Free eBooks: 12/15/2011

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. The first half of December was significantly more fruitful than the first half of November (and even than the second half of November), in part because of the approaching holidays; publishers are offering more samplers and previews than usual, as well as Christmas-themed books and stories. Read on to see the 43 freebies I've snagged so far this month, with book descriptions from the sites and links to purchase them. (I also received 9 free books for Kindle yesterday that I had pre-ordered in the summer.)

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)

Priced to Move
(#1 in the Shop-Til-U-Drop mystery series)
by Ginny Aiken
BN.com | Amazon.com

She thought she was leaving the rat race behind...

Gemologist Andie Adams is suffering a bad case of burnout in her stress-filled job in New York. So she jumps at the chance to ditch her wormy corner of the Big Apple for a home in Kentucky with her lovable but off-the-wall Aunt Weeby. After all, things should be slower paced in Kentucky--right? Wrong. Andie reluctantly joins the Shop-Til-U-Drop Network as its newest jewelry and gemstone show host. Sparks fly between her and the know-nothing (but drop-dead gorgeous) jock they've hired as her cohost. And when Andie's job exposes her to a international investigation, the mayhem escalates during an exotic journey. Explosions, missing gems, sabotage--life was never this exciting in New York!


Saints Preserve Us
(#1 in the Ronnie Lord mystery series)
by L.K. Ellwood
BN.com | Amazon.com

Where’s Lorena Alger? This is what everyone in Ash Lake, Florida, is asking about their most famous resident -- a young girl about to be canonized as a saint, a young girl who hasn’t moved from her grave in over 150 years. Now she is gone, and her grave is now occupied by the fresher corpse of the cemetery caretaker.

Great-grandniece Ronnie Lord is determined to aid the town sheriff in Lorena’s safe return. She finds it isn’t an easy task when obstacles like a nosy reporter and stubborn relatives get in the way. Meanwhile, as an object of ransom tucked away in a single-wide trailer belonging to two petty thieves, Lorena is in for the adventure of her... well, death.

Winner of the Florida Writer’s Association Royal Palm Award for Best Mystery.


Jinxed
(#1 in the Friends and Lovers romance collection)
by Beth Ciotta
BN.com | Amazon.com

Since the day beautiful socialite Afia St. John was born, her life has been plagued with bad luck. After losing her father and two older husbands in "freak" accidents, Afia now discovers her business manager has absconded with her fortune. Vowing not to rely on another man to guide her life, Afia refuses her godfathers' help, and jumps at an unexpected job with the Leeds Investigations.

With a pregnant, broke sister and an investigation agency in the red, control-freak Jake Leeds can't turn down the hefty but secret retainer offered by Afia's godfather for hiring her. Quickly seeing beyond her poor business skills, wacky superstitions, and sensationalized personal history, he realizes Afia is as generous in the heart as she is misunderstood. But life is never easy for the woman born on Friday the 13th. Will the sexy PI be the good luck charm that puts her on a winning streak or, like everything else in her life, will their relationship wind up jinxed?

O Little Town
by Don Reid
BN.com | Amazon.com

In a small town at Christmas, three families find themselves muddling their way through the challenges of life: marriage, illness, bad decisions, friendship, faith, forgiveness and a fifty-year-old mystery.

Christmas, 1958: Elvis is on the radio, Ike is in the White House, the Lord is in his holy temple -- but there is no peace in Mt. Jefferson. In a small town where everybody seems to know everybody, there are still a few secrets. Three families find they are connected in ways they never suspected: an angry teen, a dying man, a lonely wife, a daughter in trouble -- just ordinary people, muddling their way through ordinary challenges. Illness. Marriage. Bad decisions. Friendship. Faith. Forgiveness. Spanning three generations, O Little Town is a tender tale of love and redemption, and a lonely gravesite where roses mysteriously appear every Christmas.


The Christmas Bus
by Melody Carlson
BN.com | Amazon.com

The people of Christmas Valley always celebrate Christmas to the fullest extent. The mayor plays Santa, every business is holiday themed, and there's a nativity for the kids each Christmas Eve. This town knows Christmas.

But this year nothing goes according to plan. Shepherd's Inn is full of strangers, Mad Myrtle is causing problems, and a young couple with a baby due any minute rolls in to the middle of town in their Partridge Family-style bus. It's hardly the holiday Christmas Valley wanted--but it may be just what they need. This charming novella is sure to become a new Christmas tradition for readers who love a great holiday story.


