Pre-Order New Releases under $9

Some good deals on pre-orders are in the Kindle store, all of which have one thing in common: their electronic editions are being delayed by the publisher, in the hope you'll buy a hardcover early and then the ebook as well once it releases. One problem with looking at the reviews of those that are out, though, is the campaign by some Kindle readers to make every delayed book with one star in protest; it makes it difficult to tell if the book is truly bad or just highly protested. All of these are marked to increase to $9.99 once their publication date rolls around, so for those you know you'll order, it makes sense to do so early. I've added Kim Harrison's to my order queue already.

The Language of Life ($8.52 - February 16, 2010), by Francis S. Collins

Book Description
From New York Times bestselling author and world-renowned doctor and geneticist Francis Collins, a book that will forever change how you think about your body, your health, and the future of medicine. A scientific and medical revolution has crept up on us, based on study after study, from hundreds of laboratories around the world. It is no longer just a theoretical shift: every one of us will be touched by it, and many of us already have been. The meaning of disease, our understanding of the human body, and crucial decisions about what we all need to know and what choices we make about our health are at stake. Welcome to the new world of personalized medicine. Twenty-one million Americans are affected by 6,000 so-called rare and orphan diseases, many of which are primarily attributable to misspelled genes. And virtually all diseases have a significant hereditary component. There have been many stories in the media about women who are testing to see if they have a mutation that leads to breast cancer, or family members who are strongly at risk for heart disease or Huntington's disease. Yet the revolution is much more fundamental than this: diabetes, heart disease, the common cancers, mental illness, asthma, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, and more-all of these diseases are having their secrets unlocked. Now, with a simple home test, costing a few hundred dollars, you can learn the secrets of your own DNA. Francis Collins has been at the forefront of this revolution. He was, for fifteen years, the head of the international Human Genome Project, and he now serves as the Director of the National Institutes of Health. He knows, better than anyone, how widespread are the misperceptions about human genetics. Just in the past decade, most of what you think you know about DNA has been overturned. Much of the advice given routinely by health care providers is ill informed, so you need to educate yourself about this rapidly moving area of medicine. You are guaranteed to face some surprises, and some difficult choices about personal knowledge, treatment, and family risk. Yet this book is overwhelmingly hopeful and inspiring, offering helpful advice in every chapter. Nearly every day, diseases that were barely understood, or completely misunderstood, are being redefined. Families that faced common problems, without hope, are now discovering a new world of understanding, treatment, and prevention. You owe it to yourself to learn about your DNA: how it works, what it reveals, and the benefits and limits of this new knowledge.

Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime ($8.61 - February 23, 2010), by John Heilemann

Book Description
In Game Change, John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, two of the country’s leading political reporters, use their unrivaled access to pull back the curtain on the Obama, Clinton, McCain, and Palin campaigns.

Based on hundreds of interviews with the people who lived the story, Game Change is a reportorial tour de force that reads like a fast-paced novel. Character-driven and dialogue-rich, replete with extravagantly detailed scenes, it’s an intimate portrait of some of the most powerful and fascinating figures in American life—the occasionally shocking, often hilarious, ultimately definitive account of the campaign of a lifetime.

The Burning Land ($9.09 - March 2, 2010), by Bernard Cornwell

Book Description
In a clash of heroes, the kingdom is born.

At the end of the ninth century, King Alfred of Wessex is in ill health; his heir, an untested youth. His enemy, the Danes, having failed to conquer Wessex, now see their chance for victory. Led by the sword of savage warrior Harald Bloodhair, the Viking hordes attack. But Uhtred, Alfred's reluctant warlord, proves his worth, outwitting Harald and handing the Vikings one of their greatest defeats.

For Uhtred, the sweetness of victory is soon overshadowed by tragedy. Breaking with Alfred, he joins the Vikings, swearing never again to serve the Saxon king. Instead, he will reclaim his ancestral fortress on the Northumbrian coast. Allied with his old friend Ragnar—and his old foe Haesten—he aims to invade and conquer Wessex itself.

Yet fate has different plans. The Danes of East Anglia and the Vikings of Northumbria are plotting the conquest of all Britain. When Alfred's daughter pleads with Uhtred for help, he cannot refuse her request. In a desperate gamble, he takes command of a demoralized Mercian army, leading them in an unforgettable battle on a blood-soaked field beside the Thames.

Sweet Little Lies ($7.87 - March 2, 2010), by Lauren Conrad

Book Description
How Sweet it is?

Jane Roberts was the average girl next door until she and her best friend, Scarlett Harp, landed their own reality show, L.A. Candy. Now the girls have an all-access pass to Hollywood's hottest everything. But there's more to life on camera than just parties and shopping. . . .

When racy photos of Jane are leaked to the press, she finds herself at the center of a tabloid scandal. She turns to her co-star Madison Parker for help, unaware that Madison is scheming behind the scenes. She might be Jane's shoulder to cry on, but does Madison really have Jane's back?

Scarlett's working on a scandal of her own. She's fallen for someone who's strictly off-limits—which means Scarlett has a big secret to keep . . . from the L.A. Candy cameras, the paparazzi staking out her apartment, even from her best friend.

Of course, nothing stays secret for long for the stars of the newest hit TV series, and all this drama couldn't be better for ratings. But can Jane survive another season in the spotlight?

In television star Lauren Conrad's dishy, entertaining novel about young Hollywood, the lies are only as sweet as the people telling them.

