Content FREE (and bargain) books for the Kindle - April 2011

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The Journey Home, by Michael Baron, is free on Kindle.

Book Description
Joseph, a man in his late thirties, awakens disoriented and uneasy in a place he doesn't recognize. Several people are near him when he opens his eyes, all strangers. All of them seem perfectly friendly, but none of them can explain to him how he got there. They offer him a delicious meal and pleasant conversation in a beautifully decorated room. This would be a very nice experience if not for one thing: Joseph doesn't know where he is and he has no way to contact his wife, who he is sure is worried sick over him. Thanking the people for their hospitality, he leaves to make his way back home. The only problem is that whatever happened to him has stripped him of most of his memories. He knows he needs to get back to his wife, but he doesn't know how to find her. He sets out on a journey to find his home with no sense of where he's going and only the precious, indelible vision of the woman he loves to guide him.

Antoinette is an elderly woman in an assisted living facility. She’s spent the last six years there since her husband died, and most of those years have been happy. She enjoys the company of others in her situation and her son comes to visit often. But in recent months, she’s had a tougher and tougher time leaving her room. Her friends seem different to her and the world seems increasingly confusing. She spends an escalating amount of time on a journey inside her head. There, her body and mind haven’t betrayed her. There, she’s a young newlywed with a husband who dotes on her and an entire life of dreams to live. There, she is truly home.

Warren, Antoinette’s son, is a man in his early forties going through the toughest year of his life. His marriage ended, he lost his job, and in the past few months, his mother has gone from hale to increasingly hazy. Having trouble finding work, he spends more and more time by his mother’s bedside. But her lack of lucidity both frustrates and frightens him. With far too much time on his hands, he decides to try to recreate his memories of home by attempting to cook his mother’s greatest dishes using the rudimentary appliances available in her room. He finds the challenge surprisingly rewarding, especially because the only time he feels his mother is truly with him anymore is when she is eating the meals he prepares for her.

Joseph, Antoinette, and Warren are three people on different searches for home. How they find it, and how they connect with one another at this critical stage in each of their lives, is the foundation for a profound and deeply moving story.

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Bargain Kids books:

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (an imprint of Sourcebooks for Children's and Young Adult) have discounted several of their kids eBooks to $0.99 for the US Kindle store:

Trouble at the Zoo: Bindi Wildlife Adventures by Bindi Irwin

Product Description
A fast-paced adventure series featuring The Jungle Girl herself! The stories are inspired and co-created by Bindi Irwin, daughter of the iconic wildlife expert, Steve Irwin. The series features the characters of Bindi, her brother Robert, mother Terri, and the Australia Zoo.

and the Horrid Henry series by Tony Ross and Francesca Simon

About the series:
DISCOVER THE SERIES BOYS AND GIRLS AROUND THE WORLD LOVE TO READ!Francesca Simon is one of the world's best-loved children's authors. She is the only American to have ever won the Galaxy Book Award, and her creation, Horrid Henry, is the #1 bestselling chapter book series in the UK—with a hit TV show and over fifteen million copies sold! Each book contains four easy-to-read stories and hilarious illustrations by the one and only Tony Ross, so even the most reluctant of readers won't be able to resist Henry's amazing talent for trouble!

Horrid Henry

Horrid Henry and the Scary Sitter

Horrid Henry's Stinkbomb

Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy

Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman

Horrid Henry's Christmas

Horrid Henry and the Mummy's Curse

Horrid Henry and the Soccer Fiend

Horrid Henry's Underpants

Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine

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This one is free elsewhere, but has to be converted for Kindle, or is a decent bargain in the Kindle store, on it's own.

Photographs & Phantoms ($0.80 pre-order Kindle), by Cindy Spencer Pape, is currently a free pre-order direct from Carina Press. This steampunk novella, a part of her new Gaslight Chronicles series, releases April 25. At Carina, you get a DRM-free EPUB, which can be easily converted for the Kindle. You can pick up the first release in the series, the full length novel Steam & Sorcery, for $4.69 on Kindle (lower $$ than at the publisher).

Book Description
Brighton, 1855
As a member of the Order of the Round Table, Kendall Lake is overqualified to be investigating strange phenomena at a seaside photography studio. But since the photographer is related to the Order's most powerful sorcerer, Kendall reluctantly boards a dirigible to Brighton.

Amy Deland is haunted by a shadow that appears in some of her recent portraits. In each case, the subject died within days of the sitting. Does she have her grandmother's gift of foresight, or has she somehow caused the deaths?

As Kendall and Amy search for answers, their investigation draws them together in a most improper way—but it seems the evil presence in the studio is determined to keep them apart...

