Free eBooks: 9/30/2011
This month, I didn't get quite as many free e-books from Amazon.com (for Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (for nook) as I did last month — 55 in August (see August posts one and two), but only 33 this month. Read on to see the 33 freebies I've snagged 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)
The Score
(#5 in the Parker series)
by Richard Stark
BN.com | Amazon.com
University of Chicago Press free book for September
Parker, the ruthless antihero of Richard Stark’s eponymous mystery novels, is one of the most unforgettable characters in hardboiled noir. Lauded by critics for his taut realism, unapologetic amorality, and razor-sharp prose-style—and adored by fans who turn each intoxicating page with increasing urgency—Stark is a master of crime writing; his books as influential as any in the genre. The University of Chicago Press has embarked on a project to return the early volumes of this series to print for a new generation of readers to discover—and become addicted to.
Parker works with a group of professional con men in The Score on his biggest job yet—robbing an entire town in North Dakota.
Mama Does Time
(#1 in the Mace Bauer mystery series)
by Deborah Sharp
BN.com | Amazon.com
Meet Mama: a true Southern woman with impeccable manners, sherbet-colored pantsuits, and four prior husbands, able to serve sweet tea and sidestep alligator attacks with equal aplomb. Mama's antics — especially her penchant for finding trouble — drive her daughters Mace, Maddie, and Marty to distraction.
One night, while settling in to look for ex-beaus on COPS, Mace gets a frantic call from her mother. This time, the trouble is real: Mama found a body in the trunk of her turquoise convertible and the police think she's the killer. It doesn't help that the handsome detective assigned to the case seems determined to prove Mama's guilt or that the cowboy who broke Mace's heart shows up at the local Booze ‘n' Breeze in the midst of the investigation. Before their mama lands in prison — just like an embarrassing lyric from a country-western song — Mace and her sisters must find the real culprit.
Scared Stiff
(#2 in the Mattie Winston mystery series)
by Annelise Ryan
BN.com | Amazon.com
When Deputy Coroner Mattie Winston and her boss/best friend, Izzy, are called to the home of waitress and part-time model Shannon Tolliver, they find the ghoulish Halloween decorations a bit too authentic. Among the fake blood and skeletons is the corpse of Shannon herself. Since the whole town knows Shannon recently had a very public spat with her estranged husband, Erik, he's suspect #1. But Mattie happens to know Erik truly loved his wife, and is simply incapable of the brutal act-even if he owns the exact same caliber handgun as the murder weapon...
Determined to unearth the truth, Mattie puts her scalpel-sharp medical skills to work, and digs a little deeper. What she uncovers is stranger than anyone could have imagined...
Night Bird's Reign
(#1 in the Dreamer's Cycle series)
by Holly Taylor
BN.com | Amazon.com
The High King is dead. The land is in peril. A child has been born to save his people. But a traitor lurks with evil in his mind and murder in his heart, dogging the footsteps of those who protect the babe who would be king. But magic is at work, high magic. Gwydion the Dreamer awakes, screaming, from a prophetic dream of tragedy and loss, a dream peopled by kings of the past. Though he thinks he is not ready, the Shining Ones lay a task upon him: protect young Arthur; and locate Caladfwlch, the lost sword of the last, murdered High King of Kymru. Dodging assassins to find the woman who holds the key to unlock a horrible secret, and fighting the longings of his own shattered heart, Gwydion sets out upon his odyssey. And finds that fate cannot be fulfilled without sacrificing the life of someone he loves.
Straw House
by Daniel Nayeri
BN.com | Amazon.com
In this profoundly allegorical cutting-edge novella, a sizzling Western set on a farm filled with living toys, readers meet a young straw man who must lay his life on the line to defend his master's home, who loves a basil-eyed girl, and who searches for manhood through the fiery confusion of adolescence.
