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Friday, April 30, 2010

Bargain Book Roundup, Part II

Ties That Bind, Ties That Break ($1.30 Kindle), by Lensey Namioka

Book Description
Third Sister in the Tao family, Ailin has watched her two older sisters go through the painful process of having their feet bound. In China in 1911, all the women of good families follow this ancient tradition. But Ailin loves to run away from her governess and play games with her male cousins. Knowing she will never run again once her feet are bound, Ailin rebels and refuses to follow this torturous tradition.

As a result, however, the family of her intended husband breaks their marriage agreement. And as she enters adolescence, Ailin finds that her family is no longer willing to support her. Chinese society leaves few options for a single woman of good family, but with a bold conviction and an indomitable spirit, Ailin is determined to forge her own destiny. Her story is a tribute to all those women whose courage created new options for the generations who came after them.


Two Cats, Three Tales ($9.99), by Lilian Jackson Braun. Three volumes in one, that's $3.33 per book, while the individual volumes are $6.29 each.

Book Description
The first three Cat Who... mysteries in one volume, from the New York Times bestselling "master of mystery" (People). Prize-winning reporter Jim Qwilleran and his extraordinary Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum always land on their feet. This special volume includes the first three books in this "thoroughly delightful"* series. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards: Modern art is a mystery to many-but for Jim Qwilleran and Koko it turns into a mystery of another sort. The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern: Reporter Qwill isn't thrilled about covering the interior design beat. Little does he know that a killer has designs on a local woman featured in one of his stories. The Cat Who Turned On and Off: Qwill and Koko are joined by Yum Yum as they try to solve a murder in an antique shop.

Someone to Trust ($1.83), by Ginny Aiken

Book Description
So what if she's the fire chief's daughter? Arson investigator Rand Mason doesn't trust Catelyn Caldwell. Seven years ago, he was on the scene when Cate's drunken boyfriend ran her sister and brother-in-law off the road. But the purple-haired brat he remembers sitting in the passenger seat has become a poised, confident woman. With Cate's father critically injured in a meth lab fire, she's determined to find the person responsible. She needs Rand's help...and he needs to keep Cate close. Time to see if she's truly someone he can trust--and love.

Nightwalker ($3.60), by Heather Graham , is only one of the many discounted books by this author in the Kindle store currently.

Book Description
One night, desperate for money to support her grandfather, Jessy Sparhawk places the bet that will change her life forever. Just as she's collecting her winnings, a man stumbles through the crowd, a knife protruding from his back, and crashes into her, pinning her to the table.

Hired to investigate the murder, private detective Dillon Wolf finds himself fascinated by the gorgeous redhead who'd been trapped beneath the victim--and by the single word the dying man had whispered in her ear. Indigo.

One murder leads to another as Dillon and Jessy realize that the nightmare is only just beginning--and that the dead still have a hand left to play.


The Pride of Lions ($3.95), by Marsha Canham

Book Description
They were torn between pride and passion. . .

It was a boastful wager, a bold flirtation meant to win a proposal from the most eligible officer in His Majesty's Royal Dragoons. How was the spoiled and pampered Catherine Augustine Ashbrooke to know the handsome stranger with the brooding midnight eyes would see through her plot and make her the pawn in a dangerous game of his own?

United by a reckless game of chance. . .

Alexander Cameron may have won the highborn English beauty in a duel, but not even the lure of long-forgotten desires could keep him from his meeting with destiny. He had no choice but to carry his reluctant bride off to the Highlands, to a world of ancient blood feuds and a brewing rebellion--a world where fiery passion and breathtaking courage would prove that even legendary warriors could lose their hearts.

Bestselling, award-winning author Marsha Canham sweeps us into the turbulence and romance of Scotland's quest for freedom in a saga of two born enemies whose lives and destinies are irrevocably bound to the fate of an empire.


No Mercy ($4.47), by John Gilstrap

Book Description
Deep inside the dangerous world of rescue operations, one anonymous hero pays no ransom, takes no prisoners, and breaks every rule. Meet Jonathan Grave. . .

