Affiliate Links for "arcadata"- August 2012

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The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino from Minotaur Books is $2.99 (US Kindle)

Product Description

Yasuko Hanaoka is a divorced, single mother who thought she had finally escaped her abusive ex-husband Togashi. When he shows up one day to extort money from her, threatening both her and her teenaged daughter Misato, the situation quickly escalates into violence and Togashi ends up dead on her apartment floor. Overhearing the commotion, Yasuko’s next door neighbor, middle-aged high school mathematics teacher Ishigami, offers his help, disposing not only of the body but plotting the cover-up step-by-step.

When the body turns up and is identified, Detective Kusanagi draws the case and Yasuko comes under suspicion. Kusanagi is unable to find any obvious holes in Yasuko’s manufactured alibi and yet is still sure that there’s something wrong. Kusanagi brings in Dr. Manabu Yukawa, a physicist and college friend who frequently consults with the police. Yukawa, known to the police by the nickname Professor Galileo, went to college with Ishigami. After meeting up with him again, Yukawa is convinced that Ishigami had something to do with the murder. What ensues is a high level battle of wits, as Ishigami tries to protect Yasuko by outmaneuvering and outthinking Yukawa, who faces his most clever and determined opponent yet.

John Dies at the End by David Wong from Thomas Dunne Books is $3.99 (US Kindle)

Product Description

STOP. You should not have touched this flyer with your bare hands. NO, don't put it down. It's too late. They're watching you. My name is David Wong. My best friend is John. Those names are fake. You might want to change yours. You may not want to know about the things you'll read on these pages, about the sauce, about Korrok, about the invasion, and the future. But it's too late. You touched the book. You're in the game. You're under the eye. The only defense is knowledge. You need to read this book, to the end. Even the part with the bratwurst. Why? You just have to trust me.

The important thing is this: The drug is called Soy Sauce and it gives users a window into another dimension. John and I never had the chance to say no. You still do. I'm sorry to have involved you in this, I really am. But as you read about these terrible events and the very dark epoch the world is about to enter as a result, it is crucial you keep one thing in mind: None of this was my fault.

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Habits of the House (Love & Inheritance 1) by Fay Weldon from Head of Zeus (£0.99) is the Amazon UK Kindle Deal of the Day (Aug 31) *Wait for price to reflect discount before 1-clicking

Product Description

In the final months of the 19th century, the aristocratic Dilberne family are still enjoying jewels and nine-course dinners, but bankruptcy is looming. Lady Isobel's solution is to marry off their son Arthur to a wealthy heiress. Instead he becomes paired with Minnie O'Brien--daughter of a stockyard baron and a vulgar mother.

Coming Home by Karen Kingsbury from Zondervan ($2.99) is the NOOK Daily Find (Aug 31)

Product Description

From beloved bestselling author Karen Kingsbury comes this poignant story of family grace. Gathered for a long-awaited reunion, the Baxter brood faces an unexpected tragedy that touches them all, challenging their faith and their family ties.

* FYI, Amazon has matched this Nook deal:

Coming Home by Karen Kingsbury also $2.99

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger from Harry N Abrams ($1.99) is the NOOK Daily Find for Families (Aug 31)

Product Description

In this funny, uncannily wise portrait of the dynamics of a sixth-grade class and of the greatness that sometimes comes in unlikely packages, Dwight, a loser, talks to his classmates via an origami finger puppet of Yoda. If that weren't strange enough, the puppet is uncannily wise and prescient

The Boarding House by Sharon Sala from Bell Bridge Books ($1.99) is the Kindle Deal of the Day (Aug 31) *Wait for price to reflect discount before 1-clicking

Product Description

Award-winning author Sharon Sala brings emotional intensity to her unforgettable novel that follows Ellie Wayne, a young woman damaged by a sexually abusive father and mentally fragile mother. Ellie believes her future holds only danger and shame, but one man might be able to help her hope for something more.

Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance by Keith Graves from Chronicle Books ($1.99) is the Kindle Kids Deal of the Day (Aug 31) *Wait for price to reflect discount before 1-clicking

Product Description

"Frank was a monster who wanted to dance. So he put on his hat, and his shoes made in France... and opened a jar and put ants in his pants!" So begins Keith Graves's horrifyingly hilarious picture book that's filled with wacky illustrations about a monster following his dream.

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The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow from Hyperion is $1.99 (US Kindle)

Book Description

"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." --Randy Pausch

A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave--"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"--wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.

