FREE/BARGAIN - Audiobooks - 2016

[tubemonkey]

Audible Daily Deal -- exp 27 Apr @ 11:59pm ET

$2.95 -- Best Boy -- Eli Gottlieb/ Bronson Pinchot --> 7.3 hrs/ R-4.3 --> contemp

Whispersync: the Audible book is $2.95, if you own or borrow the Kindle ebook ($9.48)

For fans of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime comes this landmark novel about autism, memory, and, ultimately, redemption.

Sent to a "therapeutic community" for autism at the age of 11, Todd Aaron, now in his '50s, is the "old fox" of Payton Living Center. A joyous man who rereads the encyclopedia compulsively, he is unnerved by the sudden arrivals of a menacing new staffer and a disruptive, brain-injured roommate. His equilibrium is further worsened by Martine, a one-eyed new resident who has romantic intentions and convinces him to go off his meds to feel "normal" again. Undone by these pressures, Todd attempts an escape to return "home" to his younger brother and to a childhood that now inhabits only his dreams.

Written astonishingly in the first-person voice of an autistic, adult man, Best Boy - with its unforgettable portraits of Todd's beloved mother, whose sweet voice still sings from the grave, and a staffer named Raykene, who says that Todd reflects the beauty of God's creation - is a piercing, achingly funny, finally shattering novel no listener can ever forget.

[tubemonkey]

Nook Daily Find -- exp 27 Apr

$5.95 -- Think Seriously about Planet -- R Scruton/ S Prebble --> 10.4 hrs/ R-4.2 --> environment

How to Think Seriously about the Planet: The Case for an Environmental Conservatism

Whispersync: the Audible book is $4.49, if you own or borrow the Kindle ebook ($9.09)

The environment has long been the undisputed territory of the political Left, which casts international capitalism, consumerism, and the overexploitation of natural resources as the principle threats to the planet and sees top-down interventions as the most effective solution.

In How to Think Seriously about the Planet, Roger Scruton rejects this view and offers a fresh approach to tackling the most important political problem of our time. He contends that the environmental movement is philosophically confused and has unrealistic agendas. Its sights are directed at large-scale events and the confrontation between international politics and multinational business. But Scruton argues that no large-scale environmental project, however well intentioned, will succeed if it is not rooted in small-scale practical reasoning. Seeing things on a large scale promotes top-down solutions, managed by unaccountable bureaucracies that fail to assess local conditions and are rife with unintended consequences. Scruton calls for the greater efficacy of local initiatives over global schemes, civil association over political activism, and small-scale institutions of friendship over regulatory hypervigilance, suggesting that conservatism is far better suited to solving environmental problems than either liberalism or socialism.

Rather than entrusting the environment to unwieldy NGOs and international committees, we must assume personal responsibility and foster local control. People must be empowered to take charge of their environment, to care for it as they would a home, and to involve themselves through the kind of local associations that have been the traditional goal of conservative politics. Our common future is by no means assured, but as Roger Scruton clearly demonstrates in this important book, there is a path that can ensure the future safety of our planet and our species.

Roger Scruton is a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He has taught at the Universities of Cambridge, London, Oxford, Princeton, and Boston and has been a freelance writer and commentator for the past 15 years. His many books include Beauty: A Very Short Introduction, Death-Devoted Heart, and The Uses of Pessimism.

[tubemonkey]

Kindle Daily Deals (6 titles) -- exp 27 Apr

Note: the Audible books are available at this price, if you own or borrow the Kindle ebooks ($1~$2)

• $1.99 -- Terms of Enlistment (1/4) -- Marko Kloos/ Luke Daniels --> 9.6 hrs/ R-4.3 --> sci-fi
• $1.99 -- Lines of Departure (2/4) -- Marko Kloos/ Luke Daniels --> 9.2 hrs/ R-4.4 --> sci-fi
• $1.99 -- Angles of Attack (3/4) -- Marko Kloos/ Luke Daniels --> 10.0 hrs/ R-4.5 --> sci-fi
• $1.99 -- Chains of Command (4/4) -- Marko Kloos/ Luke Daniels --> 11.8 hrs/ R-4.7 --> sci-fi
• $3.49 -- A Sword for His Lady -- Mary Wine/ Elizabeth Wiley --> 8.9 hrs/ R-4.3 --> romance
• $9.99 -- Boy 21 -- Matthew Quick/ Ben Lukens --> 5.2 hrs/ R-4.4 --> social fiction
• $12.99 -- Lie In Wait -- Eric Rickstad/ Amy Landon --> 11.2/ R-3.9 --> mystery