Brava, Valentine ($8.34 - March 16, 2010), by Adriana Trigianni

Book Description
As Brava, Valentine begins, snow falls like glitter over Tuscany at the wedding of her grandmother, Teodora, and longtime love, Dominic. Valentine's dreams are dashed when Gram announces that Alfred, "the prince," Valentine's only brother and nemesis, has been named her partner at Angelini Shoes. Devastated, Valentine falls into the arms of Gianluca, a sexy Tuscan tanner who made his romantic intentions known on the Isle of Capri. Despite their passion for one another and Gianluca's heartfelt letters, a long-distance relationship seems impossible.

As Valentine turns away from romance and devotes herself to her work, mentor and pattern cutter June Lawton guides her through her power struggle with Alfred, while best friend and confidante Gabriel Biondi moves into 166 Perry Street, transforming her home and point of view. Savvy financier Bret Fitzpatrick, Valentine's first love and former fiancÉe who still carries a torch for her, encourages Valentine to exploit her full potential as a designer and a business woman with a plan that will bring her singular creations to the world.

A once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity takes Valentine from the winding streets of Greenwich Village to the sun-kissed cobblestones of Buenos Aires, where she finds a long-buried secret hidden deep within a family scandal. Once unearthed, the truth rocks the Roncallis and Valentine is determined to hold her family together. More so, she longs to create one of her own, but is torn between a past love that nurtured her, and a new one that promises to sustain her.

Black Magic Sanction ($8.65 - April 6, 2010), by Kim Harrison

Book Description
Rachel Morgan has fought and hunted vampires, werewolves, banshees, demons, and other supernatural dangers as both witch and bounty hunter—and lived to tell the tale. But she's never faced off against her own kind . . . until now. Denounced and shunned for dealing with demons and black magic, her best hope is life imprisonment—at worst, a forced lobotomy and genetic slavery. Only her enemies are strong enough to help her win her freedom, but trust comes hard when it hinges on the unscrupulous tycoon Trent Kalamack, the demon Algaliarept, and an ex-boyfriend turned thief.

It takes a witch to catch a witch, but survival bears a heavy price.

The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life ($7.99 - April 27, 2010), by Bethenny Frankel

Book Description
In her New York Times bestseller Naturally Thin, Bethenny Frankel shares her ten real-life rules for enjoying healthful natural foods and escaping the diet trap. Now, in The Skinnygirl Dish, Bethenny joins you in the kitchen and shows you how to stop the "cooking noise" and put an end to the anxiety about how and what to cook and eat. The Skinnygirl dishes on how anyone can:

• Get in touch with your "inner chef" and make the Skinnygirl philosophy yours
• Use Bethenny's list of kitchen essentials and the core concept of using what you have at hand to enjoy creating healthy, satisfying meals
• Take your basic cooking skills to the next level with practical tips for saving time, money, and sanity
• Make personalized gourmet recipes from celebrity chefs, including Bobby Flay and Top Chef stars Lee Anne Wong, Hosea Rosenberg, and Ariane Duarte
• Light up -- and lighten up -- holidays and special occasions with tips and recipes for throwing the perfect, stress-free party

Over sixty recipes become more than a thousand recipes with Bethenny's "Use What You Have" substitution charts. Enjoy Breakthrough Breakfasts, Delicious Dinners, Simple Snacks, To-Die-For Desserts, and Skinnygirl Cocktails, plus tips to turn almost any dish into a vegetarian delight. With the famous wit and real-world sensibility that made her a breakout star, Bethenny reveals her kitchen adventures and inspires readers to cook the Skinnygirl way with taste and style.

Worst Case ($8.55 - May 2, 2010), by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Book Description
Best case: survival

The son of one of New York's wealthiest families is snatched off the street and held hostage. His parents can't save him, because this kidnapper isn't demanding money. Instead, he quizzes his prisoner on the price others pay for his life of luxury. In this exam, wrong answers are fatal.

Worst case: death

Detective Michael Bennett leads the investigation. With ten kids of his own, he can't begin to understand what could lead someone to target anyone's children. As another student disappears, one powerful family after another uses their leverage and connections to turn the heat up on the mayor, the press--anyone who will listen--to stop this killer. Their reach extends all the way to the FBI, who send their top Abduction Specialist, Agent Emily Parker. Bennett's life--and love life--suddenly get even more complicated.

This case: Detective Michael Bennett is on it

Before Bennett has a chance to protest the FBI's intrusion on his case, the mastermind changes his routine. His plan leads up to the most devastating demonstration yet--one that could bring cataclysmic devastation to every inch of New York.

winter garden ($8.24 - May 25, 2010), by Kristin Hannah

Book Description
Can a woman ever really know herself if she doesn’t know her mother?

From the author of the smash-hit bestseller Firefly Lane and True Colors comes a powerful, heartbreaking novel that illuminates the intricate mother-daughter bond and explores the enduring links between the present and the past

Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time—and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya’s life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother’s life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.

Poor Little Bitch Girl ($8.83 - June 1, 2010), by Jackie Collins

Book Description
Three twenty-something women, one hot rich guy, two mega movie stars, and a devastating murder: Poor Little Bitch Girl has it all.

Denver Jones is a hotshot twenty-something attorney working in L.A. Carolyn Henderson is personal assistant to a powerful and very married Senator in Washington with whom she is having an affair. And Annabelle Maestro—daughter of two movie stars—has carved out a career for herself in New York as the madame of choice for discerning famous men. The three of them went to high school together in Beverly Hills—and although Denver and Carolyn have kept in touch, Annabelle is out on her own with her cocaine addicted boyfriend, Frankie.

Then there is Bobby Santangelo Stanislopolous, the Kennedyesque son of Lucky Santangelo and deceased Greek shipping billionaire, Dimitri Stanislopolous. Bobby owns Mood, the hottest club in New York. Back in the day he went to high school with Denver, Carolyn and Annabelle. And he connected with all three of them. Frankie is his best friend.