The Christmas Dog
by Melody Carlson
BN.com | Amazon.com

Betty Kowalski isn't looking forward to the holidays. She just can't seem to find Christmas in her heart. There's church, of course. But who can she bake for these days? And who would care whether or not she pulled out the Christmas decorations?

Her new neighbor just adds to the problem. He's doing home improvements that don't appear to be improving much of anything. These days when Betty looks out the window, she sees a beat-up truck, a pile of junk, lots of blue tarps, and--horror of horrors--an old pink toilet.

But when a mangy dog appears at her doorstep, the stage is set for Betty to learn a very important lesson about what Christmas is all about. This contemporary Christmas story is a timely yet gentle reminder that God can work miracles through something as seemingly insignificant as a little brown dog.


Double Dare
by Rhonda Nelson
BN.com | Amazon.com

Runaway bride Louisa Honeycut is looking for a quick escape when she passes the Double Dare, Inc. sign and the slogan "Are you ready for the time of your life?" seems like divine intervention. Sheltered by her overbearing father, Louisa has years of catching up to do and can think of no better person than gorgeous Sam Rawlins to show her. Is she ready for the time of her life? Hell, yes.

Ordinarily unflappable adventure guide Sam Rawlins makes his living showing the wealthy how to have fun, but nothing in his experience could have prepared him for the "adventure" Louisa Honeycut asks for. He might be showing Louisa the time of her life, but the quirky little snack-cake heiress is soon turning Sam's own life upside down... and perversely, he likes the new vantage point.


A Scaly Tale
(#1 in the Ripley's Bureau of Investigation: Fact or Fiction? children's series)
from Ripley's Believe It Or Not!
BN.com | Amazon.com

The Florida swamplands are home to hungry gators, wild electrical storms, and a most unusual creature. Sightings of a strange lizard-like animal reach Ripley High and the RBI are sent to investigate. During their search, the RBI agents find themselves in the middle of a high-speed airboat chase, a swarm of rats, a mysterious treasure hunt, and DUL agents in disguise. But then that’s nothing unusual when you’re a member of the RBI!

The Incredible Tito: Man of the Hour
by Howard Fast
BN.com | Amazon.com

Fast’s fascinating biography of Joseph Broz, known to the world as Tito, including his rise to power and his remarkable stand against fascism

The world was mired in the Second World War when Howard Fast wrote The Incredible Tito. Upon the book’s publication in 1944, there was still no united Yugoslavia, the Axis controlled most of Europe, and D-Day was only in the planning stages. In the Balkans, Tito was a beacon of hope against the advancing Nazis. He led a force of resistance fighters that bedeviled the occupying German army throughout Slavic regions and empowered people’s committees to act as local government in all liberated areas. For observers on the political left, Tito seemed uniquely poised to unite the East and West against fascism—once and for all.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Howard Fast including rare photos from the author’s estate.


The Scargill Cove Case Files
(an Arcane Society story)
by Jayne Ann Krentz
BN.com | Amazon.com

Chilling paranormal suspense in a small California town by the New York Times bestselling author of the Arcane Society novels!

As the director at Jones & Jones, a psychical investigation agency, Fallon Jones solves crimes of a different nature. Jones’s latest case involves a body found in the basement vault of a local bookstore, and scratchings on the inside of the door that seem to be a coded message, in this novella.

Tomorrow is Today
(a short story in the Tempest young adult series)
by Julie Cross
BN.com | Amazon.com

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, throws lots of parties, is interested in a girl he can’t have, and oh yeah, he can travel back through time.But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

Harlequin Holiday Collection: Four Classic Seasonal Novellas
from Harlequin
BN.com | (no longer available on Amazon.com)

A struggling B&B owner scrambles to hide the dead body wrapped in her Christmas tree from a visiting camera crew—and from her still-irresistible reporter ex. A waitress and a sexy FBI agent mix business with pleasure while investigating a crime over the holidays. A crime lab worker finds herself in danger six days before Christmas...and only her off-limits but oh-so-attractive coworker can help. And two childhood friends rediscover their sense of wonder—and love—when reunited for the holidays.