[tubemonkey]

Frontlines, the military sci-fi series, is on sale for the first three Kindle books ($1.99) today only (27 Apr). The fourth Kindle book is $5.99. After today, the Kindle prices will go up, but the matching Whispersync Audible prices should remain at $1.99.

Note: the Audible books are available at this price, if you own or borrow the Kindle ebooks ($2~$6)

• $1.99 -- Terms of Enlistment -- Marko Kloos/ Luke Daniels --> 9.6 hrs/ R-4.3 --> sci-fi
• $1.99 -- Lines of Departure -- Marko Kloos/ Luke Daniels --> 9.2 hrs/ R-4.4 --> sci-fi
• $1.99 -- Angles of Attack -- Marko Kloos/ Luke Daniels --> 10.0 hrs/ R-4.5 --> sci-fi
• $1.99 -- Chains of Command -- Marko Kloos/ Luke Daniels --> 11.8 hrs/ R-4.7 --> sci-fi

Terms of Enlistment --> Frontlines (book 1 of 4) --> Audible ($1.99) -- Kindle ($1.99)

The year is 2108, and the North American Commonwealth is bursting at the seams. For welfare rats like Andrew Grayson, there are only two ways out of the crime-ridden and filthy welfare tenements, where you’re restricted to 2,000 calories of badly flavored soy every day. You can hope to win the lottery and draw a ticket on a colony ship settling off-world, or you can join the service. With the colony lottery a pipe dream, Andrew chooses to enlist in the armed forces for a shot at real food, a retirement bonus, and maybe a ticket off Earth. But as he starts a career of supposed privilege, he soon learns that the good food and decent health care come at a steep price…and that the settled galaxy holds far greater dangers than military bureaucrats or the gangs that rule the slums. The debut novel from Marko Kloos, Terms of Enlistment is a new addition to the great military sci-fi tradition of Robert Heinlein, Joe Haldeman, and John Scalzi.

Lines of Departure --> Frontlines (book 2 of 4) --> Audible ($1.99) -- Kindle ($1.99)

Vicious interstellar conflict with an indestructible alien species. Bloody civil war over the last habitable zones of the cosmos. Political unrest, militaristic police forces, dire threats to the solar system.... Humanity is on the ropes, and after years of fighting a two-front war with losing odds, so is Commonwealth Defense Corps officer Andrew Grayson. He dreams of dropping out of the service one day alongside his pilot girlfriend, but as warfare consumes entire planets and conditions on Earth deteriorate, he wonders if there will be anywhere left for them to go. After surviving a disastrous spaceborne assault, Grayson is reassigned to a ship bound for a distant colony - and packed with malcontents and troublemakers. His most dangerous battle has just begun. In this sequel to the best-selling Terms of Enlistment, a weary soldier must fight to prevent the downfall of his species...or bear witness to humanity’s last fleeting breaths.

Angles of Attack --> Frontlines (book 3 of 4) --> Audible ($1.99) -- Kindle ($1.99)

The alien forces known as the Lankies are gathering on the solar system's edge, consolidating their conquest of Mars and setting their sights on Earth. The far-off colony of New Svalbard, cut off from the rest of the galaxy by the Lanky blockade, teeters on the verge of starvation and collapse. The forces of the two Earth alliances have won minor skirmishes but are in danger of losing the war. For battle-weary staff sergeant Andrew Grayson and the ragged forces of the North American Commonwealth, the fight for survival is entering a catastrophic new phase. Forging an uneasy alliance with their Sino-Russian enemies, the NAC launches a hybrid task force on a long shot: a stealth mission to breach the Lanky blockade and reestablish supply lines with Earth. Plunging into combat against a merciless alien species that outguns, outmaneuvers, and outfights them at every turn, Andrew and his fellow troopers could end up cornered on their home turf, with no way out and no hope for reinforcement. And this time the struggle for humanity's future can end only in either victory or annihilation.

