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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Trio of Bargains from Robinson (K)

These all look like publishing errors and are apt to change in price rapidly.

Complete History of Jack the Ripper ($1.31 pre-order), by Sudgen, has the widest availability, including in the US.
Book Description
A comprehensive account of London's celebrated East End killer, revised and updated. The murders in London between 1888-91 attributed to Jack the Ripper constitute one of the most mysterious unsolved criminal cases. This story is the result of many years meticulous research. The author reassesses all the evidence and challenges everything we thought we knew about the Victorian serial killer and the vanished East End he terrorized.

Amelia Peabody Omnibus ($1.31 AU/A&P/India/LA&C, $1.36 UK, $1.35 DE), by Elizabeth Peters, isn't available for the US, but if you are in any of the available regions, it's a terrific deal. This one is a pre-order in some areas, but available now in Australia. Note that for the UK and DE regions, it's only a big bargain if bought in the Main store, not the country specific stores.
Book Description
Amelia Peabody is Elizabeth Peters' most brilliant and best-loved creation, a thoroughly Victorian feminist who takes the stuffy world of archaeology by storm with her shocking men's pants and no-nonsense attitude!

***Join our plucky Victorian Egyptologist , together with her devastatingly handsome and brilliant husband Radcliffe, in another exciting escapadeWhen Lady Baskerville's husband Sir Henry dies after discovering what may have been an undisturbed royal tomb in Luxor, she appeals to eminent archaeologist Radcliffe Emerson and his wife Amelia to take over the excavation. Amid rumours of a curse haunting all those involved with the dig, the intrepid couple proceeds to Egypt, where they begin to suspect that Sir Henry did not die a natural death, and they are confident that the accidents that plague the dig are caused by a sinister human element, not a pharoah's curse

***Join our plucky Victorian Egyptologist , together with her devastatingly handsome and brilliant husband Radcliffe, in another exciting escapadeThe irascible husband of Victorian Egyptologist Amelia Peabody is living up to his reputation as 'The Father of Curses'. Denied permission to dig at the pyramids of Dahshoor, Emerson is awarded instead the 'pyramids' of Mazghunah - countless mounds of rubble in the middle of nowhere. Nothing in this barren spot seems of any interest but then a murder in Cairo changes all of that.The dead man was an antiques dealer, killed in his shop, so when a sinister-looking Egyptian spotted at the crime scene turns up in Mazghunah, Amelia can't resist following his trail. At the same time she has to keep an eagle eye on her wayward son Rameses and his elegant and calculating cat and look into the mysterious disappearance of a mummy case...

***The 1985-96 season promises to be an exceptional one for Egyptologist Amelia Peabody, her dashing husband Emerson and their precocious eight-year-old son Rameses. The much-coveted burial chamber in Dahshoor is theirs for the digging. Yet there is a great evil in the wind that caresses the hot sands sweeping through the bustling streets and marketplaces of Cairo. An expedition cursed by misfortune and the daring moonlit abduction of Rameses alerts Amelia to the presence of her arch-enemy, the Master Criminal. And his is now a personal quest for the most valuable and elusive prize of all: vengeance on the meddling lady archaeologist with the parasol who has sworn to deliver him to justice...Amelia Peabody herself!
In this first adventure, our headstrong heroine decides to use her substantial inheritance to see the world. On her travels, she rescues a gentlewoman in distress - Evelyn Barton-Forbes - and the two become friends. The two companions continue to Egypt where they face mysteries,mummies and the redoubtable Radcliffe Emerson, an outspoken archaeologist, who doesn't need women to help him solve mysteries -- at least that's what he thinks!

Last Seen in Massilia (Roma sub Rosa) ($1.31 AU/A&P/India/LA&C, $1.35 DE), by Steven Saylor, isn't available to the US and isn't a super bargain in the UK ($4.39), but in some regions (including Australia and Asia), it's a super deal on a very good author.
Book Description
As civil war between Caesar and Pompey engulfs the Roman world, Gordianus the Finder receives an anonymous message informing him of the death of his son Meto who has been acting as a double agent for Caesar. The search for Meto's fate brings Gordianus to the besieged seaport of Massilia, which is stubbornly holding out against Caesar's troops. As famine and slaughter threaten the blockaded city, Gordianus is drawn into the intrigues of exiled Romans and duplicitous Massilians. His only friend in the city, Hieronymous, has been made the doomed scapegoat elected by city officials to bear the sins of the populace and save them all from annihilation. Meanwhile, Gordianus is constantly frustrated in his efforts to find out what happened to his son - and when he witnesses the fall of a young woman from a precipice outside the city called the Sacrifice Rock, then the plot begins to thicken...

