Today's Deals 12/3

Amazon is having a different Android App or Game on sale thru Christmas and today's game is The Dark Knight Rises, now 99 cents (down from $6.99). It works on any of the Kindle Fires (including the original), but requires nearly 2GB of storage, so you may not be able to squeeze it onto the smaller memory size tablets with removing other content (on the original Kindle Fire, you can 'clear data' on the Kindle app, which removes the archive list, with thumbnails of the covers, without removing any books, to recover additional space).

Amazon is also having a 12 Days of Book Deals promotion, with a different (paper) best-selling book on sale each day from 9AM to 1PM (PT) with savings up to 75%. Even if you aren't interested in the daily book deal, be sure to bookmark the page so you can enter the $250 gift card giveaway each day.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is My First Airplane Ride ($1.99), by Patricia Hubbell and Nancy Speir (Illustrator) .

Book Description
A first airplane ride can be very exciting! Watching planes take off and land, going through security, walking the jet way, finding the right seat, watching out the window as the plane taxis down the runway, and flying up high in the sky and then, at the other end, Grandma waiting with a hug! Nancy Speir's acrylic illustrations deftly interpret the wonder and joy of a child's first plane-trip adventure.

Grade Level: Pre-K and up

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Blood Safari ($1.99), by Deon Meyer and K.L. Seegers.

Book Description
Blood Safari is a harrowing novel from internationally acclaimed thriller writer Deon Meyer, an expert storyteller whose wickedly fast narratives reveal the heart of his enthralling country. In Blood Safari, Emma Le Roux, a beautiful young woman in Cape Town, sees her brother named on the television news as the prime suspect in the killing of four poachers and a witch doctor. But it can’t be possible: Emma’s brother is supposed to be dead, having disappeared twenty years ago in Kruger National Park. Emma tries to find out more but is attacked and barely escapes. So she hires Lemmer, a personal security expert, and sets out into the country in search of the truth.

A complicated man with a dishonorable past, Lemmer just wants to do his job and avoid getting personally involved. But as he and Emma search for answers from the rural police, they encounter racial and political tensions, greed, corruption, and violence unlike anything they have ever known.

Think Your Way To Success: How to Develop a Winning Mindset and Achieve Amazing Results ($2.39 / £1.49 UK), by Mark Rhodes, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $9.87).

Book Description
You can achieve anything when you know how to put your mind to it

We all know that a positive mental attitude can work wonders… but there's so much more to it than that. With the right coaching you can move from positive attitude to determined success magnet! Mark Rhodes trains people every day on just how to achieve that level of concentrated resolve. In this book he'll show you how to build the mindset you need to achieve your goals and dreams and start to notice more opportunities and have the confidence to act on them.

Whilst NLP based, no prior knowledge of NLP is needed! Mark keeps the science in the background. And don't worry, he doesn't ask us to trust the powers of the Universe and have 'faith' that it will work. Mark's steps are practical and actionable, using real examples. Think Your Way to Success will supercharge your performance.

The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, The Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next ($8.77 $2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Lee Smolin, is the Nook Daily Find. Update: Now price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
In this illuminating book, the renowned theoretical physicist Lee Smolin argues that fundamental physics -- the search for the laws of nature -- losing its way. Ambitious ideas about extra dimensions, exotic particles, multiple universes, and strings have captured the public’s imagination -- and the imagination of experts. But these ideas have not been tested experimentally, and some, like string theory, seem to offer no possibility of being tested. Yet these speculations dominate the field, attracting the best talent and much of the funding and creating a climate in which emerging physicists are often penalized for pursuing other avenues. As Smolin points out, the situation threatens to impede the very progress of science. With clarity, passion, and authority, Smolin offers an unblinking assessment of the troubles that face modern physics -- and an encouraging view of where the search for the next big idea may lead.

Today's Deals 12/2

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is On My Honor ($1.99), by Marion Dane Bauer.

Book Description
"On your honor?" Joel's father said. "You won't go anywhere except the park?"

"On my honor," Joel repeated.

During a bicycle trip to the state park, Joel dares his best fried Tony to a swimming race in the dangerous Vermillion River. The boys have been warned never to go near the river, but Tony can't let Joel think he's scared. Both boys jump in.

When Joel reaches the sandbar, he turns and looks for Tony and finds that he has vanished. Joel is stunned. How can he face their parents and the terrible truth?

Grade Level: 4 and up

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is The Bloodletter's Daughter ($1.99), by Linda Lafferty, with the companion audiobook on sale for $3.99.

Book Description
Within the glittering Hapsburg court in Prague lurks a darkness of which no one dares speak…

In 1606, the city of Prague shines as a golden mecca of art and culture carefully cultivated by Emperor Rudolf II. But the emperor hides an ugly secret: His bastard son, Don Julius, is afflicted with a madness that pushes the young prince to unspeakable depravity. Desperate to stem his son’s growing number of scandals, the emperor exiles Don Julius to a remote corner of Bohemia where the young man is placed in the care of a bloodletter named Pichler. The bloodletter’s task: cure Don Julius of his madness by purging the vicious humors coursing through his veins.

When Pichler brings his daughter Marketa to assist him, she becomes the object of Don Julius’s frenzied—and dangerous—obsession. To him, she is the embodiment of the women pictured in the Coded Book of Wonder, a priceless manuscript from the imperial library that was the mad prince’s only link to sanity. As the prince descends further into the darkness of his mind, his acts become ever more desperate, as Marketa, both frightened and fascinated, can’t stay away.

Inspired by a real-life murder that threatened to topple the powerful Hapsburg dynasty, The Bloodletter’s Daughter is a dark and richly detailed saga of passion and revenge.

The Redemption of Alexander Seaton ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Shona Maclean, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (no US edition).

Book Description
It is 1626. On a stormy night in the Scottish town of Banff, the apothecary's assistant collapses in the street. The next morning he is found dead in the house of Alexander Seaton, a fallen minister, and reluctant, embittered teacher. Murder is suspected and when one of Alexander's few friends in the town is arrested, Alexander sets out to prove his innocence. Forced to confront his own demons, Alexander also has to contend with inflamed bigotry, a witch-hunt, and accusations of treacherous Catholic plotting.

An Amish Christmas: December in Lancaster County ($9.00 Kindle, $2.99 B&N), by Beth Wiseman, is the Nook Daily Find.

Book Description
December in Paradise.

A time of hope, redemption, and new life.

A Choice To Forgive by Beth Wiseman.
After Daniel disappeared that long-ago Christmas Eve, Lydia built a life with his brother. But now she's a widow and Daniel has reappeared, asking for forgiveness. But can she go back to her normal life with her long-lost love as her neighbor?

