Digitimes says 8.9-inch tablet display may be next

Jumat, 04 November 2011

DIGITIMES NOW PREDICTING 8.9 DISPLAY ON NEXT TABLET"

Digitimes' Yenting Chen and Steve Shen report that Amazon is "likely" to shift the display size of its next-generation Kindle Fire to 8.9-inch "instead of" the originally planned 10.1-inch one reported for awhile.

  They cite "sources in Amazon's supply chain."

' Amazon's current 7-inch panel suppliers Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) and LG Display (LGD) reportedly have begun to prepare production capacities for 8.9-inch displays, added the sources. '

They add though that Amazon "may" also release 9.7-to-10.1-inch models in 2012, according to their sources.

In other words, be prepared for anything.  Sources talk but nothing's done until it's done.


Earlier
A history of the stronger tablet and e-reader rumors


Kindle Touch 3G   Kindle Touch WiFi   Kindle Basic   (UK: KBasic)   Kindle Fire
Kindle Keybd 3G   (UK: Kindle Keybd 3G)   K3 Special Offers   K3-3G Special Offers   DX

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.
Read More >

Free Kindle books (11/4) - 4 free + discounted-book alerts + usual promos

FREE/DISCOUNTED KINDLE BOOKS DISCOVERED BY FORUM MEMBERS

Nov. 4: - Friday: Morning - 4 newly-free books


Commune of Women
, by Suzan Still, 24 customer reviews, 4.6 stars $0.00

7 women, with quite different cultural backgrounds, waiting out a terrorist attack on the L.A. International Airport



Kindle Daily Deal (Often U.S. only, unfortunately)
(The Daily Deal link above changes at MIDNIGHT each day.
      Click it to see what the daily deal book is, at any time.)
Regarding Ducks and Universes, by Neve Maslakovic, 50 customer reviews, 4.1 stars
    Daily Deal until the end of Friday, 11/4:
      Thursday's Price: $7.95
      Friday's Discount: $5.96
      Friday's Daily Deal Price: $1.99 (74% off)

Note that Amazon has huge lettering saying $0.00 but that's for Prime members who can borrow a book once a month, but Friday's discounted price is $1.99 and it's normally $7.95.
Most definitely Science Fiction:
"The smallest moment may matter, a character tells Felix when explaining the possibility of an infinite number of universes branching off from tiny, seemingly insignificant actions and decisions. Weaving together physics, philosophy, and wry humor, Maslakovic's inventive debut is a delight. -- Kristine Huntley, Booklist



  MORE... ( The temporarily newly-free books and discounted-book forum-alerts are on the 2nd page now, to load the main page more quickly and so that those wanting to go through the details can do so by: clicking on "MORE" just below)
*****




LATEST DISCOUNTED Kindle books (some temporarily) -
  Forum-thread starter RandomizeME cautions, "This thread is [only] for discounts and price drops that readers find from publishers."  Another main finder is Emily Bronte.
  For 11/3-11/4

Includes, for lower-priced items:
Alert by Miss Kitty in The City
  Molly Ivins: A Rebel Life, by Bill Minutaglio - price drop to $1.30 (from $15.95)
Alert by GrassHopper
  Jacob (Nightwalkers, Book 1), by Jacquelyn Frank, $1.79 - Matched B&N price.



TEMPORARILY-Free Books:  Alerts from the Amazon Kindle forums - via the tireless "Happy Reader" Joyce, who is ever on the lookout on behalf of forum members.

  NOTE: The alerts are quoted from Joyce's collecting of mostly temporarily-free books.  They're *not* recommendations by anyone but are a popular, unfiltered daily set of forum release-alerts by Joyce, logged here for those who don't or can't make it to the forums.  The eBooks are often no longer free within days, sometimes, within hours.  Thanks to Joyce for gathering and organizing them for us.

' Happy Reader "Joyce" says:

Commune of Women
Author: Susan Still
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

*Available free in: United Kingdom, Asia & Pacific, Australia, Canada, United States, India*
DESCRIPTION: On an ordinary Los Angeles morning, the lives of seven women are about to become inextricably entangled, as they converge upon LA International Airport for various purposes. Suddenly, the morning erupts into chaos, as black-clad terrorists charge into the terminal, guns blazing. As the concourse becomes a killing field, six of the women dodge a hail of bullets to find refuge in a tiny staff room. Betty, a Reseda housewife, Heddi, a Jungian analyst, Sophia, a rugged and savvy mountain woman, Erika, a top-level executive, Ondine, an artist just returning from France, and Pearl, an ancient bag lady, all traumatized or injured, barricade the door and cower down, hoping to survive. As four days drag by, their expectations of an early rescue dashed, the women find a way to dominate their panic and terror by telling their life stories. As their situation becomes increasingly grave, the women begin to reveal their most intimate secrets, as their stories descend deeper into the dark shadows of their lives-and they discover that part of survival is simply surviving one another. At the same time, in a similar small room close by, the sole female terrorist, dubbed simply X by her so-called Brothers, has the task of watching a bank of surveillance monitors. Apparently forgotten by her co-conspirators, she nevertheless is the best informed of the happenings in the outside world--happenings that are not easily understood. Why are the police and FBI so slow to respond? What has motivated this attack? Who are these terrorists and what do they want? And will the women survive to tell their tale? Answers to these questions slowly reveal the terrible web of conspiracy and deceit into which they all have fallen. But the most profound revelation of all is how each has betrayed herself.