Click HERE to get the free book from Carina Press.

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Turn your sales force into profit heroes ($9.99 US), by Peter Brook, free (once again) for UK customers only (UK link)

Book Description
There are thousands of new products and services which are launched every year. Their potential for success is massive but many simply do not succeed. The reasons for failure could be numerous - too soon to market, consumer trends changing or customer resistance, for example. People often ascribe failure to such theories, amongst many others, when every other indicator promises success. So how can businesses make their products successful? One thing's for sure, converting failure to success does not involve investing tens of thousands of pounds in professional consulting organisations to tell the sales people what to do. The real secret lies in breeding a philosophy of mentoring where line managers learn to produce exceptional performance by getting their sales team to execute the basics brilliantly and, more importantly, be passionate about what they do. In ‘Turn your sales force into profit heroes’ Peter Brook reveals a world where top performance is achieved through a motivated, passionate sales team who will stop at nothing to ensure that every product or service is given a chance to deliver its absolute potential. That true success is waiting just around the corner.

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Delivered with Love ($9.58 US), by Sherry Kyle, is free for Kindle readers in the UK, courtesy of Christian publisher Abingdon Press. Will likely be free in the US within a day or two. (UK link)

Book Description
An old love letter found in the glove compartment of a young woman's inherited 1972 Volkswagen propels her to leave her life in Los Angeles and go to the small town of Capitola, California. There her dream of finding the writer of the letter leads her on an unexpected journey that changes her life forever.

Claire James, age twenty-three, is ready to make it on her own. When she's fired from her job as a waitress and subsequently kicked out of her sister's home, she sees it as an opportunity to start over. But even before moving, a thirty-five-year-old love letter written to her mother keeps Claire stuck in the past. Michael Thompson, a middle-aged real estate agent, wants to keep the past where it belongs--at least until his grown daughter is married. But, then a young woman comes to town . . .

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Delivered with Love by Sherry Kyle now free at the US KIndle store

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Bullying by Dr Sabina Dosani is free at the US Kindle store

Product Description
Bullying behaviour comes in many shapes and sizes, and being bullied in childhood can have lifelong effects. Recent UK research indicates that 1 in 4 primary school children and 1 in 10 secondary school children are bullied at least once a term. Bullying makes children lonely, unhappy and frightened. Tackling bullying and its side-effects can be a very delicate business, and each case is unique. Often parents don't know anything is wrong until events overtake them, or they can't think of the best way to help their child survive the experience. Being armed with the right information about bullying, recognising the symptoms to look out for, and knowing effective ways of breaking the cycle of abuse can be crucial factors in ensuring your child deals with their tormentors in a calm, positive and proactive way. In Bullying Dr Sabina Dosani has put together 52 brilliant ideas to enable parents to help their children survive being bullied and become stronger and more confident people as a result. Including advice on identifying different types of bully, clever tips for not reacting to taunts, self-defence ideas for increased confidence and methods to take the wind out of a bully's sails, Bullying will help you to help your child find their own empowering way to take control of the situation and rid themselves of the fear that being bullied can bring. In Bullying Dr Sabina Dosani has put together 52 brilliant ideas to enable parents to help their children survive being bullied and become stronger and more confident people as a result.

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Get into bed with Google by Jon Smith is free at the US Kindle store

Product Description
It's all very well having a stunning website, but what if browsers can't find you? What if you're not visible on the main search engines, and on Google in particular? Making your site Google friendly or employing SEO should be a priority because if you don't rank on those results you may as well not have a website at all - it's that serious. Get into bed with Google can help you optimise your website. The 52 brilliant ideas contained within are canny and quick fixes that should result in immediate benefits to your site. This second edition of the bestselling Get into bed with Google contains new material on social networks and Google analytics that will catapult readers' websites to the top of search results pages. Simply brilliant.

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For those in the Uk, these books are now free:

Get into bed with Google by Jon Smith

A World I Never Made by James Lepore

50 Ways to Hex Your Lover by Linda Wisdom

Backstage Pass: Sinners on Tour by Olivia Cunning

Cottage by the Sea by Ciji Ware

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The Golden Acorn by Catherine Cooper now also free at the US Kindle store

Product Description

When Jack Brenin finds a golden acorn lying in the grass, little does he know that it is the beginning of a thrilling and magical adventure. Just an ordinary boy, Jack has been chosen for a hugely important task, and enters a world he believed only existed in legend. Full of twists and turns, talking ravens and mischievous Spriggans, 'The Golden Acorn' is a hugely entertaining and exciting tale from a very talented new author. Your kids will love it, and so will you! This brilliant story deservedly won the Brit Writers' Awards 2010 for unpublished writers and has now been published by Infinite Ideas.

