Every week or so I update our family members on their Kindle books. We each keep our own Kindle, but we share an Amazon account together. I keep track of who buys what. The cool part is that we can share the books with one another. Not only does it save us money, but it gives us something to enjoywith one another. Here is this week's email.
Dear Dad, Jillian, Tim, Jessica, Dave, Jennifer, Mike, Nancy, Patty, Cheryl, Grayden, Mary Kay, Kimberly and Riley:
Hi everyone!
Hope this email finds you all doing well. Personally I've been struggling with some illness that I picked up from Mary Kay. Bless her heart (as Cheryl would say), Mary Kay struggled and finally overcame her flu bug after two weeks. I've been fighting it since last Thursday. I'm hoping I hit bottom last night. I've been feeling a little better today - good enough to get this out to all of you.
Super Bowl - Super Kindles! We had a lot of the family over to our place last night during the Super Bowl. Great Grandpa Pierce still loves playing with the great grandkids. He taught Cohen a magic trick. In this photo (to the right) you can see that he and Grayden have just put down their Kindles to talk about the importance of lighting. Grandpa Walt shows off his homemade solution of a light that wraps around his head. Lincoln gets into the act by taking the light and putting it on "blink" mode, and then trying to find dark rooms and closets.
Jennifer Leads The Way! We purchased 8 new books this past week. Jennifer has really been in a reading mood lately! She's responsible for half of our purchases this week. She tells me she is loving the two books by Beth Revis. Check out the descriptions below. Jennifer recommends them highly - if you like the kind of books that she does. She also has added some practical books, including an outstanding "Declutter Your House and Your Life" book. Mary Kay suggests that we get the entire PFKBC together on one of Jennifer's days off and help her with a major decluttering project. Ha! Good luck with that one Jennifer and Mary Kay!
Grayden Reads 4 Books! I met with Grayden this past Friday night. Because one of you generously (and anonymously) donated $10 to his reading fund, he had some money available to buy a book or two. Grayden recently won a reading medal (you can see it on him to the left) for how many books he has been reading from the "book list" at school. So as Grayden and I were searching for a book, we had two primary objectives. #1 - it had to be a book that Grayden wanted to read. #2 - it had to be a book that was on the reading list at school so he could get credit for reading it. We found a 4-book collection in series of books by Dan Gutman. Mr Gutman, on his Amazon bio, says he aims to write for kids who don't like to read and hopefully reaches kids, like Grayden, who do like to read. Sounds this author has found his mojo, because there are 20 "Weird School" books out there. Most sell for $3.99 each for Kindle. Grayden bought the first 4 books for $9.99, pretty much shooting his wad! And here's the rest of the story. Grayden bought the 4 books on Friday. By Sunday night he had finished reading them all! So - if you have a young reader in your life, know that these books are available (like Sicily!) And if you ever wonder what Grayden likes to read - "Weird School" books are currently his fav!
To the one who gave the $10 gift to Grayden: He thanks you very much. He wants you to know how much your gift meant to him. And how much he enjoyed reading these books. If he knew who you were, he would write you a thank you note!
Sicily's Kindle Fund Started! I received several donations this weekend for Sicily's new Kindle Fund Can. I haven't seen Sicily for a week, but will make sure she receives the money. I've been instructed to tell her that if she counts out the change and dollar bills in one particular bag - and writes to Great Grandpa Pierce with the calculation of how much money was in the bag - that there will probably be more money on the way!
New Books. Here are the books you have purchased over this past week. Check out the list of what your fellow book clubbers have purchased. You might find something you would like to read too! If you want to purchase a book for yourself, go ahead and do it. Just write me an email or send me a text message right away so I know who did it. Thanks!
A Million Suns by Beth Revis
Purchased by Jennifer
Price $10.99
Young Adult, SciFi
(Sequel to Across The Universe, see below)
Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.
It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.
But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.
In book two of the Across the Universe trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.
Well Offed in Vermont by Amy Patricia Meade
Purchased by Walt
Price $9.66
Murder Mystery, Women Slueths
Here's an example of why the Kindle Daily Deal works for authors... and sometimes can be more expensive than planned for readers. I sent Dad an email about this one when it was on sale for $1.99. He purchased it the next day, unintentially paying $9.66. I told him that Amazon would be happy to reverse the charge. But Dad said he was more than halfway through the book and enjoying it immensely and "I just wouldn't feel right asking for my money back." Sounds like a winning book to me! And sounds like a man whose character is forged for the better after 81 years!
Manhattanites + Vermont = a pret' near perfect cozy debut
In bucolic small-town Vermont, Stella Thornton Buckley feels out of her element—and not just because she's fresh from Manhattan. Mere hours after moving to maple syrup country, she and her husband, Nick, find a dead man, Allen Weston, in their well. The police investigation forces the couple out of their lovely farmhouse and—since the motels are packed with leafpeepers—into a less than luxurius deer camp. Instead of mourning the loss of electricity and running water, Stella and Nick drive their Smart Car all over the Vermont hamlet to question the quirky locals about Weston, a shrewd businessman who rubbed a lot of folks the wrong way.
Stella and Nick may never shed their flatlander reputation, but they just might be able to make a few friends and help Sheriff Mills solve a murder.
My Weird School 4-Book Collection by Dan Gutman
Purchased by Grayden
Price $9.99
Children's Chapter Book
Great story behind this one. I sat down with Grayden Friday evening and explained that someone had given him an anonymous gift of $10 for a book. We looked for books that he wanted to read that also counted for his reading project at school. He told me he loved these "Miss Daisy Is Crazy" books, so we bought this 4-book collection. Long story short. He finished ALL 4 BOOKS by Sunday evening!
