Today's Deals

Baen is having a contest and giving away five free books to anyone who has served in the military (contest ends tonight). Just send an email to contest@baen.com and tell them your branch of service. Note: Open to those who have served/are serving in other countries' militaries as well as the US.

Amazon now has Single Issue Comics on sale in the Kindle store. At the same time, they've released an update for the Kindle Paperwhite that lets you refresh the page in comics more easily (and turn off the "recommended content" on the home page! yay!). It looks like many of the comics are $2.99 per issue (which probably beats the newsstand price by quite a bit), but I also saw at least a couple of series for 99 cents: Green Lantern (2011- ) #1 and Arrow (2012- ) #1; the latter has five issues that are currently under a dollar.

Get 50% off a comic book at Kobo, as they celebrate Comic Week, using coupon code comics50 (offer self-destructs Nov 17).

Get a $5 Instant Video Credit if you register a Sony TV or BluRay player at Amazon (must be on their Instant Video compatibility list).

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Robert Kroese's Hilarious Mercury Trilogy, marked 80% off at $1.99 per volume. Looks like a great time to grab the ending to the trilogy, since I have the first two titles. Not technically a part of the sale, you'll also want to pick up the two short stories in the series, Mercury Swings and Mercury Begins, at 99 cents apiece. Already read the series? Then check out Kroese's new Kindle Serial, Disenchanted.

By turns epic and explosive, Robert Kroese's Mercury trilogy draws inspiration from the impertinent, side-splitting, and madcap adventures of Douglas Adams’s "Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy." The books chronicle the universe-saving slacker angel, Mercury. Destined to be cult favorites, today the Mercury Trilogy books are only $1.99 each (80% off).

Mercury Falls

While on assignment in Utah, Christine Temetri isn’t surprised when yet another prophesied Apocalypse fails to occur. After three years of reporting on End Times cults for a religious news magazine, Christine is seriously questioning her career choice. But then she meets Mercury, a cult leader whose knowledge of the impending Apocalypse is decidedly more solid than most: he is an angel, sent from heaven to prepare for the Second Coming but distracted by beer, ping pong, and other earthly delights. After Christine and Mercury inadvertently save Karl Grissom—a film-school dropout and the newly appointed Antichrist—from assassination, she realizes the three of them are all that stand in the way of mankind’s utter annihilation. They are a motley crew compared to the heavenly host bent on earth’s destruction, but Christine figures they’ll just have to do. Full of memorable characters, Mercury Falls is an absurdly funny tale about unlikely heroes on a quest to save the world.

Mercury Rises

Jaded religion reporter Christine Temetri and Mercury, a renegade angel, have just thwarted two diabolical plots to destroy the world. But their work isn’t finished yet: mysterious powers outranking even the Heavenly bureaucracy seem intent on keeping the Apocalypse on track. While the world is plagued by natural disasters and nations prepare for war, crazed billionaire Horace Finch plots to use a secret device hidden beneath the African desert to discover the deepest secrets of the Universe—even if he has to destroy the Universe to do it. Meanwhile, unassuming FBI investigator Jacob Slater tries in vain to find a rational explanation for the mysterious destruction of downtown Anaheim—a quest that ultimately brings him to Kenya, where he meets Christine and Mercury. Together, the three must stop Finch from activating the device and tearing reality to pieces. Uproarious and wildly entertaining, Mercury Rises proves that the devil is in the details!

Mercury Rests

After foiling an attempt to destroy the universe, Mercury has gone missing. And with the devil already putting the final fiendish touches on his next scheme to bring about the apocalypse, all that stands between Lucifer and his dreams of a hellfire holocaust are two misfit humans: jaded religion reporter Christine Temetri and mild-mannered forensic analyst Jacob Slater.

But the pair soon realize that the Prince of Darkness has set his sights higher than they can reach; he’s planning to bring his battle for domination straight to the pearly gates. They’ll need the wisecracking, ping-pong loving, apathetic angel Mercury to help save the day, the world, and heaven before the clock ticks down to the End Times…if they can find him.

By turns epic and explosive, Mercury Rests concludes the trilogy that Booklist describes as a “hilarious romp” that has “cult favorite written all over it.”

Winner of the Commonwealth Book Prize, Pacific Region 2012, Me and Mr Booker ($1.57 / £0.99 UK), by Cory Taylor, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (no US edition).

Book Description
Looking back, Martha could’ve said no when Mr Booker first tried to kiss her. That would’ve been the sensible thing to do. But Martha is sixteen, she lives in a small dull town – a cemetery with lights – her father is mad, her home is stifling, and she’s waiting for the rest of her life to begin. Of course Martha would kiss the charming Englishman who brightened her world with style, adventure, whisky, cigarettes and sex. But Martha didn’t count on the consequences. Me and Mr Booker is a story about feeling old when you’re young and acting young when you’re not. Located in small town Australia, Cory Taylor’s first novel is already a smash hit in her home country. Martha’s adventures with Mr Booker will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you with plenty to think about; maybe be angry about, then again maybe not.

The Scroll ($0.99 Kindle, B&N), a novella by Anne Perry, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle. This is a part of the multi-author Bibliomystery series, with other titles by Jeffrey Deaver, Ken Bruen and CJ Box (so far).

Book Description
An ancient scroll draws a bookseller into a chilling mystery

Monty Danforth finds the tin buried beneath a shipment of leather-bound classics. Inside is a millennia-old vellum manuscript written in an unfamiliar but unmistakably ancient language. Danforth tries to photocopy and photograph it, but he ends up with blank images, as though the ink were made of something impervious to modern technology. As the scroll’s mystery enchants him, this hapless bookseller falls into a cutthroat conspiracy that he may never escape.

Soon a dead-eyed old man and his granddaughter come calling for the scroll. Danforth refuses to sell them the manuscript, but they will not be the last to demand it. Powerful forces crave the secrets locked within this ancient document, and Danforth will survive only if he can master its power.

Today's Kindle Teens Daily Deal is The Named ($1.99), the first novel in Australian author Marianne Curley's Guardians of Time Trilogy (two of which are now on Kindle). It has mostly good reviews from adults as well as teens, with the caveat that it takes a while to get into the writing style (chapters alternate viewpoints of the two main characters, Isabel and Ethan). From the synopsis, it looks like a good blend of Harry Potter meets Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. The author has just come back from her fight against bone cancer and has a new series slated to start publication next Spring.

Book Description
Ethan is a member of the Named, sworn to fight the Order of Chaos, an evil group determined to permanently change the course of history. But he is also a normal high school student trying desperately to keep up with his homework and fit in. When he is assigned to mentor Isabel, a cute classmate and future member of the Named, the line between his two lives begins to blur. So begins an epic quest as Ethan, Isabel, and others travel through time to battle dark forces and protect the future.

Grade Level: 7 and up

Free & 99 Cent MP3 Albums

In addition to today's free MP3 (a Christmas album, the Green Hill Christmas Music Sampler by Beegie Adair), you can pick up Veterans Day Honor, by The Bands and Ensembles of the US Armed Forces, for free today at Amazon; this has been free for previous Veterans Days and will likely go back up in price at midnight (Seattle time).