Monday, April 2, 2012

Free Short Stories: Bestselling authors & Real-life heroines (K/N/E)

Harlequin has released three new short titles in their More Than Words: Bestselling authors & Real-life heroines series of Harlequin Special Releases. This time around, you can get the stories on Kindle, in addition to the EPUB editions available last time around.

No One But You (Kindle, B&N, Kobo, Harlequin), by Jillian Hart, is free in the Kindle store.
Book Description
We all have the power to effect change--we just need to find the strength to harness it. With every good deed done, and helping hand offered, we are making the world a better place. The dedicated women selected as this year's recipients of Harlequin's More Than Words award have changed many lives for the better, through their compassionate hearts and unshakable commitment. To celebrate their accomplishments, bestselling authors have written stories inspired by these real-life heroines.

In this book, Jillian Hart honors the work of Mary Byberg, a committed volunteer for Nellie's Shelter for Women and Children in Toronto, Ontario.

Hooked (Kindle, B&N, Kobo, Harlequin), by Betina Krahn, is free in the Kindle store.
Book Description
We all have the power to effect change--we just need to find the strength to harness it. With every good deed done, and helping hand offered, we are making the world a better place. The dedicated women selected as this year's recipients of Harlequin's More Than Words award have changed many lives for the better, through their compassionate hearts and unshakable commitment. To celebrate their accomplishments, bestselling authors have written stories inspired by these real-life heroines.

In this book, Betina Krahn honors the work of Donna Fischer, the Arizona program coordinator for Casting for Recovery, a national non-profit organization that runs fly-fishing retreats for women who have or have had breast cancer.

Maxwell's Smile (Kindle, B&N, Kobo, Harlequin), by Michele Hauf, is free in the Kindle store.
Book Description
We all have the power to effect change--we just need to find the strength to harness it. With every good deed done, and helping hand offered, we are making the world a better place. The dedicated women selected as this year's recipients of Harlequin's More Than Words award have changed many lives for the better, through their compassionate hearts and unshakable commitment. To celebrate their accomplishments, bestselling authors have written stories inspired by these real-life heroines.

In this book, Michele Hauf honors the work of the Barta sisters--Berni, Romi, Lexi and Marni Barta--and the not-for-profit organization that they founded, Kid Flicks.

We hope More Than Words inspires you look inside your heart and to get in touch with the heroine inside of you.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Free Kindle App - My Checklist

My Checklist, a Kindle App from Amazon, is free in the Kindle store. This should work on all Kindle devices from the Kindle 2 forward (providing they are up to date with their firmware).
App Description
Do you ever arrive at the store only to find you've forgotten your shopping list? Now you can keep your list on the one thing you'd never forget - your Kindle!

My Checklist allows you to organize your life with up to 25 lists for your to do's, shopping, invitations, party planning, reading lists, whatever! You can easily enter custom lists on any Kindle, and make fresh copies of frequently used lists, like Groceries, every time you need them. You will get a great sense of accomplishment as you mark each item on the list complete. You can even see your progress on your most recent lists at a glance!

Never forget another thing with My Checklist!

Bargain Book/Game/Music/Movie Roundup

Amazon has started running a Weekend Deal on digital content, including Kindle Books, Game Downloads, MP3 Downloads and Instant Videos. You can vote on the upcoming deal thru the week and then use the same link to check on the results each Friday. I've added a link on the sidebar, directly under the free MP3 of the day, so you can easily find your way back to the page each week.

I'm going to list the deals for the weekend in this post, then add a few "with Bonus Materials" editions of books that are currently marked down in the Kindle store. Bonuses are usually simply previews of upcoming titles, which can be ignored and these volumes are usually bargain priced to entice you to try a new author.