A Miracle for Miriam by Kathleen Fuller.
Seth is no longer the arrogant young man who shattered Miriam's confidence and broke her heart. But can he convince "plain" Miriam that she is truly beautiful to him?

One Child by Barbara Cameron.
The birth of one child forever changed the world two thousand years ago. On a snowy Christmas night in Lancaster County, another child changes the world for two very different couples.

Free Coffee at Starbucks

Starbucks has started their 12 Days of Gifting promotion today and you can get a free Grande espresso drink of your choice with any mug or tumbler purchase (I have two of their double walled stainless tumblers and they keep my coffee hot longer than anything else I have). If you can't make it today, be sure to try to stop by tomorrow, as they are having Buy One Get One Free on their Via (instant) coffee and Tazo Tea.

Free Audiobook - Three Short Stories by Charles Dickens

It's my favorite time of year and Tantor Media is starting off the gifting season by giving all of us the Audio + Ebook edition of Three Short Stories ($19.95 Audible), by Charles Dickens, narratted by Donada Peters, free on their website.

Book Description
Three of Charles Dickens's much-loved Christmas novellas — The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man — are brought to life in this classic audiobook collection.

About the author
Charles Dickens is known not only for his novels but also for his shorter works. Particularly notable are his five Christmas novellas, especially A Christmas Carol. In this genre, Dickens's stories had a powerful commercial impulse, for it became an annual tradition for the author to publish one in time for the holiday season between 1843 and 1847. Three Short Stories brings together a trio of the celebrated author's Christmas stories: The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man. All three lay emphasis on family love and the delights of home, but there is more to these stories than surface sentimentality. Each year, a whole nation would eagerly anticipate these tales, telling us much about the age Dickens lived in. And these stories never would have survived without roots and power.

Get the free audiobook and ebook from Tantor Media. Be sure to download the ZIP file to get the ebook (PDF, DRM-free).

Today's Deals 12/1

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Pines ($1.99), by Blake Crouch, with the companion audiobook only $1.99.

Book Description
Secret service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with a clear mission: locate and recover two federal agents who went missing in the bucolic town one month earlier. But within minutes of his arrival, Ethan is involved in a violent accident. He comes to in a hospital, with no ID, no cell phone, and no briefcase. The medical staff seems friendly enough, but something feels…off. As the days pass, Ethan’s investigation into the disappearance of his colleagues turns up more questions than answers. Why can’t he get any phone calls through to his wife and son in the outside world? Why doesn’t anyone believe he is who he says he is? And what is the purpose of the electrified fences surrounding the town? Are they meant to keep the residents in? Or something else out? Each step closer to the truth takes Ethan further from the world he thought he knew, from the man he thought he was, until he must face a horrifying fact—he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive. Intense and gripping, Pines is another masterful thriller from the mind of bestselling novelist Blake Crouch.

The Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK is The Merrily Watkins series by Phil Rickman, the first four volumes for $1.59 / £0.99 apiece (US editions run about $6). Although not a part of the deal, you can also pick up the eighth in the series, The Remains of an Altar (Main/UK), for £1.80.

The Wine of Angels (Main/UK)

Merrily Watkins: late thirties, single mum, parish priest. Cosy? I don't think so...

The new vicar had never wanted a picture-postcard parish - or a huge and haunted vicarage. Nor had she wanted to walk into a dispute over a controversial play about a seventeenth-century clergyman accused of witchcraft... a story that certain long-established families would rather remained obscure.

But this is Ledwardine, steeped in cider and secrets...

A paradise of cobbled streets and timber-framed houses. And also - as Merrily Watkins and her teenage daughter, Jane, discover - a village where horrific murder is a tradition that spans centuries.

Midwinter of the Spirit (Main/UK)

'They'll follow you home... breathe down your phone at night... a prime target for every psychotic grinder of the dark satanic mills that ever sacrificed a chicken...'

Diocesan Exorcist: a job viewed by the Church of England with such extreme suspicion that they changed the name.

It's Deliverance Consultant now. Still, it seems, no job for a woman. But when the Bishop offers it to Merrily Watkins, parish priest and single mum, she's in no position to refuse.

It starts badly for Merrily and gets no easier. As an early winter slices through the old city of Hereford, a body is found in the River Wye, an ancient church is desecrated and signs of evil appear in the cathedral itself, where the tomb of a medieval saint lies in pieces.

A Crown of Lights (Main/UK)

'This receptacle was found in the wall beside the fireplace. It has been suggested you may wish to restore it to its proper place.'

When a redundant church is bought by a young pagan couple, the local fundamentalist minister reacts with fury. In an isolated community on the Welsh border, a modern witch hunt begins. Diocesan exorcist Merrily Watkins is expected to keep the lid on the cauldron... but what she finds out will seriously test her beliefs.

Also, there's the problem of the country solicitor who won't be parted from his dead wife. The mystery of five ancient churches all dedicated to St Michael, slayer of dragons.

And a killer with an old tradition to guard...

The Cure of Souls (Main/UK)

'Black poles against the pale night... like a site laid out for a mass-crucifixion.'

In Herefordshire's hop-growing country, where the river flows as dark as beer, a converted kiln is the scene of a savage murder. When the local vicar refuses to help its new owners cope with the aftermath, diocesan exorcist Merrily Watkins is sent in by the Bishop. Already involved in the case of a schoolgirl whose mother thinks she's possessed by evil, the hesitant Merrily is drawn into a deadly tangle of deceit, corruption and sexual menace as she uncovers the secrets of a village with a past as twisted as the hop-bines which once enclosed it.

Ivy and Bean ($3.74 Kindle / $5.69 Audio/Video Edition, $0.99 B&N), the first title in the Ivy and Bean children's series by Annie Barrows, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
The moment they saw each other, Bean and Ivy knew they wouldn't be friends. But when Bean plays a joke on her sister, Nancy, and has to hide, quick! Ivy comes to the rescue, proving that sometimes the best of friends are people never meant to like each other. Vibrant characters and lots of humor make this a charming - and addictive - introduction to a new series.

Grade Level: 1 and up

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Gooney Bird and the Room Mother ($1.99), by Lois Lowry and Middy Thomas (Illustrator).

Book Description
Gooney Bird Greene knows exactly where she likes to be: “right smack in the middle of everything.” Sure enough, her colorful fashion sense, exuberant personality, and “absolutely true” stories land her at the center of attention most of the time, but as Mrs. Pidgeon’s second grade class prepares for their Thanksgiving pageant, the lead role of Squanto is still up for grabs. And so is the role of Room Mother, but with each of the children’s parents already overloaded, there are no volunteers to bring cupcakes to their play. So Gooney Bird promises to find one—in exchange for the lead. There’s just one catch: the person she convinces to be Room Mother insists on remaining incognito. As the class struggles to decorate the mural, make costumes, and learn their songs for the play, the suspense builds: will the pageant be a success? And who is their mysterious Room Mother?