Some 99 cent albums you may want to check out:

• Classical Music for the Reader 3, from Cobra Entertainment
• Classical Music for the Reader 4, from Cobra Entertainment
• Classical Music for the Reader 5, from Cobra Entertainment
• Classical Music for the Reader 6, from Cobra Entertainment
• Classical Music for the Reader 7, from Cobra Entertainment
• Music for the Reader: Masterpieces for the Dedicated Reader - Ocean Suites, by Marco Lashbrook
• Classical Music for Relaxation, from Cobra Entertainment
• 100 Must-Have Waltz & Dance Classics, from Cobra Entertainment
• Celtic Christmas, from Cobra Entertainment
• Celtic Memories Sampler, from Madacy Entertainment
• 50 Must-Have Mystic Gregorian Pop Remixes, from Cobra Entertainment
• Gregorian Christmas, from Cobra Entertainment
• Christmas Hymns & Carols, by Christian Faith Singers & Orchestra
• 40 Must-Have Favorite Hymns: I Stand Amazed, by Christian Gospel Choir
• Best Of Meditation With Music & Natur, by Dave Miller

If you don't mind spending a bit more, these are on sale for $3.99:

• The Greatest Video Game Music 2, by London Philharmonic Orchestra and Andrew Skeet
• 99 Must-Have Thanksgiving Classics, from Cobra Entertainment
• 99 Must-Have Christmas Meditation Classics, from Cobra Entertainment
• 99 Must-Have Christmas Classics, from Cobra Entertainment

Last, this one is $5.99, but still a great bargain: 100% Christmas - The Greatest Artists 100 Hits, from Vista Music

Today's Deals

Happy Veteran's Day, everyone.

Today is the last day to take advantage of this KSO deal:

• Get an MP3 Album for $5
• $10 Amazon Gift Card from Discover

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Nine Books to Commemorate Veterans Day for $1.99 apiece (up to 89% off)..

Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II, by Mitchell Zuckoff (note: this one seems to be mispriced, as it is listed at $2.99), one of Amazon's Best Books of the Month, May 2011.

On May 13, 1945, twenty-four American servicemen and WACs boarded a transport plane for a sightseeing trip over “Shangri-La,” a beautiful and mysterious valley deep within the jungle-covered mountains of Dutch New Guinea.Unlike the peaceful Tibetan monks of James Hilton’s bestselling novel Lost Horizon, this Shangri-La was home to spear-carrying tribesmen, warriors rumored to be cannibals.

But the pleasure tour became an unforgettable battle for survival when the plane crashed. Miraculously, three passengers pulled through. Margaret Hastings, barefoot and burned, had no choice but to wear her dead best friend’s shoes. John McCollom, grieving the death of his twin brother also aboard the plane, masked his grief with stoicism. Kenneth Decker, too, was severely burned and suffered a gaping head wound.

Emotionally devastated, badly injured, and vulnerable to the hidden dangers of the jungle, the trio faced certain death unless they left the crash site. Caught between man-eating headhunters and enemy Japanese, the wounded passengers endured a harrowing hike down the mountainside—a journey into the unknown that would lead them straight into a primitive tribe of superstitious natives who had never before seen a white man—or woman.

Drawn from interviews, declassified U.S. Army documents, personal photos and mementos, a survivor’s diary, a rescuer’s journal, and original film footage, Lost in Shangri-La recounts this incredible true-life adventure for the first time. Mitchell Zuckoff reveals how the determined trio—dehydrated, sick, and in pain—traversed the dense jungle to find help; how a brave band of paratroopers risked their own lives to save the survivors; and how a cowboy colonel attempted a previously untested rescue mission to get them out.

By trekking into the New Guinea jungle, visiting remote villages, and rediscovering the crash site, Zuckoff also captures the contemporary natives’ remembrances of the long-ago day when strange creatures fell from the sky. A riveting work of narrative nonfiction that vividly brings to life an odyssey at times terrifying, enlightening, and comic, Lost in Shangri-La is a thrill ride from beginning to end.

The Only Thing Worth Dying For, by Eric Blehm

On a moonless night just weeks after September 11, 2001, U.S. Special Forces team ODA 574 infiltrates the mountains of southern Afghanistan with a seemingly impossible mission: to foment a tribal revolt and force the Taliban to surrender. Armed solely with the equipment they can carry on their backs, shockingly scant intelligence, and their mastery of guerrilla warfare, Captain Jason Amerine and his men have no choice but to trust their only ally, a little-known Pashtun statesman named Hamid Karzai who has returned from exile and is being hunted by the Taliban as he travels the countryside raising a militia.

The Only Thing Worth Dying For chronicles the most important mission in the early days of the Global War on Terror, when the men on the ground knew little about the enemy—and their commanders in Washington knew even less. With unprecedented access to surviving members of ODA 574, key war planners, and Karzai himself, award-winning author Eric Blehm cuts through the noise of politicians and high-level military officials to narrate for the first time a story of uncommon bravery and terrible sacrifice, intimately exposing the realities of unconventional warfare and nation-building in Afghanistan that continue to shape the region today.

The Long Ships, by Frans G. Bengtsson, Michael Chabon (Introduction) and Michael Meyer (Translator)

Frans Gunnar Bengtsson’s The Long Ships resurrects the fantastic world of the tenth century AD when the Vikings roamed and rampaged from the northern fastnesses of Scandinavia down to the Mediterranean. Bengtsson’s hero, Red Orm—canny, courageous, and above all lucky—is only a boy when he is abducted from his Danish home by the Vikings and made to take this place at the oars of their dragon-prowed ships. Orm is then captured by the Moors in Spain, where he is initiated into the pleasures of the senses and fights for the Caliph of Cordova. Escaping from captivity, Orm washes up in Ireland, where he marvels at those epicene creatures, the Christian monks, and from which he then moves on to play an ever more important part in the intrigues of the various Scandinavian kings and clans and dependencies. Eventually, Orm contributes to the Viking defeat of the army of the king of England and returns home an off-the-cuff Christian and a very rich man, though back on his native turf new trials and tribulations will test his cunning and determination. Packed with pitched battles and blood feuds and told throughout with wit and high spirits, Bengtsson’s book is a splendid adventure that features one of the most unexpectedly winning heroes in modern fiction.

We Are Soldiers Still, by Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway

Lt. Gen. Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway return to Vietnam's Ia Drang Valley more than four decades after the battle they recalled in their #1 New York Times bestseller We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young. Renewing their relationships with ten American veterans of the fabled conflict—and with former adversaries—the authors explore how the war changed them all, as well as their two countries.

We Are Soldiers Still is an emotional journey back to hallowed ground, putting a human face on warfare as the authors reflect on war's devastating cost.

Tonight We Die As Men: The Untold Story of Third Batallion 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment from Toccoa to D-Day, by Ian Gardner

The exploits of the 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment have long been overshadowed by those of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion. Yet the actions of the 3rd Battalion during the D-Day landings were every bit as incredible. This is the astounding story of how, after suffering many immediate casualties on landing, the surviving paratroopers fought on towards their objective against horrendous odds. Using fascinating first-hand accounts of the soldiers and the French civilians who witnessed the Normandy campaign, and illustrated with black and white photographs and maps throughout, the authors offer a unique and comprehensive account of the experiences of the 3rd Battalion from training through to D-Day and beyond.

Red Eagles: Americas Secret MiGs, by Steve Davies

When two Navy F-14 Tomcats engaged and shot down two Sukhoi Su-22 jet fighters in 1981, they drew on experience and tactics that they had learned from a previous encounter with MiG jet fighters. The difference between the two encounters was that in the first, the enemy fighters were flown by American pilots assigned to a top secret squadron hidden at a remote airfield in the ultra-secret Tonopah Nuclear Test range, Nevada. In the second, the Sukhoi fighters were flown by Libyan pilots attempting to enforce Colonel Qadaffi's 'Line of Death' over the Gulf of Sidra.

From the mid-1960s until the end of the Cold War, the United States Air Force acquired and flew Russian-made MiG jets, eventually creating a secret squadron dedicated to exposing American fighter pilots to enemy MiGs. Following underperformance in the Vietnam War, the USAF began to study MiGs in order to improve fighter pilot training. This then developed into the "black" Constant Peg program. In this program, MiGs were secretly acquired, and made airworthy, a difficult task without manuals or parts. A secret base was found to operate the planes from; and then ace pilots were found and trained to not only fly the assets, but fly them as they were flown by America's enemies. Finally, a program of exposing American fighter pilots to the MiGs was developed. In all, more than 1,600 American fighter pilots would train against America's secret MiGs between 1974 and 1989.

