Free and Bargain Book Roundup

Two repeat freebies tonight from Christian publisher Zondervan that were only off the free list a day or so):

• Sophie's Secret, by Nancy Rue, the second in her Sophie series
• A Horse to Love, by Marsha Hubler

Yesterday's Kindle Student Deal of the Day, How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing, by Paul J. Silvia PhD, is still $1.99 today.

If you picked up the free copy of Rebecca Forster's Hostile Witness on Smashwords last month, then go back and download a new copy, as she accidentally had the text for Silent Witness after the correct cover; save the old edition and download the new one and you end up with two novels for the price of one (this only works for those who purchased before the fixed edition was uploaded).

Terra Incognita ($0.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), by Ruth Downie, is the second book in her Roman Empire series, following (the still free) Medicus. This series was originally released in the UK as the Medicus Investigation series and al the title names have been changed for a US audience. The series continues with Persona Non Grata ($8.25) and Caveat Emptor ($9.99).

Book Description
It is spring in the year of 118, and Hadrian has been Emperor of Rome for less than a year. After getting involved with the murders of local prostitutes in the town of Deva, Doctor Gaius Petreius Ruso needs to get out of town, so has volunteered for a posting with the Army on the volatile border where the Roman-controlled half of Britannia meets the independent tribes of the North. Not only is he going to the hinterlands of the hinterlands, but it his slave Tilla's homeland and she has some scores to settle there. Soon they find that Tilla's tribespeople are being encouraged to rebel against Roman control by a mysterious leader known as the Stag Man, and her former lover is implicated in the grisly murder of a soldier. Ruso, unwillingly involved in the investigation of the murder, is appalled to find that Tilla is still spending time with the lover. Worse, he is honour bound to try to prove the man innocent - and the Army wrong - by finding another suspect. Soon both Ruso's and Tilla's lives are in jeopardy, as is the future of their burgeoning romantic relationship.

In the Company of Others ($3.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), by Julie E. Czerneda, is a stand-alone novel, but she also has a series out, Stratification, each title of which is $6.99 and up as ebooks or paperbacks, but you can currently get two of them for $3.99 each in hardback at B&N (Riders of the Storm (Stratification Series #2) and Rift in the Sky (Stratification Series #3)). Amazon doesn't match that, but you can get the books from third-party sellers there for the same $3.99 (and eligible for Prime or SuperSaver shipping), such as this listing for Reap the Wild Wind (Stratification Series #1). I'd rather have ebooks, but this author is signed with Penguin, so the ebooks are mostly premium priced.

Book Description
When the terraforming crews introduced the alien Quill to worlds where they did not belong, they saw them only as a mindless form of fungal life. But the Quill multiplied and mutated until they were no longer harmless. In the ensuing chaos, many stations failed. For the survivors, their only hope rests in finding a way to wipe out the Quill…

The Dark Paintings ($2.99 Kindle), the most recent novel from English author and poet Hugh Fleetwood, is free in the iBooks store. You'll need to search for it from inside the app on your iThing to get the book, but this one isn't restricted to UK/EU customers (I downloaded it to my iPad).

Book Description
Wealthy, depraved and hugely gifted, Luigi Teramo likes to think of himself as a cross between a pagan fertility god and an evil wizard. Luigi has deliberately rejected his youthful talent for art in favour of making money, and of spending his fortune on young men and drugs. But he cannot bring himself to destroy the fruits of that rejected talent - his early paintings. And as the years pass, it starts to seem that those paintings possess a terrible power. A power that will cause Luigi's life to spin out of control, will destroy almost all who get close to him, and will end by involving him in blackmail, and murder. The Dark Paintings is both a thriller and a black comedy - entertaining, shocking and profoundly disturbing.

100 Ways to Simplify Your Life ($2.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), by Joyce Meyer (Christian publisher FaithWords).

Book Description
Joyce Meyer is one busy lady. Apart from the normal demands of life, she teaches daily on TV and radio, writes books, holds conferences in dozens of cities every year and ministers around the world...and she runs Joyce Meyer Ministries. So she's had to learn how to make the most of every minute of the day! In 100 Ways to Simplify Your Life, Joyce shares the most effective secrets she's learned over the years for making the most of each minute of the day. In less than two pages per entry, Joyce gives us eminently 'doable' tips that are clearcut and ...well, SIMPLE. But they can change your whole outlook, not to mention your schedule.

My Forbidden Desire ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), by Carolyn Jewel

Book Description
TORN BETWEEN...
Alexandrine Marit is a witch in mortal danger. An evil mage craves the powerful, mysterious talisman that supplies her magic, and the only person who can keep her safe is a dark and dangerous fiend called Xia. With his fierce animosity toward witches, he's hardly the ideal bodyguard. Yet as days turn into nights, she can't deny the white-hot passion between them.

DESIRE AND TEMPTATION
Xia hates witches. They enslave and mercilessly kill his kind. But he's been ordered to protect Alexandrine, who, to his surprise, has a spirit he admires and a body he longs to possess. With the mage and his henchmen closing in, Alexandrine and her protector must trust the passion that can unite them...or risk losing everything to the enemies who can destroy them both.

Gardens of the Moon ($2.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), by Steven Erikson, the first in his Malazan Book of the Fallen series.

Book Description
The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting and bloody confrontations with the formidable Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, ancient and implacable sorcerers. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen's rule remains absolute, enforced by her dread Claw assassins.

For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail, surviving cadre mage of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the many dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, yet holds out. It is to this ancient citadel that Laseen turns her predatory gaze.

However, it would appear that the Empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister, shadowbound forces are gathering as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand...

Conceived and written on a panoramic scale, Gardens of the Moon is epic fantasy of the highest order--an enthralling adventure by an outstanding new voice.

Best Served Cold ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Joe Abercrombie, is a stand-alone novel in the same universe as his earlier First Law trilogy.

Book Description
War may be hell, but for Monza Murcatto, a solider of considerable fortune; it's a damn good way of making money too. Her victories have made her popular - a shade too popular for her employer's taste. Betrayed and left for dead, Murcatto's reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance.

Whatever the cost, seven men must die.

Jupiter ($2.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), by Ben Bova, the six-time winner of science fiction's Hugo award.

Book Description
Grant Archer only wanted to study astrophysics. But the forces of the "New Morality," the coalition of censorious do-gooders who run 21st-century America, have other plans for him.