In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs from Quirk Books is $1.99 (US Kindle)

Book Description
Age Level: 13 and up | Grade Level: 8 and up

Amazon Best Books of the Month, June 2011

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here—one of whom was his own grandfather—were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

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Armageddon: A Novel of Berlin by Leon Uris from Open Road is $1.99 (US Kindle)

Book Description

In Berlin at the end of World War II, an American Army officer bears witness to the aftermath of one historic tragedy and the rise of another

Captain Sean O’Sullivan distinguishes himself as a courageous soldier in the closing days of World War II, but what comes next tests his deepest reserves of strength and conviction. Sent to oversee the rebuilding of Berlin, O’Sullivan is exposed to the horrific truths of the Holocaust, a shattered and defeated society, and the new threat of Soviet power as the Iron Curtain begins to shadow the city. When Soviet forces blockade Berlin and the airlift begins, O’Sullivan is faced with profound moral dilemmas in an increasingly complicated world.

Armageddon is one of the great fictional portrayals of Europe in the earliest days of the Cold War.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Leon Uris including rare photos from the author’s estate.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker from Open Road Iconic Ebooks is $1.99 (US Kindle)

Book Description

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

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

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

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You Don't Want To Know by Lisa Jackson from Kensington Books is $1.99 (US Kindle)

Book Description

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson comes a gripping novel of suspense where a mother's worst fear is only the beginning of a terrifying nightmare. . .
In Ava's dreams, her son, Noah, looks just the way she remembers him: a sweet two-year-old in rolled-up jeans and a red sweatshirt. When Ava wakes, the agonizing truth hits her all over again. Noah went missing two years ago, and has never been found. Almost everyone, including Ava's semi-estranged husband, assumes the boy drowned after falling off the dock near their Church Island home.

Ava has spent most of the past two years in and out of Seattle mental institutions, shattered by grief and unable to recall the details of Noah's disappearance. Now she's back at Neptune's Gate, the family estate, her strength slowly returning. But as Ava's mind comes back into focus, she can't shake the feeling that her family, and her psychologist, know more than they're saying. Are they worried for her well-being--or anxious about what she might discover?

Ava secretly visits a hypnotist, hoping to restore her memories. But the strange visions and night terrors keep getting worse. She is sure she's heard Noah crying in the nursery, and glimpsed him walking near the dock. Is she losing her mind, or is Noah still alive? Ava won't stop until she gets answers, but the truth is more dangerous than she can imagine. And the price may be more than she ever thought to pay. . .

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Something Like Normal by Trish Doller from Bloomsbury USA Childrens is $1.99 (US Kindle)

Product Description:

When Travis returns home from Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother’s stolen his girlfriend and car, and the nightmares of his best friend getting killed keep him completely spooked. But when he runs into Harper, a girl who despises him for rumors Travis started back in middle school, life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he falls deeper in love with her and begins to find his way through the family meltdown, the post-traumatic stress and the possibility of a interesting future.

His sense of humor, sense of his own strength and incredible sense of honor make Travis an irresistible and eminently loveable hero in this fantastic and timely debut novel.

Marrying Anita: A Quest for Love in the New India by Anita Jain from Bloomsbury USA is $2.99 (US Kindle)

Product Description:

After three years of dating, Anita Jain finally got fed up with the New York singles scene. As her Indian parents continued to pressure her to find a mate, Jain couldn’t help asking herself the question: is arranged marriage really any worse than Craigslist?

Full of romantic chance encounters, nosy relatives, and dozens of potential husbands, Marrying Anita is a refreshingly honest look at our own expectations and the modern search for the perfect mate.

Dead Run by Erica Spindler from Mira is $1.99 (US Kindle)

Product Description:

“I’m in trouble, Liz. I’ve uncovered something.…They’re watching.…”

That panicked message on her answering machine is the last time Liz Ames hears from her sister Rachel, pastor of Paradise Christian Church in Key West, Florida.

Compelled to uncover the truth about her sister’s disappearance, she heads to Key West. Within hours of her arrival a successful banker jumps to his death. Then a teenage girl whom Rachel was counseling is found brutally murdered. The ritualistic style of the killing is hauntingly similar to that used by the notorious “New Testament” serial killer—now on death row.

Could the teen’s murder be related to Rachel’s disappearance? Is a copycat killer at work? And why do the police refuse to help?

For answers, Liz turns to Rick Wells, a former Miami cop who worked the fringes of the “New Testament” investigation. Together they peel away layers of deception to reveal a terrifying adversary—and the unspeakable evil at the heart of this island paradise.

