Today's Deals

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Talking with My Mouth Full: My Culinary Career from Line Cook to Food Writer to Professional Eater ($1.99), by Gail Simmons.

Book Description
When Top Chef judge Gail Simmons first graduated from college, she felt hopelessly lost. All her friends were going to graduate school, business school, law school . . . but what was she going to do? Fortunately, a family friend gave her some invaluable advice—make a list of what you love to do, and let that be your guide. Gail wrote down four words:

Eat. Write. Travel. Cook.

Little did she know, those four words would become the basis for a career as a professional eater, cook, food critic, magazine editor, and television star. Today, she's the host of Top Chef: Just Desserts, permanent judge on Top Chef, and Special Projects Director at Food & Wine magazine. She travels all over the world, eats extraordinary food, and meets fascinating people. She's living the dream that so many of us who love to cook and eat can only imagine. But how did she get there?

Talking with My Mouth Full follows her unusual and inspiring path to success, step-by-step and bite-by-bite. It takes the reader from her early years, growing up in a household where her mother ran a small cooking school, her father made his own wine, and family vacation destinations included Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East; through her adventures at culinary school in New York City and training as an apprentice in two of New York's most acclaimed kitchens; and on to her time spent assisting Vogue's legendary food critic Jeffrey Steingarten, working for renowned chef Daniel Boulud, and ultimately landing her current jobs at Food & Wine and on Top Chef. The book is a tribute to the incredible meals and mentors she's had along the way, examining the somewhat unconventional but always satisfying journey she has taken in order to create a career that didn't even exist when she first started working toward it.

With memorable stories about the greatest (and worst) dishes she's eaten, childhood and behind-the-scenes photos, and recipes from Gail's family and her own kitchen, Talking with My Mouth Full is a true treat.

The Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK features two books today:

Maps for Lost Lovers ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Nadeem Aslam, is (the US edition is $11.99).

If Gabriel García Márquez had chosen to write about Pakistani immigrants in England, he might have produced a novel as beautiful and devastating as Maps for Lost Lovers. Jugnu and Chanda have disappeared. Like thousands of people all over Enland, they were lovers and living together out of wedlock. To Chanda’s family, however, the disgrace was unforgivable. Perhaps enough so as to warrant murder.As he explores the disappearance and its aftermath through the eyes of Jugnu’s worldly older brother, Shamas, and his devout wife, Kaukab, Nadeem Aslam creates a closely observed and affecting portrait of people whose traditions threaten to bury them alive. The result is a tour de force, intimate, affecting, tragic and suspenseful.

Dogs ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Emily Gravett, is (no US edition).

Gorgeous canines of every shape, size and colour are bounding through this irresistible book of opposites. Can you choose one dog to love best of all?

With playful pencil and watercolour illustrations to delight children and adults alike, everyone will long to bark along with the Chihuahua and tickle the Dalmatian's tummy. Emily Gravett has created another wonderfully satisfying book - with a twist in the tail.

Her Highness, the Traitor ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Susan Higginbotham, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
A daughter can be a dangerous weapon in the battle for the throne of England

Frances Grey harbored no dream of her children taking the throne. Cousin of the king, she knew the pitfalls of royalty and privilege. Better to marry them off, marry them well, perhaps to a clan like the Dudleys.

Jane Dudley knew her husband was creeping closer to the throne, but someone had to take charge, for the good of the country. She couldn't see the twisted path they all would follow.

The never–before–told story of the women behind the crowning of Jane Grey, this novel is a captivating peek at ambition gone awry, and the damage left in its wake.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Hope Solo: My Story ($1.99), by Hope Solo.

Book Description
Meet Hope Solo—Soccer Sensation

In this young readers' edition of Hope Solo's exciting life story, adapted from Solo: A Memoir of Hope, the Olympic gold medalist and starting goalkeeper for the U.S. women's national soccer team gives readers behind-the-scenes details of her life on and off the field. Solo offers a fearless female role model for the next generation, driven to succeed on her own terms. Young fans will truly be inspired by Hope's repeated triumphs over adversity. Her relentless spirit has molded her into the person she is today—one of the most charismatic athletes in America.

