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It’s Giveaway time! Get a free bonus entry into our monthly raffle and check out The Master Butchers Singing Club: A Novel by Louise Erdrich
It’s Giveaway time! Get a free bonus entry into our monthly raffle and check out The Master Butchers Singing Club: A Novel by Louise Erdrich
Claire and her mother are running out of time, but they don’t know it… Life on the Refrigerator Door: Notes Between a Mother and Daughter, a novel by Alice Kuipers
Claire and her mother are running out of time, but they don’t know it… Life on the Refrigerator Door: Notes Between a Mother and Daughter, a novel by Alice Kuipers
“A classic smash-em-up thriller with style, flair, and a full passport of brutal action…” The Englander by John Righten
“A classic smash-em-up thriller with style, flair, and a full passport of brutal action…” The Englander by John Righten
A hot Vegas night she’s trying hard to forget… Come a Little Closer: A Second Chance, Wedding Party, Small Town Romance by Kait Nolan
A hot Vegas night she’s trying hard to forget… Come a Little Closer: A Second Chance, Wedding Party, Small Town Romance by Kait Nolan
Perfect for fans of paranormal police procedurals, and of Kim Harrison and Charlaine Harris… Theater of Curses by Catherine Stine
Perfect for fans of paranormal police procedurals, and of Kim Harrison and Charlaine Harris… Theater of Curses by Catherine Stine
An addicting dark fantasy you won’t be able to put down! Those Savage Stars (Star Kissed Book 1) by Cameo Renae
An addicting dark fantasy you won’t be able to put down! Those Savage Stars (Star Kissed Book 1) by Cameo Renae
It’s Giveaway time! Get a free bonus entry into our monthly raffle and check out The Boarding House by Sharon Sala
It’s Giveaway time! Get a free bonus entry into our monthly raffle and check out The Boarding House by Sharon Sala
How can someone desensitized to death truly experience the death-related grief? Death Knell by John Misak
How can someone desensitized to death truly experience the death-related grief? Death Knell by John Misak
“A fast-moving whodunit investigation with plenty of action, deceit, and suspense.”–Seattle Book Review… Ill Intent by Geoffrey M. Cooper
“A fast-moving whodunit investigation with plenty of action, deceit, and suspense.”–Seattle Book Review… Ill Intent by Geoffrey M. Cooper
“A captivating murder tale that kick-starts the beach reading season.” —Kirkus Reviews… Tune Up The Secrets of Mylin—Book I by Joe Klingler
“A captivating murder tale that kick-starts the beach reading season.” —Kirkus Reviews… Tune Up The Secrets of Mylin—Book I by Joe Klingler
It’s Giveaway time! Get a free bonus entry into our monthly raffle and check out Secret Agent Minister by Lenora Worth
It’s Giveaway time! Get a free bonus entry into our monthly raffle and check out Secret Agent Minister by Lenora Worth
Don’t miss one of America’s top 100 most-loved novels! The Magician’s Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia Book 1) by C.S. Lewis
Don’t miss one of America’s top 100 most-loved novels! The Magician’s Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia Book 1) by C.S. Lewis
Here’s something new and very exciting for anyone who thinks they may enjoy listening to Audible.com audiobooks on their Kindles … or for that matter, anyone who wonders about the future of the Kindle as a delivery system for Amazon’s content:
Now you can download any audiobook directly and wirelessly from your Audible.com library to your Kindle 3 or Kindle Wi-Fi without the use of a USB cable or any other connection with your computer!
I’ve posted recently about how audiobooks from Audible.com’s extensive catalog of 75,000 professionally produced audiobooks work beautifully on all Kindle devices and can actually provide a less expensive alternative when agency model publishers fix foolishly high ebook prices such as the $19.99 set by Penguin — so far, at least — for Ken Follett’s Fall of Giants ebook.
Now, thanks to Kindle’s relatively new wi-fi capability — standard and free on both the wi-fi only and wi-fi+3G Kindle 3 models — and the fact that Amazon owns Audible.com, Kindle 3 owners no longer have to hassle with USB connections, computers, cables, and manual downloads to begin listening to any of their audiobooks on their Kindle.
How big a deal is this?