To his distress, Grant is torn from his young bride and sent to a research station in orbit around Jupiter, to spy on the scientists who work there. Their work may lead to the discovery of higher life forms in the Jovian system-with implications the New Morality doesn't like at all.

What Grant's would-be controllers don't know is that his loyalty to science may be greater than his desire for a quiet life. But that loyalty will be tested in a mission as dangerous as any ever undertaken-a mission to the middle reaches of Jupiter's endless atmosphere, a place where hydrogen flows as a liquid, and cyclones larger than planets rage for centuries at a time.

What lurks there is more than anyone has counted on...and stranger than anyone could possibly have imagined.

My Little Phony ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), by Lisi Harrison, is the thirteenth and final volume in The Clique series (#11 and #12 are both still marked down, as well).

Book Description
Sugar, spice, and everything lice.

Massie Block: The holidays are just around the corner, and the only thing Massie doesn't want for Christmas is a lip-kiss from her ninth-grade crush, Landon. Not that she'd ever admit it, but she's nervous! To distract herself, Massie focuses on getting revenge on Claire for ditching the Pretty Committee. But when the plan to bug her ex-BFF backfires big-time, she may find herself headed for a Merry Kissmass-whether she likes it or not.

Alicia Rivera: Promised her parents she wouldn't shop at awl between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Her reward? An all-expenses-paid trip to the Spanish Riviera. But what happens when she sees the cuh-yutest pair of Ralph Lauren sunglasses? No pain, no Spain.

Dylan Marvil: After going overboard at the Westchester Mall, Dylan isn't worried about the size of her clothes . . . but she is worried about the size of her clothing budget. Cuh-redit denied!

Kristen Gregory: Is sick of being the only poor girl in Westchester. But misery loves company, and maybe, just maybe, she won't be the only broke member of the Pretty Committee for long. . . .

Claire Lyons: When Massie scares off her new drama friends with a fake-lice scare, Claire decides she's done letting Massie bully her. The alpha may have exterminated Claire's social life, but what goes around comes around. The raid is on, and it won't be over until the fat ladybug sings.

The Clique . . . the only thing harder than getting in is staying in.

Wedding for a Knight ($1.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), by Sue-Ellen Welfonder

Book Description
Even a marriage by proxy can't spoil the joy Lady Amicia MacLean feels when she is wedded to Magnus MacKinnon. With his quick wit and dashing smile, the roguish warrior captured her heart when she was still a girl. It's not until he returns from battle that Amicia discovers the truth: the union was made to fill empty MacKinnon coffers with MacLean gold. Magnus knew nothing of this marriage. Honorable and proud, he intends to rebuild his clan's fortune coin by coin himself-and wants nothing to do with his bonny new bride. But Amicia is not one to give up without a fight. She plans to invade Magnus's bedchamber, offer tantalizing glimpses of what every husband has the right to see, and settle for nothing less than the total surrender of the most stubborn knight in the realm!

Video Game Deal of the Day

Amazon is running a dual Video Game of the Day promotion that is perfect for the start of a new year. I have the first one (and paid a lot more) and a little birdie tells me I'm getting the second one for my birthday. I've only completed a few workouts on the easy mode so far, but at least Peyton Manning isn't yelling at me to pick up the pace (at least, not after I figured out how to get it convinced that I was jogging). Unlike some earlier games, these don't use the nunchuk on the Wii, so movement isn't as restricted. Both include a leg mounted controller and a heart rate controller, as well as an exercise band needed for the routines.

EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp ($99.95 $48.99), by Electronic Arts, is a Wii only title. This is the first time I've seen it discounted under $89.95.

Book Description
EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp is an exercise game for Wii that merges the established momentum that the EA Sports Active franchise has created in the genre with realistic NFL training camp routines to create the most challenging and focused exercise game developed to date. Game features include a full range of exercises developed with the input of actual NFL fitness and conditioning trainers, a 60-day exercise challenge, total wireless body tracking via included additional sensors, a built-in heart rate monitor, included resistance bands for strength training, 2-player support and more.

Compared to other fitness gaming releases on the Wii, EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp is in a whole other league. Unlike those other games that concentrate on general fitness concepts, EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp focuses on the agility, aerobic, stamina and strength training exercises that NFL players routinely are put through during their pre-season training camps. Developed in collaboration with NFL strength and conditioning coaches, users will experience the thrill of competition while challenging themselves, as well as friends and family in these authentic NFL football drills which are performed in the likeness of user's favorite NFL players.

• Add new challenges to your performance with the Wii Balance Board. (Balance Board not included)
• EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp includes over 70 drills and challenges designed to improve strength, power and conditioning, as well as reaction skills, agility and first step quickness
• Track your heart rate on screen in real-time with the innovative EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp heart rate monitor to capture intensity and optimize performance over time
• The EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp Total Body Tracking wireless system uses motion sensors in leg and arm straps along with the Wii remote to register movement and provide complete freedom of motion
• Pick your favorite team, step into a stadium and train alongside your favorite players

EA Sports Active 2 ($99.95 $48.99), by Electronic Arts, is available for the Wii, PS3 or XBox (and supports Kinect, but not PS3 Move). So far, the Wii version gets the best reviews.

Book Description
Revolutionize your workout regimen with EA Sports Active, the ultimate interactive fitness program that's designed for you. Get fit with a holistic approach to fitness that combines nutrition and lifestyle factors, with a variety of activities, all from the convenience of your living room. From customized routines that target upper body, lower body and cardio to a guided 30-day challenge that tests muscle endurance, coordination and agility, stay in shape with fitness made fun and easy.

• Active Fitness Made Fun & Easy: Pre-made circuits feature a variety of familiar activities that target upper body, lower body as well as cardio
• Start off with a light jog, followed by bicep curls and get your heart beating with some cardio boxing
• Benefit of a Virtual Personal Trainer: your trainer will be the focal point of the experience guiding you towards your own version of personal achievement
• Feedback will be given throughout your workout, keeping you on track to reach your fitness goals
• The 30 Day Challenge: take the 30 Day Challenge and experience tailor made workouts to your level of fitness

Student Deal of the Day - Teamwork Makes the Dream Work?

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work (regularly $9.99), by John C. Maxwell, is supposed to be today's (1/10/11) Kindle Student Deal of the Day, according to Amazon's previously published schedule, which goes thru January 16. So far today, though, the Deals page is broken (all sections are blank) and the price of the book hasn't dropped.

