vote on next weekend's deal.

Suburgatory, by Linda E Keenan, is $1.99 for the rest of the weekend.

Book Description
Suburgatory is a book that lampoons the absurdities and contradictions that Linda Keenan has witnessed since leaving New York City, where she was a thoroughly urban CNN news producer for seven years before settling down as a hapless stay-at-home suburban mother. The original proposal for this book was picked up by Warner Brothers in 2010, and their imagining of Suburgatory can be seen on the ABC show of the same title.

Tessa, the teenage character created by ABC’s Suburgatory, was forced by the man in her life—her dad—to leave her beloved city life for this supposed suburban utopia. Keenan followed the same trajectory, as a new mom, with no job, no friends, and not much more than a prescription for Zoloft to keep herself afloat. She found herself trapped in a place where conformity is king and where she often felt like she had been taken hostage by an adult Girl Scout troop. So Keenan decided to train her twisted reporter’s eye on the strange inhabitants of this new foreign land.

Thought of as a local town newspaper or website, Suburgatory excoriates—through satirical local “news stories” (Mom Plans School Auction During Dreary Sex; Woman Shops at Walmart to Feel “Pretty,Thin”; Dog Fed Better than Scholarship Child, Says School Nurse)—the mostly upper middle class American pieties and parenting obsessions that surround raising the perfect child amid the anxiety of an America in decline. The book uses laugh-out-loud humor to target racism, homophobia, submerged suburban sexuality, class warfare, willful ignorance, and the all-around bad behavior raging underneath the surface of those obsessively tended suburban lawns and bikini lines. Suburgatory parodies the tiger moms, breastfeeding nazis, frustrated swingers, foreskin-loving “intactivists,” barely there dads, “anti-vaxxers,” and power-mad principals.

In addition to the irreverent news stories, Suburgatory features faux op-ed “Shout Outs” (Let’s Do that Key Party Right the Next Time), witty advertisements (Briarcliff Academy—Educating the Stupid Rich Since 1903), and an over-the-top totally toxic advice columnist: Dr. Drama (“When life hands you a problem, let’s make it more interesting!”).

Death at La Fenice ($0.99), the first title in the Commissario Brunetti Mystery series by Donna Leon , is on sale on Kindle and from Barnes & Noble (probably thru the end of the month, which is right around the corner).

Book Description
Beautiful and serene Venice is a city almost devoid of crime. But that is little comfort to Maestro Helmut Wellauer, a world-renowned conductor whose intermission refreshment comes one night with a little something extra in it-cyanide. For Guido Brunetti, vice-commissario of police and detective genius, finding a suspect isn't a problem; narrowing the large and unconventional group of enemies down to one is. As the suave and pithy Brunetti pieces together clues, a shocking picture of depravity and revenge emerges, leaving him torn between what is and what should be right — and questioning what the law can do, and what needs to be done.

Today's Deals

Today's Kindle Deal of the Day is The Sirens of Titan ($1.99), by Kurt Vonnegut, published by RosettaBooks (another edition is $12, so be sure to follow the link). I'm grabbing this one right away, to replace the battered copy I've had for years.

Book Description
The Sirens of Titan (1959) is Vonnegut's second novel and was on the Hugo ballot with Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers but lost in what Harlan Ellison has called a monumental injustice. Sirens of Titan is a picaresque novel which almost defies being synposized; it is an interplanetary Candide (lacking perhaps Voltaire's utter bitterness), the book follows lead character Malachi Constant, a feckless but kind-hearted millionaire as he moves through the solar system on his quest for the meaning of all existence.

Constant is aided by another tycoon, Winston Rumfoord, who with the help of aliens has actually discovered the fundamental meaning of life (the retrieval of an alien artifact with an inscribed message of greetings). With the assistance of Salo, an alien root and overseeing the alien race, the Tralmafadorians (who also feature in Slaughterhouse-Five), Constant attempts to find some cosmic sense and order in the face of universal malevolence. Together Constant and Rumfoord deal with the metaphysics of ""chrono-synclastic infundibula"", they deal with the interference of the Tralmafadorians; the novel is pervaded by a goofy, episodic charm which barely shields the readers (or the characters) from the sense of a large and indifferent universe.

All of Vonnegut's themes and obsessions (which are further developed and/or recycled in later work) are evident here in this novel which is more hopeful than most of Vonnegut's canon. It is suggested that ultimately Constant learns that only it is impossible to learn, and that fate (and the Tralmafodorians) are impenetrable, unavoidable circumstance.

On the basis of this novel, Vonnegut was wholly claimed by the science fiction community (as witnessed by the Hugo nomination), but Vonnegut did not likewise wish to claim the community for himself and the feelings were not reciprocal. He felt from the outset that being identified as a science fiction writer could only limit his audience and trivialize his themes. His recurring character, the hack science fiction writer, Kilgore Trout (who also features in Slaughterhouse-Five), represented to Vonnegut the worst case scenario of the writer he did not wish to become.

Virgin Widow ($1.60 / £0.99 UK), by Anne O'Brien , is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $12.99).

Book Description
I was a penniless, landless petitioner, my Neville blood a curse, my future dependent on the charity of those who despised me…

Anne Neville is the heiress and daughter of the greatest powerbroker in the land, Warwick the Kingmaker. Trapped in a deadly tangle of political intrigue, she is a pawn in an uncertain game, used by the houses of Neville, York and Lancaster alike. In England’s glittering, treacherous court, not all wish to see the Nevilles raised high.

The Earl of Warwick’s ambition and pride lead him into an attempt to depose the Yorkist King; his treason forces his family into exile. Humiliated and powerless in a foreign land, Anne must find the courage and the wit to survive in such a dangerous man’s world. Compulsively readable, Anne O’Brien vividly evokes the story of Richard III’s queen with a passion and vibrancy reminiscent of Phillipa Gregory and Alison Weir.

The 13th Tribe ($3.40 Kindle, B&N), by Robert Liparulo, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
Immortal vigilantes from the time of Moses have planned the unthinkable. But how can you stop what you can't see?

The battle didn't start this year . . . or even this millennium.

It began when Moses was on Mt. Sinai. Tired of waiting on the One True God, the twelve tribes of Israel began worshipping a golden calf through pagan revelry. Many received immediate death for their idolatry, but 40 were handed a far worse punishment-endless life on earth with no chance to see the face of God.

This group of immortals became the 13th Tribe, and they've been trying to earn their way into heaven ever since-by killing sinners. Though their logic is twisted, their brilliance is undeniable. Their wrath is unstoppable. And the technology they possess is beyond anything mere humans could imagine.

Jagger Baird knows nothing about the Tribe when he's hired as head of security for an archaeological dig on Mt. Sinai. The former army ranger is still reeling from an accident that claimed the life of his best friend, his arm, and his faith in God.

The Tribe is poised to execute their most ambitious attack ever and the lives of millions hang in the balance. When Jagger's wife and son are caught in the crossfire, he'll stop at nothing to save them.

But how can one man stand against an entire tribe of immortals?

Tiger's Curse (Tiger's Curse Series #1) ($10.98 Hardcover, $2.49 B&N), by Colleen Houck, is the Nook Daily Find for Families (no Kindle edition).

Book Description
The last thing teenager Kelsey Hayes thought she'd be doing over the summer was meeting Ren, a mysterious white tiger and cursed Indian prince! When she learns she alone can break the Tiger's curse, Kelsey's life is turned upside-down. The unlikely duo journeys halfway around the world to piece together an Indian prophecy, find a way to free the man trapped by a centuries-old spell, and discover the path to their true destiny.