Today's Deals 12/13

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Learning to Ski with Mr. Magee ($1.99), by Chris Van Dusen.

Book Description
One winter morning, Mr. Magee and his little dog, Dee, head out bright and early to learn how to ski. But what begins as a pleasant day in the snow quickly goes downhill when a run-in with a curious moose sends them flying through the air and hanging above an abyss! How will Dee and Magee find their way out of this snowy situation? Chris Van Dusen, the creator of Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee and A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee, has crafted yet another fun-filled adventure for Magee fans old and new.

Grade Level: P and up

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is New Moon ($2.99), by Stephenie Meyer. It's also the Nook Daily Find over at B&N today.

Book Description
Legions of readers entranced by Twilight are hungry for more and they won't be disappointed. In New Moon, Stephenie Meyer delivers another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural twist. The "star-crossed" lovers theme continues as Bella and Edward find themselves facing new obstacles, including a devastating separation, the mysterious appearance of dangerous wolves roaming the forest in Forks, a terrifying threat of revenge from a female vampire and a deliciously sinister encounter with Italy's reigning royal family of vampires, the Volturi. Passionate, riveting, and full of surprising twists and turns, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Loki's Daughters ($0.99), by Delle Jacobs.

Book Description
For as long as Arienh can remember, her Celtic people have feared the deadly Viking raids. She knows their brutality first hand, having lost the men from her own family and village to their swords. When she encounters and wounds a Viking warrior one stormy night, she has every right to want him dead. Instead, she allows him shelter in her cottage. Although she fears him, his confidence and teasing manner give her pause. He acts as if she belongs to him. As if he knows her.

Ronan didn’t expect Arienh to recognize him. Why should she? They were both just children when his uncle forced him into a raid against her village. But Ronan risked his life to protect the young Arienh from his marauding kinsmen. Now that the time has come for Ronan and the other warriors to choose wives, he has returned to claim the beautiful girl who captured his heart so long ago.

But for men accustomed simply to taking what they want, wooing the courageous, headstrong Celtic women is easier said than done. And for Arienh, who always sacrificed her own happiness for the sake of her people, trusting—and loving—a Northman may be impossible. By turns poignant and humorous, Loki’s Daughters is a stirring tale of unlikely lovers, forged in dangerously opposite worlds yet bound together by sacrifice, strength, and undeniable passion.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is The Stress of Her Regard ($1.99), by Tim Powers.

Book Description
When Michael Crawford discovers his bride brutally murdered in their wedding bed, he is forced to flee not only to prove his innocence, but to avoid the deadly embrace of a vampire who has claimed him as her true bridegroom. Joining forces with Byron, Keats, and Shelley in a desperate journey that crisscrosses Europe, Crawford desperately seeks his freedom from this vengeful lover who haunts his dreams and will not rest until she destroys all that he cherishes. Told in the guise of a secret history, this long-awaited tale of passion and terror is finally back in print after more than 20 years.

Forgotten Footprints: Lost Stories in the Discovery of Antarctica ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by John Harrison, is the first Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $6.39).

Book Description
Forgotten Footprints tells the story of the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands and the Weddell Sea: the most visited places in Antarctica. In 12 years John Harrison has visited the Antarctic over 40 times, where he works as a guide and lectures on adventure cruise ships. Here he offers a selection of highly readable anecdotal accounts of the merchantmen, navy men, sealers, whalers, and aviators who, along with scientists and adventurers, drew the first ghostly maps of the white continent.

Cloud Road: A Journey through the Inca Heartland ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by John Harrison, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $6.39).

Book Description
In every atlas there is a country missing from the maps of South America: the Andean nation. For five months John Harrison journeys through this secret country, walking alone into remote villages where he is the first gringo the inhabitants have ever seen, and where life continues as if Columbus had never sailed. He lives at over 10,000 feet for most of the trip, following the great road of the Incas: the Camino Real, or Royal Road. Hand built over 500 years ago, it crosses the most difficult and dangerous mountains in all the Americas, diving into sweltering canyons and soaring up into the snows. 1500 miles, half of it on foot, takes him from the Equator to Cuzco and the most magical city of all: Machu Picchu. In this Wales' Book of the Year 2011 winning book, he is attacked, gets lost and is trapped by floods, but only when he goes home does he lose what he wants most.

Encounters in the American Mountain West: A Sinner Amongst the Latter-Day Saints ($1.91 / £1.19 UK), by Ian R Mitchell, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $9.79).

Book Description
Over the past 14 years Boardman-Tasker award-winner Ian R Mitchell has been a frequent visitor to the wilds of Utah and the surrounding US Mountain States. His motive has been not only to learn about the area he calls almost a ‘black hole for Americans and foreigners alike’ but also to get to know the people who live there and the wilderness many of them know little about. This book comprises 10 essays covering his visits to the grounds of the ancient Anazasi civilization, to mountains such as Timpanagos and Tukhunikivats, to the mining country of Carbon County and to the various sites associated with the Mormon pioneers who settled Utah 150 years ago revealing that the land of the Latter-Day Saints has much to reward those who are curious enough to venture there. Ian ventures along a series of trails through the remoter and almost wholly ignored parts of the 'American Mountain West'. His travels are based on either cultural or geographic themes allowing him to gain both insight and knowledge of the region, and to experience the wilderness areas of some of America's most beautiful landscapes. Along the way he befriends many Mormons, a people readers will want to know more about given the candidacy of the first LDS Presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, in November's US elections. After opening with The Road to Zion, Ian ventures out first with an essay that conjoins Scotland and Utah through a chance meeting with a Utah mountaineer then deals with his experiences along the Cactus Ed Trail, which looks at Edward Abbey, author of Desert Solitaire. The essays that follow this are: On The Mormon Trail, The Brigadoon Trail, On The Trail of The Ancient Ones, On The Cowboy Trail, On The Indian Trail, The Hanksville Trail, On the Trail of the Mountain Men, and finally On the Miners' Trail. The book has a an introduction by acclaimed mountain and travel writer Jim Perrin.

Book Bargain at StoryBundle (DF)

StoryBundle has a new group of ebooks you can buy at a bargain price, which you determine. The minimum you can pay is one dollar (to cover the payment processing fees) and you can pay any amount over that, but those that pay $8 or more get two bonus books in this bundle. The books are DRM-free, so you can convert as needed.