Two-time Newbery Award–winning author Lois Lowry has once again captured the eager energy of an elementary school classroom and the hilarious antics and anecdotes of its students, especially those of the irrepressible Gooney Bird Greene herself. In her second literary appearance, Gooney Bird is back with more “absolutely true” stories to tell, more tips for her fellow aspiring storytellers, and a few challenging vocabulary words to share, too.

Grade Level: 3 and up

Today's Deals

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Talking with My Mouth Full: My Culinary Career from Line Cook to Food Writer to Professional Eater ($1.99), by Gail Simmons.

Book Description
When Top Chef judge Gail Simmons first graduated from college, she felt hopelessly lost. All her friends were going to graduate school, business school, law school . . . but what was she going to do? Fortunately, a family friend gave her some invaluable advice—make a list of what you love to do, and let that be your guide. Gail wrote down four words:

Eat. Write. Travel. Cook.

Little did she know, those four words would become the basis for a career as a professional eater, cook, food critic, magazine editor, and television star. Today, she's the host of Top Chef: Just Desserts, permanent judge on Top Chef, and Special Projects Director at Food & Wine magazine. She travels all over the world, eats extraordinary food, and meets fascinating people. She's living the dream that so many of us who love to cook and eat can only imagine. But how did she get there?

Talking with My Mouth Full follows her unusual and inspiring path to success, step-by-step and bite-by-bite. It takes the reader from her early years, growing up in a household where her mother ran a small cooking school, her father made his own wine, and family vacation destinations included Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East; through her adventures at culinary school in New York City and training as an apprentice in two of New York's most acclaimed kitchens; and on to her time spent assisting Vogue's legendary food critic Jeffrey Steingarten, working for renowned chef Daniel Boulud, and ultimately landing her current jobs at Food & Wine and on Top Chef. The book is a tribute to the incredible meals and mentors she's had along the way, examining the somewhat unconventional but always satisfying journey she has taken in order to create a career that didn't even exist when she first started working toward it.

With memorable stories about the greatest (and worst) dishes she's eaten, childhood and behind-the-scenes photos, and recipes from Gail's family and her own kitchen, Talking with My Mouth Full is a true treat.

The Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK features two books today:

Maps for Lost Lovers ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Nadeem Aslam, is (the US edition is $11.99).

If Gabriel García Márquez had chosen to write about Pakistani immigrants in England, he might have produced a novel as beautiful and devastating as Maps for Lost Lovers. Jugnu and Chanda have disappeared. Like thousands of people all over Enland, they were lovers and living together out of wedlock. To Chanda’s family, however, the disgrace was unforgivable. Perhaps enough so as to warrant murder.As he explores the disappearance and its aftermath through the eyes of Jugnu’s worldly older brother, Shamas, and his devout wife, Kaukab, Nadeem Aslam creates a closely observed and affecting portrait of people whose traditions threaten to bury them alive. The result is a tour de force, intimate, affecting, tragic and suspenseful.

Dogs ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Emily Gravett, is (no US edition).

Gorgeous canines of every shape, size and colour are bounding through this irresistible book of opposites. Can you choose one dog to love best of all?

With playful pencil and watercolour illustrations to delight children and adults alike, everyone will long to bark along with the Chihuahua and tickle the Dalmatian's tummy. Emily Gravett has created another wonderfully satisfying book - with a twist in the tail.

Her Highness, the Traitor ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Susan Higginbotham, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
A daughter can be a dangerous weapon in the battle for the throne of England

Frances Grey harbored no dream of her children taking the throne. Cousin of the king, she knew the pitfalls of royalty and privilege. Better to marry them off, marry them well, perhaps to a clan like the Dudleys.

Jane Dudley knew her husband was creeping closer to the throne, but someone had to take charge, for the good of the country. She couldn't see the twisted path they all would follow.

The never–before–told story of the women behind the crowning of Jane Grey, this novel is a captivating peek at ambition gone awry, and the damage left in its wake.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Hope Solo: My Story ($1.99), by Hope Solo.

Book Description
Meet Hope Solo—Soccer Sensation

In this young readers' edition of Hope Solo's exciting life story, adapted from Solo: A Memoir of Hope, the Olympic gold medalist and starting goalkeeper for the U.S. women's national soccer team gives readers behind-the-scenes details of her life on and off the field. Solo offers a fearless female role model for the next generation, driven to succeed on her own terms. Young fans will truly be inspired by Hope's repeated triumphs over adversity. Her relentless spirit has molded her into the person she is today—one of the most charismatic athletes in America.

A huge player in the Summer 2012 Olympic Games, Hope shares her inside story in her own words, for soccer fans of all ages!

Cookbook Bargain Trio (K)

I was looking thru the cookbooks tonight and ran across a few interesting ones. I also noticed that the Cuisinart GR-4N 5-in-1 Griddler, which I love, has a $10 off coupon (click the button to clip it, to the right of the product picture, before adding to the cart), for those that might be interested. Our first one lasted over 10 years, before the plates wore out; it was cheaper to get a second one than add plates, since I found it on sale at Amazon one day. This has won a coveted spot next to the stove and stays out all the time. It gets used several times a week and it's not unusual to get used twice a day, for steaks, chicken, paninis, etc. The new one has pancake plates on the flip side of the regular griddler plates (also used regularly) and I've been considering getting the Waffle Plates (currently on sale), even though I have a perfectly good waffle iron -- not only is this appliance already out, that would let me run two waffles at once.

If you are a paper cookbook person, be sure to check out the "Black Friday" cookbook sale, which is still going on. Looks to be better than half-price on some interesting titles, including Sweet Vegan: A Collection of All Vegan, some Gluten-Free, and a Few Raw Desserts (under $9).

One Dish at a Time: Delicious Recipes and Stories from My Italian-American Childhood and Beyond ($4.99 Kindle), by Valerie Bertinelli. It's apparently higher for Canadians, but the same $4.99 on Google, for those there or with nooks. For those with iPads, there is an Audio/Video Edition, but it's nearly $15.

Book Description
More than 100 recipes for the Italian dishes of the much-beloved celeb’s childhood, presented with tips and hints for enjoying them without overindulging.

As a member of a large, food-loving Italian family, Valerie Bertinelli has always equated food with good times and togetherness. But at one point her love of food threatened not only her health, but her livelihood as an actress, when personal demons drove her to overeat and make poor food choices that caused her weight to balloon by 50 pounds. Now happily svelte, remarried, and riding a new career high, Valerie has made peace with food, giving it a central—yet considered—place in her home and family celebrations.

