# Books recommended by our members - December 2008



## mimikoh (Dec 1, 2008)

I'm fairly new to the boards, and usually just read other's suggestions, but this topic got me in the mood to contribute seeing how many people recommended one of my favorite books, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel by Lisa See. In addition to this great read, I'd also recommend, by Jeanette Walls, a very touching memoir written very well. Water for Elephants was one that caught me by surprise and I enjoyed it quite a bit! I'm part of the way through Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides and so far so good! I'll refer you to the synopsis on Amazon, since I always fear giving away too much info!


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## Angela (Nov 2, 2008)

Hi mimikoh! Welcome and congrats on your first post! Thanks for the recommendations.


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

Welcome mimikoh! Please go to Intro/Welcome and introduce yourself. You deserve a warm welcome from this group. Great post, I have read two of those books and enjoyed them very much. Look forward to reading more of your posts. Be sure to visit The Book Corner to read about our bookklubs starting in Jan.


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## Wells83 (Nov 19, 2008)

Great recommendations mimikoh!  And welcome to the board.  I've read and enjoyed all four of those books and second their recommendations.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

If you like crime novels, these two are great. There is a third with the same character, but I haven't read it yet.


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## ScottBooks (Oct 28, 2008)

I cannot be possibly be December! No! No! No! (It's raining outside, you see).

Now that I'm finished with my reality denial for today:

I could not get into _Middlesex_ at all, I don't think I read even 100 pp. I loved The Virgin Suicides







though. Not on Kindle, Clickety click.

After reading the synopses of the other three, it's painfully obvious that support for the He-Man book club might be woefully lacking around here.

I'll add a recommendation today, must go get daughter from school.


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2008)

I feel your pain, Scott.


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

Scott, I had a friend that read 100 pages of Middlesex and walked away. It was an "Oprah Pick" so that should tell us something. I have read a few of her bookclub picks that were good, but only a few. Pillars of the Earth was one of my favorite.


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2008)

This is the best Oprah recommended book I have ever read. Or maybe the subject just appealed to me as a L&D/NICU nurse.


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

I forgot that one LR, I also enjoyed it. They movie was on Lifetime with Sissy Spacek, did you see it?


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2008)

I might have years ago. I am still haunted by the story and really only remember reading it.


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## Micdiddy (Nov 29, 2008)

I've heard nothing but good things about middlesex. then again there are always those books that everyone loves but I just didn't like at all (Lovely Bones comes instantly to mind). I still think I will give Middlesex a shot, eventually.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Micdiddy said:


> I've heard nothing but good things about middlesex. then again there are always those books that everyone loves but I just didn't like at all (Lovely Bones comes instantly to mind). I still think I will give Middlesex a shot, eventually.


I have lots and lots of those on my list. When people tell me, "Oh, it gets really good in the middle of the book," my eyes glaze over. If a book doesn't grab me in the first few chapters, it's toast.

L


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## koland (Nov 24, 2008)

Geemont said:


> If you like crime novels, these two are great. There is a third with the same character, but I haven't read it yet.
> 
> <Caught Stealing> <Six-Bad-Things>


Even better, both are available for free via the author's/publisher's web site. The third will be posted this month. It's all part of a contest they are running.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

My recommendation for December:











I'm waiting for more of Crider's mysteries to make it to the Kindle.

Mike


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

koland said:


> Even better, both are available for free via the author's/publisher's web site. The third will be posted this month. It's all part of a contest they are running.


Since they're almost impossible to find on the site, here are the links:

Caught Stealing

Six Bad Things

A Dangerous Man

Yep, the third is already there - even if it's not "officially" up yet. (Or is it? The site is so needlessly complex in its navigation, it's hard to tell.)


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Thanks, CS, I downloaded them.  I'll send them to my Kindle later.

Betsy


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## Essensia (Nov 3, 2008)

These two are lots of fun and *free* at Feedbooks.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Essensia said:


> These two are lots of fun and *free* at Feedbooks.


Essensia, please post these in the Free Books thread, too! Thanks for the recommendations!

Betsy


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## Essensia (Nov 3, 2008)

> Essensia, please post these in the Free Books thread, too!


Done! Wasn't sure whether to post here or there since I'm recommending them and they're free, so thanks for the request to post in both places.

(And thank you for all your hard work making this a wonderful place, Betsy. I don't post much -- getting tired of being a Dr. Seuss -- but I'm here all the time and I love it!)


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Thanks, I do what I can in my little bit of it, but Harvey, Leslie and Verena (Pidgeon 92),  and Linda C-M are everywhere!  As will Roving Soul (Kat) once school is out!

Free books can always be recommended, so both places are good!  But the Free Book thread will be a permanent link thread for folks to browse, so a good freebie is a great thing to have.

Betsy


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## tc (Oct 29, 2008)

Just d/l the Charlie Huston books. Thanks for the links.


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## Lizbeth (Nov 12, 2008)

I loved book by Aaron Dunlap "Mind + Body" currently for FREE at manybooks.net. (I tried to include the picture but could not figure it out.. I am sure one of my fellow posters can as I am still learning all the tricks here! just wanted to share it was a crime thriller and the author has a very quick wit and humor.. I did enjoy it. and not really just cause it was free..


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## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

On a serious note, The World is Curved by David M. Smick. A very good look at the economy and and how things have changed and will continue to change.

http://www.amazon.com/The-World-Is-Curved/dp/B001E8OW74/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1228244052&sr=1-1


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## cush (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't think you can go wrong with these police procedurals / mysteries by Michael Connelly, arguably the best crime writer on the scene today. This volume contains the first three books in the Harry Bosch (his LAPD character) series for $7.96. Great reading and an engrossing character. I highly recommend.











Here's a good read, another one for the guys on the Board especially, but interesting and well written. Fact, not fiction and not a lot of gratuitous violence with detailed gore for shock value.











$5.59 at the Store.


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## Anniehow (Oct 28, 2008)

This is a YA book, so its really quick read, and it's really good.

13 Reasons why


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## Poi Girl (Dec 3, 2008)

Linda Cannon-Mott said:


> Scott, I had a friend that read 100 pages of Middlesex and walked away. It was an "Oprah Pick" so that should tell us something. I have read a few of her bookclub picks that were good, but only a few. Pillars of the Earth was one of my favorite.


I usually do not go for Oprah picks either. More than likely they're badly written (not all but some) and very depressing.



Micdiddy said:


> I've heard nothing but good things about middlesex. then again there are always those books that everyone loves but I just didn't like at all (Lovely Bones comes instantly to mind). I still think I will give Middlesex a shot, eventually.


