Tag Archives: sci-fi

Daily Links and Deals: The banning of books in prisons

Posted on by

daily_links_1Today, an article on books that are banned in prison. Also, Blackberry decides to outsource its devices, PRH launches a new SciFi/Fantasy site and more. In deals, a FoodSaver vacuum sealing system.

Daily Links for Wednesday, September 28,  2016:

The banning of books in prisons: ‘It’s like living in the dark ages’ (The Guardian) Disturbing piece about how prison choose which books to ban.

Mobile phones deliver infection risk in the workplace according to new study (ZD Net) There’s fodder for a zombie apocalypse novel in here somewhere….

PSA: Windows 10’s Anniversary Update reactivates ads you’ve already disabled (PC World) The Anniversary Update just rolled out to my computer and it is just as obnoxious as this article indicates.

BlackBerry says it’s done designing and building its own phones (The Verge) No, it’s not the end of the devices. The company is going to outsource the job instead.

Penguin Random House Launches SciFi/Fantasy Site ‘Unbound Worlds’ (Digital Book World) Until PRH raised the prices of their ebooks sky high, I was a fan of Suvudu. This site is its successor.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s selection of Kindle Daily Deals includes Lovecraft’s Monsters by Neil Gaiman, Ellen Datlow.

In Today’s Deals,  a FoodSaver FM2435-ECR Vacuum Sealing System with Bonus Handheld Sealer and Starter Kit, Silver.

The Echo is available today  in white. There is also an  All-New Echo Dot (2nd Generation) which will be available in both black and white and retails for $49.99. The Dot is also being offering in a “Buy 5, get 1 free” six-pack and a ““Buy 10, get 2 free” twelve-pack”. The new Echo Dot will be released on October 20, 2016.

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is Autumn Imago by Bryan Wiggins. The Romance Daily Find is Caged Warrior (Dragon Kings Series #1) by Lindsey Piper.

Barnes and Noble also has a selection of NOOK Books Under $2.99.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Instant Attraction (Wilder Brothers) by Jill Shalvis. The Extra Daily Deal is Kiss Me in the Rain (The Tanner Family Book 1) by Sarah Kades.

Also, select romance titles at the Kobo store for 99 cents until October 2nd.

There is also a selection of Great Reads Under $5 and Bargain Reads in Fiction, in Mystery and other genres. The Kobo Aura One (and the Aura Edition 2 e-readers are now available for order at the Kobo store. (The Aura One is out of stock until September 23, 2016 – now delayed to September 30, 2016 October 7, 2016.)

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Make ‘Em Laugh by Debbie Reynolds & Dorian Hannaway.

Google Books has a selection of Topsellers Under $10.

(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.)

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.

Daily Links and Deals: Which Generation is Most Distracted by Their Phones?

Posted on by

daily_links_1Daily Links for Saturday, February 27, 2016:

Which Generation is Most Distracted by Their Phones? (Priceonomics) – No, it’s not who you think!

Read: The full run of If magazine, scanned at the Internet Archive (Boing Boing) – ALL OF THEM! ALL OF THEM! THEY HAVE ALL OF THEM!

National Library of Australia Releases 40,000 Hi-Res Public Domain Maps Online (Infodocket) – This is an amazing collection, especially if you are a map lover.

How to Stream Audiobooks and Podcasts From the Cloud on the iPad and iPhone (The Digital Reader)  – Great tips on how to stream from the cloud on IOS.

Deals of the Day:

Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deals features Oscar tie-ins at up to 80% off. Have a favorite? There are so many good ones: The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945, Life of Pi,  Mary Poppins, or maybe The Silence of the Lambs?

The Barnes and Noble Nook Daily Find is Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne M. Valente, Charlie Bowater for $2.99. The Romance Daily Find is Aching for Always by Gwyn Cready for $2.99.

Kobo’s Daily Deal is Room by Emma Donoghue for $2.99.

iTunes’ Weekly Bestsellers Under $4 includes Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light by Patrick Mcgillian for $1.99.

(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.)

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 and on the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links: The sorry state of ebooks on Windows 10 Mobile

Posted on by

daily_links_1A few fascinating links today:

The sorry state of ebooks on Windows 10 Mobile (Win Beta) – Interest piece on the state of ebooks for Windows phones and tablets.

Why your phone number isn’t going anywhere (The Next Web) – We now verify our identities using our phones. Here are some thoughts on what the future looks line.

First ever online-only NFL game draws over 15 million viewers (Ars Technica) – When we think watching football, we think television. Is this the beginning of a paradigm shift?

My Kindle find today: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman for only $1.99! (This book normally runs $5 to $8 for the ebook version.) You can also grab it on Barnes and Noble and Kobo for the sale price. Sorry, IOS users, but I can’t seem to find it on in the US  iTunes store. 🙂

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 the Google Plus eBook Evangelist Page.

Daily Links : A new Harry Potter story

Posted on by

From Lifehacker, Spot a boring Kindle Book by looking at popular highlights.

JK Rowling post a new Harry Potter background story on Pottermore, from The Digital Reader

From Teleread, Almost a year with Scribd. Has anything changed with my reading?

Whispersync comes to the UK with 10 freebies, from The Ebook Reader.

From ReadWrite, In exposing followers, Medium fails readers.

As part of Amazon’s Daily Deals, there are 12 award winning Sci-fi deals,  including books by Octavia Butler, Harlan Ellison and John Brunner for only $1.99 each.

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.

 

Is it Midnight at the Well of Souls?

Posted on by

Any Jack L. Chalker fans out there?

A chance conversation overheard on Twitter today referencing sentient plant life started me thinking about the Well World series and the Czill species. It also led me to a very strange description in this alien wiki that sure doesn’t jive with my recollection of the books. Time for a re-read.

That thought, of course,  led me to search to see any of these incredible books were available as ebooks. And to my surprise, they are! Baen Books has them available, and at reasonable prices, starting with Midnight at the Well of Souls…

Have you ever read this incredible science-fiction series?