A huge player in the Summer 2012 Olympic Games, Hope shares her inside story in her own words, for soccer fans of all ages!

Cookbook Bargain Trio (K)

I was looking thru the cookbooks tonight and ran across a few interesting ones. I also noticed that the Cuisinart GR-4N 5-in-1 Griddler, which I love, has a $10 off coupon (click the button to clip it, to the right of the product picture, before adding to the cart), for those that might be interested. Our first one lasted over 10 years, before the plates wore out; it was cheaper to get a second one than add plates, since I found it on sale at Amazon one day. This has won a coveted spot next to the stove and stays out all the time. It gets used several times a week and it's not unusual to get used twice a day, for steaks, chicken, paninis, etc. The new one has pancake plates on the flip side of the regular griddler plates (also used regularly) and I've been considering getting the Waffle Plates (currently on sale), even though I have a perfectly good waffle iron -- not only is this appliance already out, that would let me run two waffles at once.

If you are a paper cookbook person, be sure to check out the "Black Friday" cookbook sale, which is still going on. Looks to be better than half-price on some interesting titles, including Sweet Vegan: A Collection of All Vegan, some Gluten-Free, and a Few Raw Desserts (under $9).

One Dish at a Time: Delicious Recipes and Stories from My Italian-American Childhood and Beyond ($4.99 Kindle), by Valerie Bertinelli. It's apparently higher for Canadians, but the same $4.99 on Google, for those there or with nooks. For those with iPads, there is an Audio/Video Edition, but it's nearly $15.

Book Description
More than 100 recipes for the Italian dishes of the much-beloved celeb’s childhood, presented with tips and hints for enjoying them without overindulging.

As a member of a large, food-loving Italian family, Valerie Bertinelli has always equated food with good times and togetherness. But at one point her love of food threatened not only her health, but her livelihood as an actress, when personal demons drove her to overeat and make poor food choices that caused her weight to balloon by 50 pounds. Now happily svelte, remarried, and riding a new career high, Valerie has made peace with food, giving it a central—yet considered—place in her home and family celebrations.

One Dish at a Time offers an intimate look into the beloved actress’s kitchen, where she prepares a collection of treasured recipes from her Italian heritage. Along the way, she shares her insights into the portion control and mindful indulgence she has come to practice on her journey to enjoying the pleasures of the table again.

Filled with gorgeous photos including the actress in her kitchen, nutrition information accompanying each recipe, and Valerie’s tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, One Dish at a Time is designed to please baby boomer fans and home cooks alike.

The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time ($4.99 Kindle), by Laurie David and Kirstin Uhrenholdt

Book Description
The producer of An Inconvenient Truth, Laurie David's new mission is to help America's overwhelmed families sit down to a Family Dinner, and she provides all the reasons, recipes and fun tools to do so.

Laurie David speaks from her own experience confronting the challenges of raising two teenage girls. Today's parents have lots to deal with and technology is making their job harder than ever. Research has proven that everything we worry about as parents--from drugs to alcohol, promiscuity, to obesity, academic achievement and just good old nutrition--can all be improved by the simple act of eating and talking together around the table.

Laurie has written a practical, inspirational, fun (and, of course, green) guide to the most important hour in any parent's day. Chock-full chapters include: Over seventy-five kid approved fantastic recipes; tips on teaching green values; conversation starters; games to play to help even the shyest family member become engaged; ways to express gratitude; the family dinner after divorce (hint: keep eating together) and much more. Filled with moving memories and advice from the country's experts and teachers, this book will get everyone away from electronic screens and back to the dinner table.

The Olive and the Caper: Adventures in Greek Cooking ($2.51 Kindle), by Susanna Hoffman

Book Description
This is the year "It's Greek to me" becomes the happy answer to what's for dinner. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the upcoming epic Troy, the 2004 Summer Olympics returning to Athens--and now, yet another reason to embrace all things Greek: The Olive and the Caper, Susanna Hoffman's 700-plus-page serendipity of recipes and adventure.