Be sure to double check the price if this is one you were waiting on, as I still see $9.99 (or higher in some countries) listed, even though the indexing servers think the price has come down. Perhaps when Amazon's daytime employees come to work (and enough people call in asking what is going on), they'll get the price fixed.

Update: Now properly priced at $1.99!

Book Description
The concept to this book is a warm approach to the idea of: Only by working in a team will you fulfill your dreams. The focus of the book is on realizing one's dreams, achieving those goals by working in teams. Teams come in every shape and size--spouses in a marriage, colleagues at work, volunteers together for a good cause... It takes teamwork to make the dream work.

There are no lone rangers. It's a myth that one person can do something great. Strong leaders who changed our country dreamed big and were successful because they were always part of teams.

Like his previous three books, this one is filled with warm stories, mini-lessons in bullet form, Maxwell observations, and quotes.

Free Blogs on Kindle

Good news for those who want more control over what they receive in their Amazon Daily Blog on their Kindle: Amazon now lets you pick amongst eight different free blogs to subscribe to, rather than having the combined blog as the only choice. At last, I can get book news and the food blog, without wading thru page after page of kid's toys and fashion models. All of the blogs listed below are free (in the US), so feel free to sign up for as many or as few as you want. If you are headed overseas for a trip, though, be sure to cancel the individual blogs and either get only the Daily or wait to restart them after you return, as you won't want to pay the overseas Whispernet charges on multiple blogs while you are there.

Amazon's Omnivoracious Blog
Omnivoracious is a blog run by the books editors at Amazon.com. We aim to share our passion for the written word through news, reviews, interviews, and more. This is our space to talk books and publishing frankly and we welcome participation through comments.

Amazon's Al Dente Blog
We're an unruly bunch of Amazon.com editors who love to cook, decorate, garden, and most importantly...eat! We're in the know about the hottest products for the kitchen and home, including top-of-the-line kitchen appliances, unique cook's tools, chompable dog toys, must-have grills, mouthwatering gourmet food, and much, much more. Come back and visit us on our blog frequently to get our latest takes on the hippest things for your kitchen and home.

Amazon's Armchair Commentary Blog
Among this motley bunch of editors lie fans of big-budget Bruckheimers, off-the-cuff indies, golden-age classics, military documentaries, and everything in between… and that’s just movies. We’re here to share the latest news and observations about film and television, show you cool things in the DVD and Unbox stores and riff on things we like. Whether it be on a bombastic home theater system or a broken-down laptop, you can trust that we’re watching. Everything. And we’re ready to discuss.

Amazon's Chordstrike Blog
Amazon’s staff of Music Editors share their perspectives and persuasions on all things interesting and relevant in today’s music world. Whether touching on subjects in the media, unearthing musical gems that are under the radar, or featuring live streaming concerts, the Chordstrike blog offers a regular dose of musical commentary for Amazon’s community to read and comment on posts written by music lovers like you.

Amazon's Car Lust Blog
Car Lust is, very simply, where interesting cars meet irrational emotion. It's a deeply personal exploration of the hidden gems of the automotive world; a twisted look into a car nuts' mind; and a quirky look at the broader automotive universe - a broader universe that lies beneath the new, the flashy, and the trendy represented in the car magazines.

Amazon's Toy Whimsy Blog
At Toy Whimsy, we are all just a bunch of big kids. Former teachers, copy writers, parents, and long time toy industry experts, what we all have in common is a love of toys. We’re here to bring you the best of what’s new, toy reviews by parents and kids, and information on playthings of all types. From toddler to teen, we have your play time covered.

Amazon's EndUser Blog
We editors get to spend a lot of time around cool toys, but when it comes to the Amazon.com site, we like to let the customers do the talking. End User is our space to talk about and share with you the stuff that makes us excited about electronics. While our focus is mainly on gadgets--that is, portable electronics you can hold in your hand such as iPods, GPS, cell phones, etc.--we're also branching out to cover new things like home audio, computers and software, and more. Basically anything with a current in it is fair game.

Amazon Daily Blog
Commenting on the catchy and trendy, the trivial and tremendous, the Amazon Daily blog highlights the best from the world's largest online retailer. Whether you're interested in the tops in technological toys, the quirkiest gadgets or preeminent foreign films, Amazon Daily offers a plethora of diverse opinions from the editors of Amazon.com. From the perfect holiday dinner to the craziest car accessories, Amazon Daily covers Amazon.com's huge catalog of items, gizmos, books and food.

Bargain Book Roundup - $4.99

All the books on this sale are $4.99 from Sony and/or Amazon (and one is on sale at B&N). A few are higher at one or the other though, so feel free to tell Amazon about the lower price (it might make a difference) and be sure to check the product pages before one-clicking.

A Cool Breeze on the Underground: A Neal Carey Mystery ($9.99 Kindle; $4.99 Sony), by Don Winslow

Book Description
Book one of the Neal Carey mystery series: Streetwise and book-smart PI Neal Carey pursues a dangerous teenage runaway through London in Don Winslow’s debut novel

Neal Carey is a humble graduate student who dreams of becoming a literature professor. But he’s also the employee of the Kitteredges, a secretive New England banking family that knows how to make the embarrassing problems of its most powerful clients disappear. When Allie Chase—the troubled daughter of a U.S. senator and presidential hopeful—falls into drug use and runs away to England, the Kitteredge family calls on Carey to track her down. The raucous trail leads through London’s darkest, dingiest corners as the brilliant and cynical Carey matches wits with his spoiled but precocious quarry.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Don Winslow, including rare photos from the author’s personal collection.

Trap Line ($9.99 Kindle; $4.99 Sony), by Carl Hiaasen and Bill Montalbano

Book Description
The gripping thriller from New York Times bestselling author Carl Hiaasen—now available as an ebook

A Key West fishing captain takes on Florida’s drug lords in an underground war that could cost him his freedom—and his life

Though he is one of Key West’s most skilled fishing captains, Breeze Albury barely ekes out a living on the meager earnings of his trade. Meanwhile, Cuban and Colombian drug smugglers thrive all around—and they have their sights set on Albury and his fishing boat. After the smugglers cut his three hundred trap lines and crush his livelihood, Albury is forced to run drugs to survive. But when he gets busted by the crooked chief of police and becomes a target of the drug machine’s brutal hit men, Albury becomes a vigilante on the seas of South Florida, unleashing a fiery and relentless vengeance on Key West’s most dangerous criminals.