No names. No feds. No trace evidence. That's how Jonathan Grave operates. As a freelance specialist in covert rescues, he has to work outside the law to get things done-especially in highly sensitive hostage situations. But when an Indiana college student is abducted, and Jonathan's meticulous plan explodes into a deadly shooting spree, the local authorities are out for blood-and they're not alone. Someone wants to control a devastating secret . . . someone rich and powerful . . . someone willing to capture, torture, and kill anyone to get it. Even the people Jonathan loves most. . .


And here are a few independent authors who have their books on sale for 99 cents. The first one ends today, a few end this weekend and the others have more indefinite dates before their prices go back up.

Coombe's Wood ($0.99), by Lisa C Hinsley, should bounce up to $2.99 after today.

Book Description
Izzy Santana and her 13-year-old son Connor move into a Reading Council-provided flat in the sleepy village of Cedham. Locals darkly warn her to stay away from nearby Coombe’s Wood, hinting first at elves, then at multiple murders… which may or may not have taken place in the woods hundreds of years ago. It’s all ludicrously superstitious, and Izzy is so delighted to have found a haven for her son – after being threatened by her sadistic ex-partner George – that she takes little notice.

She meets a neighbour who seems kindly, if a trifle fey, and who takes a great interest in her son. Connor seems instantly comfortable with him. She begins to feel as if she is also falling under his spell. But Connor is bullied at school, and one night she finds herself tracking those bullies in the wood, where she believes they are waiting for him. She doesn’t find them, but something closes in on her – something that sounds like a savage animal. As she runs she realises she may have been set up – or Connor was – to be caught by whatever the animal was. She strengthens the barricades in her flat, no longer puts all the local tales about ‘danger in them woods’ down to superstition, and even begins to wonder about the way she was selected by the Reading Council officer to live in the village in the first place.

Then a slit rabbit turns up on her doorstep, along with a distinctive cigarette butt, and she knows George has found her. Desperately compassionate, her neighbour calls the police, who turn up next day, harumph the ceiling, and take the attitude: You’ve not been attacked, then, Miss? You haven’t actually seen him? Why, if your ex-lover has tracked you down, do you suppose he would he dump a rabbit at your door…? Her own question, more urgent, is: if George can get in the front door of the building, can he get into her flat?

What Izzy needs to do is protect Connor. She has already started to uncover the ancient secrets of the village, and now she works out the perfect way to get rid of George… for good.


Firefly Island ($0.99), by Daniel Arenson

Book Description
Want to escape to a magical land? Discover a world at the edge of imagination. Visit Firefly Island. In Firefly Island, you'll meet Aeolia, a girl enslaved to an ogre on a faraway farm. With the magic of fireflies, she must escape the ogre, then journey to find her long-lost brother. Join Aeolia as she explores Firefly Island, a strange land of firefly magic. Her quest takes her from hills swarming with ogres, to jungles full of fierce tree warriors, to castles brimming with knights in armor, to an underworld of outlaws on dark city streets, to twisting dungeons, and into landscapes of flame and war.

Quest for the Simurgh ($0.99) and Tales of a Texas Boy ($0.99), by Marva Dasef, are marked down for Mother's Day.

Book Description
Quest for the Simurgh
The village magician, Wafa, has gone missing. His star pupil Faiza thinks he has left a clue for her on a page of the Magicalis Bestialis. With the page open and marked with an X, she believes Wafa is telling them to seek out the Simurgh, the mythical birds who possess all the knowledge of the universe. She convinces her three classmates that they must seek the help of the Simurgh to find their teacher.

She leads the boys on a difficult journey into the mountains in search of the elusive birds. A strange little man becomes their guide. However, they do not know he is a spirit leading them toward a battle between good and evil. Spirits, gods, and demons confront the four friends, who are being set up by the otherworldly forces for a much larger task than finding their teacher. The students were chosen to take sides in the battle which might spell the end of the world: a battle between the demons and the spirits.

