These ebooks are only free for a limited time, so get them now before they expire!

Free eBooks at Amazon and Sony

Sophie’s Secret by Nancy Rue

4.5 stars, 2 reviews

Sophie and her friends launch an ‘archaeological expedition’ and make a disturbing discovery. Sophie keeps digging to uncover a shocking family secret. In light of this new revelation, will she ever be able to trust her parents again?

Download from Amazon »

Download from Sony »

Sophie’s World: Book 1 by Nancy Rue

4.5 stars, 3 reviews

In the first fiction book of the Faithgirlz!(tm) series, best-selling author Nancy Rue introduces Sophie LaCroix, a creative soul who’s destined to become a great film director someday.

When her overactive imagination immerses her in the American Revolution after a school field trip, Sophie quickly learns a real-life lesson. “Excellent for Homeschool Use”

Download from Amazon »

Download from Sony »

Hostile Intent by Michael Walsh

3 stars, 57 reviews

It starts with the unthinkable–the most horrific act of violence ever committed on American soil.

Only one man can stop them.

Hostile Intent

Code named Devlin, he exists in the blackest shadows of the United States government–operating off the grid as the NSA’s top agent. He’s their most lethal weapon…and their most secret. But someone is trying to draw him out into the open by putting America’s citizens in the crosshairs–and they will continue the slaughter until they get what they want.

Download from Amazon »

Download from Sony »

Bake Sale Murder by Leslie Meier

4.5 stars, 11 reviews

Ever since local developer Fred Stanton and his wife, Mimi, built five modular homes next door to Lucy Stone’s farmhouse, life just hasn’t been the same. With Mimi complaining about everything from the state of Lucy’s lawn to another neighbor’s lovable dog, quaint Tinker’s Cove, Maine, is now entangled in cul-de-sac politics and backstabbing. And when Mimi doesn’t show up for her shift at The Hat and Mitten Fund bake sale, the scent of burnt sugar leads Lucy to a shocking discovery: Mimi, face down on her kitchen floor–with a knife in her back.

While the police start their investigation, Lucy gets busy writing up the murder for the local Pennysaver–and following a few leads of her own. Lucy knows the women in her neighborhood didn’t like Mimi, but they certainly didn’t want her dead…right?

Download from Amazon »

Download from Sony »

Motorcycles, Sushi & One Strange Book by Nancy Rue

4.5 stars, 11 reviews

In the first book of Nancy Rue’s new Real Life series for teens, fifteen-year-old Jessie Hatcher has ADHD and often uses her bubbly charm to cover up her problems.

But when her biological father appears from nowhere and tells her she’ll be spending time with him in Florida, Jessie finds she’ll need more than charm this time. In fact, a mysterious book might be the answer to her problems.

Download from Amazon »

Download from Sony »

More Free eBooks From Sony

Barty the Kid by Jason Thibeault

no rating

Barty Scrivner is a 13-year old Wizard in 1895 Boston. But he’s not an ordinary wizard. No, he has a special talent. He’s the fastest draw in the East and he’s proven it time and again. But Barty wants more. He wants to be the most talked about wizard ever.

One September Morning by Rosalind Noonan

no rating

The moment Abby Fitzgerald sees two soldiers approach her front door, she knows her husband is dead. John Stanton, who gave up his career as a star NFL running back to serve after 9/11, has been killed in Iraq. Suddenly Abby’s kitchen is overflowing with casseroles brought by the army wives’ club to which she has never really belonged.

And her in-laws arrange a lavish funeral at Arlington National Cemetery in spite of Abby’s misgivings. John had grown to hate the war even though he loved his country, and Abby can’t reconcile the complex man she knew with the version being portrayed by self-serving politicians, military, and the media . . .

More Free Sony eBooks: Kaplan Books (Education/Study Guides/Reference)

More Free eBooks From Amazon

Cybill Disobedience by Cybill Shepherd and Aimee Lee Ball

3.5 stars, 71 reviews

‘How I survived beauty pageants, Elvis, sex, Bruce Willis, lies, marriage, motherhood, Hollywood, and the irrepressible urge to say what you think.’

From wholesome beauty queen to saucy cover girl, from heartbreaking movie star (THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, TAXI DRIVER) to one of television’s most loved comediennes (MOONLIGHTING, CYBILL), Cybill Shepherd is renowned as sassy, shocking and sexy. In CYBILL DISOBEDIENCE, she opens her heart with the wit and honesty of a star who’s seen and knows it all.

The Dangerous Dimension by L. Ron Hubbard

4 stars, 4 reviews

Dr. Henry Mudge undergoes a striking personality change when he discovers a mathematical formula “Equation C” that defines a mysterious negative dimension. He is instantly transported to any location in the solar system by merely thinking of it–even when he doesn’t want to.

Overcoming Perfectionism: The Key to a Balanced Recovery by Ann W. Smith

5 stars, 4 reviews

Do you have to be perfect to lead a healthy life? Ann Smith discusses how perfectionism may have benefits but is ultimately an obstacle to quality living as it prevents intimacy and lowers self-esteem. This book offers practical hints to letting go of your superhuman syndrome and being imperfect.

The Pearl at the Gate by Anya Richards and Anya Delvay

4 stars, 3 reviews

For her transgression, she will pay-with screams of forbidden pleasure. After a lifetime of hard work, Captain Roake Barbenoir finally has all he has ever wanted. Wealth, social position, and the epitome of an ideal wife, the beautiful and well-born Jenesta. Of all his treasures, she is his favorite-a pearl, perfect and pure-and Roake vows never to tarnish her with the dark sexual knowledge he gleaned from a life at sea.

Yet every breath his sweet wife takes arouses an urge to watch her come apart under the onslaught of his passion. But she must never know of the lust-filled, almost demonic cravings fighting for release in his soul. To make her privy to them would be to lose her warm regard . . .

More Free Kindle eBooks: Kaplan Books (Education/Study Guides/Reference)

Filed under: Free eBooks, Kindle, Sony | Tags: free epub ebooks, free kindle ebooks | No Comments »

These ebooks are only free for one week, so get them now before they expire!

Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

4 stars, 65 reviews

The story begins with an eerie midnight encounter between artist Walter Hartright and a ghostly woman dressed all in white who seems desperate to share a dark secret. The next day Hartright, engaged as a drawing master to the beautiful Laura Fairlie and her half sister, tells his pupils about the strange events of the previous evening. Determined to learn all they can about the mysterious woman in white, the three soon find themselves drawn into a chilling vortex of crime, poison, kidnapping, and international intrigue.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

3.5 stars, 4763 reviews

Count Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker’s 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula. He was the subject of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, and set the stage for all other vampire tales that followed.

Count Dracula is a centuries-old vampire, sorcerer and Transylvanian nobleman, who claims to be a Székely descended from Attila the Hun. He inhabits a decaying castle in the Carpathian Mountains near the Borgo Pass. Contrary to the vampires of Eastern European folklore which are portrayed as repulsive, corpse-like creatures, Dracula exudes a veneer of aristocratic charm which masks his unfathomable evil.

Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe

4 stars, 87 reviews

his anthology offers an exceptionally generous selection of Poe s short stories. It includes his famed masterpieces, such as “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “The Purloined Letter,” featuring Poe s great detective, Dupin; his insightful studies of madness “The Black Cat” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”; “The Gold-Bug,” his delightful exercise in “code-breaking”; and important but lesser-known tales, such as “Bon-Bon,” “The Assignation,” and “King Pest.” Also included are some of Poe s most beloved poems, haunting lyrics of love and loss, such as “Annabel Lee,” nightmare phantasmagories such as “The Raven,” and his grand experiment in translating sound into words, “The Bells.”

The Inferno by Dante Alighieri

4.5 stars, 89 reviews

Midway upon the journey of our life
I found myself within a forest dark
For the straightforward pathway had been lost.

With these words, Dante plunges readers into the unforgettable world of the Inferno—one of the most graphic visions of Hell ever created. In this first part of the epic The Divine Comedy, Dante is led by the poet Virgil down into the nine circles of Hell, where he travels through nightmare landscapes of fetid cesspools, viper pits, frozen lakes, and boiling rivers of blood and witnesses sinners being beaten, burned, eaten, defecated upon, and torn to pieces by demons. Along the way he meets the most fascinating characters known to the classical and medieval world—the silver-tongued Ulysses, lustful Francesca da Rimini, the heretical Farinata degli Uberti, and scores of other intriguing and notorious figures.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

4 stars, 119 reviews

Frankenstein, an instant bestseller and an important ancestor of both the horror and science fiction genres, not only tells a terrifying story, but also raises profound, disturbing questions about the very nature of life and the place of humankind within the cosmos: What does it mean to be human? What responsibilities do we have to each other? How far can we go in tampering with Nature? In our age, filled with news of organ donation genetic engineering, and bio-terrorism, these questions are more relevant than ever.

Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

4.5 stars, 266 reviews

Taking the reader in and out of London drawing rooms, to the heights of aestheticism, and to the depths of decadence, The Picture of Dorian Gray is not only a melodrama about moral corruption but also a fascinating look at Wilde’s fin-de-siècle world. Inspiring several sequels, the novel has become an essential treatise on counterculture, and Wilde’s preface to the book—which he later added to mollify critics—is a veritable manifesto of the creed “Art for Art’s Sake.”

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson

4 stars, 85 reviews

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde dramatically brings to life a science-fiction case study of the nature of good and evil and the duality that can exist within one person. Resonant with psychological perception and ethical insight, the book has literary roots in Dostoevsky’s “The Double” and Crime and Punishment. Today Stevenson’s novella is recognized as an incisive study of Victorian morality and sexual repression, as well as a great thriller.

Heart of Darkness and Selected Short Fiction by Joseph Conrad

4 stars, 35 reviews

Heart of Darkness is widely regarded as a masterpiece for its vivid study of race and the greed and ruthlessness of imperialism. Joseph Conrad’s poignant novella traces a metaphoric journey into the darkest depths of human nature, following Marlow, a riverboat captain, on a voyage into the African Congo. Astounded by the brutal depravity he witnesses, Marlow becomes obsessed with meeting Kurtz, a famously idealistic and able man stationed farther along the river. What he finally discovers, however, is a horror beyond imagining.

Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Franz Kafka

4 stars, 45 reviews

Bringing together some of Kafka’s finest work, this collection demonstrates the richness and variety of the author’s artistry. Both “The Judgment,” which Kafka considered to be his decisive breakthrough, and “The Stoker,” which became the first chapter of his novel Amerika, are included. These two, along with “The Metamorphosis,” form a suite of stories Kafka referred to as “The Sons,” and collectively they present a devastating portrait of the modern family. Also included are “In the Penal Colony,” a story of a torture machine and its operators and victims, and “A Hunger Artist,” a tale about the absurdity of an artist trying to communicate with a misunderstanding public.

Time Machine and The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells

4 stars, 40 reviews

The Time Machine, H. G. Wells’s first novel, is a tale of Darwinian evolution taken to its extreme. Its hero, a young scientist, travels 800,000 years into the future and discovers a dying earth populated by two strange humanoid species: the brutal Morlocks and the gentle but nearly helpless Eloi.

The Invisible Man mixes chilling terror, suspense, and acute psychological understanding into a tale of an equally adventurous scientist who discovers the formula for invisibility—a secret that drives him mad.

Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Writings by Washington Irving

4 stars, 27 reviews

The first great American man of letters, Washington Irving became an international celebrity almost overnight upon publication of The Sketch Book in 1820, which included the short stories “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle.” These two tales remain his crowning achievement, but in addition to being a writer of short stories, Irving was also an acclaimed essayist, travel writer, biographer, and historian.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

4 stars, 50 reviews

The year is 1866 and the Pacific Ocean is being terrorized by a deadly sea monster. The U.S. government dispatches marine-life specialist Pierre Aronnax to investigate aboard the warship Abraham Lincoln. When the ship is sunk by the mysterious creature, he and two other survivors discover that the monster is in fact a marvelous submarine—the Nautilus—commanded by the brilliant but bitter Captain Nemo. Nemo refuses to let his guests return to land, but instead taking them on a series of fantastic adventures in which they encounter underwater forests, giant clams, monster storms, huge squid, treacherous polar ice and—most spectacular of all—the magnificent lost city of Atlantis!

Filed under: Free eBooks, Nook | Tags: BN | No Comments »

These ebooks are only free for a limited time, so get them now before they expire! Ratings via Amazon, since Sony rarely has any.

Julip by Jim Harrison

5 stars, 6 reviews

In three novellas, Jim Harrison takes us on an American journey as he leads us through the wondrous landscape of the human heart. Julip follows a bright and resourceful young woman as she tries to spring her brother from a Florida jail–he shot three of her former lovers “below the belt.”

The Seven-Ounce Man continues the picaresque adventures of Brown Dog, a Michigan scoundrel who loves to eat, drink, and chase women, all while sailing along in the bottom 10 percent. The Beige Dolorosa is the haunting tale of an academic who, recovering from the repercussions of a sexual harassment scandal, turns to the natural world for solace. In each of these stories, the irresistible pull of nature becomes a magnificent backdrop for exploring the toughest questions about life and love.

Regenerated by Carolyn Kephart

4.5 stars, 3 reviews

Cela had always hoped she’d find Jorgen again someday…but was this really Jorgen? A tenderly bitter science fiction tale of love and giant lizards by the author of THE RYEL SAGA, critically acclaimed fantasy.

Hour of the Hunter by J. A. Jance

2 stars, 2 reviews

Released after serving six years in prison for the brutal murder of a young girl of Arizona’s Tohono O’otham tribe, brilliant psychopath Andrew Carlisle now has a new target: Diana Ladd, a reservation teacher whose testimony put him behind bars. Reissue.

Victoria Gardella: Vampire Slayer by Colleen Gleason

3 stars, 2 reviews

A short story introducing readers to the Gardella Vampire Chronicles, a series about a female vampire hunter in 19th century London.Join Victoria as she navigates her way through balls and Society even as she works to rid the world of dangerous, bloodthirsty vampires.

Contraband Marriage by Tichaona Chinyelu

no rating

Contraband Marriage travels along the hemline of loving after incarceration, digging deep into its affects on that love. It is a love story written in lyric and free form, set in reality with a different ever after.

Reckless: Special Sneak Preview by Cornelia Funke and Lionel Wigram

no rating

“Beyond the mirror, the darkest fairy tales come alive. . . .

For years, Jacob Reckless has enjoyed the Mirrorworld’s secrets and treasures.

Not anymore.

His younger brother has followed him.

Now dark magic will turn the boy to beast, break the heart of the girl he loves, and destroy everything Jacob holds most dear. . . .

Unless he can find a way to stop it.

If you’re looking for happily ever after, you’ve come to the wrong place.”

Filed under: Free eBooks, Sony | Tags: free epub ebooks | No Comments »

These ebooks are only free for a limited time, so get them now before they expire!

Valley Forge Free Preview: George Washington and the Crucible of Victory by Albert S. Hanser, Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen

no rating

Valley Forge picks up the narrative a year after Washington’s triumphant surprise attack on Trenton, and much has changed since then.

It’s the winter of 1777, and Washington’s battered, demoralized army retreats from Philadelphia. Arriving at Valley Forge, they discover that their repeated requests for a stockpile of food, winter clothing, and building tools have been ignored by Congress. With no other options available, the men settle down for a season of agony. For weeks the dwindling army freezes under tents in the bitter cold. Food runs out. Disease festers. The men are on the point of collapse, while in Philadelphia the British, joined by Allen van Dorn, the Loyalist brother of the dead patriot, Jonathan van Dorn, live in luxury.

In spite of the suffering and deceit, Washington endures all, joined at last by a volunteer from Germany, Baron Friederich von Steuben. With precious few supplies and even less time, von Steuben begins the hard task of recasting the army as a professional fighting force capable of facing the British head-on—something it has never accomplished before—and in the process he changing the course of history.

And Thereby Hangs a Tale Free Short Story by Jeffrey Archer

5 stars, 1 review

Bestseller Archer assembles 15 more of the clever stories for which he is known. They are split between tales of trickery, as with “Stuck on You,” where an eager young man is played by a diamond thief, and decidedly sentimental stories, such as “Members Only,” about a man who wants nothing more than to join a private country club. Archer marks with an asterisk stories that are based on true incidents (10 in this collection), and whether it is the weight of credibility these stories’ genesis lends or if the author works better with some starting material, the entirely imagined stories are also the weakest.

