I’ve been a BookGorilla subscriber for weeks now, and since the BG email alerts I receive each day are filled with such great bargain and free Kindle book deals, I’ve decided to regularly share some of my finds here. If you see anything you like, don’t hesitate to grab it because the bargain prices and giveaways are all limited-time offers, subject to expire at any time.
When I signed up I specified that I’m only interested in seeing books in the categories of General Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror Fiction, Humor, and books for Teens and Children, so my featured finds will be limited to those categories. But if your tastes run toward categories I’ve excluded, you can always sign up for the free BookGorilla once-daily email alert yourself and specify totally different categories.
Bargain-Priced Books
The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller, Historical Fiction (4/5 stars, currently priced at $1.99)
Amazon Best Books of the Month, March 2012: Betrayal, ardor, war, and prophecies–in The Song of Achilles, author Madeline Miller brings together everything I love about The Iliad without the labor of epic poetry. In this new twist on the Trojan War story, Patroclus and Achilles are the quintessential mismatched pair–a mortal underdog exiled in shame and a glorious demigod revered by all–but what would a novel of ancient Greece be without star-crossed love?
Miller includes other good tragic bits–foreknowledge of death, ruthless choices that pit pride and reputation against the lives of innocents, the folly of men and gods–and through her beautiful writing my spine chilled in the presence of Achilles’ mother, the sea goddess Thetis, and I became a bystander in the battlefield of Troy awash with blood, exaltation, and despair.
The Song of Achilles infuses the essence of Homer with modern storytelling in a combination that is utterly absorbing and gratifying–I can’t wait to see what Miller tackles next. –Seira Wilson
Kindle Fire owners who are interested in knowing more about how the author approached this adaptation of classical Greek literature should also see the special Enhanced Edition of The Song of Achilles, which includes audio and video segments featuring author Gregory Maguire (the Wicked series of novels) interviewing author Madeline Miller, and is currently priced at $9.99.
Small Sacrifices – Anne Rule, General Non-Fiction/True Crime (4.5/5 stars, bargain priced at 99 cents)
When Diane Downs and her three children were shot on a quiet, country road, residents of Springfield, Oregon, were frightened. A bushy haired stranger had flagged down their car, Diane told police, as she described how the man had coldly opened fire on her sleeping children. Despite the fact she was shot, too, the young mother managed to drive to the hospital in time to save all but one child.
But something about her story was fishy, and detectives began to suspect Diane was lying. Was it possible that she was the shooter? Absolutely not, her supporters insisted. Diane, they said, adored her children. When investigators suggested a motive, Diane was indignant. Not only would she never harm her own children, she certainly would never do it for the reason detectives suggested. Was the attractive blonde the wonderful mother she claimed to be? Or was she a woman so obsessed, she would kill her own young to achieve her goal?
Ann Rule’s critically acclaimed SMALL SACRIFICES, was an instant bestseller, and later Farrah Fawcett was nominated for an Emmy for her portrayal of Downs in the TV miniseries based on Rule’s book.
Grub Line Rider – Louis Lamour (4.5/5 stars, bargain priced at $1.99)
The fury of the Wild West explodes in this thrilling dramatization of the Louis L’Amour classic Grub Line Rider. Most folks would call Kim Sartain an easygoing, peace-loving man.
But the few who crossed the young drifter knew there was nothing he liked better than a good fight.
When cattleman Jim Targ challenges Sartain’s right to ride across an unclaimed stretch of meadow, Sartain decides he’ll do better than ride through: He’ll put down stakes there and homestead the land.
Soon there’s more at risk than land and pride when Targ hires a gunman to teach Sartain a permanent–and deadly–lesson.
Trapped, A Novel of Terror – JA Konrath / Jack Kilborn, Horror Fiction (4/5 stars, bargain priced at $1.99)
TERRIFIED…
It was supposed to be a harmless camping trip. Six wayward teenagers who’d run into trouble with the law, and their court-appointed guardians, Sara and Martin Randhurst. Three nights on a small, deserted island off of Michigan’s upper peninsula. A time to bond, to learn, to heal.
Then Martin told a campfire story about the island’s history. Of the old civil war prison hidden in there, and the starving confederate soldiers who resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. Everyone thought it was funny. They even laughed when Martin pretended to be dragged off into the woods.
But Martin didn’t come back. And neither did Sara when she went in search of him. Then the laughter stopped.
…TO DEATH
The group soon began to realize that this deserted island wasn’t so deserted after all. And perhaps Martin’s ridiculous story had more truth to it than anyone thought.
What’s the most horrifying thing you can imagine?
This is a hundred times worse…
FREE Books
How To Organize Your Life At Home – Higher Read, General Non-Fiction (5/5 stars)
Organizing your home is essential to enjoying your home. You can live in an architectural masterpiece, but if you can’t see the floor, it is hard to appreciate it. How to Organize Your Life (At Home) takes you room-by-room through your house and shows you how to organize and enjoy your home again.
The first book in this series, How to Organize Your Life (Every Day), provided detailed steps for organizing your daily routine. This sequel helps you bring that kind of order to your home space. Both books are for people who want to live an organized life, but are not sure exactly where to start.
How to Organize Your Life (At Home) also includes tips for people who live in small spaces, have limited time, or have roommates. So whether you own a mansion or rent a room, this book can help you take your home from chaos to order.
Haunted House – JA Konrath / Jack Kilborn, Horror Fiction
BEYOND AFRAID…
It was an experiment in fear. Eight people, each chosen because they lived through a terrifying experience. Survivors. They don’t scare easily. They know how to fight back.
BEYOND TRAPPED…
Each is paid a million dollars to spend one night in a house. The old Butler House, where those grisly murders occurred so many years ago. A house that is supposedly haunted.
BEYOND ENDURANCE…
They can take whatever they want with them. Religious items. Survival gear. Weapons. All they need to do is last the night.But there is something evil in this house. Something very evil, and very real. And when the dying starts, it comes with horrifying violence and brutal finality.
There are much scarier things than ghosts. Things that will kill you slowly and delight in your screams.
Things that won’t let you get out alive.
HAUNTED HOUSE
People are dying to leave.
Helping People Win at Work: A Business Philosophy Called “Don’t Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A” – Ken Blanchard, General Non-Fiction (4.5/5 stars)
Ken Blanchard’s Leading at a Higher Level techniques are inspiring thousands of leaders to build high-performing organizations that make life better for everyone. Now, in Helping People Win at Work, Blanchard and WD-40 Company leader Garry Ridge reveal how WD-40 has used Blanchard’s techniques of Partnering for Performance with every employee–achieving levels of engagement and commitment that have fortified the bottom line.
Ridge introduces WD-40 Company’s year-round performance review system, explaining its goals, features, and the cultural changes it requires. Next, he shares his leadership point of view: what he expects of people, what they can expect of him, and where his beliefs about leadership and motivation come from. Finally, Blanchard explains why WD-40 Company’s Partnering for Performance system works so well–and how to leverage its high-value techniques in your organization. In this book, you’ll learn how to:
· Stop building failure into your mentoring of employees
· Set goals using the SMART approach: specific, motivational, attainable, relevant and trackable
· Help people move through all four stages of mastery
· Create a culture that shares knowledge and encourages nonstop learning
– – – – – – – – – –
Since you can choose to have up to 50 books included in the daily email alert and I’ve opted for the max, this is just a very small sampling of all the books in my BookGorilla email from this morning.
If you’d like to get your own once-daily email list of bargain-priced and free Kindle books like this, customized to your tastes, sign up for the free BookGorilla once-daily email alert!