Uncovering the story of the secret MiGs in America during the Cold War, and specifically Constant Peg and the 4477th Test & Evaluation Squadron, is a challenge because much of the information has been destroyed, or remains classified. To piece together the story of this group of men who provided America's fighter pilots with a level of training that was the stuff of dreams, author Steve Davies has interviewed over thirty of the Red Eagle pilots, along with other members of the squadron. This paperback edition includes new material on HAVE IDEA and other HAVE programs; making the MiGs airworthy in 1977 from the maintainers' perspective; and the intelligence activities of MiG expert at the Foreign Technology Division Mike Coyle. The result is a fascinating glimpse into a "black" program that enabled American fighter pilots to go into combat having already met and defeated their first MiG.

SEALs: The US Navy's Elite Fighting Force, by Mir Bahmanyar

Since the US Navy SEALs came into existence in 1983, they have become famous for their daring missions, advanced and unconventional tactics, hard training and hard-fought successes. SEALs have taken part in numerous conflicts ranging from Grenada in 1983, the invasion of Panama and operations in Somalia, Bosnia, Haiti, and Liberia. Most recently, SEAL units have participated in the ongoing missions of Operation Enduring Freedom in the war in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in the war in Iraq.

Now in paperback, this bestselling book from respected authors Mir Bahmanyar and Chris Osman offers readers a focus on modern combat operations between 1983 and 2006, examining various combat operations, the Navy SEAL training regimes, and the development of tactics and weapons. It includes first-hand accounts from SEALs on the ground, including revealing accounts from those currently involved in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is an eye-opening insight into the shadowy and mysterious world of the US Navy SEALs, guaranteed to appeal to anyone with an interest in modern military operations, current events, and even those interested in becoming a Navy SEAL.

No Greater Ally: The Untold Story of Poland's Forces in World War II, by Kenneth Koskodan

There is a chapter of World War II history that remains largely untold, the story of the fourth largest allied military of the war, the only nation to have fought in the battles of Leningrad, Arnhem, Tobruk and Normandy. The story of millions of young men and women who gave everything for freedom and in the final victory lost all. In a cruel twist of history the monumental struggles of an entire nation have been forgotten, and even intentionally obscured. This book redresses the balance, giving a comprehensive overview of Poland's participation in World War II. Following their valiant but doomed defense of Poland in 1939, members of the Polish armed forces fought with the Allies wherever and however they could. With previously unpublished first-hand accounts, information never before seen in English, and rare photographs, this title provides a detailed analysis of the devastation the war brought to Poland, and the final betrayal when, having fought for freedom for six long years, Poland was handed to the Soviet Union.

Runescape: Betrayal at Falador, by T. S. Church

In the kingdom of Asgarnia, though the Knights of Falador defend the land a protect the people, they face threats that clamor from all sides-and from within. Enemies mass at borders, and a killer stalks the night killing innocents and slipping away unseen.

When a young woman appears in the teeth of the storm, her sudden arrival launches a chain of events that endangers the very fabric of magic. And unless the knights can solve the riddle of Kara-Meir, everything they hold close may be lost.

Their one hope may lie in the hands, not of a knight, but of an untested squire named Theodore...

World War 2: Last War Heroes ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Stephen Bull, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $10.39 and has been retitled D-Day to Victory).

Book Description
The companion volume to the groundbreaking TV series, this book tells the story of the physical, emotional and psychological journey of Allied soldiers from the beaches of Normandy to the ruins of Berlin. In their own words these brave men from Britain, the United States, Canada and Russia tell us what it was like to face the bullets, bombs, mortars, mines and artillery shells of Nazi Germany. Interviews with over 80 soldiers who fought in the conflict, totalling 150 hours, provide a new perspective on the experiences of 1944–45. Building on the high-speed, multi-camera filming of World War II weapons and munitions shown in the TV series, this book brings the terrifying reality of the war to life. Technical descriptions and the experiences of the men in the field explain the dramatic power and effect that this weaponry had on the battlefield, from the sinister simplicity of the deadly AP mine through to the immense firepower of the 88mm gun, giving the modern historian a unique insight into the last days of the war for the troops on the frontline. This is not a history of generals, of armies manoeuvring and strategic objectives. It is a book about the ordinary men put into incredible situations, deprived of sleep and food, and in constant fear of death on the long road to victory.

The Warrior's Heart: Becoming a Man of Compassion and Courage ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), a teen/YA title by Eric Greitens, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
In this adaptation of his best-selling book, The Heart and the Fist, Eric speaks directly to teen readers, interweaving memoir and intimate second-person narratives that ask the reader to put themselves in the shoes of himself and others. Readers will share in Eric’s evolution from average kid to globe-traveling humanitarian to warrior, training and serving with the most elite military outfit in the world: the Navy SEALs. Along the way, they’ll be asked to consider the power of choices, of making the decision each and every day to act with courage and compassion so that they grow to be tomorrow’s heroes. Sure to inspire and motivate.

Grade Level: 7 and up

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Hero Dad ($1.99), by Melinda Hardin and Bryan Langdo (Illustrator).

Book Description
Some superheroes wear rocket-propelled boots, drive super-powered cars, and have X-ray vision. But other superheroes wear army boots, drive tanks, and go away for long trips to make the world a safer place. It's a tough job, but that's what superheroes have to do. With Melinda Hardin's simple text and with Bryan Langdo's endearing watercolor-and-pencil illustrations, Hero Dad makes a difficult and tender subject more accessible to children with parents serving far from home.

Grade Level: Pre K and up

This book features Kindle Text Pop-Up for reading text over vivid, full-color images when using Kindle Fire/HD or select Kindle Reading Apps (Kindle Cloud Reader, Kindle for iPad or Kindle for Android); however, it can be read on all current Kindle devices.

Dawn of D-DAY: These Men Were There, June 6, 1944 ($2.99 Kindle), by David Howarth, may or may not remain at this price more than a day, but fits right in with the theme of today's deals.

Book Description
June 6, 1944, is one of the most famous dates in world history, and, as David Howarth shows, a defining date in countless personal histories. In this intimate chronicle, the 7,000 vessels, 12,000 aircraft, and 750,000 men committed on D-Day are taken for granted. Instead, we see D-Day through the eyes of the men on the ground as Howarth weaves together the larger story of the beginning of the battle of Normandy with the stories of the beachhead itself. The scope of Howarth's vision—focusing on England and France, on sky, beach, and hedgerow, on divisions and squads—makes Dawn of D-Day a franker portrayal than any other of the turning-point of the war on the Western Front and the greatest amphibious operation in history.

Get $4 off an MP3 Album (KSO)

This offer for those with a Kindle Fire with Special Offers only.

On your Kindle Fire with Special Offers (2nd Generation or HD), swipe the top menu to the left until you see Offers, then press/click in order to see the current offers. At the bottom, you should see the offer to Get $4 off any digital music album. Click on the offer, then on the orange button to add the credit directly to your account. It's nearly instant and the next screen offers to take you to Amazon MP3 store so you can start shopping. You can also shop from your PC or the Music App on any Android device and the credit will automatically be used on the next qualifying purchase (I prefer to browse on my PC, as you can do a "play all" on the samples).

Offer is good for one album and only one per account (if you have multiple KSO devices, they need to be registered to different accounts when you apply the credit to any of the accounts). The credit must be claimed by November 12 and used by midnight (PT) November 19.

Other than picking out an album that has a price of $7.99 or more, there doesn't seem to be any restriction on which albums you can choose. The credit will also go onto your account as soon as it is claimed, so you will want to shop for your album right away. I would not wait too long to claim it though, as I've had offers disappear before the claim date. Also, if you don't see the offer at all, try turning off parental controls on your Fire (you can turn them on again, after claiming the offer).