“Politically Correct” never gets out of the shallows in its attempt to be provocative, and “Better the Devil You Know,” with its evil executive making a deal with the devil (aka Mr. De Ath), is silly even for this author, who usually writes with a winningly light touch. Still, Archer’s writing exudes a certain charm and is mostly satisfying. His trademark twists–sometimes a surprise to the reader, sometimes not–and genial tone will endear these mostly cozy stories to his many fans.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bury Your Dead Free Preview: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny

no rating

It is Winter Carnival in Quebec City, bitterly cold and surpassingly beautiful. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté de Quebec has come not to celebrate but to recover from a harrowing investigation gone wrong that left one of his team members dead. But murder seems to follow Gamache everywhere, even to the seemingly peaceful Literary and Historical Society, one of the last bastions of English culture in Quebec, where a man in found dead in the basement. And not any man–but the famous Augustin Roy, who had carried his obsessive search for the long-lost body of the founder of Quebec, Samuel de Champlain, all the way to the Society library. Badly injured himself and desperately in need of a rest, Gamache cannot resist the appeals of the police and the Society board alike to negotiate the treacherous ground between the English and the French in the old walled city.

Meanwhile, Gamache receives a letter each day from the little town of Three Pines, where the beloved Bistro owner Olivier was found guilty of murdering a mysterious hermit in THE BRUTAL TELLING. “Why would Olivier move the body?” Olivier’s partner Gabri writes every time. “It doesn’t make sense. He didn’t do it, you know.” Even though the evidence against Olivier seemed overwhelming at the time, Gamache sends his deputy, Inspector Beauvoir, back to Three Pines to be sure that nothing was overlooked….

Through it all, as he and Beauvoir search for the truth about present and past murders, Gamache must relive the terrible events that killed one of his men before he can begin to bury his dead.

OUTTA THE BAG: A Prequel Story to ME, MYSELF AND WHY? by MaryJanice Davidson

no rating

From New York Times bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson, comes OUTTA THE BAG the hilarious prequel story to her upcoming novel ME, MYSELF AND WHY, the first in a brand new series. In OUTTA THE BAG, Clive Better—the better-than-best plumber in town—attends a speed dating event where—instead of attempting to score phone numbers—he recounts his recent run-in with a freaked-out cat and a sexy-but-psychotic woman that has left him confused, scratched up, and rather aroused.

Wicked Appetite Free Preview by Janet Evanovich

no rating

Number one bestselling author Janet Evanovich has created a brand-new heroine in Elizabeth Tucker: Marblehead resident, bakery worker, unlucky in love…and descendant of witches. Life has had a pleasant predictability to it for Lizzy. That is until a tall, black-haired, dark eyed man shows up in a black sports car, touches her hand and leaves a burn mark.

His name is Gerwulf Grimoire, also known as Wulf. And he wants what Lizzy has: knowledge. Almost simultaneously comes another man, a different man, but this one just as dangerous in his own way. His name is Diesel. And he wants several things Lizzy has, only one of them being knowledge. Unbeknownst to Lizzy, she has the ability to find “empowered objects.” Turns out, a collection of stones that represent the seven deadly sins have made their way to Marblehead.

Nothing bad can happen if the stones are all separated. But if they are grouped together, they have the power to unleash hell on earth. Wulf wants them. Diesel wants to stop him. And Lizzy is the key to all of it. Can Lizzy stay one step ahead of two men who both want her…both body and soul? Can she juggle her job at Dazzle’s bakery and still get the muffins out in time every morning? Can she stop the end of the world from occurring? For Elizabeth Tucker, cupcakes, 4 a.m. alarm clock settings, and Armageddon are all in a day’s work….

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

4.5 stars, 36 reviews

This classic selection brings together twelve of the original stories serialized in the Strand Magazine in the early 1890s. Thrilling adventures such as “A Scandal in Bohemia” catapulted the keen-witted Holmes to fame and continues to make him the most beloved sleuth of all time.

I. A Scandal in Bohemia
II. The Red-headed League
III. A Case of Identity
IV. The Boscombe Valley Mystery
V. The Five Orange Pips
VI. The Man with the Twisted Lip
VII. The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
VIII. The Adventure of the Speckled Band
IX. The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb
X. The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor
XI. The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet
XII. The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin

4.5 stars, 26 reviews

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, which Franklin himself called his Memoirs, is the unfinished record of his life written between 1771 and 1790. It has become one of the most well-known and influential autobiographies in history, and has been praised both as a historical document and a piece of literature in its own right. William Dean Howells declared that “Franklin’s is one of the greatest autobiographies in literature, and towers over other autobiographies as Franklin towered over other men.”

Profiles of Remarkable Businesses (Collection) by FT Press Delivers

4 stars, 1 review

A brand new collection of essential insights for your business and career from world-renowned experts-now in a convenient e-format, at a great price!

Actionable lessons from a century of extraordinary businesses-from Ford to NetFlix, Wal-Mart to Zappos

What you can learn from the world’s greatest businesses: from legendary startups to extraordinary turnarounds! Crucial takeaways from the experiences of McDonald’s, Home Depot, Zappos, Wal-Mart, Oprah (Harpo), Ford, NetFlix, UPS, Lego, Intuit, and many others.

From world-renowned business profilers New Word City and Nancy F. Koehn.

The Truth About the New Rules of Business Writing by Claire Meirowitz and Natalie Canavor

4.5 stars, 44 reviews

Business writing that packs a punch: Make the most of your message to get what you want!

• The truth about supercharging your business writing
• The truth about writing directly, clearly, and convincingly
• The truth about writing in today-s varied business formats

Germs, Genes, and Civilization: How Epidemics Shaped who we are Today by David P Clark

3.5 stars, 18 reviews

The Stunning Hidden Interconnections Between Microbes and Humanity.

AD 452: Attila the Hun stands ready to sack Rome. No one can stop him–but he walks away. A miracle? No…dysentery. Microbes saved the Roman Empire. Nearly a millennium later, the microbes of the Black Death ended the Middle Ages, making possible the Renaissance, western democracy, and the scientific revolution. Soon after, microbes ravaged the Americas, paving the way for their European conquest.

Again and again, microbes have shaped our health, our genetics, our history, our culture, our politics, even our religion and ethics. This book reveals much that scientists and cultural historians have learned about the pervasive interconnections between infectious microbes and humans. It also considers what our ongoing fundamental relationship with infectious microbes might mean for the future of the human species.

Filed under: Free eBooks, Kindle | Tags: free kindle ebooks | No Comments »

These ebooks are only free for one week, so get them now before they expire!

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

4.5 stars, 31 reviews

“I think I could be a good woman, if I had five thousand a year,” observes beautiful and clever Becky Sharp, one of the wickedest—and most appealing—women in all of literature. Becky is just one of the many fascinating figures that populate William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel Vanity Fair, a wonderfully satirical panorama of upper-middle-class life and manners in London at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

Scorned for her lack of money and breeding, Becky must use all her wit, charm and considerable sex appeal to escape her drab destiny as a governess. From London’s ballrooms to the battlefields of Waterloo, the bewitching Becky works her wiles on a gallery of memorable characters, including her lecherous employer, Sir Pitt, his rich sister, Miss Crawley, and Pitt’s dashing son, Rawdon, the first of Becky’s misguided sexual entanglements.

Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf

4 stars, 7 reviews

We meet young, free-spirited Rachel Vinrace aboard her father’s ship, the Euphrosyne, departing London for South America. Surrounded by a clutch of genteel companions—among them her aunt Helen, who judges Rachel to be “vacillating,” “emotional,” and “more than normally incompetent for her years”—Rachel displays a startling maturity when she finds her engagement to the writer Terence Hewet listing toward disaster. As she soon discovers, “tragedies come in the hungry hours.”

Villette by Charlotte Bronte

4.5 stars, 22 reviews

Charlotte Brontë’s last and most autobiographical novel, Villette explores the inner life of a lonely young Englishwoman, Lucy Snowe, who leaves an unhappy existence in England to become a teacher in the capital of a fictional European country. Drawn to the school’s headmaster, Lucy must face the pain of unrequited love and the question of her place in society.

Main Street by Sinclair Lewis

4 stars, 12 reviews

“This is America—a town of a few thousand, in a region of wheat and corn and dairies and little groves.” So Sinclair Lewis—recipient of the Nobel Prize and rejecter of the Pulitzer—prefaces his novel Main Street. Lewis is brutal in his depictions of the self-satisfied inhabitants of small-town America, a place which proves to be merely an assemblage of pretty surfaces, strung together and ultimately empty.