*****

Endurance (Revised)
** Previously Offered June 27, 2011 **
Author: April Thomas
Genre: Fiction - Action - Adventure

DESCRIPTION: Mei sat in a dimly lit building fighting the depths of unconsciousness. She was amazed that she hadn't past out by now. Her strength had returned, and she lifted her head looking up at Thomas. He stood smug glaring down at her. Another contraction came, and Mei screamed in pain. Instinctively, she wanted to curl into the fetal position, but her arms had been tied behind her back. Her legs were tied to each leg of the chair. Blood from her head injury blinded her eyes. A dirty cloth was tied tightly around her mouth causing the sides of her mouth to tear. "Perfect timing, soon I will bring your baby into the world, and let you watch as I kill him, then I'm going to kill you slowly," Thomas growled, he was unrecognizable he looked like a mad man. Mei began to cry; she knew something terrible was going to happen with meeting her mother for lunch.

***** [ab here:  Reminder: These are unfiltered reports of newly-free e-books, rather than recommendations.]


Winning the Zero Moment of Truth - ZMOT
Vook
Genre: Business - Investing

DESCRIPTION: Whether we're shopping for corn flakes, concert tickets or a honeymoon in Paris, the Internet has changed how we decide what to buy. Today we're all digital explorers, seeking out online ratings, peer reviews, videos, and in-depth product details as we move down the path to purchase. At Google, we call this online decision-making moment the Zero Moment of Truth-or simply ZMOT. Download "Winning the Zero Moment of Truth", a free, powerful new video-enhanced eBook by Jim Lecinski, Managing Director of US Sales & Service and Chief ZMOT Evangelist at Google. Jim shares how to get ahead at this critical new marketing moment, supported by exclusive market research, personal stories, and insights from C-level executives at global leaders like General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, and VivaKi. If you're a marketer, a CEO, a sales rep, or an aspiring entrepreneur, this video-enhanced eBook will help you understand this shift in the marketing landscape and show you the strategies it takes to win.

***** [ab here: It mentions 'video-enhanced' but this is the purely-text Kindle version.  You can click on the video-enhanced link to get the 'enhanced' Kindle version though, which "is available for iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touch devices."]


A Jongleur Strayed Verses on Love and Other Matters Sacred and Profane
Author: Richard Le Gallienne
Genre: Non-Fiction

DESCRIPTION: Verses on Love (No other description provided) '


[These are from Joyce's free-books alert Friday morning in the forums, 11/4 - morning, 4 books


Ongoing popular discussions
  . Feel like almost crying - Kindle loss and personalizing Kindles - lighthearted   Newer
  . Unusual calls from Amazon because of forum posts
  . Personal docs now sendable to individual Kindles again
  . [WAS] Warning: Personal docs now sent to a Kindle will now go to all new Kindles
  . To Avoid Confusion, Please Use the Official Product Names in Forum" [entertaining]
  . Discussion of geographic restrictions on digital purchases
  . Discount-alert books discussed on separate message thread (Newer)
  . What have been your favorite public domain books that are not so well known?
  . Best "Free" books you've read (many are no longer free, however).
  . Highly recommended Indie authors
  . Unique Uses of Kindles

Other current forum threads that might interest some
Public Library Lending questions at the forums, and Lendle's Kindle borrowing
  . How many e-books does your public library have?
  . Public librarians: what has been your Kindle/Overdrive experience?
  . Changes to lendle (This is Kindle owner-to-Kindle owner lending.)
      The changes include incentives for offering loaners



Amazon's own ongoing listing of LIMITED-TIME OFFERS - Promos
  Amazon sorts these by Bestsellers first.
  I've added a by Low-to-High pricing.

Editors' Picks: $1.99-$3.99   thru' November
Free contemporary books: subsets
Filters out excerpts, chapters, previews
US:  by Last 30+ days  Nov 2011
   Publication Date   Late-listed
   Bestselling   High-ratings

UK:  by PubDate   Popular




Kindle Touch 3G   Kindle Touch WiFi   Kindle Basic   (UK: KBasic)   Kindle Fire
Kindle Keybd 3G   (UK: Kindle Keybd 3G)   K3 Special Offers   K3-3G Special Offers   DX

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.
Read More >

Free Kindle books (11/03) + discounted-book alerts + promo lists

Kamis, 03 November 2011
Interim posting for Nov. 3 - 4 books in Joyce's morning list.

Too much going on with Lending Library questions etc and must be gone for hours, so here are links to the early threads on free books today and the ongoing discounted-book alerts thread.

First this Kindle Daily Deal link (Link: amzn.to/kdailydeal ) changes at midnight each day and will always show you the latest Kindle Daily Deal.  (I also need to update my free e-book subsets and get November ones set up.)

Today's deal is "Pearl of China", by Anchee Min, 60 customer reviews, 4.1 stars -- $7.19 yesterday, with $5.20 discount today, $1.99 until end of today, Thursday.

"...Ardently detailed, dramatic, and encompassing, Min’s fresh and penetrating interpretation of Pearl S. Buck’s extraordinary life delivers profound psychological, spiritual, and historical insights within an unforgettable cross-cultural story of a quest for veracity, compassion, and justice." -- Donna Seaman


  MORE... ( The temporarily newly-free books and discounted-book forum-alerts are on the 2nd page now, to load the main page more quickly and so that those wanting to go through the details can do so by: clicking on "MORE" just below)
*****




LATEST DISCOUNTED Kindle books (some temporarily) -
  Forum-thread starter RandomizeME cautions, "This thread is [only] for discounts and price drops that readers find from publishers."  Another main finder is Emily Bronte.
  For 11/2-11/3 (Link: amzn.to/kdisc1102-03 )



TEMPORARILY-Free Books:  Alerts from the Amazon Kindle forums - via the tireless "Happy Reader" Joyce, who is ever on the lookout on behalf of forum members.