I loved Lovely Bones...I really really don't like Twilight, although everyone around me swoons over it.

My Picks:

Jasper Fforde

Thursday Next novels: If you like funny, quirky books. And anything else Jasper Fforde!


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## Micdiddy (Nov 29, 2008)

cush said:


> I don't think you can go wrong with these police procedurals / mysteries by Michael Connelly, arguably the best crime writer on the scene today. This volume contains the first three books in the Harry Bosch (his LAPD character) series for $7.96. Great reading and an engrossing character. I highly recommend.


Angels' Flight was the first murder mystery I read and I loved it. I will def check out more Harry Bosch.


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## Wannabe (Nov 6, 2008)

CS said:


> Since they're almost impossible to find on the site, here are the links:
> 
> Caught Stealing
> 
> ...


Here's a question that may have been answered on another thread many times. I clicked on the links above and the links opened each book. I downloaded the books to my computer but they are in PDF format. How do I convert the files to ones that would be compatible with the Kindle? If someone could just direct me to the correct thread, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Wannabe said:


> Here's a question that may have been answered on another thread many times. I clicked on the links above and the links opened each book. I downloaded the books to my computer but they are in PDF format. How do I convert the files to ones that would be compatible with the Kindle? If someone could just direct me to the correct thread, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.


You need to download (free) mobicreator from mobipocket.com. Get the professional version. There are others who can help you from here. I haven't converted pdf yet. I've only converted txt and html.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Wannabe said:


> Here's a question that may have been answered on another thread many times. I clicked on the links above and the links opened each book. I downloaded the books to my computer but they are in PDF format. How do I convert the files to ones that would be compatible with the Kindle? If someone could just direct me to the correct thread, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.


Look in the FAQ, stickied at the top of the tips and tricks board. I have info in there.

L


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## tlshaw (Nov 10, 2008)

Another option is to mail them to your kindle email address. Amazon will convert them and you can download wirelessly. According to Amazon there is a .10 fee for each file converted, but so far there hasn't been any of these fees actually charged. Or, you could email it to [email protected] and Kindle will email the converted file back to you for no charge.

Hope this helps.


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## Micdiddy (Nov 29, 2008)

But if you're like me emailing pdf's to your kindle doesn't work for some reason. Mobipocket Creator is so simple and feels great after getting used to it.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Micdiddy said:


> But if you're like me emailing pdf's to your kindle doesn't work for some reason.


Some PDFs work, some don't. Probably the complexity of the document, or the way it was converted to PDF initially. I have sent PDF books to Kindle without a problem, but they don't format as well as I would like.


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## cush (Oct 27, 2008)

Micdiddy said:


> But if you're like me emailing pdf's to your kindle doesn't work for some reason. Mobipocket Creator is so simple and feels great after getting used to it.


Good tip.

A reminder to other Mac users: Mobipocket Creator only runs on Windows.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

cush said:


> Good tip.
> 
> A reminder to other Mac users: Mobipocket Creator only runs on Windows.


Isn't there one for the Mac? Stanza?


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

gertiekindle said:


> Isn't there one for the Mac? Stanza?


Stanza is a book reader.


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## cush (Oct 27, 2008)

Yep.  It would be nice to have a Mac app that would let you change metadata.  A true Mac guru would probably know hot toto that but that's not me!


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

pidgeon92 said:


> Stanza is a book reader.


Thanks. I wasn't sure.


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## cush (Oct 27, 2008)

Back to the thread topic- December Book Recommendations.

Here is a "manly" book that just about anyone of either sex who likes a good adventure story with engrossing characters and interesting historical backgrounds will enjoy. Set in 1840's Hong Kong, it centers on the establishment of a powerful trading dynasty, headed by Dirk Straun-the Tai-Pan.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

cush said:


> Yep. It would be nice to have a Mac app that would let you change metadata. A true Mac guru would probably know hot toto that but that's not me!


The Stanza web site claims that changing metadata is a feature to be implemented in the near future.

Meanwhile, Mac users can use the Perl scripts to change metadata (on standard mobi/prc files).

Mike


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## Wannabe (Nov 6, 2008)

Leslie said:


> Look in the FAQ, stickied at the top of the tips and tricks board. I have info in there.
> 
> L


Thanks, Leslie! Never thought to check the FAQ. It was one of the first things I purchased for my Kindle. I read through the whole thing right away, and then apparently forgot about it.


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## Wannabe (Nov 6, 2008)

Micdiddy said:


> But if you're like me emailing pdf's to your kindle doesn't work for some reason. Mobipocket Creator is so simple and feels great after getting used to it.


It's not working for me either, downloading the Mobipocket Creator now. Thanks.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

pidgeon92 said:


> Stanza is a book reader.


And a format converter. I used this feature a lot before getting mobi2mobi to work on my Mac.


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## tc (Oct 29, 2008)

Poi Girl, I love Jasper Fforde's TN series. The one problem is that _Something Rotten_ is not in Kindle. It is number 4 in the series. He has a new book coming out in 2009 _Shades of Grey_ that is the first in a new series.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Here's a recommendation... it's a Kindle version of a DTB that I enjoyed:

The Girl in the Face of the Clock by Charles Mathes.

No image available, unfortunately. Mathes has written four or five other stand-alones in the same vein, all of which I enjoyed. This is the only one on the Kindle, though.

"From Library Journal
When her father emerges from an eight-year coma induced by a fall down the stairs, Jane Sailor, a fights-choreographer for theater, learns that his fall was no accident. In order to discover the truth, she investigates an eccentric and wealthy clock collector and others. An outstanding third title in a growing series.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc."

Mike


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Thanks CS


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Wannabe said:


> Thanks, Leslie! Never thought to check the FAQ. It was one of the first things I purchased for my Kindle. I read through the whole thing right away, and then apparently forgot about it.


Right. And the FAQ here on the board has PDF info, with screen shots...which are NOT in the book. So that's an added bonus.

L


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## chobitz (Nov 25, 2008)

I'm not a huge fan of autobiographies. Most come off as a stroking of the author's ego and usually a well edited and far from the truth telling of their lives.

But this book is far from it:











Nikki Sixx is the bassist for '80s metal band Motley Crue. The book contains excerpts of 2 years of his diary and it isn't pretty. See Sixx was a heroin addict. So bad was his addiction he lost count how many times he died of ODs and was brought back.

Sixx never glorifies his addiction, he rips his soul open and lets the readers see the ugly truth of addiction. He was rich and famous but not happy.