When Annabelle’s beautiful movie star mother is found shot to death in the bedroom of her Beverly Hills mansion, the five of them find themselves thrown together . . . and secrets from the past have a way of coming back to haunt everyone....

Shadow Prowler ($8.49 - June 8, 2010), by Alexey Pehov

Book Description
After centuries of calm, the Nameless One is stirring.

An army is gathering; thousands of giants, ogres, and other creatures are joining forces from all across the Desolate Lands, united, for the first time in history, under one, black banner. By the spring, or perhaps sooner, the Nameless One and his forces will be at the walls of the great city of Avendoom.

Unless Shadow Harold, master thief, can find some way to stop them.

Epic fantasy at its best, Shadow Prowler is the first in a trilogy that follows Shadow Harold on his quest for a magic Horn that will restore peace to the Kingdom of Siala. Harold will be accompanied on his quest by an Elfin princess, Miralissa, her elfin escort, and ten Wild Hearts, the most experienced and dangerous fighters in their world…and by the king’s court jester (who may be more than he seems…or less).

Reminiscent of Moorcock's Elric series, Shadow Prowler is the first work to be published in English by the bestselling Russian fantasy author Alexey Pehov. The book was translated by Andrew Bromfield, best known for his work on the highly successful Night Watch series.

Last Snow ($8.66 - June 8, 2010), by Eric Van Lustbader

Book Description
The electrifying follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Jack McClure thriller First Daughter

Jack McClure, Special Advisor and closest friend to the new President of the United States, interprets the world very differently from the rest of us. It’s his greatest liability, and his greatest asset.

An American senator, supposedly on a political trip to the Ukraine, turns up dead on the island of Capri. When the President asks him to find out how and why, Jack sets out from Moscow across Eastern Europe, following a perilous trail of diplomats, criminals, and corrupt politicians. Thrust into the midst of a global jigsaw puzzle, Jack’s unique dyslexic mind allows him to put together the pieces that others can’t even see.

Still unreconciled to the recent death of his daughter and the dissolution of his marriage, Jack takes on a personal mission along with his official one: keeping safe from harm his two unlikely, unexpected, and incompatible companions—Annika Dementieva, a rogue Russian FSB agent, and Alli Carson, the President’s daughter. As he struggles to keep both young women safe and unearth the answers he seeks, hunted by everyone from the Russian mafia to the Ukrainian police to his own NSA, Jack learns just how far up the American and Russian political ladders corruption and treachery has reached.

Free Book (Sony) - Dark Mysteries of The Vatican

Dark Mysteries of The Vatican ($9.60 Kindle), by H. P. Jeffers, is free in the Sony bookstore. It's still a pre-order for the Kindle, so there is a chance it might be free there later on.

Book Description
What The Vatican Doesn't Want You To Know:
The lies. The conspiracies. The cover-ups. The truth.

Deep behind the walls of the world's holiest site is a dense network of lies, corruption, and conspiracies fueling the Vatican's vast and unchecked influence on world events. From the Holy Orders that defied the commandment "Thou Shalt Not Kill" to the scandals splashed across international headlines, the Vatican is no longer shrouded in mystery, legend, and secrecy.

It's all here:

• The shocking and unsolved murder of the corrupt Vatican financier known as "God's Banker"
• Real-life exorcism--and shocking rumors of Satanism
• The Vatican's startling views on extraterrestrials and end-of-world prophesies
• The Vatican's hidden ties to Nazi Germany and the Mafia
• The bizarre rituals of the ultraconservative Opus Dei
• The Vatican's ruthless 500-year war with the Freemasons
• Pope Pius XII's anti-Semitic indifference to the plight of Europe's Jews and the Holocaust
• And much more!

This utterly fascinating, unflinching account is the most definitive exposé ever written about the most secretive institution in the world.

Free Book (Sony) - Victim Six

Victim Six ($5.11 Kindle), by Gregg Olsen, is free in the Sony store, for those who have a nook, Sony or other reader that supports DRM'd EPUB (not Kindle compatible).

Book Description
The bodies are found in towns and cities around Puget Sound. The young women who are the victims had nothing in common--except the agony of their final moments. But somebody carefully chose them to stalk, capture, and torture. . . a depraved killer whose cunning is matched only by the depth of his bloodlust. But the dying has only just begun. And next victim will be the most shocking of all. . .

As always with the Sony store, you'll have to find the book in the Sony Library software, as their web page doesn't link to their store.

Game of the Day - Tradewinds Odyssey

Amazon's Game Download of the Day is a 99 cent download of Tradewinds Odyssey, another in the Tradewinds series they have been featuring this week.

Game Description

• Play As 5 Unique Characters... Each With Their Own Storyline.
• Create And Trade Exotic Goods.
• Build Your Rank.
• Ram Your Foes In Sea Battles.

Guide five unique heroes as you embark on over 50 chapters and quests, encountering characters both strange and familiar. Take part in trading like never before by creating and spreading goods to new lands as you build, strengthen and upgrade your fleet into a powerful force unrivaled in the Aegean! Cast powerful spells bestowed upon you by the gods, or use your unique Hero's Talent to demolish your opponent in battle. Your adventure begins today... in Tradewinds Odyssey!

Free Audiobook - A Confederacy of Dunces

A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole & narrated by Barrett Whitener, was free at Audible.com early last December, then went back to full price. They've dropped the price back to zero on this unabridged version that runs 13-1/2 hours and added "free version" to the title, so it looks like it should remain free (although I would not count on that - I always advise you grab a freebie when you see it, as it can change at any moment). I just started listening to this -- even though I have the book in a paper copy, I've never started on it due to the size (several inches thick).