  NOTE: The alerts are quoted from Joyce's collecting of mostly temporarily-free books.  They're *not* recommendations by anyone but are a popular, unfiltered daily set of forum release-alerts by Joyce, logged here for those who don't or can't make it to the forums.  The eBooks are often no longer free within days, sometimes, within hours.  Thanks to Joyce for gathering and organizing them for us.

' Happy Reader "Joyce" says:


I'll Be There
Author: Debra Grace Staley
Genre: Romance

DESCRIPTION: In Angel Ridge, Tennessee, not much goes on around town in the winter. After Christmas, folks usually hunker down and wait for spring to come to the Smokey Mountains. But given recent events, which included a bombing and newspaper publisher Jenny Thompson's disappearance, people in town are understandably on edge. Now Jenny's in hiding on a nearby mountain, waiting for trouble to catch up with her and none too sure it hasn't, when reclusive mountain man Cord Goins comes to her rescue. Stuck between a beginning and an ending, both she and Cord feel powerless to control the dangerous situation they've found themselves in, along with the unexpected consequences of falling in love.

*****

Erra (Gods and Thurs)
Author: Poppet
Genre: Erotica

DESCRIPTION: Sarah bumps into Dustin, and is instantly smitten. Erik wants her, and won't back down, finally revealing his true identity. Caught in a love triangle with cosmic repercussions, Sarah represents all women when she decides to let her heart make her choice. Love is the sweetest suffering.

*****

The Prague Cemetery (FREE SAMPLE)
Author: Umberto Eco
Genre: Historical Fiction

DESCRIPTION: Nineteenth-century Europe-from Turin to Prague to Paris-abounds with the ghastly and the mysterious. Conspiracies rule history. Jesuits plot against Freemasons. Italian republicans strangle priests with their own intestines. French criminals plan bombings by day and celebrate Black Masses at night. Every nation has its own secret service, perpetrating forgeries, plots, and massacres. From the unification of Italy to the Paris Commune to the Dreyfus Affair to The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Europe is in tumult and everyone needs a scapegoat. But what if, behind all of these conspiracies both real and imagined, lay one lone man? What if that evil genius created its most infamous document? Eco takes his readers on an unforgettable journey through the underbelly of world-shattering events. Eco at his most exciting, a book immediately hailed as a masterpiece.

*****

A Thousand Lies: Lies Every Good American Must Believe
Author: D.W. St. John
Genre: Government - Political - Public Affairs

DESCRIPTION: These are a few of the lies we must believe if America's political system, culture and world dominance is to endure. Our faith in them insures we never question who we are, how we live or the world we have made. We can't live as we do without them. This list is for all Americans-progressive, conservative, moderate or radical. It is guaranteed to offend everyone. '


[These are from Joyce's free-books alert Thursday morning in the forums, 11/3 - morning, 4 books although I don't understand what the "free sample" means in this case ...



Ongoing popular discussions

  . Feel like almost crying - Kindle loss and personalizing Kindles - lighthearted   Newer
  . Unusual calls from Amazon because of forum posts
  . Personal docs now sendable to individual Kindles again
  . [WAS] Warning: Personal docs now sent to a Kindle will now go to all new Kindles
  . To Avoid Confusion, Please Use the Official Product Names in Forum" [entertaining]
  . Discussion of geographic restrictions on digital purchases
  . Discount-alert books discussed on separate message thread (Newer)
  . What have been your favorite public domain books that are not so well known?
  . Best "Free" books you've read (many are no longer free, however).
  . Highly recommended Indie authors
  . Unique Uses of Kindles

Other current forum threads that might interest some
Public Library Lending questions at the forums, and Lendle's Kindle borrowing
  . How many e-books does your public library have?
  . Public librarians: what has been your Kindle/Overdrive experience?
  . Changes to lendle (This is Kindle owner-to-Kindle owner lending.)
      The changes include incentives for offering loaners


Amazon's own ongoing listing of LIMITED-TIME OFFERS - Promos
  Amazon sorts these by Bestsellers first.
  I've added a by Low-to-High pricing.

Editors' Picks: $1.99-$3.99   thru' November
Free contemporary books: subsets
Filters out excerpts, chapters, previews
US:  by Last 30+ days  Nov 2011
   Publication Date   Late-listed
   Bestselling   High-ratings

UK:  by PubDate   Popular




Kindle Touch 3G   Kindle Touch WiFi   Kindle Basic   (UK: KBasic)   Kindle Fire
Kindle Keybd 3G   (UK: Kindle Keybd 3G)   K3 Special Offers   K3-3G Special Offers   DX

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.
Read More >

Prime's Kindle Owners' Lending Library - How to borrow a book there


BORROWING OPTION - HOW TO ACCESS IT

I just received a comment on not being able to see "Borrow" option on a Kindle 2 device.  I have to power mine up to test it to see how the Menu options show up there, but this is (slightly modified for the blog) what I answered on what I see on my Kindle 3.

  ' Looking at the bottom of the Amazon.com Prime Kindle Owners Lending Library product page at Amazon.com, there are images at "How to borrow from your Kindle."

  Mine is different in that "Kindle Owners Lending Library" doesn't show up under MENU the way it shows in the image of the Menu there. '
'   It is accessible in several ways but the easiest one is to get to the Kindle Store and click on BROWSE / "See all" ...

  and then when I press Menu, I get the Menu they show, which has "Kindle Owners' Lending Library" option at the bottom.

  When I click on that, each book has "Prime" showing at the right.  For me, non Fiction is the thing but I can't choose that on this "All" (books) page.

  The resulting lending list is too long to browse, at 5000+, so I chose an option in small print at the upper right, "View Subcategories" ...

  Then I clicked "Biographies and Memoirs" and after getting the smaller list (only a couple of hundred), I then clicked on a book that looked interesting.  That showed me a "BUY" button, an "or" and then "Borrow for Free" for 'Prime Members Only'

  Clicking on "Borrow for Free" caused the book to be sent to me.