He also wrote and preformed a concept album with the same name as his book with his other group Sixx AM.

I strongly suggest d/ling a sample and try it out.


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## Poi Girl (Dec 3, 2008)

tc said:


> Poi Girl, I love Jasper Fforde's TN series. The one problem is that _Something Rotten_ is not in Kindle. It is number 4 in the series. He has a new book coming out in 2009 _Shades of Grey_ that is the first in a new series.


I know  I keep clicking away though on both books.

Have you read his Jack Spratt books? The Big Over Easy (He solves Humpty Dumpty's murder.) and The Fourth Bear are hilarious!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I had the chance to read *Frost Fair* by Erastes as a pre-publication review copy. It was very good and I really enjoyed it. Now, it has a well-deserved 5 star review from Rainbow Reviews!

http://rainbow-reviews.com/?p=755

Only the print version is available from Amazon, but you can buy the ebook directly from the publisher.

http://www.lindenbayromance.com/product-frostfair-7265-145.html

Buy the mobipocket version and email to your Kindle, or transfer with the USB cable.

Enjoy!

L


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

Fantasy Picks - I'm not a guy, but I think the second could appeal to the He-man club as I'm not normally a fan of the 'chick-flick' books. 
Graceling


















Daughter of Dragons


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

chobitz said:


>


I read this book last year, it is amazing this guy is still alive. However, you really need to get it in it's DTB form. It is fully illustrated with these crazy graphics.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

While working on my shelfari collection, I came across this series. If you like fantasy and dragons, you can't go wrong here, but don't look for a pretty story--these don't qualify. And !, a new one published 12/2. I have got to make more time during my workday to keep up-to-date on the book releases!
Dragon Champion


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## gator reader (Oct 31, 2008)

I have been very impressed with many of the books recommended on this site and especially by all the  free books. Let me start by saying
I often get annoyed reading reviews about books that people put down before they finish them....but I'm going to do it ....re: Charles Huston's Caught Stealing.  I downloaded it free - started reading and (like most people reported) it is a very compelling fast read.  WARNING:  it is also very "gritty" (aka violent!!)!  When the animal abuse started.....I put the thing down.

Now for me to put a book down.....takes A lot!....but I read to fill my head with characters I want to know, and as an escape from a world that can be pretty ugly.   I think I rather watch the 6 o'clock news than read this.  

I went back to look at the reviews and although many liked it, if you look at the low ratings....count me in.....I am never offended by language....use the F word as much as ya want.....but I want a character I can root for;  in this book  the main character just doesn't seen to know how to root for himself...he strikes me as his own worst enemy.

I'm sure the book has many redeeming features....just want anyone who reads for enjoyment....to read reviews before they dive into this one.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Gator,

Is this a book at Amazon? I can't find anything called Caught Cheating by Charles Houston.

Thanks,

Leslie


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## gator reader (Oct 31, 2008)

Leslie-
That's what you get for trying to steal a few minutes at work.....Its "Caught Stealing"  by Charlie Huston - oops.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

gator reader said:


> Leslie-
> That's what you get for trying to steal a few minutes at work.....Its "Caught Stealing" by Charlie Huston - oops.


Ah, thanks.

We have a "What's the Worst Book You've Read on Your Kindle?" thread here. You might want to add this to that!

L


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

gator reader said:


> but I read to fill my head with characters I want to know, and as an escape from a world that can be pretty ugly. I think I rather watch the 6 o'clock news than read this.


I know what you mean, I feel much the same way.

Although I'm not sure I want to fill my head with Dexter Morgan, even though I've read the books.

Mike


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## mimikoh (Dec 1, 2008)

Thanks all for the warm welcome! guess that means no more trolling for me and I'll actually have to start posting more! On that note, since I've run into a brick wall with finding good reads I thought I'd recommend an older book that I'm re-reading now.

Never Let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro

http://www.amazon.com/Never-Let-Me-Go/dp/B000FCK2TW/ref=ed_oe_k

Here's a little synopsis from Amazon:

All children should believe they are special. But the students of Hailsham, an elite school in the English countryside, are so special that visitors shun them, and only by rumor and the occasional fleeting remark by a teacher do they discover their unconventional origins and strange destiny. Kazuo Ishiguro's sixth novel, Never Let Me Go, is a masterpiece of indirection. Like the students of Hailsham, readers are "told but not told" what is going on and should be allowed to discover the secrets of Hailsham and the truth about these children on their own.

Offsetting the bizarreness of these revelations is the placid, measured voice of the narrator, Kathy H., a 31-year-old Hailsham alumna who, at the close of the 1990s, is consciously ending one phase of her life and beginning another. She is in a reflective mood, and recounts not only her childhood memories, but her quest in adulthood to find out more about Hailsham and the idealistic women who ran it. Although often poignant, Kathy's matter-of-fact narration blunts the sharper emotional effects you might expect in a novel that deals with illness, self-sacrifice, and the severe restriction of personal freedoms. As in Ishiguro's best-known work, The Remains of the Day, only after closing the book do you absorb the magnitude of what his characters endure. --Regina Marler

I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't read The Remains of the Day yet, but I'm working on it! haven't had time to scour the sites to see if it's offered for free yet before giving in and buying it!


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

Gator, now everyone here can revel in the violence and animal abuse featured in Caught Stealing.  It's now free on Amazon, presumably for at least this week.


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## gator reader (Oct 31, 2008)

May everyone have at it....I think after owning my Kindle for 6 months I'm finally getting a little more discriminating about the freebies I download....I love learning about new authors and genre [email protected]#[email protected]  
and I am perfectly willing to accept that others find this book the best thing since sliced whitebread...it would be a boring world if we all liked the same things.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

This book, unfortunately, is not in a Kindle format...yet. I am on a mailing list with the author and begged and pleaded and finally persuaded her to send me the PDF, which I converted and read on my Kindle. I still want to share with you how much I enjoyed this book. It had me in tears at the end and my heart was in my throat for much of it, just wondering how everything was going to be resolved. I thought this was a great book...I highly recommend it.











from Amazon:

A great house. A family dispossessed. A sensitive young man. A powerful landowner. An epic love that springs up between two men. Set in the post-Napoleonic years of the 1820's, Standish is a tale of two men - one man discovering his sexuality and the other struggling to overcome his traumatic past. Ambrose Standish, a studious and fragile young man, has dreams of regaining the great house his grandfather lost in a card game. When Rafe Goshawk returns from the continent to claim the estate, their meeting sets them on a path of desire and betrayal which threatens to tear both of their worlds apart. Painting a picture of homosexuality in Georgian England, Standish is a love story of how the decisions of two men affect their journey through Europe and through life.


