Diet eBooks

The Holidays are over and I am five pounds heavier.  Ooops!  That means one thing; it is time to seriously think diet.

Like most women, I know more about diets than is sensible or helpful.  Tried most of them: Weight Watchers, Aitkins, The Zone, Pritikin, You Name It.  The end result, of course, is that I have lost the same ten pounds a dozen (or more times). I don't give up easily.  I keep looking for that magic, effortless and fool-proof diet.

This morning I started my quest at eBooks About Everything; scrolled down to the book finder and typed "Diet" in the title box and asked to sort by "Newest".  Here is an interesting factoid:  there are 110 books in the store with the word Diet in the title! 

The newest is the The GenoTypeDiet; the latest twist on the "Blood Type Diet,"  The first thing to know is that food choices based on your blood type alone is SO yesterday!  Welcome to the brave new world of genotypes - Hunter, Gatherer, Teacher, Explorer, Warrior or Nomad.  Turns out I am a Gatherer and designed to hang on to every calorie.  I can already see defeat.

On to the next option -- the The F-Factor Diet.  This one is all about fiber.  It comes with a three-stage program and a journal.  The author even includes receipts for people who can't cook.  It has possibilities.  But it still looks like work.

Number three: The Insulin-Resistance Diet is now revised and updated.  Apparently, the proper combination of foods is the key to permanent weight loss.  Just link carbs and protein and all will be well.  Looks like chocolate might be the perfect food after all.  That sounds good to me!

Then I had this big realization:  every one of these diets have exactly one thing in common.  They ALL stress an exercise program to go along with the diet.  Bummer!

I have long suspected that it might be simpler to just get my ass to the gym an forget about dieting.  But that seems like so much work!  I would much rather read a book. 

OK (big sigh here), I guess I'll go pull my gym bag and sweats out of the bottom of the closet and toddle off to the gym. 

Or maybe, I will just browse the bookstore for a really nifty exercise program that will burn a gazillion calories per hour. . . . .

 

Technorati Tags: ebook,e-book,diet ebook,diets,genotype diet,f-factor diet,insulin-resistant diet

Discounted eBooks - December 27, 2007

These are the final specials for 2007. I don't know about anyone else, but I am looking forward to a long weekend and some quiet time with a book! This Week's coupon code is CY25P. Our guarantee: If you have bought one of these titles from eBooks About in the last 15 days -- we will gladly offer you a rebate on the book; just contact us.

Mormon America eBook edition by Ostling, Richard Who Are the Mormons? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Has over 12.5 million members worldwide and is one of the fastest-growing and most centrally controlled U.S.-based religions. The Ostlings navigate the Mormon Church's complex origins and inner workings. They explore the dramatic changes in its policies on polygamy, its conviction in its manifest destiny as the true religion of America, its vocal dissenters, and the ways in which the church handles its vast financial, media, and educational resources. List Price : $13.95 Your price $10.74 (Using your 10% discount and $ .571 points in eBook Reward points)

Accidental Vampire eBook Edition by: Sands, Lynsay Ever since an accident turned her into a knockout vamp, Elvi Black's been catching her z's in a coffin, staying out of the sun, and giving up garlic. She knows there's more to being undead than what she saw in Dracula, but she can't very More Info List Price : $6.99 Your price $5.38 (Using your 10% discount and $ .28 points2 iin eBook Reward points)

The UltraMetabolism Cookbook: 200 Delicious Recipes that Will Turn on Your Fat-Burning DNA eBook edition by: Hyman, M.D. Mark Simply put, eat the right foods and send instructions of weight loss and health; eat the wrong foods and send messages of weight gain and disease. The UltraMetabolism Cookbook puts Ultra-Metabolism into overdrive with 200 convenient, easy-to-prepare, and, of course, delicious recipes for the right foods that will bring on a lifetime of good health and healthy weight. More Info List Price : $l16.99 Your price $14.53 (Using your 10% discount and $ .76 in eBook Reward points)

The Mercy of Thin Air: A Novel eBook edition by:Domingue, Ronlyn In 1920s New Orleans, Raziela Nolan is in the throes of a magnificent love affair when she dies suddenly in an accident. Immediately after her death, she gets caught in the between--a brilliantly imagined realm that exists between life and death and the beyond. More Info List Price : $16.99 Your price $14.53 (Using your 10% discount and $ .76 in eBook Reward points)

The Book of Useless Information eBook edition by: Botham, Noel All you never needed to know, and couldn't be bothered to ask... What you may so cavalierly call useless information could prove invaluable to someone else. Then again, maybe not. But to The Useless Information Society, any fact that passes its gasp-inducing, not-a-lot-of-people-know-that test merits inclusion in this fascinating but ultimately useless book. More Info List Price : $12.95 Your price $9.97 (Using your 10% discount and $ .52 in eBook Reward points)

Happy New Year!