Discover these four classic seasonal novellas:
- And a Dead Guy in a Pear Tree by Leslie Kelly
- Seduced by the Season by Merline Lovelace
- Evidence of Desire by Debra Webb
- Season of Wonder by Marta Perry


The Penguin Holiday eSampler
from Penguin
BN.com | Amazon.com

This holiday season, Penguin’s making it easy for you to choose what book to read next. The Penguin Holiday eSampler includes more than forty excerpts from some of our biggest bestsellers, perennial favorites, and award-winners. We’ve divided the sampler into "books past, present, and future."

In the Past section, you’ll find both classic and recent books that have become reader favorites. You may have read some of these already, and you’ve probably heard about most of them, but this is the section to find that great book you may have missed or have been meaning to read for some time.

The Present section includes bestselling and award-winning novels and nonfiction from 2011. From bestselling authors you’ll recognize immediately to authors you may not know yet (but should!), this section provides a wide-range of books to choose from.

And finally, the Future section is for books coming out in late December or early 2012. If you like the excerpts, make sure you preorder.

A Holiday Sampler: Delicious Excerpts From Your Favorite Authors
from Hachette
BN.com | Amazon.com

This free eBook contains the complete essays "Six to Eight Black Men" and "See You Again Yesterday" by David Sedaris. Celebrate the holidays with eight great excerpts from bestselling authors like David Sedaris, James Patterson, Brad Meltzer, Nicholas Sparks, and more.


The John Green eSampler
by John Green
BN.com | Amazon.com

The John Green Free eBook Sampler is the ultimate introduction to bestselling, award-winning author John Green. Featuring excerpts from Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and his newest novel, The Fault in Our Stars, this free eBook preview gives an unforgettable sample of Green’s brilliant—and brilliantly funny—books.


Excerpt from The Moment
edited by Larry Smith
BN.com | Amazon.com

From the creators of the New York Times bestselling Six-Word Memoirs franchise, The Moment is a collection of brief and moving personal stories about how a single instant -- a single decision, happenstance, accident, call, conversation, letter, or tweet -- had a profound effect on a person’s life. In this excerpt, Jennifer Egan, Elizabeth Gilbert, Dave Eggers, and other writers both famous and obscure share their moments.

Christmas with Family & Friends Cookbook
(a Gooseberry Patch cookbook)
from Gooseberry Patch
BN.com | Amazon.com

Just imagine the aroma of homemade gingerbread cake, the savory taste of bacon-wrapped chestnuts and the festive fruitiness of Santa Claus cranberry punch. For Christmas dinner, try rosemary-garlic turkey alongside cranberry-pecan stuffing. There’s a whole chapter of favorite cookie recipes and you’ll treasure the chapter of memories too!

The Everything Healthy Cooking for Parties Book
by Linda Larsen
BN.com | Amazon.com

With a third of Americans on a diet at any given time, planning party menus can be a challenge for any hostess. Veteran cookbook author Linda Larsen has the solution! She offers you healthy cooking tips and delicious party-food recipes with your health in mind. Her recipes include lots of fruits and vegetables and low-fat ingredients like turkey bacon and tofu, so the foods are good for you and taste great! You will find many festive recipes: Cantaloupe Punch; High-Fiber Cashew Pear Bread; Low-Fat Turkey Swiss Sandwiches; Lemon Meringue Crunch Trifle; and more! With this book, you will discover that party food doesn't have to be bad for you. And that's reason enough to throw parties more often!


Decorating for Christmas
by Kasey Rogers
BN.com | Amazon.com

The holiday craft team of Kasey Rogers and Mark Wood supply do-it-yourselfers with grand Christmas projects to spruce up the home during this festive season. This team whips up some elegant decorations from the rustic nostalgia of their Country Cabin Christmas to the tradition of a red and white Candy Cane Christmas. Step-by-step instructions show how to create a children's table featuring whimsical toy soldier designs on a tablecloth, centerpiece, curtains, and pillows, as well as a winter wonderland with snowmen and cone shaped trees. The festive projects were beautifully photographed in vintage home settings.

Christmas Ornaments
by Carolyn Vosburg-Hall
BN.com | Amazon.com

Christmas is a festive time of the year, and one fun way to celebrate is to decorate!

Author Carolyn Vosburg Hall presents 25 projects for beautiful and decorative ornaments to adorn Christmas trees and the home for the holiday season. Each project includes detailed, step-by-step instructions, as well as colorful photographs. The ornaments can be made using common craft supplies such as polymer clay, paper, embroidery floss, beads, and glue, and are suitable for all skill levels.