The Blue Edge of Midnight: A Max Freeman Mystery (Book One) ($4.99 Kindle, Sony), by Jonathon King

Book Description
The Edgar Award–winning debut of the bestselling Max Freeman mystery series: A tormented ex-cop’s mission to solve a grisly murder and earn redemption for his dark past

After a shootout during a convenience store holdup led to the accidental death of a twelve-year-old, Max Freeman left behind the Philadelphia police department for a life in exile in the Florida Everglades. Since then, he has lived in seclusion, haunted by guilt, with the humid night and the nocturnal predators of the swamp as his only company. But everything changes when Freeman discovers a young girl’s body floating in the muddy waters and becomes the prime suspect for her murder. To prove his innocence, Freeman must uncover the real murderer—and confront his own tortured soul—before it’s too late.

This ebook contains an illustrated biography of the author featuring never-before-seen photos.

No Score: A Chip Harrison Mystery ($9.99 Kindle; $4.99 Sony), by Lawrence Block

Book Description
In this sinfully silly coming-of-age adventure, a young orphan works a series of very odd jobs, attempting to make his fortune and lose his virginity in one fell swoop

Chip Harrison thought he was normal until his parents blew their brains out. An orphan at seventeen, he is cast out of his prep school with nothing in his pocket but $27.46 and a vintage prophylactic, determined to make his fortune as soon as he manages to lose his virginity. He has no experience in business or bed, but no amount of rotten jobs, irate husbands, or loaded revolvers will stop him.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lawrence Block, including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from his personal collection, and a new afterword written by the author.

Eight Million Ways To Die ($4.99 Kindle; $6.99 Sony), by Lawrence Block

Book Description
Nobody knows better than Matthew Scudder how far down a person can sink in this city. A young prostitute named Kim knew it also—and she wanted out. Maybe Kim didn't deserve the life fate had dealt her. She surely didn't deserve her death. The alcoholic ex-cop turned p.i. was supposed to protect her, but someone slashed her to ribbons on a crumbling New York City waterfront pier. Now finding Kim's killer will be Scudder's penance. But there are lethal secrets hiding in the slain hooker's past that are far dirtier than her trade. And there are many ways of dying in this cruel and dangerous town—some quick and brutal ... and some agonizingly slow.

Bloody Passage ($4.99 Kindle, Sony), by Jack Higgins

Book Description
The classic Jack Higgins thriller—now available as an ebook

One man must fight to the death to save his sister from the Mafia’s wrath

Oliver Grant is an American intelligence officer, a hero of the Vietnam War. But when the Mafia kidnaps his sister, his life is turned upside down and he agrees to complete a dangerous assignment for the powerful mob boss Dimitri Stavrou in order to gain her freedom: Grant must save Stavrou’s son from a secret cliff-top prison in Libya.

To accomplish this mission, he must scale the rocky crag and somehow get Stavrou’s son out alive. His sister’s life—and his own—hang in the balance.

A Field of Darkness ($4.99 Kindle, B&N; $8.99 Sony), by Cornelia Read

Book Description
Madeline Dare would be the first to tell you her money is so old there's none left. A former socialite from an aristocratic family in decline, Maddie is a tough-talking, would-be journalist exiled to the rust belt of upstate New York. Her prospects for changing her dreary lifestyle seem dim--until a set of dog tags found at a decades-old murder site is linked to her family. Shocked into action, Maddie embarks on a search that takes her from the derelict smokestacks of Syracuse to the posh mansions of Long Island's Gold Coast. But instead of the warm refuge of home, this prodigal daughter soon uncovers dark, sinister secrets that will violently challenge everything she believes in and holds dear.

The Intruders: Book Two of the Jake Grafton Series ($4.99 Kindle, Sony), by Stephen Coonts

Book Description
A war-weary Navy pilot confronts the deadly skies of the South Pacific, training Marine pilots and battling Soviets MiGs in the wake of the Vietnam War

Fighter pilot Jake Grafton is adrift following combat in Vietnam. With no place in the States to call home, Grafton sticks to what he knows best: taking on the world’s most treacherous skies from the cockpit of a Grumman A-6 Intruder.

Now, stationed in the South Pacific on the U.S.S. Columbia, Grafton must teach the Marines aboard the art of flying from an aircraft carrier—a mission that, thanks to the unruly Marine Captain Le Beau, is as joyless as it is dangerous. But when an unexpected enemy appears from above, Grafton and Le Beau must put aside their differences and work together to save the lives of all onboard.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Stephen Coonts, including rare photos from the author’s personal collection.

Student Deal of the Day - How to Write a Lot

How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing ($1.99), by Paul J. Silvia, PhD, is today's Student Deal of the Day from Amazon.

Book Description
All students and professors need to write, and many struggle to finish their stalled dissertations, journal articles, book chapters, or grant proposals. Writing is hard work and can be difficult to wedge into a frenetic academic schedule. In this practical, light-hearted, and encouraging book, Paul J. Silvia explains that writing productively does not require innate skills or special traits but specific tactics and actions. Drawing examples from his own field of psychology, he shows readers how to overcome motivational roadblocks and become prolific without sacrificing evenings, weekends, and vacations. After describing strategies for writing productively, the author gives detailed advice from the trenches on how to write, submit, revise, and resubmit articles; how to improve writing quality; and how to write and publish academic work.

Student Deal of the Day - Chicken Soup for the College Soul

Chicken Soup for the College Soul: Inspiring and Humorous Stories for College Students ($1.99), by Jack Canfield, et al, is today's Student Deal of the Day from Amazon.

Book Description
This latest helping of loving inspiration follows the millions of loyal readers of the Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul series to the next stage of their lives, beyond adolescence and into young adulthood. Readers will love having this invaluable collection to guide, inspire, support and encourage them throughout their college experience. If readers are devotees of the series, they will recognize this book as an instant source of strength and comfort; if this book is their introduction to the series, they will come to treasure it quickly.

College is a time of excitement, exuberance and triumph, as well as one of anxiety, doubt and confusion. Readers will identify with the stories that express feelings they undoubtedly share as they stand at the brink of adulthood, sometimes ready to take the world by storm, other times wondering whether they will ever be ready. This book deals with the myriad issues of college life, from homesickness to partying to G.P.A.s and everything in between.

Whether freshmen, sophomores, juniors or seniors, this book is a must-read for all college students-as they'll be sure to agree. College graduates, too, will enjoy reminiscing about those unforgettable years as they read the stories in this collection. Chicken Soup for the College Soul is sure to be a hit with all readers.

