… so it is not included in either the Kindle edition or the paperback edition of The Complete User’s Guide to the Amazing Amazon Kindle.

And I cannot promise that you will be able to replicate it in the privacy of your own home, but it may be worth a try.

It’s coming on a year now that I’ve had my first Kindle, and it had gotten a lot of wear — there have even been a few planned and unplanned “drop tests” along the way. With each passing month, I have to admit that its battery life between charges has grown more disappointing, and there have also been some (perhaps related) screen or keyboard freeze issues recently.

This weekend, on a whim, I swapped Kindle batteries between mine and my 10-year-old son Danny’s Kindle, which I purchased for him last May in appreciation for the fact that he came up with the idea for the lovely Northumberland tree photograph that I licensed and that has become the visual brand for my Kindle books.

Immediately following the battery swap, my Kindle began to work perfectly and its battery life seems to be living up to original product claims again! That’s not the surprising part. The surprising part is that Danny’s Kindle (with what I would heretofore have described as my old worn-out battery) is working perfectly too! I have no way of explaining this, but, for instance, I have left both Kindles powered up with the wireless switch “on” for over 24 hours, and both are showing over 50% power remaining on the battery indicator.

So, I realize, we do not all have 2 Kindles in our homes. And Amazon is out of Kindle batteries (yes, my theory is that it is the battery backlog that is causing the Kindle backlog), so it’s not like you can just order another Amazon Kindle Replacement Battery and get one this week.

But if your Kindle is being to perform in a slightly tired fashion and you have access to another Kindle, even a friend’s, it may be worth experimenting with a battery swap.

Meanwhile, I hope that some Kindle engineer from Area 126 or Area 51 or somewhere will comment or email me and shed light on this phenomenon, or suggest Kindle counseling for me.

… but don’t doubt that Amazon will catch up soon with the production capacity necessary to get hundreds of thousands of new Kindles into the hands of eager readers this holiday season.

If you or your friends, colleagues, or loved ones are on the fence about whether to get a Kindle or to give one as a gift, one of the best ways to find out just about everything you’ll be able to do with a Kindle is to pick up the paperback edition of my book The Complete User’s Guide to the Amazing Amazon Kindle. The Kindle edition has been downloaded by 36,000 happy Kindle owners, and now the new paperback has become one of the top titles in Amazon’s main bookstore.

From now through Nov. 1, you can take an additional $50 off the $359 price of a brand new Amazon Kindle! Here’s how.

Just click on the picture of the Kindle in the carousel above and, when you are delivered to Amazon, hit the “Add to the Shopping Cart” button at the right of your screen. Then, at checkout, enter the promotional code OPRAHWINFREY in the appropriate field on the right of your screen and click “Apply.” $50 will automatically be removed from your purchase price, for this limited time only.

The first book-length critical assessment of Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, Thanks But No Thanks: The Voter’s Guide to Sarah Palin by Sue Katz, is now the #1 bestseller in the Amazon Kindle store, just days after its launch.

Signed copies of the paperback edition of Thanks But No Thanks: The Voter’s Guide to Sarah Palin are being offered at a 20% discount on Amazon, and the book is also available in other electronic reading formats including the iPhone and the Blackberry through Mobipocket. Just days after its launch the new Palin book is one of the topselling current affairs titles at Amazon, and will be available in better bookstores nationally next week.

Already emerging as one of the important political books of the general election season, Sue Katz’ book has received praise from several distinguished authors, including bestsellers Harriet Lerner and Susie Bright:

‘Sue Katz’s meticulously researched book cuts through the media fog and political doublespeak, bringing the facts about Sarah Palin into sharp resolve.’ –Harriet Lerner, author of The Dance of Anger

‘Sue Katz is just the she-bear to wrestle Sarah Palin’s image back down to earth. Forget the myth about the GOP’s latest superstar–Katz will show the real motivations behind Palin and where she comes from.’ –Susie Bright

Who is Sarah Palin and what does she believe in? People around the country — and indeed the world — had more questions than answers when John McCain announced her selection as his running mate on August 29, 2008. Has any national political candidate ever emerged on the American political scene with less scrutiny than Alaska Governor Sarah Palin received prior to her selection?

Whether you believe Palin was nominated because of years of hard work in Alaska, as a result of a reckless decision by her “maverick” running mate, or because of the influence of the religious right, you probably want to know more about this remarkable political phenom.

Hours after John McCain shocked the nation by selecting Palin as his surprise Republican running mate, journalists, activists, and ordinary concerned citizens began to research and write about Palin’s biography, public statements, and political background. The flood of information and commentary has been torrential.

For those who would like some help sorting through all the hype about Sarah Palin, Sue Katz’s Thanks But No Thanks: The Voter’s Guide to Sarah Palin is the perfect solution. Katz distills the overwhelming glut of information about Palin into a highly readable and fast-paced voter’s guide about the woman who may be elected vice-president in 2008 and who could well serve as president one day. From Palin’s days in Wasilla to her leap into Republican super-stardom, Katz helps you to better understand this intriguing candidate.

While remaining true to her own strong point of view, Sue Katz looks beyond the lipstick and the sound bites. Thanks But No Thanks synthesizes information and commentary from a wide range of sources so that readers of any political persuasion will find help in educating themselves about just who Sarah Palin is and what her election might mean for the country and the world.

This book is for voters who want to go beyond the usual campaign “puff piece” biographies and learn about Palin’s known views on everything from community organizers to women’s issues to the relationship of faith and politics. Thanks But No Thanks provides the reader with access to interesting voices from around America and the world, and they all have something insightful to say about Sarah Palin.

In addition, the publisher has included several valuable appendices that will serve as handy references for voters and debate-watchers: a year-by-year chronology of key events in Palin’s life, a detailed history of Palin’s performance in past elections, and the full text of her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention.

About the Author

Author and teacher Sue Katz has published journalism and political commentary for many years and is the creator of the popular blog, Sue Katz: Consenting Adult. Her passport shows more wear than Palin’s–she has lived and worked on three continents, teaching martial arts in her institutes in Israel, promoting global volunteerism while living in Europe, and writing, editing and teaching (from salsa to senior fitness) in the United States. A rebel with a newfound interest in electoral politics, Sue continues her lifelong commitment to social justice activism from her home outside Boston. She attended Boston University as an undergraduate and earned her master’s degree from Tel Aviv University. Her second book, an edgy and unabashed look at the private behavior of boomers, is due in 2009.

About the Cover

The unique collage portrait of Sarah Palin was created expressly for the Thanks But No Thanks cover by artist Sandy Oppenheimer. Her well-deserved international reputation reflects this distinctive style, and her creations are as affordable as they are exceptional. Contact Sandy at sandyoppenheimer@hotmail.com or view her work at http://sandyoppenheimerportraits.blogspot.com.