Tales of a Texas Boy
How do you handle a crazy jackass? Eddie knows. If you ask Eddie, he'll tell you pigs can fly and show you where to find real mammoth bones. Take his word for it when he tells you always to bet on the bear. These are things he learned while dreaming of becoming a cowboy in West Texas during the Depression. Through Eddie, the hero of "Tales of a Texas Boy," we find that growing up is less about maturity and more about roping your dreams. Hold on tight. It's a bumpy ride. A wonderful read for anyone who enjoys books like "Little House on the Prairie" or "Tom Sawyer." A great bit of nostalgia for seniors, too.


Recollections: A Baby Boomer's Memories of the Fabulous Fifties ($0.99), by Jim Chambers

Book Description
As one of the first post-WWII Baby Boomers, the author's childhood and early teenage years were in the 1950s, a remarkable decade for the United States that saw enormous political, technological, and cultural changes. Although many books have covered the headline-making events of the era in great detail, few of these books give the reader a real feel for what daily life was like for Americans living in that decade, especially for kids growing up then. The author remembers the little nuts and bolts things of daily life for families during the fascinating decade known as the Fabulous Fifties. "Recollections" perfectly blends paying homage to the little day-to-day rituals with a larger scale examination of social issues and mores of the times, and it’s equally entertaining on either level. "Recollections" is a warm, lovingly honest, and fascinating portrait of America in the mid-20th Century.

Second Chances ($0.99), by Kristie Leigh Maguire

Book Description
Jane Porter’s dreams of marrying Mike Farley, the handsome cowboy who lives on the neighboring ranch, are shattered when Mike suddenly marries a redheaded stranger he met at the Wild Horse Saloon in Casper, Wyoming. After Mike stomped all over Jane’s heart with his cowboy boots, can Jane ever trust her heart to a man again?

Mike Farley marries beautiful Samantha Jo Smith after a whirlwind courtship with no thought to Jane Porter, his childhood sweetheart and the woman everyone in Fremont County thought he would marry one day. Mike soon learns to regret his hasty marriage to Samantha. Can Mike win back Jane’s heart even though he had shattered it into a million pieces?

Longtime friends and neighbors Jim Porter and Liz Farley turn to each other for support, and help in raising their children Jane and Mike, after the unexpected death of their spouses. Will Jim and Liz’s friendship turn into something deeper even though they both feel they have had, and lost, their chance at love?

Is it ever too late for love? Is it ever too late for second chances?

Set in rural Wyoming, Second Chances is a delightful read that will warm your heart.


The Wife of Freedom ($0.99), by Camille LaGuire

Book Description
New Acteron is on the verge of rebellion, and so is Mary Alwyn, the upstanding wife of a local revolutionary. Mary was once a wild orphan, who loved to run barefoot and jump in the mud, but she's been raised to be a good and proper wife. Everyone thought that the irrepressible Jackie Alwyn would be a good match for her, but he's married to the revolution, isn't he?

When a charming nobleman comes along, he's like a big mud-puddle, and Mary just can't help but jump in bed with him.

But when she betrays her lover's trust for the revolution, Jackie holds her up as a hero and calls her the Whore of Freedom in public. If Mary's ever going to live down the first part of that name, she's going to have to live up to the second. So she sets out to be a real spy, as brazen and bold as the reputation that precedes her, while learning anew what it is to be a real friend to those you love. But she'll never really be free until she returns to face her past.


The Other Side of Tuscany ($0.99), by N. A. Stolfo Corti

Book Description
A heartbreaking true story of one woman's personal triumph over an abusive relationship set amidst the high-stakes world of Italy's fashion elite.

Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Other Side of Tuscany captures the beauty and power achieved when we come to forgive those who hurt us the most.

A tour de force for women. And for the power of love.


Finally, BookView Cafe is having a sale in honor of the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. They have several books marked down to the one-to-three dollar range (although some are only in PDF format), HERE.

Bargain Book Roundup, Part I

The Chicago Way ($1.59 Kindle; $1.99 B&N, Kobo & Sony), by Michael Harvey, whose just released The Third Rail ($9.99 Kindle) is also on 100% rebate at fictionwise.com this week.