One Dish at a Time offers an intimate look into the beloved actress’s kitchen, where she prepares a collection of treasured recipes from her Italian heritage. Along the way, she shares her insights into the portion control and mindful indulgence she has come to practice on her journey to enjoying the pleasures of the table again.

Filled with gorgeous photos including the actress in her kitchen, nutrition information accompanying each recipe, and Valerie’s tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, One Dish at a Time is designed to please baby boomer fans and home cooks alike.

The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time ($4.99 Kindle), by Laurie David and Kirstin Uhrenholdt

Book Description
The producer of An Inconvenient Truth, Laurie David's new mission is to help America's overwhelmed families sit down to a Family Dinner, and she provides all the reasons, recipes and fun tools to do so.

Laurie David speaks from her own experience confronting the challenges of raising two teenage girls. Today's parents have lots to deal with and technology is making their job harder than ever. Research has proven that everything we worry about as parents--from drugs to alcohol, promiscuity, to obesity, academic achievement and just good old nutrition--can all be improved by the simple act of eating and talking together around the table.

Laurie has written a practical, inspirational, fun (and, of course, green) guide to the most important hour in any parent's day. Chock-full chapters include: Over seventy-five kid approved fantastic recipes; tips on teaching green values; conversation starters; games to play to help even the shyest family member become engaged; ways to express gratitude; the family dinner after divorce (hint: keep eating together) and much more. Filled with moving memories and advice from the country's experts and teachers, this book will get everyone away from electronic screens and back to the dinner table.

The Olive and the Caper: Adventures in Greek Cooking ($2.51 Kindle), by Susanna Hoffman

Book Description
This is the year "It's Greek to me" becomes the happy answer to what's for dinner. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the upcoming epic Troy, the 2004 Summer Olympics returning to Athens--and now, yet another reason to embrace all things Greek: The Olive and the Caper, Susanna Hoffman's 700-plus-page serendipity of recipes and adventure.

In Corfu, Ms. Hoffman and a taverna owner cook shrimp fresh from the trap--and for us she offers the boldly-flavored Shrimp with Fennel, Green Olives, Red Onion, and White Wine. She gathers wild greens and herbs with neighbors, inspiring Big Beans with Thyme and Parsley, and Field Greens and Ouzo Pie. She learns the secret to chewy country bread from the baker on Santorini and translates it for American kitchens. Including 325 recipes developed in collaboration with Victoria Wise (her co-author on The Well-Filled Tortilla Cookbook, with over 258,000 copies in print), The Olive and the Caper celebrates all things Greek: Chicken Neo-Avgolemeno. Fall-off-the-bone Lamb Shanks seasoned with garlic, thyme, cinnamon and coriander. Siren-like sweets, from world-renowned Baklava to uniquely Greek preserves: Rose Petal, Cherry and Grappa, Apricot and Metaxa.

In addition, it opens with a sixteen-page full-color section and has dozens of lively essays throughout the book--about the origins of Greek food, about village life, history, language, customs--making this a lively adventure in reading as well as cooking.

Today's Deals

Here's an update on the shipping status for the various Kindle models (all for US shipping):

• Kindle (in stock)
• Kindle Paperwhite (week of Dec 21)
• Kindle Paperwhite 3G (week of Dec 21)
• Kindle Keyboard 3G (in stock)
• Kindle Fire (1-2 weeks)
• 7" Kindle Fire HD (in stock)
• 8.9" Kindle Fire HD (week of Dec 3)
• 8.9" Kindle Fire HD with 4G LTE wireless (week of Dec 10)

Maria over at Bear Mountain Books is giving away some Mystery and Urban Fantasy Books and bookbags! She made sure to pick titles that are available on both Nook and Kindle (and in print, in case you don't e-read).

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Slugs in Love ($1.99), by Susan Pearson and Kevin O'Malley (Illustrator) .

Book Description
Marylou loves everything about Herbie—how his slime trail glistens in the dark, how he can stretch himself thin to squeeze inside the cellar window, and how he always finds the juiciest tomatoes. But Marylou is a shy slug. How can she get Herbie to notice her? Find out how Marylou woos her beloved in this must-have love story that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Grade Level: 1st and up

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Dead Spots ($1.99), an urban fantasy novel by Melissa F. Olson; the companion audiobook is $5.49. I'll definitely be reading the sample on this one today.

Book Description
Scarlett Bernard knows about personal space: step within ten feet of her, and any supernatural spells or demonic forces are instantly defused—vampires and werewolves become human again, and witches can’t get out so much as a “hocus pocus.” This special skill makes her a null and very valuable to Los Angeles’s three most powerful magical communities, who utilize her ability to scrub crime scenes clean of all traces of the paranormal to keep humanity, and the LAPD, in the dark.

But one night Scarlett’s late arrival to a grisly murder scene reveals her agenda and ends with LAPD’s Jesse Cruz tracking her down to strike a deal: he’ll keep quiet about the undead underworld if she helps solve the case. Their pact doesn’t sit well with Dash, the city’s chief bloodsucker, who fears his whole vampire empire is at stake. And when clues start to point to Scarlett, it’ll take more than her unique powers to catch the real killer and clear her name.

Trojan Horse ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Mark Russinovich, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $11.99). I really liked the first in this series, Zero Day, when I read it last year (in paper, since the ebook is staying over $10).

Book Description
It's two years post-Zero Day, and former government analyst Jeff Aiken is reaping the rewards for crippling al-Qaida's attack on the computer infrastructure of the Western world. His cyber-security company is flourishing, and his relationship with Daryl Haugen intensifies when she becomes a part of his team.

But the West is under the East's greatest threat yet. The Stuxnet virus that successfully subverted Iran's nuclear defense program for years is being rapidly identified and defeated, and Stuxnet's creators are stressed to develop a successor.

As Jeff and Daryl struggle to stay together, they're summoned to disarm the attack of a revolutionary, invisible trojan that alters data without leaving a trace. As the trojan penetrates Western intelligence, the terrifying truth about Iran is revealed, and Jeff and Daryl find themselves running a desperate race against time to reverse it - while the fate of both East and West hangs in the balance.

Like Zero Day, Trojan Horse is a thrilling suspense story, a sober warning from one of the world's leading experts on cyber-security, Microsoft Technical Fellow Mark Russinovich. Trojan Horse demystifies the already common use of international cyber-espionage as a powerful and dangerous weapon, and the lengths to which one man will go to stop it.

Young House Love: 243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love ($2.99 B&N), by Sherry & John Petersik, is the Nook Daily Find; no Kindle edition, but you can subscribe to their blog.