Wanderlust: A Book Club Sampler from Simon & Schuster
[various artists]
BN.com | Amazon.com
Wanderlust: A Book Club Sampler from Simon & Schuster is your boarding pass to the beautiful, the mysterious, and the unknown. This book club sampler was created to pay homage to a book’s unique ability to transport your imagination around the world, taking you on journeys across distance and time. Whether you’re in the mood for a historical love story set on a sheep station in rural Australia or an illuminating memoir of life in the war-torn Middle East, these are books you and your reading group won’t want to miss.
Each excerpt in Wanderlust is accompanied by a collection of bonus materials intended to enrich your reading experience, including discussion questions, suggestions for enhancing your book club meeting, and author interviews. In the spirit of looking to the horizon, we also asked each author featured in this sampler one question: “What is your favorite travel memory?” Their answers are fittingly diverse.
Deadly Sanctuary
(#1 in the Kendall O'Dell mystery series)
by Sylvia Nobel
BN.com | Amazon.com
Beautiful, strong-willed reporter, Kendall O'Dell, is drawn into an evil web of conspiracy beyond anything she could have ever imagined when she accepts a position at a small newspaper in isolated Castle Valley, Arizona. Her assignment: Find out why her predecessor mysteriously vanished while working on a story concerning the unsolved deaths of two teenage girls. Why is the sheriff so hostile to her inquiries? Why is the woman operating the local shelter for homeless girls so secretive? And how is attractive rancher Bradley Talverson involved?
When the body of a third girl is discovered in the desert not far from a private mental institution, Kendall's life hangs in the balance as she strives to uncover the horrifying secret.
The Do's and Don'ts of Holiday Parties
by Jacqueline Whitmore
BN.com | Amazon.com
How To Entertain With Elegance And Ease.
Rest assured: in today’s fast-paced world, where most of us are short on time and resources, there are no absolute rules about parties. But the best rule to keep in mind is the five Ps: prior planning prevents poor performance. After all, the purpose of entertaining for business or pleasure is to show your guests a good time without getting too stressed out. In The Do's and Don't of Holiday Parties, Jacqueline Whitmore serves up ten tips to help you get started.
How To Be The World's Best Guest.
To ensure that you stay in the good graces of others this holiday season, Jacqueline Whitmore gives you a few simple yet often forgotten tips, covering everything from when to show up, how to ask permission to bring an uninvited guest, to what to bring, how to dress, what to discuss, and how to thank your host.
The Everything Soup, Stew, & Chili Cookbook
by Belinda Hulin
BN.com | Amazon.com
Soups, stews, and chilies are comforting meals the whole family enjoys; and to top it off, they're inexpensive to create! This cookbook includes information and cooking tips, as well as 300 mouthwatering recipes.
Whether you are in the mood for a chilled fruit soup on a warm summer day or a comforting meat-and-potato stew on a cold winter night, this book has everything! No matter what the season or occasion, you will find a choice that hits the spot.
Tailgating Cookbook
(Gooseberry Patch Cookbooklet #14)
by Gooseberry Patch
BN.com | Amazon.com
Get a taste of Gooseberry Patch in this collection of over 20 favorite game-day recipes! From high-school homecoming to the big bowl, parked at the stadium or right in front of your TV, Gooseberry Patch Tailgating will help you throw the winningest party of the season! Tackle those appetites with Touchdown Taco Dip, Running-Back Stuffed Mushrooms and more!
Pumpkin Cookbook
(Gooseberry Patch Cookbooklet #15)
by Gooseberry Patch
BN.com | Amazon.com
Get a taste of Gooseberry Patch in this collection of over 20 favorite pumpkin recipes! Pumpkins are as versatile in the kitchen as they are in your home…start the morning with Pumpkin Coffee Cake, amaze the kids with The Great Pumpkin Stew, and invite friends over on a chilly October evening for some warm Pumpkin Cobbler.
Burger Recipes
(a Gooseberry Patch Circle of Friends cookbook)
by Gooseberry Patch
BN.com | Amazon.com
Everyone in the family is sure to cheer when burgers are on the menu! We've gathered 25 of our very best recipes in this latest chapter of our Circle of Friends cookbook. You'll love Open-Faced Lone Star Burgers, Stuffed Bacon Cheeseburgers, Mexican Fiesta Burgers, Savory Chicken Burgers and more!