In Corfu, Ms. Hoffman and a taverna owner cook shrimp fresh from the trap--and for us she offers the boldly-flavored Shrimp with Fennel, Green Olives, Red Onion, and White Wine. She gathers wild greens and herbs with neighbors, inspiring Big Beans with Thyme and Parsley, and Field Greens and Ouzo Pie. She learns the secret to chewy country bread from the baker on Santorini and translates it for American kitchens. Including 325 recipes developed in collaboration with Victoria Wise (her co-author on The Well-Filled Tortilla Cookbook, with over 258,000 copies in print), The Olive and the Caper celebrates all things Greek: Chicken Neo-Avgolemeno. Fall-off-the-bone Lamb Shanks seasoned with garlic, thyme, cinnamon and coriander. Siren-like sweets, from world-renowned Baklava to uniquely Greek preserves: Rose Petal, Cherry and Grappa, Apricot and Metaxa.

In addition, it opens with a sixteen-page full-color section and has dozens of lively essays throughout the book--about the origins of Greek food, about village life, history, language, customs--making this a lively adventure in reading as well as cooking.

Today's Deals

Here's an update on the shipping status for the various Kindle models (all for US shipping):

• Kindle (in stock)
• Kindle Paperwhite (week of Dec 21)
• Kindle Paperwhite 3G (week of Dec 21)
• Kindle Keyboard 3G (in stock)
• Kindle Fire (1-2 weeks)
• 7" Kindle Fire HD (in stock)
• 8.9" Kindle Fire HD (week of Dec 3)
• 8.9" Kindle Fire HD with 4G LTE wireless (week of Dec 10)

Maria over at Bear Mountain Books is giving away some Mystery and Urban Fantasy Books and bookbags! She made sure to pick titles that are available on both Nook and Kindle (and in print, in case you don't e-read).

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Slugs in Love ($1.99), by Susan Pearson and Kevin O'Malley (Illustrator) .

Book Description
Marylou loves everything about Herbie—how his slime trail glistens in the dark, how he can stretch himself thin to squeeze inside the cellar window, and how he always finds the juiciest tomatoes. But Marylou is a shy slug. How can she get Herbie to notice her? Find out how Marylou woos her beloved in this must-have love story that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Grade Level: 1st and up

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Dead Spots ($1.99), an urban fantasy novel by Melissa F. Olson; the companion audiobook is $5.49. I'll definitely be reading the sample on this one today.

Book Description
Scarlett Bernard knows about personal space: step within ten feet of her, and any supernatural spells or demonic forces are instantly defused—vampires and werewolves become human again, and witches can’t get out so much as a “hocus pocus.” This special skill makes her a null and very valuable to Los Angeles’s three most powerful magical communities, who utilize her ability to scrub crime scenes clean of all traces of the paranormal to keep humanity, and the LAPD, in the dark.

But one night Scarlett’s late arrival to a grisly murder scene reveals her agenda and ends with LAPD’s Jesse Cruz tracking her down to strike a deal: he’ll keep quiet about the undead underworld if she helps solve the case. Their pact doesn’t sit well with Dash, the city’s chief bloodsucker, who fears his whole vampire empire is at stake. And when clues start to point to Scarlett, it’ll take more than her unique powers to catch the real killer and clear her name.

Trojan Horse ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Mark Russinovich, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $11.99). I really liked the first in this series, Zero Day, when I read it last year (in paper, since the ebook is staying over $10).

Book Description
It's two years post-Zero Day, and former government analyst Jeff Aiken is reaping the rewards for crippling al-Qaida's attack on the computer infrastructure of the Western world. His cyber-security company is flourishing, and his relationship with Daryl Haugen intensifies when she becomes a part of his team.

But the West is under the East's greatest threat yet. The Stuxnet virus that successfully subverted Iran's nuclear defense program for years is being rapidly identified and defeated, and Stuxnet's creators are stressed to develop a successor.