Anathem ($1.99 Kindle, Google), by Neal Stephenson. Should be price matched elsewhere, as it's an Agency title. The only reason I'm not buying? I already have it in my library.
Book Description
Anathem, the latest invention by the New York Times bestselling author of Cryptonomicon and The Baroque Cycle, is a magnificent creation: a work of great scope, intelligence, and imagination that ushers readers into a recognizable -- yet strangely inverted -- world.

Fraa Erasmas is a young avout living in the Concent of Saunt Edhar, a sanctuary for mathematicians, scientists, and philosophers, protected from the corrupting influences of the outside "saecular" world by ancient stone, honored traditions, and complex rituals. Over the centuries, cities and governments have risen and fallen beyond the concent's walls. Three times during history's darkest epochs violence born of superstition and ignorance has invaded and devastated the cloistered mathic community. Yet the avout have always managed to adapt in the wake of catastrophe, becoming out of necessity even more austere and less dependent on technology and material things. And Erasmas has no fear of the outside -- the Extramuros -- for the last of the terrible times was long, long ago.

Now, in celebration of the week-long, once-in-a-decade rite of Apert, the fraas and suurs prepare to venture beyond the concent's gates -- at the same time opening them wide to welcome the curious "extras" in. During his first Apert as a fraa, Erasmas eagerly anticipates reconnecting with the landmarks and family he hasn't seen since he was "collected." But before the week is out, both the existence he abandoned and the one he embraced will stand poised on the brink of cataclysmic change.

Powerful unforeseen forces jeopardize the peaceful stability of mathic life and the established ennui of the Extramuros -- a threat that only an unsteady alliance of saecular and avout can oppose -- as, one by one, Erasmas and his colleagues, teachers, and friends are summoned forth from the safety of the concent in hopes of warding off global disaster. Suddenly burdened with a staggering responsibility, Erasmas finds himself a major player in a drama that will determine the future of his world -- as he sets out on an extraordinary odyssey that will carry him to the most dangerous, inhospitable corners of the planet . . . and beyond.

Beethoven: The Complete Symphony Collection ($5.00), performed by The London Symphony Orchestra. 5:40:00 of music and overwhelming 5 star reviews.


Unforgiven ($1.99 Rent, $9.99 Buy)
Movie Description
Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman play retired outlaws who pick up their guns one last time to collect a bounty.

The Great Tree ($1.99 PC or MAC download), by Amazon
Game Description
Fly into a magical world of mystery and adventure told through beautiful drawings and mesmerizing gameplay with Reflexive's enchanting game: The Great Tree! When the Pollen Collectors are bewitched, the faeries' survival rests upon the shoulders of their children. This quest will lead them directly into the dangers of the forest, where there are whispers of something sinister lurking in the shadows. The tree's life runs short. Set forth now to save the faeries in this grown-up tale of good and evil!

The Witch Doctor's Wife with Bonus Material ($0.99), by Tamar Myers, is a pre-order (credit card on file required, but not charged until shipped). Get a sample from the full price edition ($9.99).
Book Description
For a limited time at a special price, enjoy beloved mystery writer Tamar Myers' novel The Witch Doctor's Wife—an enthralling tale of duty, greed, danger, and miracles in equatorial Africa. As a bonus, you get an excerpt from The Headhunter's Daughter and The Boy Who Stole the Leopard's Spots, on sale May 8, 2012.

The Congo beckons to young Amanda Brown in 1958, as she follows her missionary calling to the mysterious "dark continent" far from her South Carolina home. But her enthusiasm cannot cushion her from the shock of a very foreign culture—where competing missionaries are as plentiful as flies, and oppressive European overlords are busy stripping the land of its most valuable resource: diamonds.

Little by little, Amanda is drawn into the lives of the villagers in tiny Belle Vue—and she is touched by the plight of the local witch doctor, a man known as Their Death, who has been forced to take a second job as a yardman to support his two wives. But when First Wife stumbles upon an impossibly enormous uncut gem, events are set in motion that threaten to devastate the lives of these people Amanda has come to admire and love—events that could lead to nothing less than murder.

