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Free ebooks for Kindle & other ereaders – 12/16/2011

Richard — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:42:57 +0000

Here are some of the ebooks that are free at the moment, mostly at the Kindle Store. Amazon seems to be promoting the books available from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library by making them free for a brief period — sometimes only for a few hours. Before purchasing one of the following titles do make sure that it is still free. You can check for an up-to-date list of the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library titles that are currently free here(use the ‘Sort by’ tool to sort by price).

Townhouse: A Tale of Terror by Brian Rowe (4 stars/4 reviews) Thriller.

IVRRAC by Peter Robert Jordan (4 stars/7 reviews) Technothriller.

Dressed for a Kill by Brian Bianco (4 1/2 stars/8 reviews) Thriller.

Tracking Perception (a Becky McAllen Mystery Novel) by Cherri Galbiati (4 1/2 stars/8 reviews) Murder mystery.

Frozen Assets (Yooper Woman Chronicles) by Lee Schultz (5 stars/8 reviews) Mystery.

Rose in the River by Jeff Napolitano (4 1/2 stars/12 reviews) True crime.

A Mississippi Moonlight by Vicky Renee Johnson (4 stars/11 reviews) Thriller.

The Stalin Experiments (Devereux) by James Granville (5 stars/4 reviews) Spy thriller.

Vengeance by K.A. Zaine (5 stars/6 reviews) Suspense.

Moral Vengeance by Rod Haberer (4 stars/8 reviews) Military thriller.

The History Thief: Ten Days Lost (A Sterling Novel) by Joseph Nagle (5 stars/5 reviews) Spy thriller.

The Hand of Christ (A Sterling Novel) by Joseph Nagle (5 stars/18 reviews) Spy thriller.

Illegally Dead by Gregg E. Brickman (5 stars/5 reviews) Thriller.

Napoleon’s Pyramids by William Dietrich is currently free at Barnes & Noble. This historical thriller gets 4 stars/by 58 reviewers at the Kindle Store, where it is $7.99. Also $7.99 at Kobo.

Judgment (The Jury Series) by Lee Goldberg (3 1/2 stars/7 reviews) Mystery, vigilantism.

I Held My Breath as Long as I Could by Kristopher Kelly (4 1/2 stars/7 reviews) Horror short story collection.

Dusk Gate: Seeds of Discovery (Dusk Gate Chronicles) by Breeana Puttroff (4 1/2 stars/18 reviews) YA fantasy.

Mauria by Steve North (5 stars/9 reviews) Science fiction.

Red by Richard M James (5 stars/4 reviews) Vampires; Gay & Lesbian.

Nocturnal by David Paul and Benko (4 1/2 stars/3 reviews) Vampires.

Escaping Destiny (Tapestry) by Jeffrey Pierce (5 stars/23 reviews) Fantasy.

That Voodoo You Do: That Old Black Magic, Book 1 by Jodi Redford (4 1/2 stars/5 reviews) Paranormal romance. Also free at Barnes & Noble.

Diary of a Narcissistic Bloodsucker, a Humorous Paranormal Romance by Lynda Hilburn (4 stars/12 reviews).

The Game of Chance (The Chance Series) by Kole Black (5 stars/18 reviews) Romantic suspense.

The Risk of Chance (The Chance Series) by Kole Black (5 stars/28 reviews) Romantic suspense.

The Scent of Jade by Dee DeTarsio (4 1/2 stars/23 reviews) Romantic suspense.

More Than Memories by Kristen James (4 1/2 stars/5 reviews) Romantic suspense.

Let’s Do Lunch by K. A. Jordan (4 stars/8 reviews) Romantic suspense.

The Matchless Miss (The Rakehell Regency Romance Series) by Sorcha MacMurrough (4 1/2 stars/4 reviews).

Sloane Hall (A Tale of Old Hollywood) by Libby Sternberg (5 stars/5 reviews) Historical romance.

Delusions of Grandeur–A Novel (Shattered Delusions) by Buck Winthrop (4 1/2 stars/40 reviews) Romance, murder, Hollywood.

Golden Boy by R.G. Lawrence (5 stars/3 reviews) Contemporary fiction.

Afton of Margate Castle (The Theyn Chronicles) by Angela Hunt and Angela Elwell Hunt (4 1/2 stars/10 reviews) Historical fiction.

MEXICA by Norman Spinrad (4 1/2 stars/4 reviews) Historical fiction; Mexico.

The Grand Mirage by Darrell Delamaide (4 1/2 stars/15 reviews) Historical fiction; Middle East, 1910.

