Friday, October 15, 2010

Free and Low Priced E-Books

E-readers are wonderful tools that can allow you to read books for free or at a very low cost. I know that there has been much talk about how expensive ebooks can be, however, like buying anything, you need to shop around to find the best deal.

I've been spending a lot of time online looking for the best places to buy, along with the best places to find free books. I've found a few good deals this week, one that I'm really thrilled about.

Because of this, I'll start with low cost books:

Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel was a novel I read when I was a teen. I remember it as a really good book, and was excited to find it out it was just released in ebook format. You can find it at Barnes & Noble, Borders and Amazon, but the best deal for me was at Kobo.com where I bought it for 79 cents!! I'm on Kobo's mailing list, and this week they sent $1 off code to use on your ebook purchase. The book is priced at $1.79 before coupon - and is still not a bad deal. Other stores are selling it from $1.59 to $1.99, depending on the format and store.

About the book (from Amazon)

"When her parents are killed by an earthquake, 5-year-old Ayla wanders through the forest completely alone. Cold, hungry, and badly injured by a cave lion, the little girl is as good as gone until she is discovered by a group who call themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear. This clan, left homeless by the same disaster, have little interest in the helpless girl who comes from the tribe they refer to as the "Others." Only their medicine woman sees in Ayla a fellow human, worthy of care. She painstakingly nurses her back to health--a decision that will forever alter the physical and emotional structure of the clan. Although this story takes place roughly 35,000 years ago, its cast of characters could easily slide into any modern tale. The members of the Neanderthal clan, ruled by traditions and taboos, find themselves challenged by this outsider, who represents the physically modern Cro-Magnons. And as Ayla begins to grow and mature, her natural tendencies emerge, putting her in the middle of a brutal and dangerous power struggle."

Another interesting find was an ebook called "Suffer the Children" by Sara Jayne Townsend. I stumbled across this by accident at Borders, and it looked fascinating enough to pay 49 cents to try it out. Sadly, Borders had no description, so I had to do a search on it. I found it at Amazon for $4.99 in the Kindle edition with a description.

About the Book: (from Amazon)

"Fear has a face… Orphaned at eighteen, Leanne's life is adrift in a sea of grief and drug use. She washes up on the shore of estranged relatives, the Carver family, struggling with loss of their own. The transition from her South London council estate to her new home in the Surrey middle-class suburbs is difficult for Leanne. But beneath the respectable veneer of the quiet neighborhood, something terrifying lurks. Displaced and troubled teenagers are disappearing. Leanne recruits her cousin Simon and his girlfriend Carrie to help get to the bottom of the sinister mystery. Can the three of them stop a creature of unimaginable evil before Leanne becomes a target?"

Are you in the mood for Christmas romance? "Home for the Holidays" by Debbie Macomber contains 2 Christmas romance stories "The Forgetful Bride" and "When Christmas Comes". This ebook can be purchased from both Barnes & Noble and Amazon for $1.24. I have never read a book by this author before, but have seen many books by her at my library, so I'm assuming her to be a popular author.

About the Book: (from Barnes & Noble)
"Everyone wants to be home for the holidays…
The Forgetful Bride
Caitlin Marshall's trying to go home to Minnesota, but at the last minute she gives her airline ticket to a stranded soldier. So Cait spends Christmas with Joe Rockwell, who was a childhood friend—and is still a terrible tease, claiming that Cait's his wife. Oh, sure, they were "married" in a pretend ceremony when she was eight, but now Joe wants to make their "marriage" real!

When Christmas Comes
Emily Springer trades her Leavenworth, Washington, home for Charles Brewster's Boston condo. Then Emily's friend Faith comes to visit her in Washington—and instead finds Charles, a complete stranger and a curmudgeon, to boot. His brother, Ray, meanwhile, shows up at Charles's place, only to discover Emily living there. But through all the mix-ups and misunderstandings, among the chaos and confusion, romance begins to emerge…."

Free Books

Redemption by Karen Kingsbury with Gary Smalley. This ebook is free at Amazon.  This is the first book of the Redemption Series.

About the Book(from author)

"When Kari Baxter Jacobs finds out that her husband is involved in an adulterous relationship and wants a divorce, she decides she will love him and remain faithful to her marriage at all costs. This book shows how God can redeem seemingly hopeless relationships, and it illustrates one of Gary Smalley's key messages: Love is a decision."

Tahn: A Novel by L.A. Kelly. This ebook is free from Amazon. This is the first book in the series.

About the Book: (from author)
"One man. Two noble families. A looming conflict that could destroy them all. 
 
Trained in his youth to be a mercenary but troubled by the deeds of his past, Tahn Dorn must now choose between the commands of a master and the urgings of his own good conscience. When his latest orders instruct him to kidnap Lady Netta of the House of Trilett, Tahn realizes that following his conscience won’t be easy, especially with the lives of his young students at stake.

