FREE (and bargain) books for the Kindle - November 2010

[artig]

When browsing the Kindle ebook store, and sorting on price: low to high, there will be a few books among the free ones with a non-zero price. Such as $9.99 for "iPad Publishing Guide: Write, Publish and Sell Your Book on the Apple iPad with FastPencil" by Michael Ashley, or $39.99 for "15 Successful Communications Lessons (Collection)" by FT Press Delivers. Maybe it is sorting the books on the US price, but displaying the non-US price? Maybe someone can check whether these are free in other markets? These non-free books usually turn up within the first few pages of the sorted list.

[arcadata]

Some free indie books on Amazon:

Get Some by Daniel Birch

Product Description
Anybody who has read Danny Birch's groundbreaking first novel, 'Clipped', will be expecting a fast-paced, sharply-written, emotionally charged gangster thriller, written in Danny's inimitably catchy, witty and streetwise style.
If so, prepare yourself for 'Get Some', a gangster revenge thriller that fizzes and crackles off the page like few others.
It is the tale of two childhood friends, Tommy and Joey, and of how they stand by each other in traumatic times. Tommy's trauma is to be betrayed by an army colleague to a militant group in Iraq and to be subjected to routine and gruesome torture. Pity his betrayer should Tommy manage to escape. And Joey's trauma? Ah, for that, you have to read this book.

Enemies and Playmates by Darcía Helle

Product Description
When the abused decide to fight back, the abuser's world might just shatter.
Lauren Covington's family maintains a grand facade that belies the life they live behind closed doors. Alex Covington, Lauren's father, keeps a tight rein on his family through dominance, abuse, and obsessive control. Consequently, Lauren doesn't believe she could ever trust a man, much less fall in love with one.
When Lauren meets Jesse Ryder, her carefully constructed protective wall shatters. She falls hopelessly and completely in love. It's only fitting that Jesse is a private detective who had once worked for her father, had defied him, and was now the subject of Alex Covington's wrath.
Amidst devastating loss, betrayal, and her father's destructive pursuit of Jesse, Lauren finds the trust and love she had always longed for.

The Gift of Fury by Richard Jackson

Product Description
Enter the world of Count Albritton. It is a world where magic and the supernatural are very real. Creatures of legend, sorcerers and other powers walk among us. As a paranormal investigator, Count helps people with supernatural problems the authorities are either unwilling or unable to deal with. It's dangerous work. Luckily he has Kara, a beautiful guardian angel to help him.
Over the years, magic has grown weaker as mankind has made more and more technological advances. Many things that were possible in the past are no longer possible or easier to accomplish using technology. One man seeks to change all of that. He plans to bring back the golden age of magic. To do so, means sacrificing the technology that mankind depends upon and unleashing horrors best left forgotten.
Count isn't about to let that happen. Even with the help of his friends, it’s a fight he isn’t sure he can win.

Whirl of the Wheel by Catherine Condie

Product Description
Three children whirl back in time through an enchanted potter’s wheel into the reality of evacuation in 1940s Britain . . . Whirl of the Wheel pulls feisty Connie, her brother Charlie-Mouse, and school pest Malcolm into dangers on the homefront and towards a military operations secret that will save their home. The children hit trouble when Malcolm fails to return to the present day. This fast-moving adventure will keep you guessing . . .

Avempartha (The Riyria Revelations) by Michael J. Sullivan

Product Description
Avempartha is the second of a six book series entitled the Riyria Revelations.

The secret is in the tower. The problem is the beast. The answer is two thieves.
When a destitute young woman hires Royce and Hadrian to help save her remote village from nocturnal attacks, they are once more drawn into the schemes of the wizard Esrahaddon. While Royce struggles to breech the secrets of an ancient elven tower, Hadrian attempts to rally the villagers to defend themselves against the unseen killer. Once more, what begins with the simple theft of a sword places the two thieves at the center of a firestorm — but this time the outcome could change the future of Elan.

Boob Tube by Mark Coker and Lesleyann Coker (repeat free ebook)

Product Description
Go behind the scenes of the daytime television soap opera industry with Boob Tube. Written by Lesleyann Coker (a former reporter for Soap Opera Weekly) and her husband Mark, the two interviewed dozens of soap opera industry insiders for their stories and then fictionalized everything here.
The story: Actress Gina Martin lands a role on a top daytime television soap opera, and days later her predecessor is found dead in the Hollywood hills. Will Gina be next? Boob Tube offers readers a fast-paced read filled with intrigue and humor, and a surprise ending that will leave you breathless.