Book Description
"A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indicating two directions at once."

So enters one of the most memorable characters in recent American fiction. The hero of John Kennedy Toole's incomparable, Pulitzer Prize-winning comic classic is one Ignatius J. Reilly, "huge, obese, fractious, fastidious, a latter-day Gargantua, a Don Quixote of the French Quarter". His story bursts with wholly original characters, denizens of New Orleans' lower depths, incredibly true-to-life dialogue, and the zaniest series of high and low comic adventures.

Three Free Books (Sony)

These are all free in the Sony bookstore this morning, but are still pre-orders at Amazon. That doesn't mean they'll be free at Amazon, but several have followed this pattern. I'll keep an eye on them and let you know, but in the meantime, you may want to grab a copy to read later on your computer, just in case. To find them in the Sony bookstore, open the Sony reader software, click on eBook Store on the menu, then click on Bargain-Priced. You should see all three at the top of the page.

In The Warrior's Bed ($8.96 Kindle), by Mary Wine

Book Description
In this irresistible follow-up to her captivating debut, In Bed With a Stranger, Mary Wine revisits the McJames clan--their loves, their battles, their conquests. . .

Cullen McJames will not have his honor sullied, certainly not by his clan's nemesis Laird Erik McQuade. So when McQuade tells the Court of Scotland that Cullen has stolen his daughter's virtue, Cullen steals the daughter instead.

Since his brother wed a fetching lass, Cullen's been thinking he too needs a wife. A marriage could end the constant war between the clans. And looking on Bronwyn McQuade but once has put her in his dreams for a week. . .

But Bronwyn won't go quietly. She won't be punished for what she did not do. Nor is she eager to live among the resentful veterans of McQuade wars. And however brave and beautiful a man Cullen may be, he has much to learn about a woman's fighting spirit. But as Bronwyn will discover, he has much to teach her as well. . .

Here Comes Trouble ($8.96 Kindle), by Donna Kauffman

Book Description
Get Lucky

A child of Vegas, Brett Hennessey knows about luck--especially the bad kind. But when this poker superstar hops on his Harley to outrun Lady Misfortune and ends up at a pretty B&B run by an even prettier proprietor, he can't help thinking he's stumbled onto a winning streak. . .

Sure, Kirby Farrell's new B&B ski lodge opened to the warmest winter in Vermont memory, but fate brought her a bad boy on a hot bike and settled him into her best room. She's still broke, but the view across the breakfast table has definitely improved. . .

Only now Brett's past has finally caught up to him. He has two choices: run again--and lose the best hand fortune's dealt him yet. Or stay and risk everything for something he never thought would come his way...

Celebutards ($9.60 Kindle), by Andrea Peyser

Book Description
Celebutards. A compound of celebrity, debutante, and retard, this blunt term describes lazy and egotistical stars with too much money, fame, leisure time, and media attention, but too little common sense or knowledge, who love to spout off on topics about which they have zero expertise.

With razor-sharp wit, award-winning New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser explodes the absurdities of the celebutard culture, showing how a dull thinker such as Madonna becomes a self-appointed sage on matters of faith; singer Sheryl Crow urges us to use a single square of toilet paper per wipe while she racks up mileage in her gas-guzzling caravan of SUVs; and hothead Sean Penn morphs into an expert on international diplomacy as he brazenly breaks bread with enemies of his own country like Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez. Always outspoken, Peyser pulls no punches in exposing the Hollywood and Washington libtards for the morons they truly are.

Game of the Day - Tradewinds Caravans

Amazon's Game Download of the Day is a 99 cent download of Tradewinds Caravans, another in the Tradewinds series they have been featuring this week.

Game Description

• Build A Powerful Trading Caravan.
• 6 Unique Characters.
• Dozens Of Individual Storylines.
• All-new Weapons And Character-Specific Powers.

Travel along the bustling and dangerous Silk Road trading exotic goods and engaging in real-time battles as you build the most powerful trading caravan the world has ever seen! Embark on challenging quests, hire fiercely loyal warriors and explore a long-lost world teeming with tantalizing secrets, hidden cities and legends of mythical creatures. With all-new weapons, character-specific powers and signature Tradewinds humor, your adventure begins today - in Tradewinds Caravans!

Game Deal of the Day - Active Life: Extreme Challenge Bundle with Mat

Amazon's Video Game Deal of the Day is Active Life: Extreme Challenge Bundle with Mat, for the Wii, for $38.99. That's a dollar cheaper than the same game without the mat. I have the previous version of the game, Active Life Outdoor Challenge, and it provides a pretty good workout, plus lets two play at once on some of the games (which you really can't do with the balance board games).

Game Description

• More to Play-15 activities plus multi-player and time trial
• All New Activities-Include street luge/in-line skating, kite surfing, base jumping,acrobatic double dutch, BMX biking, skateboarding and rock climbing
• Unique & Stylish Cel-Shaded Art Design-Detailed environments and cool character designs
• Mii Integration-Includes the option to use Mii characters
• Fun for Everyone-Single and multi-player games to challenge you, your family and friends

Test your skills at 15 intense activities in Active Life: Extreme Challenge. Whether you're scaling the cliffs of the Grand Canyon or swooshing down the hills of San Francisco in a street luge, you'll enjoy the thrill of performing actions that make it feel as though you're really participating in an extreme activity. Explore amazingly detailed environments as you skate, surf, bike and more, and amp up the excitement by competing with friends and family in multiplayer gameplay.