Here are the current books in the bundle:
On the Riverside of Promise by Vasileios Kalampakas
Unsettling May Have Occurred by The Editors of Damn Interesting
Hunting in Hell by Maria Violante
The Select by F. Paul Wilson
The Hour Before Dark by Douglas Clegg
The Disciple, Part I by L. Blankenship

If you pay more than the bonus price of just $8, you get two bonus books, which are:

The Halo Effect by M.J. Rose
Zombies of the World by Ross Payton

Today's Deals 12/12

Don't forget to register for the gift card giveaway on Amazon's 12 Days of Book Deals promotion page. Today's book is the hardcover edition of Weeknights with Giada: Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner for $3.99 (and they are going fast).

Today's Audible Daily Deal is Books 1 and 2 of The Hunger Games for only $4.95 ($3.95 if you already own the Kindle books). Members with credits can also shop the 12/12/12 BOGO boutique.

At Harlequin, Like them on Facebook and get 15% off your next order!

Join the festivities with 12 Days and 12 FREE comics during comiXology’s 12 Days of Gifting! Today, (until 1PM) get Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation #1 for FREE today from IDW Publishing! After 1PM, the free download will change.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Death of Kings ($1.99), the sixth and latest novel in the Saxon Chronicles series by Bernard Cornwell.

Book Description
The latest chapter in the epic saga of the making of England, magnificently brought to life by "the reigning king of historical fiction" (USA Today), Bernard Cornwell.

As the ninth century wanes, Alfred the Great lies dying, his lifelong goal of a unified England in peril, his kingdom on the brink of chaos. Though his son, Edward, has been named his successor, there are other Saxon claimants to the throne—as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north. Torn between his vows to Alfred and the desire to reclaim his long-lost ancestral lands in the north, Uhtred, Saxon-born and Viking-raised, remains the king's warrior but has sworn no oath to the crown prince. Now he must make a momentous decision that will forever transform his life and the course of history: to take up arms—and Alfred's mantle—or lay down his sword and let his liege's dream of a unified kingdom die along with him.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Games of the Heart ($1.99), by Eva Shaw.

Book Description
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas? Not this time. Not by a long shot.

See, I'm usually the one who solves problems, being that I'm a minister and all. Yes, you heard it right. I might not look like one - i.e. rounded on all the right edges and a propensity to wearing clothes showing a smidge of cleavage. And it's true if you've heard that I have Victoria's Secret's site as my homepage.

Like it or not, that's me, Pastor Jane Angieski. I'm fully licensed, fully educated, and fully confused most of the time.

Truth is that if I could have just resisted the lure of dark chocolate I'd have stayed happily ignorant about sex slaves, black-market babies, cheatin' preachers, and an assortment of lowlifes that have intruded on my cluttered, fluttered, and frazzled life. And with that restraint, I would never have been rejected, arrested, and nearly exterminated. Or fallen in love. But wait, like always, I'm getting ahead of the story and how it all happened.

The breath-defying pace of the novel zings through a series of escapades worthy of a plus-size preaching protagonist in one of lisa Lutz's Spellman novels. Can Pastor Jane Angieski keep her nose out of trouble, her heart from hurting and her fantasies away from the handsome Antonio Banderas-looking Las Vegas Police Captain Tom Morales? Does she really want to?

Only Pastor Jane can multi-task the problems in store for her with the help of dark chocolate and plenty of Starbucks in hand.

Sensuality Level: PG rated; Christian mystery with a serving of romance.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is What Our Eyes Have Witnessed ($0.99), by Stant Litore.

Book Description
Stant Litore’s The Zombie Bible retells biblical tales and ancient history as episodes in humanity’s long struggle with hunger … and with the hungry dead.

Father Polycarp has a Gift. He can bring peace and rest to the restless dead.

At his touch, each hungering corpse lies still at last. But to do this, Polycarp must first look into each one's blind eyes and find the remnant of the soul caught within the shambling corpse. He must witness its secrets, its suffering -- all that it loved and feared and regretted in its brief life. Only then can he absolve that soul and set it free. Only then will it cease to walk and feed.

But Polycarp has more than the dead to worry about: second-century Rome is bitterly divided. The patricians hope to appease their ancestors by lavishing food upon the tombs of the dead, even as the city’s poor starve in the streets. Blaming the rising of the dead on Polycarp and his followers, they seek his death, certain his rejection of the old ways has left the ancestors restless and starving for flesh.

To save the Eternal City, Polycarp will have to stand against the might and corruption of Roman justice and the terrible moaning of the ravenous dead in this captivating installment in the Zombie Bible series.

Here Lies Bridget ($2.23 / £1.39 UK), by Paige Harbison, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $7.19).

Book Description
Bridget Duke is the uncontested ruler of her school. The meanest girl with the biggest secret insecurities. And when new girl Anna Judge arrives, things start to fall apart for Bridget: friends don't worship as attentively, teachers don't fall for her wide-eyed "who me?" look, expulsion looms ahead and the one boy she's always loved—Liam Ward—can barely even look at her anymore.

When a desperate Bridget drives too fast and crashes her car, she ends up in limbo, facing everyone she's wronged and walking a few uncomfortable miles in their shoes. Now she has only one chance to make a last impression. Though she might end up dead, she has one last shot at redemption and the chance to right the wrongs she's inflicted on the people who mean the most to her.

And Bridget's about to learn that, sometimes, saying you're sorry just isn't enough….

Tidewater Inn ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Colleen Coble, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
Welcome to Hope Beach. A place of intoxicating beauty . . . where trouble hits with the force of a hurricane.

Inheriting a beautiful old hotel on the Outer Banks could be a dream come true for Libby. The inn cries out for her restorer’s talent and love of history. She’s delighted to learn of the family she never knew she had. And the handsome Coast Guard lieutenant she’s met there on the island could definitely be the man of her dreams.

But Libby soon realizes that the only way she can afford the upkeep on the inn is to sell it to developers who are stalking the island. The father who willed her the inn has died before she could meet him, and her newfound brother and sister are convinced she’s there to steal their birthright. Worst of all, her best friend and business partner has been kidnapped before her eyes, and Libby’s under suspicion for the crime.

Libby’s dream come true is becoming a nightmare. Her only option is to find her friend and prove her innocence, or lose everything on the shores of Hope Island.

Today's Kindle Teens Daily Deal is Billy Christmas ($1.99), by Mark A. Pritchard.

Book Description
When Billy's father mysteriously disappears and his mother responds by becoming more and more reclusive, Billy maintains hope that his father's absence is not by choice—despite the rumors and taunts of his classmates who believe otherwise. Twelve days before Christmas, Billy acquires a magical tree with a dozen ornaments, each of which holds a clue to finding his father. In order to do so, however, Billy must solve one puzzle each day, so he enlists the help of his best friend Katherine, not realizing that in doing so, he has placed them both in grave danger. The forces of evil that have captured Billy's father are revealed to be manifest in the landscape of their very own small hometown outside of Oxford, England, as well as in some of its seemingly benign inhabitants. A beautifully woven narrative with rich, compelling characters, this novel is sure to strike a chord with any fan of fantasy literature.