My Kindle 2 is powering up because I had not touched it for about 2 months and I'll let you know what I see on that but I won't be on my computer for another 8 hours.

Try going to Kindle Community forums and ask there what other Kindle-2 members are finding if what I detailed above doesn't work for you.

Good luck! Contrary to my expectations I see more books there of interest to me than I thought there would be and I don't have to deal with umpteen other people having it 'out' as I do with the public library ones :-)

Like Tom, I love the "no due date" aspect too as the book would be lower priority for me to read than ones I have paid for recently, in most cases - though I see one I want to read right away actually.
Maybe I'll post this as a general followup... '
(...which I just did)

Hope that helps...

Note - The above explains how to Borrow a book, only possible from the Kindle.
  But remember that you can otherwise Browse Prime Lending Kindle books on the Web when you're just looking, by going to http://amzn.to/kprimebooks.  Unfortunately, the Search link includes non-loanable books, which are not borrowable, but you can use the box at the right - above the listing- to choose Low to High pricing after you get your search results and that will help.



Kindle Touch 3G, US-only   Kindle Touch WiFi (US)   Kindle Touch WiFi-Only, outside US    Kindle Basic   (UK: KBasic)   Kindle Fire
Kindle Keybd 3G   (UK: Kindle Keybd 3G)   K3 Special Offers   K3-3G Special Offers   DX

Check often: Temporarily-free recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published free books, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

Read More >

Free Kindle books (11/2) - 17 + discounted-book alerts + usual promos

Rabu, 02 November 2011
FREE/DISCOUNTED KINDLE BOOKS DISCOVERED BY FORUM MEMBERS

Nov. 2: - Wednesday: Morning - 17 newly-free books

Julius Katz Mysteries, by Dave Zeltserman, 9 customer reviews, 4.8 stars $0.00
From Product Description: "...award-winning Julius Katz mysteries...first appearing on the pages of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine in 2009...introduced readers to Boston's most brilliant, eccentric and possibly laziest detective, Julius Katz, as well as his sidekick, Archie, a tiny marvel of whizbang computer technology with the heart and soul of a hard-boiled PI..."

  "Superb mix of humor and horror" -- Publisher's Weekly, starred review
  "Delicious horror-ish novel" -- Newsday
  "Dave Zeltserman is at it again writing about ex-con antiheroes with the kind of panache that would make Jim Thompson, king of the psycho killer novels, proud." -- Boston Globe
  "Written in a spare, terse style, and with chapters alternating between past and present, we slowly learn more about March. But even then the closing chapters present a devastating twist and shocking conclusion."-- Sunday Tribune



Kindle Daily Deal (Often U.S. only, unfortunately)
(The Daily Deal link above changes at MIDNIGHT each day.
      Click it to see what the daily deal book is, at any time.)
Principle-Centered Leadership (Stephen R Covey Set), by Stephen R. Covey, 61 customer reviews, 3.9 stars
    Daily Deal until the end of Wednesday 11/2:
      Tuesday's Price: $7.83
      Wednesday's Discount: $5.84
      Wednesday's Daily Deal Price: $1.99 (74% off)

"...Without hesitation, strongly recommended for all management collections."
-- Dale Farris, Groves, Tex. Library Journal
From About the Author: "Recognized as one of Time magazine's 25 most influential Americans"



  MORE... ( The temporarily newly-free books and discounted-book forum-alerts are on the 2nd page now, to load the main page more quickly and so that those wanting to go through the details can do so by: clicking on "MORE" just below)
*****




LATEST DISCOUNTED Kindle books (some temporarily) -
  Forum-thread starter RandomizeME cautions, "This thread is [only] for discounts and price drops that readers find from publishers."  Another main finder is Emily Bronte.
  For 10/28-11/02
  (Catching up here... a few were raised back in the meantime... but most weren't)

  Includes a lot of 99 cent books this time
  Also 99 cents, Lee Goldberg/William Rabkin's series for a limited time
  (Alert by Books on the Knob)
  Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer, by Roy Peter Clark, 46 customer review, 4.8 stars, $1.99
  (Alert by Emily Bronte)
AUDIBLE.com book, Water for Elephants, unabridged, $0.00 currently.  11 hrs and 27 minutes (!) Most Kindles play Audible books.
  (Alert by Emily Bronte)




TEMPORARILY-Free Books:  Alerts from the Amazon Kindle forums - via the tireless "Happy Reader" Joyce, who is ever on the lookout on behalf of forum members.

  NOTE: The alerts are quoted from Joyce's collecting of mostly temporarily-free books.  They're *not* recommendations by anyone but are a popular, unfiltered daily set of forum release-alerts by Joyce, logged here for those who don't or can't make it to the forums.  The eBooks are often no longer free within days, sometimes, within hours.  Thanks to Joyce for gathering and organizing them for us.

' Happy Reader "Joyce" says:

17 FREE Books...
Happy Reading ... Joyce

Goodbye Home
Author: Laura Ware
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

DESCRIPTION: Ann hates the house she grew up in. It is filled with memories of a difficult childhood. When her mother's stroke brings her back to the place, she wants nothing more than to put it - and her entire past - behind her. Can an old neighbor help her see the good she can take away from her old despised home?

*****

Julius Katz Mysteries
Author: Dave Zeltserman
Genre: Hard-Boiled - Mystery

DESCRIPTION: These award-winning Julius Katz mysteries have delighted thousands of mystery fans since first appearing on the pages of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine in 2009. 'Julius Katz' introduced readers to Boston's most brilliant, eccentric and possibly laziest detective, Julius Katz, as well as his sidekick, Archie, a tiny marvel of whizbang computer technology with the heart and soul of a hard-boiled PI. In Julius and Archie's second adventure, 'Archie's Been Framed', the little guy is framed for murder and Julius needs to use all his wits to keep his inimitable assistant out of the slammer.