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## Mikuto (Oct 30, 2008)

Pity that's not in Kindle format, I want to read it based on the character names alone. Ambrose Standish and Rafe Goshawk? That's a lot of awesome right there.


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## Brenda M. (Nov 26, 2008)

For all you dog lovers out there, this book is really good and written from the dog's perspective, he is the narrator. Not only about the dog, but the family as well and their relationships. Nice, quiet read. yes, I cried... but it was a good cry.









_unified pic & Kindleboards link. Betsy_

From Publishers Weekly
If you've ever wondered what your dog is thinking, Stein's third novel offers an answer. Enzo is a lab terrier mix plucked from a farm outside Seattle to ride shotgun with race car driver Denny Swift as he pursues success on the track and off. Denny meets and marries Eve, has a daughter, Zoë, and risks his savings and his life to make it on the professional racing circuit. Enzo, frustrated by his inability to speak and his lack of opposable thumbs, watches Denny's old racing videos, coins koanlike aphorisms that apply to both driving and life, and hopes for the day when his life as a dog will be over and he can be reborn a man. When Denny hits an extended rough patch, Enzo remains his most steadfast if silent supporter. Enzo is a reliable companion and a likable enough narrator, though the string of Denny's bad luck stories strains believability. Much like Denny, however, Stein is able to salvage some dignity from the over-the-top drama. (May) 
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Mikuto said:


> Pity that's not in Kindle format, I want to read it based on the character names alone. Ambrose Standish and Rafe Goshawk? That's a lot of awesome right there.


I know...Ambrose Alexander Standish and Rafe has two middle names! Super super awesome.

While we're all waiting for the Kindle edition, I can recommend *Frost Fair* by Erastes (you can buy the ebook from Linden Bay Romance) and *Speak Its Name*, a trilogy of three stories, all good. The last one is written by Erastes and a character who shows up in Frost Fair pops up in the story.











Frost Fair

L


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## Micdiddy (Nov 29, 2008)

Brenda M. said:


> For all you dog lovers out there, this book is really good and written from the dog's perspective, he is the narrator. Not only about the dog, but the family as well and their relationships. Nice, quiet read. yes, I cried... but it was a good cry.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This is the book always in Starbucks.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Brenda M. said:


> _unified pic & Kindleboards link. Betsy_


I've been wanting this; trying to wait until the price drops, y'all are making it hard!

Betsy


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## MikeD (Nov 5, 2008)

Forever on the Mountain: The Truth Behind One of Mountaineering's Most Controversial and Mysterious Disasters (Kindle Edition)











_"From Publishers Weekly
Tabor's exhaustive look at the doomed 1967 expedition to scale Alaska's Mt. McKinley is an often gripping, detailed account of the infamous climb that remains controversial. Only five of the 12-man team survived the ascent to the 20,320-foot summit, making it one of the deadliest mountaineering disasters in North America. The journey was fraught with tension from the beginning: the National Park Service (NPS) required a group of nine men, led by Joe Wilcox, to merge with a three-member party of Coloradoans, led by Howard Snyder. Wilcox and Snyder clashed almost immediately. Both men survived and went on to retell the trip in books: Snyder in his 1973 version that mostly blamed Wilcox's leadership; Wilcox's account in 1981 cited an overpowering storm as the culprit in the deaths. Tabor (who hosted PBS's Great Outdoors) shows that the NPS was very slow to react and might have saved the climbers with quicker response. His writing about the brutal difficulties of climbing Mt. McKinley in subfreezing temperatures with hurricane-like wind in blizzard conditions is breathtaking, although he lapses into minutiae and repeats details, particularly regarding the accident's investigation. His profiles of the expedition's survivors 40 years later make for a strong conclusion to the book. (July) "_

This is a really good book, on a par with Into Thin Air. Mr. Tabor is an excellent author and does a very good job of bringing those times and events to life.

BTW, Into Thin Air (click link) is for sale for $3.75 and is a great read if you haven't had an opportunity to read it.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm going to have to take a look at that one; download the sample for sure. One of the most gripping books I've read recently was "Touching the Void" (movie based on the book); unfortunately, it is not available on Kindle.











Betsy


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## MikeD (Nov 5, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I'm going to have to take a look at that one; download the sample for sure. One of the most gripping books I've read recently was "Touching the Void" (movie based on the book); unfortunately, it is not available on Kindle.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I read the DTB some time back, but never did see the movie. Good book.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

MikeD said:


> I read the DTB some time back, but never did see the movie. Good book.


No I never did see the movie either...but it was one heck of a read. Not sure I want to see the movie having read the book.

Betsy


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## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

Here's a Kindle book with a musical subject that I can attest to.

Bruno Walter: A World Elsewhere









Using information gathered from thousands of unpublished letters, concert reviews, interviews, and recordings, [Erik] Ryding, manager of catalog development at Sony Classical, and freelance harpsichordist [Rebecca] Pechefsky trace the life and career of Walter (1876-1962), one of the most influential conductors of the 20th century. The biography is deservedly full of praise for its talented subject, but the authors do not hide his faults or suppress the less favorable reviews or criticisms he received during a brilliant career. The book opens with Walter's early successes in turn-of-the-century Germany, where he was aided by Gustav Mahler (who also encouraged him to change his name from Schlesinger) and continues through his expulsion from Europe in the 1930s by the Nazis and his many triumphs in North America. The picture they paint is a vivid one, and the treatment is thorough and well documented.

Here's my Amazon review from 2001:

I probably qualify as a representative of the tribe of general readers, being mostly an interested amateur in what this book covers. As such, I found "Bruno Walter: a World Elsewhere" a very satisfying window into an era of music (and my childhood) that I was heretofore only vaguely aware of. In other words, it helped me fit together and fill out a picture of the musical and political and social history of the twentieth century, and that alone made it worthwhile.
But aside from that, it was simply great fun to read personal vignettes about so many eminent musicians, composers, conductors, and others. I found the book entertaining reading too, I mean to say--a dandy thing, in the summer (or any other time as well)!

While I may be an amateur as far as the contents of the biography go, I am also a professor and teacher of writing, and it was gratifying to find a biography written so smoothly that reading it was a pleasure, which is by no means the rule in scholarly biographies. There are notes and indeces aplenty for the scholars, but these should not dissuade the general reader--they do not get in the way in the least.

