Free and bargain romance ebooks + Discussion March 2014

[Blue2u]

Originally Posted by library addict

I haven't bought much yet, either. And since I started working on my "Dates aka Hopefully Last Great Calibre Project of Doom", I didn't have much reading time.

LOL, good luck with your latest Calibre project!

I too am in the process of culling both my main library and my Mom's. Her KoboTouch is 'dying' and so I bought her a KPW but before I sync and give it to her I need to clean up both libraries. I'm only up to 'Br' in the whole library. Well, you guys know, it's a big task but a little at a time is the best way for me to do it.

Also still tinkering with my new phone. Again, because I'm tech-challenged I'm doing this in bits and pieces to avoid frustration but so far I'm still loving it.

Reading wise I've been doing well, but I'm still struggling with the age-old problem of book 2 or 3 in a series coming out and I still haven't even read book 1. Sticking with my NY resolution of not buying whole series before I've read even the first in a series is proving to be a herculean task. So as a result my auto-buy authors-reading has suffered. I've simply got too many great books to read. Yes, a great problem to have.


Wanted to send out good thoughts and prayers to AnemicOak [good luck with your job search, Loosheesh [health issues] and Venus [new phone and computer, lots of work!]

[library addict]

Originally Posted by Blue2u

LOL, good luck with your latest Calibre project!

I too am in the process of culling both my main library and my Mom's. Her KoboTouch is 'dying' and so I bought her a KPW but before I sync and give it to her I need to clean up both libraries. I'm only up to 'Br' in the whole library. Well, you guys know, it's a big task but a little at a time is the best way for me to do it.

I found the great reconvert project was easiest a little at a time. I wish we'd had the Edit Book feature when I started it, but I am NOT going back through to perfect every book. I may fix books at a one-on-one basis as I read if the problems that still exist are ones which impair my reading. I am making myself wait to fix the paragraph indent issue with my Samhain books until I actually go to read them. But I refuse to go back through my entire library for cosmetic stuff that doesn't really affect the reading just because I've learned some new tricks this year.

The adding dates project I thought would go fast since I have kept a "journal" for many years. It lists the books I purchased as well as those read (along with what movies I saw in theatres). My problem is that back in 1989 (when I started the first one) I only wrote dumb things about my reading like "Started a book." "Finished book." What book!?!?!?! Who knows? I certainly didn't notate it anywhere I see Thankfully around halfway through the year I wised up. But then I started just notating titles. And as anyone who reads a lot knows, many, many books over the years have the same title

Thankfully we now have the internet and FictionDB has been my friend the past week as I try to sort out which book. Most of the books I read back then I do not/will never own in digital. So it's a time consuming process to figure out which author it was by and if I have it or need to add it to my list of books I want to buy in digital if they are ever released. But it's fun too.

I know I eventually start listing the authors because that's the way I do so now. Sadly, I rarely wrote down my reactions to books until I got Calibre and decided to use ratings. But I am just leaving the rating blank if I don't have a clear memory of it and need to reread it (and to justify having repurchased it in digital )

I am just going to guess on the few books I have in digital I first read way back when. Like I know I read P&P and S&S the first time the summer between 7th and 8th grade when I was 12. So I'm just going to pick two random days in June.

Thankfully I also own a lot of books which I have yet to read at all, so this project doesn't encompass my entire library.

Originally Posted by Blue2u

Also still tinkering with my new phone. Again, because I'm tech-challenged I'm doing this in bits and pieces to avoid frustration but so far I'm still loving it.

Reading wise I've been doing well, but I'm still struggling with the age-old problem of book 2 or 3 in a series coming out and I still haven't even read book 1. Sticking with my NY resolution of not buying whole series before I've read even the first in a series is proving to be a herculean task. So as a result my auto-buy authors-reading has suffered. I've simply got too many great books to read. Yes, a great problem to have.

I have such admiration for you in this! I am so weak I even have on my To Buy list notations like "not unless 1st is read" but it doesn't seem to stop me. In my defense I have at least been waiting for really good coupons. Unlike before where I would buy entire series at a mere 20% off. So I have gotten better. But I still buy.

[Venus]

Read

Lion's Lady.......Julie Garwood.......4 * my favorite Garwood so far
Rekindled..........Kaylea Cross.........3 1/2*
Absolution.........Kaylea Cross..........4*

Bought so far

Lady in Blue.....Lynn Kerstan
Love Hacked....Penny Reid

Thank you Blue2u for your warm wishes. I was down in Florida taking care of my mom who had surgery. I am back now trying to piece together all my flash drives and hopefully find most of my files and put them on my new/old laptop.
Lost a lot to the Cryptolocker......heartbreaking.