[arcadata]

This is not free, but just FYI that there's a new game app for the Kindle Panda Poet (A Word Game for Kindle) for $2.99.

Product Description

Do you like word games? And pandas?
With Panda Poet you use the letters on the game board to form words. Words formed from letters in open spaces create pandas. Words formed from letters near pandas make existing pandas grow.
The goal is grow the biggest panda possible. You get the highest scores from either creating the biggest possible panda or from forming the longest possible words.
To add to the challenge, each letter is only available for a fixed number of turns. Each time you enter a word, all the letters on the screen come one step closer to expiring. When a letter expires, it is replaced by a skull, which prevents you from growing your pandas in that direction. This makes playing Panda Poet a delicate balancing act: you must consider where a letter is located on the grid and how soon it will expire, not simply spell the longest word you can.
Try it today and see!

[koland]

Slow Ride: Rough Riders, by Lorelei James, is from Samhain Publishing. There isn't a description yet on the Amazon page, but their books tend toward the steamy side of romance. This short story in her Rough Rider series picks up a few hours after the epilogue in All Jacked Up, at Keely and Jack's wedding reception. Their story is then picked up in the second chapter of Cowgirls Don't Cry, at that same wedding reception. The free read and Cowgirls Don't Cry are both new releases today.

Book Description
Keely McKay Donohue is enduring the longest wedding reception of her life: her own.

The only saving grace is that Jack Donohue is finally hers. Usually her hunky man gives her everything she wants, so why is her groom denying her the one thing she wants right now?

Jack thought his secretive wait-for-the-honeymoon plan was romantic, until he realizes he’s only put Keely in a fighting mood. If he wants to get back on his temperamental bride’s good side, he’d better find a way to sweep his cowgirl off her boots…fast.

[koland]

Originally Posted by artig

When browsing the Kindle ebook store, and sorting on price: low to high, there will be a few books among the free ones with a non-zero price. Such as $9.99 for "iPad Publishing Guide: Write, Publish and Sell Your Book on the Apple iPad with FastPencil" by Michael Ashley, or $39.99 for "15 Successful Communications Lessons (Collection)" by FT Press Delivers. Maybe it is sorting the books on the US price, but displaying the non-US price? Maybe someone can check whether these are free in other markets? These non-free books usually turn up within the first few pages of the sorted list.

Those are books that are free in US and non-US markets, generally. The sorting picks up the lowest price in any market, but the price displayed is the price in the market you are in. Also, when a book is about to be free somewhere or was recently free (usually no more than about a 12 hour window), they will also often sort into the free lists. This appears to be because the indexing servers are updated separately from the servers that you hit to actually display the products (and its those that count when ordering, not the indexers).

iPad Publishing is free in the UK
Successful Communications is free in the US

Both have been noted in earlier messages.

[catherinecondie]

Thank you Arcadata

Originally Posted by arcadata

Some free indie books on Amazon:

Get Some by Daniel Birch



Enemies and Playmates by Darcía Helle



The Gift of Fury by Richard Jackson



Whirl of the Wheel by Catherine Condie



Avempartha (The Riyria Revelations) by Michael J. Sullivan



Boob Tube by Mark Coker and Lesleyann Coker (repeat free ebook)

[koland]

Child of the Northern Spring, by Persia Woolley, is now free for Kindle in addition to the nook! Grab it quick, as these price match drops often only last for a short time.

Book Description
The story of a queen who deserves to become a legend - a startlingly original tale of Arthur & Guinevere

Often portrayed as spoiled, in Persia Woolley's hands Guinevere comes alive as a high-spirited, passionate woman. When she is chosen by Arthur to be his wife, Guinevere's independence wars with her family loyalty. As the wedding approaches and hints of rebellion abound, she learns that the old gods are in revolt against the new Christian church, and that scattered kingdoms are stirring from their uneasy peace. This is Arthurian epic at its best, filled with romance, adventure, authentic historical detail, and a landscape alive with the mystery of Britain in the Dark Ages.

"This is truly original. As a re-creation of the legend in a version closer to the realities, it's far better than anything else I've read." —Geoffrey Ashe, author of The Discovery of King Arthur

"This richly detailed novel is romantic, its characters are vivdly drawn, and Woolley's clear styles flows as smoothly as her unfolding story." —Morgan Llywelyn, author of Lion of Ireland and The Horse Goddess.

[badgoodDeb]

Good book! Grab it. I read it when it was first printed, but I'll grab a Kindle copy too.

[kindlekitten]

thanks for keeping up with this koland!

[koland]

You are very welcome. I've got another one from nook on my blog I'm watching on Kindle, but it hasn't changed yet. This one, though, just popped up:

Invisible (Ivy Malone Mystery Series #1) , by Lorena McCourtney. Christian publisher Revell.