The Man Time Forgot eBook edition

My Dad waited all week for the Saturday mail.  

He  made a special trip to the post office just to pick it up.  We could forget about his participation in any family (or other) event on Saturday night.  He was busy; reading Time Magazine. 

By the time I was ten I spent Sunday reading it from cover to cover. It was from Time Magazine that I learned vocabulary and an my ideas about what America was all about.   Time was not only a powerful source of information but more importantly a touch of the "good ole USA" for us expats.  Obviously, Time has a special place in my heart. 

Over the years I have read several biographies of Henry Luce and Clare Booth Luce.  I even read  a history of Time. And yet I couldn't have told you anything about Briton Hadden.  Most people can't.

Turns out he was the CO-FOUNDER of Time Magazine.  More accurately, Time was his brain child, and he co-opted Luce into working with him.  The Man Time Forgot is the story of Briton Hadden and the beginnings of Time, Life, Fortune and Sports Illustrated.

This is a guy to love -- mercurial, bon vivant, creative, rebellious, driven and almost certainly alcoholic.  His brain was a whirlwind of activity and ideas.  He was the epitome of the Jazz Age.  He left an indelible mark on Time and American journalism in general.  He disappeared almost with out a trace.  And yet, we still see his influence in our daily language with words like socialite.  Until this book he was no where to be seen in American literature, a nearly invisible but important force.

Isaiah Wilner had unprecedented access the the Time archives and his meticulous research brings Hadden to life. 

This is a great read and a wonderful example of what a biography is all about!

The official stuff:

Here is the tale of The Man Time Forgot: the story of Briton Hadden, the genius behind Time magazine, and his betrayal by Henry R. Luce. The true story of their tortured friendship has never before been told.

Friends, collaborators, and childhood rivals, Hadden and Luce are not yet twenty-five when they start the nation's first newsmagazine at the outset of the Roaring Twenties. Millionaires at thirty, together they lay the foundation for a media empire. But their partnership is explosive and their rivalry ferocious, inspired by envy as well as love. When Hadden dies at the age of thirty-one, Luce begins to bury the legacy of the giant he was never able to best.

In this groundbreaking biography, Isaiah Wilner offers the first full account of the birth of Time. He paints a fascinating portrait of a man whose mind dreams of everything, from the weekly newsmagazine to Life, Sports Illustrated, and the radio quiz show, and he presents a major reappraisal of the most significant media figure of the twentieth century.

The story travels from the tomb of Yale's storied secret society, Skull and Bones, to high-society Europe and South America, following the friendship of two brilliant and opposite souls who inspire one another to the pinnacle of earthly success. The young men emerge from the crucible of the Great War with an idea—Hadden's idea—that shapes the way Americans will think about the world. By making the news accessible, and amusing readers as it informs them, Hadden's Time sets the course for modern journalism into the twenty-first century.

Isaiah Wilner brings to life this remarkable story in The Man Time Forgot, a book as stylish, passionate, and provocative as Briton Hadden himself.

Technorati Tags: ebook,e-book,ebook review,e-book review,The Man Time Forgot,Britton Hayden,Isiah Winler

A Special Ornament -- A Book

My friends love to send me odd links -- things they think will catch my fancy.  Yesterday I got one of those emails. 

It was titled "The Perfect Ornament for Your Tree."

After a couple of "Bah! Humbug"s I opened the email and followed the link to this YouTube video:

 

 

It looked simple enough and I thought it would be fun to hang one on my very big and quite bare tree.

I swear I followed the directions exactly -- only to find out that I am not any better at following directions than I ever was.

The case for eBooks -- Paper Costs and Out of Print Titles with a Riff on Parenting

Lots of interesting news items about publishing this week.  Here are my personal favorites.

The Cost of Printed Books rising -- Looks like China will be converting to eBooks sooner than later.  The price of the new Harry Potter book is twice what the last one cost according to a long article by the Associated Press.

Paper prices are up by 10% this year.  The reasons cited are an increased demand for books and a crackdown on pollution. So far the problem is confined to China.  But before you get too complacent, remember that we live in an increasingly global economy.  A huge number of the books in your local Borders were printed in China. 

