The Lace Reader

A new edition of the bestselling The Lace Reader ($4.99), by Brunonia Barry, has been released, with an excerpt added from her new novel, The Map of True Places ($12.99).

Book Description
In the tradition of The Thirteenth Tale, Brunonia Barry's bewitching gothic novel, The Lace Reader, is a phenomenon. Called "[a] richly imagined saga of passion, suspense, and magic" by Time Magazine, it is a haunting and remarkable tale told by an unforgettable, if strangely unreliable narrator - a woman from an enigmatic Salem family who can foretell the future in patterns of lace. The Lace Reader was a runaway New York Times bestseller - hitting the top lists in major cities across the country, from Boston to Chicago to Los Angeles - and has immediately established debut author Brunonia Barry as a major force in contemporary American fiction.

This one is also available at the same price at Barnes and Noble and Kobo, while it's $5.24 at Sony.

Free Game - Cake Mania

The free game this week at Sandlot Games is Cake Mania ($6.95 Amazon Game Downloads). If you missed picking this one up when Amazon had it free last November, now is your chance.

Game Description

• 48 Levels Of Baking Fun.
• Customize And Upgrade Your Kitchen
• 4 Unique Bakeries To Run
• Hilarious Seasonal Characters

Help a young baker show big bad business who's boss in this fast-paced treat! When the retail behemoth "Mega-Mart" moves in, Jill's beloved family bakery is forced to close. But she's determined to get the business back on its feet with delicious sweets. Help Jill open her own bakery, bring in customers, and earn enough money to re-open her grandparents' bakery! With 48 levels and four different bakeries, Cake Mania is full of mouth-watering fun. Let's get cookin'!

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

Indie Book Roundup Continued

Deed To Death, by D. B. Henson, is currently 99 cents in the Kindle store, but I know the author has put in a request to raise the price (as have many indie authors, as Amazon's new payment schedule will kick in at the end of the month - those charging 2.99 to 9.99 will get 70% of the net sales price, while others get 35%). I just finished this fast-paced thriller (a review copy was provided by the author) and there were twists and turns that I definitely didn't see coming. It's well written and I'm looking forward to her next novel (already in the works). Definitely recommended!

Book Description
Real estate agent Toni Matthew's problems begin when her fiancé, Scott, is murdered. Having to bury the man she loves on the very day they planned to be married is almost more than Toni can take. Dealing with her loss becomes even harder when Scott's estranged brother, Brian, contests the will, threatening to take away her home.

After learning Brian is in deep financial trouble, Toni suspects he may be the one who killed Scott. Determined to find the truth and frustrated with the police, she begins her own investigation. Toni soon realizes she didn't know her fiancé quite as well as she had thought. Scott had been keeping secrets. Secrets that make Toni the killer's next target.

Resurrection ($2.99), by Gabriel May, is free to download at Smashwords, using coupon code LP88X (today only).

Book Description
On the eve of a new Millennium, Jon York expected midnight to come and go without incident. Instead, a brutal home invasion left Jon in a coma, his wife dead, and his daughter beaten and raped. Eight years later Jon awakens from the coma with no recollection of the attack. Fueled by rage, he will stop at nothing to avenge what has been done to his family.

Cries in the Dark ($0.99), by P.A. Woodburn, is free on Smashwords today (no coupon code, but you can't add it to your library, either).

Book Description
When Alex has an accident she discovers that she can telepathically communicate with animals. Losing her summer job in a heart transplant lab she lands a job in a chimpanzee lab instead. Raised by her research scientist stepfather to appreciate the necessity of animal research for curing diseases, Alex discovers that her two closest friends are animal activists. All she desires is to be a regular family doctor. She tries to deal with these challenges to her core beliefs. Then she finds that a brilliant serial killer is stalking her. This vile criminal is so slick that the police claim all of his murders are accidents.

Will Alex survive long enough to sort all of this out or will she become the next victim?

My Blood Approves ($0.99), by Amanda Hocking, has a number of good reviews (avg 4.5 stars) and is aimed at the young adult age group.

Book Description
Seventeen-year-old Alice Bonham's life feels out of control after she meets Jack. With his fondness for pink Chuck Taylors and New Wave hits aside, Jack's unlike anyone she's ever met.

Then she meets his brother, Peter. His eyes pierce through her, and she can barely breathe when he's around. Even though he can't stand the sight of her, she's drawn to him.

But falling for two very different guys isn't even the worst of her problems. Jack and Peter are vampires, and Alice finds herself caught between love and her own blood...

