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Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts

Monday, June 17, 2013

Books for a Buck

I'm only posting links for Amazon, but you may find these on sale at Barnes & Noble, Kobo or Sony. Sony, by-the-way, has another coupon code good for all non-Agency tiles: 40JUNE13 for 40% off coupon, thru June 19th.

These are all titles from HarperCollins, who is having a 99 cent sale with 700 titles included. Obviously, I can't list them all here, so I've just listed some that look especially interesting. Click thru to the sale page to explore by category, where you'll find 20 cookbooks on sale, for example.

Please, leave a comment if you see one that we shouldn't miss while it is on sale. Also, don't forget that you can use a gift certificate to reduce the number of small charges you see on your credit or debit cards.

Mariel's Kitchen by Mariel Hemingway
Book Description
How do you cook nutritious and delicious meals when life is busy and time is short? How can you make fresh, organic food a part of your and your family's way of life—simply and affordably? These are the questions that Mariel Hemingway answers by sharing tried-and-tested recipes, straight from her kitchen to yours.

Filled with exciting, beautiful photographs and easy-to-follow instructions, Mariel's Kitchen includes seventy-five sensational recipes that can be mastered by anyone, regardless of cooking experience. Arranged according to the seasons, these recipes show how simple it can be to put locally grown, seasonal produce on your table in place of packaged and processed foods. From sublime summer breakfasts to delectable desserts and heartwarming winter dinners, these tasty dishes, snacks, salad dressings, marinades, and drink recipes put homemade eating back into easy reach.

Mariel also shares her secrets that make it possible to eat well all week long, even with a full schedule. She reveals what staples are necessary for any pantry and how to prepare core recipes that become the foundation for multiple dishes. She offers shopping tips for navigating the world of organic and sustainable foods. And as she reveals what makes her kitchen “the heart of her home,” she peppers recipes with stories about her own lifelong love affair with food.

Combining Mariel's no-nonsense attitude with wholesome recipes for every occasion, Mariel's Kitchen is a new kind of American cookbook designed to help you—and all those you cook for—eat better, fresher, and more delicious foods, day in and day out.

Healthy Life Kitchen by Marilu Henner
Book Description
If you're like most people, 70 percent of what's in your kitchen right now is unhealthy and has to go. Now the good news ...

This book will show you that there are healthy and tasty alternatives to everything in your refrigerator and pantry, and the transition is easier than you think.

When it comes to food, most of us go through a constant tug-of-war between the foods we love and the foods we feel we should be eating. But what if we didn't have to give up our favourite foods? What if we could take recipes from our childhood or our favourite cookbooks and find healthier ways to enjoy them?

Marilu Henner's Healthy Life Kitchen shows you a new way, a better way, to create a "health factory" in your home. Out go the red meat, dairy, and refined sugar products, and in come the freshest fruits, vegetables, grains, soy, seafood, poultry, and seasonings imaginable-and, in a few easy steps, you've created a Healthy Life you!

After inspiring legions of readers with Marilu Henner's Total Health Makeover and The 30-Day Total Health Makeover, Marilu presents the first cookbook in her bestselling series.

The Dumpling by Wai Hon Chu and Connie Lovatt (>400 pages!)
Book Description
The Dumpling is the most comprehensive and wide-ranging anthology of traditional recipes available for those who love dumplings in every shape, size, and variety. Wai Hon Chu—who has worked in the in the kitchens of March, Clementine, and The Russian Tea Room, and is creator of El Eden Chocolates, named Best Gourmet Chocolate by New York Press—and Connie Lovett take dumpling aficionados on a culinary tour around the globe, offering more than 100 mouthwatering recipes that cover the full range of dumpling possibilities.

365 Easy One Dish Meals by Natalie Haughton
Book Description
For today's families, time is so short and so precious the lovingly prepared home-cooked meal is rapidly becoming just a nostalgic memory. But, with this reprint of the wildly popular best-seller 365 Easy One-Dish Meals, you can have your home cooking and eat it, too. Here, in one volume, is a year's worth of simple, sumptuous recipes that are also hassle-free. Hassle-free because in every case one dish equals one pot. That's one pot to cook in and only one pot to clean. Whether your pot of choice is a casserole, a kettle, a slow-cooker, or a wok, and whether your specific cooking need is a speedy weekday supper or a savory, slow-simmering weekend stew, you-ll find plenty of healthy, nutritious recipes to choose from. Enjoy the easy comfort of stews and soups, with one-dish recipes for Vegetable Chili, Quick Clam Chowder, and Hearty Beef Borscht. Toss together a plate of Spicy Thai Chicken Noodles or Curried Penne with Shrimp, or a big bowl of main-course salad, such as Chicken-Papaya Salsa Salad or Turkey and Black Bean Salad. Whatever your family's needs, whichever pot you reach for, here are 365 Easy One-Dish Meals designed to make suppertime a snap.

Fatally Flaky, a Culinary Mysteries novel by Diane Mott Davidson; also, although a dollar more, Dark Tort is also on sale.

Fatally Flaky
Colorado caterer Goldy Schulz encounters Bridezilla—and murder—in Fatally Flaky, another delectable mystery by Diane Mott Davidson. The USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of Double Shot, Dark Tort, and Sweet Revenge whom the Baltimore Sun describes as, “a cross between Mary Higgins Clark and Betty Crocker” is “today’s foremost practitioner of the culinary whodunit” according to Entertainment Weekly. Fatally Flaky is Diane Mott Davidson at her mysterious and mouth-watering best.
Dark Tort
Caterer Goldy Schulz's lucrative new gig, preparing breakfasts and conference room snacks for a local law firm, is time-consuming, but she's enjoying it . . . until the night she arrives to find Dusty, the firm's paralegal, dead. The deceased also happened to be Goldy's friend and neighbor, and now Dusty's grieving mother is begging Goldy to find out who murdered her daughter.

Just because the police are on the case doesn't mean Goldy can't do a little snooping herself. While catering a party at the home of one of the firm's lawyers, she just happens to overhear an incriminating conversation. She also discovers a few tasty clues in the kitchen. Before long, Goldy finds herself knee-deep in suspects. But one of them is incredibly dangerous . . . and very liable to cook Goldy's goose.

Dark Prince: Author's Cut Special Editionby by Christine Feehan
Book Description
An incomparable gift for Christine Feehan fans, Dark Prince returns in a new, author’s cut special edition. #1 New York Times bestseller Feehan revisits her classic tale of paranormal romance—the breathtaking story of a beautiful hunter with extraordinary telepathic abilities captivated by the powerful allure of a tormented prince of the mysterious Carpathians—expanding the beloved story by 100 never before seen pages! Here is your golden opportunity to experience the first book in Christine Feehan’s remarkable Dark saga as you never have before, whether it’s a glorious re-entrance into this writer’s mystical, unforgettable world…or your very first visit!

My Favorite Bride by Christina Dodd
Book Description
New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd brings you "The Sound of Music meets Jane Eyre" in her refreshingly humorous addition to the Governess Brides series...