Looks like we may all be converting to eBooks

The Most Wanted Out of Print Books --The BookFinder Journal has released its annual list of the ten most wanted out of print books.    If you have a copy of Once a Runner (1978) by John L. Parker, Jr. hanging around it might be worth big money.  The book is going for anywhere between $221 and $500 on Amazon.

The striking thing about this list is that not one of these books is available as an eBook.

One of my favorite arguments for eBooks is that they never go out of print.  I can't help but wonder why so many publishers are leaving money on the table.

One Final Cheap Shot that I Can't Resist -- This one is just too easy! 

Two months ago Thomas Nelson Inc. - Publisher of Inspirational Books, Videos, Software, Bibles and Children's Books - announced an upcoming Lynne Spears memoir about raising high-profile children" (Britney and Jamie-Lynn) "while coming from a low-profile Louisiana community."

After 16 year old Jamie-Lynn's announcement of her impending motherhood Nelson has made the decision to delay publication  "indefinitely."  Please note that they stress "delayed, not canceled."

Technorati Tags: ebooks,e-books,publishiing,paper,backlist,out of print,Thomas Nelson,Britney Spears,Jamie-Lynn Spears

Discounted eBooks - December 19, 2007

Still time to catch up on a little reading before the holiday; instead of shopping this weekend, light a fire and relax This week be sure to use coupon BAS27when you check out. Our guarantee: If you have bought one of these titles from eBooks About in the last 15 days -- we will gladly offer you a rebate on the book; just contact us.

A Thousand Splendid Suns eBook edition by Hosseini, Khaled Thousand Splendid Suns is at once an incredible chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love. Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. . . . More Info List Price : $25.95 Your price $22.19 (Using your 10% discount and $1.17 points in eBook Reward points)

Going Postal eBook Edition by: Pratchett, Terry By all rights, Moist should be meeting his maker rather than being offered a position as Postmaster by Lord Vetinari, supreme ruler of Ankh-Morpork. Getting the moribund Postal Service up and running again, however, may prove an impossible task, what with literally mountains of decades-old undelivered mail clogging every nook and cranny of the broken-down post office. More Info List Price : $7.99 Your price $6.83 (Using your 10% discount and $ .36 iin eBook Reward points)

E-Myth Mastery eBook edition by: Gerber, Michael E. practical, real-world program that is implemented real-time into your business, Gerber begins by engaging the reader in understanding why the entrepreneur is so critical to the success of any enterprise, no matter how small or large it may be, and why the mindset of an entrepreneur is so integral to the operating reality of the organization, of the small business, and the enterprise. He then covers seven essential skills. . . More Info List Price : $13.95 Your price $13.25 (Using your 10% discount and $ .70 in eBook Reward points)

A Week From Sunday eBook edition by: Garlock, Dorothy Adrianna Moore has just had a double shock: the death of her father and the discovery that he has left his entire estate to his lawyer. The lawyer, a repulsive social climber, tells her that to regain her inheritance, she must marry him A WEEK FROM SUNDAY. Adrianna takes off, driving desperately to a new life. More Info List Price : $9.99 Your price $8.54 (Using your 10% discount and $ .45 in eBook Reward points)

Advanced Windows Debuggiing eBook edition by: Hewardt, Mario, Pravat, Daniel For Windows developers, few tasks are more challenging than debugging-or more crucial. Reliable and realistic information about Windows debugging has always been scarce. Now, with over 15 years of experience two of Microsoft's system-level developers present a thorough and practical guide to Windows debugging ever written. Mario Hewardt and Daniel Pravat cover debugging throughout the entire application lifecycle. . . More Info List Price : $47.99 Your price $41.03 (Using your 10% discount and $2.16 in eBook Reward points)

Speaking of holidays -- How about a gift certificate for the eBook readers in your life? Contact Gigi for details

O'Reilly, Google Phone and Open Access

  I read an excellent article in the NYT (New York Times or www.nytimes.com for those of you who like links) by Tim O’Reilly.  O'Reilly opines that cell phones and the Internet are on a collision course.

Tim is a person who has always put his money and effort where his mouth is; in service of an open Internet.

Even more, he has spent a large amount of personal time working in the market to develop tools to make an open publishing environment became a reality. There are few people who have been more instrumental in helping develop open standards in the digital publishing world.

Open standards does not just mean free access. It also means open access; anyone can access any carrier on any device no matter where they buy the that particular device.

