Free Audiobooks - Ashes, Ashes and Rescue

Audiobook Sync's summer of free audiobooks continues. First, I've linked in the info from Amazon for each title (Amazon has the best reviews), then a link below to get your audio copies free. You can't get any titles that have been missed, but once they are loaded into Overdrive (which you will need to install, if you are not already using it for library books), they are yours to keep (there is no expiration date).

Two new titles each Thursday, so be sure to check back next week.!

Ashes, Ashes ($9.99 Kindle; $19.59/$13.71 Audible), by Jo Treggiari, read by Cassandra Campbell.

Book Description
A thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares.

Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.

Rescue: Stories of Survival from Land and Sea ($16.95 paperback; $17.47/$10.95 Audible), edited by Dorcas S. Miller and Clint Willis, read by Terence Aselford, Colleen Delany, David Elias, Graeme Malcolm and Nick Sampson.

Book Description
Following the successes of Epic, High, and Rough Water, the latest addition to the Adrenaline series presents the most gripping rescue narratives. Rescue includes Doug Scott's account of saving himself by crawling off Pakistan's Ogre with two broken legs, and Spike Walker's story of the race to recover a king crab fisherman from the Bering Sea in midwinter. The book also includes an account of trying to rescue two canoeists battling hypothermia on a storm-tossed lake; Alison Osius's tale of two teenagers lost in the Great Gulf Wilderness of New Hampshire; and a missionary doctor and his dog team being blown out to sea on an iceberg off the coast of Labrador.

With two great selections today, it's no surprise that the Sync site is running quite slow this morning - if you can't get thru, be sure to try again tomorrow.

Click HERE to sign up for an account and get the free downloads. Don't forget, you'll also need to install the Overdrive software (there is a link at Sync). In addition, you end up clicking about three pages, for each book, before the audiobook actually downloads. Don't stop so long as you still see a button that talks about your Sync download (or until you see the Overdrive software open up). Once in Overdrive, you'll need to tell it where to save the files (just click OK to use the default location, since Overdrive will keep track of them for you), then again to actually start the download (by default, all parts of the book are downloaded; I would suggest not changing this in the last dialog box, just click on OK to get the download started).

Free App (Android) - Jamie's 20 Minute Meals

Jamie's 20 Minute Meals, by Zolmo, usually sells for $7.99, but is free, today only, in the Amazon Android App store. If you have any type of Android tablet or phone (or can persuade a friend to let you use theirs, just long enough to register it to your account), I'd recommend you pick this one up. There are some reports of a problem with the DRM causing the app to close, on some devices (mostly phones), a few seconds after opening -- but that should eventually get fixed, as it generally does on most apps. When it does, you'll get the update, if you already have the app in your library.

Book Description
Who can help but be charmed by England's Jamie Oliver, The Naked Chef? Jamie is well known as chef, restaurateur, and an advocate for improving unhealthy diets, especially championing healthy school lunches for children.

Watch an introductory video from Jamie and get right to the recipes. Search for a recipe or peruse 10 categories such as Delicious soups, Tasty stir-fries, and Simple risottos. Each recipe includes a summary with a picture of the dish, an ingredient and equipment list, detailed instructions, and relevant videos on tasks like garlic preparation or onion chopping. Double-touch the screen in landscape mode to see pictures of each step.

Add ingredients to your list and then use the general shopping list to view by recipe or by aisle. Use the menu to quickly access any video or learn about what Jamie feels are kitchen essentials -- both ingredients and equipment. Jamie promises that this app will "arm you with the confidence" to have tasty meals in 20 minutes!

• 80 MB of additional media - the download works best over Wifi or in smaller parts as needed in the app.
• Access 60 of Jamie Oliver's quick and delicious recipes
• Watch videos guiding you through common cooking procedures
• See color photos of each recipe, including photos for each step
• Learn what ingredients and equipment Jamie recommends you keep handy

Free Kindle Game - Every Word: Crossings

Every Word: Crossings, by Amazon Digital Services, a new game in the Kindle store, is currently available to download for free.

Book Description
Every Word: Crossings is a word game in which you try to unscramble letters to fill in as many words as you can on a crossword style grid.