Free Book (EPUB) - Looking For Love On Mongo Tongo

Looking For Love On Mongo Tongo ($12.95 paperback), by Margaret J. McMaster, a relatively short children's book, the second in her Babysitter Out Of Control! series, is free in the Borders ebookstore and from Kobobooks.

Book Description
When Petey suffers a broken heart and starts losing his feathers, Mrs. Chairbottom decides to retrieve his one true love from the island of Mongo Tongo.

Click HERE to get the books from Borders. If you have problems getting it to add to your library from the book page, open up the Borders Desktop or the Borders app on your phone or iThing and search for it by name in the Store. You should see a Download button there, click and it will add to your library for free (I had to do this, myself). Once in your library, you can read it in any Borders app or download the EPUB for most readers (not Kindle compatible).
Click HERE to get the EPUB from Kobobooks.

New Kindle Game - Match Genius

There's a new (and reasonably priced) memory puzzle game on Kindle today, Match Genius (A Memory Puzzle Game) ($2.99), by Sonic Boom. This is the kind of game I've see mentioned in several studies recently on improving memory and staving off aging of the brain.

Game Description
Play Match Genius, a puzzle game that exercises your concentration, memory and cognitive skills on Kindle - anytime, anywhere.

In Match Genius, you flip over a tile to reveal a symbol underneath. By flipping other tiles you match the pairs of symbols. Match tiles in as few moves as possible to get the highest scores. Pay careful attention to the different shades and orientation for each symbol. Certain shapes are almost identical, which can trick an unfocused player.

Match Genius is a fun game for all ages with 6 levels of difficulty, ranging from Easy to Genius. The game automatically saves your progress and keeps a tally of your stats, scores and rank. Become a Match Genius on Kindle today!

Kindle Student Deal - Worst-Case Survival Handbook: College

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: College ($0.99, by David Borgenicht, is today's Kindle Student Deal of the Day. Just the thing to load up on your new or upcoming grad's shiny new Kindle they got for Christmas.

Book Description
The college years are a time of noble pursuit of knowledge, self-betterment -- and unending peril! Students are at risk from the moment they receive their acceptance letters. Fortunately, the authors of the phenomenally best-selling Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series have come to the rescue, offering all-new, hands-on, step-by-step instructions for surviving the worst that higher education has to offer, on campus and off. Learn how to identify a party school, engineer a hookup, survive "the spins," and escape a stadium riot. Discover the best way to sleep in class, pass a test you haven't studied for, avoid the "freshman fifteen," and pull an all-nighter. With practical advice for avoiding laundry and identifying unsafe institutional food, along with an appendix of excuses for missed deadlines and a back-up diploma, this is truly required reading for all college students -- and a perfect high school graduation present.

Free Book - The Darkslayer

The Darkslayer ($0.99 Kindle), by Craig Halloran & Ernie Chan (Illustrator), is free from Smashwords and B&N. The synopsis looks pretty good (as did the video on the Smashwords page) and this 80K word adventure has pretty good reviews, so far.

Book Description
"Do as they say or die in the dungeons," the poor storekeepers would say. "Do as they say or disappear," the commoners would warn. But Venir and Melegal could not have cared less what anyone had to say. They had been this way since their childhood.

As the underlings rally all of the evil forces they can muster to destroy the mystical and legendary Darkslayer, something unexpected has upset the delicate balance between good and evil on the world called Bish, making the Darkslayer a pawn in other insidious disputes.

Strife and turmoil are constant features of life as humans struggle to survive among a wide array of creatures, including orcs, ogres, and the most evil of all--the underlings. When recklessness provokes a Royal household, Venir is forced to flee the city, along with his comrade, the skinny thief Melegal. The Royals and underlings soon unleash some unusual powers against him and start to close in. Facing the final showdown, nothing unfolds as it should.

Click HERE to get the books from B&N.
Click HERE to get the books from Smashwords (DRM-Free, multiple formats).

Free Book (nook) - Michael Tolliver Lives

Previously free in the Kindle store and elswhere (Nov '10), B&N has a new (and free) edition of Michael Tolliver Lives ($9.99 Kindle), by Armistead Maupin. Confusingly enough, they still have the $9.99 selection also, so be sure to follow the link below for the free download.

Book Description
Michael Tolliver, the sweet-spirited Southerner in Armistead Maupin's classic Tales of the City series, is arguably one of the most widely loved characters in contem-porary fiction. Now, almost twenty years after ending his ground-breaking saga of San Francisco life, Maupin revisits his all-too-human hero, letting the fifty-five-year-old gardener tell his story in his own voice.

Having survived the plague that took so many of his friends and lovers, Michael has learned to embrace the random pleasures of life, the tender alliances that sustain him in the hardest of times. Michael Tolliver Lives follows its protagonist as he finds love with a younger man, attends to his dying fundamentalist mother in Florida, and finally reaffirms his allegiance to a wise octogenarian who was once his landlady.

Though this is a stand-alone novel—accessible to fans of Tales of the City and new readers alike—a reassuring number of familiar faces appear along the way. As usual, the author's mordant wit and ear for pitch-perfect dialogue serve every aspect of the story—from the bawdy to the bittersweet. Michael Tolliver Lives is a novel about the act of growing older joyfully and the everyday miracles that somehow make that possible.

Click HERE for the free download from B&N.

Free Book (PDF) - The Elements of Investing

The Elements of Investing ($9.89 Kindle), by Charles D. Ellis and Burton G. Malkiel, both former Vanguard board members, is free courtesy of Vanguard (the investing company); it appears that this was supposed to be for their Vanguard Flagship Services members only, but the links are out in the open and no login is required.

Book Description
A timeless, easy-to-read guide on life-long investment principles that can help any investor succeed

The Elements of Investing has a single-minded goal: to teach the principles of investing in the same pared-to-bone manner that Professor William Strunk Jr. once taught composition to students at Harvard, using his classic little book, The Elements of Style. With great daring, Ellis and Malkiel imagined their own Little Red Schoolhouse course in investing for every investor around the world-and then penned this book.

The Elements of Investing hacks away at all the overtrading and over thinking so predominant in the hyperactive thought patterns of the average investor. Malkiel and Ellis offer investors a set of simple but powerful thoughts on how to challenge Mr. Market at his own game, and win by not losing. All the need-to-know rules and investment principles can be found here.