Today's Deals 12/11

Today is Video Games Deal Day in the Gold Box at Amazon, with "Assassin's Creed III" on sale and Lightning Deals all day long. There are also several good deals on the Digital Games Deals page this week. Any purchase in that store, thru Dec 15, seems to earn you various free bundles in some of the "free-to-play" games (which, like most tablet games, earn their money thru selling add-ons and in-game items).

Amazon's Android Appstore spotlight today is on World Series of Poker (Kindle Tablet Edition) for $0.00.

Don't forget to register for the gift card giveaway on Amazon's 12 Days of Book Deals promotion page. Today's book is "a best seller in Humor."

Today's Audible Daily Deal is Holiday Favorites for $5.95 each.

At Harlequin, get your "nice" wallpaper today (puppies and kittens!).

Join the festivities with 12 Days and 12 FREE comics during comiXology’s 12 Days of Gifting! Today, (until 1PM) get Action Comics #1 for FREE today from DC Comics! After 1PM, the free download will change.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is The Shadow Hunter ($1.99), by Michael Prescott; the companion audiobook is also $1.99.

Book Description
Abby Sinclair deals in risk assessment—but it’s lives, not fortunes, that are at stake. The Los Angeles investigator goes undercover to figure out whether a client’s stalker is simply an overzealous fan or a dangerous psychopath. She’s learned the hard way that the difference isn’t always apparent until it’s too late. In Raymond Hickle’s case, however, Abby has no doubts.

The awkward loner’s fixation with gorgeous news anchor Kris Barwood has progressed from creepy to murderous. So Abby befriends Hickle, trying to gauge when and how he’ll strike. Yet her target is as wily as he is unhinged, and Abby has unwittingly made herself a madman’s latest obsession. With her reputation and life on the line, Abby races to save Kris before Hickle eliminates them both.

New York Times best-selling author Michael Prescott takes readers on an adrenaline-pumping thrill ride packed with ingenious twists and gut-churning suspense.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is The Grand Sophy ($1.99), by Georgette Heyer

Book Description
Sophy sets everything right for her desperate family in one of Georgette Heyer's most popular Regency romances.

When Lady Ombersley agrees to take in her young niece, no one expects Sophy, who sweeps in and immediately takes the ton by storm. Sophy discovers that her aunt's family is in desperate need of her talent for setting everything right: Ceclia is in love with a poet, Charles has tyrannical tendencies that are being aggravated by his grim fiancee, her uncle is of no use at all, and the younger children are in desperate need of some fun and freedom. By the time she's done, Sophy has commandeered Charles's horses, his household, and finally, his heart.

Today's Kindle Sci-Fi / Fantasy Daily Deal is Genesis ($1.99), "a stunning debut" by Bernard Beckett

Book Description
As rich in ideas as it is in suspense, destined to become a modern classic of post-apocalyptic literature...

Anax thinks she knows history. Her grueling all-day Examination has just begun, and if she passes, she’ll be admitted into the Academy—the elite governing institution of her utopian society. But Anax is about to discover that for all her learning, the history she’s been taught isn’t the whole story. And the Academy isn’t what she believes it to be. In this brilliant novel of dazzling ingenuity, Anax’s examination leads us into a future where we are confronted with unresolved questions raised by science and philosophy. Centuries old, these questions have gained new urgency in the face of rapidly developing technology. What is consciousness? What makes us human? If artificial intelligence were developed to a high enough capability, what special status could humanity still claim? Outstanding and original, Beckett’s dramatic narrative comes to a shocking conclusion.

Pines ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Blake Crouch, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $3.99).

Book Description
Secret service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with a clear mission: locate and recover two federal agents who went missing in the bucolic town one month earlier. But within minutes of his arrival, Ethan is involved in a violent accident. He comes to in a hospital, with no ID, no cell phone, and no briefcase. The medical staff seems friendly enough, but something feels…off. As the days pass, Ethan’s investigation into the disappearance of his colleagues turns up more questions than answers. Why can’t he get any phone calls through to his wife and son in the outside world? Why doesn’t anyone believe he is who he says he is? And what is the purpose of the electrified fences surrounding the town? Are they meant to keep the residents in? Or something else out? Each step closer to the truth takes Ethan further from the world he thought he knew, from the man he thought he was, until he must face a horrifying fact—he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive. Intense and gripping, Pines is another masterful thriller from the mind of bestselling novelist Blake Crouch.

The Traveler's Gift ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Andy Andrews, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
Only a few months ago, he was a successful executive. Now he's a desperate man. But a divine adventure is about to unfold. Join David Ponder on an incredible journey that will help you discover the Seven Decisions for Success.

In the tradition of best-selling books by Og Mandino, The Traveler's Gift is destined to become a classic.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is A Dress for Me! ($1.99), by Sue Fliess and Mike Laughead (Illustrator).

Book Description
Should we shop now? I say, Yes! Mom says I can choose a dress! Hippo is looking for a new dress There are so many choices! Dresses with beads and fringe, dresses with shiny sequins, dresses with stripes and checkers, and more! Watch me as I try them all! Will Hippo find the perfect dress? Sue Fliess's rhyming text and Mike Laughead's adorable digital illustrations bring to life Hippo's exciting day at the mall.

Grade Level: Pre-K and up

Already Bought a Kindle Fire 8.9? Get a $50 Refund!

If you already bought a Kindle Fire HD 8.9" this year, you can get a $50 refund if you call Kindle Support TODAY ONLY, while the Deal of the Day promotion is still active, and ask for it. If you bought more than one, you can get a $50 refund for each one that you still have (in case you've returned one, you can't get a further refund on it; if you had to have a replacement sent, though, you can still get the refund on the original purchase).

The reason you can get this refund is that all Kindles have a 30-day no-questions-asked return policy and Amazon doesn't want to handle a large number of returns and ship out new units, just so you can get a price match.

If you are on Twitter or Facebook - be sure to ReTweet or LIKE this post and let your friends know that they can get this refund. It's only valid today and only for as long as they have the promotion active (if they sell out early, the refunds stop when they take down the deal).

Today's Deals 12/10

Don't forget to register for the gift card giveaway on Amazon's 12 Days of Book Deals promotion page. Today's book is "a fiction best seller (paperback ...)".

Today's Audible Daily Deal is 20% Off Gift Memberships!

At Harlequin, get free "naughty" wallpaper for your computer or mobile device. Although, it's nice enough to even put on your computer at work.

Join the festivities with 12 Days and 12 FREE comics during comiXology’s 12 Days of Gifting! Today, (until 1PM) get Green Lantern #1 for FREE today from DC Comics! After 1PM, the free download will change.