Today's Deals

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal ($2.99), by Eric Schlosser.

Book Description
In 2001, Fast Food Nation was published to critical acclaim and became an international bestseller. Eric Schlosser’s exposé revealed how the fast food industry has altered the landscape of America, widened the gap between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and transformed food production throughout the world. The book changed the way millions of people think about what they eat and helped to launch today’s food movement.

In a new afterword for this edition, Schlosser discusses the growing interest in local and organic food, the continued exploitation of poor workers by the food industry, and the need to ensure that every American has access to good, healthy, affordable food. Fast Food Nation is as relevant today as it was a decade ago. The book inspires readers to look beneath the surface of our food system, consider its impact on society and, most of all, think for themselves.

Originally published in 1976, The Doctor's Wife ($1.75 / £1.09 UK), by Brian Moore, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (no US edition).

Book Description
Sheila Redden, a quiet, 37-year-old doctor's wife, has long been looking forward to returning with her husband to the town where they spent their honeymoon over twenty years ago. Little does she suspect that after a chance encounter in Paris she will end up spending her holiday with a man she has only just met, an American man ten years her junior.

Four weeks later, Sheila is nowhere to be found. Owen Deane, her brother, follows her steps to Paris in the hopes of shedding some light on her disappearance, but soon begins to wonder if she will ever reappear.

Interspersed with Sheila's harrowing memories of her hometown of Ulster at the height of the troubles, this is a compelling and powerful tale of love, escape and abandon.

The Millionaires ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Brad Meltzer, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
Two brothers. Three secret service agents. And millions for the taking. Charlie and Oliver Caruso are brothers who work at Greene and Greene, a private bank so exclusive there's a $2 million minimum to be a client. But when the door of success slams in their faces, the brothers are presented with an offer they can't refuse: $3 million in an abandoned account that can't be traced. It's the perfect victimless crime. Charlie and Oliver opt to take the money, but get much more than they bargained for. Now, with a lot of extra zeroes in their pockets and a friend found dead, the Secret Service and a female private investigator are closing in. Whose money did they take? How will they stay alive? And why is the Secret Service trying to kill them? Both Charlie and Oliver quickly realize it's not easy being The Millionaires.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Puss in Boots ($0.99), by Eric Metaxas and Pierre Le-Tan (Illustrator) .

Book Description
Claude, the youngest son of a miller, feels short-changed when his dearly departed father leaves him nothing more than a retired tomcat. However, when Claude decides to do away with his feline inheritance, the cat devises a clever plan to save his own skin by promising to transform his dim-witted owner into a noble prince. This is a splendid comic adaptation of the classic French fairy tale.

Ages 5 and up

Kindle Paperwhite Back Ordered

If you are thinking of picking up a Kindle Paperwhite as a Christmas gift for someone, better put in the order now. The current expected delivery date is December 21st, so it won't be many more orders before delivery will be after the holidays. I just checked the dates for the basic WiFi version, with and without Special Offers, and the more expensive 3G edition (also w/ and w/o SO) and all have the same projected delivery date.

I would not count on any type of Black Friday deals on these either (especially not from Amazon, who has only had special deals on models on their way out the door, such as the big discounts on the DX, which is now gone from the lineup). The only "deals" I've seen on ereaders for BF are one or two "with gift card" deals at local stores and you'll have to brave the BF traffic and crowds and hope they are in stock (I would not be surprised to see a number of people selling locally purchased readers on eBay, at outrageous prices, since Amazon's stock of them has started to dry up).

The following are all in-stock (for now) and can be delivered immediate:

• Kindle (non-touch; no keyboard)
• Kindle Keyboard 3G
• Kindle Fire
• Kindle Fire HD

The 8.9" Kindle Fire HD hasn't actually been released, but the expected delivery date on new orders for this model has now moved into December (from Nov 21), for orders placed today. The same first week of December dates are being projected for the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G, as well.

As the holidays get closer, I expect we'll see longer delays, even in the models that are now easy to get.

Today's Deals

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Twelve Months ($0.99), by Steven Manchester.

Book Description
Don DiMarco has a very good life – a family he loves, a comfortable lifestyle, passions and interests that keep him amused. He also thought he had time, but that turned out not to be the case. Faced with news that might have immediately felled most, Don now wonders if he has time enough. Time enough to show his wife the romance he didn’t always lavish on her. Time enough to live out his most ambitious fantasies. Time enough to close the circle on some of his most aching unresolved relationships. Summoning an inner strength he barely realized he possessed, Don sets off to prove that twelve months is time enough to live a life in full.

A glorious celebration of each and every moment that we’re given here on Earth, as well as the eternal bonds that we all share, TWELVE MONTHS is a stirring testament to the power of the human spirit.

Pull Yourself Together ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Thomas Glavinic and John Brownjohn (Translator), is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $4.99). An AmazonCrossing exclusive translation, this was number one on the Austrian bestseller list when it was published there in 2010.

Book Description
“If you’re feeling happy, just wait. There’s bound to be a downside.”

These are just a few of the words Charlie Colostrum lives by, and he’s seen enough downsides to know what he’s talking about (losing his virginity the same day as the Challenger disaster really sets the tone).

A fat slacker with bad skin, Charlie carefully crafts his image, sometimes draping a black cloak over his shoulders and donning a black hat (though he knows smoking a pipe would be overdoing it). He nonchalantly leaves a few books by Nietzsche on the table when friends drop by (though he prefers to read self-help manuals). The jobless, self-proclaimed wimp lives off the kindness—and financial contributions—of his family and spends his time compiling lists of personal rules, daydreaming about becoming a rock star, and scheming his way into bed with as many women as possible (though he’s unable to emotionally connect with anyone).
This satire from one of Austria’s most celebrated contemporary novelists shows that life may not be exactly what you dreamed, but you’ve just got to keep on stumbling.

L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume 28 ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), edited by L. Ron Hubbard, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle. This series is a must-buy at this price, for any SciFi short story fans.

Book Description
Your passage to unforgettable worlds of imagination and escape. Discover the new visionaries of imagination in the Writers of the Future. Established in 1983 by L. Ron Hubbard expressly for the aspiring writer, Writers of the Future has become the most respected and significant forum for new talent in all aspects of speculative fiction. Never before published first-rate science fiction and fantasy stories selected by top names in the field.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Breaking Beautiful ($1.99), by Walker.

Book Description

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident. Although she managed to jump out before he lost control of the car, Allie can't remember anything from that night-but she has a sinking feeling that it was no accident. As their small seaside town, mourns the loss of one of its brightest, Allie feels guilty that she can't help solve the mystery of the crash. But more importantly, she is secretly relieved to be free from the relationship that caused her more pain than the one night of the crash ever did. The abuse she suffered at Trip's hands is a secret she kept for so long, even from her twin brother, Andrew, and her best friend, Blake.

Trip's family insists that foul play was behind their son's death, and the investigation turns on Allie and Blake, especially as their changing relationship raises eyebrows around town. Beginning to question everything about herself, her family, and Blake, Allie must reach deep down to remember what happened that night. But is it worth it, if finding out the truth could hurt the people who tried to save her?

Age Level: 12 and up

Today's Deals

There are several cute games on sale in the Appstore this week, mostly aimed at the younger set, but also the Premium edition of Farm Invasion, if you missed it during the Google sale this past Fall.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Chocolat ($2.99), by Joanne Harris. After I saw the movie, I put the book on my wishlist. Looks like today may be the day to go ahead and get it.

Book Description
Vivianne Rocher moves to the tiny French town of Lansquenet to open a chocolate boutique, and, suddenly, strange things start to happen. The townspeople begin to eschew the self-righteous gossip of small-town life, and they find the courage to break the rigid codes of provincial behavior. In short, they start enjoying life--all because of the sensual power of chocolate. But the hidebound local priest does not approve of Vivianne, and soon, a power struggle shapes up between the two of them.

