Free eBooks: 11/15/2011

At the start of every month, you can usually snag some pretty good books as free e-books from Amazon.com (for Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (for nook). The University of Chicago offers a free e-book each month as well. This month there were several nonfiction books on writing available for free, as November is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), but I only picked up a few of those offered. Read on to see the 14 freebies I've snagged so far this month, with book descriptions from the sites and links to purchase them.

Please Note: While all of these books were free at the time of my purchase, that does not guarantee that they are still free or that they will remain free. Make sure you check the price listed before purchasing any books.

Barnes & Noble / Amazon.com (nook & Kindle)

Chili con Corpses
(#3 in the Supper Club mystery series)
by J.B. Stanley
BN.com | Amazon.com

Things are chugging merrily along for librarian James Henry. He has a closet filled with new clothes, a trimmer waistline, and a closer bond with his father. His only real problem is that his girlfriend Lucy's interest in him seems to have inexplicably cooled. When schoolteacher Lindy suggests the club members join a Mexican cooking class, James jumps at the idea. Over cervezas and black bean dip, the supper club members warm to their new adventure. The class heats up even more when a reporter and her friends, twin sisters with supermodel physiques, enroll. But when people start turning up dead, and the evidence points toward Lindy, things become hotter than a jalapeño. James, who was looking to add a little more spice to his life, gets much more than he bargained for.


Write That Book Already!
by Sam Barry and Kathi Kamen Goldmark
BN.com | Amazon.com

"How do I get my book published?"

Good question. Lucky for you, publishing insiders Sam Barry and Kathi Kamen Goldmark have laid out the blueprint for what you want--your book. From transforming an idea into a manuscript to finding an agent to working with an editor to marketing your book, BookPage's Author Enablers are here to assist you every step of the way. And they've brought some backup with original insight from literary superstars like Stephen King, Amy Tan, Rita Mae Brown, and more.

It's everything you would ever want--and need--to know about the industry from the inside out.


Salads for Every Season
[pre-order]
by Myra Goodman
BN.com | Amazon.com

Myra Goodman knows salad. Founder with her husband, Drew, of Earthbound Farm—the largest grower of organic produce in North America—she is the author FOOD TO LIVE BY and THE EARTHBOUND COOK, sumptuous cookbooks built on the idea of fresh, seasonal cooking. From those books, she has culled a useful and inspiring ebook short filled with 25 recipes for salads that showcase the best produce of spring, summer, fall and winter.

Colorful, healthy, and packed with delightful textures and flavors, these are what salads should be. For Spring and Summer: Strawberry-Tarragon Salad with Aged Balsamic Vinegar; Chopped Summer Vegetable Salad; Farro Salad with Edamame and Arugula; Summer Salad with Butter Lettuce, Raspberries, and Hazelnuts. Fall and Winter: Jicama and Orange Salad with Orange-Sesame Vinaigrette; Escarole with Walnuts, Dates, and Bacon; Roasted Beet Salad alla Caprese; Autumn Salad with Persimmons and Pomegranate Seeds. Plus a Field Guide to Salad Greens, sidebars exploring ingredients and salad basics, how to grow your own sprouts and infuse your own oils, and a chapter dedicated to versatile dressings and dips.

Amazon.com: Kindle

Blood Island
(#3 in the Matt Royal mystery series)
by H. Terrell Griffin

Matt Royal never has to look far for excitement. Excitement-and sometimes trouble-has a way of finding him first. But for this fun-loving lawyer turned beach bum, things are about to get serious. Dead serious.When his ex-wife asks for help in tracking down her stepdaughter, last seen in Matt's hometown of Longboat Key, Matt agrees to do a little searching. But what looks like the case of one missing girl turns out to be something much bigger-and much more dangerous. Enlisting the aid of his buddies Jock Algren and Logan Hamilton, Matt launches a full-speed-ahead search that leads from Longboat Key to Key West to an ominous strip of land called Blood Island.But this is no island paradise. Blood Island is home base to a cult of religious zealots. And they're making devastating plans that could change the world forever.Bullets fly, and as the clock ticks down, it will be up to Matt to make sure that what happens on Blood Island stays on Blood Island.


The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing
by Marilyn Ross and Sue Collier

Bottom line: You want to get published. You want to control the future of your manuscript and your writing career.

Best-selling author Marilyn Ross and publishing expert Sue Collier show you how to make your own success —whether you're a published author, entrepreneur, corporation, professional, or absolute newcomer to writing. In this expanded and completely revised 5th edition of the 'bible' of self-publishing (over 100,000 copies sold), they empower you to publish your own work with minimal risk and maximum profits.

The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing is the one book you need to take control of your writing career. Read it. Believe it. Do it. Your future depends on it.


Hire Me, Hollywood!
by Mark Scherzer and Keith Fenimore

The secret to Stan Lee's writing process... The story behind Elmo's giggle... What's for lunch on the set of The Walking Dead... Squirrel training with Johnny Depp....

Think you know what it takes to get your favorite TV show on the air every week? (You'd be surprised.) Or what all those people whose names in the credits of the latest blockbuster actually do? (Including the Supervising Digital Colorist?) What better way to find out than from the who's who of Hire Me, Hollywood!