Active Life: Extreme Challenge kicks Active Life into high gear, featuring ‘extreme’ themed sports such as base jumping, street luge, and rock climbing. Whether you want to swoosh down the hills of San Francisco in a street luge, scale the cliffs of the Grand Canyon, or kite-surf in the crystal blue waters of the Pacific, this game will get your heart pumping!

Game Download of the Day - Tradewinds Legends

Amazon's Game Download of the Day is a 99 cent download of Tradewinds Legends, in case you missed it when it was free a couple of weeks ago directly from Sandlot Games or just prefer to get your games from Amazon and let them do your backups.

Game Description

• Trade And Battle With Legendary Heroes.
• Choose A Character Or Create Your Own
• Hundreds Of Special Items
• 10 Amazing Ports To Visit

Get carried away in this latest installment in the acclaimed Tradewinds Series. Sail, trade and battle with legendary heroes such as Sinbad in the mythical Far East. Enter a world of danger and intrigue as you complete over 100 unique tasks. Build a flotilla of ships armed with weaponry, both man-made and magic. Sail into the sky to discover new ports and engage in aerial combat with other magical sky ships. Encounter a world of legend, play Tradewinds Legends today!

New Games under $5

Several of the new game downloads at Amazon are marked down under $5 today, including one that normally sells for $20.

Vegas Make it Big ($19.99 $4.99)

Game Description

• Fulfill The Needs Of 5000+ Individual Guests.
• 10 Resort Styles, Inspired By Amazing Cultures And Themes
• Fully Customizable- Adjust Goals, Competition, And Difficulty
• 500+ Vehicles.

Customers on the living, breathing Las Vegas boulevard are notoriously hard to satisfy. Can you win the hearts and wallets of Vegas? Amazing real-time 3D graphics show off your resort to the max. Experience grand panoramic views, or get up close and personal to fine-tune the inside and outside of your perfect Vegas paradise.

Alpha Prime ($9.99 $4.99)

Game Description

• 10 Levels Of Fast-paced, Unrelenting Action.
• 8 Futuristic Weapons.
• Bullet Time Allows Players To Temporarily Slow Down The Action.
• Vehicles Can Be Used To Move To Different Locations Quickly.

Somewhere deep in space, on the lifeless asteroid Alpha Prime, something has gone terribly wrong... The miners were warned that the hubbardium they were mining was too dangerous, but the lure of unimaginable wealth was too strong. Now, something has happened to them and it's up to you to save them and face an unknown threat. Armed with an assortment of hi-tech weapons and the ability to hack into the station's own automated defenses, your mission is simple: Get in, Get 'em and Get out!

Al Emmo and The Lost Dutchman's Mine ($9.99 $4.95)

Game Description

• Over 7000 Lines Of Unique And Humorous Commentary.
• 15 To 20 Hours Of Gameplay.
• Easy To Use, Point-And-Click Adventure.
• Lip-Synched Voiceover And Narration.

Al Emmo is a witty western game with a healthy dose of adventure, that follows in the tradition of classic adventure gaming. Join Al, a middle-aged feeble Easterner on his journey into the heart of Wild-West in search of a suitable bride. Enjoy the quaint gold-rush town of Anozira; chat up highly flirtatious babes; cautiously evade warring Indian tribes; discover legends of lost gold; bask in the intense summer heat; encounter breathtaking landscapes; meet up with the occasional rabid prairie dog, and more!

Chains ($7.99 $4.99)

Game Description

• 20 Levels Each Focusing on Action, Strategy Or Flow.
• Physics-driven Gameplay.
• 3 Difficulty Modes.
• Unique Art Direction With Beautiful Vector Graphics.

Chains is a challenging puzzle game with a unique feel and distinctive vector graphics style. The object of the game is simple - to link adjacent bubbles of the same color into chains. As you progress through the physics-driven stages it becomes increasingly more challenging and players' speed, strategy and skill will be put to the test.

Vigil: Blood Bitterness ($5.99 $4.99)

Game Description

• Easy Point-And-Click Playability.
• Engrossing Story With Deeply Disturbed Complex Characters.
• 3D Graphics with Revolutionary Black And White Art.
• Challenging Puzzles To Solve.

Thrown into chaos, Vigil plunges you into the dark and disturbing story of an ancient civilization where you must reveal the secrets of your past and exact revenge on the Evil destroying your universe. Ritualistic killings and blood lust blur the line between your own kind and the Evil you seek to annihilate. Your ultimate goal is to free yourself from this tormenting place and understand the origin and the purpose of this never ending Evil.

Port Royale 2 ($4.99)

Game Description

• Huge Game World With 4 Nations And 60 Towns.
• 8 Special Scenarios For A Quick And Easy Start.
• 16 Different Ship-Types.
• Open Ended Game With Endless Detail And Game Depth.

The Caribbean in the 17th Century - You will trade with over 60 towns and create your own production facilities. Escort ships for your convoys are needed, or you can turn the tides and hunt for pirates or capture the military ships. You can also take on missions for merchants, diplomats and other characters.

Free Book (Smashwords) - Just Past Oysterville

Just Past Oysterville, by Perry P. Perkins, the first book in his Christian Fiction Shoalwater series, is free on Smashwords using coupon code SW22F. Originally offered as a 24 hour experiment, the coupon has been extended, but could end at any time.

Book Description
A child abandoned. A life destroyed. Two hearts, unable to forgive... After a drunk driver leaves young Cassie Belanger an orphan, a cryptic letter, found among her mother's belongings sends her on a desperate journey in hopes of finding the man who fathered her but chose not to be her father.