The Misanthrope's Guide to Life
by Meghan Rowland & Chris Turner-Neal
BN.com | Amazon.com

Misanthrope, n.: 1.) One who hates mankind; a curmudgeon; a loner; 2.) The guy in your office who responded to your e-mail of baby photos with "D-. Passing, but not college material"; 3.) A Realist

In this guide, you'll learn how to get away from the pain-in-the-asses who make you seriously consider investing in a fallout shelter and making it your new home. You'll take isolated comfort in these survival strategies, including how to:
- Conduct managed incoherence to get the delivery boy from the lobby to your door
- Take a "French leave" in order to eat alone at work
- Get ousted from your kickball league by dressing as Magnum, P.I. for every game
- Get back at the jerk yapping on his cell phone by reciting the lyrics to Harry Chapin's version of "Cat's in the Cradle"
- End a conversation by "Gwynething" (also known as playing the "I'm delightfully foreign" act) someone to death

Even You Can Learn Statistics
by David M. Levine & David F. Stephan
BN.com | Amazon.com

The easy, practical, up-to-date introduction to statistics–for everyone! Thought you couldn’t learn statistics? You can–and you will! One easy step at a time, this fully updated book teaches you all the statistical techniques you’ll need for finance, quality, marketing, the social sciences, or anything else. Simple jargon-free explanations help you understand every technique. Practical examples and worked-out problems give you hands-on practice. Special sections present detailed instructions for developing statistical answers, using spreadsheet programs or any TI-83/TI-84 compatible calculator. This edition delivers new examples, more detailed problems and sample solutions, plus an all-new chapter on powerful multiple regression techniques.

Hate math? No sweat. You’ll be amazed at how little you need. Like math? Optional “Equation Blackboard” sections reveal the mathematical foundations of statistics right before your eyes!

Firms of Endearment
by Raj Sisodia, Jag Sheth, & David B. Wolfe
BN.com | Amazon.com

We’re entering an Age of Transcendence, as people increasingly search for higher meaning in their lives, not just more possessions. This is transforming the marketplace, the workplace, the very soul of capitalism. Increasingly, today’s most successful companies are bringing love, joy, authenticity, empathy, and soulfulness into their businesses: they are delivering emotional, experiential, and social value—not just profits.

Firms of Endearment illuminates this, the most fundamental transformation in capitalism since Adam Smith. It’s not about “corporate social responsibility”; it’s about building companies that can sustain success in a radically new era. It’s about great companies like IDEO and IKEA®, Commerce Bank and Costco®, Wegmans and Whole Foods® -- how they earn the powerful loyalty and affection that enables truly breathtaking performance.

This book is about gaining “share of heart,” not just share of wallet. It’s about aligning stakeholders’ interests, not just juggling them. It’s about building companies that leave the world a better place. Most of all, it’s about why you must do all this, or risk being left in the dust... and how to get there from wherever you are now.

The Addicted Brain
by Michael Kuhar, Ph.D.
BN.com | Amazon.com

Addiction destroys lives. In The Addicted Brain, a leading neuroscientist explains how and why this happens–and presents advances in treatment and prevention. Using breathtaking brain imagery and other research, Michael Kuhar, Ph.D., shows the powerful, long-term brain changes that drugs can cause, revealing why it can be so difficult for addicts to escape their grip.

In plain English, Kuhar describes why some people are far more susceptible to addiction than others. He illuminates striking neural similarities between drugs and other pleasures potentially capable of causing abuse or addiction–including alcohol, gambling, sex, caffeine, and even Internet overuse. Finally, he outlines the 12 characteristics most often associated with successful treatment.

Authoritative and easy to understand, The Addicted Brain offers today’s most up-to-date scientific explanation of addiction–and what addicts, their families, and society can do about it.

Living Successfully with Screwed-Up People
by Elizabeth B. Brown
BN.com | Amazon.com

People approach Elizabeth Brown after her seminars with the same basic question: How do I deal with someone who is so "screwed-up"? If you had to live with my husband... If you had to work with my boss...

Unfortunately, the world is full of screwed-up people, but your world no longer has to revolve around them, writes Brown. With brilliant insights and a keen sense of humor, this trusted author and sought-after speaker shows readers how to:
- stop the power of whatever is eating them alive
- productively respond when confronted
- remain poised and in control when everyone around them loses it
- win fairly in unfair battles
- let go of what has been, or what they wish would be, and live triumphantly now

Dozens of real-life success stories, brief diagnostic tests, and practical tools are included to help readers assess their own situation and gain confidence to change self-defeating behaviors.

Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids
by Rob Elliott
BN.com | Amazon.com

What happens to race car drivers when they eat too much? They get indy-gestion.

Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids provides children ages 7-10 many hours of fun and laughter. Young readers will have a blast sharing this collection of hundreds of one-liners, knock knock jokes, tongue twisters, and more with their friends and family! This brand new book will have children rolling on the floor with laughter. These good, clean jokes are perfect for the young comedian in your family.

Amazon.com: Kindle

Design on a Crime
(#1 in the Deadly Décor mystery series)
by Ginny Aiken

Haley Farrell is taking a chance on herself. After receiving her interior design certificate, she quits her job at the local furniture store and decides to open her own interior decorating business. But with all the advantages of her new career-meeting new people, and decorating new and old homes-comes a huge pitfall. Her new job allows her access into her clients' homes and their lives... but also their deaths.

When Haley's mentor, Marge Norwalk, is murdered, Haley becomes the prime suspect. Armed only with the confidence that Marge instilled in her, Haley sets out to find the real murderer. But as she sets forth, she has no idea what twists and turns will bring her face-to-face with her long-hidden past.


A Dixie Christmas
(2 holiday stories)
by Sandra Hill

Two magnolias-and-mistletoe-inspired holiday stories from the bestselling author of more than thirty romantic, humorous novels.

Laughter and love combine in Sandra Hill’s "Blue Christmas" — with a touch of Elvis magic. Wealthy Wall Street businessman Clayton Jessup III has only one reason for arriving in Memphis a few days before Christmas — to sell off his inheritance, an embarrassingly kitschy hotel named The Blue Suede Suites. But then he steps in trouble—literally—when he confronts the bizarre group of Elvis impersonators who’ve set up a living Nativity scene on his property. One slip of a wingtip in some sheep poop lands Clay in the care of gorgeous Annie Fallon, whose big-haired Elvis-girlfriend get-up can’t hide her wholesome, sexy appeal. Annie and her brothers have set up the Nativity scene to earn some badly needed money for their struggling dairy farm. The last thing she needs is an angry Yankee with a concussion and a come-hither smile...

In "Jinx Christmas," sexy NASCAR star Lance Caslow makes a last-ditch effort to win back his ex-wife Brenda. Five years ago, his reckless pursuit of racetrack fame tore them apart and broke Brenda’s heart. Now Lance shows up in Louisiana determined to make things right this Christmas, not just for himself and Brenda, but for their young daughter, Patti. He’s got his work cut out for him, and desperate measures are needed. Lance will do anything to prove he’s worthy of Brenda’s trust again — even join the Cajun Christmas show starring a raucous Cajun family whose menfolk dance for charity events in little more than a smile...

The Cloud Roads
by Martha Wells

Moon has spent his life hiding what he is -- a shape-shifter able to transform himself into a winged creature of flight. An orphan with only vague memories of his own kind, Moon tries to fit in among the tribes of his river valley, with mixed success.

Just as Moon is once again cast out by his adopted tribe, he discovers a shape-shifter like himself... someone who seems to know exactly what he is, who promises that Moon will be welcomed into his community. What this stranger doesn't tell Moon is that his presence will tip the balance of power... that his extraordinary lineage is crucial to the colony's survival... and that his people face extinction at the hands of the dreaded Fell! Now Moon must overcome a lifetime of conditioning in order to save himself... and his newfound kin.


Declaring Spinsterhood
by Jamie Lynn Braziel

Emma Bailey is thirty years old and single. No problem for her, but a point of round-the-clock contention for her mother, her family, and too many of her friends.

In Jamie Lynn Braziel's Declaring Spinsterhood, the terminal illness known as "old maid" is explored from every angle, and the result is a compassionate, compelling, and wickedly funny novel. Emma may stand up before all and declare her intention to never marry, but what about that little place in her heart reserved for Brian Davis? Sure, Brian's seeing someone, and Emma is not a vixen who breaks up relationships, but would it be so terrible if Brian returned the interest?

Rather than bide her time, Emma dates... and dates. Some of the men are charming, others less so. With her vow of spinsterhood more a noose than a friend, Emma musters her courage and moves on. That is, until the unforeseen throws up the biggest obstacle of her life: love.