Entertainment insiders Mark Scherzer and Keith Fenimore are here to give you a crash course in all things Hollywood through thirty sometimes funny, occasionally racy, and always revealing interviews with industry experts. Whether you've always dreamed of yelling "Action" on a major movie set or you'd be thrilled just to get George Clooney his morning coffee, this book will give you inside scoop from craft service to the director's chair--and every take in between.


The Funniest Cop Stories Ever
by Tom Philbin and Scott Baker

Cops are the people who see and hear it all. They work at one of the world's most dangerous jobs, but it's also one of the most entertaining. When their lives are at risk--and even when they aren't--cops encounter constant weirdness and stupidity in human behavior. The Funniest Cop Stories Ever collects the strangest, most amusing stories about stupid crooks, bungled crimes, and station-house banter. A true look at what life is like behind the badge, the tales in The Funniest Cop Stories Ever were collected by real-life ex-New York City policeman Scott Baker and coauthor Tom Philbin. Anecdotes are told by the real-life cops who experienced them and include:
- A foot chase after a dwarf who karate-kicked his girlfriend's door and assaulted her while wearing a tuxedo and carrying a violin case.
- A beggar who ended people's pay phone calls so he could demand their extra spare change.
- A narcotics bust on a guy who claimed the crack cocaine--and his pants--didn't belong to him.


The Spook's Stories: Grimalkin's Tale
(short story from the Wardstone Chronicles series)
by Joseph Delaney

'I fear nobody. But my enemies fear me . . . Without ruthlessness and savagery I would not survive even a week of the life I lead. I am the witch assassin of the Malkin clan.'

Meet Grimalkin the fearsome witch assassin and find out how she came to take the role she now holds.

This exclusive digital short story set in the world of Joseph Delaney's best-selling series The Wardstone Chronicles first appeared in the spine-tingling collection The Spook's Stories: Witches. Now available separately for the first time and including a preview of the first chapter of I Am Grimalkin this is perfect for existing fans and newcomers alike. The only question is are you brave enough...


The Shopaholic's Daily Calendar 2012
by Andrews McMeel Publishing

Bo Derek once said, "Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping." The Shopaholic's Daily Calendar 2012 Day-to-Day Calendar offers lots of ideas, presenting readers with top shopping sites on the Web as well as tips on shopping anywhere from the mall to the flea market, from a designer boutique to eBay. Add in advice from celebrity stylists, quotes and tips from designers, ways to be a smarter shopper, and the latest in shopping technology, and this calendar belongs on every shopaholic's to-buy list.


Dog Cartoon-a-Day 2012 Calendar
by Johnny Hawkins

Unleashed canine comedy fetches grins and laughs, keeping dog-lovers howling with delight. Artist Jonny Hawkins takes you on a year-long cartooned walk filled with four-legged frolics and classic canine capers. For folks who welcome sloppy doggy kisses and unfettered happy tail wagging, the Dog Cartoon-A-Day 2012 Day-to-Day Calendar dishes up daily treats. Add them to the hundreds of smiles that canines elicit from their human packs for a fun-filled year.


An Insult-a-Day 2012 Calendar
by Ross & Kathryn Petras

We've been taught it's best to say nothing if we have nothing nice to say, but sometimes being nice is overrated. Then, firing off a one-liner or unleashing a long-winded diatribe is the only course of action--and so much more satisfying. An Insult A Day: Scathing (but funny) Quips and Gibes 2012 Day-to-Day Calendar contains pithy proclamations from politicians, comedians, talk show hosts, and celebrities, as well as the best zingers from movies and television shows. When it's time to really speak your mind, any one of these well-placed barbs will get the point across.


Medical Bloopers 2012 Calendar
by Andrews McMeel Publishing

Be amazed by true tales of hospital high jinks, exam-room faux pas, and insurance escapades. Real-life healthcare professionals dispense daily doses of medical bloopers to tickle funny bones and brighten the days of other doctors, nurses, and medical caregivers. With its entertaining patient anecdotes, amusing transcription typos, and comical co-worker blunders, the Medical Bloopers 2012 Day-to-Day Calendar provides a year's worth of chuckles and grins, proving once again that laughter is the best medicine.

Barnes & Noble: nook

Gingerbread Cookbook
(Gooseberry Patch cookbooklet #17)
by Gooseberry Patch

Get a taste of Gooseberry Patch in this collection of over 20 favorite gingerbread recipes! In Gooseberry Patch Gingerbread we've rounded up all kinds of cookie jar favorites, from Grandma's Gingersnaps to wafer-thin Moravian Spice Crisps to the Easiest-Ever Gingerbread Boys.


Axel the Truck: Rocky Road
(an I Can Read! book)
by J.D. Riley and Brandon Dorman

Axel is a little truck with big, big wheels, and he races off to explore the rocky mountain roads. VROOM!

In this NOOK Kids Read to Me book, children can choose to hear the story read aloud, tap to enlarge text and pinch & stretch to zoom in on pictures.