Game of the Day - Tradewinds 2

Amazon's Game Download of the Day is a 99 cent download of Tradewinds 2. This looks to be a longer adventure than Tradewinds Legends, which was free direct from Sandlot a couple of weeks ago. I played that one for about 10 hours in story mode and finished all the tasks (which get more complicated as you play).

Game Description

• Trade Goods And Fight Pirates.
• Over 100 Swashbuckling Adventures
• Customize Your Ship And Characters
• Over 60 Hours Of Gameplay

Amass a fortune by buying and selling goods in this fantastic seafaring game of chance, skill and adventure! Earn enough gold to upgrade your ship and engage in land and sea battles. Trade magic weaponry and mysterious artifacts as you encounter a fascinating new world and discover uncharted ports. Two game modes and over sixty hours of gameplay await you in your quest to dominate the high seas!

Xbox 360 Gold Box Day

For anyone that picked up the Xbox 360/Gift Card Bundle or already has an Xbox, you'll want to check today's GoldBox and Lightning Deals at Amazon, as it's Xbox 360 Gold Box Day! There are already two deals up and there are new ones during the day, with the last to appear at midnight EST and every single one of them is on an XBox 360 game.

Free Audiobooks at Audible

Besides the free course in Haitian Creole and FREE: The Future of a Radical Price, by Chris Anderson, there are a few other interesting audiobooks amongst the current free offerings at Audible.

The Conservative Nanny State: How the Wealthy Use the Government to Stay Rich and Get Richer, by Dean Baker, narrated by Sandra Swafford.

Book Description
In his new book, economist Dean Baker debunks the myth that conservatives favor the market over government intervention. In fact, conservatives rely on a range of "nanny state" policies that ensure the rich get richer while leaving most Americans worse off. It's time for the rules to change. Sound economic policy should harness the market in ways that produce desirable social outcomes: decent wages, good jobs, and affordable health care.

A Study in Emerald, by Neil Gaiman, narrated by Neil Gaiman is a short story.

Book Description
Alluding to both the Sherlock Holmes canon and the Old Ones of the Cthulhu Mythos, this Hugo Award-winning short story will delight fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H. P. Lovecraft, and of course, Neil Gaiman.

A Study in Emerald draws listeners in through carefully revealed details as a consulting detective and his narrator friend solve the mystery of a murdered German noble. But with its subtle allusions and surprise ending, this mystery hints that the real fun in solving this case lies in imagining all the details that Gaiman doesn't reveal, and challenges listeners to be detectives themselves.

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, by Seth Godin, narrated by Seth Godin

Book Description
A tribe is any group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea. For millions of years, humans have been seeking out tribes, be they religious, ethnic, economic, political, or even musical (think of the Deadheads). It's our nature.

Now the Internet has eliminated the barriers of geography, cost, and time. All those blogs and social networking sites are helping existing tribes get bigger. But more important, they're enabling countless new tribes to be born - groups of ten or ten thousand or ten million who care about their iPhones, or a political campaign, or a new way to fight global warming.

And so the key question: Who is going to lead us?

The Web can do amazing things, but it can't provide leadership. That still has to come from individuals - people just like you who have a passion about something. The explosion in tribes means that anyone who wants to make a difference now has the tools at her fingertips.

If you think leadership is for other people, think again - leaders come in surprising packages. Consider Joel Spolsky and his international tribe of scary-smart software engineers. Or Gary Vaynerhuck, a wine expert with a devoted following of enthusiasts. Chris Sharma leads a tribe of rock climbers up impossible cliff faces, while Mich Mathews, a VP at Microsoft, runs her internal tribe of marketers from her cube in Seattle. All they have in common is the desire to change things, the ability to connect a tribe, and the willingness to lead.

If you ignore this opportunity, you risk turning into a "sheepwalker" - someone who fights to protect the status quo at all costs, never asking if obedience is doing you (or your organization) any good. Sheepwalkers don't do very well these days.

Tribes will make you think (really think) about the opportunities in leading your fellow employees, customers, investors, believers, hobbyists, or readers....It's not easy, but it's easier than you think.

Millionaire Upgrade , by Richard Parkes Cordock, narrated by Nigel Acheson.

Book Description
Do you ever wonder if you have what it takes to become a millionaire?

Imagine finding yourself sitting next to a self-made millionaire for eight hours on a long-haul international flight. Imagine that person was prepared to share with you the secrets of their success. For one lucky person this actually happened. Inspired by a true story, Millionaire Upgrade is the tale of one very experienced entrepreneur and one very lucky passenger.

The story unfolds mid-air at 35,000 feet as Michael, the savvy self-made millionaire, shares his wisdom, eight-step approach, and magic ingredients for success with Tom, the aspiring entrepreneur. Their mid-air conversation contains all the secrets and practical insight you need to help you make your first million. It shows how you can turn your strengths and passions into an exciting, rewarding, and challenging enterprise.

Better than any in-flight movie, Millionaire Upgrade gets you inside the minds of successful entrepreneurs and self-made millionaires giving you the inside track on how they think and act.

Extraordinary Leadership, by Robin Sharma is a speech, rather than a book, but looked interesting.

Book Description
In a constantly changing, hyper-competitive world, leadership is more important than ever. Yet few people have what it takes to inspire, develop, and guide others. In this presentation, Robin Sharma shares the leadership lessons that he gives to clients such as Nike, Microsoft, and NASA.

Amazon Announces Kindle Development Kit

Don't like the way your Kindle works? You (or another developer) can change it, using the newly announced Kindle Development Kit.

Today, Amazon announced that it is inviting software developers to build and upload active content that will be available in the Kindle Store later this year. The new Kindle Development Kit gives developers access to programming interfaces, tools and documentation to build active content for Kindle...