As ubiquitous as cell phone technology is; no one phone will let you access more than one carriers. A Motorola phone bought at Verizon only works on the Verizon network and you cannot access ATT or Sprint.  This is a unnecessary  layer of stupidity in system design that no one needs! 

The article discusses the much anticipated Google phone-like device.  Google is working with their partners to assure access will be open.  If they accomplish this we will soon have a world where cell phone service will no longer require some of us to carry two or even three phones.

But the most interesting statement he makes is one that is almost lost in the article. He states the obvious -- cell phone connectivity is so important to the future that soon all computing devices are going to be built around open cell phone technology.

That all computing devices need to be connected from anywhere at any time is such an article of faith with those of us who are working at planning the future that Tim tossed that comment off without stressing the point.

In other words, the value of any computing device, be it a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, a portable computer or an eBook reader is so enhanced by universal connectivity that it will become a requirement for all such devices in the future.

This should serve as a warning to people like Amazon and Sony.  The stupidity of an eBook reader based on proprietary technology that cannot be kept proprietary.  Like it or not -- the future is barreling towards us.  And  in that future we will have an open publishing environment.  

Technorati Tags: tim oreilly,google phone,open access,verizon,cell phones

The Good Father eBook edition

The Good Father delivers a punch that left me breathless (and speechless).

I am not sure that the title or the synopsis would have pulled me in if I were not already a Marion Husband fan.  She always creates vibrant characters and solid plot lines.  The Good Father is the latest example of her writing skill.

The book has stayed with me over the last few days. And I have struggled with how to explain it -- both the emotional affect and the actual book. 

The story is VERY British -- placid exterior facades and seething interior lives, quiet suffering and explosive emotions.  All very restrained and mostly proper, at least on the surface. 

The year is 1959 and Ms. Husband returns to the small English town of Thorp.  The story centers on Peter and Jack but with strong side stories about Harry (the lawyer) and Val (the girlfriend).  There are several cameo appearances by characters from other books just to spice things up.  These are multidimensional characters and each one is an integral in telling the whole story.

I have to admit that I didn't figure out the main plot twist -- unusual for me.  The ending actually astonished me.  I kept shaking my head in disbelief.  And yet, upon reflection, I can see that it was really the only ending that made sense.  I am actually thinking about rereading the book to figure out how the author so successfully pulled me through the story without giving herself away.

This is a great "literary fiction" piece that I highly recommend.

Here's the "official stuff":

When Peter Wright's father dies he leaves his entire fortune to Peter's best friend Jack. Over a few weeks in the summer of 1959 the consequences of the old man's legacy seriously affect three men's lives, Jack, who has brought up his three children alone since his wife was killed, Wright's solicitor Harry, who is trying to rebuild his relationship with his estranged son Guy, and Peter himself, whose friendship with Jack is threatened by his father's death and the terrible secrets he has kept since his return from the Japanese POW camps.

The Good Father explores the nature of fatherhood and the bonds between fathers and their children in a gripping story of love, betrayal and adultery.

Technorati Tags: ebook,e-book,ebook review,e-book review,The Good Father,Marion Husband

Fun News for the week

A Different View

A friend sent me a link to some wonderful book pictures taken by David King and posted on Flickr.  Here are some shots of the Kansas City Library taken in April. 

AND Another One Bites the Dust

I swore I wasn't going to do it!  I was going to sit back and let everyone else bash the Kindle. I wrote my one post and that was going to be it. 

There has been a new development, however, that I pretty much "forces" me to break my silence.  This on is just too good not to pass on!

In less than two weeks the much talked about Kindle DRM has been "hacked" by one, Igor Skochinsky.

Mr. Skochinsky figured out the Kindle algorithm that takes a regular Mobipocket file (.prc) and turns in into a Amazon proprietary one (.azw)  He has kindly and posted his very simple python scripts for anyone to use.

I suspect Jeff Bezos is not very happy today. 

 

Technorati Tags: king,skochinsky,kindle ebook,drm,kindle,amazon,mobipocket

Books, DVDs and eBooks

Declining Sales and Pricing

And no, I'm not talking about books for a change. Seems that analyst predict a historic decline in sales for DVDs. Sales are down by about half to 10 million copies a year. And perhaps more startling is the fact that the unit price is down 15%.

I say startling, because I come out of the book world where publishers meet a decline in unit sales with an increase in price. . .

No one knows exactly why DVD sales are down -- digital downloads, pay per view and the economy certainly play a part. I suspect, however, that the real reason is because most of the movies produced in the last three years have been crap!