In addition to the considerable pleasures of listening to the spoken word, this new development will prove to be a very big deal in all kinds of other ways for Amazon and its customers. While Apple continues to confound many of its customers by forcing us to engage in never-ending and always too lengthy dances of downloading and synchronizing by tethering our iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touches via USB cables to our computers, Amazon has nailed the processes of wireless, effortless, in-the-background, cloud-to-Kindle synching, first for Kindle ebooks, magazines, newspapers, and blogs and now, just as elegantly, for large audiobook files. Clearly it is just a matter of time — and a short time at that — before there will be a next-generation Kindle sibling or cousin that provides equally seamless and effortless delivery for other audio and video products from Amazon.
Importantly, we are not talking about Kindle text-to-speech here, with the semi-robotic voice choices that I find fine for newspapers, magazines, and blogs, but which can be a tad annoying if you are listening to something of, ahem, finer literary quality. Audible.com recordings feature world-class voice acting talent.
And, while past hardcopy audiobook-on-disc prices in the $30 to $100 range may have ensured that we were more likely to acquire audiobooks from the public library or a yard sale than at retail, Audible.com pricing is just what you would expect of an Amazon subsidiary:
reasonable
competitive with print-book and ebook format prices, and
with a monthly billing plan reminiscent in some elements of Netflix — structured in such a way that customers like me are going to find it very, very easy, er, compelling, er, addictive to keep coming back for more.
Here are the steps, and the good news is that you only have to follow the first four steps once, or in the case of the fourth step, once a year:
Sign into the Amazon.com account that is associated with your Kindle.
If you don’t already have an Audible.com account, set one up starting from an Amazon-based page like this one for Fall of Giants. (Don’t let the $31.48 price for Fall of Giants scare you away. If you set up a monthly billing account with Audible.com, you’ll never have to pay even half that much for Fall of Giants or any other audiobook.)
Use your Kindle-associated Amazon.com account as your Audible.com account. This is a new feature and it is important to make the steps that follow work, so if you already have an Audible.com account be sure to switch it over to your Amazon.com account (you’ll probably see a link for this in the upper right corner of an Audible.com page).
Follow the prompts to choose a monthly or annual billing plan that’s right for you. Most Audible.com audiobooks cost either 1 credit or some dollar amount that is usually in the $15 to $30 range, so you will want to pay for most audiobooks with “credits” rather than cash. If you choose a plan that bills you monthly for a single credit, each credit will cost you $14.95. By choosing a plan that bills me annually in advance for 24 credits, each credit costs me $9.56. Credits accrue to your account when you pay for them and some can be rolled over; you certainly do not need to purchase an audiobook every month. (When a new account is set up, you should also receive a free credit to use during the first month.)
Once your account is set up, select and purchase an audiobook. Pay for it with a free credit or any other credit that you have on account, unless you are selecting a title that costs less than your cost for a credit, in which case you may want to click on the option that allows you to pay the cash price instead. Complete the purchase process and verify that your new audiobook is in your Audible.com library.
Turn on your Kindle 3, make sure the wireless is in the “On” position by checking the menu, and also make sure that your Kindle is set up for wi-fi and within range of an active wi-fi signal.
From the “Home” screen, press the “Menu” button and select “View Archived Items.” Find your audiobook (hint: it will say “audible” just to the left of the title), and use the 5-way to select it.
The audiobook will begin downloading, and when it appears on your Home screen you can begin listening to it. The downloading process will take a few moments, depending on the length of the book and size of the file, and during the download you may select “View Downloading Items” from the Home menu to to check on download progress.
Two important warnings:
Audiobooks files generally take up between 50 and 500 megabytes of storage space on your Kindle, whereas ebook usually take up less than 1 megabites. Generally you should avoid keeping more than two or three audiobooks on your Kindle at a time, in order to keep from having storage problems.
Many Kindle Nation citizens are likely to find, as I have found, that the process of buying and listening to audiobooks on the Kindle is seamless and addictive. Spend wisely!
* * *
At Audible.com, you can choose to download any of 75,000 audiobooks and more, and listen on your Kindle™, iPhone®, iPod®, or 500+ MP3 players.