Add to this the fact that the volume is a handsomely designed one, with splendid pictures and an attractive typeface, and you have a book truly worth owning--or giving, for that matter.

(Full disclosure: I know the authors, but I stand by my review.)


----------



## Khabita (Oct 28, 2008)

mimikoh said:


> Thanks all for the warm welcome! guess that means no more trolling for me and I'll actually have to start posting more! On that note, since I've run into a brick wall with finding good reads I thought I'd recommend an older book that I'm re-reading now.
> 
> Never Let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro
> 
> ...


My personal favourite by Kazuo Ishiguro is A Pale View of Hills, which unfortunately is not available for Kindle (yet).


----------



## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

I read the Glass Castle:  Very well done but definitely left me thinking for a couple days afterward.  I would recommend it; but only at a time when "ready" to handle a sad book--because it does leave its mark.

Water for Elephants is in my list but haven't gotten to it yet. (and about 60 others)...I'm bad.


----------



## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

Thanks to Leslie for moving my post about the Bruno Walter book here. I might have been able to do it but at the very least you saved me some hassle.

It's not a cheap book even on Kindle, unfortunately. It's published by the Yale University Press. Perhaps they have the skunk-eye for ebooks. Still, for those who love gossipy inside stories about the luminaries of the classical music world, it's quite readable. Of course, for serious music scholars it's even better.

Amazon did not show a cover picture for the Kindle edition. I scanned the cover of my hard copy and tried to add it to my post but I couldn't figure out how. The instructions seem to suggest it might have been possible if I had put the picture on a website somewhere. Then I could link to it. But if the picture is on my own computer, it doesn't seem to work that way.

Could someone refer me to one of the KB's techno-wizards? I still have the picture and I'm willing to learn.

Thanks.

Al
DistantCousin.net


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## farmwife99 (Nov 22, 2008)

Thank you all.
With my Kindle and the recommendation of all of you guys I am finding myself reading books I might never have read before.
This is GREAT!!!!!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

BrassMan said:


> Amazon did not show a cover picture for the Kindle edition. I scanned the cover of my hard copy and tried to add it to my post but I couldn't figure out how. The instructions seem to suggest it might have been possible if I had put the picture on a website somewhere. Then I could link to it. But if the picture is on my own computer, it doesn't seem to work that way.
> 
> Could someone refer me to one of the KB's techno-wizards? I still have the picture and I'm willing to learn.
> 
> ...


Hi Al,

This thread has the info: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,35.0.html

If you still have questions, send me a PM or post the question in the thread.

L


----------



## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

Leslie said:


> Hi Al,
> 
> This thread has the info: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,35.0.html
> 
> ...


Thanks. I went there. Looks like any photo has to be online somewhere first, and not on my computer. I guess that keeps KindleBoards from having to accumulate pictures on its own server. OK, then. I'll set it up and shortly I hope there'll be a picture of the cover.

Thanks!


----------



## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

Here's the cover of the book on Bruno Walter (description several messages back):


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Thanks, Brassman! Handsome man...

L


----------



## Micdiddy (Nov 29, 2008)

I just finished reading a free copy of Anthem by Ayn Rand from, I think Gutenberg or one of the others.
Really good and pretty short (like 100 DT pages I think). I definitely recommend it, and you could prob read it in one sitting.


----------



## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Micdiddy said:


> I just finished reading a free copy of Anthem by Ayn Rand from, I think Gutenberg or one of the others.
> Really good and pretty short (like 100 DT pages I think). I definitely recommend it, and you could prob read it in one sitting.


I have the dtb. Read it many years ago. I have her other books as well. The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, and We The Living. I think Anthem is the only one that's Kindelized.


----------



## Micdiddy (Nov 29, 2008)

gertiekindle said:


> I have the dtb. Read it many years ago. I have her other books as well. The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, and We The Living. I think Anthem is the only one that's Kindelized.


I think so too. The Fountainhead is my favorite book so I knew I'd like Anthem. Atlas Shrugged was too long and I didn't get into until page 300 or so. Haven't read We The Living, yet.


----------



## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Micdiddy said:


> I think so too. The Fountainhead is my favorite book so I knew I'd like Anthem. Atlas Shrugged was too long and I didn't get into until page 300 or so. Haven't read We The Living, yet.


We The Living is based on Rand's experiences in Russia. It's a good look into conditions in Communist Russia.


----------



## chynared21 (Oct 28, 2008)

sjc said:


> I read the Glass Castle: Very well done but definitely left me thinking for a couple days afterward. I would recommend it; but only at a time when "ready" to handle a sad book--because it does leave its mark.
> 
> Water for Elephants is in my list but haven't gotten to it yet. (and about 60 others)...I'm bad.


*LMAO, my list is getting just as bad but those two are ones that I do want to read *


----------



## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

Just finished Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr. Oh I am sooo in heaven - just 10 (11?) more to go in the series.

Daggerspell


----------



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I mentioned *Frost Fair* by Erastes the other day. Here's a review I wrote:

http://speakitsname.wordpress.com/2008/12/15/review-frost-fair-by-erastes/

There are links there to buy the ebook from the publisher. Unfortunately it is not available on Amazon at the present moment, but the mobi file will work on your Kindle just fine.

L


----------



## Angela (Nov 2, 2008)

Jesslyn said:


> Just finished Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr. Oh I am sooo in heaven - just 10 (11?) more to go in the series.
> 
> Daggerspell
> 
> ...


----------



## Micdiddy (Nov 29, 2008)

Omg, I'm halfway through the Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and absolutely love it. It's the first I've read by him and he definitely deserves his reputation. It's free on Gutenberg, get it, get now.


----------



## Angela (Nov 2, 2008)

Micdiddy said:


> Omg, I'm halfway through the Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and absolutely love it. It's the first I've read by him and he definitely deserves his reputation. It's free on Gutenberg, get it, get now.


It is also available for free on Feedbooks.com


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## auntmarge (Dec 4, 2008)

I mentioned this on my intro, but I just finished reading this and thought it was wonderful. Beautiful writing and very interesting characters and setting.











Margaret


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## BMW (Oct 30, 2008)

I read Pillars of the Earth about 10 years ago, long before it became an Oprah pick. It is of the best books I've ever read. The first couple hundred pages are good, the last nearly 800 pages fly by and you dread reaching the end (you kinda feel like the characters are part of your family!)