And Speaking of DVDs

There is a new kid on the block -- Paperspine which is the brain child of ex-Microsoftie Dustan Hubbard. He has created a Netflix for book. The service has 150,000 paperback (no hardbacks yet) titles available for checkout.

Subscribers can check out up to five books at a time. Like Netflix there are no late fees, and members return books in a prepaid envelope. They also can browse by category. There are the four subscription plans that cost between $9.95 and $24.95 a month.

Huh?

Wait a minute! Last time I checked there was this thing called a library where you can check out a book, return it when you were finished, and get another—all for free.

The Best Entertainment of the Week

This is one of the things that is basically to good to pass up; a word game that is the ultimate time waster. The great thing is that you can rationalize this one by saying that you/re contributing to a good cause.

Technorati Tags: DVD,Paperspine,electronic reading,free rice

eBook Discounts for December 12/ 2007

Here are the eBooks you asked for last week. To get your discount on these fabulous tiltes use coupon code A9JG4 at check out. Our guarantee: If you have bought one of these titles from eBooks About in the last 15 days -- we will gladly offer you a rebate on the book; just contact us.

I Am America eBook edition by Colbert, Stephen What The Daily Show is to evening news, The Colbert Report is to personality-driven pundit shows. Colbert brings his sarcastic charm to a half-hour report, tackling the important issues of the day and telling his guests why their opinions are just plain wrong. Stephen stands for truthiness and his American right to copyright that word and claim ownership of it.Stephen Colbert describes his book as a simple book from a simple mind--Stephen Colbert. It is one man's attempt to wedge his brain between hardback covers. More Info List Price : $18.99 Your price $16.24 (Using your 10% discount and $ .85 points1 in eBook Reward points)

Watchman eBook Edition by: Rankin, Ian Miles Flint is a spy who has been making some serious mistakes. His last assignment led to the death of a foreign official in London, and after getting too close to his current subject he wound up in police custody. But something is wrong at the agency that has nothing to do with Miles' errors. Why did his last suspect know more about Miles' assignment than Miles did? Why have so many operatives recently resigned? Despite the Director's assurances, Miles begins his own investigation, to the dismay of his colleagues and even his own wife. More Info List Price : $16.99 Your price $14.53 (Using your 10% discount and $ .76 iin eBook Reward points)

F-Factor Diet eBook editor by: Zuberbrot, Tanya A top nutritionist reveals the secret to permanent weight loss. To help her busy clients ditch the fad diets,Tanya Zuckerbrot spent more than a decade designing a healthful, delicious, sustainable diet that sheds pounds, boosts energy, lowers cholesterol, and reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes. The F-Factor Diet presents a fresh take on eating high-fiber carbs, and reveals the secrets to satisfying meals and lasting weight loss, including: - A simple three-stage program More Info List Price : $14.95 Your price $11.51 (Using your 10% discount and $ .61 in eBook Reward points)

Beyond the Dark eBook edition by: Knight, Angela; Holly, Emma; Leigh, Lora; Whiteside, Diane A daring collection of never-before-published erotic desire from four of the hottest names in paranormal romance. Four of the most sizzling authors of paranormal romance take readers beyond their wildest fantasies, to a seductive midnight world of erotic suspense, demons, mages, vampires, and knights. A world of queens with devilish secrets, and of demons with secret desires. So dangerous and fun, readers may never want to come back down to earth again... More Info List Price : $14.00 Your price $11.34 (Using your 10% discount and $points4 in eBook Reward points)

Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect eBook edition by: Robella, Bob Dr. Bob Rotella is one of the hottest performance consultants in America today. Among his many professional clients are Nick Price (last year's Player of the Year), Tom Kite, Davis Love III, Pat Bradley, Brad Faxon, John Daly, and many others. Rotella, or "Doc," as most players refer to him, goes beyond just the usual mental aspects of the game and the reliance on specific techniques. What Rotella does here in this extraordinary book, and with his clients, is to create an attitude and a mindset about all aspects of a golfer's game, from mental preparation to competition. The most wonderful aspect of it all is that it is done in a conversational fashion, in a dynamic blend of anecdote and lesson. More Info List Price : $16.99 Your price $14.53 (Using your 10% discount and $ .76n eBook Reward points)

Be sure to add your discount request to our NEW google group Go to Discounts on Demand and tell us what you want to see discounted next week

Technology is not the Point!

Henri Reynard weighs in on eBook Technology.  Henri presents his views on E Ink, the Kindle and what he really wants.