Your Audible.com 30-day free trial membership includes:
This audiobook free, plus a bonus audiobook of your choice
30% off any additional audiobooks you purchase
A free daily audio subscription to The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal
Is there a price cut in the works for the ridiculously priced ebook edition of Ken Follett’s sweeping historical saga Fall of Giants? The ebook price has been set so far at $19.99 by agency model price fixer Penguin and its Dutton imprint, but ebook sales have sputtered a bit in the past five days since we posted here Saturday that Kindle owners would do better buying the complete unabridged 30-hour Audible.com audiobook of Fall of Giants, at a price that would range anywhere from $0.00 to $14.95 depending on their enrollment and billing plan status, and enjoying John Lee’s lovely narration on their Kindles.
So, we’ll see if there is a big price cut in the works. The $9.99 on the hovercraft widget indicates that a $9.99 price point has been entered into the system somewhere in Amazon’s Kindle Store infrastructure, and we’ve seen cases before where price discrepancies eventually synchronized and fell into place. When I clicked on the buy button, the next screen display also indicated a $9.99 price, but there did seem to be a glitch somewhere since ordinarily we do not see a shopping cart page when we are making Kindle content purchase:
The price on other ebook venues remains at $19.99 as of this report.
If the ebook price for Fall of Giants is reduced to the $9.99 level for which many Kindle Nation citizens often hold out, it could be quite a coup for Kindle owners everywhere, and perhaps a bit of a blow to agency model arrogance. After all, if they can’t sustain an agency model price for 985 pages by Ken Follett, there might not soon be a better stalking horse for their sinister schemes.
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.
That’s the set-up for today’s latest addition to our freshly updated Free Book Alert listing, a January release byDebbie Viguié, the prolific co-author of the “Wicked” series….
Ryan Black is living a life most men will never know- filled with high-risk adventure in exotic locales, an authentic hero who willingly confronts head-on the life and death challenges found in emerging trouble spots around the globe.
This high impact thriller takes you on a desperate mission to prevent a radiological attack on the United States by Jusef al Sudairy. From mysterious crashes of Soviet-era fighters in California to high-tech naval battles in the Atlantic, the action is nonstop in this first volume in the Ryan Black Series.
Click here to find out why the first volume in the Ryan Black Series has averaged 4.9 stars in 7 customer reviews from Amazon readers like us….
Couldn’t Put It Down!, June 29, 2010 By Greta S. Carlo
“This book had it all- Nonstop action and a great story line with a couple of unexpected twists. I read a lot of thrillers and this had the right blend of characters and plot. I especially liked the scenes in Miami at the Delano Hotel- I need to meet a guy like Ryan Black!”
Zack Hamric lives in Sarasota, Fl and when he’s not writing his next thriller can be often found in the Gulf sailing his classic sloop Dolce Vita. His next book BLANK SLATE is scheduled for release in November.
Click here to download Crescent Rising (Ryan Black Thriller) (or a free sample) to your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Android-compatible, PC or Mac and start reading within 60 seconds!
With all the buzz among publishers during the past few months about so-called “enhanced ebooks,” I have to admit that I’m a bit of a curmudgeon. I don’t know if it is Andy Rooney or Jeff Bezos who I am channeling, but I had to agree with Bezos when he asked Charlie Rose earlier this year, “You think Hemingway is going to pop more on a color screen?”
So you know where I am coming from when I find an author whose idea of “enhancing” a book is summed up in this line about Cheryl Kaye Tardif, er, Cherish D’Angelo, from fellow author Betty Dravis: “One doesn’t simply read a Tardif store, one experiences it!”
She invites us to enter a very different and distinctive fictive world in Lancelot’s Lady, and the result is the winner of an Editor’s Choice award from Textnovel.com and the #3 Most Popular Semi-Finalist in the Dorchester ‘Next Best Seller’ contest hosted on Textnovel.com. Although she is just beginning to break through in the States, she has already built a loyal following among readers in her native Canada.