My first K books was the sequel, World Without End. Not quite as great as the first, but same feeling as Pillars. My daughter (age 20) called me in tears while reading it; not because of the content, but because she had reached the 3/4 mark on her K dots and was crying that it was going to end!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Here's another in my ongoing string of m/m love stories! *Lessons in Love *by Charlie Cochrane. This one was very sweet and very chaste. If you've never read a m/m story but are curious, this might be a good one to start with. The "juicy bits" are not overwhelming in number (in other words, the story does have a plot!) and are written in a loving and beautiful way. I enjoyed this story and am happy to recommend it to my Kindleboards friends.











You can read a nice review of the book here.

PS...I just realized you can't purchase Lessons in Love yet, but I suspect that will change within the next 24 hours or so. I actually bought my copy direct from the publisher and it worked fine on my Kindle. But just give the Amazon link a little bit of time. I don't think it will take too long.

PPS, Here's the publisher link if you are really impatient (like me). You will need to transfer the file with the USB cable, or email it to your Kindle. http://www.lindenbayromance.com/product-lessonsinlove-7242-145.html


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## mwb (Dec 5, 2008)

Half of a Yellow Sun by CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE



















Here's a recommendation of a book I really liked that Amazon has created the page for the Kindle edition, but it's not quite available in the Kindle edition yet. You can read full customer reviews over in the DT edition of the book.

I loved her first novel Purple Hibiscus (sadly not even a hint of Kindle edition yet) so much that I pre-ordered the other in hardback as soon as I could.

I wish the "notify when available" was for Kindle editions...

----------------
Listening to: Anonymous 4 - Kyrie: Celestis terrestrisque
via FoxyTunes


----------



## kb (Nov 4, 2008)

I'm trying to get comfortable with Kindle boards - have been in Kindle 
Discussions at Amazon, but this has lots more info....
Water for Elephants was an awesome read - I do get in a rut reading the same old murder mysteries (which I love) but this book was such a welcome change and I just loved it.  I am looking forward to getting lots of good recommendations.


----------



## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Welcome KB! Glad to have you here! Congratulations on your first post!

Take some time to mosey around here. This is a friendly place.

L


----------



## Angela (Nov 2, 2008)

kb said:


> I'm trying to get comfortable with Kindle boards - have been in Kindle
> Discussions at Amazon, but this has lots more info....
> Water for Elephants was an awesome read - I do get in a rut reading the same old murder mysteries (which I love) but this book was such a welcome change and I just loved it. I am looking forward to getting lots of good recommendations.


Welcome KB. Glad you decided to join us here and congrats on your first post. Hope to see you around the boards.


----------



## Avalon3 (Dec 3, 2008)

BMW said:


> I read Pillars of the Earth about 10 years ago, long before it became an Oprah pick. It is of the best books I've ever read. The first couple hundred pages are good, the last nearly 800 pages fly by and you dread reaching the end (you kinda feel like the characters are part of your family!)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have both those books on my Kindle but haven't read them yet. I'm glad to know how much you liked them. I have read other books by Ken Follett.


----------



## jah (Oct 28, 2008)

I just finish reading A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg.  It a very good Christmas book.


----------



## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I am currently reading Gone for a Soldier by our very own Jeffry S. Hepple. I am about 1/3 of the way through it, it is fairly long but I am enjoying it and would highly recommend it. AND right now it is free, but it is worth even paying for. It is basically the story of the American Revolution, which I had just read about in 1776, but find this more entertaining. I know 1776 is a nonfiction, but this has the same reality in it with a bit of fiction.

Anju


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

I am reading Thorn in the Flesh by Anne Brooke who became a member of KB today. It is a page turner, started it yesterday and am halfway. If you enjoy mystery/suspense this is for you!

Linda


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## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

Anju said:


> I am currently reading Gone for a Soldier by our very own Jeffry S. Hepple AND right now it is free, but it is worth even paying for.
> 
> Anju


I find it listed twice. One is $9.99 and 1411Kb with the other being $0.99 and 1514Kb. I don't know why the disparity in size/price.


----------



## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

LDB said:


> I find it listed twice. One is $9.99 and 1411Kb with the other being $0.99 and 1514Kb. I don't know why the disparity in size/price.


LDB,

Sorry, I missed this whole thread until Leslie PM'd me.

I set the price of my Kindle books at 99 cent through the balance of this year.

Amazon picked up my books that are listed on Mobipocket and then assigned a price of $9.99, over which as publisher and author I have no control. The file size for Mobipocket is different but the contents are the same.

I have written and called Amazon numerous times to get this changed but cannot. In fact, I intended to by the 99 cent versions for my wife's Kindle and then clicked the $9.99 version by accident then complained with no results.

I apologize for the inconvenience.

Jeff

EDIT: Please see my Amazon blog -

http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AQOK1G0YI6DT1/ref=sv__4 => Incorrect Links 10:56 AM PST, November 9, 2008


----------



## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Anju said:


> I am currently reading Gone for a Soldier by our very own Jeffry S. Hepple. I am about 1/3 of the way through it, it is fairly long but I am enjoying it and would highly recommend it. AND right now it is free, but it is worth even paying for. It is basically the story of the American Revolution, which I had just read about in 1776, but find this more entertaining. I know 1776 is a nonfiction, but this has the same reality in it with a bit of fiction.
> 
> Anju


Thank you very much. I'm delighted that you're enjoying it.


----------



## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

Please don't think I was complaining and no apology is necessary. I was just stating the information I found when I looked up the title figuring someone would know the reason and explain it for those of us who are pretty new to the whole ebook world. Thanks for clearing up one of the many mysteries of ebooks. With any luck the link to the $0.99 will follow.

Gone for a Soldier


----------



## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

LDB said:


> Thanks for clearing up one of the many mysteries of ebooks.


I must admit to being mystified myself about half the time.


----------



## Sailor (Nov 1, 2008)

Anju said:


> I am currently reading Gone for a Soldier by our very own Jeffry S. Hepple. I am about 1/3 of the way through it, it is fairly long but I am enjoying it and would highly recommend it. Anju


*ANJU*

That is so good to hear. I am reading *The Treasure of La Malinche* Vol I by *Jeffry S. Hepple*, and it too is an excellent read. I would highly recommend this one as well. Since I started reading La Malinche, and I loved his style of writing so much, I have added all his books to my signature, so all you have to do is click on the book you would like to read about, and it will take you to the link.

-sailor *click*


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Thanks, Sailor. You’re making me blush.  

EDIT: My books are still free to all KindleBoards members until January 1st. Send me a PM and I'll give you the link(s).