Night and Day by Virginia Woolf

4 stars, 8 reviews

Set in Edwardian London, Night and Day contrasts the lives of two friends, Katherine Hilbery and Mary Datchet. Katherine is the bored, frustrated granddaughter of an eminent English poet. She lives at her parents’ home and is engaged to a prig who exemplifies the stultifying life from which she wishes to be free, until she meets a possible avenue of escape in the person of Ralph Denham. Mary Datchet, on the other hand, represents an alternative to marriage—she has been to college, lives on her own, and finds fulfillment in working for the women’s rights movement.

O Pioneers! by Willa Cather

4.5 stars, 24 reviews

A gripping saga of love, murder, greed, failure, and triumph, O Pioneers! vividly portrays the hardships of prairie life. Above all, it champions the belief that hard work is the surest road to personal fulfillment. Described upon publication in The New York Times as American in the best sense of the word, O Pioneers! celebrates the men and women who struggled to build a nation that is both compelling and contradictory.

Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

4.5 stars, 14 reviews

As the story begins, Isabel, resolved to determine her own fate, has turned down two eligible suitors. Her cousin, who is dying of tuberculosis, secretly gives her an inheritance so that she can remain independent and fulfill a grand destiny, but the fortune only leads her to make a tragic choice and marry Gilbert Osmond, an American expatriate who lives in Florence. Outwardly charming and cultivated, but fundamentally cold and cruel, Osmond only brings heartbreak and ruin to Isabel s life. Yet she survives as she begins to realize that true freedom means living with her choices and their consequences.

Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

4.5 stars, 22 reviews

Far From the Madding Crowd tells the story of beautiful Bathsheba Everdene, a fiercely independent woman who inherits a farm and decides to run it herself. She rejects a marriage proposal from Gabriel Oak, a loyal man who takes a job on her farm after losing his own in an unfortunate accident. He is forced to watch as Bathsheba mischievously flirts with her neighbor, Mr. Boldwood, unleashing a passionate obsession deep within the reserved man.

But both suitors are soon eclipsed by the arrival of the dashing soldier, Frank Troy, who falls in love with Bathsheba even though he’s still smitten with another woman. His reckless presence at the farm drives Boldwood mad with jealousy, and sets off a dramatic chain of events that leads to both murder and marriage.

House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

4.5 stars, 28 reviews

Edith Wharton s dark view of society, the somber economics of marriage, and the powerlessness of the unwedded woman in the 1870s emerge dramatically in the tragic novel The House of Mirth. Faced with an array of wealthy suitors, New York socialite Lily Bart falls in love with lawyer Lawrence Selden, whose lack of money spoils their chances for happiness together. Dubious business deals and accusations of liaisons with a married man diminish Lily s social status, and as she makes one bad choice after another, she learns how venal and brutally unforgiving the upper crust of New York can be.

Daisy Miller and Washington Square by Henry James

3.5 stars, 30 reviews

In Daisy Miller, James paints a vivid portrait of a vibrant young American girl visiting Europe for the first time. Lovely, flirtatious, eager for experience, Daisy meets a wealthy American, Mr. Winterbourne, and a penniless but passionate Italian. Her complex encounters with them and others allow James to explore one of his favorite themes, the effect of Americans and Europeans on each other.

Nana by Emile Zola

3.5 stars, 6 reviews

In Nana, the characters are a prostitute, who rises from the streets to become what Zola calls a “high-class cocotte,” and the men—and women—whom she loves, betrays, and destroys. Among the novel’s many ironies is the mutual envy felt by Nana and those around her. She yearns for their material possessions, while they admire her apparent independence and sexual self-confidence. And despite the chaos Nana causes, Zola imagines her as being essentially “good-natured,” a stupid, vain but beautiful creature who can’t help drawing people into her web.

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

5 stars, 17 reviews

Often considered Charles Dickens’s masterpiece, Bleak House blends together several literary genres—detective fiction, romance, melodrama, and satire—to create an unforgettable portrait of the decay and corruption at the heart of English law and society in the Victorian era.

Opening in the swirling mists of London, the novel revolves around a court case that has dragged on for decades—the infamous Jarndyce and Jarndyce lawsuit, in which an inheritance is gradually devoured by legal costs. As Dickens takes us through the case’s history, he presents a cast of characters as idiosyncratic and memorable as any he ever created, including the beautiful Lady Dedlock, who hides a shocking secret about an illegitimate child and a long-lost love; Mr. Bucket, one of the first detectives to appear in English fiction; and the hilarious Mrs. Jellyby, whose endless philanthropy has left her utterly unconcerned about her own family.

Filed under: Free eBooks, Nook | Tags: BN | 1 Comment »

Maggie by Stephen Crane

3 stars, 9 reviews

Written before but published after The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane’s Maggie: A Girl of the Streets offers a stark image of the underbelly of urban American life at the end of the nineteenth century. Maggie Johnson, a lovely innocent too slight to carry the weight of poverty, dreams of escaping New York’s Bowery and the casual cruelty of her alcoholic family.

After her younger brother dies, she runs off with Pete, a bartender with pretensions to wealth and culture. But Pete himself is easily seduced by the seemingly sophisticated Nellie, and Maggie finds herself abandoned in the unforgiving metropolis.

Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert

4.5 stars, 6 reviews

Set amid the violent social upheaval of the Revolution of 1848, the novel tells of young Frédéric Moreau’s idealistic attraction to a married woman some years his senior. Smitten by his first sight of Madame Arnoux, Frédéric idolizes her for many years, despite her refusal to encourage him and his own indecision. He befriends her husband, an art dealer, in order to be near her, and soon finds himself drawn first into Jacques Arnoux’s heady social circle and then into his disastrous financial speculations.

Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser

4 stars, 10 reviews

When small-town Carrie Meeber arrives in 1890s Chicago, she cannot know what awaits. Callow, beautiful, and alone, she experiences the bitterness of temptation and hardship even as she sets her sights on a better life. Drawn by the seductive desire to rise above her social class, Carrie aspires to the top of the acting profession in New York, while the man who has become obsessed with her gambles everything for her sake and draws near the brink of destruction.

Wings of the Dove by Henry James

4.5 stars, 2 reviews

One of three masterpieces from Henry James’s final, “major” phase, The Wings of the Dove dramatizes the conflict between nineteenth-century values and twentieth-century passions. Born to wealth and privilege, Kate Croy’s mother threw it all away to marry a penniless opium addict. After her mother’s death, Kate is offered an opportunity to return to the opulent lifestyle her mother gave up—on one condition.

Kate must renounce the man she loves: the witty, good-looking, but poor, Merton Densher. Reluctantly agreeing, Kate finds herself becoming friends with “the world’s richest orphan,” Millie Theale. When Kate learns that Millie is dying, she devises a plan of dizzying possibility for herself and Merton that should solve all their problems, but instead leads them down a path strewn with tragic, unexpected consequences.

Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

4 stars, 23 reviews

Less celebrated than her older sisters Charlotte and Emily, Anne Brontё was also less interested in spinning wildly symbolic, romantic tales and more determined to draw realistic images of conditions in Victorian England that need changing. While Charlotte’s Jane Eyre features a governess who eventually and improbably marries her employer, Agnes Grey deals with the actual experiences of middle-class working women, experiences Anne had herself endured during her hateful tenure as a governess.

The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell

4 stars, 3 reviews

In 1855 Charlotte Brontë, pregnant and married less than a year, fell ill and died of tuberculosis—the same disease that had killed her sisters and brother. Two years after Charlotte’s death, her friend Elizabeth Gaskell, herself a well-known novelist, completed work on The Life of Charlotte Brontë, a biography that was met with immediate acclaim by readers curious to discover more about the enigmatic author of Jane Eyre.

Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

3.5 stars, 22 reviews

The novel chronicles the relationship of Anthony Patch, a Harvard-educated, aspiring writer, and his beautiful young wife, Gloria. While they wait for Anthony’s grandfather to die and pass his millions on to them, the young couple enjoys an endless string of parties, traveling, and extravagance. Beginning with the pop and fizz of life itself, The Beautiful and the Damned quickly evolves into a scathing chronicle of a dying marriage and a hedonistic society in which beauty is all too fleeting.

Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

4 stars, 56 reviews

Using richly poetic language to frame a shattering narrative of love, seduction, betrayal, and murder, Hardy tells the story of Tess Durbeyfield, a beautiful young woman living with her impoverished family in Wessex, the southwestern English county immortalized by Hardy. After the family learns of their connection to the wealthy d’Urbervilles, they send Tess to claim a portion of their fortune.

