Today's Deals 1/4

Today's Gold Box at Amazon is a Samsung Series 9 NP900X3D-A01US 13.3-Inch Premium Ultrabook for $300 (30%) off.

The Amazon and Audible $100 promo partnership is back, giving you a $100 discount on "Kindle, iPods, GPS Units, Headphones, and Other Qualifying Products" after signing up for a one-year subscription at Audible. Be sure to follow the directions on the linked page, joining the Audible Gold program using the link on the page, then wait for your promo code via email - you'll use it during checkout for the Kindle or other product.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is The Devil's Waters: A USAF Pararescue Thriller ($1.99), by David L. Robbins.

Book Description
A giant freighter in the Gulf of Aden holds secret cargo that could bring down the governments of four nations. When Somali pirates grab the ship, the order comes down: get the freighter back, at all costs.

Only one combat group is close enough to respond before the hijacked freighter reaches Somali waters: the elite US Air Force pararescue unit—the PJs—stationed in Djibouti. Though their mission is to save lives, and their oath is “That Others May Live,” the PJs are battle-tested. The team doesn’t hesitate because one of their own, Sgt. LB DiNardo, is already onboard the hijacked ship.

LB has three tasks: provide intel on the pirates, stay alive until the team arrives, and withstand the humiliation of breaking the PJs’ cardinal rule: Never be the one who needs rescuing.

At the head of the pirates is the shrewd and ruthless Yusuf Raage, a clan leader who will sacrifice anything and anyone to keep his captured ship. The PJs have a mere hour to take down the ship before the Air Force blows it up. Even if they survive the wrath of Yusuf Raage, more secrets and danger await them.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Of Eternal Life ($0.99), by Micah Persell.

Book Description
In the hidden basement lab of a military research facility in Needles, California, Eli Johnson jerks to consciousness. He is strapped to a stretcher and remembers nothing until he hears a voice he knows only as “The Tormentor.” That’s when it all comes back: he has been a prisoner in this lab for eight years. And he’s about to die.

Abilene Miller, a newly minted doctor desperate to prove herself, snaps up the opportunity to work at a military hospital, but the reality of Needles proves to be vastly different from the pitch of the two recruiters. She spends her days running labs and wishing for things to be different.

When Abilene stumbles across Eli’s body in a supply closet, she definitely gets different. She’s shocked when the dead man jerks back to life in her arms and infuriated when he kidnaps her. He thinks she’s part of a conspiracy; she thinks he’s insane.

Only together can they find out the truth—and brave the risks they run in loving each other.

Sensuality Level: Sensual

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is The Woodcutter ($1.99), by Kate Danley, with the companion audiobook also $1.99.

Book Description
Deep within the Wood, a young woman lies dead. Not a mark on her body. No trace of her murderer. Only her chipped glass slippers hint at her identity.

The Woodcutter, keeper of the peace between the Twelve Kingdoms of Man and the Realm of the Faerie, must find the maiden’s killer before others share her fate. Guided by the wind and aided by three charmed axes won from the River God, the Woodcutter begins his hunt, searching for clues in the whispering dominions of the enchanted unknown.

But quickly he finds that one murdered maiden is not the only nefarious mystery afoot: one of Odin’s hellhounds has escaped, a sinister mansion appears where it shouldn’t, a pixie dust drug trade runs rampant, and more young girls go missing. Looming in the shadows is the malevolent, power-hungry queen, and she will stop at nothing to destroy the Twelve Kingdoms and annihilate the Royal Fae…unless the Woodcutter can outmaneuver her and save the gentle souls of the Wood.

Blending magic, heart-pounding suspense, and a dash of folklore, The Woodcutter is an extraordinary retelling of the realm of fairy tales.

Letters from My Sister ($1.60 / £0.99 UK), by Alice Peterson, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (no US edition).

Book Description
From the bestselling author of Monday to Friday Manand Ten Years On:

Bells is always writing to her sister Katie, but Katie never replies. Preoccupied with her glamorous career in fashion, her busy life and her boyfriend Sam, she just doesn’t have the time.

Then Bells announces that she’s coming to stay. She’s not a secret exactly, but . . . Sam doesn’t know she exists.

For Bells doesn’t fit into Katie’s perfect world.

