Content FREE (and bargain) books for the Kindle - October 2010

[arcadata]

Reaching people under 40 while keeping people over 60: being church for all generations (TCP Leadership Series) by Edward H. Hammett and James R. Pierce

Product Description (from Bookmasters):

Many established churches are facing a number of challenges in today’s increasingly secular culture. Such a shift in many communities creates a challenge of church growth and church health when it seems that satisfying the needs of one group creates barriers to reaching another group. So many are asking, “How do you keep people over sixty years of age—who often hold church culture values—while at the same time reach people under forty—who often hold postmodern values?” If a church is interested in growing, this situation becomes a major challenge.

Reaching People under 40 while Keeping People over 60 looks at the church as it seeks to function in a new world. It looks at the differences in the generations and at postmodernism—not just a generational difference but a global change. Most importantly Reaching People under 40 while Keeping People over 60 looks at what a church can do in this new age to help the church survive—and thrive!

[arcadata]

Religious Fiction:

The Choice (Lancaster County Secrets, Book 1) by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Product Description
With a vibrant, fresh style Suzanne Woods Fisher brings readers into the world of a young Amish woman torn between following the man she loves--or joining the community of faith that sustains her, even as she questions some of the decisions of her elders. Her choice begins a torrent of change for her and her family, including a marriage of convenience to silent Daniel Miller. Both bring broken hearts into their arrangement--and secrets that have been held too long. Filled with gentle romance, The Choice opens the world of the Amish--their strong communities, their simple life, and their willingness to put each other first. Combined with Fisher's exceptional gift for character development, this novel, the first in a series, is a welcome reminder that it is never too late to find your way back to God.

Mozart's Sister by Nancy Moser

Product Description
Young Nannerl Mozart's life seems to be the stuff of fairy tales--traveling far and wide, performing with little brother Wolfgang before kings and queens. But behind the glamour lurk hardships, illness, and constant financial worries. Their father, Leopold, is driven to bring his son's genius to the attention of the world. But what of Nannerl's talent and aspirations? And what of the man she loves? Readers will be captivated by the sometimes heartrending--and ultimately inspiring--story of a woman who struggles with her dreams and her faith in a world where a woman’s place was at home.

[arcadata]

Free Nonfiction books:

16 Expert Lessons for Successfully Managing Your Personal Finances (Collection) by FT Press Delivers

Product Description:

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!
Your fast, foolproof money primer: escape debt, fix your credit, buy the right house, pay for college, prepare for retirement, and more!
Expert, step-by-step guidance for solving money problems and building real wealth and security! Discover new ways to fix your credit (and cut interest payments)-buy the right home and finance it the right way-cut the costs of college and life's other biggest expenses-build the comfortable retirement you thought you couldn't have!
From world-renowned leaders and experts, including Gregory Karp, Carolyn Warren, James W. Walker, Linda H. Lewis, and Jane White.

Touchdown!: Achieving Your Greatness on the Playing Field of Business (and Life) by Kevin Elko

Product Description:

What’s your vision? What’s your passion? What do you want most? This book will help you find it, focus on it, and transform it into reality.
Dr. Kevin Elko has spent 20+ years helping people do precisely that: Super Bowl and NCAA Champion athletes and coaches...winning salespeople and corporate executives...audiences who’ve responded with hundreds of standing ovations. His techniques and insights don’t just supercharge performance...they change lives. Now, he’s brought them all together in a single boo--and it may be the greatest motivational book ever written. Elko’s lessons helped the University of Miami build its national championship football team...led Nick Saban to make Elko his team’s only performance consultant...helped NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith stay relentlessly focused in the face of any challenge. They got what they wanted. Whatever you want, Elko’s message can help you get it, too!

Stumbling On Wins in Football by David J. Berri (Author), Martin B. Schmidt

Product Description:

This Element is an excerpt from Stumbling On Wins: Two Economists Expose the Pitfalls on the Road to Victory in Professional Sports (9780132357784) by David J. Berri and Martin B. Schmidt. Available in print and digital formats.
Why NFL general managers keep making so many mistakes: the shocking realities hidden in the statistics!
How many wins a quarterback produces depends on two factors: his number of plays and per-play productivity. High draft position gets him on the field, but doesn-t appear to say anything about how well he-ll play. Per-play numbers reveal that players taken with picks 11-50 were more productive than those taken at the top; QBs taken from picks 51-90 were as productive as those in the top ten.