High on a Mountain by Tommie Lyn (5 stars/9 reviews) Historical fiction; Irish.

Poetry and Peonies: Japanese Tree Peonies by Deborah Carney (4 stars/2 reviews) Gardening; floral photographs.

Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn (4 1/2 stars/55 reviews) Religion.

Quantum God: A study of Reality and Theology from a 21st Century perspective [e-book] by Guy DeWhitney (3 1/2 stars/3 reviews) Cosmology.

Puzzlebook: 100 Puzzle Quizzes (FREE for a limited time!) by The Grabarchuk Family (4 1/2 stars/46 reviews)

Oreo and Dylan in Dr. Nev’s Look and Learn Beginner Book on Colors (A Picture Book for Children Ages 1 and Up) by Nev Nickelz and Mariah Grace (4 1/2 stars/2 reviews).

The Magical Dragon’s Three Gifts (A Beautifully Illustrated Children’s Picture Book; Perfect Bedtime Story) by Rachel Yu (5 stars/1 review).

Little Library Mouse by Stephanie Lisa Tara and Alex Walton (5 stars/6 reviews) Children’s fiction.

I’ll Follow the Moon (Mom’s Choice Award Honoree and Chocolate Lily Award Winner) by Stephanie Lisa Tara and Lee Edward Födi (5 stars/18 reviews) Children’s fiction.

Snowy White World to Save by Stephanie Lisa Tara and Alex Walton (5 stars/5 reviews) Children’s fiction.

Hockey Player For Life by Howard Shapiro and Keith Primeau (5 stars/3 reviews) Children’s fiction.

Eliza’s Forever Trees (Mom’s Choice Awards Gold Medal Winner, October 2011) by Stephanie Lisa Tara and Alex Walton (5 stars/7 reviews) Children’s fiction.

The Cat with the Golden Fang by Rita F. Amer and Arifin Sham (5 stars/2 reviews) Children’s fiction.

How To Catch Happy – A Guide To Reeling In The Biggest Fish Of All by Jim Kukral (4 1/2 stars/21 reviews) Self-Help.

47 Hearts by Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian (5 stars/14 reviews) Self-Help; motivational.

Preparing CEOs For Success: What I Wish I Knew by Leslie W. Braksick, James S. Hillgren, Fred Schroyer and Jim Scattaregia (4 1/2 stars/2 reviews) Business.

The Home Fires Are Burning…My Feet! by Nora Barry (5 stars/6 reviews) Humor, family.

My Dog Does That! by Elizabeth Parker (5 stars/3 reviews) Humor, dogs.

The Girl in the Italian Bakery by Kenneth Tingle (4 1/2 stars/56 reviews) Memoir.

Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out by Pandora Poikilos (4 1/2 stars/14 reviews) Memoir.

Arsonist: The Most Dangerous Man in America by Nathan Allen (5 stars/4 reviews) History; American Revolution.

Alcatraz: A Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years by Michael Esslinger (4 1/2 stars/19 reviews) History.

NO KILLING IN THE HALLWAYS – SCHOOL MASSACRES: Columbine, Virginia Tech, Beslan Hostage, Ecole Massacre, Red Lake High, Texas Sniper (True Crime Files) by R.J. Parker (5 stars/3 reviews).

The Gluten-free Guide to Vegetarian Recipes by Ian Finn (4 1/2 stars/6 reviews).

Great Starts: Appetizers, Canapes, Dips and Hors d’Oeuvres by Home Cooking Books (5 stars/1 review).

* * *

Amazon is having a sale on 25 Kindle games and active content titles. All are price at $0.99 for a limited time.

Kobois having a couple of ebook sales; one is to celebrate Kobo’s second birthday and offers a selection of titles for $2.

Kobois running another sweepstakes. This one involves solving an online jigsaw puzzle. There are instant prizes, which mostly seem to be 25% off coupons, and each time you enter (limit once per day) you are entered in a sweepstakes with a variety of prizes including Kobo Touch eReaders and some other goodies. Contest closes on Christmas Day.

Kobois also now selling refurbished Kobo Wi eReaders for $49.99. You can buy these at Best Buy as well, but they are $10 more there.

Sony has lowered the price of its new PRS-T1 ereader to $99 through Dec 24. I reviewed the PRS-T1 a while back and I thought it was a nice piece of ereading hardware. The lower price should also be in effect at Sony’s retail partners such as Best Buy, Newegg and elsewhere.