Book Description
From the co-creator and executive producer of the television show Cold Case Files, a fast-paced, stylish murder mystery featuring a tough-talking Irish cop turned private investigator who does for the city of Chicago what Elmore Leonard did for Detroit and Raymond Chandler did for Los Angeles.

Chicago private investigator Michael Kelly is hired by his former partner, John Gibbons, to help solve an eight-year-old rape and battery case, a case it turns out his old friend was once ordered to forget. When Gibbons turns up dead on Navy Pier, Kelly enlists a team of his savviest colleagues to connect the dots between the recent murder and the cold case it revived: Diane Lindsay, a television reporter whose relationship with Kelly is not strictly professional; his best friend from childhood, Nicole Andrews, a forensic DNA expert; Nicole’s boyfriend, Vince Rodriguez, a detective with a special interest in rape cases; and Bennett Davis from the DA’s office, a friend since Kelly’s days on the force. To close the case, Kelly will have to face the mob, a serial killer, his own double-crossing friends, and the mean streets of the city he loves.

Ferociously plotted and crackling with wit, The Chicago Way is first-rate suspense steeped in the glorious, gritty atmosphere of a great city: a marvelous debut.


The Curse of the Pharaohs ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo & Sony), by Elizabeth Peters, second in the Amelia Peabody series.

Book Description
One of the best-loved of mystery writers weaves another tale of intrigue featuring Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe of Crocodile on the Sandbank. This time the willful and witty duo must catch a murderer at an excavation of an ancient Egyptian tomb.

Seeing a Large Cat ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo & Sony), by Elizabeth Peters, ninth in the Amelia Peabody series.

Book Description
No villain is safe in 1903 Egypt as feisty archaeologist Amelia Peabody embarks on her ninth adventure.

According to an ancient Egyptian papyrus, dreaming of a large cat means good luck. And that's just what Amelia Peabody could use, as her growing family matures in the new century. What's more, Amelia's dashing husband Emerson has received a mysterious warning not to enter the Valley of the Kings. To Emerson's annoyance, Amelia's meddling distracts her attention as she exposes a fraudulent spiritualist, saves a marriage, and plays matchmaker. But diabolical forces are at work when an unknown tomb reveals a shocking murder -- and the Peabody family dodges bullets from an assassin determined to put an end to their discoveries.


Spellbound ($1.79 Kindle, $1.99 B&N & Sony)

Book Description
While world-famous photographer Calin Farrell enjoys a much-needed vacation in Ireland, he becomes bewitched by the ravishingly beautiful Bryna Torrence. In fact, so bewitched that he refuses to believe in the spell that has brought them together—and could destroy them both.

The biggest problem with buying Midnight In Death ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo & Sony) or Interlude In Death ($1.99 Kindle, Kobo & Sony), by JD Robb, is that the third in the series is not available in ebook form and is out of print. Instead, you can pick up all three in one volume, at only slight more per book: Three in Death: Midnight in Death/Interlude in Death/Haunted in Death ($6.29 Kindle, $6.99 B&N)

Book Description
Midnight in Death
Eve’s name has made a Christmas list, but it’s not for being naughty or nice. It’s for putting a serial killer behind bars. Now the escaped madman has her in his sights. With her husband, Roarke, at her side, Eve must stop the man from exacting his bloody vengeance - or die trying…

Interlude in Death
In early spring of 2059, Lieutenant Eve Dallas is called off planet to face a grueling ordeal - giving a seminar at the largest police conference of the year, to be held in a swanky resort. It's supposed to be at least partly a vacation, but work intrudes in the form of a bloody homicide. The case is complicated by Eve's personal history with the victim - and by the killer's history with Roarke.

Haunted in Death
Number Twelve is an urban legend in 2060 New York City. The hot club in the 1960s, it is now reported to be haunted…and cursed. Lieutenant Eve Dallas is called there to investigate the apparent murder of Radcliff Hopkins, its new owner and the grandson of the man who made Number Twelve a cultural icon. With everyone around her talking about the supernatural, pragmatic Eve won’t let rumors of ghosts distract her from hard evidence.