Scroll down to begin reading the free excerpt now
Praise for Lancelot’s Lady
“Romance, mystery, danger, black-mail, and twists and surprises, this tale contains them all… Despicable intentions threaten every character in this finely crafted tale of sweet tension…Lancelot’s Lady is a non-stop adventure combined with the agonizing struggle to not give in to the magnetism between them. Enticing. Fun.” —Midwest Book Review
“From the cold rocky shores of Maine to the extravagant mansions of Miami to a lush tropical island in the Bahamas, Cherish D’Angelo takes her heroine through a series of breathtaking romantic adventures that mirror the settings, often in surprisingly ironic ways. A page turner in the best possible sense.” –Gail Bowen, author of the award-winning Joanne Kilbourn series
“Cherish D’Angelo has got that mythical “voice” down to a fine art.” –Jennifer L. Hart, author of River Rats
“Lancelot’s Lady is riveting. It holds on and won’t let you go! Cherish D’Angelo’s descriptive powers are amazing. She summons up scenes like genies from bottles!” –Susan J. McLeod, author of Soul and Shadow
Click on the title to download Lancelot’s Lady (or a free sample) to your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Android-compatible, PC or Mac and start reading within 60 seconds!
UK Kindle customers:
Click on the title to download Lancelot’s Lady from the UK Kindle Store
Copyright 2010 by Cheryl Kaye Tardif, writing as Cherish D’Angelo, and reprinted here with her permission.
Chapter 1
Pacing in the expansive marble foyer of Lance Manor, Rhianna McLeod tried to calm her nerves as she waited for her life to change. One man’s decision would determine her fate. Would she have a new job and a place to call home? Or would she be sent packing?
A tall, thin man in a dark gray suit approached her.
“Are you Mr. Lance?” she asked, holding her breath.
The man smiled and fine lines crinkled the corners of his warm brown eyes. “I’m Higginson, Mr. Lance’s butler. He’s resting at the moment. Perhaps you can leave your name.”
Rhianna blinked back tears. She couldn’t be turned away. The trip to Florida had taken most of her savings and she didn’t have enough money to fly back to Maine. Besides, if it weren’t for Mr. Lance’s letter, she wouldn’t even be in this predicament.
“But Mr. Lance is expecting me. I’m Rhianna McLeod, the palliative nurse he contacted. In his letter he said I’d have the job if I came here.”
“I’m dreadfully sorry. Mr. Lance already has a nurse.”
“But I don’t have anywhere else–“
Somewhere in the stately mansion something crashed to the floor. Before Rhianna could comment, a crystal-shattering shriek pierced the air. This was followed by a terrible wailing sound.
The butler groaned. “Oh, no. Not again.” He rushed off in the direction of the commotion.
Unsure of what to do, Rhianna took a determined breath and followed him. When they passed beneath a pillared arch and into a long hallway, she saw a reed-thin elderly man dressed only in a threadbare blue plaid bathrobe. It gaped open in the front, threatening to reveal more than just a hairy chest. Beside him, a plump woman in white scrubs was trying her best to calm him down, even though she was dripping wet and very upset.
As they approached the dueling pair, Rhianna tried to remember everything she could about her potential employer. In the past year, the tabloids had been filled with stories of multi-millionaire JT Lance and his fight against an aggressive disease, a cancerous brain tumor that made him an unruly and difficult patient. From what she could see, the rumors were true. Once exuding strength, confidence and perhaps a touch of arrogance, JT now looked frail and helpless.
“JT?” the butler called out.
“Higginson, get this woman a towel. She spilled my water.”
“I did not spill it,” the nurse snapped. “Mr. Lance refuses to take his meds or draw a blood sample. Now he’s having a temper tantrum. He threw that water pitcher at me.”
JT’s eyes flared. “That’s because you keep trying to poison me, you old bat!”
“I am not trying to poison you,” the nurse sputtered. “The medication will help–“
“How the hell do you know what will help me? Half the time, you keep me so drugged that I don’t even know who I am when I look in the mirror. The other half, you’re busy taking my blood for your tests.”
JT turned his back on the nurse and staggered toward Higginson, oblivious of the broken glass and water on the floor.
“Sir!” the butler warned.
With a resigned sigh, JT leaned against the wall for support. Then he caught sight of Rhianna. His mouth gaped and electric blue eyes lit up like twin lanterns.
“Anna,” he whispered. “You came back.”