Book Description
Design ideas for every style, skill level, and budget, from the beloved couple behind YoungHouseLove.com

This debut book by bloggers Sherry and John Petersik is filled with hundreds of fun, deceptively simple, budget-friendly ideas for sprucing up a home. With two home renovations under their (tool) belts, 5 million blog hits per month, and an ever-growing audience since the launch of Young House Love in 2007, Sherry and John are home-improvement enthusiasts primed to pass on a slew of projects, tricks, and techniques to do-it-yourselfers of all levels. Whether an experienced decorator or a total novice, on a tight budget or with money to spend, any homeowner or apartment dweller will find ideas for his or her own home makeovers here. Learn to trick out a thrift-store mirror, spice up plain old roller shades, "hack" your Ikea table to create three distinct looks, and so much more.

Packed with 243 tips and ideas-both classic and unexpected-every project pictured was exclusively executed for the book (so there are no photos that you've already seen on the blog). With more than 250 photographs and illustrations, this is a book that readers will return to again and again for the creative projects and easy-to-follow instructions in the relatable voice the Petersiks are known for. Adding a little wow factor to your home has never been more fun!

Today's Deals

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

• Get 1 of 10 Kindle Romances for $1

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy ($1.99), a Newberry Honor Book by Gary D. Schmidt.

Book Description
It only takes a few hours for Turner Buckminster to start hating Phippsburg, Maine. No one in town will let him forget that he's a minister's son, even if he doesn't act like one. But then he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a smart and sassy girl from a poor nearby island community founded by former slaves. Despite his father's-and the town's-disapproval of their friendship, Turner spends time with Lizzie, and it opens up a whole new world to him, filled with the mystery and wonder of Maine's rocky coast. The two soon discover that the town elders, along with Turner's father, want to force the people to leave Lizzie's island so that Phippsburg can start a lucrative tourist trade there. Turner gets caught up in a spiral of disasters that alter his life-but also lead him to new levels of acceptance and maturity. This sensitively written historical novel, based on the true story of a community's destruction, highlights a unique friendship during a time of change.

Grade Level: 5 and up

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Devil's Bride ($1.99), the first novel in the Cynster series by Stephanie Laurens. The companion audiobook is $4.99.

Book Description
When Devil, the most infamous member of the Cynster family, is caught in a compromising position with plucky governess Honoria Wetherby, he astonishes the entire town by offering his hand in marriage. No one dreamed this scandalous rake would ever take a bride. And as society mamas swooned at the loss of England′s most eligible bachelor, Devil′s infamous Cynster cousins began to place wagers on the wedding date.

But Honoria wasn′t about to bend society′s demands and marry a man "just" because they′d been found together virtually unchaperoned. No, she craved adventure, and while solving the murder of a young Cynster cousin fit the bill for a while, she decided that once the crime was solved she′d go off to see the world. But the scalding heat of her unsated desire for Devil soon had Honoria craving a very different sort of excitement. Could her passion for Devil cause her to embrace the enchanting peril of a lifelong adventure of the heart?

Daughters for a Time ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Jennifer Handford, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $3.00).

Book Description
When Helen Francis was a child, her mother died and her father walked out, leaving her to be raised by her older sister. Now thirty-five, married, and trying to start a family of her own, Helen has moved on but never really healed from her traumatic childhood. She has always believed that a new baby would help fill the loss of what was taken from her at such a young age. After four years of trying to become pregnant, however, she is resigned to the fact that she will never be able to bear children. Halfheartedly accepting adoption as an alternative, Helen gradually embraces and grows excited over the prospect. And when her new baby is finally in her arms, true happiness washes over her. But her unimaginable bliss is dashed when she learns that Claire, the sister who raised and loved her throughout her childhood and adult life, has been diagnosed with cancer.

For Helen, the pain of her childhood returns and the old wounds of abandonment are once again torn open. Balancing the joy of her new daughter with the painful experience of watching her sister, the physical embodiment of unconditional love in her life, slowly die, Helen must reconcile her inner feelings and heal her broken spirit. A heart-wrenching exploration of the ties that bind us and the lasting pain of childhood loss,Daughters for a Time is about longing for a family to heal a broken heart, experiencing unconditional love as a parent, and finding solid ground to stand on when suffering and elation have equally powerful holds on our life.

Lethal Vintage ($10.44 $2.99 Kindle, B&N), the fourth title in Nadia Gordon's Sunny McCoskey Napa Valley series, is the Nook Daily Find; it isn't price matched on Kindle (yet), but Amazon has the better price on the third in the series, Murder Alfresco ($1.99). Hopefully it will drop on Amazon later today, so I can add it to the first three in the series in my library. Update: Now price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
In Lethal Vintage, the fourth installment in the Sunny McCoskey Napa Valley mystery series, an old friend calls Sunny for help dealing with her boyfriend, a hedge fund billionaire with a wine country estate fit for a king. Sunny joins her for what she thinks will be a day of girl talk and poolside sunbathing. Instead, a day of gustatory decadence turns into a night of scandal and debauchery culminating in murder. By morning, the police are pounding on doors, and Sunny is more than a witness she s a potential suspect. Sunny and her friends sous chef Rivka Chavez, winemaker Wade Skord, and valley wine merchant and bon vivant Monty Lenstrom offer an insider s take on the foodie culture of Napa as they try to help Sunny stay out of trouble. Steeped in good food, great wine, and plenty of summer heat, Lethal Vintage is a fun read for anyone who s ever wondered what goes on in those mansions above the vines.

Bargain Book Roundup (K)

French Classics Made Easy: More Than 250 Great French Recipes Updated and Simplified for the American Kitchen ($2.51), by Richard Grausman, might be the perfect gift for a Julia Child fan that doesn't have time to spend in the kitchen all day.

Book Description
Classic French food is hotter than ever. But one thing hasn’t changed—few of us have the time, the patience, the technique, or the cream and butter allowance to tackle the classics as presented by Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The good news is—we don’t need to. For the past 40 years Richard Grausman, America’s premier culinary teacher, has been training American chefs in a simpler, better way of French cooking, and in French Classics Made Easy—a refreshed and updated edition of his original collection, At Home with the French Classics—he shares all of his extraordinary innovations and techniques. Golden soufflés in ten minutes. A light and luscious chocolate mousse that can be made as a cake, a chocolate roll, soufflé, or pudding. Plus Cassoulet, Boeuf Bourguignon, Coq au Vin, Bouillabaisse, Poached Salmon with Beurre Blanc—in all, 250 impeccably clear, step-by-step recipes in range of anyone who knows how to boil water or dice an onion.