The Starbucks Gift special today is 30% Off Starbucks® mugs and gift packs.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is The Story of Snow ($1.99), by Mark Cassino and Jon Nelson, PhD., which was awarded a Starred Review by Booklist.

Book Description
How do snow crystals form? What shapes can they take? Why do star-shaped snow crystals usually have six arms? Are no two snow crystals alike? These questions and more are answered inside this exploration of the science of snow, featuring photos of real snow crystals in all their beautiful diversity. Perfect for reading on winter days, this book by a nature photographer and a snow scientist will inspire wonder and curiosity about the marvels of snow. And for those inspired to collect and study their own snow crystals, there are snow-crystal-catching instructions in the back.

Grade Level: P and up

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Persona Non Grata ($0.99), the third novel in the Medicus Investigation/Roman Empire series by Ruth Downie, with the companion audiobook only $3.49. If you need the first in the series, be sure to grab Medicus while it's marked down to $1.99.

Book Description
At long last, Gaius Petreius Ruso and his companion, Tilla, are headed home-to Gaul. Having received a note consisting only of the words "COME HOME!" Ruso has (reluctantly, of course) pulled up stakes and brought Tilla to meet his family.

But the reception there is not what Ruso has hoped for: no one will admit to sending for him, and his brother Lucius is hoping he'll leave. With Tilla getting icy greetings from his relatives, Lucius' brother-in-law mysteriously drowned at sea, and the whole Ruso family being sued for bankruptcy, it's hard to imagine an unhappier reunion. That is, until Severus, the plaintiff in the bankruptcy suit, winds up dead, and the real trouble begins...

Engrossing, intricate, and-as always-wonderfully comic, Ruth Downie's latest is a brilliant new installment in this irresistible series. This is everything we've come to expect from our charming, luckless hero.

Stanley: Africa's Greatest Explorer ($1.91 / £1.19 UK), by Tim Jeal, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $10.99).

Book Description
Henry Morton Stanley was a cruel imperialist - a bad man of Africa. Or so we think: but as Tim Jeal brilliantly shows, the reality of Stanley's life is yet more extraordinary. Few people know of his dazzling trans-Africa journey, a heart-breaking epic of human endurance which solved virtually every one of the continent's remaining geographical puzzles. With new documentary evidence, Jeal explores the very nature of exploration and reappraises a reputation, in a way that is both moving and truly majestic.

Keeker and the Sneaky Pony ($0.99 Kindle, B&N), the first title in by Hadley Higginson's Sneaky Pony children's series, illustrated by Maja Andersen, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle. If you have kids (or grandkids) in this age range, don't miss picking up Keeker and the Horse Show Show-Off (#2) and Keeker and the Not-So-Sleepy Hollow (#6) at the same price (only at Amazon); all of these will work on any Kindle, so you aren't limited to reading them on the new tablets.

Book Description
Meet Catherine Corey Keegan Dana (everyone calls her Keeker). What she wants most of all is a pony.

Meet Plum. Plum is a Shetland pony (who's known to be a teeny bit sneaky). She rarely, if ever, thinks about little girls. She certainly doesn't want one.

When Plum moves to Keeker's farm, Keeker faces the challenge of winning a pony's trust and friendship. And when Plum and Keeker find themselves lost in the woods, they learn that working together is the best way to get out of a fix. This fast-paced story of adventure and friendship will have new readers galloping back for more.

Grade Level: P and up

Kindle Fire HD 8.9" $249!

Today only, save $50 on Kindle Fire HD 8.9" (now $249) or Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G LTE Wireless (now $449), by entering promotional code FIREHD89 at checkout. They've been showing that this was the week that these would be back in stock and now they are ready to start shipping them out in time for Christmas

There are some restrictions, which work out to basically one per customer (account), only those sold by Amazon (no third party sellers or used), and only until the number they've set aside for the promotion sell out. Although only the base models are shown on the deals page, the wording says on any model, so the $50 discount should work on the ones with more than the base RAM configurations, as well.

Limit one discount per customer. U.S. customers only. Discount valid on all versions of Kindle Fire HD 8.9” sold and shipped by Amazon. It does not apply to the same products sold by other sellers. Amazon reserves the right to cancel the promotion at any time. Promo codes may not be combined with other offers. If you return items purchased using a promo code, we will subtract the value of the discount from your return credit. Offer not valid with 1-Click ordering. Void where prohibited,

Free Audio Short Story - The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

The audiobook edition of The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Alan Cumming, is free for members (those with a subscription) at Audible. I checked the price while not logged in, however, and it looks like everyone with an account can get it free, as well.

Book Description
The season of gift-giving is here, and this year we've got something special for our members: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Yuletide whodunit "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle". In this holiday-themed short story, Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick, Dr. Watson, follow the trail of a lost hat and a Christmas goose through the streets of London and into a rapidly expanding mystery. And, since a great story calls for a great voice, we’ve brought in Emmy Award nominee Alan Cumming (TV's The Good Wife), a past Audie Award winner for Best Male Narrator and one of our very favorite narrators. We enjoyed it, and we hope you will too. Happy listening and happy holidays!

Get the free audiobook from Audible.

Today's Deals 12/9

Today is Musicals Day in the Gold Box at Amazon, with "Singin' in the Rain" and "Sound of Music" on Blu-ray starting at 53% Off and Lightning Deals all day long.

Amazon's Android Appstore spotlight today is on THE GAME OF LIFE (Kindle Tablet Edition) for 99 cents.

The Starbucks Gift special today is a sale on their red holiday mugs (these usually sell out quickly each year, so I'm headed over in just a bit to see if I can get one or two).

Don't forget to register for the gift card giveaway on Amazon's 12 Days of Book Deals promotion page. Today's book is the hardcover edition of Thinking, Fast and Slow for $2.99 (and they are going fast).

Today's Audible Daily Deal is Select Books by Preston & Child for $7.95 each. Don't forget, if you took advantage of the Listener Rewards program last month, you should have $10 or $20 in your account to use this month (if you don't, just email Audible support and they'll fix it).

At Harlequin, save 20% on any Carina Press Mystery books, today only! Use CPMYSTERY20 at checkout.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is The Winter Rose ($1.99), by Jennifer Donnelly.

Book Description
It has been twelve years since a dark, murderous figure stalked the alleys and courts of Whitechapel. And yet, in the summer of 1900, East London is still poor, still brutal, still a shadow city to its western twin. Among the reformers is an idealistic young woman named India Selwyn-Jones, recently graduated from medical school. With the help of her influential fiance--Freddie Lytton, an up-and-coming Liberal MP--she works to shut down the area's opium dens that destroy both body and soul. Her selfless activities better her patients' lives and bring her immense gratification, but unfortunately, they also bring her into direct conflict with East London's ruling crime lord--Sid Malone.