Barnes & Noble: nook
Scoop
(#2 in the Cauley MacKinnon mystery series)
by Kit Frazier
Cauley MacKinnon is staring down the barrel of twenty-eighth birthday, certain the only things standing between her and certain doom are instinct, pure dumb luck and a kick-ass hairdresser. Starting over after a truly bad marriage and armed with a freshly minted journalism degree, Cauley is disappointed to find that the only job she can get in her hometown of Austin is as an obituary writer - something that only happens to interns who've been very good, or reporters who've been very bad.
Somehow, Cauley's managed to do both. While on the hunt for a story that will get her off the Death Page, Cauley's life takes a turn for the worse when hapless childhood friend, Scott Barnes, threatens suicide and barricades himself in a dilapidated old shed where he phones Cauley for help. Cauley is soon devastated when she discovers Barnes dead at his computer with an empty bottle of bourbon and a computer-generated suicide note. Soon, Cauley is up to her eyelashes in dead bodies and everyone wants to know what Barnes said in the shed - the last time anyone saw him alive.
Bright Young Things [with bonus material]
(#1 in the Bright Young Things series)
by Anna Godbersen
[the bonus material edition is no longer available at BN.com; link directs to the standard nook edition]
The year is 1929. Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star...
Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined—and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for... and someone will.
The only person Cordelia can trust is Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.
Stars Collide
(in the Backstage Pass series)
by Janice Thompson
Kat Jennings and Scott Murphy don't just play two people who are secretly in love on a television sitcom--they are actually head over heels for each other in real life. When the lines between reality and TV land blur, they hope they can keep their relationship under wraps. But when Kat's grandmother, an eccentric star from Hollywood's golden age, mistakes their on-screen wedding proposal for the real deal, things begin to spiral out of control. Will their secret be front-page news in the tabloids? And can their budding romance survive the onslaught of paparazzi, wedding preparations, and misinformed family members?
From the soundstage to a Beverly Hills mansion to the gleaming Pacific Ocean, Stars Collide takes you on a roller-coaster tour of Hollywood, packing both comedic punch and tender emotion.
The Postcard Maker
by Lawrence Bohme
[no longer available at BN.com; link directs to Smashwords, where the book is still free]
Author Lawrence Bohme has been illustrating his own books and making pen-and-ink postcards for over 30 years, and on three different continents. At last he has brought together over 100 postcards of the life and scenes of famous cities and little-known villages alike in a single volume, with a running narrative that explains each one and how the artist came to draw it.
Amazon.com: Kindle
ABC's Revenge: Pilot Episode Script
by ABC Studios
Emily Thorne is the newest arrival in the Hamptons this summer. By all appearances, she’s a friendly and sophisticated “girl next door,” whose disarming charm and generosity allow her seamless access to the restricted circles of Hampton's high society. But the affluent, exclusive world she’s immersed herself in is tied to a dark family history, and Emily Thorne is anything but what she seems. When Emily was just nine, her father was framed for a horrific crime by neighbors he trusted, and was sentenced to life in prison. Emily never saw her father again and spent her childhood consumed by rage, loss and betrayal. 17 years later, she has returned under an assumed identity with one endgame: REVENGE — every social overture a carefully planned chip at the foundation of her sworn enemies, until their lives come crashing down around them. Emily’s goal is unwavering, and her sharp mind is always five steps ahead. But when her past begins to catch up, her true heart may get caught in the crossfire.
The rest of the Amazon.com-exclusive freebies this month were classics published by Vook as part of their "Enhanced Classics" series. The "enhancements" appear to be the inclusion of illustrations and photographs, as well as the formatting and editing standard in print editions but usually lacking in free digital editions of classics.