He moved toward her and she suddenly found herself wrapped in his scrawny arms. Her first reaction was panic. It gripped her around the throat, strangling her. She wanted to fight him off, but then something strange happened. Calmness washed over her and she felt connected, a sense of belonging. For once in her life, she knew what it felt like to be welcomed home.
But this isn’t my home.
She pulled back, embarrassed. “Mr. Lance, my name is Rhianna McLeod. I’m the nurse from Maine. Remember?”
“Nurse?” He studied her face and something akin to recognition flickered in his eyes. “Ah, yes…”
“What’s going on, sir?” Higginson asked.
“I’ll explain later. First, I need a drink.”
Higginson gave Nurse Simpson an apologetic look. “Get Mr. Lance a fresh jug of water, please. I’m sure he won’t let his temper get out of control now that he has company. Will you, sir?”
All eyes watched as the portly nurse waddled down the hall. Her disappearing act seemed to make the old man extremely happy.
JT nudged Rhianna. “That woman’s a vampire.”
“As you can see,” Higginson said, “Mr. Lance and the nurse don’t exactly get along.” He turned to JT. “Let’s get you back into bed before you end up on the floor–again.”
“Come along, Anna.” JT took her hand. “You can visit while Higgie tucks me in.”
Rhianna stifled a laugh. Higgie?
When she caught his eye, Higginson shrugged.
She followed the two men up a spiral staircase, her shoes clicking on the Italian marble steps and echoing around her. When she entered a handsomely decorated suite accented with polished mahogany and brass, she sucked in a stunned breath.
The suite was larger than four bedrooms put together. A plush sitting room with two suede sofas and a wall of bookshelves greeted her first. Double French doors with glass inserts opened into the bedroom area. On one side of the bedroom, an open door led to a massive walk-in closet that held rows of suits, dress shirts and ties in every shade, and a shoe collection that would be the envy of any man on Wall Street. Another door opened into a bathroom ensuite featuring a Jacuzzi, a glass and tile shower and a sauna room. A sliding door on the other side of the spacious bedroom led out onto a small balcony overlooking a delicately scented rose garden. Between two tall windows stood a huge carved bed, a work of art in itself. A tan-colored suede armchair was positioned next to it–probably for the nurse–and a kaleidoscope of pill bottles lay scattered across the nightstand.
“What do you think, Anna?” JT asked once he was settled in the bed.
“I think it’s definitely a man’s domain.”
Nurse Simpson returned, carrying a plastic jug of ice water. Shoving the pill bottles aside, the woman set the jug on the nightstand and crossed her arms, every muscle in her face pinched in disapproval.
JT dismissed her with an impatient flick of his hand.
In the doorway, the nurse hesitated. “Mr. Lance needs his rest. Even if he doesn’t think so.” Sensing competition, her eyes narrowed in Rhianna’s direction. “Or anyone else, for that matter.”
“Maybe we should talk later,” Rhianna mumbled.
“Nonsense,” JT said. “Stay with me a while.”
The butler glanced toward the door. “Nurse Simpson, why don’t you take a break for an hour or two?”
JT nodded. “Anna will take good care of me.”
As the door slammed shut behind the nurse, Rhianna took a step closer. “Mr. Lance, my name is Rhianna McLeod.”
“Rhianna?” JT sighed. “Well, yes. I guess you are.”
Confused, she turned to Higginson. “I don’t think he remembers writing me about the nursing position. He even contacted the hospital I used to work in and–“
“I hate it when people talk as if I’m not in the room,” JT fumed. “Of course I remember you, uh…Rhianna. And I do want you to be my nurse. Higginson! Make up the Rose-Mist Room for Ms. McLeod. She’ll be staying with us indefinitely.”
“Are you sure?” Rhianna asked, surprised. “You may want someone more experienced. I’ve only worked in one hospital and one nursing home before coming here.”
Higginson cleared his throat. “Have you checked her references, sir?”
“References are for untrusting fools. It’s my blasted memory that’s disintegrating, not my eyes.” JT eyed the door. “And references sure didn’t make a difference with Nurse Dracula. Which reminds me…see that the old bat gets a nice severance package.”
As the butler’s footsteps faded, Rhianna was at a loss for words. “I…uh…thank you.”
“You can thank me by getting my pills over there.” JT pointed to the nightstand. “The ones in the red bottle.”