But when Bells does arrive, everything changes for Katie. Perhaps her perfect life isn’t so perfect after all?

Letters From My Sister, originally published as Look the World in the Eye, is a wonderfully funny and moving novel from the bestselling author Alice Peterson.

The Reason ($3.49 Kindle, $3.99 B&N), by William Sirls, is the Nook Daily Find, better than price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
When facing the impossible, will you believe?

Storm clouds gather over a small Michigan town. As thunder shakes the sky, the lights inside St. Thomas Church flicker . . . and then go out.

All is black until a thick bolt of lightning slices the sky, striking the church’s large wooden cross—leaving it ablaze and splintered in two.

When the storm ends—the search for answers begins.

James Lindy, the church’s blind minister, wonders how his small congregation can repair the cross and keep their faith in the midst of adversity. And he hears the words “only believe.”

Macey Lewis, the town’s brilliant young oncologist, is drawn to Alex, a young boy who’s recently been diagnosed with an aggressive leukemia. She puts her hope in modern medicine—yet is challenged to “only believe.”

And Alex’s single mom, who has given everything she can to her boy, is pleading with God to know the reason this is happening . . . to save her son. But she only hears silence and wonders how she can possibly “only believe.”

The Reason is a milestone debut novel, opening with a thunderbolt and never letting up as it introduces us to everyday characters who are wrestling with the questions: Where is God when bad things happen? And does God ignore the prayers of the faithful? The answer each character receives will astound readers while offering an unforgettable call to hope, to change, to . . . only believe.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Once Upon A Curse ($1.99), the third novel in E. D Baker's Tales of the Frog Princess children's series.

Book Description
Many years ago a slighted fairy placed a curse on a beautiful young princess-a curse that caused her and all her female descendants to turn into mean, ugly witches if they ever touched a flower after turning sixteen. Now, Princess Emma, who is about to turn sixteen herself, is determined to break the spell once and for all. Emma travels back in time to the day the curse was placed on her ancestor in the hope of preventing the curse from being cast. Unfortunately she isn't successful in her efforts, but she does learn how to break it. Armed with this knowledge, Emma returns to her own time full of hope. But disaster ensues and Emma is about to give up completely-until true love shows itself in the most unexpected place of all.

With a bit of courage, a pinch of luck, and of course, a healthy dose of magic, Princess Emma charms her way through the third hilarious adventure in the Tales of the Frog Princess series.

Grade Level: 3 and up

Today's Deals 1/3

Today's Gold Box will have a several Kindle Fire and Kindle accessories later today: 2PM Eastern - "Stand up your Kindle Fire HD 8.9" with a great case from Belkin"; 3PM Eastern - "Stand your Kindle Fire HD 7" in either portrait or landscape mode with a leather case from Marware"; 4PM Eastern - "Dress up your Kindle Fire HD 7" in a genuine leather case from Kate Spade" & 5PM Eastern - "Light up your Kindle or paperback with a battery powered LED light". If you still have an AmazonLocal 40% off voucher, it may works with one of these, as well.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is The Color Purple ($1.99), by Alice Walker.

Book Description
Alice Walker’s masterpiece, a powerful novel of courage in the face of oppression

Celie has grown up in rural Georgia, navigating a childhood of ceaseless abuse. Not only is she poor and despised by the society around her, she’s badly treated by her family. As a teenager she begins writing letters directly to God in an attempt to transcend a life that often seems too much to bear. Her letters span twenty years and record a journey of self-discovery and empowerment through the guiding light of a few strong women and her own implacable will to find harmony with herself and her home.
The Color Purple’s deeply inspirational narrative, coupled with Walker’s prodigious talent as a stylist and storyteller, have made the novel a contemporary classic of American letters.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Alice Walker including rare photos from the author’s personal collection.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Yesterday's News ($1.99), by Kajsa Ingemarsson.

Book Description
Agnes has most things in life: a job at a fancy restaurant, a boyfriend who loves her, and a best friend whom she knows inside out. Or does she? All of a sudden things begin to crumble, one by one, and soon nothing is as it was. Her boyfriend leaves her for a big busted singer, and she is fired by the sexist and abusive owner of the restaurant where she works. She gambles everything she has on the success of a newly opened restaurant, but the road to the glowing review which will open the door to fame and fortune has, to say the least, unexpected twists and turns.