When Miss Samantha Prendregast arrives at Devil's Fell to take charge of six rebellious girls, the vibrant, outspoken governess finds she can manage the children with intelligence, guile...and a little bribery. Their widowed father, Colonel William Gregory, is not so easily charmed -- and far too easy to love.

William always cherished the orderliness of his life until this captivating troublemaker arrives. Despite the fact that they clash at every meeting, William finds himself drawn to Samantha's fire. And now he's even contemplating marriage, which would be sweet madness indeed. But before he can successfully woo her, William must discover what Samantha is hiding. But the secret the lady is preciously guarding is far too shocking and dangerous to ever reveal...

Fans of Stephanie Laurens and Julia Quinn will enjoy MY FAVORITE BRIDE!

A Medieval Family: The Pastons of Fifteenth-Century England and Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel: Technology and Invention in the Middle Ages by Frances Gies and Joseph Gies

A Medieval Family: The Pastons of Fifteenth-Century England
The Pastons family of Norfolk, England, has long been known to medieval scholars for its large collection of personal correspondence, which has survived five centuries. Revealing a wealth of information about manners, morals, lifestyle, and attitudes of the late Middle Ages, the letters also tell the story of three generations of the fifteenth-century Paston family that treads like a historical novel full of memorable characters: Margaret Paston, the indomitable wife and mother who fought the family's battles; her husband, John Paston I, tough, hardheaded, and thrice confined to Fleet Prison but never yielding to his enemies; daughter Margery, who scandalized family and friends by falling in love with the Paston bailiff, Richard Calle; lighthearted, chivalric Sir John; and cheerful, sensible John III, who against all odds succeeded in marrying for love.

A Medieval Family traces the Pastons history from 1420, through the stormy Wars of the Roses, to the early 1500s. The family's story, extracted from their letters and papers and told largely in their own words, shows a side of history rarely revealed: the lives and fortunes not of kings and queens but of ordinary middle-class people with problems, tragedies, and moments of happiness.
Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel: Technology and Invention in the Middle Ages
How did Western Europe, engulfed in political chaos after the fall of Rome, rise by the time of Columbus to world leadership in technology? This book tells how the "silent contribution of many hands and minds" wrought a technological revolution that was marked by such key inventions as the horse collar, the vertical waterwheel, the spinning wheel, the flying buttress, the blast furnace and the art of printing. By tracing these and other devlopments and the way they affected everyday life, the authors show how certain innovations created the Western civilization that spread around the world. Frances and Joseph Gies are the authors of "Life in a Medieval Village", "Life in a Medieval Castle" and "Women in the Middle Ages".

An Affair Before Christmas by Eloisa James
Book Description
Magic under the mistletoe . . .

One spectacular Christmas, Lady Perdita Selby, known to her friends and family as Poppy, met the man she thought she would love forever. The devilishly attractive Duke of Fletcher was the perfect match for the innocent, breathtakingly beautiful young Englishwoman, and theirs was the most romantic wedding she had ever seen. Four years later, Poppy and the duke have become the toast of the ton . . . but behind closed doors the spark of their love affair has burned out.

Unwilling to lose the woman he still lusts after, the duke is determined to win back his beguiling bride's delectable affections . . . and surpass the heady days of first love with a truly sinful seduction.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Bargain Book Trio

Just a quick list today, guys.

Obsession ($0.99 Kindle; $2.99 Kobo), by Jennifer Armentrout [Entangled / Covet / Macmillan], is on sale TODAY ONLY!. Unlike many of her bestselling novels, this one is definitely not aimed at teens/young adults.
Book Description
He's arrogant, domineering, and... To. Die. For.

Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.

Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something...unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.

Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life...or is it Hunter?

Independence ($3.03 Kindle), by John Ferling [Bloomsbury Press]; this is a good price on a good book (perhaps a good Father's Day gift?) for those that missed it on sale last year. Grab it while you can - it's over $20 in other stores.
Book Description
No event in American history was more pivotal-or more furiously contested-than Congress's decision to declare independence in July 1776. Even months after American blood had been shed at Lexington and Concord, many colonists remained loyal to Britain. John Adams, a leader of the revolutionary effort, said bringing the fractious colonies together was like getting "thirteen clocks to strike at once."

Other books have been written about the Declaration, but no author has traced the political journey from protest to Revolution with the narrative scope and flair of John Ferling. Independence takes readers from the cobblestones of Philadelphia into the halls of Parliament, where many sympathized with the Americans and furious debate erupted over how to deal with the rebellion. Independence is not only the story of how freedom was won, but how an empire was lost.

At this remarkable moment in history, high-stakes politics was intertwined with a profound debate about democracy, governance, and justice. John Ferling, drawing on a lifetime of scholarship, brings this passionate struggle to life as no other historian could. Independence will be hailed as the finest work yet from the author Michael Beschloss calls "a national resource.

Just Desserts ($0.99 Kindle, Kobo), the first novel in the Bed-And-Breakfast series by Mary Daheim [HarperCollins]
Book Description
When the garishly grotesque clan of wealthy carpet-sweeper magnate Otto Broadie sweeps down upon Judith McMonigle's Hillside Manor Inn, it looks like there'll be a wild night of drinking, dining, and fortune-telling in the offing. But when their soothsayer-for-hire Madame Gushenka drops dead after someone douses her tea leaves with bug killer, harried hostess Judith and her irrepressible cousin Renie are left to clean up the mess. One of the Brodie bunch would dearly love to sweep the Madame's murder under the rug, however, and that might mean eliminating the nosy Ms. McMonigle as well. But with the help of her one-time beau, policeman Joe Flynn, Judith is determined to rattle the dust off some closeted family skeletons, in order to coax a killer out of hiding before coffee is served.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Bargain Book Roundup

Get any audiobook from Downpour for $6.95, using coupon code ANY695.

The Demon ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), by Hubert Selby, Jr. [Open Road]
Book Description
A womanizer’s struggle for self-control spirals into crime, madness, and murder

Harry White grew up in blue-collar Brooklyn, but the young man’s charm, smarts, and good looks have helped him earn a place as an uptown junior executive. White’s gifts have also made his love life easy, and he takes special pleasure in seducing married women. But when “Harry the Lover” is ready to grow up and leave his womanizing behind, White finds that suppressing his libido has dangerous consequences. His attempts at restraint awaken something sinister, causing White to seek excitement in a new form of violence and depravity.

Shocking and enthralling, The Demon is an unflinching meditation on male vanity by one of the most acclaimed and original writers of the twentieth century.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Hubert Selby, Jr., including rare photos from the author’s estate.

Bachelor Unclaimed ($1.99 Kindle), by Brenda Jackson [Harlequin Kimani Romance], is the fourth novel in the Bachelors in Demand series; it was only released a couple of months ago, so it's unexpected to see at this price.
Book Description
Are his playboy days over for good?