She fetched his medication and quickly scanned the bottle. The prescription was for Vicodin, a narcotic pain reliever. She shook out two pills and poured a glass of water before approaching his bedside.
“Thank you, Ann–Rhianna.” His breathing was strained.
“Are you feeling all right, Mr. Lance?”
“JT, my dear. When you call me Mr. Lance, I feel so damned ancient, like some old geezer waiting to croak.” He chuckled at his own joke.
After he was resting comfortably, she sat down in the chair and studied him. His thinning gray hair and handsome face suggested the rather dashing young man he must once have been. A once-strong jaw line, now softened by age and illness, still held traces of stubbornness. But it was his eyes, bright and kind, that held her attention. They seemed sad. Tired and sad.
“Now, Rhianna, tell me a bit about yourself.”
“Well, I grew up in Bangor, Maine, and graduated–“
“Not the technical interview stuff, dear. I want to know about you. What are your goals, your dreams?”
Nobody had ever asked her about her dreams. For nearly two years, she had hidden herself in the nursing home in Portland, afraid to let anyone too close. Afraid to dream.
In that bedroom, sitting beside a dying man, she found more than an employer–she found a friend. Tentatively, she told him bits and pieces about her life. It started slowly, like a gurgle of water bubbling up from the center of the earth.
Within an hour, Rhianna had told him all about her childhood, about the terror she had endured, and the fear and abuse that had drained her soul of all self-worth.
Chapter 2
Settling into her new job had been easy for Rhianna. JT had made it easy. Although occasionally prickly, her patient was also compassionate and kind. He gave Rhianna full run of the mansion while he napped, which was often.
As she wandered through the various rooms, admiring antique furniture, expensive ornaments and a collection of massive oil paintings in ornate frames, she caught sight of a painting in the foyer. It had mesmerized her since her first day at Lance Manor over six weeks ago. A rectangular brass plate on the bottom of the frame displayed no date or artist name, only the name of the work.
Lady in the Mist.
On the canvas, a woman’s naked body, wrapped only in a thin veil of mist and caressed by soft blue moonlight. She stood in the shimmering stillness of a murky lake, her long, slender legs half-submerged in the water. Rich auburn hair cascaded down her shoulders and swirled over the peaks of firm breasts, and brilliant jade-green eyes gleamed with such yearning and expectancy. The mist rose from the lake in spiraling tendrils, like fairy hands grasping at the woman’s body. The wind whispered in hot, humid breaths. Water trickled from the falls above, showering the plants with glistening moisture, while the Lady in the Mist appeared to be waiting for something.
Or someone, Rhianna thought.
There was something primal about the painting.
It was alive.
“It’s a lovely painting, isn’t it, Miss McLeod?”
She spun around at the sound of Higginson’s voice.
“The resemblance is uncanny,” he observed. “She looks like you.”
“You say that every time–as if she predicted my arrival.”
“Well, look at you.” Higginson smiled. “You’re here. And part of the family.”
“You and JT have shown me the meaning of family–I’ll always remember that.”
“Don’t talk as if you’re leaving us,” he chided.
“I will be. One day.”
Rhianna’s heart ached at the thought. Her job could end in a heartbeat. Or the lack of one. They both knew that. Though they’d given him six months at most, not even the doctors knew how much time JT really had left.
It had been difficult at first, watching a grown man waver between being fully cognizant one moment and barely lucid the next. Some days he had a hard time remembering the simple things, like how to tie his shoes or the cream went in his coffee not over his eggs. But she loved the old man. JT was like the father she’d never had.
Orphaned at birth, she’d been sent to live with her mother’s sister, until Aunt Madeline and Uncle Bernard died in a ferry accident. After the funeral, Rhianna went into foster care and remained there until she was sixteen. The last place she was sent to was the home of Gwen and Peter Waverley. She spent three long years there–three years of hell.
She shook her head. The past is the past.
Flicking a look at Higginson, she noticed a single tear had escaped down his cheek. The man was a loyal employee, more like a companion and dear friend than a well paid butler. He’d been with JT for over twenty years. They often argued over business matters, yet JT always respected him, and that had won the butler’s eternal devotion.