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## Sailor (Nov 1, 2008)

Jeff said:


> Thanks, Sailor. You're making me blush.


You're welcome, Jeff.

There are a few parts in your book that have made me blush as well 

Thanks for an excellent story,

-sailor


----------



## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Jeff said:


> Thanks, Sailor. You're making me blush.
> 
> EDIT: My books are still free to all KindleBoards members until January 1st. Send me a PM and I'll give you the link(s).


Jeff, I certainly appreciate that you are making your books available to us free of charge. Now, don't be upset with me because I bought them for the 99 cent price. Every purchase makes your ranking go up and maybe more people will find you. Plus every e-book sale Amazon makes helps them pay for Whispernet. Gotta keep you guys in business.

I'm especially looking forward to reading Treasure.


----------



## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

gertiekindle said:


> Plus every e-book sale Amazon makes helps them pay for Whispernet.
> 
> I'm especially looking forward to reading Treasure.


You made it impossible for me to get upset, Gertie. Thank you.

Caution: _The Treasure of La Malinche_ even made a sailor blush!


----------



## auntmarge (Dec 4, 2008)

4 our of 5 stars. A great beginning, too-long middle exploring the main character's inner turmoil, then a bang-up finish. Great read, just be prepared to skim a bit at some point.

Margaret


----------



## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

auntmarge said:


> 4 our of 5 stars. A great beginning, too-long middle exploring the main character's inner turmoil, then a bang-up finish. Great read, just be prepared to skim a bit at some point.
> 
> Margaret


So we can get the sample and read it then go to a store and loiter long enough to read the end and we are good? I love it when I don't have to buy the entire book.


----------



## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

Jeff said:


> EDIT: My books are still free to all KindleBoards members until January 1st. Send me a PM and I'll give you the link(s).


I did the 99 cent deal on all three this afternoon as well. It may not be quite as beneficial as when someone chooses the $9.99 option but what it lacks in coin it hopefully makes up for in rankings.


----------



## auntmarge (Dec 4, 2008)

Gables Girl said:


> So we can get the sample and read it then go to a store and loiter long enough to read the end and we are good? I love it when I don't have to buy the entire book.


Hah - well, not quite. You'd have to read more than the sample and then the last third of the book at the bookstore....


----------



## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

LDB said:


> I did the 99 cent deal on all three this afternoon as well. It may not be quite as beneficial as when someone chooses the $9.99 option but what it lacks in coin it hopefully makes up for in rankings.


Thank you very much, LDB.

Gone for a Soldier is momentarily number 59 in the Historical Fiction genre. It has been as high as number 8. The Treasure of La Malinche is number 38 in Action & Adventure. They might both be higher if the sales weren't being split between the two versions but I'm not complaining. My goal when I first published the books was to have someone read them besides my family. That's now been accomplished thanks to you and your fellow KindleBoarders.

Merry Christmas,

Jeff


----------



## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

LDB said:


> Gone for a Soldier


I just started this today during lunch and got about a chapter into it. I like what I've read so far and would say it's a definite buy. You not only get a good book you actually get to (re)learn some of the history you missed or forgot along the way. If you miss out on this you won't know you regret it since you can't regret what you don't know about but trust me you'd regret missing it if you knew. IOW, click that buy button.


----------



## Sailor (Nov 1, 2008)

LDB said:


> I just started this today during lunch and got about a chapter into it. I like what I've read so far and would say it's a definite buy. You not only get a good book you actually get to (re)learn some of the history you missed or forgot along the way. If you miss out on this you won't know you regret it since you can't regret what you don't know about but trust me you'd regret missing it if you knew. IOW, click that buy button.


Hi again, LDB

Your enthusiasm on *Gone For a Soldier* is addictive. I am now reading *The Treasure of La Malinche*, but after your post, 
I think I will download *GFASoldier* now and start reading that one as well. I need a history lesson, and you make it sound as though 
us readers will not be disappointed.

I love Jeff's style of writing also and I am sure, by your good words, that *GFAS* will be as excellent of a read as all his others are.

Safe Motoring to you and Merry Christmas,

-sailor


----------



## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

I just finished this today.... It is a very slow, methodical mystery about a little boy who disappeared in Sweden twenty years prior to the events occurring in the book. I thought it was wonderful. I picked it up at the library, so I can't comment on the ebook format, but it is available for Kindle.


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## Khabita (Oct 28, 2008)

I have been getting cozy with some classics -- some I read in years past, some I never read before.

Just finished Thomas Hardy's _The Mayor of Casterbridge_, which I don't think I'd ever read before. I give it 4 stars. Great book, the kind where you keep thinking you know what's coming next, and then something unexpected happens instead.


----------



## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

I honestly hate to put this in this thread, I don't want it to get lost. 

FIVE STAR BOOK by our very own Jeffry Hepple

if you pm him he will send you a link, but it is very much worth the .99 at Amazon.

A fiction/non-fiction account of the American Revolutionary War - excellent writing and a page turner.

If you are a history buff, this is definitely the book for you!


----------



## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

You need to give the book info for it to really work.

Gone for a Soldier


----------



## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Thank you both very much for the plug.

As a reminder, I'm still offering both my books, _Gone For a Soldier_ and _The Treasure of La Malinche_ (2 volumes) free to KindelBoards.com members for the balance of the year. Anyone interested can send me a private message and I'll gladly provide the links to the books.

EDIT: Perhaps I should mention that The Treasure of La Malinche contains adult language.


----------



## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Jeff said:


> EDIT: Perhaps I should mention that The Treasure of La Malinche contains adult language.


I'm gonna assume that's a euphemism for profanity and sexual content.  

As opposed to adult meaning big words like "euphemism" and "magneto-hydrodynamic" which kids may not understand.

Mike


----------



## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

LDB said:


> You need to give the book info for it to really work.


I'm still kindletronic challenged, been too busy reading all the threads and laughing to figgger out how to. It's not as if I don't have time, being retired and all, but sooooo busy reading books on my kindle.

But Dori is gonna shame me into doing something besides typing. LOL


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Another Norah Lofts historical fiction has been Kindleized. The price is $9.59.


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## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

Sadly it isn't in Kindle format but this is a VERY good book. I don't know how to link it on Amazon since it isn't in Kindle format.

Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed by Ben R. Rich and Leo Janos


----------



## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

Anju said:


> I'm still kindletronic challenged...


If I can figure it out anyone can.


----------



## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

jmiked said:


> I'm gonna assume that's a euphemism for profanity and sexual content.
> 
> As opposed to adult meaning big words like "euphemism" and "magneto-hydrodynamic" which kids may not understand.