[Blue2u]

Originally Posted by library addict

I found the great reconvert project was easiest a little at a time. I wish we'd had the Edit Book feature when I started it, but I am NOT going back through to perfect every book. I may fix books at a one-on-one basis as I read if the problems that still exist are ones which impair my reading. I am making myself wait to fix the paragraph indent issue with my Samhain books until I actually go to read them. But I refuse to go back through my entire library for cosmetic stuff that doesn't really affect the reading just because I've learned some new tricks this year.

The adding dates project I thought would go fast since I have kept a "journal" for many years. It lists the books I purchased as well as those read (along with what movies I saw in theatres). My problem is that back in 1989 (when I started the first one) I only wrote dumb things about my reading like "Started a book." "Finished book." What book!?!?!?! Who knows? I certainly didn't notate it anywhere I see Thankfully around halfway through the year I wised up. But then I started just notating titles. And as anyone who reads a lot knows, many, many books over the years have the same title

Thankfully we now have the internet and FictionDB has been my friend the past week as I try to sort out which book. Most of the books I read back then I do not/will never own in digital. So it's a time consuming process to figure out which author it was by and if I have it or need to add it to my list of books I want to buy in digital if they are ever released. But it's fun too.

I know I eventually start listing the authors because that's the way I do so now. Sadly, I rarely wrote down my reactions to books until I got Calibre and decided to use ratings. But I am just leaving the rating blank if I don't have a clear memory of it and need to reread it (and to justify having repurchased it in digital )

I am just going to guess on the few books I have in digital I first read way back when. Like I know I read P&P and S&S the first time the summer between 7th and 8th grade when I was 12. So I'm just going to pick two random days in June.

Thankfully I also own a lot of books which I have yet to read at all, so this project doesn't encompass my entire library.

I cannot even imagine that task looming over my head, seriously, good luck to you!

I have such admiration for you in this! I am so weak I even have on my To Buy list notations like "not unless 1st is read" but it doesn't seem to stop me. In my defense I have at least been waiting for really good coupons. Unlike before where I would buy entire series at a mere 20% off. So I have gotten better. But I still buy.

Admittedly, I did 'cheat' a little bit when the last big Kobo-palooza hit. I did sneak in a few purchases by only sampling some of the firsts, but I do very much stick with checking the GR ratings first. Overall I'd say I've stuck with it 95%?!

[Blue2u]

Originally Posted by Venus

Read

Lion's Lady.......Julie Garwood.......4 * my favorite Garwood so far
Rekindled..........Kaylea Cross.........3 1/2*
Absolution.........Kaylea Cross..........4*

Bought so far

Lady in Blue.....Lynn Kerstan
Love Hacked....Penny Reid

Thank you Blue2u for your warm wishes. I was down in Florida taking care of my mom who had surgery. I am back now trying to piece together all my flash drives and hopefully find most of my files and put them on my new/old laptop.
Lost a lot to the Cryptolocker......heartbreaking.

I hope your Mom is still recovering nicely. So sorry to hear that you did lose a lot of files., that is heartbreaking for sure. Hoping that while you're piecing your files together you'll find more than you thought. *hugs*

[pisceschick]

Originally Posted by library addict

I haven't bought much yet, either. And since I started working on my "Dates aka Hopefully Last Great Calibre Project of Doom", I didn't have much reading time.

We are working on similar projects these days, library addict! Though I'm only putting into Calibre what I've read since getting my e-reader at Christmas 2010. I didn't start keeping a written list until 2012, but most of what I read the first year was from the B&N store and is still on my Nook. I will be able to figure out what I read, but not in the order. Can't have it all, I guess!

Trying to decide the best way to go about the Calibre part since I haven't rated everything. I think just a "READ-2013" tag funneled into a virtual library? I have entirely too many tags as it is, though.

As to buying, I used the Samhain 30% off code on the Retro historical they just released. Can't remember the title, but it was by Phoebe Conn. I've been reading a freebie from a while back, Emerald Prince by Brit Darby (a pseudonym for a writing team). Very good so far!

[apesmom]

I still have more big Kobo codes for participants of this thread. PM me if you want some, even if you've already gotten a stack.

[library addict]

Originally Posted by pisceschick

Trying to decide the best way to go about the Calibre part since I haven't rated everything. I think just a "READ-2013" tag funneled into a virtual library? I have entirely too many tags as it is, though.

The only reason I added the date column was because Calibre Companion (which I have on my Nexus tablet) added a spot to sync the info. The program automatically updates the date read to "today's date" when you launch a book to a reading app unless you uncheck the "Updating Date Read" box to say don't change the date. That got to me thinking about it. There are a lot of books I reread regularly. And when I'm reading a series I may go back to an earlier book to check something. So I knew I didn't want the most recent date I opened a book to show as the date I read it. Which is why I arrived at the conclusion of only using the original date I read it. (Yes, I am pretty anal about this kind of stuff )

You may want to do a simple custom column in Calibre. You can select the type as "Yes/No". I put in the value (Y) for books I have read (it shows as a green checkmark in Calibre). And I leave the column empty if I haven't read the book yet. (Per the suggestion of chaley who created CC). I titled the column "Read?"