“There’s something magnetic about her,” Higginson said, before leaving her alone.
Rhianna’s gaze was drawn back to the mysterious canvas. She often felt the woman in the painting was watching her. The artist had captured the sensual yearning in the young woman’s expression, a sense of desperation, torment and passion that haunted her beautiful eyes. However, there was one thing that stood out–a flaw of sorts. The artist’s signature was illegible.
“Good evening, dear.”
Turning, Rhianna smiled as JT approached. “You’re wearing your new robe.”
He frowned. “New? Oh, yes. I can’t seem to find my other one.”
She’d given him a new bathrobe when he turned sixty-seven a week ago, but every now and then he’d forget about it and go in search of the ratty, threadbare one that she and Higginson had secretly thrown out.
“Why didn’t you answer me when I called your name?” he asked.
“Sorry, I was daydreaming.” She glanced at the painting. “It’s so beautiful I get lost in it.”
“I know, dear. It’s your favorite.”
“Who’s the artist?”
JT’s eyes went cloudy. “What artist?”
She indicated the painting.
“I don’t have a clue.” He frowned. “I think I knew once, but…” His voice trailed away.
“It’s okay, JT.”
“What is?” he asked, bright-eyed again.
She let out a sigh. JT’s memory lapses were becoming more frequent.
Higginson approached them. “Everything is ready, sir.”
“Then let’s get this show on the road.”
JT winked and Higginson disappeared down the hall.
“What’s going on?” she asked JT. “You should be upstairs resting.”
“I’ll have plenty of time for that when I’m dead.”
Her eyes watered. “Don’t say that.”
“I’m sorry, dear. You know I wouldn’t hurt you for all the world, but if I’m going to die soon I might as well enjoy life now.” He gave her a secretive smile. “Anyway, I can’t very well miss tonight’s celebration, can I?”
“What celebration?”
He frowned. “Your birthday party, dear girl.”
Oh no. This was the last thing Rhianna wanted.
“It’s no big deal,” she mumbled.
“No big deal?” JT’s arm swept across her shoulders. “My dear Rhianna, you’re twenty-five now. When you’re as old as I am, you’ll be thankful for every single birthday you ever had. It means you lived one more year, saw one more year of sights and loved one year longer.”
She smiled. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right. Besides, I have to dance with the birthday girl at least one time.” He kissed her forehead. “You know, my birthday is coming up soon. I’ll be sixty-seven.” He frowned and scratched his chin. “Or is it seventy-six?”
She didn’t have the heart to tell him he’d had it already.
Today’s latest addition to our Kindle Store listings of free contemporary books shows a nice, positive, gentle touch by author, publisher, and Amazon as we get the title story in a highly rated and well-reviewed collection of short stories by Vietnam native and San Francisco Bay Area resident Angie Chau (pictured at right). “Serenely stirring stories from Vietnamese-American Chau track the breaking asunder of an extended Vietnamese boat family newly arrived in California in the 1970s,” said Publisher’s Weekly in a starred review.
You can pick up the title story free for a limited time in our newly renovated Free Book Alert listings below, and if you enjoy it you can download the full collection for $9.99….
But first … a word from our sponsor….
(Editor’s Note: Forgive me if I seem to be channeling Oprah here, but where life-changing books are concerned I’ve noticed that, for me at least, the value of an author’s message corresponds rather directly to the authenticity and resonance of that author’s story. Eugene Wells’ story resonates deeply with me, so I suppose it is no surprise that I am taking his book to heart. It may also be no surprise to Kindle Nation readers that I am trying to cut down further on a caffeine habit that has come down considerably from the 10+ cups a day that I used to imbibe in my 20s to a still-too-high 5-6 cups a day. –S.W.)
A few years ago, after gaining 35 pounds in 6 months, I began to suspect that there was a connection between my newly acquired caffeine habit and my weight gain. This suspicion led me to find a number of connections between caffeine and overeating, and also a number of ways to minimize caffeine’s contribution to overeating, while keeping the level of caffeine consumption constant.