India is not good for business and at first, Malone wants her out. But against all odds, India and Sid fall in love. Different in nearly every way, they share one thing in common--they're both wounded souls. Their love is impossible and they know it, yet they cling to it desperately. Lytton, India's fiance, will stop at nothing to marry India and gain her family's fortune.

Fractious criminal underlings and rivals conspire against Sid. When Sid is finally betrayed by one of his own, he must flee London to save his life. Mistakenly thinking him dead, India, pregnant and desperate, marries Freddie to provide a father for hers and Sid's child. India and Sid must each make a terrible sacrifice--a sacrifice that will change them both forever. One that will lead them to other lives, and other places...and perhaps--one distant, bittersweet day--back to each other.

The Shoestring Club ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Sarah Webb, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (no US edition, but her Ask Amy Green is reasonably priced).

Book Description
Join The Shoestring Club

When the love of her life, Ed, announces his surprise engagement to her best friend, Julia Schuster is distraught but determined not to let them see how much she’s hurting. She spies a remarkable dress in Shoestring, her sister’s designer second-hand shop, and knows she’ll only be able to stagger through the wedding day, showing everyone how over Ed she is, if her body is wrapped in its soft silk chiffon. Unfortunately it costs mega bucks and she’s barely hanging on to her job as it is.

Arietty Pilgrim can’t and won’t attend her fiercely competitive school reunion unless she can arrive wearing exactly the same dress. But working as an elephant keeper in Dublin Zoo does not a millionaire make.

But fate has a funny way of bringing people together. Just as Julia starts to flounder amidst family troubles, problem drinking and a broken heart, she meets Arietty and the two of them set up The Shoestring Club – time-sharing one extraordinary dress and beginning a life-altering friendship.

Christmas at Eagle Pond ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), by Donald Hall and Mary Azarian (Illustrator), is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
Donald Hall draws on his own childhood memories and gives himself the thing he most wanted but didn't get as a boy: a Christmas at Eagle Pond.

It’s the Christmas season of 1940, and twelve-year-old Donnie takes the train to visit his grandparents' place in rural New Hampshire. Once there, he quickly settles into the farm’s routines. In the barn, Gramp milks the cows and entertains his grandson by speaking rhymed pieces, while Donnie’s eyes are drawn to an empty stall that houses a graceful, cobwebby sleigh. Now Model A's speed over the wintry roads, which must be plowed, and the beautiful sleigh has become obsolete. When the church pageant is over, the gifts are exchanged, and the remains of the Christmas feast put away, the air becomes heavy with fine snowflakes—the kind that fall at the start of a big storm—and everyone wonders, how will Donnie get back to his parents on time?

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is The Sign of the Beaver ($1.99), by Elizabeth George Speare.

Book Description
Left alone to guard the family's wilderness home in eighteenth-century Maine, a boy is hard-pressed to survive until local Indians teach him their skills.

Grade Level: 5 and up

Today's Deals 12/8

Don't forget to register for the gift card giveaway on Amazon's 12 Days of Book Deals promotion page. Today's book is "a best-selling nonfiction book".

Today's Audible Daily Deal is Nora Roberts Romance for $5.95. Members with credits get a bonus sale today: Heat Up Your Holidays BOGO boutique. For those with a UK account, the £0.99 audiobook is The Christmas Angel by Marcia Willett.

At Harlequin, get FREE recipes from Debbie Macomber! It's a DRM-free PDF download that everyone can grab.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Restless ($1.99), by William Boyd.

Book Description

In December, 2012 The Sundance Channel will air the BBC-produced film RESTLESS starring Charlotte Rampling, Michael Gambon, Hayley Atwell, and Rufus Sewell, based on this novel by William Boyd.

Someone is trying to kill Sally Gilmartin. It is the summer of 1976, and the only person she can trust is her daughter, Ruth, a young single mother struggling with her own demons. Now Sally must tell her daughter the truth: She is actually Eva Delectorskaya, a Russian émigré recruited for the British Secret Service in 1939. Soon Ruth is drawn deeper into the astonishing events of her mother’s past, including her work in New York City manipulating the press in order to shift public sentiment toward U.S. involvement in Second World War and her dangerous love affair with another spy. Ruth also discovers that her mother has one final assignment. This time, though, Eva can’t do it alone—she needs Ruth’s help. Full of tension and drama, emotion and history, this is storytelling at its finest.

The Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK is The Donavan Creed series by John Locke for $1.59 / £0.99 each. For those in the US, the series is going for $2.99 per volume.

Lethal People, Lethal Experiment, Saving Rachel, Now and Then, Wish List, A Girl Like You, Vegas Moon and The Love You Crave. Donovan Creed is a man of many identities--a ruthless assassin with access to all the technology that the military can offer. Featuring more twists than a road through the Pyrenees, these books are pacy, outrageous and dangerously addictive.

Eight Winter Nights: A Family Hanukkah Book ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), by Laura Krauss Melmed, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
Moishe s Miracle author Laura Krauss Melmed and illustrator Elizabeth Schlossberg celebrate Hanukkah in joyful action rhymes, lyrical poems, and exuberant scenes of family life. From dancing candles to delicious traditional foods to the story of the Macabbees, they capture the warm sights, sounds, and tastes of this wintertime family festival.

Grade Level: P and up

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is The Only One Club ($1.99), by Jane Naliboff and Jeff Hopkins (Illustrator).

Book Description
This heartwarming story explores the many ways in which children feel unique and special. Mrs. Matthews's first grade class begins making Christmas decorations, but because Jennifer is Jewish, Mrs. Matthews allows her to make Hanukkah decorations instead. Jennifer enjoys the attention and creates "The Only One Club," of which she is the sole member. When her classmates want to join, she is resistant until she realizes that each of her friends is also "the only one" at something. As she inducts them into her club she reveals the unique qualities that make each of her classmates extraordinary. Through this touching story, young children are encouraged to discover and treasure their own uniqueness and to actively look for special qualities in others beyond race or culture. A medley of pencil, watercolor, acrylic paint, and pastel illustrations bring this inspiring and humorous tale to life.

Grade Level: K and up

Today's Deals 12/7

Don't forget to register for the gift card giveaway on Amazon's 12 Days of Book Deals promotion page. Today's book is "a best-selling history book".

Today's Audible Daily Deal is 50% Off Books by Neil Gaiman and Neil Gaiman Presents.

At Harlequin, Buy 2, get one Harlequin Presents title FREE!