My King The President ($1.00), by Tom Lewis

Book Description
Investigative journalist, Jeb Willard, learns that his old college friend, a Secret Service agent, fatally shot the controversial President of the United States and then killed himself. Devastated, Jeb attends his friend's funeral where he is approached by a priest who gives Jeb a note from his Secret Service agent friend hinting of treason within the highest levels of the government. Uncertain what he should do, Jeb returns home to North Carolina to consult with Cal, his father and witty small town newspaper owner/editor. Cal advises Jeb to not get involved, at least not until more information is learned by the FBI and government investigators. Jeb follows his father's advice, but is eventually forced into action as the new President, Helene Fordham, calls him to Washington for a personal meeting. Jeb cannot refuse the persuasive first female President or her close friend, his former editor, and reluctantly agrees to begin his own investigation. It isn't long before Jeb, Cal, and Liz McCarty, the beautiful sister of the murderer, are running from the chief suspect, former Chief Justice Ezekial Koonce, as well as the FBI, police, a professional hit man, the Mafia, and even the U.S. Army! Stubbornly digging out facts of the conspiracy while barely keeping himself and his friends alive, Jeb manages to stay half a step ahead of all those in pursuit. With Cal's assistance, Jeb peels off layer after layer of the astonishing plot, which races through exciting and surprising turns of events, culminating in an amazing, highly explosive climax you won't believe!

Bourbon Street ($1.99), by Leonce Gaiter

Book Description
It's Mardi Gras in 1958 New Orleans, and Alex Moreau wants revenge. He doesn't want it. He needs it. He needs it for the death of his mother at his gangster father's hands. He needs it for the half-imprisoned life to which his father's condemned him. He needs it... because that's who he is.

So Alex invites Texas gambler Deke Watley to a high stakes Mardi Gras poker game. Deke thinks he's hit the jackpot when his chance to win big collides with a woman he once knew—a woman he wronged—a wrong he's regretted ever since.

But it's Alex's game, and he weaves the worst of his troubled past to create an orgy of vengeance, only to find that the other players have scores to settle, too. Amid the noise and the frenzy of the drunken crowds, streamers flying like electric currents, bejeweled costumes glittering, Deke stumbles through this foreign, lurid town, seeking a return to the innocence he turned his back on long ago. However, the time is running out and old debts must be paid before Alex lets Deke—or any other hustler—leave Bourbon Street alive.

Dreamshade ($0.99), by A. J. Lath, is free at Smashwords using coupon code BS86Q.

Book Description
Benjamin Crosskeys always thought he was ordinary. But when he meets Lilac Zhenrei, a magical adventuress from a land of living dreams, he soon discovers he has reason to believe otherwise. For Benjamin has a rare and wonderful ability. And in an epic adventure, he will discover the price that comes with this gift, as he strives to save his family from a monster born of nightmares...

I bought Deadly Gamble ($0.99), by Connie Shelton, last November and realized that I hadn't read I saw it mentioned on an Amazon forum this week. This is the first in her Charlie Parker Mystery series and I believe I have the first three sitting in my TBR list.

Book Description
In this debut mystery series novel, Charlie Parker, accountant and partner in an Albuquerque private investigation firm, is visited by her old school friend, Stacy North. Stacy's Rolex watch is missing and she begs Charlie to help locate it before her husband finds out. Things are complicated by the fact that Stacy had been seeing another man, Gary Detweiller, and he's the one she suspects of having stolen the watch. With a little detective work, Charlie retrieves the missing watch and all should be well. But three days later, Detweiller is murdered. All eyes turn to Stacy as the prime suspect.

Once again, Stacy begs Charlie's help in proving her innocence. As she begins to ask questions, Charlie learns that Detweiller's life was not as simple as first perceived and that any number of people had grievances against him. And before she can pinpoint the killer, her own life is in danger as well.

Kindle for Android Arrives - Download it Now!

Speculation around the internet was that Amazon would release Kindle for Android around July 21 (when the Samsung Vibrant will hit the market, as it will have Kindle for Android pre-installed). Today, though, seems to be the day for announcements at Amazon and Kindle for Android is now available to download.