When a step isn’t critical, Grausman eliminates it. If something can be done in advance, he does it. Plus he’s cut the amount of butter, cream, egg yolks, salt, and sugar; the result is health-conscious recipes that don’t compromise the essential nature of the dish. Techniques are illustrated throughout in line drawings. It’s the grandness of French cuisine, made accessible for both entertaining and everyday meals.

Frozen Heat ($5.40), the latest novel by the television character Richard Castle, looks to be a price match to Google, so could go up at any time; I've had this one on my wish list for a while, so jumped at this price.

Book Description
Hot on the heels of Richard Castle's #1 New York Times bestseller Heat Rises comes the fourth novel in the Nikki Heat series, Frozen Heat. Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook are together again, facing an unsolved murder mystery that has haunted Nikki for ten years.

NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat arrives at her latest crime scene to find an unidentified woman stabbed to death and stuffed inside a suitcase left on a Manhattan street. Nikki is in for a big shock when this new homicide connects to the unsolved murder of her own mother. Paired once again with her romantic and investigative partner, top journalist Jameson Rook, Heat works to solve the mystery of the body in the suitcase while she is forced to confront unexplored areas of her mother's background.

Facing relentless danger as someone targets her for the next kill, Nikki's search will unearth painful family truths, expose a startling hidden life, and cause Nikki to reexamine her own past. Heat's passionate quest takes her and Rook from the back alleys of Manhattan to the avenues of Paris, trying to catch a ruthless killer. The question is, now that her mother's cold case has unexpectedly thawed, will Nikki Heat finally be able to solve the dark mystery that has been her demon for ten years?

Wanted: Undead or Alive ($1.99), the twelfth novel in the Love at Stake series by Kerrelyn Sparks; you can also pick up the novella, A Very Vampy Christmas, for 99 cents (originally published in Sugarplums and Scandal), and the fifth in the series, All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire, for $1.99, in case you missed it last time it was on sale, as well as put in a pre-order for the new anthology Vampires Gone Wild.

Book Description
He's a vampire from the big city . . .

Phineas McKinney thought New York City was tough, until he was attacked by Malcontents—evil vampires who consider mortals to be snacks. Saved by the good vampires, Phin swore to devote his now undead life to stopping the Malcontents. He's got his job cut out for him when word comes that their enemy may be hiding in Wyoming. What does a city boy like him know about horses and campfires? Good thing he's got Brynley Jones with him . . . if only she didn't hate every vampire on earth.

She's a werewolf princess . . .

Bryn believes vampires are seductive and charming, and that makes them dangerous. So she's more than a little annoyed about teaming up with Phin, even if he is the only bloodsucker able to make her inner wolf purr. But as they hunt down the new leader of the Malcontents, danger threatens . . . and Phineas and Brynley discover a passion that will rock the foundation of their supernatural world.

Forced to Kill ($1.99), the second novel in the Nathan McBride series by Andrew Peterson

Book Description
Trained Marine sniper Nathan McBride is the sole survivor of Montez de Oca, the brutal Nicaraguan interrogator who tortured countless souls to death before vanishing fourteen years ago. Though McBride’s body—as well as his soul—still bear the scars from the interrogator’s blade, he dares to hope the worst is behind him.

But when the FBI recovers a mutilated body from a remote Utah lake, McBride needs just one glimpse to know the truth: Montez de Oca has resurfaced, this time on American soil. And McBride will be damned if he lets him escape again. So begins a quest for justice that will push McBride to the edge, pitting his capacity for mercy against his hunger for vengeance in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse that will reach into the highest levels of the US government.

China Moon Cookbook ($2.51), by Barbara Tropp and Sandra Bruce (Illustrator); I sent a sample of this one to my Fire to look thru.

Book Description
The "Julia Child of Chinese cooking" (San Francisco Chronicle), Barbara Tropp was a gifted teacher and the chef/owner of one of San Francisco's most popular restaurants. She was also the inventor of Chinese bistro, a marriage of home-style Chinese tastes and techniques with Western ingredients and inspiration, an innovative cuisine that stuffs a wonton with crab and corn and flavors it with green chili sauce, that stir-fries chicken with black beans and basil, that tosses white rice into a salad with ginger-balsamic dressing.

Casual yet impeccable, and as balanced as yin and yang, these 275 recipes burst with unexpected flavors and combinations: Prawn Sandpot Casserole with Red Curry and Baby Corn; Spicy Tangerine Beef with Glass Noodles; Pizzetta with Chinese Eggplant, Wild Mushrooms, and Coriander Pesto; Chili-Orange Cold Noodles; Sweet Carrot Soup with Toasted Almonds; Wok-Seared New Potatoes; Crystallized Lemon Tart; and Fresh Ginger Ice Cream.

Winner of an IACP/Julia Child Cookbook Award.

Buy One Get One Free Audible Sale

Today (Nov 28) only, Audible is having a member only, Buy One Get One Free sale for those buying audiobooks using credits. There are 100+ books to choose from, sorted into five general categories; just add two at a time to the special cart and checkout, which will use a single credit.

Today's Deals

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Promise Not to Tell ($1.99), by Jennifer McMahon.

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

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

Whatever You Love ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Louise Doughty, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $7.99).

Book Description
Two police officers knock on Laura's door and her life changes forever. They tell her that her nine-year old daughter Betty has been hit by a car and killed. When justice is slow to arrive, Laura decides to take her own revenge and begins to track down the man responsible. Whatever You Love is a heart-wrenching novel of revenge, compulsion and desire from acclaimed novelist Louise Doughty.

Behind Closed Doors ($2.30 Kindle, $2.99 B&N), by Shannon McKenna, is the Nook Daily Find, better than price matched on Kindle (and about half what I paid last Spring).

Book Description
Surveillance expert Seth Mackey knows everything about the women his millionaire boss Victor Lazar toys with--and tosses aside. But Lazar's latest plaything, Raine Cameron, is different. Beautiful. Vulnerable. And innocent. Just looking at her triggers a white-hot passion Seth can barely control as night after night, he watches her on a dozen different video screens. Raine is pure temptation, but Seth can't slip up: he's convinced Lazar had his half-brother murdered. His secret investigation--and his life--are on the line. But then he finds out that Raine may be Lazar's next victim...

Raine knows she's being watched--but no one can see the secrets in her heart. She has reasons of her own to seek revenge on Victor Lazar, and she will, despite her fear--and the distracting presence of Seth Mackey. His fiercely masculine good looks and animal sensuality stir her most erotic fantasies when she's alone...and lead her to a bold plan. Offering her body to him, surrendering totally to his ruthless desire, might well push her beyond all emotional limits--and beyond fear itself.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is A Dragon Moves In ($1.99), by Lisa Falkenstern.