The Dessert Deli ($2.07 / £1.29 UK), by Laura Amos, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $9.99).

Book Description
The Dessert Deli is a gorgeous, mouth-watering collection of amazing recipes, bringing luxurious desserts to the comfort of your own home. The Dessert Deli brings beautiful desserts to their rightful place: the forefront of any meal.

Not just offering cupcakes, this cookbook covers the full spectrum of tasty treats: indulgent Belgian Chocolate Mousse with Honeycomb, zingy Orange and Passion Fruit Trifle, silky smooth Honey Crème Brûlée, to decadent Amaretto Chocolate Truffles. Learn how to adapt recipes to your liking and the importance of always using the best quality ingredients.

Set up in 2008, The Dessert Deli quickly became one of the highlights of the popular Northcote Road Market, as well as being stocked in some of London’s most prestigious Food Halls, providing luxurious handmade desserts for food lovers.

Their Eyes Were Watching God ($8.99 $1.99 Kindle, B&N), a psychological thriller by Zora Neale Hurston, is the Nook Daily Find. No price match yet on Kindle, but Now priced matched on Kindle; the companion audiobook is only $3.95, so you may want to recheck the price later in the day.

Book Description
One of the most important works of twentieth-century American literature, Zora Neale Hurston's beloved 1937 classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is an enduring Southern love story sparkling with wit, beauty, and heartfelt wisdom. Told in the captivating voice of a woman who refuses to live in sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams, it is the story of fair-skinned, fiercely independent Janie Crawford, and her evolving selfhood through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trials, and purpose. A true literary wonder, Hurston's masterwork remains as relevant and affecting today as when it was first published -- perhaps the most widely read and highly regarded novel in the entire canon of African American literature.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is The Secret Of The Sirens ($1.99), the first title in Julia Golding's Companions Quartet.

Book Description
When eleven-year-old Connie is sent to live with her eccentric aunt by the sea, she's not expecting anything great, not to make friends with Col, the coolest guy in town, and certainly not to discover that mythical creatures still exist, that an ancient society has protected them for centuries, and that a dark and treacherous force is lurking in their midst.

Age Level: 10 and up

$3 Instant Amazon Instant Video Credit (KSO)

This offer is only for those with a Kindle with Special Offers (including any that opts in to Special Offers, but not the Kindle Fire with Special Offers):

Get $3 off select titles in the Amazon Instant Video Store

To take advantage of this offer:

1. First, turn on your Kindle with Special Offers, click Menu, then View Special Offers.
2. Find the offer: Get $3 off select titles in the Amazon Instant Video Store. Click on it, then on the link to Email Me This Offer. You must claim your gift code by Midnight PT, November 12, 2012.
3. You will get an email from Amazon with your promotional code, right away.
4. Once you have the promotion code (and have selected your album; see below), click this link, then on the button labeled Enter Your Code, at any time up to the expiration date of 11:59 p.m. (PT) November 19, 2012.
5. Enter your code and follow the directions.
6. Choose nearly any Amazon Instant Video and the credit will authomatically be applied (up to the expiration date of Midnight, Nov 19).

You might as well apply this one to your account right away, since it will apply automatically. If you are a Twilight Fan, you could rent three of the four for free (or just pay 96 cents for the lot), since Amazon has them on sale for 99 cents right now: Twilight, Twilight: New Moon, Twilight: Eclipse, and Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part I ($.99 through November 8th; playback by Nov 29).

Today's Deals

If you bought enough books last month for Sony's Buy 6 Get 1 Free deal, be sure to check your email for the promo code, as it looks like they sent it out this week.

Also check your email for any messages about the Agency Settlement. Although Amazon and B&N have both promised to calculate your refund automatically (B&N will then send a gift code, probably in February), others, such as Books on Board, are requiring you to determine the books your purchased and to fill out a settlement form, so that you'll get the refund directly from the publishers. BoB recommends you print out the form and use it to take notes, so you can then easily fill out the online form (which appears to be required once for each retailer). I suppose that's just another way to avoid paying out on the settlement, as I doubt most people will see the emails, follow the directions, etc. At least at BoB, it's fairly easy to research your purchases (same at Kobo), but you'll need to check each book to see if it is one of the publishers or imprints involved (and I found at least one book that is now sold by an involved imprint, but was sold by a non-Agency imprint when I purchased it) and look up the ISBN for the involved books.

Speaking of Books on Board, they are running a Net 50% off sale on discount eligible ebooks. You may also be able to use promo Codes NR-qetRZ or NR-Pxaa6 for "35% Off the Publisher List Price on all Discount Eligible eBooks and Audio Books. Today Only!"

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Sly Fox ($1.99), by Jeanine Pirro.

Book Description
Westchester, New York, 1976--Cocaine abuse is rampant, the county courthouse is a boys' club, and men are still legally permitted to beat their wives. Enter Dani Fox, the feisty, ambitious twenty-five-year-old assistant district attorney tired of feeling like an outsider and hungry to bring abusers to justice.

Dani confronts emotionally challenging crime scenes and uncooperative colleagues, facing threats to her safety--and even the safety of her pet pig, Wilbur--in order to protect society's silent victims. Spearheading the country's first domestic violence unit in a shifting legal landscape, Dani must find allies where she can, especially when she discovers a seemingly simple case has some shocking twists. But who can she trust, and which of her colleagues will she end up battling both in and out of the courtroom?

Drawing from her own past as a dynamic, hard-charging former district attorney, Emmy-winning Judge Jeanine Pirro's debut page-turner is ripped from the headlines, full of gripping details, authentic thrills, and suspenseful realism that can only come from a courtroom litigator who's been in the trenches.

A Baby's Cry ($1.62 / £0.99 UK), by Cathy Glass, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $7.59).

Book Description
What could cause a mother to believe that giving away her newborn baby is her only option? Cathy Glass is about to find out. From number 1 bestselling author of Damaged comes a harrowing and moving memoir about tiny Harrison, left in Cathy’s care, and the potentially fatal family secret of his beginnings.

When Cathy is first asked to foster one-day old Harrison her only concern is if she will remember how to look after a baby. But upon collecting Harrison from the hospital, Cathy realises she has more to worry than she thought when she discovers that his background is shrouded in secrecy.

She isn’t told why Harrison is in foster care and his social worker says only a few are aware of his very existence, and if his whereabouts became known his life, and that of his parents, could be in danger. Cathy tries to put her worries aside as she looks after Harrison, a beautiful baby, who is alert and engaging. Cathy and her children quickly bond with Harrison although they know that, inevitably, he will eventually be adopted.

But when a woman Cathy doesn’t know starts appearing in the street outside her house acting suspiciously, Cathy fears for her own family’s safety and demands some answers from Harrison’s social worker. The social worker tells Cathy a little but what she says is very disturbing . How is this woman connected to Harrison and can she answer the questions that will affect Harrison’s whole life?

About the Author
Cathy has been a foster carer for over 20 years, during which time she has looked after more than 70 children, of all ages and backgrounds. Cathy runs training courses on fostering for her local Social Services, and helps draft new fostering procedures and guidelines. She has three teenage children of her own; one of whom was adopted after a long-term foster placement. The name Cathy Glass is a pseudonym.

Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well ($8.99 Kindle, $2.99 B&N), by Billy Graham, is the Nook Daily Find.

Book Description
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

—Acts 20:24 (ESV)

Growing old has been the greatest surprise of my life,” says Billy Graham, known by many as God’s Ambassador. “I would have never guessed what God had in store for me, and I know that as I am nearing home, He will not forsake me the last mile of the way.”