4 Day Detox ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo & Sony), by Ian K. Smith

Book Description
Dr. Ian Smith's diets really work. America has lost millions of pounds following his bestselling programs: The Fat Smash Diet, Extreme Fat Smash and, his newest, The 4 Day Diet-an eating plan that allows readers to avoid the normal (and fatal) pitfalls of dieting. Now you can try THE 4 DAY DETOX: the first of seven four-day modules straight from The 4 Day Diet by Dr. Ian. As seen on -The Rachael Ray Show- and -Celebrity Fit Club-, THE 4 DAY DETOX will charge up your system and remove some of the toxins your body may have accumulated and that keep you in an unhealthy eating rut. In his detox, Dr. Ian provides specific marching orders for invigorating, extremely healthy foods that not only mop up the toxins floating around in your body but naturally increase your energy and prime you to lose excess pounds. THE 4 DAY DETOX will cleanse your body, help you lose weight fast, and focus your mind on what you can do when you commit to change.

Things that Make You Feel Good ($1.99 Kindle, B&N & Sony), by Todd Parr

Book Description & Author Bio
Open this book to find out things that make you feel good and the things that make you feel bad. This children's book is written by the author of This Is My Hair.

Even if you have never seen one of his books, you may already be familiar with Todd Parr's work from seeing bedding or toys emblazoned with his bold, colorful art. With his positive, slyly humorous picture books, Parr encourages toddlers and preschools to embrace their individuality and communicate what they feel. It's nearly impossible to look at his pages and not smile, no matter what age you are.

Free Books (nook) from Hackett and MG

Several new free books in the B&N store and I don't expect them to stay at this price. The earlier ones from MG press increased from free to an average of $75.00 each after two days. From the titles I've seen offered so far, it appears that Hackett Publishing specializes in materials for college students, while MG has more Canadian and UK non-fiction. While some of the Hackett volumes are in the public domain, what you are generally getting are newer translations, commentaries and improved formatting. One note on pricing - although these say they are free and have a $0.00 price tag (at least when I am posting this, always double check before clicking), B&N will probably charge you a penny apiece for them.

The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing, by Michael Harvey

Book Description
Engagingly written and illustrated with scores of telling examples, this plainspoken how-to book for college writers identifies those qualities that most typically distinguish good writing from bad and provides practical measures for avoiding pitfalls.

Included are do's and don'ts for achieving concision, clarity, and flow, as well as pointers on using punctuation, writing gracefully, citing sources, and structuring persuasive writing.

Championing "the plain style" with a keen appreciation for the uses to which language can be put-including abuses to which it is prone-The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing is a guide that never fails to remind readers why good writing matters so much in the first place, in college and beyond.


Walden Two, by B.F. Skinner

Book Description
This fictional outline of a modern utopia has been a center of controversy ever since its publication in 1948. Set in the United States, it pictures a society in which human problems are solved by a scientific technology of human conduct.

Analects: With Selections from Traditional Commentaries, by Confucius

Book Description
Rich distillation of the timeless precepts of extremely influential Chinese philosopher and social theorist. Includes "Concerning Fundamental Principles," "Concerning Government," "The Eight Dancers: Concerning Manners and Morals," and much more. Footnotes.

Four Plays and Three Jokes, by Anton Chekhov

Book Description
This volume offers lively and accurate translations of Chekhov's major plays and one-acts along with a superb Introduction focused on the plays' remarkably enduring power to elicit the most widely divergent of responses, the life of the playwright in its historical and aesthetic contexts, suggestions for reading the plays "under a microscope," and notes designed to bring Chekhov's world into immediate focus-everything needed to examine his drama with fresh eyes and on its own artistic terms.

Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert

Book Description
Madame Bovary is the story of a beautiful young woman who marries a luckless and loutish country doctor. She attempts to escape the narrow confines of her life through a series of passionate affairs, hoping to find in other men the romantic ideal she has always dreamed about. Her recklessness comes back to haunt her, however, and the strong-willed and independent Emma finds herself in a desperate fight for existence.