She meets and is seduced by the dissolute Alec d’Urberville and secretly bears a child, Sorrow, who dies in infancy. A very different man, Angel Clare, seems to offer Tess love and salvation, but he rejects her—on their wedding night—after learning of her past. Emotionally bereft, financially impoverished, and victimized by the self-righteous rigidity of English social morality, Tess escapes from her vise of passion through a horrible, desperate act.

Les Miserables (abridged) by Victor Hugo

4.5 stars, 67 reviews

This newly abridged edition of Les Misérables tells the story of the peasant Jean Valjean unjustly imprisoned, baffled by destiny, and hounded by his nemesis, the magnificently realized, ambiguously malevolent police detective Javert. As Valjean struggles to redeem his past, we are thrust into the teeming underworld of Paris with all its poverty, ignorance, and suffering. Just as cruel tyranny threatens to extinguish the last vestiges of hope, rebellion sweeps over the land like wildfire, igniting a vast struggle for the democratic ideal in France.

Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson

4 stars, 70 reviews

Dickinson’s poetry is remarkable for its tightly controlled emotional and intellectual energy. The longest poem covers less than two pages. Yet in theme and tone her writing reaches for the sublime as it charts the landscape of the human soul. A true innovator, Dickinson experimented freely with conventional rhythm and meter, and often used dashes, off rhymes, and unusual metaphors techniques that strongly influenced modern poetry. Dickinson s idiosyncratic style, along with her deep resonance of thought and her observations about life and death, love and nature, and solitude and society, have firmly established her as one of America s true poetic geniuses.

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

4 stars, 32 reviews

Alternately self-confident and self-effacing, torn between ambition and idleness, the self-absorbed, immature Amory yearns to run with Princeton’s rich, fast crowd and become one of the “gods” of the campus. Hopelessly romantic, he learns about love and sex from a series of beautiful young “flappers,” women who leave him both exhilarated and devastated. Fitzgerald describes it all in intensely lyrical prose that fills the novel with a heartbreaking sense of longing, as Amory comes to understand that the sweet-scented springtime of his life is fragile and fleeting, disappearing into memory even as he reaches for it.

Ethan Frome & Selected Stories by Edith Wharton

3.5 stars, 23 reviews

Unhappily married herself, Edith Wharton projected her dark views of love onto people far removed from her social class in Ethan Frome. Her sensitivity to natural beauty and human psychology, however, make this slim novel a convincing and compelling portrait of rural life. A powerful tale of passion and loss—and the wretched consequences thereof—Ethan Frome is one of American literatures great tragic love stories.

Filed under: Free eBooks, Nook | Tags: BN | No Comments »

Flowers For Elvis by Schuster, Julia

4.5 stars, 9 reviews

Flowers For Elvis is quirky Southern fiction with a literary edge, surprising humor and an uplifting spirit. In 1956, Olivia and her twin sister are born to a nun an old auto parts store turned convent in rural Mississippi. Little Olivia doesn’t survive the day, but her spunky spirit hangs around and takes on the role of ethereal watchdog over her twin. When the Reverend Mother-and holy guilt-convince the nun’s sister (a young pregnant newlywed) to secretly raise the baby as the twin of her own soon-to-be-born child, Olivia realizes the urgency of her presence and support.

Not only is her aunt a fanatical Elvis fan, she’s a renegade Southern belle, bent on self-indulgence and desperate to safeguard her multitude of sins. Without revealing which girl is her twin until the end, Olivia takes the reader on a flower strewn tour of misguided love and maternal betrayal which culminates at Elvis’ funeral, where they finally discover the truth of their parentage and unravel the generations of secrets that shadowed their lives.

Premiere by Carlson, Melody

4 stars, 7 reviews

Paige and Erin Forrester have been given the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to host their own fashion reality show on television. Unfortunately, Erin would rather be behind the camera than appearing on it. Luckily, her beautiful sister is a natural, at both fashion and at hosting. This gives Erin the opportunity to work on the crew and act as a chaperon/moral compass to Paige.

A guest spot on a catty teen reality series provides a chance for the sisters to launch their show, but it does not go as planned and leaves the future of the show in jeopardy. Erin has other issues to deal with, too, including an ex-boyfriend who is trying to get back in the picture as well as her own struggles with how her faith fits into a Hollywood lifestyle. Teen girls who enjoy fashion, reality television, and are looking for something less edgy than the Gossip Girl series will be rewarded with this title, which looks to be the first in a series.

Gone to Green by Christie, Judy

4.5 stars, 12 reviews

In Gone to Green, Lois goes from being a corporate journalist at a large paper in the Midwest to the owner of The Green News-Item, a small twice-weekly newspaper in rural North Louisiana. The paper was an unexpected inheritance from a close colleague, and Lois must keep it for at least a year, bringing a host of challenges, lessons, and blessings into her life.

When Lois pulls into Green on New Year’s Day, she expects a charming little town full of smiling people. She quickly realizes her mistake. After settling into a loaned house out on Route 2, she finds herself battling town prejudices and inner doubts and making friends with the most surprising people: troubled teenager Katy, good-looking catfish farmer Chris, wise and feisty Aunt Helen, and a female African-American physician named Kevin . . .

A Little Death In Dixie by Lisa Turner

5 stars, 12 reviews

The Blues were born out of need, anger and pride. Murder comes from those same dark places. Memphis has both. One of Memphis’ most seductive and notorious socialites has vanished. Either she’s off on another drunken escapade or the disappearance is something much more frightening.

What begins as an ordinary day’s work for Detective Billy Able quickly grows into a complex spider’s web of tragedy, mystery, suspicion, and sordid secrets including a few of Billy’s own. With the help of Mercy Snow, the estranged sister of the missing socialite, Billy follows a twisted trail of human frailty and corruption to disturbing truths that undermine everything he thought he knew about himself and the people he loves.

From a Distance (Timber Ridge Reflections, Book 1) by Alexander, Tamera

4.5 stars, 33 reviews

What happens when the realization of a dream isn’t what you imagined… and the secret you’ve spent a lifetime guarding is finally laid bare?

Determined to become one of the country’s premier newspaper photographers, Elizabeth Westbrook travels to the Colorado Territory to capture the grandeur of the mountains surrounding the remote town of Timber Ridge. She hopes, too, that the cool, dry air of Colorado, and its renowned hot springs, will cure the mysterious illness that threatens her career, and her life.

Daniel Ranslett is a man shackled by his Confederate past, and he’ll do anything to protect his land, and his solitude. When an outspoken Yankee photographer captures an image that appears key to solving a murder, putting herself in danger, Daniel is called upon to repay a debt. He’s a man of his word, but repaying that debt could reveal secrets from his past he would prefer remain buried.

Forced on a perilous journey together, Daniel and Elizabeth’s lives intertwine in ways neither could have imagined when first they met from a distance.

From a Distance (Timber Ridge Reflections, Book 1) by Alexander, Tamera

no rating

No description available.

Trading from Your Gut: How to Use Right Brain Instinct & Left Brain Smarts to Become a Master Trader by Curtis Faith

3.5 stars, 49 reviews

Legendary traders like Jesse Livermore, George Soros, Richard Dennis, and Steven Cohen use their full range of powers that encompass both instinct and analysis. That’s how they made their fortunes–and that’s how you can, too.

In Trading from Your Gut, Curtis Faith, renowned trader and author of the global bestseller Way of the Turtle, reveals why human intuition is an amazingly powerful trading tool, capable of processing thousands of inputs almost instantaneously. Faith teaches you how to harness, sharpen, train, and trust your instincts and to trade smarter with your whole mind . . .

Leading at a Higher Level, Revised and Expanded Edition: Blanchard on Leadership and Creating High Performing Organizations by Ken Blanchard

2.5 stars, 7 reviews

From The One Minute Manager® to Raving Fans, Ken Blanchard’s books have helped millions of people unleash their power and the potential of everyone around them. The Ken Blanchard Companies has helped thousands of organizations become more people oriented, customer centered, and performance driven.

Now, in this fully updated edition of Leading at a Higher Level, Blanchard and his colleagues bring together all they’ve learned about world-class leadership. You’ll discover how to create targets and visions based on the “triple bottom line” and make sure people know who you are, where you’re going, and the values that will guide your journey . . .