Dead Air
(a Sammy Greene thriller)
by Deborah Shlian & Linda Reid

Talk is cheap, but when this radio host takes action, she may pay the ultimate price.

An outspoken, brash, native New Yorker, Sammy Greene isn't afraid to ruffle a few feathers at Ellsford University, her ultraconservative New England college. Host of "The Hot Line," a talk-radio show on campus station WELL, Sammy tackles the toughest, most controversial issues facing Ellsford's students.

When Sammy discovers the body of Dr. Burton Conrad, one of Ellsford's most esteemed professors, her journalistic drive kicks in and she sets out to discover what happened to the beloved professor. But when several Ellsford students mysteriously disappear, Sammy realizes she's uncovered the seamy, terrifying underbellyof this prestigious institute of higher education. With the entire campus in peril, and demons from her past close behind, Sammy Greene must race to find answers. Along the way, she'll discover some unlikely allies-and even more unlikely enemies. If Sammy isn't careful, someone is going to make sure that she signs off-for good.

Open Season
(#1 in the Joe Gunther mystery series)
by Archer Mayor

Lt. Joe Gunther of the Brattleboro, Vermont, police force has a serious problem: in a community where a decade could pass without a single murder, the body count is suddenly mounting. Innocent citizens are being killed — and others set-up — seemingly orchestrated by a mysterious ski-masked man. Signs suggest that a three-year-old murder trial might lie at the heart of things, but it’s a case that many in the department would prefer remained closed. A man of quiet integrity, Lt. Gunther knows that he must pursue the case to its conclusion, wherever it leads.

Open Season is the first of Archer Mayor’s Joe Gunther novels, a series of gripping police procedurals set in New England, where small-town charm, stoicism, and civility sometimes conceal brutal truths.


Indigo Blues
by Danielle Joseph

Indigo:
I never asked to be famous—or infamous. Such is my fate for briefly dating (and dumping) Adam Spade. Yes, the Adam from the indie rock band Blank Stare who wrote "Indigo Blues" — the song that gave the band overnight success, propelled them to New York City, and stole my precious anonymity. Now I'm pawed by fans, stalked by reporters, and pegged as a vicious heartbreaker. And Adam is still calling me. Doesn't he have better things to do?

Adam:
With a hit single and a promising career, I should be on top of the world. People on the street are beginning to recognize me, which is cool. And scary. The band is counting on me to write another hit, but I can't stop thinking about Indigo. Why won't she answer the phone?


A Married Man's Guide to Christmas
by Robert Henry

In the great tradition of guy-humor everywhere, here comes humorist Robert Henry’s growling, good-hearted rant about holiday madness, A Married Man's Guide to Christmas. Henry reveals the truth about Christmas through the eyes of a typical married man: “Remember, it’s not how you celebrate the joyous season. It’s whether you are still alive, married, sleeping indoors, with a healthy prostate, and without a rap sheet on January 4th that counts.” Husbands will laugh out loud. Dads will slap their knees and keel over (have CPR ready). Wives, daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts, female co-workers and sales clerks who dread seeing men mumble and mutter their way through the Christmas section at BIG BOX DISCOUNT WAREHOUSE will nod in recognition at the syndrome best described as “CAN I SURVIVE UNTIL NEW YEAR’S?”

A Married Man’s Guide To Christmas is a must for every guy who wants the women in his life to understand why he’d rather buy them gift certificates than brave the treacherous online world of lingerie catalogs. Why have just a joyous season, when you can have a Christmas filled with laughs that don’t include finding pictures of Uncle Herbert in a teddy? Irreverent, honest, and biodegradable, Robert Henry has captured the essence of the holiday season for all men in A Married Man’s Guide To Christmas. So grab it today for all the beleaguered males on your Xmas list and all the long-suffering females who just want the lights strung on the front porch by Christmas Eve, the honey-do list completed before Aunt Sookie arrives with her flatulent Pekinese, and that expensive bottle of Scotch left mostly full until the tinsel is hung, the presents are wrapped, and the home owner’s association has accepted your apology for spelling out a less-than-jolly greeting in solar-powered candy canes on your front lawn.

Haunted Virginia
by L.B. Taylor Jr.

The Old Dominion has been one of the nation's most embattled states. Serving as center stage for both the Revolution and the Civil War, it is also one of the most haunted. In addition to the sagas of the tragic spirits from these wars, this volume includes stories on the female stranger of Gadsby's Tavern in Alexandria, the mysterious stone showers in Newport, the ghost hound of the Blue Ridge, Mad Lucy of Williamsburg, and the spirits of native sons Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee, and Edgar Allan Poe.