*****

SEVER: five tales of horror ("S" Collection Horror Trilogy)
Author: Ty Johnston
Genre: Horror - Short Stories

DESCRIPTION: Book I of the "S" Collection Horror Trilogy

*****

Rescued (The Runners, Part Three)
Author: Logan Rutherford
Genre: Short Stories

DESCRIPTION: Part Three in the #1 Amazon Short Story Bestseller, The Runners. Adam and Eve are reeling from a tragic loss, but the sinister minds at Kappa won't let them rest for a second. One of their own had been taken, and now the Runners must rise up agianst the enemy. All is not as it seems, though. As alligences are being questioned, sides must be chosen. The Runners will stop at nothing to get answers, but how far is too far?

*****

Modern Buddhism - The Path of Compassion and Wisdom - Volume 1 Sutra
Author: Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Genre: Buddhism

DESCRIPTION: This eBook Modern Buddhism - The Path of Compassion and Wisdom, in three volumes, is being distributed freely at the request of the author Geshe Kelsang Gyatso (the Kindle Store sets the minimum price at 99 cents and also additional taxes are added in many countries). The author says: "Through reading and practicing the instructions given in this book, people can solve their daily problems and maintain a happy mind all the time." So that these benefits can pervade the whole world, Geshe Kelsang wishes to give this eBook freely to everyone.

*****

Fly High, Hammie Hawk (A Young Adult Junior Novel Chapter Book)
Author: Rachel Yu
Genre: Short Stories

DESCRIPTION: In an imaginary world, a teenage bird named Hammie Hawk moves to a new town with his mom and little sister to live with his grandfather after the tragic death of his father. Follow his tale as he faces the "Hard Boiled Eggs Gang" and the mystery of "the cat". Fly High, Hammie Hawk is a junior novel of 11,288 words.

*****

Apocratusis - Part 1 from The Search for Artemis (The Chronicles of Landon Wicker)
Author: P.D. Griffith
Genre: Action - Adventure - Children's Fiction

DESCRIPTION: Fifteen-year-old Landon Wicker is psychokinetic, but the tragic unleashing of his abilities forces him to run from everything he knows. He finds solace, however, in the company of hundreds of psychokinetics like him when he's brought to the Gymnasium. Forced into a life where people don't just see-but control-the world around them and teenagers lift city buses with a thought, Landon struggles to accept his new reality and the guilt over his painful secret. But everything changes when a chance encounter with a mysterious girl propels him on a hunt for answers. Uncovering dark truths the Gymnasium would do anything to keep hidden, Landon is forced to choose where his loyalties lie.

*****

Red Moon (Moon's Reflection Series)
Author: Ela Lond
Genre: Fantasy

DESCRIPTION: Red Moon Slices of Life are fragments torn from the daily lives of side characters of the novel Red Moon's Reflection. They are not full stories; their only goal is to show the characters more in detail and serve as a teaser (if you haven't read Red Moon's Reflection) or an extra (if you have read it).

*****

The Key
Author: Alexander Lurikov
Genre: Literary Fiction

DESCRIPTION: A man discovers that the key to his apartment opens his neighbor's apartment as well. Unable to to resist the temptation, he begins spending time there while the occupant is away. Soon his curiosity turns to obsession, leading him to behave in increasingly bizarre and inappropriate ways. Alexander Lurikov is the author of Diary of a Discontent, available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle editions. His other stories, including Grains of the Golden Sand, The End of the World, and Man Seeking Women, are also available for the Kindle.

*****

Shades of Honor (Grayson Brothers)
Author: Windy Lindstrom
Genre: Romance - Historical Fiction

DESCRIPTION: Radford Grayson had finally come home to Fredonia, expecting to care for his young daughter alone since her mother abandoned them both, and to join his brothers in the family lumber-milling business. Instead, his brother Kyle, who had taken over running the mill during the war, prefers that Radford help Kyle's fiancee, Evelyn Tucker, with her family's livery business. Radford reluctantly agrees, never expecting to fall in love with the woman destined to wed his brother. Two emotionally wounded, vulnerable people are driven by honor to resist their attraction to one another only to find that true love is worth paying any price. Lindstrom's superbly written, beautifully poignant debut romance has a wonderful emotional richness and depth of characterization that will appeal to readers who love authors like Lorraine Heath and Maggie Osborne.

*****


Spoil of War: An Arthurian Saga

Author: Phoenix Sullivan
Genre: Romantic Historical Fiction - Fantasy

DESCRIPTION: Elsbeth of Olmsbury desires nothing beyond helping her father run his dukedom - until the duke's forces are overwhelmed, his castle torched and Elsbeth seized for the invading king's personal spoil. Expecting the same abuse as the other surviving women of her house, Elsbeth instead finds the king, Leodegrance, treating her with a civility that belies his flagrant desire for her. A desire that will have her his consort in Cameliard once he can convince her rank and duty alone forced his hand against her father. But Elsbeth is not so easily won. There is the matter of Leodegrance gifting his steward with an unwilling young handmaid from Elsbeth's household. Of his marriage of convenience to his Byzantine queen. And of his plans to subjugate more of Britain's citadels and unite the wild isle under Roman rule. If Elsbeth can't find her tangled way to forgiveness with the king - or escape the dark designs and perverse desires of Uther Pendragon, enemy to them both - then a legend of Camelot may never be conceived, never be born, and never change history forever. Please note: This novel takes place in a harsh era when spoils were often treated as commodities. While the violence toward women and children is period-appropriate and for mature adults only, it is never gratuitous. The story focuses on adaptation, survival and, ultimately, love in the Dark Ages before Arthur was made king.