Filed under: Free eBooks, Kindle | Tags: free kindle ebooks | No Comments »

To download the free ebooks below, you’ll need to use Sony’s free ebook software. After that, you can use Adobe Digital Editions to put the ebooks on whichever ereader you want, expect the Kindle of course. The ratings and some descriptions are from Amazon because Sony’s store sometimes doesn’t have them.

The Postcard Killers – Special Free Preview by James Patterson & Liza Marklund

4 stars, 1 reviews

Special Free Preview. Book releases on 8/16/10.

Paris is stunning in the summer

NYPD detective Jacob Kanon is on a tour of Europe’s most gorgeous cities. But the sights aren’t what draw him–he sees each museum, each cathedral, and each cafe through the eyes of his daughter’s killer.

The killing is simply marvelous

Kanon’s daughter, Kimmy, and her boyfriend were murdered while on vacation in Rome. Since then, young couples in Paris, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, and Stockholm have been found dead. Little connects the murders, other than a postcard to the local newspaper that precedes each new victim.

Wish you were here

Now Kanon teams up with the Swedish reporter, Dessie Larsson, who has just received a postcard in Stockholm–and they think they know where the next victims will be. With relentless logic and unstoppable action, The Postcard Killers may be James Patterson’s most vivid and compelling thriller yet.

Who Is Mark Twain by Mark Twain

3.5 stars, 11 reviews

You had better shove this in the stove,” Mark Twain said at the top of an 1865 letter to his brother, “for I don’t want any absurd ‘literary remains’ and ‘unpublished letters of Mark Twain’ published after I am planted.” He was joking, of course. But when Mark Twain died in 1910, he left behind the largest collection of personal papers created by any nineteenth-century American author.

Here, for the first time in book form, are twenty-four remarkable pieces by the American master–pieces that have been handpicked by Robert Hirst, general editor of the Mark Twain Project at the University of California, Berkeley. In “Jane Austen,” Twain wonders if Austen’s goal is to “make the reader detest her people up to the middle of the book and like them in the rest of the chapters.” “The Privilege of the Grave” offers a powerful statement about the freedom of speech while “Happy Memories of the Dental Chair” will make you appreciate modern dentistry. In “Frank Fuller and My First New York Lecture” Twain plasters the city with ads to promote his talk at the Cooper Union (he is terrified no one will attend). Later that day, Twain encounters two men gazing at one of his ads. One man says to the other: “Who is Mark Twain?” The other responds: “God knows–I don’t.”

Wickedly funny and disarmingly relevant, Who Is Mark Twain? shines a new light on one of America’s most beloved literary icons–a man who was well ahead of his time.

The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley

4 stars, 52 reviews

Ideas have sex, in Ridley’s schema; they follow a process of natural selection of their own, and as long as they continue to do so, there is reason to retire apocalyptic pessimism about the future of our species. Erstwhile zoologist, conservationist, and journalist, Ridley (The Red Queen) posits that as long as civilization engages in exchange and specialization, we will be able to reinvent ourselves and responsibly use earthly resources ad infinitum.

Humanity’s collective intelligence will save the day, just as it has over the centuries. Ridley puts current perceptions about violence, wealth, and the environment into historical perspective, reaching back thousands of years to advocate global free trade, smaller government, and the use of fossil fuels. He confidently takes on the experts, from modern sociologists who fret over the current level of violence in the world to environmentalists who disdain genetically modified crops. An ambitious and sunny paean to human ingenuity, this is an argument for why ambitious optimism is morally mandatory. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Lovers: A Novel by Vendela Vida

4 stars, 12 reviews

From the acclaimed author of the 2007 New York Times Notable Book Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name comes a stunning novel about the love between husbands and wives, mothers and children.

Twenty-eight years ago, Peter and Yvonne honeymooned in the beautiful coastal village of Datça, Turkey. Now Yvonne is a widow, her twin children grown. Hoping to immerse herself in memories of a happier time–as well as sand and sea–Yvonne returns to Datça. But her plans for a restorative week in Turkey are quickly complicated. Instead of comforting her, her memories begin to trouble her. Her vacation rental’s landlord and his bold, intriguing wife–who share a curious marital arrangement–become constant uninvited visitors, in and out of the house.

Overwhelmed by the past and unexpectedly dislocated by the environment, Yvonne clings to a newfound friendship with Ahmet, a local boy who makes his living as a shell collector. With Ahmet as her guide, Yvonne gains new insight into the lives of her own adult children, and she finally begins to enjoy the shimmering sea and relaxed pace of the Turkish coast. But a devastating accident upends her delicate peace and throws her life into chaos–and her sense of self into turmoil.

With the crystalline voice and psychological nuance for which her work has been so celebrated, Vendela Vida has crafted another unforgettable heroine in a stunningly beautiful and mysterious landscape.

Free to Die by Bob McElwain

3.5 stars, 71 reviews (B&N)

Brad Ashton fled three years ago to avoid a conviction for murder. Now he’s back. And his hope for freedom appears to be within reach.Unfortunately there are those who have no interest in his legal status; they only want him dead or on the run once more…

Filed under: Free eBooks, Sony | Tags: free epub ebooks | No Comments »

Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis

4.5 stars, 13 reviews

In the small midwestern city of Zenith, George Babbitt seems to have it all: a successful real-estate business, a devoted wife, three children, and a house with all the modern conveniences. Yet, dissatisfied and lonely, he’s begun to question the conformity, consumerism, and competitiveness of his conservative, and ultimately cultureless middle-class community.

His despairing sense that something, many things are missing from his life leads him into a flirtation with liberal politics and a fling with an attractive and seemingly “bohemian” widow. But he soon finds that his attempts at rebellion may cost more than he is willing to pay.

Candide by Voltaire

4 stars, 71 reviews

One of the finest satires ever written, Voltaire’s Candide savagely skewers this very “optimistic” approach to life as a shamefully inadequate response to human suffering. The swift and lively tale follows the absurdly melodramatic adventures of the youthful Candide, who is forced into the army, flogged, shipwrecked, betrayed, robbed, separated from his beloved Cunégonde, and tortured by the Inquisition.

As Candide experiences and witnesses calamity upon calamity, he begins to discover that—contrary to the teachings of his tutor, Dr. Pangloss—all is not always for the best. After many trials, travails, and incredible reversals of fortune, Candide and his friends finally retire together to a small farm, where they discover that the secret of happiness is simply “to cultivate one’s garden,” a philosophy that rejects excessive optimism and metaphysical speculation in favor of the most basic pragmatism . . .

Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence

3.5 stars, 51 reviews

The last, and most famous, of D. H. Lawrence’s novels, Lady Chatterley’s Lover was published in 1928 and banned in England and the United States as pornographic. While sexually tame by today’s standards, the book is memorable for better reasons—Lawrence’s masterful and lyrical prose, and a vibrant story that takes us bodily into the world of its characters.

As the novel opens, Constance Chatterley finds herself trapped in an unfulfilling marriage to a rich aristocrat whose war wounds have left him paralyzed and impotent. After a brief but unsatisfying affair with a playwright, Lady Chatterley enjoys an extremely passionate relationship with the gamekeeper on the family estate, Oliver Mellors. As Lady Chatterley falls in love and conceives a child with Mellors, she moves from the heartless, bloodless world of the intelligentsia and aristocracy into a vital and profound connection rooted in sexual fulfillment . . .

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

4 stars, 46 reviews

When Leaves of Grass was first published in 1855 as a slim tract of twelve untitled poems, Walt Whitman was still an unknown. But his self-published volume soon became a landmark of poetry, introducing the world to a new and uniquely American form. The “father of free verse,” Whitman drew upon the cadence of simple, even idiomatic speech to “sing” such themes as democracy, sexuality, and frank autobiography . . .

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

3.5 stars, 35 reviews

The publication in 1857 of Madame Bovary, with its vivid depictions of sex and adultery, incited a backlash of immorality charges. The novel tells the story of Emma Bovary, a doctor’s wife bored and unfulfilled by marriage and motherhood. She embarks upon a series of affairs in search of passion and excitement, but is unable to achieve the splendid life for which she yearns. Instead, she finds herself trapped in a downward spiral that inexorably leads to ruin and self-destruction . . .

Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

3.5 stars, 11 reviews

One of the most determined, energetic, and lusty heroines in all of English literature, Daniel Defoe’s Moll Flanders will do anything to avoid poverty. Born in Newgate Prison, she was for twelve years a whore, five times a wife (once to her own brother), twelve years a thief, and eight years a transported felon in Virginia before finally escaping from the life of immorality and wickedness imposed on her by society. She is as much a survivor, and just as resourceful, as Defoe’s other great literary creation, Robinson Crusoe . . .

Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence

4 stars, 14 reviews

With a new Introduction by Geoff Dyer
Commentary by Anthony Burgess, Jessie Chambers, Frieda Lawrence, V.S. Pritchett, Kate Millett, and Alfred Kazin

Of all Lawrence’s work, Sons and Lovers tells us most about the emotional source of his ideas,” observed Diana Trilling.

Jungle by Upton Sinclair

4 stars, 105 reviews

The Jungle, Upton Sinclair’s muckraking masterpiece, stands as one of America’s great indictments of persecution, and it has never been out of print since its initial publication in 1906.

Sinclair’s documentary novel centers on Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant working in Chicago’s infamous Packingtown. Instead of finding the American Dream, Rudkus and his family inhabit a brutal, soul-crushing urban jungle dominated by greedy bosses, pitiless con-men, and corrupt politicians . . .

Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Franz Kafka

4 stars, 40 reviews

“The Metamorphosis,” Franz Kafka’s best-known story, is both harrowing and amusing, a landmark in modern literature and the epitome of Kafka’s parabolic style.

Kafka’s lucid, succinct writing strikingly contrasts with the labyrinthine complexities, the futility-laden horror, and the stifling oppressiveness that permeate his vision of modern life. His nightmarish novels and short stories have come to symbolize the anxiety and alienation of mankind in the modern world—as Kafka saw it, a bizarre, hostile, and dehumanized place. Virtually unknown during his lifetime, Franz Kafka is now one of the world’s most widely read and discussed authors . . .

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

3.5 stars, 226 reviews

An English scholar sends his young wife to Boston in the 17th century. He discovers his wife s illegitimate child, and banished from the city wearing a scarlet “A”.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

4.5 stars, 72 reviews

Uncle Tom’s Cabin brought the evils of slavery to the consciences and hearts of the American people by its moving portrayal of slave experience. Harriet Beecher Stowe shows us in scenes of great dramatic power the human effects of an economic system in which slaves were property: the break up of families, the struggles for freedom, the horrors of plantation labor.

She brings into fiction the different voices of the emerging American nation, the Southern slave-owning classes, Northern abolitionists, children, the sorrow songs and dialect of slaves, as well the language of political debate and religious zeal. The novel was, and is, controversial, abrasive in its demand for change, yet also brilliant in the deployment of dialogue, with great comic skill and a power of pathos that made it a runaway bestseller in its time that continues to move us today.

Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence

3 stars, 5 reviews

“Let us hesitate no longer to announce that the sensual passions and mysteries are equally sacred with the spiritual mysteries and passions,” wrote D.H. Lawrence.

In Women In Love, a masterpiece that heralded the erotic consciousness of the twentieth century. Echoing elements of Lawrence’s own life, Women In Love delves into the mysteries between men and women as two couples strive for love against a haunting backdrop of coal mines, factories, and a beleaguered working class. New introduction by Louis Menand.

Filed under: Free eBooks, Nook | Tags: BN | 1 Comment »

If you are a proud Nook owner, you can take your Nook to any Barnes and Noble retail store to get access to the free exclusive content listed below.

Just tap the “shop” icon to bring up the in-store promotions. Each week the “More in Store” is updated and each new feature is available for four weeks on a rolling basis. Once you download the exclusive content to a Nook, it gets saved to your B&N library and can be accessed whenever you want.

August 1

There’s No Such Thing As An Ordinary Day: A Q&A with the author of One Day, David Nicholls

One Day is a fascinating, explosive look at relationships and the way everything can change over the course of a single day. In this exclusive interview for NOOK owners, Nicholls discusses inspiration, romance vs. cynicism and the surreal process of watching a bestselling book become a screenplay.

Dan Ariely’s The Magic of Procrastination

Pop science favorite Dan Ariely is a must-read for anyone interested in human behavior. In his trademark energetic style, Ariely tackles a subject near and dear to the hearts of back-to-schoolers everywhere: the fine art of procrastination.

August 8

A Quarter-Century with Peter and Rina by Faye Kellerman

With more than 20 million books in print, Faye Kellerman has been delighting readers with her husband and wife mystery-solving team for decades. Now, in this exclusive essay for NOOK owners, Kellerman talks about the joys and occasional woes of 25 years with her favorite couple.

Reading Teen Romance by Eloisa James

Teen love has come a long way since Romeo stood under Juliet’s balcony. B&N reviewer and romance author Eloisa James rounds up a few of the best new releases that will delight teen girls and mothers alike.

August 15

Kelley Armstrong’s Battening the Hatches

Only for NOOK owners, Armstrong, author of Waking the Witch, Bitten and Stolen, writes an all-original Otherworld story taking place right before Waking the Witch.

Tea Party Fashion: Ruling the Fall Runways by Erin McHugh

Political fashion is on the rise says Erin McHugh, a Barnes & Noble bookseller in Manhattan. In this exclusive essay, McHugh writes about a little-covered area of the political landscape.

August 22

Telling Stories by Joyce Maynard

Journalist and novelist Joyce Maynard offers Barnes & Noble readers insight into the inspiration for her newest novel: her inappropriate, outspoken and absolutely irresistible mother.

The Right Book for the Beginning Reader by Patricia Reilly Giff

Bestselling children’s book author Patricia Reilly Giff writes, from her own experience, about what makes the best kind of book for children who are just starting to read on their own.

August 29

Anything is Possible: A Chat with Kresley Cole

The settings for Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series run the gamut from New Orleans to the Scottish Highlands. In this exclusive essay for Barnes & Noble, Cole reveals how she chooses the settings and why escapism isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Allowance Negotiation by Jean Chatzky

Teaching children about money is important, but not always easy. Just for NOOK owners, money coach Jean Chatzky shares tips on how to talk to your kids about finances.

Source: Barnes and Noble

Filed under: Free eBooks, Nook | Tags: BN, nook exclusive | 2 Comments »

To download the free ebooks below, you’ll need to set up an account with Amazon and, if you don’t own a Kindle, download a free Kindle app for the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Blackberry, Android-powered devices, PC, or Mac computers.

Bright of the Sky by Kay Kenyon

4.5 stars, 28 reviews

At the start of this riveting launch of a new far-future SF series from Kenyon (Tropic of Creation), a disastrous mishap during interstellar space travel catapults pilot Titus Quinn with his wife, Johanna Arlis, and nine-year-old daughter, Sydney, into a parallel universe called the Entire. Titus makes it back to this dimension, his hair turned white, his memory gone, his family presumed dead and his reputation ruined with the corporation that employed him.

The corporation (in search of radical space travel methods) sends Titus (in search of Johanna and Sydney) back through the space-time warp. There, he gradually, painfully regains knowledge of its rulers, the cruel, alien Tarig; its subordinate, Chinese-inspired humanoid population, the Chalin; and his daughter’s enslavement. Titus’s transformative odyssey to reclaim Sydney reveals a Tarig plan whose ramifications will be felt far beyond his immediate family. Kenyon’s deft prose, high-stakes suspense and skilled, thorough world building will have readers anxious for the next installment. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Your Credit Score, Your Money & What’s at Stake: How to Improve the 3-Digit Number that Shapes Your Financial Future by Weston, Liz Pulliam

4.5 stars, 50 reviews

In post-crash America, it’s tough to get credit…and even tougher to get rates and terms you can afford. That makes your credit score more important than ever before. Now, MSN Money/L.A. Times personal finance columnist Liz Pulliam Weston has updated her best-selling book on credit scores to show how you can maximize your score right now–and save yourself a fortune!

Weston reveals the tough new realities of borrowing and credit scoring, and shows why they aren’t going to change any time soon. She rips away the mystery surrounding credit scoring, including the FICO 08 overhaul, and tells you exactly how to use the new system to maximize your score.

You’ll learn how to fight back against lenders who want to lower your limits or raise your rates…bounce back from bad credit and bankruptcy…choose the right credit solutions and avoid options that only make things worse. One step at a time, Weston will help you build (or rebuild) your credit score–so you can get the credit you need and deserve!