The much awaited sequel 'Glasruhen Gate' (just $0.99) is out this February.

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Surfing the long summer by Carol Velthuis now also free at the US Kindle store

Product Description
Industries sometimes are dominated by one market leader for many years. These successful companies are called ‘Summer Champions’ by Carol Velthuis, referring to the natural seasonal cycle of businesses.

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Bargain book:

The Condition Low Price with Bonus Material (includes an excerpt from Faith) by Jennifer Haigh is $2.99 at the US Kindle Store. (The edition without the bonus content is priced at $9.99)

Product Description

The Condition tells the story of the McKotches, a proper New England family that comes apart during one fateful summer. The year is 1976, and the family, Frank McKotch, an eminent scientist; his pedigreed wife, Paulette; and their three beautiful children has embarked on its annual vacation at the Captain's House, the grand old family retreat on Cape Cod. One day on the beach, Frank is struck by an image he cannot forget: his thirteen-year-old daughter, Gwen, strangely infantile in her child-sized bikini, standing a full head shorter than her younger cousin Charlotte. At that moment he knows a truth that he can never again unknown something is terribly wrong with his only daughter. The McKotch family will never be the same.

Twenty years after Gwen's diagnosis with Turner's syndrome, a genetic condition that has prevented her from maturing, trapping her forever in the body of a child, all five family members are still dealing with the fallout. Each believes himself crippled by some secret pathology; each feels responsible for the family's demise. Frank and Paulette are acrimoniously divorced. Billy, the eldest son, is dutiful but distant, a handsome Manhattan cardiologist with a life built on compromise. His brother, Scott, awakens from a pot-addled adolescence to a soul-killing job, a regrettable marriage, and a vinyl-sided tract house in the suburbs. And Gwen is silent and emotionally aloof, a bright, accomplished woman who spurns any interaction with those around her. She makes peace with the hermetic life she's constructed until, well into her thirties, she falls in love for the first time. And suddenly, once again, the family's world is tilted on its axis.

Compassionate yet unflinchingly honest, witty and almost painfully astute, The Condition explores the power of family mythologies, the self-delusions, denials, and inescapable truths that forever bind fathers and mothers and siblings.

About the Author
Jennifer Haigh is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Condition; Baker Towers, winner of the 2006 PEN/L.L. Winship Award for outstanding book by a New England author; and Mrs. Kimble, which won the PEN/Hemingway Award for debut fiction.

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Glasruhen Gate, by Catherine Cooper, is the sequel to Cooper's award winning (and currently free) The Golden Acorn. It's currently on sale for 99 cents in the Kindle store.

Book Description
When Jack Brenin found out that, beyond doubt, he was 'The One' written about in ancient prophecy, his whole life changed. Now, armed with the golden acorn, his wand and newly acquired skills, Jack must fulflil his promise to ensure that Glasruhen Gate is opened before it's too late. His new friends are depending on him. Jack doesn't want to let anyone down but he knows that he has to be courageous and overcome his doubts if they're to succeed. Jack's extraordinary magical adventure continues.

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Photographs & Phantoms by Cindy Spencer Pape is now also free at the US Kindle store

Product Description

Brighton, 1855

As a member of the Order of the Round Table, Kendall Lake is overqualified to be investigating strange phenomena at a seaside photography studio. But since the photographer is related to the Order's most powerful sorcerer, Kendall reluctantly boards a dirigible to Brighton.

Amy Deland is haunted by a shadow that appears in some of her recent portraits. In each case, the subject died within days of the sitting. Does she have her grandmother's gift of foresight, or has she somehow caused the deaths?

As Kendall and Amy search for answers, their investigation draws them together in a most improper way—but it seems the evil presence in the studio is determined to keep them apart…

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The Abandoned by Amanda Stevens is now also free at the US Kindle store

Product Description

There are rules for dealing with ghosts. Too bad Ree Hutchins doesn't know them.

When her favorite patient at a private mental hospital passes away, psychology student Ree Hutchins mourns the elderly woman's death. But more unsettling is her growing suspicion that something unnatural is shadowing her.

Amateur ghost hunter Hayden Priest believes Ree is being haunted. Even Amelia Gray, known in Charleston as The Graveyard Queen, senses a gathering darkness. Driven by a force she doesn't understand, Ree is compelled to uncover an old secret and put abandoned souls to rest—before she is locked away forever....

An ebook exclusive prequel to The Graveyard Queen series.