Now this column won't reflect on your Nook. So if you are looking to get the info on there I'm not sure what the best way would be. My Sony creates its own "Unread Books" folder automatically if the book has not been opened on the device.

[apesmom]

Not a lot of activity for me this past week, I've been on a 5 season Sons of Anarchy glom. mmmmmmm Charrrrrrlie

• Wallbanger by Alice Clayton - 4
  Very funny at the beginning but didn't finish as strong. Still liked it.
• Black Widow by Laurie Breton - 4
• Hunted (Vampires in America 6.5) by D.B. Reynolds - 3.5
  good rating for a novella

Tomorrow night when the new releases go live I'll be grabbing 10 new titles. This is a big month for new releases!

[library addict]

Originally Posted by apesmom

Tomorrow night when the new releases go live I'll be grabbing 10 new titles. This is a big month for new releases!

I've got 4 I want, plus another that releases Monday from Carina.

I hope Kobo gets the new Meg Benjamin title by Tuesday. It's not showing up as a pre-order there like their titles normally do.

[Blue2u]

Originally Posted by apesmom

Not a lot of activity for me this past week, I've been on a 5 season Sons of Anarchy glom. mmmmmmm Charrrrrrlie

I know, right? Though it's very dark, I think the series is just incredible, usually can't predict what's going to happen next. And some seriously good eye-candy throughout.

• Wallbanger by Alice Clayton - 4
  Very funny at the beginning but didn't finish as strong. Still liked it.
• Black Widow by Laurie Breton - 4
• Hunted (Vampires in America 6.5) by D.B. Reynolds - 3.5
  good rating for a novella

I really enjoyed Wallbanger but agree, still didn't stop me from buying the Redhead series, although as with most, have yet to get to it. Same with the D.B. Reynolds series, have it, just haven't gotten to it yet.

Tomorrow night when the new releases go live I'll be grabbing 10 new titles. This is a big month for new releases!

I have a few this week too, holding out in the hopes of even bigger codes to come since the contest doesn't end til Wednesday and should be usable til the weekend [and maybe even hopefully into next release Tuesday?!]

[apesmom]

Originally Posted by Blue2u

I know, right? Though it's very dark, I think the series is just incredible, usually can't predict what's going to happen next. And some seriously good eye-candy throughout.

I think Charlie must have a naked butt quotient in his contract. At least once every 6 episodes to keep the girls watching.

I'm up to the middle of season 5. I think someone dumped a big old pot of crazy sauce on this season!

[Jane A]

Kobo's Daily Deal is C.S. Harris' What Angels Fear at $1.99. It is the first in the Sebastian St. Cyr series.

[mikaelalind]

I wasn't home, but decided to buy Eve Langlais Two is a couple, Three is the law on my phone since it was just 0.99 at Amazon ( and I think it still is!). Except I wasn't aware of that my bank had blocked my VISA. *facepalm* So tomorrow, I'll have to find time to do that. Somehow. ARGH. ( But it is very effective in curbing my book buying.)

[library addict]

Cindy Gerard's When Somebody Loves You is on sale for $1.99

Kobo

Amazon

B&N

This is an omnibus of two of her old Loveswept titles

Temptation from the Past: Intrigued by the enigmatic lawyer who defended abused children with passion but who seemed untouched by his charm, Michael Hayward wanted to thaw January Stewart’s cool demeanor and rouse the heat he suspected lay underneath.

Michael was the sexiest man January had ever seen, but she knew the renowned journalist was trouble. Was this man her worst nightmare come back to haunt her—or the one who would break down the defenses of a lifetime and cast away her pain?

Slow Burn: He was a wanderer whose troubled gaze barely hid his anger and despair, but Joanna Taylor knew she’d offer Adam Dursky the handyman job at her Minnesota lodge. Drawn to a loneliness in him that echoed her own, she couldn’t fight the desire his touch awakened in her.

Adam had battled his ghosts and shadows for months, but only Joanna’s touch kept the terrible memories at bay. Determined to convince her that forgiveness was better than regret, Adam insisted she make peace with her own past. Could a redheaded rebel who’d given up on love heal the pain of a hero who thought he’d lost his courage?

I bought this when it first released, but haven't had the chance to read them yet. She is an autobuy author for me who I started reading in her single titles, so I've slowly been making my way through her backlist. Many more hits than misses so far IMO.