In the wake of political defeat, former mayoral candidate Ainsley St. James does something totally out of character—she has a one-night stand with a seductive stranger. Never expecting to see him again, she accepts a job covering a breaking story in Hilton Head, South Carolina…only to discover that the island's most desirable recluse is the lover she has yet to forget.

Winston Coltrane can't get that incredible night—or the sexy, sophisticated beauty—out of his mind. The marine biologist is developing a secret formula that could be a major medical breakthrough. But there's something Winston is keeping from Ainsley: his feelings for her have grown beyond the bedroom. Kiss by breathtaking kiss, Ainsley is transforming his oceanside sanctuary into a sensual retreat. Will they be able to turn a passionate fling into forever in each other's arms?

The Last Kind Words ($0.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), by four-time Bram Stoker Award winning author Tom Piccirilli [Bantam /Random House]
Book Description
From International Thriller Writers Award winner and Edgar Award nominee Tom Piccirilli, this mesmerizing suspense novel explores the bonds of family and the ways they’re stretched by guilt, justice, and the chance for redemption.

Raised in a clan of small-time thieves and grifters, Terrier Rand decided to cut free from them and go straight after his older brother, Collie, went on a killing spree that left an entire family and several others dead. Five years later, only days before his scheduled execution, Collie contacts Terry and asks him to return home. He claims he wasn’t responsible for one of the murders—and insists that the real killer is still on the loose.

Uncertain whether his brother is telling the truth, and dogged by his own regrets, Terry is drawn back into the activities of his family: His father, Pinsch, who once made a living as a cat burglar but retired after the heartbreak caused by his two sons. His cardsharp uncles, Mal and Grey, who’ve recently incurred the anger of the local mob. His grandfather, Old Shep, who has Alzheimer’s but is still a first-rate pickpocket. His teenage sister, Dale, who’s flirting with the lure of the criminal world. And Kimmy, the fiancée he abandoned, who’s now raising a child with his former best friend.

As Terry starts to investigate what really happened on the day of Collie’s crime spree, will the truth he uncovers about their secrets tear the Rands apart?

Walking the razor-sharp edge between love and violence, with the atmospheric noir voice that is his trademark, The Last Kind Words demonstrates why Tom Piccirilli has become a must-read author.

The Master Quilter ($2.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo, companion audiobook), by Jennifer Chiaverini [Simon and Schuster], is the sixth novel in her Elm Creek Quilts series.
Book Description
The Master Quilter opens with the sound of wedding bells ringing in the ears of the Elm Creek Quilters. The close-knit group can hardly believe that their own Sylvia Compson planned her holiday wedding to sweetheart Andrew in complete secrecy, without the help of even one of her friends. Eager to honor the newlyweds, the Elm Creek Quilters hasten to stitch a bridal quilt for their favorite Master Quilter. Until the time comes to unveil the surprise gift, they reason, Sylvia will be the one in the dark.

Such little white lies seem harmless enough, especially in the service of future happiness. Yet Elm Creek Manor, and the quilting retreat established there by the Elm Creek Quilters, thrives on the strength of women sharing their creativity, their challenges, and their dreams. Somehow, in the race to commemorate in Sylvia's bridal quilt all that they hold dear about her wisdom, skill, and devotion, they forget to give honesty its pride of place.

As the quilt blocks accumulate, the Elm Creek Quilters celebrate the joy of new beginnings and the ongoing success of their business -- until forces conspire to threaten their happiness and prosperity. Two among them falter in their personal relationships, yet they are too proud to share their pain. The financial problems of another leave the quilt project vulnerable to a malicious act that may prevent its completion. And as two others weigh the comfort of the present against dreams of a future far from Elm Creek Manor, closely guarded secrets strain the bonds of friendship with those who may be left behind.

The Crimes of Jordan Wise ($1.99 Kindle, Kobo; $2.99 companion audiobook), by Bill Pronzini [Walker/Bloomsbury Publishing]
Book Description
Jordan Wise is a mild-mannered accountant with a large San Francisco engineering firm in the late 1970s. By his own admission, the first thirty-four years of his life were dull, empty. But that all changes when he meets and falls in love with Annalise Bonner, an ambitious young woman who craves excitement, a life on the edge. With her as the catalyst, Wise concocts and executes a meticulous plan to steal more than half a million dollars from his firm. They escape to the Virgin Islands, but their plans to live a life of quiet luxury are beset by unexpected pitfalls -- and Wise is forced to carry out two more ingenious schemes as a result. All three of his crimes are perfect -- or are they?THE CRIMES OF JORDAN WISE is a classic tale of love, greed, betrayal, and violence told with Bill Pronzini's characteristic twists and turns and his special brand of suspense. It is also a powerful psychological examination of a man, a woman, and the wages of sin.

Ross Poldark: A Novel of Cornwall, 1783-1787 ($2.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo) and Demelza - A Novel of Cornwall, 1788-1790 ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Winston Graham [Sourcebooks Landmark]

Ross Poldark: A Novel of Cornwall, 1783-1787
A gorgeous new release of the heartwarming and hilarious first novel in the Poldark series, the subject of the landmark BBC series

Ross Poldark is a heartwarming, gripping, and utterly entertaining saga that brings to life an unforgettable cast of characters and one of the greatest love stories of our age.

Ross Poldark returns to Cornwall from war, looking forward to a joyful homecoming with his family and his beloved Elizabeth. But instead he discovers that his father has died, his home is overrun by livestock and drunken servants, and Elizabeth, having believed Ross dead, is now engaged to his cousin. Ross must start over, building a completely new path for his life, one that takes him in exciting and unexpected directions?

Thus begins an intricately plotted story spanning loves, lives, and generations. The Poldark series is the masterwork of Winston Graham, who evoked the period and people like only he could, and created a world of rich and poor, loss and love, that readers will not soon forget.
Demelza - A Novel of Cornwall, 1788-1790
Demelza is a heartwarming, gripping, and utterly entertaining saga that brings to life an unforgettable cast of characters and one of the greatest love stories of our age.

An impoverished miner's daughter, Demelza Carne is now married to Ross Poldark, who once rescued her from a fairground brawl. Her efforts to adapt to the ways of the gentry--and her husband--place her in hilarious and embarrassing situations, through which she becomes self assured, mannered and lovely, and the birth of her first child brings a joy she never experienced before.

But tragedy strikes where least expected, and sows the seeds of an enduring rivalry for Ross Poldark and the powerful George Warleggan, and tests Ross and Demelza's marriage and their love...

The Fifth Assassin ($4.74 Kindle, B&N), by Brad Meltzer [Hachette], is on a steep discount; it was released in January of this year, when it was named one of Amazon's Best Books of the Month.
Book Description
From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, there have been more than two dozen assassination attempts on the President of the United States.

Four have been successful.

But now, Beecher White--the hero of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Inner Circle--discovers a killer in Washington, D.C., who's meticulously re-creating the crimes of these four men. Historians have branded them as four lone wolves. But what if they were wrong?
Beecher is about to discover the truth: that during the course of a hundred years, all four assassins were secretly working together. What was their purpose? For whom do they really work? And why are they planning to kill the current President?