• Contains sound investment advice and simple principles of investing from two of the most respected individuals in the investment world
• Burton G. Malkiel is the bestselling author of A Random Walk Down Wall Street and Charles D. Ellis is the bestselling author of Winning the Loser's Game
• Shows how to deal with an investor's own worst enemies: fear and greed

A disciplined approach to investing, complemented by conviction, is all you need to succeed. This timely guide will help you develop these skills and make the most of your time in today's market.

Click HERE to open the download page (or get there from the Vanguard offer page), then click Download at the bottom of the page. A PDF file will open in the same window, which you can then save.

Student Deal of the Day - New Vegetarian

New Vegetarian ($1.99), by Yvonne Duivenvoorden and Robin Asbell, is today's Student Deal of the Day. I've been waiting for this one to rotate in and have already downloaded my copy. No vegetarians or vegans here, but it should have plenty of ideas for meatless meals now and then, as well as dairy substitutes (it has both vegan and ovo-lacto vegetarian choices). One dinner menu, for example, has black bean soup, cooked quinoa, carrots and spinach and finishes off with a chocolate bar with almonds (every meal should end this way).

For the new vegetarian, the intro seems to do a decent job of explaining some nutrients that are harder for vegetarians to obtain (and B-12 is the big one to make an effort to get; a UK study showed brain atrophy even in college kids that were vegan and took no supplements). Iron is easy to make up for by cooking with cast iron (teflon pots are blamed for the widespread iron deficiencies in the US, as they have replaced cast iron in many homes) and there are tips on drinks to avoid in the same meals, as they tend to inhibit iron absorption.

This isn't a huge volume, but has several interesting looking recipe titles. At $1.99, I'm not expecting a comprehensive recipe encyclopedia, but those seem to be more a collection of untested recipes (and I can find that on many websites). The author claims these are all family tested and approved, so there should be at least one or two gems in there, such as Mexican Corn and Quinoa with Chipotle Beans and Pickled Onions or African Garbanzo, Peanut and Kale Soup.

Book Description
With a look as fresh as the recipes themselves, New Vegetarian is full of modern, flavorful food for the 30 million Americans (more every day!) who are vegetarians. More than 75 delicious and simple dishes span a wide range of cuisines and cultures -- from Vietnamese Pho with Tofu to Baked Creamy Squash Pasta with Arugula. Best of all, the dessert chapter includes goodies so luscious even the most die-hard dairy fans won't suspect these sweet treats are vegan!

Books under a Buck

Still no sign of the Kindle Deals of the Day page being updated, but that doesn't mean the deals are not there to be found, with a little digging. All of today's books are 99 cents or less, some from big name authors (or recommended by them), some from indie authors. Not all are Kindle books, a few are at Kobobooks.com or Barnes and Noble and some at Smashwords. At Kobobooks.com, current coupon codes are Jan4us1 ($1 off selected books), 35%offbook (35% off one book) and FBREADING (35% off unlimited use); generally these can be used on any non-Agency priced books.

Self-Improvement 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know ($0.99), by John Maxwell, is today's Student Deal of the Day.

Book Description
The best leaders know that success is about more than winning--it's about improving and developing. Self-Improvement 101 shares best-selling author John C. Maxwell's tips, tactics, and inspiration that compel leaders to reach ever higher levels.

Drawing from the wisdom in his books Your Road Map for Success, Talent Is Never Enough, Developing the Leaders Around You, Failing Forward, The 360 Degree Leader, Winning with People, and Leadership Gold, John C. Maxwell provides in Self-Improvement 101 the essentials all leaders need to keep striving for excellence no matter where they are or what they are doing. After all, great leaders who are growth oriented rather than goal oriented never "arrive," they just keep building upon what they are learning.

Jeffrey Archer Presents: New Wife ($0.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), by Mark Trainer, is a single short story; the sample starts out pretty well.

Book Description
In celebration of Jeffrey Archer’s latest short story collection, And Thereby Hangs a Tale, St. Martin’s Press sponsored the “Jeffrey Archer Presents” Short Story Competition. #1 New York Times bestselling author and master of the short story Jeffrey Archer is known for the precise wit and timely revelations in his tales, and now with this short story competition he has had the opportunity to recognize those same outstanding gifts in winner Mark Trainer’s New Wife.

What if you woke up with a lifetime of memories but were unable to recognize the wife you shared so many of them with? That’s exactly what happens to Danny when his wife Eve comes down the steps one morning. Her hair, her mouth, her hands—everything—it’s all wrong. He’s certain it’s just not her. But then why is Danny the only one who doesn’t recognize this “new wife?”

Confused and more afraid than he’s willing to admit even to himself, Danny’s responsibilities as a husband to a woman he doesn’t know and father to a son with hidden problems force Danny to face a future that is only slightly less knowable than his past.

An intimate look at a man trying to hold his family together while he seems to be coming apart, Mark Trainer’s New Wife is a remarkable story brimming with insight and affection.

Night Shift ($0.99 B&N; $7.99 Kindle), by Lilith Saintcrow, is the Barnes and Noble spotlight book this month. Despite being an Agency priced book, only B&N has this special price (isn't that supposed to be one of the points of the Agency pricing, that the publisher sets the price and it's the same at ALL of it's agents?).

Book Description
Not everyone can take on the things that go bump in the night. Not everyone tries.

But Jill Kismet is not just anyone. She's a Hunter, trained by the best - and in over her head.

Welcome to the night shift...

A Turn of Curses ($0.99 Kindle; $0.00 B&N), by Melanie Nilles

Book Description
Nineteen year old Selina has a life many would love–praised, served, and spoiled. The only problem is she didn't choose that life, because it comes with a heavy price. She will soon die, like all Healers, when the mark of Y'dom completes its pattern around her neck, and hers is nearly complete. Her gift of healing powers are sought after by all, including the ruling prince of a neighboring kingdom to heal his ailing father. Seeing this as her last chance for adventure, she makes the journey to Vastorn.

En route she encounters Faldon, the fallen leader of the feyquin, and his band of rogues. Cursed by a demon and swearing vengeance on the human who shares his curse, Faldon does all he can to stop Selina from completing her journey. But he also knows how to save Selina, if she survives the night mares.

65 Below ($0.99 B&N; $2.99 Kindle, Smashwords), by Basil Sands, is on my definitely recommended list, after reading the review copy sent to me by the author. He is running a contest and for every 1,000 copies of his book sold in the first quarter of the year, he will give away a Kindle Wi-Fi. Details are in the description on the Amazon page and you can get up to 11 entries in the drawings (you do have to email a copy of your receipt from one of the three stores).