In Yesterday’s News Kajsa Ingemarsson’s comic talent comes into its own. The book is one of the greatest bestsellers of all time in Sweden with more than 800,000 copies sold. Juicy and satisfying, Yesterday’s News is a story about daring and winning and about faith in yourself, a feelgood novel sure to please anyone looking for the antithesis to Stieg Larsson.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Hawk of May ($1.99), the first novel in the award-winning Down the Long Way series by Gillian Bradshaw.

Book Description
On The Path Toward Greatness, Every Hero Makes a Choice

Legends sing of Sir Gawain, one of the most respected warriors of King Arthur's reign and one of the greatest champions of all time. But this is not that story. This is the story of Gwalchmai, middle son of the beautiful, infinitely evil sorceress Morgawse, and gifted student of her dark magical arts. A story of an uncertain man, doubting his ability to follow his elder brother's warrior prowess and seeking to find his own identity by bonding with his frightening and powerful mother. Disappointed in himself and despised by his father, Gwalchmai sets out on a journey that will lead him to the brink of darkness...

A tale of loss, redemption, and adventure, Hawk of May brings new depth and understanding to Sir Gawain, the legend of King Arthur, and the impact of choices made-and the consequences that follow.

The Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK is three titles for £0.99 each (~80% off).

A Whole New You: Six Steps to Ignite Change for Your Best Life (Main/UK), by Brett Blumenthal (US edition $5.99); his 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You is also £0.99 as part of the 12 Day of Kindle sale.

Tools and Forms to Help You

The worksheets from "The New You Journal" section of A Whole New You are available for download at no cost [link on Amazon product page] "The New You Journal" is a companion guide to A Whole New You and should not be redistributed or resold individually. For customer service and support questions, please contact newyoujournal@amazon.com.

From the author of the best-selling book 52 Small Changes comes a smart, practical approach to reinventing any aspect of your life that’s not working for you. Whether you want to start eating healthy, switch careers, or improve a relationship, Brett Blumenthal’s A Whole New You will inspire you to take control of your life and live your very best.

Drawing on her own experience with personal reinvention, her professional work as a change management consultant, and her studies in the fields of psychology and human behavior, Blumenthal breaks down how to successfully reinvent your life in six steps. Each stage is comprehensively explained, with action items, tools, and resources to enable you to follow through and effect change in your life. In A Whole New You, Blumenthal will lead you through:

• The three times in your life when you’re most ready for change, including during life transitions and after trauma
• The symptoms--rational, emotional and physical--that indicate you need change
• How to stay motivated by making an investment in your success
• Finding ways to capitalize on your strengths, making change easier

A Whole New You is for anyone who wants to make a change but is not sure where to begin, or for those who’ve tried to make a life improvement in the past but have failed. With the right tools and knowledge, you’ll be able to reach your goals and live not just a good life or a better life--but your best life.

The Reality Slap: Finding Peace and Fulfillment When Life Hurts (Main/UK), by Russ Harris (US edition $7.99)

Sometimes it can feel like there's a gap between what we plan or hope for in our lives and the reality we're faced with - a so-called 'reality gap'. Sometimes it's a startling reality gap caused by the death of a loved one, for example, or a serious illness, a freak accident, divorce or the loss of a job. Sometimes it's a little gentler: envy, loneliness, resentment, failure, disappointment or rejection. But whatever form your 'reality gap' may take, one thing's for sure: it can cause us great distress.

Based on the scientifically proven mindfulness-based approach called 'Acceptance and Commitment Therapy' (ACT), this self-help book will teach you how to cope effectively when life hurts and you will learn not only how to survive life's unexpected curve balls, but also how to thrive, despite them.

The First 20 Minutes: The Surprising Science That Reveals How We Can Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer (Main/UK), by Gretchen Reynolds (US edition $12.99)

A cutting-edge prescription for exercise by the New York Times “Phys Ed” columnist

At one point or another, nearly every person who works out wonders: Am I doing this right? Which class is best? Do I work out enough? Answering those questions and more, The First 20 Minutes helps both weekend warriors dedicated to their performance and readers who simply want to get and stay fit gain the most from any workout.

