Today, a look at the idea of turning off the TV and putting books at the center of our conversation. Also, is best-selling fiction making us dumber, the big fuss over the latest Harry Potter book, smartphone biometrics and more. In deals, the Bourne series on Blu-ray and the Fire HD 10 is on sale again.

Daily Links for day, August 1, 2016:

Saturday on the Couch – Are eBooks Making Us Dumber? (Starts at 60) Just how is the focus on best-selling fiction affecting us.

‘Harry Potter’ is back — and so is the bookstore hoopla we haven’t seen since 2007 (Chicago Tribune) Fans are super excited about buying the latest in the series.

Putting Books at the Center of Our Conversation? (Inside Higher Ed) What if we all turn off the TVs and talk books?

Why Smartphones Are Now Adding Iris Scanners (Motherboard) First fingerprints,now Iris scanners. Just how much biometrics do you need to protect your phone?

10 Tricks to Make Yourself a Google Drive Master (Gizmodo) Tips to get the most out of Google drive.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s selection of Kindle Daily Deals includes Tracer (Outer Earth) by Rob Boffard.

In Today’s Deals, The Bourne Classified Collection (Bourne Identity / Bourne Supremacy / Bourne Ultimatum / Bourne Legacy) (Blu-ray + Digital HD). Amazon also has the Fire HD 10 Tablet on sale for $50 off.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is David Bowie’s Low by Hugo Wilcken. The Romance Daily Find is I Want Candy by Susan Donovan.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is The Fifth Assassin by Brad Meltzer. The Extra Daily Deal is The Girl Who Lied by Sue Fortin.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes How the Light Gets In (Chief Inspector Gamache Book 9) by Louise Penny.

Google Books has a selection of Hot Book Deals.

(A note on Daily Deals: All prices current at the time of posting and subject to change. Most items marked Daily Deals are good for only the day posted.

Many large promotions have discount pricing that is set by the publisher. This usually means that titles can be found at a discount price across most platforms (with iTunes sometimes being the exception). If you have a favorite retailer you like to patronize, check the title on that website. There is a good chance that they will be matching the sale price.)

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Daily Links are interesting links I discover as I go about my online day. The frequency and number of links posted depend upon the daily news. I also post other, different links of interest on Twitter, Facebook, and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.