There is already a waiting list to get access to the Kit, but it looks like games, interactive cookbooks and travel guides are already in the planning stages.

Click HERE for the full press release.

Gamers Special - Donate $20 to Haiti, Get >$1400 Package as Thank You

DriveThruRPG.com, a company I've dealt with in the past, is collecting donatons for Doctors Without Borders and matching any smaller donations ($5 or $10), but for those willing to part with $20, they have put together a huge collection of gaming books and materials (in PDF form) for you to download as a thank you. If you play RPG's, this is a tremendous deal, even if none of the money went to Haiti (but I trust that it will). The response has been so great, in fact, that they are asking those who donate to wait a day or to before downloading (they'll keep your order safe in your account), as their servers are getting quite a workout.

Click HERE to sign up or HERE to see the press release.

To donate a lesser amount, click HERE for $5 or HERE for $10.

Get $50 Gift Card with XBox 360 Holiday Bundle

In a deal similar to the earlier one for the Wii/Wii Fit bundle, Amazon is currently offering a $50 gift card along with the Xbox 360 Elite Winter 2009 Lego Batman / Pure Bundle. You have to order the two items together on the Deals Page, where you can't see the bundle price, but I just checked it in my cart and it was $239. The two included games usually sell for about $20 each (although you can get both together right now for $17.79) and the bundle is discounted $60 from list price. I don't have an Xbox, but they are excellent gaming consoles, from what I've read, and have the ability to stream Netflix movies (although that appears to require an Xbox Live subscription).

I do see one restriction - you can't use any promotional or gift certificates to pay for the purchase (I have $20 in promotional certificates from an earlier game deal), so you may need to change your payment method during checkout, to ensure you don't try to apply any balances. Offer valid January 17, 2010 through January 23, 2010 or while supplies last.

Bundle Description

* Includes LEGO Batman: The Videogame and PURE
* 120GB hard drive
* Sleek black console with matching wireless controller and headset
* HD ready - with an HDMI port (HDMI cable sold separately)
* Ethernet cable

The Xbox 360 Elite Holiday Bundle is a great value with two great games included, a massive hard drive, an HDMI port (HDMI cable sold separately), a black wireless controller and headset, and a premium black finish. With three powerful core processors and full surround sound, the console redefines what games look like, sound like, feel like, and play like to engage you like never before. Every Xbox 360 game title supports a minimum of 720p, and up to 1080p high definition resolution or 480p standard definition resolution, in 16:9 widescreen.

LEGO® Batman™: The Videogame (included):
Play as Batman and his sidekick Robin as you build, drive, swing, and fight your way through Gotham City. Then jump into the story from the other side and play as Batman’s foes! There’s no rest for the good (or the evil!). (Rated "E10+" for Everyone 10+)

PURE® (included):
Take off-road racing to a new level. Experience pure adrenaline and emotion as you execute incredible aerial tricks and death-defying massive jumps. (Rated "E" for Everyone)

Amazon Increases Author DTP Royalties to 70%

Amazon has announced a change in their royalties for authors and publishers using their Amazon Digital Text Platform to publish their books, with a new royalty rate of 70% net after delivery costs, provided they meet certain conditions.

Delivery costs will be based on file size and pricing will be $0.15/MB. At today's median DTP file size of 368KB, delivery costs would be less than $0.06 per unit sold. This new program can thus enable authors and publishers to make more money on every sale. For example, on an $8.99 book an author would make $3.15 with the standard option, and $6.25 with the new 70 percent option.

Each book listed on the Kindle platform may choose the old or the new pricing structure, which is good for indie authors who are currently listing books below the minimum to quality for the new rates. The rates also don't apply to any public domain books, so all those republishing Pride and Prejudice are out of luck. There are a few other conditions, as well:

• The author or publisher-supplied list price must be between $2.99 and $9.99
• This list price must be at least 20 percent below the lowest physical list price for the physical book
• The title is made available for sale in all geographies for which the author or publisher has rights
• The title will be included in a broad set of features in the Kindle Store, such as text-to-speech. This list of features will grow over time as Amazon continues to add more functionality to Kindle and the Kindle Store.
• Under this royalty option, books must be offered at or below price parity with competition, including physical book prices. Amazon will provide tools to automate that process, and the 70 percent royalty will be calculated off the sales price.

Looks like they are making publishers that disable features, restrict global sales or price gouge on ebooks, put their wallets where their principles are. There are a few gotcha's hiding in there - Amazon has the ability to set any price they wish and the 70% royalty will be based on the end sales price, not the list price set by the author/publisher. Those who have massive files, due to including lots of high resolutions pictures or multiple copies of the cover (I counted five in one book) will pay a penalty, as the delivery charges are higher. But most customers will love the new structure, as it will guarantee global access and TTS on all titles that choose the higher payment plan.

The Terms and Conditions page doesn't yet reflect the new rates, which become an option for US authors on June 30, 2010 (with International authors to be added later), but you can read the press release HERE.

Free Audiobook - 2006 MLK Memorial Dedication

You can get a free download of the audio from the 2006 broadcast of Martin Luther King National Memorial Foundation Groundbreaking Ceremony from Audible, featuring Maya Angelou, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Tommy Hilfiger, Jesse Jackson, Wynonna Judd, Jack Kemp, Soledad O'Brien, Barack Obama, Tavis Smiley, Oprah Winfrey.

Audio Description
At the groundbreaking ceremony for the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Memorial along the Tidal Basin near the Lincoln Memorial, participants spoke about the legacy of Reverend King and the civil rights movement.