Innovation, Science, Environment: Canadian Policies and Performance, 2008-2009, by Glen Toner

Author Bio
Glen Toner is professor, public policy and director of Carleton University's Research Unit in Innovation, Science and Environment in the School of Public Policy and Administration.

Jerusalem on the Amur: Birobidzhan and the Canadian Jewish Communist Movement, 1924-1951, by Henry Felix Srebrnik

Book Description
The Canadian Jewish Communist movement, an influential ideological voice within the Canadian left, played a major role in the politics of Jewish communities in cities such as Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg, as well as many smaller centres, between the 1920s and the 1950s. Jerusalem on the Amur looks at the interlocking group of left-wing Jewish organizations that shared the political views of the Canadian Communist Party and were vocal proponents of policies perceived as beneficial to the Jewish working class. Focusing on the Association for Jewish Colonization in Russia, known by its transliterated acronym as the ICOR, and the Canadian Ambijan Committee, Henry Srebrnik uses Yiddish-language books, newspapers, pamphlets, and other materials to trace the ideological and material support provided by the Canadian Jewish Communist movement to Birobidzhan.

By providing the first account of the rise and fall of Communism in the Jewish community of Canada, Jerusalem on the Amur makes a substantial contribution to our understanding of twentieth-century Jewish life.


Finding Freedom: Hegelian Philosophy and the Emancipation of Women, by Sara MacDonald

Author Bio
Sara MacDonald is a professor in the Great Ideas Programme at St. Thomas University.


Seeing Ghosts: 9/11 and the Visual Imagination, by Karen Engle

Book Description
Starting from the tremendous fascination with images of 9/11, Karen Engle asks what, in the context of a national trauma, makes an image appropriate or scandalous, exploring how diverse visual media have been mobilized in political projects of identification and personal narratives of empathy. Focusing on themes of memory, mourning, and history, Engle examines sculptural, photographic, and new media responses to the 9/11 attacks in both contemporary and historical contexts, considers the public's reaction to these visual productions, and suggests that earlier presentations of America at war play a pivotal role in the representations of 9/11 in both official and popular media.

Seeing Ghosts is a groundbreaking theoretical study of how we remember, how we mourn, and how images of a particular event influence our imagination of the future.


The Boundaries of Meaning and the Formation of Law: Legal Concepts and Reasoning in the English, Arabic, and Chinese Traditions, by Sharron Gu

Book Description
Different legal systems share some basic developmental tendencies that are rooted in the historical evolution of language and culture. In this comparative history of English common law, Islamic law, and Chinese imperialist law Sharron Gu describes the formation of three diverse legal systems in terms of their unique linguistic environments. In this unique study of how language determines the structure of legal systems, Gu argues that the characteristics of each language define the nature of the common, statute, administrative, and religious laws associated with it and set the boundaries for its legal imagination.

Race Riots: Comedy and Ethnicity in Modern British Fiction, by Michael L. Ross

Book Description
In Race Riots, the first study of racial humour in the work of modern British authors, examines the complex ways in which laughter can either reinforce or subvert racial stereotyping. Filling a critical gap, Race Riots focuses on the rhetorical function of laughter within comic texts, a seldom studied dimension of the subject. It also explores the relationship between humour and power in society, concerns that are customarily treated separately.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Using Collections on Kindle

Detailed info on using Collections, complete with screenshots, is already available on the Kindle Help pages (which means our Kindle Manuals should update as well, when we get the firmware update), HERE.