Book Description
After twenty years hunting terrorists under orders to "render harmless", USMC Master Sergeant Marcus Orlando Johnson, Mojo to his friends, settles into a quiet rural retirement on his childhood home in the Alaskan backwoods. But the idyllic retirement is shattered when Marcus comes across soldiers of America's staunchest enemy who are about to unleash a nightmarish biological weapon on the world from the most unexpected of places. With the help of his ex-fiancee, State Trooper Lonnie Wyatt, and his old special operations buddy Harley Wasner they race to stop a potentially devastating terrorist attack with worldwide implications but even nature is against them as the temperatures plummet to 65 below.

The Half Life ($0.99 Kindle, B&N), a short story by Jennifer Weiner

Book Description
"My life is over," Piper DeWitt thinks to herself, awaiting departure in the overcrowded International Terminal of the Philadelphia airport for an overseas business trip, to romantic Paris no less. She watched as her husband, Tosh, put his own suitcase into the trunk of a taxi the day before. He’d been telling her for months that he wasn’t happy, and though she still wants to believe it is just a phase, after a call to her mother from the Admiral’s Club, she can no longer deny that he’s left her, left their home, left their four-year-old daughter in her mother’s sole care.

Piper met Tosh when she was only twenty-two, just the way self help books said she would – when she wasn’t looking. Now at forty, she wonders how, through all those years, they’d gotten to this place in their marriage. When her flight is canceled due to volcanic ash spreading from Iceland across Europe, and when a handsome stranger offers her an invitation to share a cab, she realizes she can take a departure from her own life. And after a day of living like a tourist in her own city, she hopes she can still find her way home…

All Is Bright ($0.99 Kindle, B&N), a short story by Sarah Pekkanen

Book Description
Thirty-year-old Elise Andrews couldn’t bring herself to marry Griffin, her childhood friend turned sweetheart, so she let him walk away. Eight months after their breakup, she arrives in her hometown of Chicago on Christmas Eve and hears a voice from the past calling her name in the grocery store. It’s Griffin’s mother, Janice, who invites Elise over for a neighborhood gathering of eggnog and carols.

Walking into Janice’s house sends Elise tumbling headlong into memories of her relationship with Griffin—and with Janice, who exudes the kind of warmth Elise ached for after her own mom passed away when she was six. But Griffin has moved on, and suddenly Elise doubts her decision to give him up and lose her chance at being folded into his wonderful family. Confused and reeling, she goes in search of an answer to a universal question: How do we say good-bye to people we’ve loved without losing everything they’ve meant to us?

Heartwarming and witty, All Is Bright is a charming story about coming home for the holidays—and finding gifts in the most unexpected of places.

Scourge (A Grim Doyle Adventure), is a pre-teen novel from David H. Burton, author of the (not children's) novel The Second Coming (Words of the Prophecy). Both are currently marked down to 99 cents.

Book Description
Two dads, five siblings, and goggles! Grim Doyle has always known his life was not exactly "normal", and things get even more curious when he discovers a set of stones that sweep him and his family to the fantasy, steampunk world of Verne - a place they had escaped from years ago. Now that they've returned, Grim and his siblings hide from the evil Lord Victor and his minions. And while learning about Jinns, Mystics, and the power of absinth they try to discover who is trying to kill them with the deadly Scourge.

Ghost Country ($2.99 Kindle), by Dana Michelle Burnett, is free on Smashwords, using coupon code LY53K.

Book Description
Carrying echoes of Amy Tan and Rebecca Wells, Ghost Country takes the reader into the lives of three Cherokee women and the lives of their modern day daughters. Told in a series of vignettes that alternate from the era of the Civil Rights Movement, Woodstock, and the Vietnam War, to the present day. Each story carries the reader through a world where a birthday wish can make people disappear; where a child, after being told that she is nothing, can find her way back to the forgotten Cherokee traditions; and where a woman can give her daughter a treasured bit of advice thanks to a dead rock star.

The Bad, The Good and Two Fly Fishing Women ($2.99 Kindle), by Randy Kadish, is free on Smashwords, using coupon code DR53S.

Book Description
When Amanda’s mother deserts her to be with a new man, Amanda is hurt and betrayed. She loses faith in the world, especially when her grandmother, the greatest angler she knows, is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Amanda struggles to find answers, and then on the banks of the Junction River, a grieving, alcoholic friend and an unexpected, terrifying event surprisingly help her come to terms.

The Thorn (The Chronicles of Gan) ($0.99 Kindle), by Daron Fraley, is free on Smashwords.

Book Description
Three tribes are at war on the planet Gan, unaware that the sign of Christ’s birth on an unknown world - Earth - is about to appear in the heavens. During a bloody skirmish with Gideonite troops, Jonathan of Daniel spares Pekah, a young enemy soldier, gaining his trust forever. These two distant brothers from estranged tribes covenant with each other to end the war being waged by a self-proclaimed emperor, and soon discover the intentions of a far more dangerous foe named Rezon – a sinister general bent on ruling those he can bring into subjection and destroying all others. In the end, Pekah’s selfless bravery is the means by which all the tribes are united. But there are dissenters, and Rezon escapes a well-deserved fate. When the promised heavenly signs appear, will there be peace at last, or will the malefactors once again threaten the safety of them all?

Child of the Moon ($2.99 Smashwords), by DN Charles, is free using coupon code AK87Z.

Book Description
Balanced between relationships, a man calls out to the flesh for comfort, for a few nights of pleasure. Instead, his heart and soul are touched by a stranger. Child Of The Moon is year long journal in the minute, a gonzo work of sex, love and Rumi. It's an honest example of what happened to a man with a little money, and no strings attached, a man who seeks the dark side and finds enlightenment.

GRUBS ($2.99 Kindle), by David McAfee, is free on Smashwords.

Book Description
Eight scientists and one ex-marine accept an assignment to study the effects of deforestation in Aroostook County, Maine. It’s a routine job, and everything seems to be going according to plan. But when one of their number goes missing, leaving behind only a severed foot as evidence, former lieutenant Colby Phillips must lead an expedition to find him.

What they find instead is an entirely new species. A large breed of insect whose ravenous larvae display features and abilities never before seen in nature. The scientists’ amazement turns to fear when they find themselves at the bottom of the food chain. Can Colby lead the survivors to safety? Or is it already too late?

Of course, escape would be much easier if the dead would stay that way.