Book Description
Rabbit and Hedgehog are having a picnic when... RUMBLE! CRACK! The egg Rabbit’s sitting on hatches. Out comes a baby dragon! Rabbit and Hedgehog take him home. They have lots of fun... until the baby dragon starts to grow. And Grow. And GROW! The artwork rendered in oil on board gives a classic touch to this appealing story.

Grade Level: 1st and up

Music Deals

Holiday MP3 Album deals (some may be repeats)

• Christmas Piano Masterpieces, by Cobra Entertainment ($0.99)
• Christmas Hymns & Carols, by Christian Faith Singers & Orchestra ($0.99)
• Big Christmas Box, by Vanguard Classics ($0.99; 13+ hours classical)
• The 99 Most Essential Christmas Piano, by X5 Music Group($0.99)
• 99 Must-Have Christmas Meditation Classics, by Cobra Entertainment ($0.99)
• Christmas Pickins: A Banjo Christmas, by Lifestyles Records ($1.29)
• Celtic Christmas, by Celtic Christmas($1.99)
• The 99 Most Essential Christmas Masterpieces (Amazon Exclusive), by Various artists ($1.99)
• Gregorian Christmas, by CantArte Regensburg & Hubert Velten ($1.99)
• Christmas With The Mormon Tabernacle Choir ($2.99)
• 99 Must-Have Christmas Classics, by Cobra Entertainment ($3.99)
• Christmas In The Sand, by Colbie Caillat ($3.99)
• Christmas with Scotty McCreery ($3.99)
• A Blue Collar Christmas, by Slidawg And The Redneck Ramblers ($5.49; as you can guess from the cover, this one is non-traditional)
• 100% Christmas - The Greatest Artists 100 Hits, by Vista Music ($5.99)
• NOW Today's Christmas, by Various artists ($5.99)
• 75 Christmas Songs Remembering Children's Favourites and Junior Choice for Kids of All Ages (Some Weird and Wacky!), by Various artists ($5.99)

And some not-so-holiday bargain albums

• Healing Piano Music for Massage, Meditation, Reiki, 7 Chakras, Relaxation & Better Sleep, by Steven Cravis ($0.99; listen while practicing with today's free book!)
• The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe, by DENON Classics($0.99)
• 50 Must-Have Beethoven Masterpieces, by Cobra Entertainment ($0.99)
• 50 Must-Have Strauss Family Masterpieces, by Cobra Entertainment ($0.99)
• 50 Must-Have Handel Masterpieces, by Cobra Entertainment ($0.99)
• 50 Must-Have Tchaikovsky Masterpieces, by Cobra Entertainment ($0.99)
• 100 Must-Have Waltz & Dance Classics, by Cobra Entertainment ($0.99)
• Orchestral Suites, by Cobra Entertainment ($0.99)
• Brandenburg Concertos, by Berlin Chamber Orchestra & Peter Wohlert ($0.99)
• St. John's Passion, by Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra ($0.99)
• St. Matthew's Passion, by Jeunesses Musicales Chorus ($0.99)
• Thanksgiving - Great Chrisitian Hymns Collection, by Christian Gospel Choir ($0.99)
• 40 Must-Have Favorite Hymns: I Stand Amazed, by Christian Gospel Choir ($0.99)
• A Salute to America, by 101 Strings Orchestra ($1.89)
• 50 Must-Have Violin Concertos, by Cobra Entertainment ($1.99)
• Meditation: Classical Relaxation, by Cobra Entertainment ($1.99)
• Big Gustav Leonhardt Box The Bach Guild Recordings 1952-1955, by Gustav Leonhardt ($2.79; 8+ hrs, 144 selections)
• 100 Must-Have Piano Concertos, by Cobra Entertainment ($2.99)

Be sure to check for any credits, now and then - Amazon is giving away Movie Credits for those with prime that let their items ship slower than 2-day and also MP3 credits with various items, including many Kindle accessories.

Now, if only 100 Christmas Blues - Songs to Get You Through the Cold would drop in price...

Today's Deals

It's CyberMonday, but try to remember to do a little work in between the shopping!

Today Only, Amazon has the Kindle Fire (not HD) for $129 ($30 off); enter coupon code FIREDEAL during checkout (no one-clicking). Limit one per customer/account. Be sure to order the charger at the same time (see box at top/right of product page), so you get it for half off.

Amazonlocal has another Kindle deal today: a voucher for 30% off all Kindle accessories. As before, you have to check out at Amazonlocal, but won't be charged. Then wait for your voucher code to be ready and enter it during checkout.

Tantor managed to get their servers rebooted and now has a $4.99 sale on ALL downloaded audiobooks! No codes, nearly 2,000 choices.

Kobo has an 80% off coupon for all Open Road titles and it appears to be good more than once: 80Cyber . If you manage to get thru that list, then you can use 50Cyber for 50% off selected non-agency titles.

O'Reilly has 50% off on All Ebooks & Videos and 60% on orders greater than $100; use discount code CYBERDAY. Print books not included

Mundania Press, originally set up to print some of Piers Anthony's non-traditionally published works, but now with a large author selection, is having a 50% off sale which ends today. Use coupon code BLACKFRIDAY during checkout.

Samhain Publishing has a 40% off Cyber Monday sale using the coupon code CYBERMONDAY.

Today only, get a 50% rebate on ALL eligible titles at Allromance & Omnilit (including HarperCollins titles).

ChiZine Publication is running a 50% off sale for a large portion of their catalog. Sale prices are shown in red, no coupon needed.

B&N is giving away a $20 gift card with purchase of select Nook devices (if you use Mastercard). If you don't mind a refurbished unit, 1SaleaDay has the nook tablet for $99 (their 2nd gen unit).

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Girl's Best Friend ($1.99), by Leslie Margolis.

Book Description
Dogs are disappearing in her neighborhood, and Maggie Brooklyn Sinclair knows all about it. After all, she has a semi-secret after-school gig as a professional (ok, amateur) dog-walker. Maggie hates to see a pup in trouble, so she's even willing to help her ex-best friend Ivy recover her rescue-dog, Kermit. Kermit's being held for ransom, and Maggie has noticed some suspicious behavior lately. But she never suspected her crush Milo could be involved . . .

Leslie Margolis's pitch-perfect voice and rich characters have endeared her to tweens, and her fans will flock to this hip new series featuring a clever and lovable new heroine, Maggie Brooklyn.

Grade Level: 3 and up

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Save 80% or More on Kindle Books, with thousands included. It looks like Open Road, at the least, with many prices comparable (but often a bit higher) than the Kobo prices, using the coupon above (and Amazon keeps adding books and has done some price matching). There are way to many to list, so click the link and explore by genre. I know I will be (and I'll need a new gift certificate, I can tell already).