Beecher's about to find out. And most terrifyingly, he's about to come face-to-face with the fifth assassin.

Leviathan Wakes ($2.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo; $3.99 companion audiobook), by James S.A. Corey [Orbit], includes a full copy of Daniel Abraham's The Dragon's Path in the same volume. This one's been on sale a time or two (or three) in the past, but this week the third in the series, Abaddon's Gate ($8.89), was released, so it's back again. If you missed it, Caliban's War is the novel that goes in between; between the three, you get over 1600 pages of epic Military Science Fiction. If you already have The Dragon's Path, there is an Advanced Reader copy of Leviathan Wakes in it, but this edition is the final, edited/proofed version.

Leviathan Wakes
Humanity has colonized the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond - but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for - and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to The Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations - and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.
The Dragon's Path
All paths lead to war...

Marcus' hero days are behind him. He knows too well that even the smallest war still means somebody's death. When his men are impressed into a doomed army, staying out of a battle he wants no part of requires some unorthodox steps.

Cithrin is an orphan, ward of a banking house. Her job is to smuggle a nation's wealth across a war zone, hiding the gold from both sides. She knows the secret life of commerce like a second language, but the strategies of trade will not defend her from swords.

Geder, sole scion of a noble house, has more interest in philosophy than in swordplay. A poor excuse for a soldier, he is a pawn in these games. No one can predict what he will become.

Falling pebbles can start a landslide. A spat between the Free Cities and the Severed Throne is spiraling out of control. A new player rises from the depths of history, fanning the flames that will sweep the entire region onto The Dragon's Path-the path to war.
The Templars ($1.99 Kindle, B&N), by Michael Haag [HarperCollins], looks rather interesting. Note that the Kindle edition may not include the maps and pictures from the print edition (they are not in the sample).
Book Description
Arguably one of the most provocative, puzzling, and misunderstood organizations of medieval times, the legendary Knights Templar have always been shrouded in a veil of mystery, while inspiring popular culture from Indiana Jones to Dan Brown. In The Templars, author Michael Haag offers a definitive history of these loyal Christian soldiers of the Crusades—sworn to defend the Holy Land and Jerusalem, but ultimately damned and destroyed by the Pope and his church. A bestseller in the United Kingdom—the first history of the enigmatic warriors to include findings from the Chinon Parchment, the long-lost Vatican document absolving the Knights of heresy—The Templars by Michael Haag is fascinating reading.

The Mighty Storm ($0.99 Kindle; $2.99 companion audiobook), by Samantha Towle, will soon be going up in price, as the author has signed the book with Montlake Romance (pre-order for Aug 20).
Book Description
It's been twelve years since Tru Bennett last saw Jake Wethers, her former best friend and boy she once loved.

Jake Wethers, sexy, tattooed and deliciously bad lead singer, and brains behind The Mighty Storm, one of biggest bands in the world, left Tru with a broken heart when he moved from England to America with his family when they were both fourteen.

Sent to interview Jake for her music column by the magazine she works for, they are both unprepared for the sparks that fly the instant they reconnect. Only, there’s a complication to their instant feelings for one another – Will, Tru’s boyfriend of two years.

Then Jake makes Tru a job offer she can't refuse - travelling the world with him and his band. But taking the job means leaving Will behind, and being on the road with the band means spending an inordinate amount of time with Jake.

Is Tru strong enough to resist the delectable bad boy who once held her heart so completely, or will she willingly risk it all for one night with the worlds most notorious womanizer?

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Free Book - A Century of Progress (N)

A Century of Progress: A Photographic Tour of the 1933-34 Chicago World's Fair ($3.82 Kindle), edited by the Chicago Tribune Staff, is free from Barnes & Noble, courtesy of publisher Agate Digital. This is very likely to be free on Kindle tomorrow.
Book Description
Between 1933 and 1934, over 48 million visitors attended "A Century of Progress Exposition," the world's fair located in Chicago, Illinois. Conceived of during the Roaring Twenties and born during the Great Depression, this was a sprawling event celebrating Chicago's 100th anniversary with industrial and scientific displays, lascivious entertainment, and a touch of unadulterated bad taste.

Century of Progress is a collection of rare photographs from the world's fair that has been carefully chosen from the Chicago Tribune's voluminous archives. Featuring an informative introduction by Tribune reporter and historian Ron Grossman, this book documents one of the most expansive displays of technological advancement and cultural diversity that took place in the 20th century. The lakefront exposition, on the present site of McCormick Place and Northerly Island, opened on May 27, 1933, and was reopened in 1934 at the urging of President Franklin D. Roosevelt who hoped it would stimulate the Depression-era economy.

This book is an engrossing and fascinating look at the numerous sides of the "A Century of Progress Exposition": the whimsical attractions, the architectural and scientific achievements, the palpable spirit of fun, and the occasionally unsavory exhibits of differing cultures. At a time when the entire U.S. population numbered just over 125 million people, the Chicago world's fair left an indelible mark on the collective consciousness of American culture, and Century of Progress captures that feeling as only a photograph can.
Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

UK Kindle Daily Deal 5/15

Britain Against America in the Naval War of 1812 (£1.09 UK), by Andrew Lambert [Faber and Faber], is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $10.05).
Book Description
In the summer of 1812 Britain stood alone, fighting for her very survival against a vast European Empire. Only the Royal Navy stood between Napoleon's legions and ultimate victory. In that dark hour America saw its chance to challenge British dominance: her troops invaded Canada and American frigates attacked British merchant shipping, the lifeblood of British defence.

War polarised America. The south and west wanted land, the north wanted peace and trade. But America had to choose between the oceans and the continent. Within weeks the land invasion had stalled, but American warships and privateers did rather better, and astonished the world by besting the Royal Navy in a series of battles.

Then in three titanic single ship actions the challenge was decisively met. British frigates closed with the Chesapeake, the Essex and the President, flagship of American naval ambition. Both sides found new heroes but none could equal Captain Philip Broke, champion of history's greatest frigate battle, when HMS Shannon captured the USS Chesapeake in thirteen blood-soaked minutes. Broke's victory secured British control of the Atlantic, and within a year Washington, D.C. had been taken and burnt by British troops.

Andrew Lambert, Laughton Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, brings all his mastery of the subject and narrative brilliance to throw new light on a war which until now has been much mythologised, little understood.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

UK Kindle Daily Deal 5/11

The Korean War (£0.99 UK), by Sir Max Hastings, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (no US edition).
Book Description
On 25 June 1950 the invasion of South Korea by the Communist North launched one of the bloodiest conflicts of the last century. The seemingly limitless power of the Chinese-backed North was thrown against the ferocious firepower of the UN-backed South in a war that can be seen today as the stark prelude to Vietnam. Max Hastings drew on first-hand accounts of those who fought on both sides to produce this vivid and incisive reassessment of the Korean War, bringing the military and human dimensions into sharp focus. Critically acclaimed on publication, The Korean War remains the best narrative history of this conflict.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Free Book - You Were Never in Chicago (E)

You Were Never in Chicago ($15.00 $8.10 Kindle), by Neil Steinberg, is free from The University of Chicago Press for the next five days only (May Day thru Cinco de Mayo).
Book Description
In 1952 the New Yorker published a three-part essay by A. J. Liebling in which he dubbed Chicago the “Second City.” From garbage collection to the skyline, nothing escaped Liebling’s withering gaze. Among the outraged responses from Chicago residents was one that Liebling described as the apotheosis of such criticism: a postcard that read, simply, “You were never in Chicago.”