It looks like those with multiple Kindles will want to designate one of them as the master collection creator, at least at first, as the others can then import the collection definitions (and presumably then change them individually). You will be able to assign a book into multiple Collections (so, it does work like tags), as well as see the items you haven't yet assigned to a collection. The method used to create and assign the collections, however, is probably the most awkward possible - create a collection first, then use the five-way to move to the right while highlighting it's name, select the Add/Remove option, then find the book (hmm.... ok, I have hundreds of pages ....) by clicking with the controller (it looks like you can at least select more than one at a time). I looked at my Kindle management page (kindle.amazon.com), and there doesn't appear to be any support for collections there. There are a few other updates, though, such as the ability to mark a book as read, reading or unread (or "I gave up on it", which they call "stopped reading"), although I don't believe you can see that info on the Kindle itself, nor can you set these values for anyone other than the main Kindle account holder. You also can't set a collection value from inside a book (which would be relatively trivial to add, even using their awkward point and click system, rather than letting us type in tags either on the Kindle from inside a book or do mass assignments in the Kindle manage page).

It'll be a pain, but it will be possible to classify your books by genre and set up further collections of "read", "unread" and "reading" (for those with multiple Kindles, you'll want to set up one of each for each person and let that person maintain them - I'd name them differently, though, so you don't accidentally import someone else's Reading collection to your Kindle). Of course, for most of us, the "unread" category will be blank, as we've learned to delete books once they are read and these collection categories will have no relevance to the "read,reading,etc." tags set up on the Kindle Management page. I can see why they are leaving their Original Kindle owners out in the cold, however, due to the way they implemented tagscollections - rather than have the help pages explain how to do things both ways (using the keyboard for the K1) or having newer Kindle owners complain that it is easier that way or letting you manage the collections from the web, they simply added a single method using the five-way controller (thinking that customers who picked an ereader with a keyboard are too mouse centric to use it, perhaps?); which also leaves out (or makes so difficult it requires assistance), some of their readers with less motor control or lesser eyesight, as well, who already have more difficulty with the newer Kindle than the original, for some functions.

One unanswered question: if you have the same collection on two Kindles and both people make changes to it, will those changes sync across Kindles? Or will one of the Kindles have to import the changes from the other? What happens if the changes are contradictory?

The most relevant part of using Collections, from the Amazon Help pages:

Managing Content in Your Collections

After you create one or more collections you wish to use for organizing your Kindle's content, you're ready associate items on your Kindle with those collections. Here are a few handy collection features:

  • Collections are stored on Amazon: When you create a collection on a device, we'll save your collection so it appears in Archived Items on other devices registered to your Amazon.com account. This allows you to transfer collections across registered Kindles.

  • Books are associated with collections until removed: If you add a book to a collection on your Kindle and then delete the book from your device, it remains associated with that collection in Archive Items. If you download the book again, it will automatically appear in the appropriate collection on your Home screen.

  • Books can appear in more than one collection: You can associate a single book or other item from your library with multiple collections if you wish.

  • Collections don't change device or Archive Items content: If you delete a book from a collection or delete an entire collection from your Kindle, it does not change the actual items saved on your Kindle or in your Archive Items on Amazon. When you delete a collection from your Kindle, any downloaded items from that collection will appear the Home screen instead of in the collection.

To add or remove collection items:

  1. Highlight the collection name on the Home screen.
  2. Move the 5-way controller to the right to reveal the collection options.
  3. Select "Add/Remove Items" with the 5-way controller.
  4. Highlight and select a title you wish to add or remove. Items currently in the collection will display a check mark to the right of the title.
  5. Select "Done" at the bottom of the screen when you've finished editing your collection.

To import a collection from another Kindle:

  1. Select "Archived Items" from the Kindle Home screen.
  2. Select "Add Other Device Collections" from the Archived Items page.
  3. Select the desired collection to import and select "ok" to confirm.

Note: Importing a collection from another device does not import the books or other items to your Kindle if they aren't downloaded already. However, books already on your Kindle that are associated with a collection will automatically appear under that collection name on your Home screen.

Six Free Books from Sony

Six more free titles in the Sony ebookstore, courtesy of Xlibris Publishing.