The Pure ($1.19 / £1.91 UK), by Jake Wallis Simons, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (no US edition).

Book Description
Buckle up… there’s a new Bourne in town. The time is now. The place is London. Meet Uzi, a disaffected, deadly ex-Mossad agent with revenge on his mind. When he gives details of a top-secret Israeli assassination operation to WikiLeaks, he makes himself a sworn enemy of the Mossad. But a mysterious, sexy woman known as Liberty is becoming strangely interested in him. Meanwhile, Iran is getting ever closer to building a nuclear weapon . . . What follows threatens to change the power balance of the Middle East and endanger the security of the world. The Pure is a high-octane, action-packed, adrenaline-pumping espionage thriller. Read it. Now.

In the Woods ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), the first title in Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle, where the companion audiobook is $3.95 or $4.95 on Audible's current sale, even without buying the Kindle book first.

Book Description
As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox—his partner and closest friend—find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

Richly atmospheric, stunning in its complexity, and utterly convincing and surprising to the end, In the Woods is sure to enthrall fans of Mystic River and The Lovely Bones. And look for French's new mystery, Broken Harbor, for more of the Dublin Murder Squad.

Audiobooks Sales

Audible has 100 Audiobooks on sale for $4.95 apiece (it's likely limited just to those with subscriptions). So long as the "regular" price shown on them is over $14.95, these will count towards your Buy 4, get $10 Listening Rewards for the month, too.

Blackstone Audio is moving their retail site to a new domain, Downpour.com; they have several sales going on, with some classics up to 90% off and over 200 more audiobooks at 40% off.

Tantor Media is also having a 50% off sale this weekend, but currently their server is down. Hopefully they'll get it back up by later this evening.

Get a Holiday MP3 Album for $1.99

Thru Tuesday, or until they sell out, you can get a Free Voucher to Purchase One Top Holiday Title for $1.99 on Amazon MP3 at AmazonLocal. You do have to go thru a "purchase", which means having a credit card on file, but you aren't charged for the voucher itself. Once your voucher is ready, you open it (at AmazonLocal), apply it to your account, then go shopping for one of the eligible titles in the Amazon MP3 store. Click to buy the MP3 album and you'll only be charged $1.99.

Various rules apply, including that your must be a US customer at Amazon and the voucher expires if not used by Dec 2.

If you wish to give an album as a gift, the credit will be applied; you can see it on the very last page before you finalize the order (unlike with book gifts, any gift balance is used first). I also suggest you first check your credit balance in the MP3 store (you can do this on any song or album, there is a link just under the buy button) and use up any existing credits first, so that they don't try to mix with the voucher. I've had trouble with this in the past and had to get Amazon involved in order to get my credits back.

Today's Deals

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is My Mother Was Nuts ($1.99), by Penny Marshall; the companion audiobook is $4.99.

Book Description
Most people know Penny Marshall as the director of Big and A League of Their Own. What they don’t know is her trailblazing career was a happy accident. In this funny and intimate memoir, Penny takes us from the stage of The Jackie Gleason Show in 1955 to Hollywood’s star-studded sets, offering up some hilarious detours along the way.My Mother Was Nuts is an intimate backstage pass to Penny’s personal life, her breakout role on The Odd Couple, her exploits with Cindy Williams and John Belushi, and her travels across Europe with Art Garfunkel on the back of a motorcycle. We see Penny get married. And divorced. And married again (the second time to Rob Reiner). We meet a young Carrie Fisher, whose close friendship with Penny has spanned decades. And we see Penny at work with Tom Hanks, Mark Wahlberg, Whoopi Goldberg, Robert De Niro, and Whitney Houston.Throughout it all, from her childhood spent tap dancing in the Bronx, to her rise as the star of Laverne & Shirley, Penny lived by simple rules: “try hard, help your friends, don’t get too crazy, and have fun.” With humor and heart, My Mother Was Nuts reveals there’s no one else quite like Penny Marshall.

Taliban ($1.91 / £1.19 UK), by Ahmed Rashid, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $9.99).

Book Description
The American bombing of terrorist bases in Afghanistan under the protection of the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban movement has brought the Taliban into sharp focus as the most radical and extreme Islamic movement in the world today. Little is known about the Taliban because of the deep secrecy that surrounds their political movement, their leaders and their aims.

The geo-strategic implications of the Taliban are already creating severe instability in Russia, Iran and the five Central Asian republics where the Taliban have become a major player in the new Great Game, as Western countries and companies compete to build oil and gas pipelines from Central Asia to Western and Asian markets.

The Taliban's implementation of their extreme interpretation of Islam poses new challenges to the Muslim world and the West’s understanding of radical Islam in the post-Cold War era.

Cake Pops: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for Irresistible Mini Treats ($9.99 $2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Bakerella, is the Nook Daily Find. Update: Now price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
What's cuter than a cupcake? A cake pop, of course! Wildly popular blogger Bakerella (aka Angie Dudley) has turned cake pops into an international sensation! Cute little cakes on a stick from decorated balls to more ambitious shapes such as baby chicks, ice cream cones, and even cupcakes these adorable creations are the perfect alternative to cake at any party or get-together. Martha Stewart loved the cupcake pops so much she had Bakerella appear on her show to demonstrate making them. Now Angie makes it easy and fun to recreate these amazing treats right at home with clear step-by-step instructions and photos of more than 40 featured projects, as well as clever tips for presentation, decorating, dipping, coloring and melting chocolate, and much more.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Three "Horrid Henry" Books by Francesca Simon for $0.99 apiece.

Francesca Simon is one of the world's best-loved children's authors and winner of the Galaxy Book Award in the United Kingdom. Each book in her best-selling Horrid Henry chapter book series contains four easy-to-read stories with hilarious illustrations by Tony Ross, and today only they're just $0.99 each (80% off).

Grade Level: 2 and up

Horrid Henry

Horrid Henry and his neighbor Moody Margaret decide to make the most sloppy, slimy, sludgy, sticky, smelly, gooey, gluey, gummy, greasy, gloppy glop possible. Is it the best glop in the world or the worst thing that's ever happened to them? Plus three other stories so funny we can't even mention them here.

Horrid Henry's Underpants

Horrid Henry makes a deal with his parents in return for eating his veggies; accidentally wears girls' underwear to school; tries to prove he is sicker than his brother; and writes the meanest thank-you cards ever (and makes money on it too)

Horrid Henry Rocks

Henry is up to his usual mischief: annoying his younger brother, ruining Moody Margaret's sleepover, and irritating his teacher, Mrs. Battleaxe-not to mention trying to manipulate his family into seeing his favorite band-the Killer Boy Rats.