Read Kindle books on your Android phone

• Get the best reading experience available on your Android phone. No Kindle required
• Access your Kindle books even if you don't have your Kindle with you
• Automatically synchronizes your last page read and annotations between devices with Whispersync
• Adjust the text size, add bookmarks, and view the annotations you created on your Kindle, computer, or other Kindle-compatible device
• Read in portrait or landscape mode
• Tap on either side of the screen or flick to turn pages

View larger image

Shop for books in the Kindle Store optimized for your Android phone Buy a book from the Kindle Store optimized for your Android phone and get it auto-delivered wirelessly Search and browse more than 600,000 books, including 109 of 110 New York Times bestsellers. If you are a non-U.S. customer, book availability may vary Find New York Times® Best Sellers and new releases from $9.99 Get free book samples. Read the beginning of books for free before you decide to buy Books you purchase can also be read on a Kindle, computer, or other Kindle-compatible mobile devices Kindle newspapers, magazines and blogs are currently not available on Kindle for Android Kindle for Android is currently available for customers in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States View larger image Technical Details Requires Android OS 1.6 or greater

Kindle Books Add Audio/Video

Amazon has just announced support for embedded audio clips and video in their books. So far, this is limited to books downloaded to your iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, excluding those on the Kindle hardware and (inexplicably) those using a PC or Mac to read books. The app was updated a few days ago, but it looks like they held off on announcing the new feature until they had a few books available. The Audio/Video enabled versions of books are quite large - one reason they are only on the Apple platform (so far) is that they only will load via WiFi, rather than being sent via the cellular network. That shouldn't be an issue on Kindle for PC or Mac (or for Android, once it releases), but no word yet on whether these apps will be updated to add this capability.

Downloading Kindle Editions with Audio/Video Due to large file size, Kindle for iPad/iPhone/iPod touch requires WiFi to download this title. You will see your purchase on your home screen, but the download will not begin on these devices until they are connected to WiFi.

Kindle Edition with Audio/Video Incorporates video and audio for a rich reading experience. Only available on Kindle for iPad/iPhone/iPod touch.

There are not a lot of titles available yet (in fact, there are only 13 so far, on the Kindle Editions with Audio/Video page). You'll want to keep an eye out for the text (Kindle Edition with Audio/Video) in the title or the graphic shown on the left, as that will indicate that it is only compatible with the new app. For some books, such as Rick Steves': Florence & Tuscany 2010, you will see two versions - one with (Kindle Edition with Audio/Video) in the title and one without. If you want the book on your Kindle and your iPad, you'll have to either choose the non-enhanced, text & images only edition or purchase both versions.

Here are a few of the more interesting looking titles that are now available. I'm still waiting for my samples to load (so, unless you are on a very high speed network, you might not want to follow my example and grab several samples at once).

Bird Songs: 250 North American Birds in Song ($9.99), by Les Beletsky

Book Description
Drawing from the collection of the world-renowned Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Bird Songs presents the most notable North American birds, including the rediscovered Ivory-billed Woodpecker, with lavish full-color illustrations and accompanied by their corresponding songs and calls. Renowned bird biologist Les Beletsky provides a succinct description of each of the 250 birds profiled, with an emphasis on their distinctive songs.

In his foreword, North American bird expert and distinguished natural historian Jon L. Dunn shares insights gained from a lifetime of passionate study. Complete with the most up-to-date and scientifically accurate information, Bird Songs is the first book to capture the enchantment of these beautiful birds in words, pictures, and song.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, located in Ithaca, New York, is a nonprofit institution focused on birds and whose mission is to interpret and conserve the earth's biological diversity through research. The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab is the major source of sound recordings of birds for research, education, conservation, the media, and commercial products.

Rose's Heavenly Cakes ($9.99), by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Book Description
At last an all-new, full-color cake lover's companion from Rose Levy Beranbaum, The Diva of Desserts! Rose Levy Beranbaum is a much beloved and widely respected baking legend, "a worshipped woman ... revered by serious cooks and part-timers alike", in the words of USA Today. Eagerly-awaited by her legions of devoted fans, Rose's Heavenly Cakes is a must-have guide to perfect cake-baking from this award-winning master baker and author of The Cake Bible, one of the bestselling cookbooks of all time.

This comprehensive guide will help home bakers to create delicious, decadent, and spectacularly beautiful cakes of all kinds with confidence and ease. With her precise, foolproof recipes, Rose shows you how to create everything from Heavenly Coconut Seduction Cake, Golden Lemon Almond Cake, and Devil's Food Cake with Midnight Ganache to Orange-Glow Chiffon Layer Cake, Mud Turtle Cupcakes, and Deep Chocolate Passion Wedding Cake. Everything you need to create heavenly cakes-every time-can be found in this new collection of tried-and true recipes by one of the most celebrated bakers of our time.
Offers over 100 simply wonderful recipes for cakes for every occasion, from exceptionally delicious butter and oil cakes, sponge cakes, and mostly flourless cakes and cheesecakes, to charming baby cakes and elegant wedding cakes.