*****

Homo Sylvanus (Break Bites)
Author: Amber D. Sistla
Genre: Science Fiction

DESCRIPTION: This novelette originally appeared in Jim Baen's Universe. While traveling on a colonization ship, Brennan is desperate to prevent his daughter Tamsyn from inheriting his genetic deficiencies. The consequences of his efforts to illegally modify her DNA affect Brennan, Tamsyn, and the colonists.

*****

The Dew of Flesh (Flesh and Fell)
Author: Wendy Lindstrom
Genre: Historical Fiction

DESCRIPTION: In The Thirteen Paths of Nakhacevir, in the city of Khi'ilan, the last of the gods-made-flesh still rules. But rebellion creeps ever closer, and the High Harvest draws nigh, when the streets will run red with the blood of human sacrifice. A small group of revolutionaries works to overthrow their god, drawing on the magic of the dew of flesh to strengthen them. Some are motivated by vengeance. Others by necessity. But some have even deeper plans, plans that involve the blood of a god. From foreign Cenarbasi, a woman haunted by her past arrives in Khi'ilan. Hired to assassinate the god-made-flesh, she quickly finds herself in a game where she knows few of the rules, and none of the players, and the small supply of foreign magic that she brings will not protect her forever. Approximately 180,000 words, 600 pages print.

*****

Three Steps To Heaven
Author: Pam Howes
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

DESCRIPTION: It's 1961 and Eddie Mellor and Jane Wilson are in love. Eddie's group, The Raiders, is about to make it big. They have the world at their feet and an exciting future to look forward to. Then in walks Angie Turner. The first novel in a trilogy about The Raiders, spanning 40 years.

*****

A Simple Amish Christmas
* Previously Offered on November 8, 2010 *
Author: Vannetta Chapman
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

DESCRIPTION: Annie Weaver always planned to return home, but the 20-year old RN has lived in Philadelphia for three years now. As her time of rumschpringe is about to come to an abrupt end, bringing for Annie an overwhelming sense of loneliness. She returns home and finds herself face-to-face with a budding romance with an Amish farmer and Annie has several important choices to make.

*****

Christmas is Not Your Birthday
Author: Mike Slaughter
Genre: Religious - Spiritual

DESCRIPTION: Every year, we say we're going to cut back, simplify, and have a family Christmas that focuses on the real reason for the season-Jesus. But every year, advertisements beckon, the children plead, and it seems easier just to indulge our wants and whims. Overspending, overeating, materialism, and busyness rob us of our peace and joy and rob Jesus of his rightful role as the center of our celebration.This Christmas, cut through the hype that leaves you exhausted and broke at the end of the year. Instead, experience the peace of knowing that God is truly with us, the joy of giving sacrificially, and the love of a Savior who gave everything he had for us. In five short, engaging chapters, Pastor Mike Slaughter inspires readers to approach Christmas differently, and be transformed in the process.

*****

Hurry Less, Worry Less at Christmastime: Having the Holiday Season You Long For
Author: Judy Pace Christie
Genre: Religious - Spiritual

DESCRIPTION: This useful book will help busy people learn to celebrate more joyfully, peacefully, and deeply during "the holiday season"-the days between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day-and on through the Christian celebration of Epiphany. Judy Pace Christie meets us where we are, in a frenzied, out-of-control frame of mind, and helps us begin to have a deeper understanding of the joy of the season and its deep meaning for our lives overall-and how that can be a starting point for a more abundant life in the new year. Using the holiday season as an entry point, Christie guides us to a more helpful, Christian understanding of this time of year. Aspects of the liturgical calendar are introduced as part of this process, including the Christian understandings of Advent, Christmas, and Ephiphany. She gives us practical tools for coping with holiday pressures but above all stresses the need for transformation from a secular perspective to a Christian one. Hurry Less Worry Less at Christmastime will assist in identifying what people love about the holiday season and what they want to change. The book can also be used as a study book for church small groups or Sunday school classes, leading up to the holidays. '


[These are from Joyce's free-books alert Wednesday morning in the forums, 11/2 - morning, 17 books


Ongoing popular discussions
  . Feel like almost crying - Kindle loss and personalizing Kindles - lighthearted   Newer
  . Unusual calls from Amazon because of forum posts
  . Personal docs now sendable to individual Kindles again
  . [WAS] Warning: Personal docs now sent to a Kindle will now go to all new Kindles
  . To Avoid Confusion, Please Use the Official Product Names in Forum" [entertaining]
  . Discussion of geographic restrictions on digital purchases
  . Discount-alert books discussed on separate message thread (Newer)
  . What have been your favorite public domain books that are not so well known?
  . Best "Free" books you've read (many are no longer free, however).
  . Highly recommended Indie authors
  . Unique Uses of Kindles

Other current forum threads that might interest some
Public Library Lending questions at the forums, and Lendle's Kindle borrowing
  . How many e-books does your public library have?
  . Public librarians: what has been your Kindle/Overdrive experience?
  . Changes to lendle (This is Kindle owner-to-Kindle owner lending.)
      The changes include incentives for offering loaners



Amazon's own ongoing listing of LIMITED-TIME OFFERS - Promos
  Amazon sorts these by Bestsellers first.
  I've added a by Low-to-High pricing.