Classic Sherlock Holmes Mysteries
by Arthur Conan Doyle
No other name or character is as synonymous with the detective genre as Sherlock Holmes. Since their first serial publication in the late 19th century, the exploits and cunning of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous protagonist have electrified audiences and challenged readers to figure out whodunit. Now, Vook Classics presents six of the most popular Sherlock Holmes adventures, including the characters first appearance ("A Scandal in Bohemia"), as well as some of the orignal illustrations by Sydney Paget. For readers seeking quality mystery reading, choosing this Vook is... elementary.
Even More Classic Sherlock Holmes Mysteries
by Arthur Conan Doyle
No other name or character is as synonymous with the detective genre as Sherlock Holmes. Since their first serial publication in the late 19th century, the exploits and cunning of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous protagonist have electrified audiences and challenged readers to figure out whodunit. Vook Classics now presents six of the most popular Sherlock Holmes adventures paired with intriguing visuals, including some of the original Sydney Paget illustrations that accompanied their original publication in The Strand magazine. For readers seeking quality mystery reading, choosing this Vook is... elementary.
Gulliver's Travels
by Jonathan Swift
One of English literature's oldest and most enduring travelogs, Gulliver's Travels has remained in constant readership since its publication in 1735. Showcasing Jonathan Swift's rapier-sharp wit, the fantastic novel satirizes human behavior, politics and the conventions of fiction. From Lilliput to Glubbdubdrib and all the "remote" countries in between, Swift reminds us no matter how far we travel, some things stay very much the same.
Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
Perhaps one of the most widely read novels of all time, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice follows the story of young Elizabeth Bennet as she navigates life in England's landed gentry as a young woman. With wit and craft, Austen's characters prompt reflection on notions of propriety, morality and polite society even now, from protagonist Elizabeth to the perennially crush-worthy Mr. Darcy.
Northanger Abbey
by Jane Austen
Jane Austen's first published novel remains one of her best, despite its being nearly forgotten until it was rediscovered after her death.
Seventeen-year-old Catherine is a romantic girl who's wrapped her dreams in books, until she holidays at a mysterious country manor, finding herself in a gothic novel herself.
Sense and Sensibility
by Jane Austen
Love and contentment prove a challenging quarry for two sisters after the death of their landed father.
Originally published in 1811, Sense and Sensibility was Jane Austen's debut novel. At once a timeless coming of age story and an engaging tale of domestic intrigue, Austen's first remains one of her best.
Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
Perhaps one of the most popularly adapted horror stories, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in its original form is a thought-provoking and haunting experience raising questions about the nature of mankind and humanity's ability to control its own creations and ambitions. First published in 1818, Shelley's chilling tale remains a staple of the horror genre and gothic, Romantic fiction.
Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë
A stylistically groundbreaking novel, Charlotte Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre remains one of the most widely read works of 19th century literature. A game-changing female character for English literature, Jane comes of age as she struggles through a life of poverty and misfortune to achieve stability and, moreover, recognition of her own self-worth. Complementing these themes is Brontë's gothic use of mystery as our heroine navigates daunting charity schools, the barren moors and the seemingly haunted Thornfield estate and its many secrets.
A Princess of Mars
by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Mars, a dying planet, is the backdrop for this adventurous planetary romance. Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars is a classic sci-fi pulp novel containing epic sword-fights and narrow escapes. The book proved to be highly influential on later science fiction authors like Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke.
Kidnapped
by Robert Louis Stevenson
This work of historical fiction by Robert Louis Stevenson chronicles the adventures of a young man named David Balfour. It is believed to be based on the true story of James Annesley, who was kidnapped at the age of 12. Kidnapped was published in 1886 and has garnered praise from the likes of Jorge Luis Borges and Seamus Heaney.
Anna Karenina
by Leo Tolstoy
Originally published in serial form over a four year period, the expansive Anna Karenina represents one of Tolstoy's masterpieces. An exquisitely wrought portrait of the quiet dramas of aristocracy, the novel depicts the protagonist's tragic love affair with a man of title. Groundbreaking in its own time, Anna Karenina remains a living classic and a staple of Russian literature.