I'm glad Gertie bumped this thread or I would have missed the sandbag, Mike. 

I thought _adult language_ sounded more literary than saying that the characters in the book need to have their mouths washed out with soap as one reader suggested.


----------



## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

LDB,

Harvey's link maker will work with any book on Amazon. http://www.kboards.com/link/









You can also create a link to a book not on Amazon by referencing the image and URL:


```
[url=http://www.biblio.com/books/60475068.html][IMG]http://i.biblio.com/b/068m/60475068-0-m.jpg[/IMG][/url]
```
​


----------



## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Jeff said:


> I thought _adult language_ sounded more literary than saying that the characters in the book need to have their mouths washed out with soap as one reader suggested.


Well, lest one get the idea I object to profanity, let me say that what I object to is the proliferation of profanity. It's lost any impact, because it's used as a general purpose adjective and punctuation these days, and there isn't anything to replace it. I lament the good old days when you could use profanity and someone noticed. Many authors seem to be in a race to see how much profanity they can get on each page because it's "realistic," when it seems highly artificial to me.

Same for music. I abhor the playing of music in stores for much the same reason. It de-sensitizes people to music to the point where it's just background noise. When I listen to music, I sit in a chair and don't do anything else (well, maybe I make a sandwich). I make my grocery store sojourns with my iPod plugged into my ears, but I'm listening to podcasts such as The Kindle Chronicles and Car Talk to drown out the incessant din of noise from the store "music."


----------



## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

jmiked said:


> Well, lest one get the idea I object to profanity, let me say that what I object to is the proliferation of profanity. It's lost any impact, because it's used as a general purpose adjective and punctuation these days, and there isn't anything to replace it. I lament the good old days when you could use profanity and someone noticed.


The use of language, including profanity, tells us a lot about a fictional character. I think that Maggie, the female protagonist in _The Treasure of La Malinche_, would be diminished if she didn't have such a dirty mouth.

Anyway, that's the way she talked to me when I was typing her words.


----------



## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Jeff said:


> The use of language, including profanity, tells us a lot about a fictional character.


Yeah, I wonder how Conan Doyle and those guys managed, heh.  

Mike


----------



## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

jmiked said:


> Yeah, I wonder how Conan Doyle and those guys managed, heh.


If I'd been born in 1859, as was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, I might have taken a different approach.


----------



## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

I think Jeff says it about right. Distant Cousin, the DTB, is 380 pages, and there might be six "bad" words in it, in English at least. (There are several in Spanish too.) Only one or two of the English ones are the four letter variety, but their appearance is quite understandable under the circumstances and, I think, justified. No one's complained. No one younger than a high school student has read it to date as far as I know. One twelve year old started it but gave up, perhaps put off by the heftiness of it. Several great grandmothers have read it. If they minded the language they didn't tell me. They didn't mind the sex scenes either. I wasn't going to include them but my wife told me no adventure/romance was complete without them.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

A wise man listens to his wife. 

Betsy


----------



## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

You got dat right! That's how I survived 40 years of marriage! The first of the three sex scenes doesn't have any sex in it, and the second is actually funny. That was hard to write, by the way.


----------



## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Jeff said:


> If I'd been born in 1859, as was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, I might have taken a different approach.


Granted.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Getting back on track, here's another book I recommend:











David Morrell has written a number of things I've enjoyed, and this one is a bit of a departure for him. It's the story of people who go exploring in abandoned buildings as a hobby. This time, they get more than they asked for. Followed by a sequel (Scavengers), also recommended.

Mike


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## BrassMan (Dec 8, 2008)

Here's a book I mentioned on another thread somewhere (I still haven't learned to be too nimble navigating all these topics; sorry):











Here's a concise thumbnail summary (and remember, the story is TRUE!):

Twenty years in the making, Urrea's epic novel recounts the true story of his great-aunt Teresita. In 1873, amid the political turbulence of General Porfirio Díaz's Mexican republic, Teresita is born to a fourteen-year-old Indian girl, "mounted and forgotten" by her white master. Don Tomàs Urrea later takes his illegitimate daughter into his home, where she learns to bathe every week and read "Las Hermanas Brontë." But Teresita also continues a folk education as a curandera, discovering healing powers and a mystical relationship with God. Indian pilgrims swarm to the Urrea ranch, where "St. Teresita," a mestiza Joan of Arc, kindles in them a powerful faith in God and a perilous hunger for revolution. The novel brings to life not only the deeply pious figure whom Díaz himself dubbed "the Most Dangerous Girl in Mexico" but also the blood-soaked landscape of pre-revolutionary Mexico.


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## Lizzy (Nov 26, 2008)

jmiked said:


> Getting back on track, here's another book I recommend:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Two more for my wish list. Thanks!


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## Wells83 (Nov 19, 2008)

Heartbreaking and captivating


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

5 STARS - Distant Cousin by Al Best


Definitely a page turner. I am not a sci-fi fan particularly although I do read some, this is one to pull me in to this genre. Absolutely have to read some other books before I can get the sequels, as a treat.

Please read this it is great.


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## Guest (Dec 29, 2008)

Jeaniene Frost is an author of urban fantasy/paranormal romance(people classify it differently) with 3 books out.(after Dec 30 that is)

I will be buying her new book tomorrow so I want to put the link here for the boards.

Book 1 of the series










Book 2 of the series










Book 3 of the series


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## 864 (Dec 1, 2008)

Haven't actually read all of your recommendations yet so someone may have already posted this, but I really like it... It's a story of a family told from the dog's perspective. Very cleverly done and easy to see that a dog might actually think like that.

Here's my second attempt at linking to the book:











Taaa-daaaaaaaaaa!

Read it and enjoy!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Hey, Kindlewidow, thanks for the rec, and good job on the link.  I've been wanting to read this and have the sample.  I think I'm going to track it to see if the price comes down!

Betsy


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

Thanks Kindlewidow, I have this one on my wish list. Great job with the link, it took me weeks... 

Linda


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## MaureenH (Dec 14, 2008)

I loved Water for Elephants. 

I read Graceling recently and really enjoyed it. Would probably especially appeal to women.


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

MaureenH said:


> I loved Water for Elephants.
> 
> I read Graceling recently and really enjoyed it. Would probably especially appeal to women.


Welcome Maureen and congrats on your first post. Thanks for the book recommendations. Please go to *The Intro/Welcome Board * and tell us more about yourself. Glad you are here!

Linda


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