Chains of Command --> Frontlines (book 4 of 4) --> Audible ($1.99) -- Kindle ($5.99)

The assault on Earth was thwarted by the destruction of the aliens' seed ship, but with Mars still under Lanky control, survivors work frantically to rebuild fighting capacity and shore up planetary defenses. Platoon sergeant Andrew Grayson must crash-course train new volunteers - all while dulling his searing memories of battle with alcohol and meds. Knowing Earth's uneasy respite won't last, the North American Commonwealth and its Sino-Russian allies hurtle toward two dangerous options: hit the Lanky forces on Mars or go after deserters who stole a fleet of invaluable warships critical to winning the war. Assigned to a small special ops recon mission to scout out the renegades' stronghold on a distant moon, Grayson and his wife, dropship pilot Halley, again find themselves headed for the crucible of combat - and a shattering new campaign in the war for humanity's future.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

YW. Before signing up for Downpour, get a free book by signing up for a free trial using code FIRSTDP. See this post for details.

Awesome. As soon as I figure out what other ebook that I want (I'm sure that I'll find plenty of options in my Audible wishlist), I'll sign up. Can't wait to listen to the audiobook that I've been wanting.

It's too bad you don't get paid some sort of commission for telling people about all of these offers. You'd probably be the richest person in Washington. Next to Bill Gates, of course.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Re Books in Motion: I didn't like the interface, so I went to Audible, typed "Books in Motion" in the search bar, and used Audible's category filters to look for books that might be of interest.

Thanks for the idea. I do something similar sometimes with ebooks by going to Amazon and doing a search for a particular publisher. Then, I can sort the results easily, etc. etc.

I had only the vaguest idea floating around in my head that Books In Motion was a publisher of audiobooks. It really didn't sink in until I read your post. That explains why their selection is so unrepresentative of all of the audiobooks available in the audiobook market--apparently the only ones that they sell are ones that they publish.

Hope you find some bargains.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

YW. Before signing up for Downpour, get a free book by signing up for a free trial using code FIRSTDP. See this post for details.

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Awesome. As soon as I figure out what other ebook that I want (I'm sure that I'll find plenty of options in my Audible wishlist), I'll sign up. Can't wait to listen to the audiobook that I've been wanting.

It's too bad you don't get paid some sort of commission for telling people about all of these offers. You'd probably be the richest person in Washington. Next to Bill Gates, of course.

Done!

I had misread your post above and thought that I would get an additional free ebook. I learned that I just get one. But that's great. So, it is $0.00 for the first month, I got one credit, and I can cancel at any time. I'll feel guilty if I cancel after a month, but honestly, with their small selection, I couldn't really find anything else that I wanted very much.

I'll start listening to the book tonight when I go to bed.

You really provide us a great service. Thanks, again, for all of your "tireless" work!

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Done!

I had misread your post above and thought that I would get an additional free ebook. I learned that I just get one. But that's great. So, it is $0.00 for the first month, I got one credit, and I can cancel at any time. I'll feel guilty if I cancel after a month, but honestly, with their small selection, I couldn't really find anything else that I wanted very much.

I'll start listening to the book tonight when I go to bed.

You really provide us a great service. Thanks, again, for all of your "tireless" work!

YW - at least you have a cheaper "credit" option if the book is available.

[tubemonkey]

Audible Daily Deal -- exp 28 Apr @ 11:59pm ET

$3.95 -- A Deadly Grind -- Victoria Hamilton/ Emily Zeller --> 9.6 hrs/ R-3.9 --> mystery

A Deadly Grind --> Vintage Kitchen Mystery (book 1 of 5)

Whispersync: the Audible book is $3.49, if you own or borrow the Kindle ebook ($7.99)

When vintage cookware and cookbook collector Jaymie Leighton spies an original 1920s Hoosier brand kitchen cabinet at an estate auction, it's love at first sight. Despite the protests of her sister that the 19th-century yellow-brick house they share in Michigan is already too cluttered with Jaymie's "junk," she successfully outbids the other buyers and triumphantly takes home her Hoosier.