Through The Decaf Diet, I would like to share with you all the information I discovered that helped me lose those 35 pounds, so that you are also able to lose weight and stay trim and healthy without quitting caffeine altogether. You should be fully informed when it comes to the caffeine-containing beverages we drink every day, and so I hope you find the book to be informative and helpful in reaching your health and body composition goals. –-Eugene Wells
In The Decaf Diet, Eugene Wells explains how coffee, tea, soda, and chocolate are making a large contribution to the obesity epidemic. Wells explains how caffeine drives overeating while hindering weight loss, and in doing so he empowers readers to decide for themselves just to what extent caffeine should control their waistlines.
In The Decaf Dietyou will learn how caffeine makes you overeat, reduces your muscle mass, slows your metabolism, keeps your stress and insulin levels elevated, and can negatively affect thyroid function. You will also learn how to painlessly decrease or eliminate your caffeine intake for rapid weight loss, and how to reduce caffeine’s fattening properties when you do have it.
The Decaf Diet is your guide to optimal caffeine use for achieving and maintaining a lean physique. Eugene Wells explains how to minimize caffeine’s fattening effects by picking the best caffeine sources, by timing your caffeine intake, and by implementing nutritional support, mood support, and exercise. This is an invaluable guide for the coffee drinker who seeks to stay trim without quitting.
Thanks to long-time Kindle Nation citizen Tricia for this informative note about something I missed in an earlier post about various editions of George Bush’s new memoir Decision Points:
Hi,
I was really interested in what you had to say about George Bush’s new book and the 2 editions. I bought the deluxe one. Then, this morning, when I was again looking at the Amazon pages on this book, I saw that the text-to-speech is enabled in the deluxe edition and disabled in the other? The disabling of text-to-speech is a really big issue for me as I have a mild visual handicap and sometimes need to listen to a book instead of read it. (I also like to have books read to me while I prepare dinner.)
For all who have been waiting for the latest contribution to our literature by an American ex-president, the much-anticipated Bush-43 memoir Decision Points will be released November 9 in two different e-book editions. According to the publisher’s press release, “The book is a chronicle of the fourteen most critical and historic decisions in the life and public service of the 43rd President of the United States.”
The deluxe edition edition with audio and video enhancements will be released for platforms and devices that support such media, including the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad. (When I placed a pre-order, the Kindle Store did not restrict devices based on the capacity to display video.) The deluxe edition will include:
Videos from the defining moments of the Bush presidency, including President Bush’s inspiring speech to 9/11 rescue workers, intimate Bush family movies, and a special introduction to the edition by the President himself
Handwritten letters from President Bush’s personal correspondence
Full texts of President Bush’s most important speeches, including his addresses to the nation about the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and his Second Inaugural
More than 50 additional photographs not contained in the print edition
Decision Points will also be released as an audiobook read by the former president. It will, apparently and perhaps not surprisingly, be an abridged version. A cloth-bound, signed, and numbered limited edition ($350) will be published on November 30, 2010.
professionally produced audiobooks work beautifully on all Kindle devices and can actually provide a less expensive alternative when agency model publishers fix foolishly high ebook prices such as the $19.99 set by Penguin — so far, at least — for Ken Follett’s Fall of Giants
ebook.
professionally produced audiobooks work beautifully on all Kindle devices and can actually provide a less expensive alternative when agency model publishers fix foolishly high ebook prices such as the $19.99 set by Penguin — so far, at least — for Ken Follett’s Fall of Giants
and wi-fi+3G
Kindle 3 models — and the fact that Amazon owns Audible.com, Kindle 3 owners no longer have to hassle with USB connections, computers, cables, and manual downloads to begin listening to any of their audiobooks on their Kindle.
to download 
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![FORTUNE IS A WOMAN [Keeping Mr. Right] (Optimized & Ad-Free)](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51BN8zFv1RL._SL60_.jpg)
for $9.99….
:
(or a free sample) to your Kindle or free Kindle app and start reading within 60 seconds!
:
as of late afternoon Tuesday, October 11. I strongly recommend ordering that deluxe edition right away if you are interested in getting it at the $9.99 price, because it may not last. Amazon is currently discounting the hardcover edition by 46 percent to $18.90. 
will also be released as an audiobook read by the former president. It will, apparently and perhaps not surprisingly, be an abridged version. A cloth-bound, signed, and numbered limited edition ($350) will be published on November 30, 2010.