Amazon's Android spotlight app is Fantasy Town (Kindle Tablet Edition) today.

Additional formats on free books:

• Ruth's First Christmas (K/N)

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is The Ascent of George Washington: The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon ($1.99), by John Ferling, with the companion audiobook only $3.99.

Book Description
Perhaps the most revered American of all, George Washington has long been considered a stoic leader who held himself above the fray of political infighting. What has gone unnoticed about the much-researched life of Washington is that he was in fact a consummate politician, as historian John Ferling shows in this revealing and provocative new book. As leader of the Continental Army, Washington's keen political savvy enabled him not only to outwit superior British forces, but--even more challenging--to manage the fractious and intrusive Continental Congress. Despite dire setbacks early in the war, Washington deftly outmaneuvered rival generals and defused dissent from officers below him, ending the war with the status of a national icon. His carefully burnished reputation allowed Washington, as president, to lead the country under the guise of non-partisanship for almost all of his eight years in office. Washington, Ferling argues, was not only one of America's most adroit politicians, he was easily the most successful of all time--so successful, in fact, that he is no longer thought of as having been political.

Manhattan in Reverse ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Peter F. Hamilton, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $4.99).

Book Description
A major collection of short fiction from Peter F. Hamilton, New York Times bestselling author of Pandora’s Star, The Dreaming Void, and many other epic science fiction novels—including a brand-new novella starring detective Paula Myo

Fans of the Commonwealth Saga will enjoy the return of Paula Myo, the genetically engineered police investigator whose single-minded pursuit of justice runs up against a postwar citizenry eager to forget old crimes. In the all-new novella “Manhattan in Reverse,” Paula is dispatched to the backwoods planet of Menard after a docile, supposedly nonintelligent alien species attacks peaceful human settlers. Menard may have to be evacuated—something the planet’s corporate owners and human populace are prepared to resist . . . perhaps with targeted aggression.

Violence hits closer to home in “The Demon Trap” in which Paula’s investigation of a gruesome act of terrorism leads into unexpected political, technological, and philosophical waters, threatening the course of human evolution.

Time travel has never been so tricky—or so deadly—as it is in “If at First . . .,” in which Metropolitan Police detective David Lanson finds himself matching wits with a sociopath who might very well be from the future . . . or, at least, a future.

“Blessed by an Angel” is set in the Commonwealth Universe of the Void trilogy and features an alien visitor who offers the local human population a chance at paradise. But one species’ paradise may be another’s hell.

Three other thrilling pieces round out the collection—and showcase Peter F. Hamilton’s ability to weave scientific speculation into very human storytelling.

Stand by Me ($8.79 Kindle, $2.99 B&N), by Neta Jackson, is the Nook Daily Find.

Book Description
Sometimes the person you most need is the one least like you.

Kathryn Davies is a bright young woman from a prominent Phoenix family. But after making a leap of faith at a Christian music fest, dropping out of med school, and moving to inner city Chicago, her family all but disowns her.

When Kat discovers SouledOut Community Church, she longs to become a part of the multicultural church family. But her tendency to immediately say whatever she’s thinking steps on the toes of nearly everyone she meets—especially Avis Douglass.

Avis has a strong faith, is the principal of one of Chicago’s highest performing elementary schools, and is a founding member of SouledOut. But the country’s economic downturn has thrown both her and her husband’s jobs in question. And Avis hasn’t heard from her youngest daughter in months—an estrangement that gnaws at her every day. Where is God in this?

Kat’s flamboyant zeal for living a “radical” Christian life is a stark contrast to Avis’s more reserved faith. But in God’s timing, the two women discover they need each other in ways neither of them expected.

Today's Kindle Teen Daily Deal is Kiss & Make Up ($1.99), by Katie D. Anderson, with companion audiobook for $4.99. In addition, purchase of this (or any) Amazon Children's Publishing book or ebook will get a matching ebook donation to the Worldreader program.

Book Description
Lip gloss addict Emerson Taylor and her best friend, Trina, have declared this year the Year of the Boy and vowed to find boyfriends. But for Emerson, there’s just one problem: she can read the mind of anyone whose lips touch hers. It’s totally creepy—and at first it seems like a curse. But Emerson soon realizes there are perks to her strange talent—like the ability to steal secrets, memories, and most importantly, test answers. If Emerson doesn’t bring up her grades soon, her days at her private school will be numbered. But kissing for grades is stickier than lip gloss, and Emerson’s about to learn some lessons not found in her textbooks—lessons about true love, and real beauty. Oh, why can’t life be as simple as choosing the perfect shade of lip gloss?

$2 Instant Amazon Instant Video Credit (KSO)

This offer is only for those with a Kindle Fire with Special Offers (KFSO):

Get $2 credit toward the purchase or rental of select digital movies in the Amazon Instant Video Store

From the home page of your KFSO, swipe the top menu to the left until you see Offers, then press/click in order to see the current offers. Click on the offer, then on the orange button to add the credit directly to your account. It's nearly instant and the next screen offers to take you to Amazon so you can spend that credit away! If you miss that screen, though, don't worry - a document about the offer will appear on your home page.

You can shop from your Kindle Fire or your PC, but you need to check for any individual product that is excluded from this (and all other) promotions, on the product detail page and I don't know if you can see that info on the mobile pages you get on the Fire itself. You must sign up by December 9 and use the credit by Dec 17.

You might as well apply this one to your account right away, since it will apply automatically to any eligible purchase.

A word about my sponsors (you!)

This message is an updated version of a post that I ran a couple of years ago and again last year. Since the original post, Amazon has added Kindle eBooks to their list of referral eligible products (instead, Android Apps are now excluded) and I've actually made enough referrals from some of the non-Amazon affiliate programs to buy dinner now and then. So, I've edited the original post a bit (and fixed a few typos), but it mostly still applies as well today as it did then. I gave up posting my Book Budget some time back, as the ones I purchased were being swamped by the free books on Kindle. I still buy more books than I manage to read, what with free books, $1 KSO books and books bought for others in the household. So, here's the original, but updated post:

As the holiday season approaches, a commercial reminder/note for readers of this blog. As you may (or may not) know, Amazon pays what they now call advertising fees for referrals on Kindle books, but not subscriptions, and other purchases, such as the Kindle itself and Gift Certificates (even if used to later buy Kindle books); of course, any percentage of zero would still be zero, for free books. Using the links on these pages won't cost you anything extra, but helps support my efforts in keeping the blog updated, as does using the Amazon search box on the side menu when making non-Kindle book purchases at Amazon (for that matter, just click any link to Amazon, in any blog post and shop as you normally do). I also make a tiny amount from referrals to some other ebookstores (Barnes & Noble, for non-ebook purchases only, Kobo, and Smashwords, mostly). Many of the other bargains I post are not affiliate linked - PDF files, free books at Sony, Christian audio, eHarlequin, deals at Books on Board and so on. I post the bargains as I find them (or as you send in tips; thanks to those of you that do), regardless of where they are located.