As Tahn’s struggle continues, neither he nor Lady Netta can foretell the series of events that will unfold and change both their lives forever. Wrestling to understand Netta’s God, Tahn is filled with doubt, and Netta herself wonders how such a man is willing to risk his life for a ragtag band of little children.

The bravery of an unlikely hero, the love of an honorable lady, and the innocence of each wayward child resonate throughout this gripping tale of courage, faith, forgiveness, and unconditional love."

The Lord Is My Shepherd (Psalm 23 Mystery Series #1) by Debbie Viguie. This ebook is free both from Barnes & Noble and Amazon

About the Book: (from Barnes & Noble)

"Cindy’s church is getting ready to celebrate Easter, and Jeremiah’s Temple is preparing for Passover when Cindy literally stumbles over the body of an unknown man lying dead in the sanctuary. The church was locked, and a bloody cross necklace on the floor seems to be the only clue. The killer is likely a member of the congregation, but there are hints that similar deaths have happened in the past. Are Cindy and Jeremiah dealing with a serial killer? They have to unravel the clues before Easter Sunday arrives and more people die.


Cindy and Jeremiah come from two different worlds, even though they work right next door to each other. Cindy is a strong Christian who lives a normal but somewhat dull life, working as a church secretary. Jeremiah is a Reformed rabbi with a mysterious past full of danger and excitement. But one eventful Easter/Passover week, the two find themselves working together to solve a murder and stop a serial killer from striking again. Solving the mystery should put an end to their alliance, but the church secretary and the rabbi quickly find themselves enmeshed in another mystery. Soon the two form a friendly alliance and friendship, exploring personal history and faith and growing closer with each passing adventure. Despite their differences Cindy and Jeremiah find a lot of common ground."

The Power of a Whisper: Hearing God, Having the Guts to Respond by Bill Hybels. This ebook is free both at Barnes & Noble, CBD and Amazon

About the Book: (from Amazon)

'Without a hint of exaggeration,' says pastor and author Bill Hybels in The Power of a Whisper: Hearing God, Having the Guts to Respond Ebook, 'the ability to discern divine direction has saved me from a life of sure boredom and self-destruction. God's well-timed words have redirected my path, rescued me from temptation and re-energized me during some of my deepest moments of despair.' In The Power of a Whisper, vision is cast for what life can look like when God's followers choose to hear from heaven as they navigate life on earth. Whispers that arbitrate key decisions, nudges that rescue from dark nights of the soul, promptings that spur on growth, urgings that come by way of another person, inspiration that opens once-glazed-over eyes to the terrible plight people face in this world---through firsthand accounts spanning fifty-seven years of life, more than thirty of which have been spent in the trenches of ministry, Hybels promotes passion in Christ-followers' hearts for being wide open to hearing from God, and for getting gutsier about doing exactly what he says to do. For more information go to: www.thewhisperwall.com.

Intervention by Terri Blackstock This book can be found free at Barnes & Noble, CBD and Amazon.

About the Book: (from CBD)

The intervention was supposed to help Barbara's family---not thrust them into a new nightmare. But when her 18-year-old daughter, Emily, is escorted to drug treatment, the therapist is murdered and Emily vanishes. Barbara and her 14-year-old son are frantic. The police think Emily's the killer---but what if they're wrong? And where is she now?

Enchanting the Lady by Kathryne Kennedy free from both Barnes & Noble and Amazon

About the Book:

"In a Victorian London where titles are based on the inheritance of magical powers, a were-lion’s obsessive quest for Merlin’s magical relics will threaten his love for a disinherited duchess—as well as their very lives."

Sandman Slim (with bonus content) by Richard Kadrey. This book is free from both Barnes & Noble and Amazon. This book is not for everyone. It contains graphic violence and explicit language.

About the book (from the author):

"Supernatural fantasy has a new antihero.
 
Life sucks, and then you die. Or, if you're James Stark, you spend eleven years in Hell as a hitman before finally escaping, only to land back in the hell-on-earth that is Los Angeles.

Now Stark's back, and ready for revenge. And absolution, and maybe even love. But Stark discovers that the road to absolution and revenge is much longer than you'd expect, and both Heaven and Hell have their own ideas for his future. Resurrection sucks. Saving the world is worse.

Darkly twisted, irreverent, and completely hilarious, Sandman Slim is the breakthrough novel by an acclaimed author." 


If you have found either great bargains or free ebooks, or have read any of those posted here, please leave a comment and share your thoughts.


*****Please note***** I have not read the books that I have posted here, unless otherwise stated. I cannot comment on the contents of these books or the quality of the writing. I'm posting only those that look interesting .

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing these books. Great deals & great reads are all over the web, but it's important for any reader to be able to read a at least a brief description, &, if possible, a sample.

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  2. Debbie Macomber, Karen Kingsbury and Terri Blackstock are all popular Christian authors. I've read and liked books by all of them, including intervention: http://ourstack.blogspot.com/2010/07/intervention-by-terri-blackstock.html.

    I tagged you: http://ourstack.blogspot.com/2010/10/were-it-been-tagged-by-coffee-n.html

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