With the latest findings about the mental and physical benefits of exercise, personal stories from scientists and laypeople alike, as well as researched-based prescriptions for readers, Gretchen Reynolds shows what kind of exercise—and how much—is necessary to stay healthy, get fit, and attain a smaller jeans size. Inspired by Reynolds's wildly popular “Phys Ed” column for The New York Times, this book explains how exercise affects the body in distinct ways and provides the tools readers need to achieve their fitness goals, whether that's a faster 5K or staying trim.

Submerged ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), the first novel in the Alaskan Courage series by Dani Pettrey, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
A sabotaged plane. Two dead deep-water divers.

Yancey, Alaska was a quiet town...until the truth of what was hidden in the depths off the coast began to appear.

Bailey Craig vowed never to set foot in Yancey again. She has a past, and a reputation--and Yancey's a small town. She's returned to bury a loved one killed in the plane crash and is determined not to stay even an hour more than necessary. But then dark evidence emerges and Bailey's own expertise becomes invaluable for the case.

Cole McKenna can handle the deep-sea dives and helping the police recover evidence. He can even handle the fact that a murderer has settled in his town and doesn't appear to be moving on. But dealing with the reality of Bailey's reappearance is a tougher challenge. She broke his heart, but she is not the same girl who left Yancey. He let her down, but he's not the same guy she left behind. Can they move beyond the hurts of their pasts and find a future together?

Today's Kindle Teen Daily Deal is Obsidian ($0.99), the first novel in Jennifer L. Armentrout's YA Lux series.

Book Description
When seventeen-year-old Katy Swartz moved to West Virginia right before her senior year, she’d pretty much resigned herself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring, but then she spotted her hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up…until he opened his mouth. Daemon Black is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. It’s hate at first sight, but when a stranger attacks her and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens. The hot guy next door? Well, he’s an alien. Turns out that Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities and Katy is caught in the crosshairs. Daemon’s touch has lit her up like the Vegas Strip and the only way she’s getting out of this alive is by sticking close to him until her alien mojo fades. That is if she doesn’t kill him first.

Today's Deals 1/2

If you have any instant video credit at Amazon (which they were giving away if you deferred shipping speed for Prime members, over the holidays), then check out today's Gold Box, which has 22 HD movies you can own (not rent) for $5! Choices range from action (The Dark Knight) to classics (the original Gone with the Wind!) to children's movies, such as Willy Wonka. Leading the pack in sales is the 1998 remaster of The Wizard of Oz. If you don't need HD, the SD versions are available for a dollar less.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Man's Search for Meaning ($1.99), by Viktor Frankl.

Book Description
Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of others he treated later in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory-known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")-holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.

At the time of Frankl's death in 1997, Man's Search for Meaning had sold more than 10 million copies in twenty-four languages. A 1991 reader survey for the Library of Congress that asked readers to name a "book that made a difference in your life" found Man's Search for Meaning among the ten most influential books in America.

Beacon Press, the original English-language publisher of Man's Search for Meaning, is issuing this new paperback edition with a new Foreword, biographical Afterword, jacket, price, and classroom materials to reach new generations of readers.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Soul Seducer ($0.99), by Alicia Dean.

Book Description
She has spent her entire life fighting death. Now she’s falling in love with him. . . .

Audra Grayson became a nurse in order to help save lives. But one night after a brutal beating, she almost loses her own. The near-death experience opens a door between the world of the living and the world beyond. Two Grim Reapers invade her life. One is charming, with the angelic blonde looks of a saint and the black soul of a psychopath. The other is dark, dangerously attractive and, in spite of her distaste for his reaper duties, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to him.

When Audra's patients begin to die unexpectedly and her loved ones are threatened, she will risk her life—even her soul—to save them. But can she risk her heart to an inhuman being whose very purpose is to take those she is trying to save?

Sensuality Level: Sensual

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Deviants ($1.99), the first title in Maureen McGowan's YA series, The Dust Chronicles, with the companion audiobook also only $1.99.

Book Description
In Glory's world, different means deviant--and dead.