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The Serpent Bride (DarkGlass Mountain) by Sara Douglass from HarperCollins is $1.99 (US Kindle)

Product Description:

Sara Douglass has won legions of fans around the world for her epic tales of sorcery, forbidden love, and heart-pounding action. Now, with the DarkGlass Mountain saga, she reveals her biggest adventure yet.

Rescued from unspeakable horror, Ishbel Brunelle has devoted her life to a Serpent cult that reads the future in the entrails of its human sacrifices. But the Serpent has larger plans for Ishbel than merely being archpriestess, plans that call for a dangerous royal marriage balancing on the edge between treachery and devotion, and an eerie, eldritch warning: Prepare for the Lord of Elcho Falling . . .

And there are other dangers. For while Tencendor is gone, even its fall cannot destroy the Icarii. As the Tyrant of Isembaard reaches for glory, both StarDrifter SunSoar and his son, Axis, are pulled into the deadly dance of intrigue and sorcery. The DarkGlass Mountain—once known as the Threshold—is waiting, and as the Dark God Kanubai rises from his prison in exile, no one will escape unscathed.

Firehouse by David Halberstam from Hyperion is $3.03 (US Kindle)

Product Description:

“In the firehouse, the men not only live and eat with each other, they play sports together, go off to drink together, help repair one another’s houses, and, most important, share terrifying risks; their loyalties to each other must, by the demands of the dangers they face, be instinctive and absolute.”

So writes David Halberstam, one of America’s most distinguished reporters and historians, in this stunning New York Times bestselling book about Engine 40, Ladder 35, located on the West Side of Manhattan near Lincoln Center. On the morning of September 11, 2001, two rigs carrying thirteen men set out from this firehouse: twelve of them would never return.

Firehouse takes us to the epicenter of the tragedy. Through the kind of intimate portraits that are Halberstam’s trademark, we watch the day unfold–the men called to duty while their families wait anxiously for news of them. In addition, we come to understand the culture of the firehouse itself: why gifted men do this; why, in so many instances, they are eager to follow in their fathers’ footsteps and serve in so dangerous a profession; and why, more than anything else, it is not just a job, but a calling.

This is journalism-as-history at its best, the story of what happens when one small institution gets caught in an apocalyptic day. Firehouse is a book that will move readers as few others have in our time.

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Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray from Hyperion is $1.99 (US Kindle)

Book Description

In the vein of The Glass Castle, Breaking Night is the stunning memoir of a young woman who at age fifteen was living on the streets, and who eventually made it into Harvard.

Liz Murray was born to loving but drug-addicted parents in the Bronx. In school she was taunted for her dirty clothing and lice-infested hair, eventually skipping so many classes that she was put into a girls’ home. At age fifteen, Liz found herself on the streets when her family finally unraveled. She learned to scrape by, foraging for food and riding subways all night to have a warm place to sleep.

When Liz’s mother died of AIDS, she decided to take control of her own destiny and go back to high school, often completing her assignments in the hallways and subway stations where she slept. Liz squeezed four years of high school into two, while homeless; won a New York Times scholarship; and made it into the Ivy League. Breaking Night is an unforgettable and beautifully written story of one young woman’s indomitable spirit to survive and prevail, against all odds.

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Weekly Kindle App Deal: Puzzle Baron's Cryptograms

This popular word-puzzle game tests deductive and word-finding skills as you decode a series of letters to reveal a hidden message, and for one week only, it's just $0.99.

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Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life by Jon Lee Anderson from Grove Press is $1.99 (US Kindle) *Price match to Google Play's Summer Send-Off

Book Description

Acclaimed around the world and a national best-seller, this is the definitive work on Che Guevara, the dashing rebel whose epic dream was to end poverty and injustice in Latin America and the developing world through armed revolution. Jon Lee Anderson’s biography traces Che’s extraordinary life, from his comfortable Argentine upbringing to the battlefields of the Cuban revolution, from the halls of power in Castro’s government to his failed campaign in the Congo and assassination in the Bolivian jungle.

Anderson has had unprecedented access to the personal archives maintained by Guevara’s widow and carefully guarded Cuban government documents. He has conducted extensive interviews with Che’s comrades—some of whom speak here for the first time—and with the CIA men and Bolivian officers who hunted him down. Anderson broke the story of where Guevara’s body was buried, which led to the exhumation and state burial of the bones. Many of the details of Che’s life have long been cloaked in secrecy and intrigue. Meticulously researched and full of exclusive information, Che Guevara illuminates as never before this mythic figure who embodied the high-water mark of revolutionary communism as a force in history.

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September thread is up!