Target is currently selling the Kobo Touch eReader with Offers for $79. This is a $20 discount over the regular price and is available online only.

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Black Friday & Cyber Monday ereader & tablet deals

Richard — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 19:25:25 +0000

A few Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals pertaining to tablets and ereaders:

Amazon will be offering a number of Black Friday deals on its Black Friday page. Most of these are Lightning Deals that will last only a brief time. It is even possible that members of the Kindle family will appear here briefly. The Kindle DX has been marked down to $259 through Cyber Monday.

By the way, Amazon no longer seems to have the $99 Kindle Keyboard Wi-Fi with Special Offers in stock. Not sure if Amazon will be getting more as it is the last generation. In case you were looking for one of these, I’ve listed it below where it is still available from other sellers.

Barnes & Noble: On Black Friday a limited number of Nook Simple Touch ereaders will be available for $79 in stores only. This is a limited edition of the ereader and features a white border. Additionally B&N will be offering discounts on Nook accessories both in stores and online.

Bed Bath & Beyond: BB&B will be handing out a coupon good for 20% off of entire purchase to customers who arrive at stores before 10am on Black Friday. Unfortunately BB&B does not seem to carry ereaders or tablets anymore, at least on their website. The Boogie Board LCD writing tablet is available here.

Best Buy:

Nook Simple Touch $79.99.
BlackBerry PlayBook 16GB tablet $199.99.
Pandigital Novel 7-inch ereader $69.99.
Kindle Keyboard still available here for $99.
Dell Streak 7-inch Honeycomb tablet $159.99.
Doorbuster: Asus Transformer 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet $249.99.

DecalGirl: DecalGirl has a coupon code — SAVE20 — that is good for a 20% discount on all device skins. This coupon will be good from Friday, Nov 25th through Monday, Nov 28th midnight EST. If more than one skin is purchased coupon code TWENTYFIVE can be used for a 25% discount.

eBooks.comhas a couple of coupons:

Thanksgivingcp — Good for 15% off ebook purchases Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday only.
cybermondayecp — Good for a 15% discount on Cyber Monday only.

J&R:

Aluratek Libre ereader $49.99.

Kmart:

Archos 101 Internet tablet $219.99.
Velocity Cruz R102 reading tablet $69.99.

Newegg:

Pandigital Novel7-inch white ereader 69.99.
Refurbished Motorola Xoom32GB tablet $369.99.
Refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab16GB tablet $369.99.
Aluratek Libre E-Book Reader Pro$49.99.

New York Times: On Cyber Monday the NYT will be offering a 50% discount on individual and gift digital subscriptions.

Office Depot:

Lenovo IdeaPad K1 32GB 10.1-inch tablet $299.99.
Kindle Keyboard is still available here for $99.
BlackBerry PlayBook 16GB $199.99.

OfficeMax:

Kindle Keyboard Wi-Fi w/Special Offers $99. In-store only, Nov 25-26.

Sears:

Archos 101 Internet tablet $219.99.
ePad 7-inch Android tablet $99.99.
Genie Neo-Cushion 10-inch tablet case (fits Moto Xoom, iPad 1&2, etc.) $16.99.

Skinit: Cyber Monday only use coupon code CYBERSALE2011 to buy one and get one free. Valid Nov 28 only. Skinit offers device skins and a new line of painted device cases.

Staples in-store only Nov 25 6am until noon:

$25 Staples gift card with purchase of Nook Color for $199.
BlackBerry PlayBook $199.
Acer Iconia Tab tablet $299.
Toshiba Thrive 16GB tablet $349.98.
Kindle Keyboard $99 – special order in-store only.

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Readers who do it digitally do do it more

Richard — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 04:11:49 +0000

Since I have had an ereader I have noticed that not only do I purchase many more books (in digital format), but I also read much more than I did before. This also seems to hold true for other ereader users with whom I speak. The Harris Poll today released results from a poll conducted in mid-July of this year that seems to bear this out.

Some of the findings of the poll:

About 15% of Americans already have an ereading device of some description (up from around 8% a year ago), and of those who don’t 15% plan to buy one by the end of this year.
Overall, 16% of Americans read 11-20 books per year and 20% read 21 or more a year. 32% of ereader owners read 11-20 ebooks per year, while 27% read 21 or more per year.
32% of Americans claim to have not purchased any books over the course of the past year, while of those with ereaders only 6% said they bought no ebooks.
10% of Americans bought 11-20 books, 9% bought 21 or more books over the previous 12 month period. Of ereader owners, 17% bought 11-20 ebooks and 17% purchased 21 or more.
But do ereader owners actually read more of the books they purchase? According to the poll, 50% of both ereader users and nonusers say they read the same amount as they did six months before the study. 16% of non ereader users said they read more now compared to 36% of ereader users who said the same.