In Nearing Home this man of faith—now in his nineties—explores the challenges of aging while gleaning foundational truths from Scripture. Billy Graham invites us to journey with him as he considers the golden years while anticipating the hope of being reunited with his wife, Ruth, in his heavenly home that eclipses this world. “When granted many years of life, growing old in age is natural, but growing old with grace is a choice,” says the author. “Growing older with grace is possible for all who will set their hearts and minds on the Giver of grace, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Join Billy Graham as he shares the challenges of fading strength but still standing strong in his commitment to finishing life well.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is The Templeton Twins Have an Idea ($1.99), by Jeremy Holmes and Ellis Weiner.

Book Description
Suppose there were 12-year-old twins, a boy and girl named John and Abigail Templeton. Let's say John was pragmatic and played the drums, and Abigail was theoretical and solved cryptic crosswords. Now suppose their father was a brilliant, if sometimes confused, inventor. And suppose that another set of twins—adults—named Dean D. Dean and Dan D. Dean, kidnapped the Templeton twins and their ridiculous dog in order to get their father to turn over one of his genius (sort of) inventions. Yes, I said kidnapped. Wouldn't it be fun to read about that? Oh please. It would so. Luckily for you, this is just the first in a series perfect for boys and girls who are smart, clever, and funny (just like the twins), and enjoy reading adventurous stories (who doesn't?!).

Grade Level: 4 and up

Bargain Book Roundup (K)

I hope everyone found time to get out and vote today (if you didn't vote early).

The Nook Daily Election Find, Walter Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin, is now price matched on Kindle ($2.99). That price may or may not last past midnight on the West Coast.

The Subterranean Scalzi Super Bundle ($7.99) is a super-deal, even if you already have one or two of the titles (I have a lot of Scalzi, but only two overlap this bundle). I don't see Judge Sn Goes Golfing in the free sample, but you might want to grab it and just report it missing (it'll probably be yanked from the store, once that happens, so the publisher can replace the file).

Book Description
Subterranean Press bundles together all of their John Scalzi titles into one easy-to-buy special this November:

• How I Proposed To My Wife: An Alien Sex Story
• An Election
• Judge Sn Goes Golfing
• Questions for a Soldier
• The Sagan Diary
• The Tale of the Wicked
• The God Engines
• You're Not fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop to the Coffee Shop

Waterfall ($1.99) is the first title in Lisa T Bergren's YA/CF River of Time series (David C. Cook).

Book Description
Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Bentarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives with their parents, famed Etruscan scholars, among the romantic hills. In Book One of the River of Time series, Gabi and Lia are stuck among the rubble of medieval castles in rural Tuscany on yet another hot, boring, and dusty archeological site … until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces.

And thus she comes to be rescued by the knight-prince Marcello Falassi, who takes her back to his father’s castle—a castle Gabi has seen in ruins in another life. Suddenly Gabi’s summer in Italy is much, much more interesting. But what do you do when your knight in shining armor lives, literally, in a different world?

Grade Level: 8 and up

The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef ($2.51), by Marco Pierre White, was a Nook/Kindle Deal of the Day last year ($4); this is the lowest price I've seen on it.

Book Description
Without question, the original rock-star chef is Marco Pierre White. Anyone with even a passing interest in the food world knows White is a legend. The first British chef (and the youngest chef anywhere) to win three Michelin stars - and also the only chef ever to give them all back - is a chain-smoking, pot-throwing multiply- married culinary genius whose fierce devotion to food and restaurants has been the only constant in a life of tabloid-ready turmoil. In The Devil in the Kitchen White tells the story behind his ascent from working-class roots to culinary greatness, leaving no dish unserved as he relays raucus and revealing tales featuring some of the biggest names in the food world and beyond, including: Mario Batali, Gordon Ramsay, Albert Roux, Raymond Blanc, Michael Caine, Damien Hirst, and even Prince Charles. With candid honesty and wicked humor, he gives us insight into what it takes to become a great chef, what it's like to run a 3-star kitchen, and why sometimes you really do need to throw a cheese plate at the wall.

Dirty Dishes: A Restaurateur's Story of Passion, Pain, and Pasta ($2.99), by Andrew Friedman, Pino Luongo and Anthony Bourdain

Book Description
Everyone has an opinion about Pino Luongo. To Tony Bourdain, he was the notorious Pino Noir, the shadowy kingpin of a restaurant empire. To Manhattanites, he was either the savior or the scourge of the city's dining scene. To the many fans of his cookbooks, he was the herald of Tuscan cuisine.

In Dirty Dishes, Luongo emerges to tell his side of the story. And it's quite a story: After an idyllic (and well-fed) childhood in Tuscany, Luongo came to New York as an actor, and, after quickly washing out, fell into the restaurant business. Within ten years, he had risen from a position as a dishwasher to build a string of the hottest restaurants in the city, including Le Madri, Coco Pazzo, Tuscan Square, and Centolire. For a decade, he was one of the undisputed kings of New York nightlife, building a reputation for brilliance, volatility, and charm - as well as a long list of hilarious and jaw-dropping "Pino stories." But after a flirtation with a corporate chain went sour, he cashiered his restaurants and returned to his first love, the kitchen.

Pino has had an incredible life, full of amazing twists and famous names- and he's a born storyteller. Along with his expert coauthor, Andrew Friedman (who helped craft Don't Try This at Home), he's created an immensely readable inside look at the New York restaurant world, in all its Byzantine glory.

A Cook's Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal ($2.51), by Anthony Bourdain

Book Description
Dodging minefields in Cambodia, diving into the icy waters outside a Russian bath, Chef Bourdain travels the world over in search of the ultimate meal. The only thing Anthony Bourdain loves as much as cooking is traveling, and A Cook's Tour is the shotgun marriage of his two greatest passions. Inspired by the question, 'What would be the perfect meal?', Anthony sets out on a quest for his culinary holy grail. Our adventurous chef starts out in Japan, where he eats traditional Fugu, a poisonous blowfish which can be prepared only by specially licensed chefs. He then travels to Cambodia, up the mine-studded road to Pailin into autonomous Khmer Rouge territory and to Phnom Penh's Gun Club, where local fare is served up alongside a menu of available firearms. In Saigon, he's treated to a sustaining meal of live Cobra heart before moving on to savor a snack with the Viet Cong in the Mecong Delta. Further west, Kitchen Confidential fans will recognize the Gironde of Tony's youth, the first stop on his European itinerary. And from France, it's on to Portugal, where an entire village has been fattening a pig for months in anticipation of his arrival. And we're only halfway around the globe. . . A Cook's Tour recounts, in Bourdain's inimitable style, the adventures and misadventures of America's favorite chef.

A Moveable Feast ($4.99), by Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern, Mark Kurlansky and Don George (Lonely Planet)

Book Description
From bat on the island of Fais to chicken on a Russian train to barbecue in the American heartland, from mutton in Mongolia to couscous in Morocco to tacos in Tijuana - on the road, food nourishes us not only physically, but intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually too. It can be a gift that enables a traveler to survive, a doorway into the heart of a tribe, or a thread that weaves an indelible tie; it can be awful or ambrosial - and sometimes both at the same time. Celebrate the riches and revelations of food with this 38-course feast of true tales set around the world. Edited by Don George

Naughty & Nice 3-Story Bundle ($1.99) is a brand-new anthology by Ruthie Knox, Molly O'Keefe and Stefanie Sloane (Loveswept). All three authors have upcoming releases, so this trio of novellas should whet your appetite, while you wait. In addition, it seems that all of Ruthie Knox's novels are currently marked down to $2.99 (including her pre-release title). The publisher sent me an eARC on this one and it's near the top of my holiday TBR pile.