Spin with Bonus Material ($1.99), by Catherine McKenzie, is a also a pre-order. Get a sample from the full price edition ($9.99).
Book Description
For a limited time at a special price, enjoy Catherine McKenzie's charming and humorous novel Spin, along with excerpts to her upcoming new novels, Arranged, on sale May 15, 2012, and Forgotten, on sale September 4, 2012.

When Kate Sandford lands an interview at her favorite music magazine, The Line, it's the chance of a lifetime. So Kate goes out to celebrate—and shows up still drunk to the interview the next morning. It's no surprise that she doesn't get the job, but her performance has convinced the editors that she'd be perfect for an undercover assignment for their gossip rag. All Kate has to do is follow "It Girl" Amber Sheppard into rehab. If she can get the inside scoop—and complete the thirty-day program—they'll reconsider her for the position at The Line. Kate takes the assignment, but when real friendships start to develop, she has to decide if what she has to gain is worth the price she'll have to pay.

I've mentioned Reckless With a Bonus Excerpt ($0.99), by Andrew Gross, before. It's out now (and still worth getting).
Book Description
For a limited time and a special price, discover Reckless, the New York Times best-selling novel by Andrew Gross, plus the first three chapters from his next novel, 15 Seconds, a thrilling, fast-paced story of a man, on the run, desperate to prove his innocence and to save his family’s lives. 15 Seconds will be available wherever books are sold July 10th.
In Reckless, Ty Hauck hunts the murderer of a friend--and steps into the crosshairs of a sinister conspiracy.

Savannah Blues with Bonus Material ($3.99), by Mary Kay Andrews, is a another pre-order. Get a sample from the full price edition ($9.99). I think I'll order this one, just for the area in which it is set (where I used to roam, in a past life).
Book Description
This special e-book edition of Savannah Blues includes a free excerpt of Mary Kay Andrews's latest novel, Spring Fever!

Landing a catch like Talmadge Evans III got Eloise “Weezie” Foley a jewel of a town house in Savannah's historic district. Divorcing Tal got her exited to the backyard carriage house, where she has launched a spite-fest with Tal's new fiancÉe, the elegant Caroline DeSantos.

An antiques picker, Weezie combs Savannah's steamy back alleys and garage sales for treasures when she's not dealing with her loopy relatives or her hunky ex-boyfriend. But an unauthorized sneak preview at a sale lands Weezie smack in the middle of magnolia-scented murder, mayhem . . . and more. Dirty deals simmer all around her—just as her relationship with the hottest chef in town heats up and she finds out how delicious love can be the second time around.

My Weird School 4-Book Collection with Bonus Material ($9.99), by Dan Gutman, works out to just under $2.50/volume for a series that usually is about $3.99 apiece. If you have small kids and you want them to love reading, definitely get them some of the titles in this series (one reviewer mentioned that her child read this book 22 times!).
Book Description
Don’t miss out on an exciting new My Weird School ebook collection, complete with the first four books in Dan Gutman’s seriously hilarious and seriously zany series. The collection includes My Weird School #1: Miss Daisy Is Crazy!, My Weird School #2: Mr. Klutz Is Nuts!, My Weird School #3: Mrs. Roopy Is Loopy!, My Weird School #4: Ms. Hannah Is Bananas!, and a bunch of seriously strange activities. The activities include a checklist, a maze, and a word scramble.

Meet a teacher who eats bonbons, a principal who kisses pigs, a librarian who thinks she's George Washington, and an art teacher who dresses up in pot holders! They're all inside this collection! They must be getting pretty crowded in there!

Warriors 3-Book Collection with Bonus Material ($12.99), by Erin Hunter, works out to $4.33/title, plus you get some bonus maps.
Book Description
For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their warrior ancestors. But now the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger, and sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. Into the midst of this turmoil comes an ordinary house cat named Rusty . . . who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.

Enter the world of Warriors with this great introduction to Erin Hunter’s best-selling series: Warriors #1: Into the Wild, Warriors #2: Fire and Ice, and Warriors #3: Forest of Secrets. In addition, this bundle includes bonus materials like trivia, territory maps, sneak peeks at other Warriors books, and a new short story from Erin Hunter.