The Harris Poll also questioned readers about the type of books they read:

Fiction:

47 % of respondents read books in the mystery, suspense and thriller category.
25% read science fiction.
Literature 23%.
Romance 23%.
Graphic novels 10%.
“Chick-lit” 8%.
Westerns 5%.

Nonfiction:

Biographies 29%.
History 27%.
Religious and spirituality 24%.
Self-help 18%.
True crime 13%.
Current affairs 12%.
Political 11%.
Business 10%.

The poll also broke down usage of an ereading device by region. The West (20%) and the East (19%) were the leaders, followed by the South (14%) and the Midwest (9%).

E-Readers are definitely here to stay and this means the publishing world needs to learn to change with the times. The printing press is considered one of the world’s greatest inventions and one of the first printed books, the Gutenberg Bible is still considered one of the rarest among bibliophiles. There will always be a place for books in hard cover or paperback. But, there must also be a place for reading devices as well. Readers are quickly catching on to this wave as have the booksellers. This is a huge transition time for publishing companies and how they adapt will determine who is still standing ten years from now.

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NFB does not like Nook

Richard — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:21:40 +0000

The Enoch Pratt Free Library and the Howard County Library System are both library systems in Maryland that have Nook ereaders that they loan out to patrons. Now the two libraries share something else in common — they both just got letters from the National Federation of the Blind asking them to offer ereaders that provide more accessibility features for those with visual impairments.

The Kindle ereaders now have various features to improve accessibility, some of which were added after some of the early ‘Kindle in the Classroom’ experiments drew fire (and lawsuits) from the NFB.

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: "E-books and the devices with which to read them present a historic opportunity for blind readers to have access to the same books at the same time as sighted readers, but only if publishers and manufacturers design their products in a way that allows access by blind and print-disabled readers. It is disturbing that institutions committed to free access to information for everyone would purchase e-readers that cannot be used by all of their patrons when technology that would serve everyone, including those who are blind or print-disabled, is readily available. We hope that our Maryland libraries will honor their legal and moral obligation to provide equal access to their blind patrons and send a clear message to publishers and technology vendors that access to information and literature is critical for all Americans, not just those who can read print."

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Verso Kindle 3 covers

Richard — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 21:14:32 +0000

Some of the new ereader covers LightWedge had displayed at CES have now been released under the Verso label. The cool lighted cover prototype LightWedge was demonstrating has not yet been released, but hopefully it is on the way — at CES I was told that it might be available around the end of the second quarter.

The new line of Verso covers are primarily marketed for the Kindle 3, but feature a one-size-fits-all design that will also fit other ereaders including the Nook, Kobo, Galaxy Tab and the Sony Daily Reader.

When I examined the demos of these covers at CES, I was impressed by the workmanship and quality of the materials used. The Artist Series feel really nice in your hands — like holding an old leather-bound volume.

Verso New York Times Kindle 3 Covers

This is a series of three Kindle 3 covers that feature images from The New York Times photo archives. The interior is lined with a suede-like material and includes a pocket to hold papers. Elastic bands at the corners hold your ereader in place.

The three photos to choose from are the Flatiron Building, View from River House and the Statue of Liberty. Each is priced at $49.99.

Verso Artist Series Kindle 3 Covers

This is a set of leather covers embossed with designs from different artists. So far Verso has three designs, each available in two different colors. This is expected to be an ongoing series with new designs to be released in the future.

The covers in the Artist Series are also lined with a suede-like material and use elastic corner straps to secure the ereader. An inner pocket is provided to hold papers.

The three designs currently available are:

Urban Calligraphy by Sisters Gulassa; available in brown with tan interior or pink/grey.
Cities by Sharyn Sowell; available in brown/tan or red/grey.
Typewriter by Molly Rausch; available in sage/tan or pink/tan.

The Artist Series Kindle 3 covers are priced at $39.99 each. The photo below shows the three designs in order of mention.

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Amazon announces lower-priced Kindle ereader subsidized by ads

Richard — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 01:44:18 +0000

Amazon has just announced a new lower priced Kindle ereader option. You can now get the Kindle with Special Offers for $114. This is the Kindle 3 Wi-Fi that is regularly priced at $139, but with sponsored screensavers as well as advertising and special offers at the bottom of the home screen.