Neil Steinberg has lived in and around Chicago for more than three decades—ever since he left his hometown of Berea, Ohio, to attend Northwestern—yet he remains fascinated by the dynamics captured in Liebling’s anecdote. In You Were Never in Chicago Steinberg weaves the story of his own coming-of-age as a young outsider who made his way into the inner circles and upper levels of Chicago journalism with a nuanced portrait of the city that would surprise even lifelong residents.

Steinberg takes readers through Chicago’s vanishing industrial past and explores the city from the quaint skybridge between the towers of the Wrigley Building, to the depths of the vast Deep Tunnel system below the streets. He deftly explains the city’s complex web of political favoritism and carefully profiles the characters he meets along the way, from greats of jazz and journalism to small-business owners just getting by. Throughout, Steinberg never loses the curiosity and close observation of an outsider, while thoughtfully considering how this perspective has shaped the city, and what it really means to belong. Intimate and layered, You Were Never in Chicago will be a welcome addition to the bookshelves of all Chicagoans—be they born in the city or forever transplanted.
Sign up for the free book from the University of Chicago. You'll need to enter your email address, then check your email for the link to download the book. Mine arrived within seconds -- you get a .ACSM file, which, when opened, will load the EPUB book inside of Adobe ADE. This is a DRM'd EPUB and is not compatible with eInk Kindles, but can be read using Aldiko on a Kindle Fire.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

UK Kindle Daily Deal 4/28

The Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK is Five History Books at up to £1.19 each (>70% off).

Seal Target Geronimo: The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama Bin Laden (£0.99 UK), by Chuck Pfarrer (US edition $7.99)
On May 2, 2011, at 1:03 a.m. in Pakistan, a satellite uplink was sent from the town of Abbottabad crackling into the situation room of the White House in Washington, D.C.: 'Geronimo, Echo, KIA'. These words, spoken by a Navy SEAL, put paid to Osama bin Laden's three-decade-long career of terror. This is the story of Bin Laden's relentless hunters and how they took down the terrorist mastermind, told by Chuck Pfarrer, a former assault element commander of SEAL Team Six. After talking to members of the SEAL team involved in the raid, Pfarrer shares never-before-revealed details of the historic raid and the men who planned and conducted it in an exclusive boots-on-the-ground account of what happened during each minute of the mission - both inside the building and outside. Pfarrer takes readers inside the operation as the SEALs flew over the wall of Bin Laden's shabby compound and then penetrated deeper and deeper into the terrorist's lair, telling us just what it looked, sounded, and smelled like in that sweltering Pakistani suburb. He takes us to the exact spot where the al-Qaeda leader was cowering when the bullet entered his head. SEAL Target Geronimo is an explosive story of unparalleled valour, clockwork military precision, and deadly accuracy carried out by one of the most elite fighting forces in the world - the U.S. Navy's SEAL Team Six.
Escape from Camp 14 (£1.19 UK), by Blaine Harden (US edition $9.99; companion audiobook $3.95)
Twenty-six years ago, Shin Dong-hyuk was born inside Camp 14, one of five sprawling political prisons in the mountains of North Korea. Located about 55 miles north of Pyongyang, the labor camp is a 'complete control district,' a no-exit prison where the only sentence is life. Inmates work 12 to 15-hour days in the camp – mining coal, building dams, sewing military uniforms – until they are executed, killed in work-related accidents or die of illness that is usually triggered by hunger. No one born in Camp 14 or in any North Korean political prison camp has escaped. No one except Shin. This is his story. A gripping, terrifying memoir with a searing sense of place, Escape from Camp 14 will unlock, through Shin, a dark and secret nation, taking readers to a place they have never before been allowed to go.
Battleground Prussia: The Assault on Germany's Eastern Front 1944-45 (£1.09 UK), by Prit Buttar and Love (US edition $7.77)
In September 1944 the Soviet Army poured into German territory, flooding the martial heartland of the Reich, Prussia. Hopelessly outnumbered by the human wave of the Red Army, the Wehrmacht fought on with determination, but was gradually beaten back. This book describes the great battles that marked the Soviet conquest of Prussia, from Memel to Königsberg, the Heiligenbeil Pocket to Danzig. Using accounts never before published in English, Prit Buttar looks at the campaign both from a command level, and from the perspective of normal soldiers on the front line.

Prit Buttar's second book, Between Giants: The Battle for The Baltics in World War II, is available from May 20th.
Born Fearless: From Kids' Home to SAS to Pirate Hunter - My Life as a Shadow Warrior (£0.99 UK), by Phil Campion (no US edition)
Meet ‘Big’ Phil Campion. To his fellow operators he’s a private military contractor. To you or me he’s a mercenary, a soldier of fortune, a gun for hire selling violence to the highest bidder. But to Big Phil it’s all just another chapter in a life spent fighting in the shadows.

Abandoned. Run-away. Half-beaten to death. Blown-up. Locked up. And all before the age of twenty. This is the incredible true story of how Phil Campion survived all of that, and went on to complete Commando selection, Para selection, and to join the SAS – before fighting as a mercenary in the world’s toughest war zones. Undertaking deniable operations, freeing hostages and escaping terrorists hell bent on revenge – the dangers and insane risks of life as a private military operator eclipsed even those of waging war in an SAS Sabre Squadron. Big Phil’s story of life on the private military circuit (‘The Circuit’) is a high-octane blend of chasing fast bucks in a Wild West industry, whilst always staying one step ahead of the bad guys.
Love, Tommy: Letters Home, from the Great War to the Present Day (£1.19 UK), by Andrew Roberts (US edition $7.69)
Capturing the forgotten voices of a nation and empire at war, Love Tommy, is a collection of letters housed at the Imperial War Museum sent by British and Commonwealth soldiers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa from the front line of war to their loved ones at home. Poignant expressions of love, hope and fear sit alongside amusing anecdotes, grumbles about rations and thoughtful reflections, eloquently revealing how, despite the passage of time, many experiences of the fighting man are shared in countless wars and battles. From the muddy trenches of the First World War to frozen ground of the Falklands to the heat and dust of the war in Afghanistan, these letters are the ordinary soldier’s testament to life on the front line.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Free Audiobook - Letter from Birmingham Jail

Get a free download of Letter from Birmingham Jail ($5.58 Audible), by Martin Luther King Jr., narrated by Dion Graham, over at Christianaudio. There doesn't appear to be a Kindle edition containing only the letter, but civil rights buffs might enjoy reading Gospel of Freedom: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail and the Struggle That Changed a Nation, by Jonathan Rieder, published by Bloomsbury.
Book Description
April 16th. The year is 1963. Birmingham, Alabama has had a spring of non-violent protests known as the Birmingham Campaign, seeking to draw attention to the segregation against blacks by the city government and downtown retailers. The organizers longed to create a non-violent tension so severe that the powers that be would be forced to address the rampant racism head on. Recently arrested was Martin Luther King, Jr.. It is there in that jail cell that he writes this letter; on the margins of a newspaper he pens this defense of non-violence against segregation. His accusers, though many, in this case were not the white racist leaders or retailers he protested against, but 8 black men who saw him as “other” and as too extreme. To them and to the world he defended the notion that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.
Get the free audio download from Christianaudio.