• Features Rose's trademark easy-to-follow, expertly tested (and retested) recipes for perfectly delicious results every time.
• Features special tips and tricks from a beloved baking expert for creating amazing special effects and beautiful cake decor .
• Contains 100 tempting full-color photos.
• Contains video clips of baking tips featuring Rose

Together We Cannot Fail ($9.99), by Terry Golway

Book Description
An uncommon portrait of Roosevelt's presidency, in words, photographs, and his own voice

This vivid portrait shows a nation at its best and at its worst, through the lens of a president's words during the first presidency truly impacted by the media age. An FDR biography unlike any other, Together We Cannot Fail offers a new view of Roosevelt's transformation of an insular America into the world's most revered and feared superpower. An exclusive accompanying audio integrates with the biography to reveal in his own words how he led the nation through the Great Depression and World War II to its "rendezvous with destiny."

Historian Terry Golway brings alive how Roosevelt saved America from its worst fears and led the nation to victory in a cataclysmic world war and by doing so forever changed how Americans live and view themselves. Crafted from Roosevelt's own stirring words, this unique biography shows how he invented and established the practice of the media presidency with his famous fireside chats, the first presidential speeches broadcast nationally from the White House.

For twelve tumultuous presidential years, Roosevelt regularly spoke to the American people, this man of wealth and privilege giving voice to the downtrodden's American Dream. The first in a long line of media presidencies, Roosevelt's innate ability to connect with the people remains the standard by which even the best of them-Kennedy, Reagan, and Obama alike-are judged. Roosevelt's words would define a remarkable presidency that faced and overcame the country's worst economic crisis and a war to end all wars.

Together We Cannot Fail brings the president and his era to life like no other biography, combining the insight of noted historian Terry Golway with Roosevelt's own voice in audio excerpts from his most memorable speeches and chats.

Kindle Edition with Audio/Video includes audio for 30 famous speeches.

Best of the Beatles for Acoustic Guitar ($9.99), by Wolf Marshall

Book Description
Learn the trademark acoustic guitar elements of rock's most influential band. This audio/ebook by guitar dean, Wolf Marshall, provides in-depth analysis of 21 songs including: Across the Universe, And I Love Her, Blackbird Girl, Here Comes the Sun, Hey Jude, I Will, I've Just Seen a Face, Julia, Norwegian Wood, Rocky Raccoon, Till There Was You, Yesterday, You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, and more.

Kindle Edition with Audio/Video includes:

• 21 favorite songs
• Audio included for each song
• Accompanying musical notes and lyrics

Lullaby Baby ($9.99), by Audrey Ficociello

Book Description
Every new parent, whether musical or not, needs a good repertoire of lullabies. Filled with 50 classic songs, this beautiful, lavishly illustrated songbook lets parents learn each song as they sing along with the melody. The unique sound component makes for a unique package, perfect for sitting by the crib, and also works wonderfully on the road, putting little ones to rest anywhere, anytime. A timeless gift, Lullaby Baby celebrates the joy of sharing music with children.

Kindle Edition with Audio/Video includes:

• 50 well known lullabies
• Written lyrics and audio track
• Full color illustrations

Here's the complete press release from Amazon:

Amazon Announces New Functionality for Kindle Apps for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch

Readers can now enjoy embedded video and audio clips in Kindle books on their iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch

SEATTLE, Jun 27, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced a new update to Kindle for iPad and Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch, which allows readers to enjoy the benefits of embedded video and audio clips in Kindle books. The first books to take advantage of this new technology, including Rick Steves' London by Rick Steves and Together We Cannot Fail by Terry Golway, are available in the Kindle Store at http://www.amazon.com/kindleaudiovideo.

"We are excited to add this functionality to Kindle for iPad and Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch," said Dorothy Nicholls, director, Amazon Kindle. "Readers will already find some Kindle Editions with audio/video clips in the Kindle Store today--from Rose's Heavenly Cakes with video tips on preparing the perfect cake to Bird Songs with audio clips that relate the songs and calls to the birds' appearances. This is just the beginning--we look forward to seeing what authors and publishers create for Kindle customers using the new functionality of the Kindle apps."

"We are truly excited to have collaborated with Amazon to launch Kindle Editions with audio/video," said Peter Balis, Director, Digital Content Sales, Wiley. "Innovations like these represent the advantages that digital can offer. Advancing our content in this manner is important for our authors and our readers and it will raise the bar on what digital reading can offer for years to come."

"In the new Kindle Edition with audio/video of Rick Steves' London, the embedded walking tours allow customers to listen to Rick as they explore the sites of London," said Bill Newlin, publisher, Avalon Travel. "Rick's narration adds depth to the reader's experience, while listeners can follow the routes more easily with the text."

Kindle Editions with audio/video are available now with the latest Kindle App on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Kindle for iPhone is now optimized for iPhone 4's retina display. For more information, go to http://www.amazon.com/kindleapps.