The first set of sponsored screensavers are from Buick, Olay (Proctor & Gamble), Visa and the Amazon.com Reward Visa Card (from Chase). Some of the initial Special Offers include:

$10 for $20 Amazon.com Gift Card
$6 for 6 Audible Books (normally $68)
$1 for an album in the Amazon MP3 Store (choose from over 1 million albums)
$10 for $30 of products in the Amazon Denim Shop or Amazon Swim Shop
Free $100 Amazon.com Gift Card when you get an Amazon Rewards Visa Card (normally $30)
Buy one of 30 Kindle bestsellers with your Visa card and get $10 Amazon.com credit
50% off Roku Streaming Player (normally $99)

Amazon will be launching “AdMash” — a free Kindle app and website where customers can vote for sponsored screensavers. Screensavers with the most votes qualify to appear on user’s Kindles. You can see previews of some of the ads here. The Kindle with Special Offers will ship on May 3, but is now available for pre-order.

At first glance I’m not sure if saving $25 is worth having ads on my ereader, but as long as the ads don’t invade the actual ebooks themselves it seems innocuous enough. It’s not like I’ve never seen an ad in something I’ve been reading before, and some of the Special Offers do look good. I wonder if Amazon will offer existing Kindle owners some sort of credit or other incentive to take the advertising.

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Refurbished Nook Wi-Fi ereaders $79 on eBay

Richard — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:51:15 +0000

Through its eBay storefront, Barnes & Noble is selling refurbished Nook Wi-Fi ereaders for $79 with free shipping. These are certified by B&N and come with a one-year warranty. This is a good deal if you don’t mind a refurbished ereader, but it will end on April 12.

B&N has already sold almost 5,000 refurbished ereaders in this sale.

The Wi-Fi + 3G version of the Nook is also available refurbished at B&N’s eBay store for $139 with free shipping.

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Warren Olney does ebooks

Richard — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 18:41:04 +0000

My local NPR station (KCRW) and PRI produce a daily public affairs program called To The Point, hosted by veteran award-winning journalist Warren Olney. A few days ago Olney did a show on ereaders and digital publishing. The first part of the program is an interview with Julie Bosman, NY Times book publishing reporter.

Olney goes on to briefly interview other guests, including Andy Hunter, editor of Electric Literature (a bi-monthly digital anthology of short fiction), and professor Maryanne Wolf (author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain) who believes that digital reading is impacting the development of the “reading brain” in children. Olney lets professor Wolf state her position and then asks the other guests for their take on the issue. It’s an interesting program to listen to over your morning coffee.

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New ereaders for the Indian market

Richard — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:28:47 +0000

Singapore-based Vestal Enterprises today announced some rather ambitious plans to launch a new line of six different ereaders for the Indian market. Five of the new “LeAF” (again with the StudlyCaps) ereaders will have e-ink displays and one is an Android device with an LCD display.

Four of the e-ink ereaders have 6-inch screens and one comes with a 9-inch display. Other features like touchscreen or lack thereof vary by model. The new ereaders will support 18 Indian languages.

Detailed pricing information has not yet been announced, but is said to start at Rs 8,999 ($200 USD). Vestal plans to sell its ereaders at major bookstores as well as online.

I will be somewhat surprised if Vestal actually launches all of these ereaders. Companies that have promised to launch a whole line of multiple ereader models have not exactly had a great track record. Remember Copia?

In fact, ebooks appear to be enjoying less success in India than in other parts of the world. A recent article in the Times of India blames this on a “lack of cheap ereaders and technological awareness” among the Indian people. I imagine having so many languages and dialects to deal with might have an impact as well.

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Hanvon ereader first to use color e-ink display

Richard — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 21:01:19 +0000

Back in August E Ink Holdings chairman Scott Liu spilled the beans on an upcoming ereader from Hanvon that would utilize E Ink’s long-promised color electrophoretic display. The New York Times reported yesterday that the new color ereader will be announced tomorrow by Hanvon at the FPD International 2010 trade show in Tokyo.

Hanvon’s new color ereader will have a 9.68-inch screen and will be priced from $440. It is expected to be available from March, 2011 in China.

The first gen color displays from E Ink will only be capable of showing simple animation — not video playback. The colors are also said to be rather muted. Bringing color to E Ink’s displays involves adding color filters to a monochrome display, which cuts down on contrast. The new Pearl e-ink display was developed to help solve this problem.