I've had a few people ask if I've read every bargain book I post. No, I don't - there is no way I physically could do so (I haven't even read thru all the free books Amazon has given us), even if I could afford to do so. I do purchase and read some, with more being bought than I manage to read (just like with my paper library). I do post some reviews (although not for every book I read). Some of these books are provided by the publisher or author and some of them are books I've purchased myself. I have quite a stack of both and limited reading time, so make no promises on reviews for those who send them (and never guarantee a favorable review ... although if a book is one I can't get thru, I'll usually just let the author know and pass on writing a review).

Feel free to use (or not) the links in my posts or on the blog menus when making Amazon purchases; these do help support my efforts (at no additional cost to you) and are greatly appreciated. A few of you have also sent direct PayPal donations (the link is on the right sidebar); these are also very much appreciated (and are usually immediately spent on more books, especially now that Kobo takes PayPal; I will miss Fictionwise, as that was my other go-to bookstore for PayPal).

Thank you to all that read the blog, whether it's on the web site, on Kindle, the RSS feed or following on Facebook or Twitter. I hope you have a great holiday season and promise that I'll keep posting the bargains I find, to help you stretch the holiday budget. I suspect the free reads and big discounts will continue so long as there is competition amongst ereader devices (just as there was in the BluRay/HD war a few years back), even though the Apple and Agency publishers have taken a number of steps to eliminate that competition. Even as the Agency publishers have stifled competition amongst ebookstores (and withdrawn from libraries, in some instances), they have found they still have to compete for readers and for your money, both against other entertainment options (television, movies, video games, etc) and against the proliferation of other reading choices that we now have. More open e-publishing also has benefited readers and the many authors who have been able to bring their backlists in to "print", either directly or thru a number of small publishers that have sprung up in the last few years. Hopefully in the next year, we'll see the demise of most of the Agency agreements, if not all of them, and even get a bit of a refund on the purchases we made in the last few years, from these publishers.

Books on the Knob is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazonsupply.com or myhabit.com.

Today's Deals 12/6

Don't forget to register for the gift card giveaway on Amazon's 12 Days of Book Deals promotion page. Today's book is a Winter of the World: Book Two of the Century Trilogy [Hardcover], Ken Follett for $4.99.

Today's Audible Daily Deal is Book-to-Movie Adaptations for $5.95 each (15 to choose from).

At Harlequin, get The Defender by Lindsay McKenna FREE with any non-ebook purchase, using coupon code LMDEFENDER12

Share an Amazon ad on Facebook and Amazon will give you $5 of any $25 purchase (expires 11:59 PM PST on Sunday, December 9, 2012; This promotion excludes Kindle devices, digital downloads and gift card purchases).

Publisher Moody is having a contest to win “Putting God Back in the Holidays” by Bill and Penny Thrasher (requires Twitter or Facebook).

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Stanley Goes for a Drive ($1.99), by Craig Frazier.

Book Description
One hot day, Stanley sets out for a drive with little on his mind. The road is dusty, the pond dry, the cows hot and tired -- a usual summer day...or is it? In his first book for children, renowned graphic designer Craig Frazier has combined bold, dynamic illustrations with a simple story that celebrates the imagination and the art of looking at the world in your own way.

Grade Level: P and up

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Black Diamond ($1.99), by John F. Dobbyn; the companion audiobook is $8.99.

Book Description
Michael Knight and Lex Devlin agree to defend a jockey accused of murdering a fellow jockey during a race at Boston's Suffolk Downs. Michael's expertise in the machinations of the horse racing game is expected to serve them well. But a personal attachment to the murdered jockey thrusts Michael and Lex into the midst of conflict between Boston's Irish mafia and remnants of the terrorist branch of the Irish Republican Army. Now they are in the crosshairs of both, and the brutality of these combatants knows no bounds. As Michael and Lex uncover layer after layer of deceptions involved in the seamier side of horse racing, they become more dangerous to the gangs. In action that shuttles between Ireland and Boston, the lives of the lawyers as well as those close to them are in the gravest danger and the criminals show no mercy in their quest to put an end to this threat. As their investigation hurtles forward, it could end a wonderful law partnership due to the absence of living partners.

Secret State ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Chris Mullin, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $5.72).

Book Description
A VERY BRITISH COUP

The taut, powerful, all-too-plausible story about a democracy attacked from within When plain-spoken, charismatic former steelworker Harry Perkins becomes prime minister in a landslide Labour Party victory, his socialist agenda horrifies the entrenched ruling class and the right-wing media. As Perkins presses ahead with plans to close down U.S. military bases, break up newspaper monopolies and dismantle British nuclear weapons, the establishment and its American allies conspire in a brutal back-room struggle to regain control. Starring Ray McAnally (A Perfect Spy, My Left Foot), this PBS Masterpiece Theatre miniseries won an International Emmy Award, three top British television awards and the Banff Television Festival grand prize.

Wildest Dreams ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), by Rosanne Bittner, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
With more than 7 million books in print, RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award-winning author Roseanne Bittner is beloved by fans for her powerful, epic historical romances.

Lettie MacBride knew that joining a wagon train heading West was her chance to begin anew, far from the devastating memories of the night that had changed her forever. She didn't believe she could escape the pain of innocence lost or feel desire for any man...until she meets Luke Fontaine.

Haunted by his own secrets, Luke could never blame Lettie for what had happened in the past. One glance at the pretty red-haired lass was enough to fill the handsome, hard-driving pioneer with a savage hunger.

Against relentless snows, murderous desperadoes, and raiding Sioux, Luke and Lettie will face a heartrending choice: abandon a lawless land before it destroys them, or fight for their...Wildest Dreams.

Today's Deals 12/5

Don't forget to register for the gift card giveaway on Amazon's 12 Days of Book Deals promotion page. Today's book is a "best-selling cookbook (hardcover edition)".

Today's Audible Daily Deal is a The Round House, by Louise Erdrich, for $7.95. Members with a subscription and credits get a bonus today, the Award Winners 3-for-2 Sale. For those in the UK, you can get Tom Baker Reads 'A Christmas Carol', by Charles Dickens, £0.99.

At Harlequin, get a free recipe from Sheila Roberts!

At BooksonBoard, get 50% off (plus 8% rewards, where eligible) on no-Agency titles using coupon code sugarplums.

Over at Kobo, Bargainmoose40 is still working for 40% off any non-Agency title (may be used multiple times).