How to Not Make Bad Decisions by Sydney Finkelstein

Product Description:

Business success stories may be instructive, but we need to know more about why smart people make bad decisions. Sydney Finkelstein, a professor at Dartmouth's Tuck School who has studied these crucial questions for 15 years, tells how decisions really get made and describes the four signals that can alert you when emotions are interfering with your thinking.
Business bookshelves teem with success stories. Companies in search of excellence always go from good to great; Jack Welch tells how he made General Electric a winner; we learn the "seven secrets of intelligent people" and "the art of investing." Writers pay lip service to learning from mistakes, but, in practice, no one says much about failure.
Yet, bad decisions pose some of the most interesting questions in business. Why did so many smart people invest with Bernie Madoff? As the housing bubble swelled, why did so many bankers keep doubling down on subprime mortgages? In the great meltdown, why did Ken Lewis, then CEO of Bank of America, overpay so wildly for Merrill Lynch? Why did Dick Fuld of Lehman Brothers refuse to sell his company until it was too late?

A Taste of Heaven: Worship in the Light of Eternity by R. C. Sproul

Publisher Description: (from Westminster Bookstore)

Modern Christians have shown their inability to agree on where to look for God's design of worship. Neither pop culture nor the status quo can provide us with satisfactory answers. We need a biblical reason for doing what we do when we worship God.
In A Taste of Heaven, Dr. R. C. Sproul searches the Scriptures, finding timeless principles from the worship practices of the Old Testament to guide worship today. God intends worship to be an unforgettable encounter between Himself and His people - a joyous experience engaging the worshiper's entire being.

[arcadata]

Freebies from Zondervan:

Naomi and Her Daughters by Walter Wangerin Jr. (Religious Fiction)

Product Description

From master storyteller Walter Wangerin, Jr. comes this familiar biblical saga told in a fresh, transfixing way. You'll feel you've never heard it before! Melding historical accuracy with imaginative detail, Wangerin uses the biblical books of Judges and Ruth to explore themes of love, faith, grief and community set against a backdrop of war and political instability.The widow Naomi grieves the deaths of her two adult sons after the shocking murder of a beloved adopted daughter, while pondering her responsibilities toward her Moabite daughters-in-law. Ancient Israel is in chaos. When her daughter-in-law, Ruth, begs to return to Israel with Naomi, events are set in motion that will change the course of history.But wait...this isn't the tame, flannel graph story you heard in Sunday School. In the tradition of Anita Diamant's The Red Tent and Elissa Elliott's Eve: A Novel of the First Woman, Wangerin imbues his tale with strong female characters and an earthy realism that gives the timeless Old Testament narrative so much power. You'll find echoes of contemporary issues throughout: deceit, heartbreak, loss, war, and, of course, the power of love. Naomi's combined strength and tenderness becomes the pivot upon which a nation turns; her decisions ultimately lead to the founding of the family lineage of Jesus Christ.Breathtaking descriptions, shocking violence, and inspirational courage make this spellbinding novel by a beloved award-winning author a story you won't soon forget. It's the perfect novel for your book group, and a satisfying read for those who love thoughtful biblical fiction.

Chosen Ones by Alister E. McGrath (Christian Fiction/Fantasy) - previously free

Product Description:

The land of Aedyn is a paradise beyond all imagining. But when this paradise falls, strangers from another world must be called to fight for the truth.Peter and Julia never suspected that a trip to their grandparents' home in Oxford would contain anything out of the ordinary. But that was before Julia stumbled upon a mysterious garden that shone on moonless nights. It was no accident that she fell into the pool, pulling her brother along with her, but now they're lost in a strange new world and they don't know whom they can trust. Should they believe the mysterious, hooded lords? The ancient monk who appears only when least expected? Or the silent slaves who have a dark secret of their own? In a world inhabited by strange beasts and magical whisperings, two children called from another world will have to discover who they truly are, fighting desperate battles within themselves before they can lead the great revolution

Preacher Creature Strikes on Sunday by Mike Thaler (Christian Fiction/Children)

Product Description:

With hilarious stories and nutty pictures, the Tales from the Back Pew series offers kid's a unique view of church. Enjoy plenty of giggles with your child---and learn fun, important truths about God, church, and the Bible.Mom is taking me to church this Sunday. I've heard a lot about church. You have to stand up, sit down, and kneel a hundred times. It's called being in the service---I'm too young to be drafted!