In a post-apocalyptic world, where the earth is buried by asteroid dust that’s mutated the DNA of some humans, orphaned, sixteen-year-old Glory must hide and protect her younger brother. If their Deviant abilities are discovered, they’ll be expunged—kicked out of the dome to be tortured and killed by the Shredders. Glory would give anything to get rid of her unique ability to kill with her emotions, especially when Cal, the boy she’s always liked, becomes a spy for the authorities. But when her brother is discovered, and she learns their father, who was expunged for killing their mother, is still alive, she must escape the domed city that’s been her entire world.

Outside in the ruins, they’re pursued by the authorities and by sadistic, scab-covered Shredders who are addicted to the lethal-to-humans dust now covering the planet. Glory’s quests to transport herself and her brother to safety make up the thrilling and fascinating first volume of The Dust Chronicles.

The Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK is 10 Books by Kurt Vonnegut for £0.99 each (69% off): Deadeye Dick, Bluebeard, Jailbird, Slapstick, Palm Sunday, Timequake, Hocus Pocus, Bagombo Snuff Box, Galapagos and Welcome to the Monkey House. Too many to list them individually, but definitely recommended for those who are lucky enough to be able to pick them up at this price.


I Hate Everyone...Starting with Me ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), by Joan Rivers, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle (but be careful searching - the Kindle A/V edition is $15). I haven't read this volume, but everything else of hers that I've read, watched or listened to, has been great.

Book Description
Joan Rivers is a groundbreaking, award-winning, internationally renowned entertainment goddess. She’s also opinionated—especially when it comes to people she hates. Like people who think giving birth is a unique achievement. Or well-adjusted, a.k.a. boring, ex-child stars who don’t even have a decent addiction.

With all of her diverse experiences, it stands to reason that Joan has seen, done, said, and heard a lot of hateful things. Thank god, she took notes.

Here—uncensored and totally uninhibited—she give the best of her worst to First Ladies, closet cases, hypocrites, Hollywood, feminists, and overrated historical figures. And even when letting herself have it, Joan doesn’t hold back in this honest, unabashedly hilarious love letter to the hater in all of us.

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is not their parent's fairy tale: There was an Odd Princess who Swallowed a Pea ($1.99), by Jennifer Ward and Lee Calderon (Illustrator).

Book Description
There was an odd princess who swallowed a pea, a slipper, a crown, a rose, a queen, and even more! Will this odd princess live happily ever after? Illustrations rendered digitally by Lee Calderon show Princess’s belly growing and growing as she eats a host of royal possessions in this zany adaptation of the popular children’s song.

Grade Level: Pre K and up

This book features Kindle Text Pop-Up for reading text over vivid, full-color images when using Kindle Fire/HD or select Kindle Reading Apps (Kindle Cloud Reader, Kindle for iPad or Kindle for Android); unlike some other Text Popup books, this one won't work on any of the eInk Kindles.

$2 MP3 Credit from Amazon Mom

If you've ever signed up for Amazon Mom, check your email to see if Amazon has sent you a $2 MP3 Code from Amazon Mom. If they have, just click thru the email and apply the credit (cut and paste from the email) and then you can go shopping. If you don't have any other ideas on what to spend it on, there are a few 99 cent albums that look interesting: 100 Must-Have Lullaby Baby Classics (for those with very small ones in the house), Classical Music for the Reader 8: Great Masterpieces for the Dedicated Reader and Big Beethoven Box (no small children required). If you aren't a classical fan, there are always the 2,000 $5 MP3 albums this month, which would be reduced to $3 with the credit.

Today's Deals 01/01

Today's Gold Box at Amazon is at least starting out with deals on exercise equipment for the new year, with a daily deal of Up to 50% Off select exercise upright, recumbent, and airdyne bikes from Schwinn and Nautilus.

Today's Kindle Teens Daily Deal is The Maze Runner ($1.99), the first novel in the Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner. I just finished reading this a couple of weeks ago and can recommend it, although it is a bit dark (a la Hunger Games) and probably not suited for younger teens. The companion audiobook is only $3.95.

Book Description
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, and Tom Standage's A History of the World in 6 Glasses for $2.99 each. I'd be a lot more excited about this deal, if I didn't already have all three in my library. It's not part of the daily deal, but you'll also find Bourdain's novel, Bone in the Throat, for $1.99 right now.