Book Description
She's not your average crime fighter! Ivy Malone has a curiosity that sometimes gets her into trouble, and it's only aggravated by her discovery that she can easily escape the public eye. So when vandals romp through the local cemetery, she takes advantage of her newfound anonymity and its unforeseen advantages as she launches her own unofficial investigation. Despite her oddball humor and unconventional snooping, Ivy soon becomes discouraged by her failure to turn up any solid clues. And after Ivy witnesses something ominous and unexplained, she can't resist putting her investigative powers to work again. Even the authorities' attempts to keep Ivy out of danger and her nosy neighbor's match-making schemes can't slow her down. But will the determination that fuels this persistent, quirky sleuth threaten her very safety?

[koland]

The Advanced 25 Language Phrasebook ($7.99 US), by MobileReference, is free on Kindle for UK customers only, in either the US or UK Amazon stores. Those in the US can still get the "trial version" 25 Language Phrasebook for free, which still contains basic greetings in various languages.

Book Description
Advanced 25 Language Phrasebook: German, French, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian, Greek, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Czech, Polish, Hungarian, Russian, Croatian, Turkish, Hebrew, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian, Malay, and Thai. Navigate from Table of Contents or search for words or phrases.

The trial version includes over 100 basic phrases and numbers in each language (freeware). The Advanced (full) version adds Time, Duration, Days, Months, Colors, Bus and Train, Directions and many more phrase lists in each language.

* Navigate from Table of Contents or read page by page
* Add Bookmarks
* Text annotation and mark-up
* Access the guide anytime, anywhere.
* The FREE (trial) version includes over 100 basic phrases and numbers in each language.
* The Advanced (full) version adds Time, Duration, Days, Months, Colors, Bus and Train, Directions and many more phrase lists in each language.

[arcadata]

Bargain book for fans of paranormal romances:

Dead Girls Are Easy (Nicki Styx, Book 1) by Terri Garey is available in the US Kindle store for just $1.99.

The other books that follow in the series are $6.99-$7.99.

Product Description:
There's something about almost dying that makes a girl rethink her priorities. Take Nicki Styx—she was strictly goth and vintage, until a brush with the afterlife leaves her with the ability to see dead people.

Before you can say boo, Atlanta's ghosts are knocking at Nicki's door. Now her days consist of reluctantly cleaning up messes left by the dearly departed, leading ghouls to the Light . . . and one-on-one anatomy lessons with Dr. Joe Bascombe, the dreamy surgeon who saved her life. All this catering to the deceased is a real drag, especially for a girl who'd rather be playing hanky-panky with her hunky new boyfriend . . . who's beginning to think she's totally nuts.

But things get even more complicated when a friend foolishly sells her soul to the devil, and Nicki's new gift lands her in some deep voodoo. As it turns out for Nicki Styx, death was just the beginning.

[bitschnau]

Originally Posted by artig

Maybe it is sorting the books on the US price, but displaying the non-US price? Maybe someone can check whether these are free in other markets? These non-free books usually turn up within the first few pages of the sorted list.

They are free for US customers and therefore they are in the list. The location of the user is checked AFTER the list is created and THEN the price tag is connected to the book.

I wondered about this too, but it's an obvious explanation from a point of a web-developer.

[arcadata]

For history buffs, A More Unbending Battle by Peter Nelson (about the first African-American regiment in WWI) is just $1.35 at the US Kindle store. (From Inkmesh, the eBook is priced at $18.90 at the Sony store etc.)

Product Description

In A More Unbending Battle, journalist and author Pete Nelson chronicles the little-known story of the 369th Infantry Regiment-the first African-American regiment mustered to fight in WWI. Recruited from all walks of Harlem life, the regiment had to fight alongside the French because America’s segregation policy prohibited them from fighting with white U.S. soldiers. Despite extraordinary odds and racism, the 369th became one of the most successful-and infamous-regiments of the war.

The Harlem Hellfighters, as their enemies named them, spent longer than any other American unit in combat, were the first Allied unit to reach the Rhine, and showed extraordinary valor on the battlefield, with many soldiers winning the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor. Replete with vivid accounts of battlefield heroics, A More Unbending Battle is the thrilling story of the dauntless Harlem Hellfighters.

[arcadata]

Lockdown: Escape from Furnace 1 by Alexander Gordon Smith, a YA Dystopian tale, is just $1.99 (from the original price of $8.99) *This is promo for Book 2 of the planned trilogy which will be released in December.

Product Description

Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison.

Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world.