Never Blame the Umpire by Gene Fehler (Christian Fiction/YA)

Product Description:

How do you trust God when tragedy strikes?Kate is having the best summer a sports-loving eleven-year-old could possibly have. Baseball. Tennis. And to top it off, Kate has just started a three-week class where she's discovering a new love: poetry.Then comes the news that tears Kate's world apart. In her close-knit family, Kate has always felt God's love and protection. But how can she trust God now? Do sports or poetry matter when tragedy strikes?In Kate's darkest hour, her mother's faith shines its brightest, helping Kate to see that life is still beautiful and God is still good. Always, no matter what.

The Land Between: Finding God in Difficult Transitions by Jeff Manion (Christian NonFiction)

Product Description

In this Ebook edition of The Land Between, author Jeff Manion uses the biblical story of the Israelites' journey through Sinai desert as a metaphor for being in undesired, transitional space. After enduring generations of slavery in Egypt, the descendants of Jacob travel through the desert (the land between) toward their new home in Canaan. They crave the food of their former home in Egypt and despise their present environment. They are unable to go back and incapable of moving forward. The Land Between explores the way in which the Israelites' reactions can provide insight and guidance on how to respond to God during our own seasons of difficult transition. It also provides fresh biblical insight for people traveling through undesired transitions---foreclosure, unemployment, parents in declining health, post-graduate uncertainty, business failure---who are looking for hope, guidance, and encouragement. While it is possible to move through transitions and learn little, they provide our greatest opportunity for spiritual growth. God desires to meet us in our chaos and emotional upheaval, and he intends for us to encounter his goodness and provision during these upsetting seasons.

I Quit!: Stop Pretending Everything Is Fine and Change Your Life by Geri Scazzero (Christian NonFiction)

Product Description:

Geri Scazzero knew there was something desperately wrong with how they were doing their life and ministry. She finally told her husband, 'I quit,' and left the thriving church he pastored, beginning a journey that transformed her, her marriage, and her church. Geri quit being afraid of what others think. She quit lying. She quit denying her anger and sadness. She quit living someone else's life. I Quit provides you a way out of an inauthentic, superficial spirituality to genuine freedom in Christ. I Quit is for every person who thinks, I can't keep pretending everything is fine!' Biblical quitting goes hand in hand with choosing. When we quit those things that are damaging to our souls or the souls of others, we are freed up to choose other ways of being and relating that are rooted in love and lead to life. When we quit fear of what others think, we choose freedom. When we quit lies, we choose truth. When we quit blaming, we choose to take responsibility. When we quit faulty thinking, we choose to live in reality. When we quit for the right reasons, quitting changes us. Something breaks inside of us when we finally say, 'No more.' But it must be done for the right reasons, at the right time, and in the right way. That's what this ebook is about.

The Malacca Conspiracy by Don Brown (Christian Fiction/Thriller) - this was previously free

Product Description:

Set in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the United States, The Malacca Conspiracy is a bone-chilling tale of terrorism on the high seas, of political assassination and nuclear brinkmanship. And for Zack and Diane---your favorite JAG characters from Don Brown's popular Navy Justice Series---a story of hope for a longstanding romance that is now or never.When a dastardly plot is hatched in the Malaysian seaport of Malacca to attack civilian oil tankers at sea, to drive up the price of crude oil futures, and to assassinate the Indonesian president and use fat windfall profits to finance a nuclear attack against American cities, Navy JAG officers Zack Brewer and Diane Cocernian reunite in a sizzling race against the clock to foil the conspiracy before disaster strikes. But as President Mack Williams sends ships of the U.S. Seventh Fleet towards the Malacca Straights to reassert control over the sea lanes, will Navy JAG officers Zack Brewer and Diane Colcernian survive this dangerous and final high-stakes drama of life and death?You won't be able to put this thriller down until you find out.