Kitchen Confidential

Kitchen Confidential reveals what Bourdain calls "twenty-five years of sex, drugs, bad behavior and haute cuisine." Last summer, The New Yorker published Chef Bourdains shocking, "Dont Eat Before Reading This." Bourdain spared no ones appetite when he told all about what happens behind the kitchen door. Bourdain uses the same "take-no-prisoners" attitude in his deliciously funny and shockingly delectable book, sure to delight gourmands and philistines alike. From Bourdains first oyster in the Gironde, to his lowly position as dishwasher in a honky tonk fish restaurant in Provincetown (where he witnesses for the first time the real delights of being a chef); from the kitchen of the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, to drug dealers in the east village, from Tokyo to Paris and back to New York again, Bourdains tales of the kitchen are as passionate as they are unpredictable. Kitchen Confidential will make your mouth water while your belly aches with laughter. You'll beg the chef for more, please.

The Omnivore's Dilemma (companion audiobook $4.95); this is also the Nook Daily Find today.

One of the New York Times Book Review's Ten Best Books of the Year & Winner of the James Beard Award

Today, buffeted by one food fad after another, America is suffering from what can only be described as a national eating disorder. Will it be fast food tonight, or something organic? Or perhaps something we grew ourselves? The question of what to have for dinner has confronted us since man discovered fire. But as Michael Pollan explains in this revolutionary book, how we answer it now, as the dawn of the twenty-first century, may determine our survival as a species. Packed with profound surprises, The Omnivore's Dilemma is changing the way Americans thing about the politics, perils, and pleasures of eating.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses

From beer to Coca-Cola, the six drinks that have helped shape human history
Throughout human history, certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates with authority and charm, six of them have had a surprisingly pervasive influence on the course of history, becoming the defining drink during a pivotal historical period.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses tells the story of humanity from the Stone Age to the 21st century through the lens of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. Beer was first made in the Fertile Crescent and by 3000 B.C.E. was so important to Mesopotamia and Egypt that it was used to pay wages. In ancient Greece wine became the main export of her vast seaborne trade, helping spread Greek culture abroad. Spirits such as brandy and rum fueled the Age of Exploration, fortifying seamen on long voyages and oiling the pernicious slave trade. Although coffee originated in the Arab world, it stoked revolutionary thought in Europe during the Age of Reason, when coffeehouses became centers of intellectual exchange. And hundreds of years after the Chinese began drinking tea, it became especially popular in Britain, with far-reaching effects on British foreign policy. Finally, though carbonated drinks were invented in 18th-century Europe they became a 20th-century phenomenon, and Coca-Cola in particular is the leading symbol of globalization.

For Tom Standage, each drink is a kind of technology, a catalyst for advancing culture by which he demonstrates the intricate interplay of different civilizations. You may never look at your favorite drink the same way again.

Today's Kindle Romance Daily Deal is Starry Montana Sky ($0.99), by Debra Holland, with the companion audiobook only $1.99.

Book Description
Since her husband’s death, Samantha Sawyers Rodriguez and her son have been little more than prisoners on her father-in-law’s estate in 1890s Argentina. Now, thanks to her late uncle, she has an inheritance—a Montana ranch that she plans to transform into a sanctuary for orphaned boys while raising her family’s miniature horses.

Not everyone in Sweetwater Springs, however, is happy about her arrival. Samantha’s neighbor, Wyatt Thompson, insists she has no idea what she’s taking on—with the ranch or with the neglected boys she’s adopted. Though she can’t deny her attraction to Wyatt, Samantha intends to succeed on her own terms. But when a string of fires turns the locals against her boys, she and Wyatt see all they have to lose—and gain—in this wild and beautiful country.

Sweet, heartfelt, and filled with adventure, Starry Montana Sky is an unforgettable follow-up to Debra Holland’s acclaimed USA Today bestselling romance Wild Montana Sky, filled with characters as bold and free as the land they love.

Today's Kindle SciFi/Fantasy Daily Deal is Yesterday's Gone: Season One ($1.99), a novel by Sean Platt and David Wright, originally published in serial form.

Book Description
On October 15 at 2:15 a.m. everyone on Earth vanished.

Well, almost everyone.