Editors' Picks: $1.99-$3.99   thru' October
Free contemporary books: subsets
Filters out excerpts, chapters, previews
US:  by Last 30+ days  Oct 2011
   Publication Date   Late-listed
   Bestselling   High-ratings

UK:  by PubDate   Popular




Kindle Touch 3G   Kindle Touch WiFi   Kindle Basic   (UK: KBasic)   Kindle Fire
Kindle Keybd 3G   (UK: Kindle Keybd 3G)   K3 Special Offers   K3-3G Special Offers   DX

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.
Read More >

Prime's KINDLE OWNERS LENDING LIBRARY w/ NYT bestseller books - *UPDATED with details and caveats* - Update2

KINDLE OWNERS LENDING LIBRARY WITH NY TIMES BESTSELLERS, FOR PRIME MEMBERS

The title is in caps, because I really didn't expect the Kindle Owners Lending Library program would actually be put into effect, knowing how stubborn some publishers are about allowing even public libraries to lend their e-books.  But those particular publishers may not be involved in this lending library either.  We'll see. [ See Update below, added same night. ]

Also adding Gizmodo's realistically cynical, yet upbeat take on this, calling it, despite noting what it lacks, "Officially the greatest deal in Tech" and "the smartest digital ticket around."
  Also see the steps taken when borrowing a Prime book.

  I'm posting the news first and can add more details as we learn them later on.  I did just tweet this news as it's quite a coup, at least in my view.  And the Kindle Fire IS considered a Kindle device for this.


UPDATE for more details and caveats
The Wall St. Journal's Jeffrey A. Trachtenburg and Stu Woo have some salient info on all this, from talks with Amazon and publishers.  Points made (bold facing mine):
1. Slightly more than 5,000 titles will be involved.

2. NONE of the 6 largest publishers in the US is participating ("Big6" who have been driving up prices and who have fixed them to be the same at all e-bookstores dealing with them, two of whom refuse to offer e-books to public libraries).
  The WSJ guys say:
    Several senior publishing executives said recently they were concerned that a digital-lending program of the sort contemplated by Amazon would harm future sales of their older titles or damage ties to other obok retailers."

3. The program "cannot be accessed via apps on other devices, which means it won't work on Apple Inc's iPad or iPhone, even though people can read Kindle books on both devices.  This restriction is intended to drive Kindle device sales, says Amazon.

4. Getting people to join Prime is a focus.

5. While e-book borrowing at public libraries had been rising 10% to 15% a month, Seattle's electronic-resources librarian Kirk Blankenship said that it has risen 32% in the month after Kindle books became available.  He's not worried about Amazon starting its own lending service because "There's a lot of people that can't afford Amazon Prime.  We also want to be a resource for people looking for other things beyond the best-seller list."

6. Some e-book publishers see the program as a positive, and they quote Arthur Klebanoff, CEO of RosettaBooks LLC, who is looking forward to the incremental exposure for participating titles and feels that "all site promotion, especially of backlist titles, drives sales in the Kindle Store and so he is providing about 200 titles.
[End of update]

Amazon's announcement details
The product page says that Prime users will be able to "choose from thousands of books to borrow for free..." [which is how borrowing usually works] "...including over 100 current and former New York Times Bestsellers -- as frequently as a book a month, with no due dates.

  I'm impressed Amazon pulled this off. Their announcement makes the following points also (bold-facing is mine):
' No other e-reader or ebookstore offers such a service. With an annual Prime membership, the Kindle Owners' Lending Library is included at no additional cost.

Millions of Prime members enjoy free two-day shipping, unlimited streaming of nearly 13,000 movies and TV shows, and now thousands of books to borrow for free with a Kindle.

"Owning a Kindle just got even better. Today, we're introducing a new Prime benefit built for Kindle: The Kindle Owners' Lending Library," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. "Prime Members now have exclusive access to a huge library of books to read on any Kindle device at no additional cost and with no due dates."

The Kindle Owners' Lending Library offers access to a wide array of categories and genres in fiction and non-fiction, and includes popular titles such as Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, The Big Short and Liars' Poker by Michael Lewis, TheHunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen --plus award-winning books such as The Finkler Question and Guns, Germs, and Steel, memoirs such as Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, and motivational books like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  Just as with any other Kindle book, your notes, highlights and bookmarks in borrowed books will be saved, so you'll have them later if you purchase or re-borrow the book.

  Books are borrowed from a Kindle device, and customers can have one book out at a time.   When customers want to borrow a new book, any borrowed book can easily be returned right from their device.

Titles in the Kindle Owners' Lending Library come from a range of publishers under a variety of terms.  For the vast majority of titles, Amazon has reached agreement with publishers to include titles for a fixed fee.

  In some cases, Amazon is purchasing a title each time it is borrowed by a reader under standard wholesale terms as a no-risk trial to demonstrate to publishers the incremental growth and revenue opportunity that this new service presents.

"The Kindle Owners' Lending Library is a great new benefit for Kindle owners and an entirely new growth opportunity for authors and publishers," said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President, Kindle Content. "With the growth in Prime membership and the recent addition of Prime Instant Video, we've been able to broaden our relationships with movie and TV studios such as CBS, Fox, and NBCUniversal and significantly increase their revenue. We're excited to expand that investment to books - with this launch, we expect three immediate results: Kindle owners will read even more, publisher revenues will grow, and authors will see larger royalty checks."

"We're excited to offer titles from our ebook 'Chapters' series, which covers some of the world's most popular destinations, to members of Kindle Owners' Lending Library," says John Boris, EVP Lonely Planet. "Our ebooks have done incredibly well on Kindle and this is a great way to showcase our travel expertise to an even broader audience."