[koland]

Living Rich by Spending Smart: How to Get More of What You Really Want by Gregory Karp

Book Description
As The Millionaire Next Door revealed, building wealth isn’t just about working harder or what you choose to invest in: it’s about spending smarter. Now, award-winning Tribune Company personal finance columnist Gregory Karp shows how to do just that.

This book isn’t about depriving yourself. Instead, Gregory Karp shows how to build real, long-lasting wealth by plugging the money leaks you’re barely aware of and making sure you spend with a purpose.

Karp’s surprisingly painless techniques will help you eliminate wasteful spending in every area of your financial life. You’ll discover how to focus spending on what you really care about...spend less on gifts without becoming a cheapskate...slash your phone bill...pay less for food and still eat what you want...eliminate spending ...

[koland]

Repeat freebie from July:

The Truth About Managing People, by Stephen P. Robbins, is a new edition of what appears to be a full business management book (there are two more with the same title and different covers, which are approximately the same file size and selling for $8 to $10).

Book Description
You can succeed brilliantly as a leader and overcome the “killer” problems faced by every manager!

* The truth about building winning teams and designing high-productivity jobs
* The truth about why “happy” employees aren’t always more productive
* The (surprising) truth about what behaviors you really want to reward

This book reveals 53 Proven Principles for handling virtually every management challenge.

The Truth About Managing People offers real solutions for the make-or-break problems faced by every manager. You'll discover: how to overcome the true obstacles to teamwork; why too much communication can be as dangerous as too little; how to improve your hiring and employee evaluations; how to heal "layoff survivor sickness"; even how to learn charisma. This isn't someone's opinion; it's a definitive, evidence-based guide to effective management: a set of bedrock principles you can rely on throughout your entire management career.

[koland]

Spy Killer, by L. Ron Hubbard, is this month's free short story from Galaxy Press.

Book Description
Falsely accused of murder and grand larceny, Kurt Reid flees to Shanghai. After rescuing a White Russian spy, he's captured by the Chinese and forced into the cloak-and-dagger world of espionage and intrigue, where everything and everyone are not what they appear to be.

[koland]

The Ride of My Life , by Mat Hoffman, is free in the US Kindle store, for UK customers only ($9.99 for US customers, which is a sale price, it seems, from the tags customers have put on it).

Book Description
I had seriously reached a point in my life where I wasn't scared of anything. Panic was replaced by awww, shit, how can I fix this before I hit the ground?

Childhood for Mat Hoffman was packed with hazardous behavior and a constant searching for a new rush: sliding down the laundry chute, blatantly misusing a trampoline, leaping off the roof holding an umbrella, executing a two-story bomb drop into a swimming pool on a bike, and more. After experimenting with his bike on a plywood ramp at age eleven, Mat found his true calling. He became addicted to aerials.

By the time he was fourteen years old, Mat had earned national notoriety with his ramp skills and landed a factory sponsorship from Skyway Recreation. He was consumed by a love of bike riding, a passion that took him around the globe and beyond the limits of what people said was possible. Always pushing for more height or another way to turn air into art, he's shattered world records, conventional wisdom, and his own body in a quest to experience all that life has to offer. The price? More than a dozen major surgeries, fifty broken bones, countless concussions and knockouts -- Mat's sacrifices are evident in a medical file that's 400 pages thick.

When the boom years of BMX freestyle bottomed out during a bike industry recession in the late 1980s, Mat's enthusiasm never wavered. To save his sport, he bought a semi truck when he was seventeen and became his own sponsor, spreading the word one demo at a time. He and his friends formed Hoffman Bikes and began running bike stunt contests. It was an era of progress for Mat as a rider, as he unveiled jawdropping tricks like the no-handed 540, backflip fakie, and flair, and became the first rider in action sports to pull a 900.