After finishing your order, download a the MP3 if you want to be able to play the book on your Kindle (M4B for the iOS, iTunes or QuickTime) and copy it to the \audiobooks directory on your Kindle (not \music) in order to have audiobook controls and see it on your Kindle home page.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Bargain Book Trio

A Trouble of Fools ($2.99 Kindle, B&N, Kobo), the first novel in the Carlotta Carlyle series by Linda Barnes [Macmillan]
Book Description
Linda Barnes’s A Trouble of Fools is the book that introduced readers to ex-Boston cop and PI Carlotta Carlyle, who knows trouble when she sees it like the old Irish lady offering a grand in cash to find her brother...

TROUBLE…
Since being bounced from the Boston police for insubordination after six years of service, Carlotta Carlyle has set up shop as a private investigator ready to deal with anything from lost pets to substantially grander larcenies. Though Carlotta, a six-foot-tall, redheaded ex cop, part-time cabbie, and neophyte private eye, works out of her home, it’s rare that clients stop by unannounced. Especially clients like the genteel, reserved, elderly spinster Miss Margaret Devens.

ALWAYS COMES…
With cash flow problems and a caseload so light that she’s taken to reading her cat’s mail, Carlotta accepts the case of Miss Devens’s missing brother Eugene. Oddly enough, Carlotta knew Eugene when they worked together back at Green and White Cab. As far as Carlotta sees it, this case should be a pinch—until two thugs looking for money send her client to the hospital.

WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT…
The old lady’s missing brother seems to have been involved in something much more dangerous than simply driving a cab. Carlotta is determined to do whatever it takes?work the cops, pose as a hooker, and even drive a cab again—to find Eugene before it’s too late.

I Shall Live ($1.99 Kindle, >$10 elsewhere), by Henry Orenstein [Beaufort Books].
Book Description
I Shall Live tells the gripping true story of the Orensteins, a Jewish family living in Poland during the Second World War. When Henry Orenstein and his siblings end up in a series of concentrations camps, Orenstein's bravery and quick thinking help him to save himself and his brothers from execution by playing a role in the greatest hoax ever pulled on the upper echelons of Nazi command, including Heinrich Himmler.

Orenstein's lucid prose recreates this horrific time in history and his constant struggle for survival as the Nazis move him and his brothers through five concentration camps. His description of their roles in the fake Chemical Commando sheds new light on an incredible and generally unknown event in the history of the Holocaust. This edition of I Shall Live contains new evidence about this fake Commando, including letters to and from Himmler himself.

The Wilde Series ($2.99 Kindle), by Kensington published Janelle Denison, is a "boxed set" of three backlist novels in the series (previously published by Berkley). With this set, you get three complete novels at the same price as any one of them alone.
Book Description
TOO WILDE TO TAME
Mia Wilde has a reputation for being too wild to tame, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to let someone get away with distributing provocative photographs of her. She needs to find out who is threatening her before her overprotective brothers find out. For that, she’s going to enlist the help of private investigator Cameron Sinclair – - the one man who seems immune to her flirtatious and outrageous personality. But Mia soon learns that appearances can be very deceiving.


BORN TO BE WILDE
Ex-Marine turned security specialist Joel Wilde thrives on the high-wire thrills that come with his job. And he isn’t about to give all that up to settle down – - not even with a sexy woman like Lora Marshall. Which means that while he’s protecting her from a violent gang, he’ll need to set a few ground rules to keep things professional. Good thing he’s always been a rule-breaker at heart.


WILDE FOR HIM
Ex-Marine and security agent Ben Cabrera isn’t going to complain about his latest assignment protecting the daughter of a gubernatorial candidate. After all, spending 24/7 with Christy Delacroix isn’t exactly a chore. But it turns out that Christy’s seduction tactics are top notch and it soon becomes impossible to keep things strictly professional . . .

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Bargain Book Roundup

BooksonBoard is having a 33% off sale on all titles (EPUB or PDF only), including 33% all HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Hachette titles.

Kobo's 90% off sale has been updated - pick any one book on the list and get 90% off using promo code 90BK during checkout. Note that the code seems to be limited to some countries and the list of books you'll see varies by country, as well. Limit one book using the code (but it seems to have reset, for those who used the code last Fall).

Crazy Sexy Diet ($2.99 Kindle), by Kris Carr with contributions by Dean Ornish M.D. (Foreword) and Rory Freedman (Preface)
Book Description
On the heels of Kris Carr’s best-selling cancer survival guidebooks and her acclaimed TLC documentary comes her new journey into a realm vital to anyone’s health. Infused with her signature sass, wit and advice-from-the-trenches style, Crazy Sexy Diet is a beautifully illustrated resource that puts you on the fast track to vibrant health, happiness and a great ass!

Along with help from her posse of experts, Carr lays out the fundamentals of her Crazy Sexy Diet: a low-glycemic, vegetarian program that emphasizes balancing the pH of the body with lush whole and raw foods, nourishing organic green drinks, and scrumptious smoothies. Plus, she shares the steps of her own twenty-one-day cleanse, and simple but delectable sample recipes.

In ten chapters with titles such as, “pHabulous,” “Coffee, Cupcakes and Cocktails,” “Make Juice Not War,” and “God-Pod Glow,” Carr empowers readers to move from a state of constant bodily damage control to one of renewal and repair. In addition to debunking common diet myths and sharing vital tips on detoxifying our bodies and psyches—advice that draws both on her personal experience as a cancer survivor and that of experts—she provides helpful hints on natural personal care, how to stretch a dollar, navigate the grocery store, eating well on the run, and working through the inevitable pangs and cravings for your old not-so-healthy life.

Crazy Sexy Diet is a must for anyone who seeks to be a confident and sexy wellness warrior.