Book Description
’Tis the season for romance with three original holiday-themed novellas! Unwrap this festive eBook bundle and discover why these authors are quickly becoming the biggest names in the genre. Ruthie Knox tells a heartwarming contemporary story of first loves given the gift of a second chance; Molly O’Keefe releases the ghosts of Christmas past with a prequel to her novel Crazy Thing Called Love; and Stefanie Sloane weaves an irresistible Regency tale of fiery passion that burns deep on a cold winter’s night.

ROOM AT THE INN by Ruthie Knox
Carson Vance couldn’t wait to get out of Potter Falls, but now that he’s back to spend Christmas with his ailing father, he must face all the people he left behind . . . like Julie Long, whose heart he broke once upon a time. Now the proprietor of the local inn, Julie is a successful, seductive, independent woman—everything that Carson’s looking for. But despite several steamy encounters under the mistletoe, Julie refuses to believe in happily ever after. Now Carson must prove to Julie that he’s back for good—and that he wants her in his life for all the holidays to come.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU by Molly O’Keefe
Maddy Baumgarten and Billy Wilkins are spontaneous, in love, and prepared to elope the day after Christmas—that is, if Maddy’s family doesn’t throw a wrench in their plans. After all, Maddy’s barely out of high school and Billy’s a notorious bad boy. Maddy doesn’t care about Billy’s rough past—all she cares about is living in the here and now. But after Maddy’s mother stops speaking to her in protest, and a Christmas Eve heart-to-heart with her father leaves her with butterflies, Maddy starts to get cold feet. She loves Billy, but is she taking this big step too soon?

ONE PERFECT CHRISTMAS by Stephanie Sloane
After being jilted by her fiancé, Jane Merriweather turns to her dear childhood friend, the Honorable Lucas Cavanaugh, for support—and unlocks the smoldering desire simmering in the man’s troubled heart. Frightened by his new found feelings, Lucas flees to Scotland. But when the Christmas season brings them together again, one glance is all that’s needed to reignite his yearning. If Lucas can convince Jane that his intentions are as pure as the falling snow, they’ll turn a dreary December into a joyous Yuletide affair.

Today's Deals

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is The American Patriot's Almanac: Daily Readings on America ($1.99), by William J. Bennett and John T.E. Cribb. I have had this in my library for several years now (and have managed to read quite a bit of it, but eventually forgot to pick it up each morning), but this is a new, revised and expanded edition (although there doesn't seem to be any indication as to what has been added). In any case, it's well worth picking up for the occasional read and each day has a short list of historical events that are interesting to read thru.

Book Description
Read here the storied history of these United States.

The stories in this book are part of what Abraham Lincoln called the “mystic chords of memory.” They are the symbols that define the essence of the United States, that mark its historic course, and connect its people. The American Patriot’s Almanac is a daily source of inspiration and information about the history, heroes, and achievements that sum up what this nation is all about.

The Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK is all three DI Gilchrist series books by TF (Frank) Muir for $1.59 / £0.99 apiece.

Eye for an Eye (Main/UK)

One psychopath. One killer. The Stabber.

Six victims, all wife beaters. Each stabbed to death through their left eye. The cobbled lanes and backstreets of St Andrews provide the setting for these brutal killings. But six unsolved murders and mounting censure from the media force DI Andy Gilchrist off the case. Driven by his fear of failure, and desperate to redeem his career and reputation, Gilchrist vows to catch The Stabber alone...

Hand for a Hand (Main/UK)

When DCI Andy Gilchrist is called to a crime scene to find an amputated hand clutching a note addressed to him, a note that contains only one word, murder, he is pulled into an investigation that will test him to the limit.

Soon other single word clues are found along with amputated body parts and the murderer's vengeful message becomes clear as the identity of the next intended victim is revealed. But when someone close to him disappears, Gilchrist knows he is too late. Together with Nance Wilson, the sexy DC with her own agenda, Gilchrist comes to see the answer to the present murders lies within the secrets of his past.

Forced to confront his demons, Gilchrist must solve the cryptic clues and find the murderer before the next victim, a woman whose life means more to Gilchrist than his own, is served up to him piece by slaughtered piece.

Tooth for a Tooth (Main/UK)

What secrets from the past was he about to uncover?

When a woman's skeleton is discovered in a shallow grave DCI Andy Gilchrist is tasked with finding her murderer. But a psychic's warnings and markings on a rusted cigarette lighter found among the rotted remains set Gilchrist off on a trail that will take him back 35 years back to his past and on course to find his brother's killer in a fatal hit and run accident.

When dental records from an extracted tooth force Gilchrist to confront the unthinkable - that his brother was her killer - he keeps his fears to himself, only to be suspended on suspicion of destroying evidence.

But Gilchrist battles on in his quest for answers. Who was the woman? Why was she murdered? And was the fatal hit and run really an accident?

New York Times Best Illustrated Books Award winning Duck for President ($2.99 Kindle, $2.99 B&N), by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin (Illustrator), is the Nook Daily Find; this is a publisher priced book, so should be price matched on Kindle (eventually). price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
From the New York Times bestselling creators of Click, Clack, Moo, this eBook with audio provides an entertaning introduction to politics.

My fellow Americans:

It is our pleasure, our honor, our duty as citizens to present to you Duck for President. Here is a duck who began in a humble pond. Who worked his way to farmer. To governor. And now, perhaps, to the highest office in the land.

Some say, if he walks like a duck and talks like a duck, he is a duck.

We say, if he walks like a duck and talks like a duck, he will be the next president of the United States of America.

Thank you for your vote.

Age Level: 4 and up

Benjamin Franklin ($14.99 Kindle, $2.99 B&N), by Walter Isaacson, is the Nook Daily Find: Election 2012; this is a publisher priced book, so should be price matched on Kindle (eventually). Evening Update: Now price matched on Kindle! Yay!

Book Description
Benjamin Franklin is the Founding Father who winks at us. An ambitious urban entrepreneur who rose up the social ladder, from leather-aproned shopkeeper to dining with kings, he seems made of flesh rather than of marble. In bestselling author Walter Isaacson's vivid and witty full-scale biography, we discover why Franklin seems to turn to us from history's stage with eyes that twinkle from behind his new-fangled spectacles. By bringing Franklin to life, Isaacson shows how he helped to define both his own time and ours.

He was, during his 84-year life, America's best scientist, inventor, diplomat, writer, and business strategist, and he was also one of its most practical -- though not most profound -- political thinkers. He proved by flying a kite that lightning was electricity, and he invented a rod to tame it. He sought practical ways to make stoves less smoky and commonwealths less corrupt. He organized neighborhood constabularies and international alliances, local lending libraries and national legislatures. He combined two types of lenses to create bifocals and two concepts of representation to foster the nation's federal compromise. He was the only man who shaped all the founding documents of America: the Albany Plan of Union, the Declaration of Independence, the treaty of alliance with France, the peace treaty with England, and the Constitution. And he helped invent America's unique style of homespun humor, democratic values, and philosophical pragmatism.

But the most interesting thing that Franklin invented, and continually reinvented, was himself. America's first great publicist, he was, in his life and in his writings, consciously trying to create a new American archetype. In the process, he carefully crafted his own persona, portrayed it in public, and polished it for posterity.

Through it all, he trusted the hearts and minds of his fellow "leather-aprons" more than he did those of any inbred elite. He saw middle-class values as a source of social strength, not as something to be derided. His guiding principle was a "dislike of everything that tended to debase the spirit of the common people." Few of his fellow founders felt this comfort with democracy so fully, and none so intuitively.

In this colorful and intimate narrative, Isaacson provides the full sweep of Franklin's amazing life, from his days as a runaway printer to his triumphs as a statesman, scientist, and Founding Father. He chronicles Franklin's tumultuous relationship with his illegitimate son and grandson, his practical marriage, and his flirtations with the ladies of Paris. He also shows how Franklin helped to create the American character and why he has a particular resonance in the twenty-first century.