You are given five to seven scrambled letters with the goal of finding as many words as you can. When you find a word it gets added to the crossword style grid, which gives you clues about the words that intersect with the word you just found. You score points by filling out the words in each empty spot on the crossword grid. When you find a word that uses all available letters, you can move on to the next level, or keep at it until time runs out or until you fill up the board. The more words you make, the higher your score!

Every Word: Crossings has 10 levels of difficulty and as you progress through them the puzzles become more and more complex. Level 1 gives you 5 letters to work with and a relatively small grid with about a dozen words to fill in. Level 10 gives you 7 letters to work with and more than 30 words to find.

There are thousands of unique puzzles to play -- if you like word games, you'll love Every Word: Crossings.

Please note: Every Word: Crossings may contain content inappropriate for children.

New Kindle Game - KenKen Vol. 1

KenKen Vol. 1 Presented by Will Shortz ($1.99), by Gameblend Studios, is a new logic puzzle game in the Kindle store. It looks quite similar to Sudoku, but with the added challenge of mathematical operations, and you get 50 levels to play.

Game Description
KenKen is a puzzle in which you combine simple math and logic to fill in a grid of numbers.

Presented by New York Times puzzle editor Will Shortz, KenKen is a challenging follow-up to Sudoku. As in Sudoku, KenKen requires that you fill in a grid with numbers without repeating a number in any row or column. In KenKen, you are also shown heavily outlined sets of squares called cages, each of which has a target number and a mathematic operator (addition, subtraction, multiplication or division). The numbers in each cage must combine to produce the target number in the cage using the mathematical operation indicated. Easy cages are made up of one or two squares and are in just one column or row. More difficult cages can cross multiple columns and rows and are made up of many squares, requiring creative thought as you figure out how many different ways you can create the target number with one operator!

KenKen Volume 1 contains 50 puzzles ranging from Easy to Expert, with grid sizes between 3x3 and 9x9. You can use the inline notes feature to help you jot down potential solutions, and if you get stuck, you can always get a hint.

Give your brain a workout and have fun with KenKen!

Amazon Video Game Deal Day

If you are a gamer, you may want to keep an eye on the Gold Box and Deal of the Day page at Amazon. The first main deal of the day and the first Lightning Deal are first person shooters for the XBOX/PS3 and it looks like there will be different games all day, mostly action/shooters this morning (including a Marine sniper and Star Wars sequel game), then some type of exercise game in the afternoon (Pacific time), along with what is surely a Raving Rabbid, from the hints given.

Brink is today's Gold Box deal, marked down to $19.99 (from $59.99 retail).

Game Description
Brink is an immersive first-person shooter that blends single-player, co-op, and multiplayer gameplay into one seamless experience, allowing you to develop your character whether playing alone, with your friends, or against others online. You decide the combat role you want to assume in the world of Brink as you fight to save yourself and mankind’s last refuge. Brink offers a compelling mix of dynamic battlefields, extensive customization options, and an innovative control system that will keep you coming back for more.

STORY:
Brink takes place on the Ark, a man-made floating city that is on the brink of all-out civil war. Originally built as an experimental, self-sufficient and 100% “green” habitat, the reported rapid rise of the Earth’s oceans has forced the Ark to become home to not only the original founders and their descendants but also to thousands of refugees. With tensions between the two groups growing, Security and Resistance forces are locked in a heated battle for control of the Ark. Which side will you choose?

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is the first of the lightning deals today and is marked down to $39.99 (you only see that price on the Lightning Deals page).

Game Description
Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a third-person action game that ups the ante in the series' ongoing battle between Autobot and Decepticon. Designed as a companion game to the major motion picture of the same name, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is intended as a prequel to the events of the movie and contains a variety of game features such as: the new Stealth Force hybrid, a form that combines the weapons and firepower of robot mode with the agility and maneuverability of vehicle mode; the ultimate Decepticon assassin, Shockwave; the ability to play as either Autobot or Decepticon Transformers; three distinct character class chassis and more.

It has been three years since Megatron and the Decepticons last threatened the world. Earth's leaders believe that Megatron has fled the planet in defeat - but Optimus Prime knows better. An alien transmission is intercepted, exposing Megatron's plan to spread chaos and fear among the humans, and unleash the ultimate Decepticon assassin: Shockwave. The Autobots must hunt Megatron, neutralize Shockwave, and save their new home from total destruction at the hands of the Decepticons.