Including contributions by:
  • Dean Ornish, M.D. – author and founder and president of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute
  • Neal Barnard, M.D. – author, founder of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), author of Food for Life
  • Kathy Freston – author of Quantum Wellness and health advocate
  • Alejandro Junger, M.D. – author of Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself, and director of integrative medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital, NYC
  • Rory Freedman – coauthor of Skinny Bitch and health advocate
  • Mark Hyman, M.D. – author of The UltraMind Solution and pioneer in functional medicine
  • Emily Deschanel – star of the Fox series Bones and health advocate
  • Sharon Gannon – author of Yoga and Vegetarianism, and cofounder of Jivamukti Yoga
  • Wayne Pacelle – president & CEO, The Humane Society of the United States
  • Stacy Malkan – author and cofounder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
  • Dr. Lilli Link – specialist in raw foods and integrative nutrition
  • Frank Lipman – author of Revive: Stop feeling Spent and Start Living Again and founder of the Eleven Eleven Wellness Center

Troubleshooter ($2.99 Kindle), the third novel in the Tim Rackley series by Gregg Hurwitz [HarperCollins].
Book Description
The maestro of pulse-pounding suspense delivers an explosive new white-knuckle thriller featuring deputy U.S. Marshal Tim Rackley -- a lawman driven by honor, morality, and a thirst for justice. The leader of one of the country's most violent biker gangs, Den Laurey should have been behind bars. But thanks to a daring escape on an L.A. freeway, several deputy marshals are dead and Laurey is riding free. Rackley, back on the Service's warrant squad, is in hot pursuit of the outlaw and his ruthless gang -- with a media whirlwind and the entire Los Angeles law-enforcement community driving him.

Just when Laurey is within his grasp, circumstances force Rackley to let him go -- with devastating results. A few miles up the road, a sheriff's deputy is attacked: Tim's pregnant wife, Dray. Driven by guilt, Tim vows to hunt Laurey down -- a search that will lead him into a dark world of deception and lies, a world of criminals and undercover cops, drugs and mutilation. And the key to the violent puzzle lies in the discarded corpses of women -- women for whom Tim must seek justice when no one else will. With the stakes rising, Tim must unravel a horrifying secret and confront a deadly terror that reaches from the back alleys of Mexico to the poppy fields of Afghanistan ... and threatens to explode on the dark streets of L.A.

Caveat Emptor: The Secret Life of an American Art Forger ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Ken Perenyi [Pegasus Books].
Book Description
It is said that the greatest con man in the world is the one who has never been caught—and here for the first time is the astonishing story of America’s most accomplished art forger

Ten years ago, an FBI investigation in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York was about to expose a scandal in the art world that would have been front-page news in New York and London. After a trail of fake paintings of astonishing quality led federal agents to art dealers, renowned experts, and the major auction houses, the investigation inexplicably ended, despite an abundance of evidence collected. The case was closed and the FBI file was marked “exempt from public disclosure.”

Now that the statute of limitations on these crimes has expired and the case appears hermetically sealed shut by the FBI, this book, Caveat Emptor, is Ken Perenyi’s confession. It is the story, in detail, of how he pulled it all off.

Glamorous stories of art-world scandal have always captured the public imagination. However, not since Clifford Irving’s 1969 bestselling Fake has there been a story at all like this one. Caveat Emptor is unique in that it is the first and only book by and about America’s first and only great art forger. And unlike other forgers, Perenyi produced no paper trail, no fake provenance whatsoever; he let the paintings speak for themselves. And that they did, routinely mesmerizing the experts in mere seconds.

In the tradition of Frank Abagnale’s Catch Me If You Can, and certain to be a bombshell for the major international auction houses and galleries, here is the story of America’s greatest art forger.

500 Days: Secrets and Lies in the Terror Wars ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Kurt Eichenwald [Simon and Schuster].
Book Description
Kurt Eichenwald—New York Times bestselling author of Conspiracy of Fools and The Informant— recounts the first 500 days after 9/11 in a comprehensive, compelling page-turner as gripping as any thriller.

In 500 Days, master chronicler Kurt Eichenwald lays bare the harrowing decisions, deceptions, and delusions of the eighteen months that changed the world forever, as leaders raced to protect their citizens in the wake of 9/11.

Eichenwald’s gripping, immediate style and true-to-life dialogue puts readers at the heart of these historic events, from the Oval Office to Number 10 Downing Street, from Guantanamo Bay to the depths of CIA headquarters, from the al-Qaeda training camps to the torture chambers of Egypt and Syria. He reveals previously undisclosed information from the terror wars, including never before reported details about warrantless wiretapping, the anthrax attacks and investigations, and conflicts between Washington and London.

With his signature fast-paced narrative style, Eichenwald — whose book, The Informant, was called “one of the best nonfiction books of the decade” by The New York Times Book Review — exposes a world of secrets and lies that has remained hidden for far too long.

Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women's Rights Movement ($1.99 Kindle, companion audiobook $5.49), by Sally McMillen [Oxford University Press]
Book Description
In the quiet town of Seneca Falls, New York, over the course of two days in July, 1848, a small group of women and men, led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, held a convention that would launch the women's rights movement and change the course of history. In Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women's Rights Movement, Sally McMillen reveals, for the first time, the full significance of that revolutionary convention and the enormous changes it produced. The book covers 50 years of women's activism, from 1840 to 1890, focusing on four extraordinary figures--Mott, Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Susan B. Anthony. McMillen tells the stories of their lives, how they came to take up the cause of women's rights, the astonishing advances they made during their lifetimes, and the far-reaching effects of the work they did. At the convention they asserted full equality with men, argued for greater legal rights, greater professional and education opportunities, and the right to vote--ideas considered wildly radical at the time. Indeed, looking back at the convention two years later, Anthony called it "the grandest and greatest reform of all time."

Bruiser ($1.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Neal Shusterman [HarperCollins]
Book Description
Tennyson:
Don't get me started on the Bruiser. He was voted "Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty" by the entire school. He's the kid no one knows, no one talks to, and everyone hears disturbing rumors about. So why is my sister, Brontë, dating him? One of these days she's going to take in the wrong stray dog, and it's not going to end well.

Brontë:
My brother has no right to talk about Brewster that way—no right to threaten him. There's a reason why Brewster can't have friends—why he can't care about too many people. Because when he cares about you, things start to happen. Impossible things that can't be explained. I know, because they're happening to me.

Award-winning author Neal Shusterman has crafted a chilling and unforgettable novel about the power of unconditional friendship, the complex gear workings of a family, and the sacrifices we endure for the people we love.

Vengeance ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), the first title in The Tainted Realm series by Australian author Ian Irvine, is this month's Orbital Book Drop [Hachette]. The book is quite long (>650 pages), so you can wait a few days to pick up the second in the series, Rebellion, which was released this week.
Book Description
Ten years ago, two children witnessed a murder that still haunts them as adults.

Tali watched as two masked figures killed her mother, and now she has sworn revenge. Even though she is a slave. Even though she is powerless. Even though she is nothing in the eyes of those who live above ground, she will find her mother's killers and bring them to justice.

Rix, heir to Hightspall's greatest fortune, is tormented by the fear that he's linked to the murder, and by a sickening nightmare that he's doomed to repeat it.

When a chance meeting brings Tali and Rix together, the secrets of an entire kingdom are uncovered and a villain out of legend returns to throw the land into chaos. Tali and Rix must learn to trust each other and find a way to save the realm -- and themselves.

Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town ($2.99 Kindle; companion audiobook $3.99), by Nick Reding [Bloomsbury]
Book Description
Crystal methamphetamine is widely considered to be the most dangerous drug in the world, and nowhere is that more true than in the small towns of the American heartland. Methland is the story of the drug as it infiltrates the community of Oelwein, Iowa (pop. 6,159), a once-thriving farming and railroad community. Tracing the connections between the lives touched by meth and the global forces that have set the stage for the epidemic, Methland offers a vital and unique perspective on a pressing contemporary tragedy.

Oelwein, Iowa is like thousand of other small towns across the county. It has been left in the dust by the consolidation of the agricultural industry, a depressed local economy and an out-migration of people. If this wasn't enough to deal with, an incredibly cheap, long-lasting, and highly addictive drug has come to town, touching virtually everyone's lives. Journalist Nick Reding reported this story over a period of four years, and he brings us into the heart of the town through an ensemble cast of intimately drawn characters, including: Clay Hallburg, the town doctor, who fights meth even as he struggles with his own alcoholism; Nathan Lein, the town prosecutor, whose case load is filled almost exclusively with meth-related crime, and Jeff Rohrick, who is still trying to kick a meth habit after four years.

Methland is a portrait of a community under siege, of the lives the drug has devastated, and of the heroes who continue to fight the war. It will appeal to readers of David Sheff's bestselling Beautiful Boy, and serve as inspiration for those who believe in the power of everyday people to change their world for the better.

The Journeys of Socrates ($2.99 Kindle, Kobo), by Dan Millman [HarperCollins].
Book Description
The Way Begins . . .

Sergei was three when the soldiers took him. At fifteen he fled into the wilderness, with nothing to cling to but the memories of a grandfather who called him Socrates and the promise of a gift buried near St. Petersburg. Thus begins The Journeys of Socrates -- an odyssey that forged the character of Sergei Ivanov, whose story would one day change the lives of millions of readers worldwide. This saga of courage and faith, of love and loss, reveals the arts of war and the path to peace. Ultimately, it speaks to the quest we all share for a meaningful life in a challenging world.

The Evil that Men Do ($2.51 Kindle), the eleventh novel in the Dorothy Martin series by Jeanne M Dams [Severn House]
Book Description
Dorothy Martin and her husband, retired Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt, are on holiday in the idyllic English village of Broadway when they stumble across the body of a man who appears to have fallen down a disused quarry. When it is revealed that the man, a local farmer, was probably pushed over the edge, and that the police have failed to find any suspects or motives for the murder, Dorothy can't help but get involved . . .

Into the Darkest Corner ($1.99 Kindle; companion audiobook $4.49), by Elizabeth Haynes
Book Description
Catherine Bailey has been enjoying the single life long enough to know a catch when she sees one. Gorgeous, charismatic and spontaneous, Lee seems almost too perfect to be true. And her friends clearly agree, as each in turn falls under his spell.

But what begins as flattering attentiveness and passionate sex turns into raging jealousy, and Catherine soon learns there is a darker side to Lee. His increasingly erratic, controlling behaviour becomes frightening, but no one believes her when she shares her fears. Increasingly isolated and driven into the darkest corner of her world, a desperate Catherine plans a meticulous escape.

Four years later, Lee is behind bars and Catherine—now Cathy—compulsively checks the locks and doors in her apartment, trusting no one. But when an attractive upstairs neighbour, Stuart, comes into her life, Cathy dares to hope that happiness and love may still be possible . . . until she receives a phone call informing her of Lee’s impending release. Soon after, Cathy thinks she catches a glimpse of the former best friend who testified against her in the trial; she begins to return home to find objects subtly rearranged in her apartment, one of Lee’s old tricks. Convinced she is back in her former lover’s sights, Cathy prepares to wrestle with the demons of her past for the last time.

Utterly convincing in its portrayal of obsession, Into the Darkest corner is an ingeniously structured and plotted tour de force of suspense that marks the arrival of a major new talent.

Lark ($0.99 Kindle) is an interesting looking fantasy, self-published by Erica Cope.
Book Description
The last time she checked, Mia Carrington was pretty sure that she was a normal girl with a completely ordinary life.

She goes to high school, has a crush on the gorgeous and mysterious new boy in town, and has strange dreams that she can’t help but feel are real somehow.

Okay, so maybe she’s not all that normal after all.

A freak accident changes Mia’s life forever when she is thrown into another world and left to deal with the revelation that she is the daughter of the King of the Light Elves. Throw in an ominous prophecy predicting that Mia will break a curse unleashing the Dark Elves on the world and well, things don’t look too good.

There is danger lurking at every corner in this strange world and Mia isn’t sure who she can trust…
The only thing she is certain of is that the Dark Elves know about her, and they will stop at nothing until they have her.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Free Book - Grand Pursuit (E) [AU]

For those in Australia, you can pick up a free copy of Grand Pursuit: A Story of Economic Genius ($11.04 Kindle), by Sylvia Nasar, over at Kobo, courtesy of The Australian newspaper. Only those with an Australian address will be able to take advantage of the promo code below, but they can gift a copy to someone, if they don't want the book themselves (limit one use per account, either to keep or give away).
Book Description
In a sweeping narrative, the author of the megabestseller A Beautiful Mind takes us on a journey through modern history with the men and women who changed the lives of every single person on the planet. It’s the epic story of the making of modern economics, and of how economics rescued mankind from squalor and deprivation by placing its material fate in its own hands rather than in Fate.

Nasar’s account begins with Charles Dickens and Henry Mayhew observing and publishing the condition of the poor majority in mid-nineteenth-century London, the richest and most glittering place in the world. This was a new pursuit. She describes the often heroic efforts of Marx, Engels, Alfred Marshall, Beatrice and Sydney Webb, and the American Irving Fisher to put those insights into action—with revolutionary consequences for the world.

From the great John Maynard Keynes to Schumpeter, Hayek, Keynes’s disciple Joan Robinson, the influential American economists Paul Samuelson and Milton Freedman, and India’s Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen, she shows how the insights of these activist thinkers transformed the world—from one city, London, to the developed nations in Europe and America, and now to the entire planet. In Nasar’s dramatic narrative of these discoverers we witness men and women responding to personal crises, world wars, revolutions, economic upheavals, and each other’s ideas to turn back Malthus and transform the dismal science into a triumph over mankind’s hitherto age-old destiny of misery and early death. This idea, unimaginable less than 200 years ago, is a story of trial and error, but ultimately transcendent, as it is rendered here in a stunning and moving narrative.
Get the free ebook from Kobo. First, check in your Profile and make sure CHECKOUT FOR EBOOK PURCHASES is set to Standard, so that you can enter promo codes. Then, click Buy Now on the book's page, then click on Have a gift card or promo code? Use it here and apply the promo code SN11200 - make sure your total is $0.00 on the summary on the right before clicking on the final Buy Now button at the bottom of the page.