Ladies and Gentlemen...The Redeemers ($0.99 Kindle, B&N), by Michael Scott Miller

Book Description
Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers tells the story of Bert Ingram, once a successful rep in the music industry, who has lost his way. Desperate for redemption, the perpetual dreamer decides to put together a band, recruiting musicians who have only one thing in common: the need to overcome a significant obstacle in their lives. The volatile mix of the musicians' personalities and backgrounds threatens to derail the band at every opportunity, but in time, the Redeemers begin to realize they have more to gain from one another than they ever could have imagined.

The Mastermind ($0.99), by John Fitch V, is free on Smashwords.

Book Description
A company wants to buy land in a small town for its newest superstore; unfortunately for the company, the property owners thwart their efforts. That is until it calls in an assassin that knows how to deal with such troublemakers.

He nearly completes his contract -- but when two teens realize what's going on, it makes them wonder who they can trust.

Free Book (PDF) - Debt Free For Life

David Bach's just released Debt Free For Life: The Finish Rich Plan for Financial Freedom ($9.68 Kindle) is available free, in PDF form, today only, from Walletpop.

Book Description
GOODBYE DEBT—HELLO FREEDOM!

Most of us grew up with the idea that there is good debt and there is bad debt. Good debts are generally considered to be debts you incur to buy things that can go up in value—like a home or college education. Bad debts are things like credit card balances, where you borrowed money to buy things that depreciate or go down in value, like most consumer goods.

But as America’s favorite financial coach, David Bach, points out, in difficult times there is no such thing as good debt. There is only debt. And all debt is too expensive—if what you desire is FREEDOM! In fact, Bach believes the best investment you can make today is to pay down your debt, faster and smarter than you have ever attempted before—starting today!

In Debt Free for Life, #1 New York Times bestselling author David Bach has written his most groundbreaking and important book since The Automatic Millionaire, giving us the knowledge, the tools, and the mindset we need to get out of debt and achieve financial freedom— forever! Offering a revolutionary approach to personal finance that teaches you how to pay down your debt and adopt a whole new way of living – debt free. Bach unveils the Debt Wise program that empowers you to pare down your debt automatically. You’ll learn how to calculate your Debt Freedom Day – the actual date you will be completely free of debt. And you’ll discover that when you are debt free, you need a lot less money to live on. You can retire, even with a smaller nest egg -- perhaps earlier than you expected.

David Bach has coached millions to pay off their debt and now he can guide you. Whether you have home loans, student loans, car loans, credit card debt—paying down your debt is truly a game you can win, if you know the rules. Debt Free For Life will teach you the rules and give you the tools to buy back your freedom.

Click HERE to get to the Walletpop website, then click on one of the banners there to download the PDF. The banners are gone, but you can try the direct link, although it could stop working at any time.

This is a DRM-free PDf, so you should be able to load it onto your Kindle as is or convert it.

Free Book (ADE/PDF) - Thousands of Broadways

Thousands of Broadways: Dreams and Nightmares of the American Small Town ($9.99 Kindle), by Robert Pinsky, is free from the University of Chicago this month.

Book Description
Broadway, the main street that runs through Robert Pinsky’s home town of Long Branch, New Jersey, was once like thousands of other main streets in small towns across the country. But for Pinsky, one of America’s most admired poets and its former Poet Laureate, this Broadway is the point of departure for a lively journey through the small towns of the American imagination. Thousands of Broadways explores the dreams and nightmares of such small towns—their welcoming yet suffocating, warm yet prejudicial character during their heyday, from the early nineteenth century through World War II.

The citizens of quintessential small towns know one another extensively and even intimately, but fail to recognize the geniuses and criminal minds in their midst. Bringing the works of such figures as Mark Twain, William Faulkner, Alfred Hitchcock, Thornton Wilder, Willa Cather, and Preston Sturges to bear on this paradox, as well as reflections on his own time growing up in a small town, Pinsky explores how such imperfect knowledge shields communities from the anonymity and alienation of modern life. Along the way, he also considers how small towns can be small minded—in some cases viciously judgmental and oppressively provincial. Ultimately, Pinsky examines the uneasy regard that creative talents like him often have toward the small towns that either nurtured or thwarted their artistic impulses.

Of living in a small town, Sherwood Anderson once wrote that "the sensation is one never to be forgotten. On all sides are ghosts, not of the dead, but of living people." Passionate, lyrical, and intensely moving, Thousands of Broadways is a rich exploration of this crucial theme in American literature by one of its most distinguished figures.

Click HERE to sign up for the free book. You'll need to enter your email address, then check your email for the link to download the book. Mine arrived within seconds -- you get a .ACSM file, which, when opened, will load the PDF book inside of Adobe ADE. This is a DRM'd PDF that is not compatible with the Kindle.

Kindle for Windows Phone 7 Arrives

Those of you with Windows phones can now enjoy the same Kindle reading features as those of us with Android phones and iPhones, as Amazon has now released the Windows Phone 7 App. I don't, though, see any mention of the ability to get magazine and newspaper subscriptions on it (yet), so the Android is still leading the way on that front, amongst all the Kindle apps.

Read Kindle books on Your Windows Phone 7

• Read over 775,000 books in the Kindle Store, including new releases and 108 of this week's 111 New York Times® Bestsellers
• Amazon's Whispersync technology syncs your place across devices, so you can pick up where you left off
• Integrated shopping experience that allows customers to shop without leaving the app
• Send an e-mail to a friend with a link to the book you're reading or to any book in your library without leaving the app
• Customized reading--choose from five different font sizes and three background colors
• Tap on either side of the screen or flick to turn pages

Kaplan Free Books Now Live at B&N & Sony

No sign of them yet on Kindle (and, in fact, the Kaplan main page now no longer shows Kindle as a choice; hopefully it will show up when Kaplan gets their books back on line there), but the deals pages for the 130 free books are now live at Barnes and Noble and Sony (although the prices are not at Sony), in addition to the iBooks store from Apple. There is also now a complete list of the books included, so you can browse thru them easily (and make sure you can find them, if on the iPad), HERE.

When following the links below, be sure to double check the price before ordering. There will no doubt be some books that haven't been updated or that make their way onto the category pages that don't have a $0.00 price. Only those that show $0.00 when you click to order them are free; you may have to wait on a few books for price drops over the next few days. The books should be free thru Jan 10, 2011.

Click HERE to get the books from B&N.
Click HERE to get the books from Sony.
To get the books on your iPad, check this earlier post or click HERE if you are reading this on your iPad.