In The Ride of My Life, Mat takes readers on his humorous, hardcore, harrowing journey to the top as a bike stunt pioneer, ten-time world champion, video game superstar, X Games ambassador, recreational ninja, and the most innovative rider to ever hit a ramp. He shares stories of the wild experiences he's had while touring with some of the best riders around -- Dennis McCoy, Dave Mirra, Rick Thorne, Kevin Robinson, Mike "Rooftop" Escamilla, and many others.
Spanning two decades of action sports history, as Mat crosses paths with high-risk heroes like Tony Hawk, Johnny Knoxville, and Evel Knievel, The Ride of My Life is the insane, true story of Mat Hoffman, the greatest bike rider of all time.

[koland]

Fallen Idols , by Neil White, is free in the US Kindle store, for UK customers only.

Book Description
Jack Garrett is determined to find out. A small-time journalist who's left behind his Lancashire roots for the glitz and glamour - and seediness and squalor - of the capital, he's convinced this is no celebrity stalker. Aided and abetted by DC Laura McGanity, desperately trying to juggle police life with motherhood and her feelings for Jack, the trail takes them back to Jack's home town of Turner's Fold - and his past. What's the connection between the recent murder and the death of a young girl 10 years before? Conspiracy, revenge and the high price of fame all combine in this stunning debut from a dazzling new voice in crime fiction.

[ProfCrash]

I am confused. The last two books are tagged, "Free in the US Kindle store, for UK customers only." Who are these books free for?

[koland]

Bit Literacy: Productivity in the Age of Information and E-mail Overload, by Mark Hurst, is free in the US Kindle store, for UK customers only.

Book Description
Bit Literacy offers a solution to email overload, media overload, and other kinds of information overload. The daily flood of e-mail, multiple todo lists, a cluttered desktop, documents in various file formats, and the constant distraction of cell phones are all problems that people desperately need help with. More than a quick fix or another "how-to" guide, Bit Literacy offers an entirely new way of gaining productivity, and lowering stress, that users at any level of expertise can put into action right away. Mark Hurst - who has reached hundreds of thousands of readers through his Good Experience blog and Uncle Mark guides, has revealed the way to survive, and thrive, in the digital age: "Let the bits go."

[koland]

All three are in the US store (I haven't checked the UK store, but they don't show up in searches for free books there). However, they are only free for customers in the UK (who can shop in either store). US customers do not get them free.

Edited to add: For most of the books we post for free, the prices are for US customers only, although we never mention that. This is an international forum, but Amazon has a lot fewer deals for non-US customers. When they do, I post them for those who do have a non-US address to see and take advantage of.

[koland]

Links for the UK store:
Bit Literacy: Productivity in the Age of Information and E-mail Overload

The Ride of My Life

Fallen Idols

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by koland

All three are in the US store (I haven't checked the UK store, but they don't show up in searches for free books there). However, they are only free for customers in the UK (who can shop in either store). US customers do not get them free.

Edited to add: For most of the books we post for free, the prices are for US customers only, although we never mention that. This is an international forum, but Amazon has a lot fewer deals for non-US customers. When they do, I post them for those who do have a non-US address to see and take advantage of.

actually, Fallen Idols is telling me it is not available in the US

[koland]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

actually, Fallen Idols is telling me it is not available in the US

Yes, but if your Country is set to the UK on your Manage My Kindle store, it shows up as $0.00 and available!

Here's another one, also UK only:

The Trophy Taker, by Lee Weeks, is free in the US Kindle store, for UK customers only.

Book Description
A serial killer is on the loose. His target? Lone Western women lured to Hong Kong by the promise of easy money. As The Butcher's killing spree escalates, bags of mutilated body parts are found all over the island - and more girls are disappearing.Taking on his first homicide case, Detective Johnny Mann is determined to stop The Butcher's brutal reign. Haunted by the memory of his father's death by the Triads, he's the only man who can track down a killer who's paralysing the city with fear.Madeleine Johnson has left her tragic past in England to start afresh in Hong Kong. But soon her life is in peril as she is sucked into the sinister world of the city's hostess clubs.Venturing into dark and dangerous places, Mann unearths chilling evidence about the killings. And then another body is found, one which brings the murders closer to home-Bolt the doors, turn on the lights and pray for mercy - you'll be up all night with this disturbingly addictive debut from a writer being hailed as the female James Patterson.

Link in the UK store: The Trophy Taker