• A scattered few woke alone in a world where there are no rules other than survival... at any cost.
• A journalist wanders the wretched reality of an empty New York, in search for his wife and son.
• A serial killer must hunt in a land where prey is now an endangered species.
• A mother shields her young daughter from danger, as every breath fills her with terror.
• A bullied teen is thrilled to find everyone gone. Until the knock on his door.
• A fugitive survives a fiery plane crash. Will he be redeemed, or return to what he's best at: the kill?
• An eight year old boy sets out on a journey to find his missing family. What he finds will change him forever.

And there's a few people who aren't surprised that this happened at all. In fact, they've been dreaming about this day for years.

These survivors aren't alone...
Someone or something is watching them.
And waiting...

Strangers unite.
Sides are chosen.
Will humanity survive what it never saw coming?

*NOTE: THIS IS THE FULL FIRST SEASON (Episodes 1-6), now available for one low price. This edition contains the first six episodes and authors' notes from the first season in their entirety.

The Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK is three titles for £2.99 each.

The Chronicles of Downton Abbey (Official Series 3 TV tie-in) (Main/UK), by Jessica Fellowes and Matthew Sturgis (US edition $13.49)

The official companion to all three seasons.

The Great War has ended, but Downton Abbey is far from peaceful…

A changing world has brought new challenges and new guests. Inside the walls of the Great House there is more intrigue, rivalry and romance than ever.

The Chronicles of Downton Abbey take you deep into the lives of the Crawleys, their servants, lovers, friends and guests. So wander the crowded servants' quarters and peek into luxurious bed chambers. Go beneath the surface, and experience every aspect of their lives – from daily routines, dressing tables and treasure chests to their most secret hopes and fears.

This definitive book explores the lives of every important member of the Downton estate. Focusing on each character individually, it examines their motivations, their actions and the inspirations behind them. An evocative source of story and background, it will take you even deeper into the secret, beating heart of the house.

Cheryl: My Story (Main/UK), by Cheryl Cole (no US edition)

For the first time Cheryl tells her full story, her way. Revealing the truth behind the headlines, this is the only official autobiography, giving the fans the true story they’ve been waiting for. Includes exclusive, personal photos.

The nation’s sweetheart, Cheryl has achieved unrivalled success with Girls Aloud, as a solo artist, a judge on the X Factor, a fashion icon and as the face of L’Oreal. However, the path to fame is rarely easy and for Cheryl it has been a colourful journey.

From happy but humble beginnings growing up on a tough Newcastle estate, Cheryl saw firsthand the damage that drugs and alcohol can do. But this feisty Geordie never gave up on her dreams of being on stage.

With success came a level of fame no one could prepare for. As Cheryl’s career went from strength to strength her personal heartache was played out in the national media. From her divorce to her battles with malaria, Cheryl's every move was captured by paparazzi. There was nowhere for Cheryl to hide. However, a true fighter, Cheryl emerged from every challenge stronger.

Now it’s Cheryl’s turn to set the record straight. In this heartfelt account, she opens up about all of the incredible ups and downs of her life. Told with searing honesty this is Cheryl as you’ve never seen her before.

Back Story (Main/UK), by David Mitchell (US edition $13.49)

David Mitchell, who you may know for his inappropriate anger on every TV panel show except Never Mind the Buzzcocks, his look of permanent discomfort on C4 sex comedy Peep Show, his online commenter-baiting in The Observer or just for wearing a stick-on moustache in That Mitchell and Webb Look, has written a book about his life.

As well as giving a specific account of every single time he's scored some smack, this disgusting memoir also details:

• the singular, pitbull-infested charm of the FRP (‘Flat Roofed Pub’)
• the curious French habit of injecting everyone in the arse rather than the arm
• why, by the time he got to Cambridge, he really, really needed a drink
• the pain of being denied a childhood birthday party at McDonalds
• the satisfaction of writing jokes about suicide
• how doing quite a lot of walking around London helps with his sciatica
• trying to pretend he isn’t a total **** at Robert Webb’s wedding
• that he has fallen in love at LOT, but rarely done anything about it
• why it would be worse to bump into Michael Palin than Hitler on holiday
• that he’s not David Mitchell the novelist. Despite what David Miliband might think