The Urban Book of the Dead ($9.99 Kindle), by Jonathan Cottam

Book Description
Urban Book of the dead is my second book to be published, after ‘The Unrequited Zombie’. It is a rather less experimental work, though still unusual, vivid, and descriptive. I would describe the book as both psychedelic and surreal, being rather pedantic about the use of those two words. That is, if it were surreal I would be dealing with a psychological work, something that looked towards expanding knowledge of the Id, that primitive part of our nature that is repressed by social conventions and the need to plan to get what we want. It is, in that it is self gratifying without recourse to opinion, it is every animalistic urge that can only be released through art, because to do it any other way would have terrible repercussions. Having said that, next to my early work, it is not particularly arty or deep. It is psychedelic because it looks to reaching a higher consciousness by through creativity, to reach a state beyond the normal level of seeing things, it is also psychedelic and surreal in the commonly understood sense, it is ‘trippy’ and sometimes deals with drugs.

From Dawn to Deceit ($19.99 paperback), by Terry Joseph

Book Description
Are the Wall Street players Jasper Cunningham encounters along his quest for power merely a pawn in his murderous passion for wealth? From Dawn to Deceit reveals the saga of a self-made multimillionaire whose greed and malice succumb him to fight the justice system to regain his freedom and stature in the business world. Through flashbacks of the adulterous years preceding Jasper's arrest and trial, we encounter cold-blooded murders, corporate fraud and embezzlement, and justified rape. In his journey, Jasper affiliates with seemingly faithful lovers and underworld cohorts who become jointly entangled in their common goal-the pursuit of wealth, sex, and power. But who can Jasper trust? The layers of deception only accelerate after his verdict.

Growing up with A Heart Defect and Faith ($9.99 Kindle), by Shelia Ratliff

Book Description
The Story you are about to read is based on my life. It’s a true story. I wanted to share it with others hoping it will make a difference in their life. After you read it you will see how I fit back with my faith, by helping others fight back as well. How I was called a poor girl to heart trouble kid. But with my faith I was the richest girl in the world. Not money wise, but being blessed wise. Stories about some of my friends who fit back with their lives and won. About special people in my life who made a difference. You will see how miracles happen. You will be amazed how little things can make a difference and never give up on faith or your dreams, … because this is one of mine.

God's Poetic Treasure's: A Poetic Journey Through The Scriptures ($9.99 Kindle), by Priscilla McGee

Book Description
God’s poetic treasure’s is a poetic Journey through the scriptures. This book has section headings and in each section there is a prayer and a related scripture. Within each section there are eight to ten poems with a related scripture. This book is designed in the style of a devotion book which allows the reader to look at the section heading, find the area that they may need encouragement. Then through accessibility they can turn to it and read the poems and scriptures that are related to the topic.

What Every Catholic Should Know about Mary: Dogmas, Doctrines, and Devotions ($9.99 Kindle), by Terrence J. McNally

Book Description
This book provides a concise summary of Traditional Catholic Mariology. It explains the following facts:
• Jesus worked his first miracle for Mary (Jn 2:1–11).
• Mary kept the faith of the Church alive on Calvary (Jn 19:25–27).
• By 200 CE, Catholic Mariology was virtually completed.
• Early Christians painted pictures of Mary in the catacombs.
• The earliest prayer to Mary dates from c. 270 CE.
• Between 100 and 200 CE, a church was dedicated to Mary at Nazareth.
• In the 350s, the feast of the Assumption of Mary was celebrated on August 15.
• In 431 CE, the Church proclaimed Mary Mother of God.
• Marian devotion is Christ-centered and presupposes conversion of heart.
• Catholic Marian teaching derives from the Bible and Tradition (the apostles as witnessed by the Fathers of the Church).
• The four Marian dogmas are the Divine Maternity, Perpetual Virginity, Immaculate Conception, and Assumption into heaven. The Church never defined dogmas of Mary as Co-Redemptrix and/or Mediatrix of all graces.
• In heaven, Mary shares subordinately in the mediation of Jesus Christ, the only Mediator.
• The rosary is 57 percent biblical.


Misery Doesn't Always Love Company ($9.99 Kindle), by Mark A. McDonald. This appears to be a poetry collection, but I can't find a book description anywhere.