But that night on the summer porch where they've left the Hoosier to be cleaned up, a man is murdered, struck on the head with the steel meat grinder that is part of the cabinet. Who is this stranger - and what was he doing on their porch? Does his death have anything to do with the Hoosier?

As the police struggle to determine the man's identity, Jaymie can't help doing a little digging on her own, accompanied by her three-legged Yorkie Poo, Hopalong. But in her bid to uncover the truth about the hidden secrets of the Hoosier, Jaymie may be the one who ends up going, going...gone.

[tubemonkey]

Nook Daily Find -- exp 28 Apr

$4.95 -- E E Cummings -- Susan Cheever/ Stefan Rudnicki --> 7.9 hrs/ R-3.9 --> biography

Whispersync: the Audible book is $4.49, if you own or borrow the Kindle ebook ($11.99)

From the acclaimed author of My Name Is Bill and Home Before Dark comes a major reassessment of the life and work of one of America's preeminent 20th-century poets.

E. E. Cummings' radical experimentation with form, punctuation, spelling, and syntax resulted in his creation of a new, idiosyncratic means of poetic expression. And while there was critical disagreement about his work (Edmund Wilson called it "hideous", while Malcolm Cowley called him "unsurpassed in his field"), at the time of his death in 1962, at age 67, he was, after Robert Frost, the most widely read poet in the United States.

Now, in this new biography, Susan Cheever traces the development of the poet and his work. She takes us from Cummings' seemingly idyllic childhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts, through his years at Harvard(rooming with Dos Passos, befriending Malcolm Cowley and Lincoln Kirstein) where the radical verse of Ezra Pound lured the young writer away from the politeness of the traditional nature poem and toward a more adventurous, sexually conscious form. We follow Cummings to Paris in 1917 and, finally, to Greenwich Village to be among other modernist poets of the day, including Marianne Moore and Hart Crane.

Rich and illuminating, E. E. Cummings: A Life is a revelation of the man and the poet, and a brilliant reassessment of the freighted path of his legacy.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

YW - at least you have a cheaper "credit" option if the book is available.

I've been keeping Downpour for a few months while my Audible membership is on hold, thinking to save a few bucks on books from my Audible wish list that are available there, but I was quite unsettled to discover that Downpour is sometimes charging TWO credits for books, which for some titles makes the cost more than the list price!

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I've been keeping Downpour for a few months while my Audible membership is on hold, thinking to save a few bucks on books from my Audible wish list that are available there, but I was quite unsettled to discover that Downpour is sometimes charging TWO credits for books, which for some titles makes the cost more than the list price!

They claim 97% of their titles are only one credit. Does that sound right to you?

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

They claim 97% of their titles are only one credit. Does that sound right to you?

Not if my choices of mysteries/thrillers are any indication. Maybe it's just coincidental:

Holly Seddon, Try Not to Breathe: list price $22.50, Downpour price $20.25 or 2 credits.
Sophie McKenzie, You Can Trust Me: list price $23.99, Downpour price $20.39 or 2 credits.
Christobel Kent, The Crooked House: list price $23.99, Downpour price $20.39 or 2 credits.

Those are just three I remember out of only a handful I had on a wish list over there, before I purged the list of 2-credit titles.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Not if my choices of mysteries/thrillers are any indication. Maybe it's just coincidental:

Holly Seddon, Try Not to Breathe: list price $22.50, Downpour price $20.25 or 2 credits.
Sophie McKenzie, You Can Trust Me: list price $23.99, Downpour price $20.39 or 2 credits.
Christobel Kent, The Crooked House: list price $23.99, Downpour price $20.39 or 2 credits.

Those are just three I remember out of only a handful I had on a wish list over there, before I purged the list of 2-credit titles.

That's pretty steep pricing for books priced less than $25. Audible definitely wins out here.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

That's pretty steep pricing for books priced less than $25. Audible definitely wins out here.

Absolutely. Certainly there are higher-priced books that Downpour offers for a single credit; I don't understand what pricing policy would make these require the extra credit. The three I mentioned are from two different publishers, so it doesn't appear to be a publisher-specific issue either.

I had thought of changing Audible to Listener Light after my temporary hold expires and keeping Downpour, but now I think I'd be better off just dropping Downpour. Maybe I'll upgrade my Audible membership instead of downgrading it!