A Series of Unfortunate Events Collection: Books 1-13 with Bonus Material ($79.99), by Lemony Snicket, is a bit steep for a "bargain" and only works out to about $6.15/title (which is a bit of a discount from the $6.99 individually). Nowhere near the bargain long-time readers got when almost the entire series was mistakenly listed as free for a few hours, but this is the only way (that I can see) that you get the included bonus materials. If you have kids and don't have any of the books, it's definitely one to consider.
Book Description
If you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted and quick-witted, but their lives are filled with bad luck and misery. All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched and will most likely fill you with deep despair.

From The Bad Beginning to The End, this comprehensive collection with unfortunate bonus material that may or may not include trivia questions, character profiles, and several very sad sentences is the only choice for people who simply cannot get enough of a bad thing!

Today's Deals

The new batch of $3.99 or Less Kindle Books is up at Amazon. Looks like I need to top off my Gift Certificate balance and do a bit of shopping, as I've already spotted more than a couple of authors I read just on the first page and one from my wishlist near the top of the second page.

Today's Kindle Deal of the Day is White Witch ($0.99), by Trish Milburn. This one looks good and I'm moving it near the top of my TBR list.
Book Description
All she wants is a normal life. A boyfriend. Friends. Some place to belong, but all too soon Jax's barely begun new life hangs in the balance when she discovers that the boy she's attracted to is sworn to kill her kind. He's a hunter with good reason to kill everything that goes bump in the night.

Even the most fleeting use of her power is tantamount to signing her death warrant and will bring both hunter and coven down on her. But can she walk away when her friends are threatened by an old evil? Something created by the magic of witches? Jax's only hope of survival is to convince the boy she loves to forget everything he's ever been taught and help her find a way to fight the covens. To believe there is some good in her.

Harry Hill's Whopping Great Joke Book ($1.57 / £0.99 UK), by Harry Hill, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $8.15).
Book Description
A treat for Harry Hill fans! Britain's favourite comedian, Harry Hill, loves jokes so much that he has put together a side-splitting joke book for all the family. Containing Harry's favourite jokes picked from the world's joke archive, it also features jokes written by Harry, including some brand-new ones written specially for this book.

Warning: now even funnier! Contains new section of hilarious readers' jokes'

Excuses Begone! How to Change Lifelong, Self-Defeating Thinking Habits ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Wayne W. Dyer, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.
Book Description
Within the pages of this transformational book, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer reveals how to change the self-defeating thinking patterns that have prevented you from living at the highest levels of success, happiness, and health. Even though you may know what to think, actually changing those thinking habits that have been with you since childhood might be somewhat challenging.

If I changed, it would create family dramas . . . I’m too old or too young . . . I’m far too busy and tired . . . I can’t afford the things I truly want . . . It would be very difficult for me to do things differently . . . and I’ve always been this way . . . may all seem to be true, but they’re in fact just excuses. So the business of modifying habituated thinking patterns really comes down to tossing out the same tired old excuses and examining your beliefs in a new and truthful light.

In this groundbreaking work, Wayne presents a compendium of conscious and subconscious crutches employed by virtually everyone, along with ways to cast them aside once and for all. You’ll learn to apply specific questions to any excuse, and then proceed through the steps of a new paradigm. The old, habituated ways of thinking will melt away as you experience the absurdity of hanging on to them.

You’ll ultimately realize that there are no excuses worth defending, ever, even if they’ve always been part of your life—and the joy of releasing them will resonate throughout your very being. When you eliminate the need to explain your shortcomings or failures, you’ll awaken to the life of your dreams.

Excuses . . . Begone!

Good Clean Knock Knock Jokes for Kids ($3.82 Kindle, $1.99 B&N), by Bob Phillips, is the Nook Daily Find for Families.
Book Description
What can steer a parent toward insanity faster than the phrase “Are we there yet?”...the words “Knock, Knock,” of course.

Bob Phillips, comic genius, has mastered a gathering of knock, knock jokes that will have kids laughing hysterically—and parents just plain hysterical—but a family that knock, knocks together, grows together.

Knock, Knock

Who’s There?

Olive.

Olive who?

Olive to tell knock-knock jokes.

Hours of entertainment in one simple resource is the best deal in town.