"We're excited about any program that helps readers discover our authors and their books," said David Nussbaum, Chief Executive and Chairman of F+W Media Inc. "We think this will lead to more people reading F+W's books, and more profit for our authors." '

To Learn More About the Program
Amazon adds that to learn more about the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, visit the Kindle Owners Lending Library page.  [Link: amzn.to/kindleownerslendinglibrary ] [ShortLink: amzn.to/kollprime ]  To learn about all of the additional benefits included with Amazon Prime, or to start an Amazon Prime free trial visit the Amazon Prime page. [Link: amzn.to/primebooks ]

Also be sure to read their Kindle Owners Lending Library help pages for all the details and fine print.
  For instance,
  1. "If you have already borrowed a book in that calendar month, you are not yet eligible to borrow a new book until the next calendar month."

    So I can't experiment much, as I could return the book I borrowed but I won't be able to borrow another one until December on that account.  My Kindle 2 on that account isn't allowed to borrow as I've reached my limit for the month, the Kindle Store tells me when I tried to get one with the Kindle 2.

  2. You CAN share that borrowed book with the other Kindles by going to your "manageyourkindle" page and sending 'copies' to the other Kindles to read.

The restrictions make sense to me, as Amazon is a store and "for profit," rather than a non-profit library.  And authors need support (most publishers too).  But as a non-fiction fan, I'm already chafing at the bit as I saw a couple of other e-books I'd like right away.  Not good for impulse buyers, so I'll contain myself.


UPDATE2 - You can browse, at Amazon, the 5,000+ Kindle books that are lendable under the PRIME Kindle Owners Lending Library program.  There are several sorting methods available at the upper right with genres and subcategories at the left!  I explain more about this at my original blog article on the easier-to-browse listing.



Kindle Touch 3G   Kindle Touch WiFi   Kindle Basic   (UK: KBasic)   Kindle Fire
Kindle Keybd 3G   (UK: Kindle Keybd 3G)   K3 Special Offers   K3-3G Special Offers   DX

Check often: Temporarily-free recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published free books, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

Read More >

Back from vacation! Video review and demo of $79 Kindle Basic + a few pros and cons from me. Amazon is talking Early "Black Friday" deals



Vacation ended
Am back and will start up the free-book alerts again.  Thanks for your patience while I was in a place with very little Internet access -- not even cell phones tended to work, so it was hard to communicate even when trying to coordinate with others there.
  But it was worth it!

Back to things Kindle and Amazon - a good video review/demo on new Kindle
  Jon Rettinger at TechnoBuffalo has done a good video demo of the new $79 Kindle Basic which is smaller and lighter than even the coming Touch models because there's no physical keyboard and no touchscreen.

  In the UK, there isn't a less-expensive version with Special Offers, and this model is £89.00 there, the equivalent of $143 U.S. today (free shipping included) while the U.S. version w/o Special Offers is $109.

  Since this is WiFi only, it does not have 3G and therefore doesn't have the free (slow) 3G web browsing from almost anywhere that the Kindle 3 or "Kindle Keyboard" model has.  Both of these models are currently offered in the UK and U.S.

  Rettinger demos the VCR-style keyboard from which you select characters when you need to type a word or phrase or numbers.  It would tend to annoy ME to use it since I do a lot of searches and enjoy doing small notes while reading, but many friends insist they never care to type and they own a Kindle just to read.  Doing one keyword for a search is not difficult, but any more than that could be tedious.

  The video is in HD and you can click on the default "360p" and select "1080p" (which will stutter on most systems) or "720p," which gives a good picture for the demo.  Rettinger explains well (including the 'Special Offers' situation and gives good advice on several aspects of this Kindle.

  Bear in mind that this scaled down model has no audio, no music player, no Text to speech, and it has half the storage space and battery life of the Kindle 3 ("Kindle Keyboard") and the coming Touch models.   But the equivalent of 1400 novels and two weeks of battery life if reading 1/2 hr each day will be enough for many.

  There's no choice to get this with cellular network 3G for almost-anywhere downloading of Kindle books or free access to Wikipedia (globally), so you would rely on a local WiFi network at home, office or cafes or download to your computer and transfer Kindle books via a USB cable.

Early Black Friday Deals (already)
 Amazon is already starting Black Friday deals (UK also) since, they say, people are already on the old Black Friday deals page looking to see what might be there.

  I just checked and saw no early BF deals for today.  But their press release previews "some of the deals that will be available at various times leading up to Black Friday.  (Link: amzn.to/blackfriday-us ):
  • Fujifilm FinePix F505 Digital Camera (includes 4 GB Memory Card): $179 (list price: $399.95)
  • TomTom XXL 5-Inch Widescreen GPS Navigator: $79.99 (list price: $169.95)
  • Philips Speaker System for iPod/iPhone with LED Clock Radio: $49.99 (list price: $79.99)
  • Altec Lansing Digital Boombox: $199.99 (list price: $299.95)
  • Invicta Men's and Women's Subaqua Watches: $169.99 (list price: $995)
  • "Arrested Development: The Complete Series" (DVD): $28.99 (list price: $89.98)
  • Up to 20% off Disney Nintendo video game bundles
  • Buy two, get one free on select Electronic Arts sports video games including best-selling titles like FIFA Soccer 12, Madden NFL 12 and NHL 12
  • Sony 9-Inch LED Digital Photo Frame: $69 (list price: $139.99)
  • $20 off purchase of $100 or more on select Porter-Cable power tools and accessories
  • Up to 50% off contemporary clothing for Women, Men, Kids and Baby

I hesitated to place what is essentially a straight ad there but felt many probably would like to know what kind of deals will be available.

I see no Kindle items though.


Kindle Touch 3G   Kindle Touch WiFi   Kindle Basic   (UK: KBasic)   Kindle Fire
Kindle Keybd 3G   (UK: Kindle Keybd 3G)   K3 Special Offers   K3-3G Special Offers   DX

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.
Read More >
Grab this Widget ~ Blogger Accessories
 
bottom