Autobiography of a Yogi (Reprint of Original 1946 Edition) by Yogananda, Paramhansa

4.5 stars, 81 reviews

The original text of Yogananda’s classic introduction to Eastern mysticism.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Rorey’s Secret (Country Road Chronicles #1) by Kelly, Leisha

4.5 stars, 10 reviews

The Worthams and Hammonds are as close as two families could be, sharing almost everything on their Depression-era Illinois farms. So when a raging fire breaks out and threatens to destroy the Hammond farm, both families are affected by the tragedy. But how did the fire start?

Several of the kids know the truth, but no one is talking. As the families try to overcome aching loss, misplaced blame, troubled relationships, and an upsetting secret, they once again find themselves clinging desperately to their trust in God. In this compelling tale of faith, hardship, and community, acclaimed author Leisha Kelly continues the much-loved story of the Wortham family, who with courage and determination discover the power of forgiveness to restore and heal.

The Goddess Of Fried Okra by Jean Brashear

5 stars, 12 reviews

Grief. Hope. Love. Sword fights. And the crisp glory of fried okra. Ex-cocktail waitress and “convenience story professional” Eudora “Pea” O’Brien is filled with grief and regret, low on cash and all alone. Headed down the hot, dusty back roads of central Texas, Pea is convinced she’ll find a sign leading her to the reincarnated soul of the sister who raised her. A sign that she’s found her place in the world of the living again. At least that’s what the psychic promised.

In an unforgettably funny and poignant journey, Pea collects an unlikely family of strays-a starving kitten, a pregnant teenager, a sexy con man trying to go straight, and a ferocious gun dealer named Glory, who introduces Pea to the amazing, sword-wielding warrior goddesses of Texas author Robert E. Howard-creator of the Conan the Barbarian novels-and celebrated in festival every year. Six foot tall, red-headed Pea looks good with a sword in her hand. Glory, the goddesses, and a grandmotherly café owner become Pea’s unlikely gurus as she struggles to learn swordplay and the art of perfect fried okra. She’ll have to master both if she’s going to find what matters most-her own lost soul.

The Ocean Inside by Janna McMahan

4.5 stars, 7 reviews

McMahan’s debut novel is a vividly drawn but uneven love letter to coastal South Carolina. Emmett and Lauren Sullivan’s lifestyle has never matched their upper-crust neighbors’, but they’ve been comfortable raising their daughters in their money pit of an ancestral home. Then their nine-year-old daughter, Ainslie, is stricken with a rare form of cancer, and the family is plunged into chaos. Suddenly Emmett is battling a recalcitrant insurance company; the stress of caring for a sick child full-time begins to take its toll on Lauren; and 18-year-old Sloan’s college plans are in jeopardy.

As the parents’ financial and emotional problems consume the family, Sloan finds escape with a new boyfriend whose preppy good looks and moneyed charm mask a dangerous streak. McMahan’s descriptions of the Lowcountry and its unique climate and customs jump off the page, but her characters and plot have trouble matching the wealth of scenery. There’s emotional sincerity and depth, and ample talent for description and pacing, but the eventual payoff and resolution, though unconventional, falls slightly flat. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Flower Blooms on Charlotte Street: A Novel by Propst, Milam McGraw

4.5 stars, 5 reviews

In 1898, after her mother’s death, Ociee runs wild with her brothers in Marshall County, Mississippi. Her mother’s sister, Aunt Mamie, has other plans for Ociee. Her loving father agrees and packs his only daughter on the train to go live with her aunt on Charlotte Street in Ashville, North Carolina; it is the biggest metropolis that the child has ever seen. This protagonist, lively and sympathetic, stars in a story that is permeated with familial love. A 2000 Parents’ Choice® Recommended winner.
Reviewed by Kemie Nix, Parents’ Choice® 2000 — From Parents’ Choice

A Nail Through the Heart by Timothy Hallinan

5 stars, 1 review

Poke Rafferty was writing offbeat travel guides for the young and terminally bored when Bangkok stole his heart. Now the American expat is assembling a new family with Rose, the former go-go dancer he wants to marry, and Miaow, the tiny, streetwise urchin he wants to adopt. But trouble in the guise of good intentions comes calling just when everything is beginning to work out.

Poke agrees to take in Superman, Miaow’s troubled and terrifying friend from the gutter. Then he agrees to help locate a distraught Aussie woman’s missing uncle and accepts a generous payment to find a blackmailing thief. No longer gliding carelessly across the surface of a culture he doesn’t really understand, suddenly Poke is plodding through dark and unfamiliar terrain—and everything and everyone he loves is in terrible danger.

The Sari Shop Widow by Bantwal, Shobhan

3.5 stars, 39 reviews

Pungent curry. . .sweet fried onions. . .incense. . .colorful beads. . .lush fabrics. Shobhan Bantwal’s compelling new novel is set on the streets of Edison, New Jersey’s Little India, where a young businesswoman rediscovers the magic of love and family. . .

Since becoming a widow at age twenty-seven, Anjali Kapadia has devoted herself to transforming her parents’ sari shop into a chic boutique, brimming with exquisite jewelry and clothing. Now, ten years later, it stands out like a proud maharani amid Edison’s bustling Little India. But when Anjali learns the shop is on the brink of bankruptcy, she feels her world unraveling. . .

To the rescue comes Anjali’s wealthy, dictatorial Uncle Jeevan and his business partner, Rishi Shah-a mysterious Londoner, complete with British accent, cool gray eyes, and skin so fair it makes it hard to believe he’s Indian. Rishi’s cool, foreign demeanor triggers distrust in Anjali and her mother. But for Anjali, he also stirs something else, a powerful attraction she hasn’t felt in a decade. And the feeling is mutual. . .

Love disappointed Anjali once before and she’s vowed to live without it-though Rishi is slowly melting her resolve and, as the shop regains its footing, gaining her trust. But when a secret from Rishi’s past is revealed, Anjali must turn to her family and her strong cultural upbringing to guide her in finding the truth. . .

Face of Betrayal (Triple Threat Series #1) by Wiehl, Lis and Henry, April

3.5 stars, 182 reviews

Wiehl, a Fox News commentator and legal analyst, teams with mystery veteran Henry (Buried Diamonds) on a sizzling political thriller. When 17-year-old Senate page Katie Converse goes missing on her Christmas break near her parents’ white Victorian home in Portland, Ore., law enforcement and media personnel go into overdrive in a search for clues.

Three friends at the pinnacle of their respective careers—Allison Pierce, a federal prosecutor; Cassidy Shaw, a crime reporter; and Nicole Hedges, an FBI special agent—soon discover that Katie wasn’t the picture of innocence painted by her parents. It appears Katie was having an affair with a much older man, a senator whose political career could be derailed if the affair was publicized. The seamless plot offers a plethora of twists and turns. A blurb from Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly will help draw attention to Wiehl’s debut. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Filed under: Free eBooks, Kindle | Tags: free kindle ebooks | No Comments »

Getting back into the news, Barnes and Noble issued a press release today announcing that they will be creating 1,000 square-foot Nook boutiques in retail stores to “accommodate this rapidly growing segment of Barnes & Noble’s business”.

Details from the press release:

The 1,000 square-foot boutiques will feature demonstration tables and multiple operating NOOK devices for trial. An adjoining wall and large flat panel display will feature video demos of NOOK eBook Readers and display more than 100 accessories, including NOOK covers by popular designers such as kate spade new york, Jack Spade, Jonathan Adler and Lilly Pulitzer. Each NOOK Boutique will be fully staffed by knowledgeable booksellers who will offer book lovers device demonstrations, help customers download Barnes & Noble’s free NOOK software to their mobile or computing devices, and provide ongoing support.

The boutiques, which will begin rolling out this summer and through the fall, mark yet another enhancement to the in-store experience which drives book lovers to visit Barnes & Noble stores . . .

This Week’s Free B&N eBook Classics

Each week Barnes and Noble offers a dozen free classic ebooks that normally cost $1.99 each. They are the same public domain titles that you can get elsewhere for free, but B&N, like most ebook stores, re-edit the classics so that they are well formatted and add additional info like introductions and footnotes.

This week’s free ebooks:

• Beowulf by Anonymous, John McNamara
• Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
• Emma by Jane Austen
• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
• Ivanhoe by Walter Scott
• Pygmalion and Three Other Plays by George Bernard Shaw
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
• Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
• Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
• Three Musketeers by Alexandre DumasDigital Format
• War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

The ebooks can be downloaded here at B&N’s Free Classics.

Filed under: Free eBooks, News, Nook | Tags: BN, nook exclusive | No Comments »