Today's Kindle Teens Daily Deal is Women Heroes of World War II: 26 Stories of Espionage, Sabotage, Resistance, and Rescue ($2.99), by Kathryn J. Atwood.

Book Description
Organized by country, this historical exploration includes stories of girls and women from across Europe and the United States who risked their lives to perform extremely dangerous acts against the Nazis during World War II. The 26 profiles bring to life courageous women such as Noor Inayat Khan, a radio operator who parachuted into occupied France and transferred crucial messages; Johtje Vos, the Dutch housewife who hid Jews in her home and was repeatedly interrogated by the Gestapo; and Hannie Schaft, a Dutch law student who became involved in the most dangerous resistance work—sabotage, weapons transference, and assassinations. The profiles are written using dialogue, direct quotes, and document excerpts to lend authenticity and immediacy. Each profile includes one or more informative sidebars and is followed by a list of relevant books, websites, and films, making it an attractive resource for teachers, parents, and libraries.

Grade Level: 7 and up

$3 Kindle Deal (K)

Sorry guys, didn't see this one until very late - Amazon has a second daily new bargain Deal today, with 30 titles at $3 each. You have a bit over 3 hours a month and 3 hours! to shop.

Update: Well, it is obviously past my bedtime for the night - thanks for the tip from a reader, as I read the sale date incorrectly. It ends the 5th, but of December, not November!

Today's Deals

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Wonder Boys ($1.99), by Michael Chabon (Open Road).

Book Description
Chabon’s extraordinary story of one turbulent weekend in the life of a struggling writer, a satire of the permanent adolescence of the creative class

A wildly successful first novel made Grady Tripp a young star, and seven years later he still hasn’t grown up. He’s now a writing professor in Pittsburgh, plummeting through middle age, stuck with an unfinishable manuscript, an estranged wife, a pregnant girlfriend, and a talented but deeply disturbed student named James Leer. During one lost weekend at a writing festival with Leer and debauched editor Terry Crabtree, Tripp must finally confront the wreckage made of his past decisions.

Mordant but humane, Wonder Boys features characters as loveably flawed as any in American fiction.

This ebook features a biography of the author.

Madensky Square ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Eva Ibbotson, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (no US edition).

Book Description
Eva Ibbotson’s magical novel set in that most poignant of all times and places - Vienna before the First World War. Susanna’s dress shop stands in the delightful Madensky Square and is the very hub and heart of life. Susanna sympathizes with her neighbours, watches over Signi, the wretched, orphaned child prodigy, and with her infallible eye for dress, turns an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. Of all the colourful characters in Madensky Square, only her dear friend Alice has the slightest inkling that Susanna hides more than one secret. This hidden life, full of passion and anguish, gradually unfolds in a city of romance, music and gossip.

A Mortal Terror ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), the sixth in the Billy Boyle World War II Mystery series by James R. Benn, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle. I started collecting this series when the first one was free in 2010. If you are missing the second in the series, First Wave, or want to upgrade from the Topaz format it was originally issued in, it's on sale for $3.44 currently.

Book Description
In his time investigating crimes for both the Boston cops and General Ike's European forces, Lieutenant Billy Boyle hasn't encountered a serial killer. But now it looks like he may--a serial killer with a particularly frightening agenda.

Two officers from the American troops stationed in Caserta, Italy, not far from Naples, have been found murdered. Lieutenant Norman Landry was found behind a supply tent with his neck snapped. Captain Max Galante, MD, was strangled on the same night, and his body left in a garden outside HQ. The MOs are completely different, and it seems like the officers had no connection to each other, but one frightening fact links the murders: each body was discovered with a single playing card: the Lieutenant, the ten of hearts; the Captain, the jack of hearts. The message seems to be clear--if the murderer isn't apprehended, the higher ranks will be next.

Billy is sent to Italy for the investigation, which grows increasingly sinister. But he has other things on his mind, too. His girlfriend, Diana, is on a very dangerous spy mission, and Billy doesn't know when--or if--he'll see her again. To make matters worse, Billy's just learned that his baby brother, Danny, is being sent over to Europe as an infantry replacement, an incredibly dangerous assignment. And all around him, he sees GIs suffering from combat fatigue preparing for another battle. As the invasion at Anzio begins, Billy needs to keep a cool head amidst fear and terror as the killer calculates his next moves.

The Great Decision: Jefferson, Adams, Marshall, and the Battle for the Supreme Court ($9.99 Kindle, $1.99 B&N), by Cliff Sloan, is the Nook Daily Find: Election 2012. This one looks very good, so I've reported the lower price to Amazon, in hopes of getting it on Kindle.

Book Description
Following the bitterly contested election between Adams and Jefferson in 1800, the United States teetered on the brink of a second revolution. When Adams sought to prolong his policies in defiance of the electorate by packing the courts, it became evident that the new Constitution was limited in its powers. Change was in order and John Marshall stepped up to the challenge.

The Great Decision tells the riveting story of Marshall and of the landmark court case, Marbury v. Madison, through which he empowered the Supreme Court and transformed the idea of the separation of powers into a working blueprint for our modern state. Rich in atmospheric detail, political intrigue, and fascinating characters, The Great Decision is an illuminating tale of America’s formative years and the evolution of our democracy.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is One Love ($1.99), by Cedella Marley and Vanessa Newton (Illustrator). It features Kindle Text Pop-Up on select devices and apps, but also works on all Kindle devices, as a basic book.

Book Description
This heartwarming picture book adapted from one of Bob Marley s most beloved songs brings the joyful spirit and unforgettable lyrics of his music to life for a new generation. Readers will delight in dancing to the beat and feeling the positive groove of change when one girl enlists her friends, family, and community to help transform her neighborhood for the better. And coming in Fall 2012, another Bob Marley favorite, THREE LITTLE BIRDS! Adapted by Cedella Marley, Bob Marley s first child, and gorgeously illustrated by the talented Vanessa Newton, One Love is a colorful and upbeat testament to the amazing things that can happen when we all get together with one love in our hearts.

Grade Level: P and up

Free Audiobook - What is the Mission of the Church?

Christianaudio's free audiobook this month is What is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom and the Great Commission ($8.51 Kindle; $14.95 Audible), by Kevin DeYoung & Greg Gilbert, narrated by Adam Verner.

Book Description
Social justice and mission are hot topics today: there's a wonderful resurgence of motivated Christians passionate about spreading the gospel and caring for the needs of others. But in our zeal to get sharing and serving, many are unclear on gospel and mission. Yes, we are called to spend ourselves for the sake of others, but what is the church’s unique priority as it engages the world?

DeYoung and Gilbert write to help Christians “articulate and live out their views on the mission of the church in ways that are theologically faithful, exegetically careful, and personally sustainable.” Looking at the Bible’s teaching on evangelism, social justice, and shalom, they explore the what, why, and how of the church’s mission. From defining “mission”, to examining key passages on social justice and their application, to setting our efforts in the context of God’s rule, DeYoung and Gilbert bring a wise, studied perspective to the missional conversation.

Readers in all spheres of ministry will grow in their understanding of the mission of the church and gain a renewed sense of urgency for Jesus’ call to preach the Word and make disciples.

Get the free audio download from Christianaudio and scroll down the page for several titles on sale for $4.98 this month, three of them by the same authors as the free title. Francis Chan titles are also half-price thru Nov 5.

The checkout process is very streamlined (a coupon code is no longer required), as is the download process (no longer do you have to download each part of the book separately). You can also send a gift download of the free audiobook to someone else!

After finishing your order, download a zip file with the entire audiobook: select MP3 if you want to be able to play the book on your Kindle (M4B for the iOS, iTunes or QuickTime). Unzip the contents to the \audiobooks directory on your Kindle (not \music) in order to have audiobook controls and see it on your Kindle home page.