If you have a PeiWei restaurant in your area, you can get a coupon for Buy One, Get One Free by watching a video and entering your email address (the coupon comes via email).

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Gathering of Waters ($1.99), by Bernice L. McFadden.

Book Description
Gathering of Waters is a deeply engrossing tale narrated by the town of Money, Mississippi--a site both significant and infamous in our collective story as a nation. Money is personified in this haunting story, which chronicles its troubled history following the arrival of the Hilson and Bryant families.

Tass Hilson and Emmett Till were young and in love when Emmett was brutally murdered in 1955. Anxious to escape the town, Tass marries Maximillian May and relocates to Detroit.

Forty years later, after the death of her husband, Tass returns to Money and fantasy takes flesh when Emmett Till's spirit is finally released from the dank, dark waters of the Tallahatchie River. The two lovers are reunited, bringing the story to an enchanting and profound conclusion.

Gathering of Waters mines the truth about Money, Mississippi, as well as the town's families, and threads their history over decades. The bare-bones realism--both disturbing and riveting--combined with a magical realm in which ghosts have the final say, is reminiscent of Toni Morrison's Beloved.

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian (£0.99 UK), by Marina Lewycka, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $12.99).

Book Description
Winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize and shortlisted for The Orange Prize for Fiction 2005.

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian is bestselling author Marina Lewycka's hilarious and award winning debut novel.

'Two years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blonde Ukrainian divorcee. He was eighty-four and she was thirty-six. She exploded into our lives like a fluffy pink grenade, churning up the murky water, bringing to the surface a sludge of sloughed-off memories, giving the family ghosts a kick up the backside.'

Sisters Vera and Nadezhda must aside a lifetime of feuding to save their emigre engineer father from voluptuous gold-digger Valentina. With her proclivity for green satin underwear and boil-in-the-bag cuisine, she will stop at nothing in her pursuit of Western wealth.

But the sisters' campaign to oust Valentina unearths family secrets, uncovers fifty years of Europe's darkest history and sends them back to roots they'd much rather forget . . .

Night Game ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), the second novel in Kirk Russell's John Marquez series, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
The discovery of thousands of empty abalone shells and two murdered divers sends Lieutenant John Marquez's poaching investigation in a new-and very risky-direction. Former DEA agent and now head of a special operations unit of the California Department of Fish and Game, Marquez learns he himself has been targeted as the next victim. Stalking him is Kline, a vicious drug smuggler turned abalone smuggler who has a vendetta against Marquez.

John Marquez is supposed to protect wildlife, not solve murders, but the only way he can break the multi-million-dollar abalone-smuggling ring, as well as save his own life, is to find and stop Kline. A fast-paced crime novel set along the majestic Northern California coastline, Shell Games introduces a tough, complex, and appealing hero.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Animal Fair ($1.99), by Ponder Goembel.

Book Description
In this adaptation of the popular children’s song “Animal Fair,” there are all kinds of animals doing silly things! The big baboon is combing his hair, the kangaroos are rattling spoons, the bears are juggling pears, and the chimps are swinging on the trapeze. Can you guess what happens to the mischievous monk . . . the monk, the monk, the monk? Cheerful illustrations bring this lively rendition to life.

Grade Level: Pre-K and up

Daily Deals

Don't forget to register for the gift card giveaway on Amazon's 12 Days of Book Deals promotion page. Today's book is a $2.99 hardcover that kids would enjoy.

Today's Audible Daily Deal is a new Tom Clancy novel for $9.95.

Over at Amazon, they are having dance, fitness and other video games all day for their Lightning deals

If you are driving by Starbucks, they have those stainless steel tumblers I mentioned on sale for half-price today ($9.95 instead of $20) and you can get a dollar or two off any lb. of Christmas blend coffee if purchased with a tumbler.

So, if you know of any other good deals that are today only, be sure to post them in the comments.

Today's Deals 12/4

Today's free Android App, Bleep, is a word guessing game.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Heat of the Night ($1.99), the second novel in the Dream Guardians series by Sylvia Day. If you prefer to read a series in order, the first title, Pleasures of the Night, is marked down to $2.69.

Book Description
Stacey Daniels has always been attracted to the wrong type of man . . .

And she knows in her heart the virile, wounded Viking at her front doorstep will certainly be no exception. A vision from her most secret erotic fantasies—a glorious god of a man—he excites her with his tantalizing aura of dangerous sensuality. Stacey knows in the deepest depths of her soul that submission will bring unforeseen peril into her life, and yet she is helpless to resist him—for he is a master of decadent pleasures and sweet sensuality . . . and all she has ever wished for.

But loving Conor carries a burden that no mortal woman can bear. Though he finds solace in Stacey's passion and the warmth of her welcoming body, his true realm is one of darkest dreams, torn by violence and strife, that is now following him into Stacey's world . . . .

The Last Talk with Lola Faye ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Thomas H. Cook, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $2.37).

Book Description
Luke Paige, historian and writer, runs into a woman he hoped he would never see again: Lola Faye.

When Luke was very young she'd had an affair with his father and it blew his family apart. Now the years have passed and Lola Faye wants to talk. Painfully, Luke and Lola revisit the terrible events that have shaped their lives. The story they reveal is one of the timeless struggle between fathers and sons, of longed-for passion, of hopes and dreams thwarted by fate and circumstance. This is psychological suspense at its best.

Before She Dies ($4.96 Kindle, $4.99 B&N), by Mary Burton, is the Nook Daily Find, just better than price matched on Kindle, where the companion audiobook is $4.99.

Book Description
He Is Their Judge. . .

In death, they are purified. Holding his victims under water, he washes away their sins as they struggle for their last breath. Then he stakes their bodies to the ground, exposing them for what they really are. Witches, sent to tempt and to corrupt. . .

Jury. . .

No one knows about defense attorney Charlotte Wellington's murdered sister, or about her childhood spent with the carnival that's just arrived in town. For Charlotte, what's past is past. But others don't agree. And as a madman's body count rises, she and Detective Daniel Rokov are drawn into a mission that's become terrifyingly personal. . .

And Executioner

At last, she is within his reach. All his victims deserve their fate, but her guilt is greatest. And with every scream, he will make her see what it means to suffer and repent--before she dies. . .

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Tales from the Odyssey ($1.99), by Mary Pope Osborne.

Book Description
If Odysseus ever wants to see his family again, he will have to face hungry cannibals, outwit a beautiful witch, and sail past a six-headed serpent in an epic journey of endurance and courage. In this exciting series, best-selling author Mary Pope Osborne retells Homer’s Odyssey, one of the most thrilling adventure stories of all time.

Grade Level: 3 and up