A spate of eBook readers has hit the market recently with one or two yet to follow. The display candidate of the moment is the technology based on E Ink which rhymes with pink but has the visual value of oink to my eyes.

The background is gray and slightly hazy.  I do not think that the visual effects of a book are very well presented. AND they all cost over three hundred dollars.  A sum of money for which these days you can get a fully featured portable PC. Or for that matter more than half of an Iphone if you really like technology that much.

I am not a fan of any of the current crop of eBook readers but they are getting better at getting the size and weight close to right for the avid reader. E Ink readers have one major drawback: they are fragile and not as capable of living through a good drop to the floor from the bed – a criteria for books in my house.

My wife is a technocrat of the first order so I get to hold a lot of technology in these hands. New technology is not likely to impress me unless I think it will actually move the market. Take for example the Kindle, well named if you believe in burning books.

I seldom have used a book to start a fire, notice I did not say never. But the Kindle suffers from some interesting drawbacks. It is totally proprietary and makes no apologies about that fact. It also loses in the cost derby since it has no price advantage to go along with its other restrictions. Note that it cannot read protected PDF which is one of the most prevalent formats for eBooks sold today.

No! I think I will wait on a better technology than the current oink -- ER, E Ink -- crop before I buy another reader. Maybe the tablet PC will be back in a solid and simple light weight form before this is all over. An open standard and a really large memory with a lot of computing capability. Now that would be an eBook that didn't depend on a lot of new untried technology.

Wouldn't that be nice?

Technorati Tags: cybook,ebook,e-book,ebook reader,irex illiad,eInk,kindle

Boom! eBook edition

Tom Brokaw has done it again with Boom!  He has taken the people and events of an era and created a lively, engaging picture of a cataclysmic period in American history. 

The 60s may be over but forty years later we are living with the aftershocks of this era.  Race and feminism remain mired in prejudice and our culture is almost schizophrenically divided. Politics are increasingly ugly, personal and divisive.  Music and popular culture have become virtual cartoons. And Space is a fading frontier as once again we are engulfed in an unpopular war.

No one would say that rebellion and activism started in the Sixties.  And yet, no other generation in the last hundred years has transformed culture in quite the same way.

We saw the rise of the peace movement, personal expression in music and arts, environmentalism, civil rights and recreational drugs.  We also see the legacies of addiction, AIDS, conservative politics and religious fundamentalism.

Brokaw's interviews famous and "regular" people and through their stories captures the excitement, vibrancy and dissolution of those who were there.  He is a skilled and talented interviewer who talked to a wide range of people from Pat Buchanan to Bill Clinton, musicians, journalists and former activists.  

The cover shows a patchwork of famous faces.  This seems to be appropriate and symbolic. The book intersperses historical narrative, his personal experiences and interviews with baby boomers (famous and not) to create an almost quilt like affect.

The individual pieces are important and finished, but the overall product is much more than the sum of the actual pieces.

Here is the publisher's synopsis:

In The Greatest Generation, his landmark bestseller, Tom Brokaw eloquently evoked for America what it meant to come of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War. Now, in Boom!, one of America’s premier journalists gives us an epic portrait of another defining era in America as he brings to life the tumultuous Sixties, a fault line in American history. The voices and stories of both famous people and ordinary citizens come together as Brokaw takes us on a memorable journey through a remarkable time, exploring how individual lives and the national mindset were affected by a controversial era and showing how the aftershocks of the Sixties continue to resound in our lives today. In the reflections of a generation, Brokaw also discovers lessons that might guide us in the years ahead.

 
Boom! One minute it was Ike and the man in the grey flannel suit, and the next minute it was time to “turn on, tune in, drop out.” While Americans were walking on the moon, Americans were dying in Vietnam. Nothing was beyond question, and there were far fewer answers than before.

Published as the fortieth anniversary of 1968 approaches, Boom! gives us what Brokaw sees as a virtual reunion of some members of “the class of ’68,” offering wise and moving reflections and frank personal remembrances about people’s lives during a time of high ideals and profound social, political, and individual change. What were the gains, what were the losses? Who were the winners, who were the losers? As they look back decades later, what do members of the Sixties generation think really mattered in that tumultuous time, and what will have meaning going forward?

About the Author
Tom Brokaw is the author of four bestsellers: The Greatest Generation, The Greatest Generation Speaks, An Album of Memories, and A Long Way from Home. From 1976 to 1981 he anchored Today on NBC. He was the sole anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw from 1983 to 2004.