The ceremony included speeches by former president Clinton, President Bush, members of Congress, and other dignitaries, as well as musical entertainment by several performers.

Free Book (PDF) - The Surgeon

Tess Gerritsen’s The Surgeon ($4.99 Kindle) was one of the first free books I read on my Kindle and one of the first I posted about here on the blog (on 9/11/08). After reading it, I immediately went and found more books in the series to read. If you missed it then, you can still get this book for free over on Scribd, in PDF format. Just run it thru Calibre or the Amazon conversion services and you can read it on your Kindle or other reader (I wouldn't try it in PDF format, except on a DX or similar size screen).

Book Description
In her most masterful novel of medical suspense, New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen creates a villain of unforgettable evil--and the one woman who can catch him before he kills again.

He slips into their homes at night and walks silently into bedrooms where women lie sleeping, unaware of the horrors they soon will endure. The precision of the killer's methods suggests he is a deranged man of medicine, propelling the Boston newspapers and the frightened public to name him "The Surgeon."

The cops' only clue rests with another surgeon, the victim of a nearly identical crime. Two years ago, Dr. Catherine Cordell fought back and killed her attacker before he could complete his assault. Now she hides her fears of intimacy behind a cool and elegant exterior and a well-earned reputation as a top trauma surgeon.

Cordell's careful facade is about to crack as this new killer recreates, with chilling accuracy, the details of Cordell's own ordeal. With every new murder he seems to be taunting her, cutting ever closer, from her hospital to her home. Her only comfort comes from Thomas Moore, the detective assigned to the case. But even Moore cannot protect Cordell from a brilliant hunter who somehow understands--and savors--the secret fears of every woman he kills.

Filled with the authentic detail that is the trademark of this doctor turned author . . . and peopled with rich and complex characters--from the ER to the squad room to the city morgue--here is a thriller of unprecedented depth and suspense. Exposing the shocking link between those who kill and cure, punish and protect, The Surgeon is Tess Gerritsen's most exciting accomplishment yet.

Click HERE for the free download.

Free Audiobook - Haitian Creole

Pimsleur and Audible are giving away a quick intro course on Haitian Creole, Lessons 1 to 5: Learn to Speak and Understand Haitian Creole and Lessons 6 to 10: Learn to Speak and Understand Haitian Creole.

Audiobook Descriptions

1. Includes two-and-a-half hours of spoken-language practice in five 30-minute lessons. Contains lessons 1-5 from the Pimsleur Compact program, plus an introduction to reading. Also includes a User's Guide to introduce you to the Pimsleur Method.
2. Includes two-and-a-half hours of spoken-language practice in five 30-minute lessons. Contains lessons 6-10 from the Pimsleur Compact program, plus an introduction to reading. Also includes a User's Guide to introduce you to the Pimsleur Method.

Shoestring Venture for 99 cents

Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible, by Steve Monas & Richard Hooker, is currently available for 99 cents. There are actually three Kindle editions (the other two are $7.99 and $9.99) in addition to a paperback edition ($27.72), all with supposedly the same publication date (apparently the publisher creates a new edition each time a price change is wanted, which is bit different than other authors and publishers are doing). According to their blog, this is a limited time offer to "celebrate the first days of the decade."

Book Description
Shoestring Venture-The Start-up Bible

All entrepreneurs - even the smallest operating on the tightest of budgets - have the opportunity to build powerful start-up organizations without ever really having to walk out the front door. Using global communications and data networks, even bootstrap entrepreneurs can staff an entire organization with every human resource and skill they need at rock-bottom prices.

It's the magic of outsourcing. For, you see, globalization ain't just for the big kids. We often hear about how globalization exports jobs overseas, but we rarely hear about the opportunities globalization creates for even the smallest of businesses, opportunities that allow even tiny businesses to compete with the majors on a global scale. In short, anyone can run a virtual organization using only a desktop or laptop computer.

Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible gives bootstrap entrepreneurs all the resources they need to build truly effective startups using the magic of outsourcing and offshoring.

A Consultant in a Book
For the millions who start a new business every year on the barest of resources, Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible is like hiring a high-level consultant to deal with the bewildering maze of issues from finance to marketing to technology that all entrepreneurs face.

Every business is nothing but a series of decisions which can make or break the business. You could say that, if there's a science of business, it's the science of making good decisions. And every bootstrap entrepreneur faces the daunting task of making ALL the business decisions, any one of which could either doom the enterprise or catapult it to stratospheric success. That meas that every entrepreneur has to quickly get up to speed on every issue their business faces.

Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible is the most exhaustive set of practical resources collected to empower entrepreneurs to make the right decisions on a limited budget, from business concept to product development to Web marketing. We call a "consultant in a book," there to give considered and experienced answers to the infinite questions that come up.

Free Game - Monster Mash

Sandlot Games has another game up as a free download. This week it's Monster Mash ($6.99 Amazon Game Downloads); no reviews at Amazon yet, but it's not the same type of game I've tried there before (looks like a strategy game, though).

Game Description

• Defend Curly Valley.
• 20 Quirky And Bizarre Monsters.
• 9 Unique Scenes.
• Hours Of Challenging Gameplay.

The villagers of Curly Valley are under attack from legions of quirky and bizarre monsters. Use all of your cunning and might to repel these mysterious invaders by fortifying the vulnerable villages with various towers, upgrades and unusual defensive armaments. With more than 25 increasingly powerful tower upgrades and 9 unique storybook-inspired scenes, the grateful villagers of Curly Valley will cheer you on with every conquest in Monster Mash, an addictive, strategic adventure!

Click HERE to sign up for the free download. For step by step purchase and installation instructions, see this post.