As Jeff and Daryl struggle to stay together, they're summoned to disarm the attack of a revolutionary, invisible trojan that alters data without leaving a trace. As the trojan penetrates Western intelligence, the terrifying truth about Iran is revealed, and Jeff and Daryl find themselves running a desperate race against time to reverse it - while the fate of both East and West hangs in the balance.

Like Zero Day, Trojan Horse is a thrilling suspense story, a sober warning from one of the world's leading experts on cyber-security, Microsoft Technical Fellow Mark Russinovich. Trojan Horse demystifies the already common use of international cyber-espionage as a powerful and dangerous weapon, and the lengths to which one man will go to stop it.

Young House Love: 243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love ($2.99 B&N), by Sherry & John Petersik, is the Nook Daily Find; no Kindle edition, but you can subscribe to their blog.

Book Description
Design ideas for every style, skill level, and budget, from the beloved couple behind YoungHouseLove.com

This debut book by bloggers Sherry and John Petersik is filled with hundreds of fun, deceptively simple, budget-friendly ideas for sprucing up a home. With two home renovations under their (tool) belts, 5 million blog hits per month, and an ever-growing audience since the launch of Young House Love in 2007, Sherry and John are home-improvement enthusiasts primed to pass on a slew of projects, tricks, and techniques to do-it-yourselfers of all levels. Whether an experienced decorator or a total novice, on a tight budget or with money to spend, any homeowner or apartment dweller will find ideas for his or her own home makeovers here. Learn to trick out a thrift-store mirror, spice up plain old roller shades, "hack" your Ikea table to create three distinct looks, and so much more.

Packed with 243 tips and ideas-both classic and unexpected-every project pictured was exclusively executed for the book (so there are no photos that you've already seen on the blog). With more than 250 photographs and illustrations, this is a book that readers will return to again and again for the creative projects and easy-to-follow instructions in the relatable voice the Petersiks are known for. Adding a little wow factor to your home has never been more fun!

Today's Deals

Today is the last day to take advantage of this KSO deal:

• Get 1 of 10 Kindle Romances for $1

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy ($1.99), a Newberry Honor Book by Gary D. Schmidt.

Book Description
It only takes a few hours for Turner Buckminster to start hating Phippsburg, Maine. No one in town will let him forget that he's a minister's son, even if he doesn't act like one. But then he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a smart and sassy girl from a poor nearby island community founded by former slaves. Despite his father's-and the town's-disapproval of their friendship, Turner spends time with Lizzie, and it opens up a whole new world to him, filled with the mystery and wonder of Maine's rocky coast. The two soon discover that the town elders, along with Turner's father, want to force the people to leave Lizzie's island so that Phippsburg can start a lucrative tourist trade there. Turner gets caught up in a spiral of disasters that alter his life-but also lead him to new levels of acceptance and maturity. This sensitively written historical novel, based on the true story of a community's destruction, highlights a unique friendship during a time of change.

Grade Level: 5 and up

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Devil's Bride ($1.99), the first novel in the Cynster series by Stephanie Laurens. The companion audiobook is $4.99.

Book Description
When Devil, the most infamous member of the Cynster family, is caught in a compromising position with plucky governess Honoria Wetherby, he astonishes the entire town by offering his hand in marriage. No one dreamed this scandalous rake would ever take a bride. And as society mamas swooned at the loss of England′s most eligible bachelor, Devil′s infamous Cynster cousins began to place wagers on the wedding date.

But Honoria wasn′t about to bend society′s demands and marry a man "just" because they′d been found together virtually unchaperoned. No, she craved adventure, and while solving the murder of a young Cynster cousin fit the bill for a while, she decided that once the crime was solved she′d go off to see the world. But the scalding heat of her unsated desire for Devil soon had Honoria craving a very different sort of excitement. Could her passion for Devil cause her to embrace the enchanting peril of a lifelong adventure of the heart?

Daughters for a Time ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Jennifer Handford, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $3.00).