 

Technorati Tags: eBooks,e-books,Brokaw,Boom!

Christmas Present for A Geek Girls

There are times when I KNOW that we live in a very weird world!  

I was shopping (online of course) for a Christmas gift for my Geek daughter when I stumbled across this little gem.

A polished stainless steel combined with Silver Shade crystals set in Ceralun(TM) heart on a silver cord!

Quiet beautiful.

The necklace is actually a USB memory key disguised as heart pendant. The 2 halves are held together with a pin. For 1 GB of data (about 250 songs or 1’000 photos) with password protection, high-speed USB 2.0 interface!

Its perfect if you happen to have a spare $178.00 laying around. I promptly sent the link to the Geek daughter.  A little more than I was planning to spend, but I knew she'd love it! 

While I was at it I wrote Laura Preble suggesting she use it on the cover of latest book -- Queen Geeks In Love.  Much more attractive wouldn't you say?

Back to Christmas shopping I go.  Only 17 shopping days left. 

I can't resist a final note.  eBooks do make a great Christmas present -- give a coupon from eBooks About Everything to all the electronic book readers you know.  It's as simple as clicking here.

Enjoy your weekend, however you spend it.

eBook Discounts - 12/05/07

If you have ever wondered if I secretly picked my own favorites for this piece, these books would convince anyone who knows me that I don't. Christmas and Cooking?!! Not a chance! Slaves and Trespassing - not likely! Geeks and Wild Turkey -- OK, maybe. . .In all fairness I am considering buying the cookbook for anyone who will invite me to dinner. Use coupon code DH59Y at check out and save!      BTW (in the spirit of the season) you might want to email this code to your friends so that they can save too.

Fires of Jubilee eBook edition by Oates, Stephen B. The bloody slave rebellion led by Nat Turner in Virginia in 1831, and the savage reprisals that followed, shattered beyond repair the myth of the contented slave and the benign master and intensified the forces of change that would plunge America into the bloodbath of the Civil War. The New York Times says it is "a penetrating reconstruction of the most disturbing and crucial slave uprising in America's history.... A vivid and excellent narrative account" List Price : $9.95 Your price $8.51 (Using your 10% discount and $ .45 in eBook Reward points)

T is for Trespass eBook Edition by: Grafton, Sue In what may be her most unsettling novel to date, Sue Grafton's T is for Trespass is also her most direct confrontation with the forces of evil. Beginning slowly with the day-to-day life of a private eye, Grafton suddenly shifts from the voice of Kinsey Millhone to that of Solana Rojas, introducing readers to a chilling sociopath. More Info List Price : $26.95 Your price $20.74 (Using your 10% discount and $1.09 in eBook Reward points)

Christmas with Paula Deen eBook Edition by: Deen, Paula ""I've gone through all my books and put together this collection of my most treasured recipes and memories for the holiday season to share with you...You'll find a few new dishes, a sprinkling of new holiday stories, and some family pictures you might not have seen before."" There's no holiday Paula Deen loves better than Christmas. . . More Info List Price : $16.99 Your price $13.07 (Using your 10% discount and $points3 in eBook Reward points)

Wild Turkey eBook edition by: Hemmingson, Michael Phil Lansdale has problems. He's out of a job, his son's a pyromaniac, and his wife is running out of excuses as to why she comes home six hours late from work every night. In his newly appointed house-husband position, Phil learns that when you have a lot of time on your hands, you begin to notice your neighbors, their intricate nuances, and the discord created by someone who doesn't follow the normal routine -- like the long and sexy neighbor across the street, Cassandra Payne. More Info List Price : $12.95 Your price $11.07 (Using your 10% discount and $ .58 in eBook Reward points)

Geekonomics: The Real Cost of Insecure Software eBook edition by: Rice, David Software has become crucial to the very survival of civilization. But badly written, insecure software is killing people –and costing businesses and individuals billions of dollars every year. This must change. In Geekonomics, David C. Rice shows how we can change it. . . Rice reveals why the software industry is rewarded for carelessness, and he shows how we can revamp the industry’s incentives to get the reliability and security we desperately need More Info List Price : $23.95 Your price $20.48 (Using your 10% discount and $1.08 in eBook Reward points)

Technorati Tags: Fires of Jubilee,T is For Terror,Christmas with Paula Deen,Wild Turkey,Geekonomic,Stephen Oates,Sue Grafton,PaulaDeen,Michael Hemmingson,David Rice

Digitization, Books and eBooks

The very gloomy NEA report on reading had me (almost) rethinking this whole bookstore thing. And then, I stumbled on the London-based Bookseller's Association new report -- Embracing the Digital Age. Just the subtitle made me feel better: An Opportunity for Booksellers and the Book Trade.