Haunted New York City
by Cheri Revai

America's most populated city is also home to many ghosts and strange creatures of the night. The most bizarre and frightening stories of the paranormal from the five boroughs are compiled in this volume, including the phantom searching for lost gold in the Parrish House in the Bronx, the demonic flying Coney Island Monster in Brooklyn, the haunted St. Paul's Chapel in Manhattan, the raving ghost of Mount Olivet Cemetery in Queens, the restless spirits that peer from the windows of the Kreischer Mansion in Staten Island, and many others.


Drop a Dress Size
(part of the 52 Brilliant Ideas non-fiction series)
by Eve Cameron & Kate Cook

Are you one of the millions of women who want to shed a few pounds? Are you confused by the never-ending avalanche of books, magazines, websites and TV programmes to allegedly ‘help’? There are hundres of so-called experts out there, all touting the latest trend. But who’s got the time to wade through all of this information to sift the stuff that works from the rubbish? Drop a dress size, the newest book in the 52 Brilliant Little Ideas series, cuts straight to the heart of the matter. By using the tips in Drop a Dress Size you can change your mindset and lifestyle, ultimately giving you the body you really want.

Cultivate a Cool Career
(part of the 52 Brilliant Ideas non-fiction series)
by Ken Langdon

Whether you're fresh out of education or looking for a new direction in your existing career you need some new ideas to get you to the top. In Cultivate a Cool Career, organisations expert Ken Langdon provides 52 brilliant ideas to put some zing into your career. With realistic and practical advice on everything from dealing delicately with the boss to proving your worth in a tight spot, via ideas on networking effectively and rubbing along with even the most useless of colleagues, Cultivate a Cool Career is your ticket to the MD's chair.

Writing Bestselling Children's Books
(part of the 52 Brilliant Ideas non-fiction series)
by Alexander Gordon Smith

Writing Bestselling Children's Books isn’t a magic book. Opening it won’t instantly give you the ability to write a bestseller. But the hints, tips and exercises that Alexander has picked up over his years as a writer, and which got him his publishing deal with Faber, will help you free your imagination and create books that will capture children’s hearts forever.

Easy Gingerbread Tiki Hut
by Lisa Turner Anderson

Dreaming of the caribbean? Well building a fabulous gingerbread tiki hut is as easy as 1-2-3 with this no-bake take on the classic. This no-bake house is made from graham crackers and is put together with our secret recipe for royal icing! Includes pattern, simple step-by-step instructions, and a list of candy add-ons.

Barnes & Noble: nook

Little Nemo's Wild Sleigh Ride
by Roland Urbanek & Winsor McCay

Celebrate Christmas with Little Nemo and join him on one of the three fantastic adventures told in Little Nemo’s Christmas Adventures.

Share our hero’s excitement as he meets Santa Claus on the snowy rooftop of his home and gets to ride in Santa’s sleigh. See what happens when the reindeer run off in a wild stampede across the rooftops with Little Nemo at the reins and with Santa tumbling down along with a bag of spilled presents.

Take a trip back in time and enjoy over 30 of the classic illustrations created by Winsor McCay in the early 1900s and see them here restored and enhanced to bring the story to life.


Waiter! There's a Clue in My Soup!
(5 short mysteries)
by Camille LaGuire

Five light mystery short stories: from puzzles like "Waiter, There's a Clue in My Soup!", "The Hoosegow Strangler," and "Trail of the Lonesome Stickpin," to suspense in "Alibi" and "The Promise." These stories were previously published in magazines like Handheld Crime and Futures Mysterious Anthology. Several of these stories were nominated for a Derringer Award or put forward for an Edgar.


Great Wines Under $20
by Elyse Luray

Great Wines Under $20 offers select wines (100 red, 100 white) from around the world and organized by type: Chardonnay, Riesling; Merlot, Shiraz, etc., with suggested food pairings. Elyse Luray writes in clear and simple language, avoiding the arcane "wine-speak" that many beginning wine buyers find intimidating. The handy and portable size makes it an essential reference, whether browsing the local wine shop or ordering online. A color-coded index provides handy icons that quickly identify food pairings — beef, chicken, fish, pasta, salad, etc., and the perfect wineglasses and tips from experts.