Book Description
When Helen Francis was a child, her mother died and her father walked out, leaving her to be raised by her older sister. Now thirty-five, married, and trying to start a family of her own, Helen has moved on but never really healed from her traumatic childhood. She has always believed that a new baby would help fill the loss of what was taken from her at such a young age. After four years of trying to become pregnant, however, she is resigned to the fact that she will never be able to bear children. Halfheartedly accepting adoption as an alternative, Helen gradually embraces and grows excited over the prospect. And when her new baby is finally in her arms, true happiness washes over her. But her unimaginable bliss is dashed when she learns that Claire, the sister who raised and loved her throughout her childhood and adult life, has been diagnosed with cancer.

For Helen, the pain of her childhood returns and the old wounds of abandonment are once again torn open. Balancing the joy of her new daughter with the painful experience of watching her sister, the physical embodiment of unconditional love in her life, slowly die, Helen must reconcile her inner feelings and heal her broken spirit. A heart-wrenching exploration of the ties that bind us and the lasting pain of childhood loss,Daughters for a Time is about longing for a family to heal a broken heart, experiencing unconditional love as a parent, and finding solid ground to stand on when suffering and elation have equally powerful holds on our life.

Lethal Vintage ($10.44 $2.99 Kindle, B&N), the fourth title in Nadia Gordon's Sunny McCoskey Napa Valley series, is the Nook Daily Find; it isn't price matched on Kindle (yet), but Amazon has the better price on the third in the series, Murder Alfresco ($1.99). Hopefully it will drop on Amazon later today, so I can add it to the first three in the series in my library. Update: Now price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
In Lethal Vintage, the fourth installment in the Sunny McCoskey Napa Valley mystery series, an old friend calls Sunny for help dealing with her boyfriend, a hedge fund billionaire with a wine country estate fit for a king. Sunny joins her for what she thinks will be a day of girl talk and poolside sunbathing. Instead, a day of gustatory decadence turns into a night of scandal and debauchery culminating in murder. By morning, the police are pounding on doors, and Sunny is more than a witness she s a potential suspect. Sunny and her friends sous chef Rivka Chavez, winemaker Wade Skord, and valley wine merchant and bon vivant Monty Lenstrom offer an insider s take on the foodie culture of Napa as they try to help Sunny stay out of trouble. Steeped in good food, great wine, and plenty of summer heat, Lethal Vintage is a fun read for anyone who s ever wondered what goes on in those mansions above the vines.

Bargain Book Roundup (K)

French Classics Made Easy: More Than 250 Great French Recipes Updated and Simplified for the American Kitchen ($2.51), by Richard Grausman, might be the perfect gift for a Julia Child fan that doesn't have time to spend in the kitchen all day.

Book Description
Classic French food is hotter than ever. But one thing hasn’t changed—few of us have the time, the patience, the technique, or the cream and butter allowance to tackle the classics as presented by Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The good news is—we don’t need to. For the past 40 years Richard Grausman, America’s premier culinary teacher, has been training American chefs in a simpler, better way of French cooking, and in French Classics Made Easy—a refreshed and updated edition of his original collection, At Home with the French Classics—he shares all of his extraordinary innovations and techniques. Golden soufflés in ten minutes. A light and luscious chocolate mousse that can be made as a cake, a chocolate roll, soufflé, or pudding. Plus Cassoulet, Boeuf Bourguignon, Coq au Vin, Bouillabaisse, Poached Salmon with Beurre Blanc—in all, 250 impeccably clear, step-by-step recipes in range of anyone who knows how to boil water or dice an onion.

When a step isn’t critical, Grausman eliminates it. If something can be done in advance, he does it. Plus he’s cut the amount of butter, cream, egg yolks, salt, and sugar; the result is health-conscious recipes that don’t compromise the essential nature of the dish. Techniques are illustrated throughout in line drawings. It’s the grandness of French cuisine, made accessible for both entertaining and everyday meals.

Frozen Heat ($5.40), the latest novel by the television character Richard Castle, looks to be a price match to Google, so could go up at any time; I've had this one on my wish list for a while, so jumped at this price.

Book Description
Hot on the heels of Richard Castle's #1 New York Times bestseller Heat Rises comes the fourth novel in the Nikki Heat series, Frozen Heat. Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook are together again, facing an unsolved murder mystery that has haunted Nikki for ten years.

NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat arrives at her latest crime scene to find an unidentified woman stabbed to death and stuffed inside a suitcase left on a Manhattan street. Nikki is in for a big shock when this new homicide connects to the unsolved murder of her own mother. Paired once again with her romantic and investigative partner, top journalist Jameson Rook, Heat works to solve the mystery of the body in the suitcase while she is forced to confront unexplored areas of her mother's background.

Facing relentless danger as someone targets her for the next kill, Nikki's search will unearth painful family truths, expose a startling hidden life, and cause Nikki to reexamine her own past. Heat's passionate quest takes her and Rook from the back alleys of Manhattan to the avenues of Paris, trying to catch a ruthless killer. The question is, now that her mother's cold case has unexpectedly thawed, will Nikki Heat finally be able to solve the dark mystery that has been her demon for ten years?

Wanted: Undead or Alive ($1.99), the twelfth novel in the Love at Stake series by Kerrelyn Sparks; you can also pick up the novella, A Very Vampy Christmas, for 99 cents (originally published in Sugarplums and Scandal), and the fifth in the series, All I Want for Christmas Is a Vampire, for $1.99, in case you missed it last time it was on sale, as well as put in a pre-order for the new anthology Vampires Gone Wild.

Book Description
He's a vampire from the big city . . .

Phineas McKinney thought New York City was tough, until he was attacked by Malcontents—evil vampires who consider mortals to be snacks. Saved by the good vampires, Phin swore to devote his now undead life to stopping the Malcontents. He's got his job cut out for him when word comes that their enemy may be hiding in Wyoming. What does a city boy like him know about horses and campfires? Good thing he's got Brynley Jones with him . . . if only she didn't hate every vampire on earth.

She's a werewolf princess . . .

Bryn believes vampires are seductive and charming, and that makes them dangerous. So she's more than a little annoyed about teaming up with Phin, even if he is the only bloodsucker able to make her inner wolf purr. But as they hunt down the new leader of the Malcontents, danger threatens . . . and Phineas and Brynley discover a passion that will rock the foundation of their supernatural world.

Forced to Kill ($1.99), the second novel in the Nathan McBride series by Andrew Peterson

Book Description
Trained Marine sniper Nathan McBride is the sole survivor of Montez de Oca, the brutal Nicaraguan interrogator who tortured countless souls to death before vanishing fourteen years ago. Though McBride’s body—as well as his soul—still bear the scars from the interrogator’s blade, he dares to hope the worst is behind him.

But when the FBI recovers a mutilated body from a remote Utah lake, McBride needs just one glimpse to know the truth: Montez de Oca has resurfaced, this time on American soil. And McBride will be damned if he lets him escape again. So begins a quest for justice that will push McBride to the edge, pitting his capacity for mercy against his hunger for vengeance in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse that will reach into the highest levels of the US government.

China Moon Cookbook ($2.51), by Barbara Tropp and Sandra Bruce (Illustrator); I sent a sample of this one to my Fire to look thru.

Book Description
The "Julia Child of Chinese cooking" (San Francisco Chronicle), Barbara Tropp was a gifted teacher and the chef/owner of one of San Francisco's most popular restaurants. She was also the inventor of Chinese bistro, a marriage of home-style Chinese tastes and techniques with Western ingredients and inspiration, an innovative cuisine that stuffs a wonton with crab and corn and flavors it with green chili sauce, that stir-fries chicken with black beans and basil, that tosses white rice into a salad with ginger-balsamic dressing.

Casual yet impeccable, and as balanced as yin and yang, these 275 recipes burst with unexpected flavors and combinations: Prawn Sandpot Casserole with Red Curry and Baby Corn; Spicy Tangerine Beef with Glass Noodles; Pizzetta with Chinese Eggplant, Wild Mushrooms, and Coriander Pesto; Chili-Orange Cold Noodles; Sweet Carrot Soup with Toasted Almonds; Wok-Seared New Potatoes; Crystallized Lemon Tart; and Fresh Ginger Ice Cream.

Winner of an IACP/Julia Child Cookbook Award.