Written by Francis Bennett and Michael Holdsworth and released last week, it give a glimpse into the book trade's uncertainty and fear. The industry is, daily, being changed by digitization.

The authors acknowledge that it is hard to define exactly the size of the market or the immediacy of change. But even so, it is clear to them that the book trade is entering a transforming phase.

eBook sales alone, tell us that. Just look at the graph of quarterly eBook sales over the last seven years as produced by The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF).

What is less clear is how the book trade (beyond mere sales) is transforming.

With the advent of the first .com in 1985 the written word gained a whole new life. Email, Web Sites, Blogs, Instant Messaging, and Social Networks have created an explosion of words and creativity.

It bears thinking about. The last time there was this must energy created around words and ideas was when Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 15th century.

Gutenberg unlocked literacy and information with his press. For centuries the book has informed and entertained us. Digitization propels that notion to the next level. It takes a one dimensional object and adds to it participation, sound and movement to create a richer, multidimensional experience.

The idea that a book should continue to be a one dimensional experience is, of course, nonsense. Links, social networking, multimedia presentations and embedded advertising are daily altering our views and expectations about a digital document.

I have always loved books; that is unlikely to change anytime soon. And yet, I find myself increasing feeling claustrophobic and impatient with print. As a result, it has been a long time since I picked up a magazine or newspaper. Why bother when I get the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Publisher's Weekly on my screen with instant updates, links and feedback opportunities.

Digitization is indeed transforming the book trade. Consciously, or unconsciously, we are in the process of examining and redefining the entire concept of a book.

Printed books aren't going away any time soon. But 2008 will inexorably force authors, publishers and consumers to clarify our concept of a book. Digitization has already changed our world forever.

Technorati Tags: ebook,ebooks,digitization,book trade,book sellers

Wife for Hire eBook edition

Stephanie Plum and I go back a long way; every since One for the Money, as a matter of fact.  Now, female bounty hunters are not exactly my thing, but Evanovich is an engaging and funny writer and Stephanie is a great companion for a rainy afternoon.

This at least helps to explain why I bought and read Wife for Hire.  To be fair (and accurate), I had several excuses for buying it.  I bought it because:

• I have enjoyed Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series over the years.
• It was raining in the desert (something we haven't seen in a VERY long time) and I wanted to sit by the fire and read.
• You can't always tell how good (or bad) a book will be by reading the synopsis.
• It is on the New York Times Best Seller list -- how bad could it be?

I am going to very carefully avoid the last question and try to to tell you the good things about this book.  It is  a very easy read.  Evanovich's sense of humor is alive and well. It is short -- about 2 hours worth.

Unfortunately, I can't help my self; I have keep going.  Basically I wonder why I wasted the time since this is an especially stupid and silly excuse for a novel.

The whole plot revolves around a man hiring a schoolteacher (who wants to be a novelist) to pose as his wife.  Within three pages he is in love and she's in heat; or maybe it is the other way around.  At any rate there is a lots of heavy breathing, a few kisses but no explicit sex.

I'll save you a couple of hours and tell you that I should have been warned by reading the publishers synopsis:

Hank Mallone knows he's in trouble when Maggie Toone agrees to pretend to be his wife in order to improve his rogue's reputation. Will his harebrained scheme to get a bank loan for his business backfire once Maggie arrives in his small Vermont town and lets the gossips take a look?

Maggie never expected her employer to be drop-dead handsome, but she's too intrigued by his offer to say no . . . and too eager to escape a life that made her feel trapped. The deal is strictly business, both agree, until Hank turns out to be every fantasy she ever had.

Call me old fashioned, but if I am going to read a "bodice ripper'" I want a few costumes, a castle or manor house and an occasional Lord or Lady thrown in.

Not everyone will agree with me, however, and if you are looking for a no-brainier or a cheap stocking stuffer this will do (barely). 

This is definitely not one of her better works!  If it had been my intro to Evanovich, I promise it would be my last attempt to read anything she has ever written. Fortunately she has grown as an author.

Wife for Hire is one of her early books that has been re-released for the holidays.  It is striking how much better Evanovich has gotten at her craft. The writing in the Stephanie Plum series is light years better than this!

If I were less of a cynic I would wonder why Harper Collins resurrected this early 90s Loveswept romance.  But then -- I bought it,  didn't I?