Don’t miss out on an exciting new My Weird School ebook collection, complete with the first four books in Dan Gutman’s seriously hilarious and seriously zany series. The collection includes My Weird School #1: Miss Daisy Is Crazy!, My Weird School #2: Mr. Klutz Is Nuts!, My Weird School #3: Mrs. Roopy Is Loopy!, My Weird School #4: Ms. Hannah Is Bananas!, and a bunch of seriously strange activities. The activities include a checklist, a maze, and a word scramble.
Meet a teacher who eats bonbons, a principal who kisses pigs, a librarian who thinks she's George Washington, and an art teacher who dresses up in pot holders! They're all inside this collection! They must be getting pretty crowded in there!
Kill Zone: A Sniper Novel by Jack Coughlin and Donald Davis
Purchased by Walt
Price $2.99
War, Action and Adventure
Here's the fiction debut of Coughlin, the Marine sniper whose memoir, Shooter (2005), took readers inside the mind of a military assassin. Kill Zone does the same thing in fiction. The hero is Kyle Swanson, a Marine sniper who is assigned to rescue an American general held hostage in the Middle East. Swanson soon realizes this is no ordinary situation: the people who abducted the general appear to be Americans, mercenaries who, incredible as it sounds, may be part of a White House plot to topple the American military. Fans of Stephen Hunter's novels about sniper Bob Lee Swagger will see some similarities in theme and tone, but make no mistake: this is not a retread or imitation. Coughlin, ably assisted by coauthor Davis, tells a tight, suspenseful story, and Kyle's philosophical arc, from cool, detached professional to disillusioned, embittered loner, is well developed, with a substantial emotional payoff at the end.
One More River by Mary Glickman
Purchased by Nancy
Price $1.99 (Though price now back up to $10.39)
Fiction, Family Saga, Jewish
From the author of Home in the Morning comes this National Jewish Book Award Finalist: the sweeping story of a father and son, and of the loves that transform them amid the turbulence of the American South
Across The Universe by Beth Revis
Purchased by Jennifer
Price $9.99
Young Adult, SciFi
Jennifer liked this one so much, she immediately purchased the sequel, A Million Suns. (See above.)
Amazon Best Books of the Month, January 2011: As the spaceship Godspeed travels toward a new earth, the lives of 100 cryogenically frozen settlers hang in the balance after someone endeavors to quietly murder them. The other passengers aboard the ship have never known life outside its walls and are enslaved by the machinations of Eldest, their tyrannical leader, who divides them into three distinct classes. When Amy, a frozen settler from earth, survives being thawed in a murder attempt, she immediately bonds with Elder, Godspeed's lone teen and future leader. Amy’s individuality, her rebellion, and her fierce desire for freedom, inspire Elder to act on his own doubts and defy Eldest--his mentor and keeper--with shocking results. Eldest’s methods of twisting history and altering the lives of this captive community are a frightening echo of tyrants in our own history, and Across the Universe challenges readers to consider the impact of unchecked power, blind trust, and the ability of one dissenting voice to make a difference.
Loki by Mike Vasich
Purchased by Jennifer
Price $0.00 (Price back up to $3.99)
Mythology, Epic
God of Mischief.
Father of Lies.
Harbinger of Destruction.
Exiled and tortured by the gods, Loki swears vengeance.
He will summon the mighty Fenris Wolf and the legendary Midgard Serpent, and they will lead an army of giants and all the dead in Niflheim.
Brimming with the power of the most destructive being in the Nine Worlds, he will not rest till Asgard is in ashes and all the gods are dead under his heel.
From the Author: "Loki" is the first novel I have finished, and it was born from my love of Norse mythology and the teaching of it in my English class for the last ten years or so. Essentially, it's the story of the traditional villain of the myths--Loki, of course--except it's from his point of view. So instead of being merely a trickster who eventually turns completely evil, there are compelling reasons for his fall, reasons which explain why he takes the actions he does.
How To Declutter Your Home And Your Life by Martha Sinclair
Purchased by Jennifer
Price $0.00 (Price up to $3.94 now)
Do-It-Yourself, Home and Garden
Fed up with the way your home looks? Tired of taking forever to locate things? Wondering why you just can't break free from this cycle of clutter and disorganization? Do you agree that it is time to learn how to declutter your home and also how to declutter your life so you can be a happier person?
Then How To Declutter Your Home And Your Life: Minimalist Concepts To Help You Start Organizing Today should be your first step. This ebook will teach you how to start organizing your life with tips on how to:
- Be Happier With Less
- Organize Your Bedroom
- Organize Your Kitchen
- Organize Your Garage
- Organize Your Closets
- Get Your Family To Help
Without you even knowing, your possessions have taken over your living space right under your very nose. So now you're confronted with the ultimate scuffle between you and your clutter. How do you plan to win the battle?
For one, you need to draw up a battle plan. You are not merely fighting for space here, you are also struggling to gain better control over your life. Let's face it, living in the middle of a mess easily diminishes your joy of living and devalues your life as a whole. All that stuff no doubt weighs on you physically and mentally. A disorganized home also presents a hazardous place.
This eBook is an integral part of your arsenal in winning the war against clutter. First, it is designed to let you see things from a different perspective and gain a better understanding about the situation you have found yourself in. It doesn't just tell you how to organize your stuff, but more importantly, it goes down to the very root cause of the problem.
This book is loaded with encouraging tips and helpful ideas so you can physically and mentally maneuver your way through the war zone with ease and confidence.
A cluttered home breeds a cluttered mind. It's time to take that positive, empowering action today! This ebook provides you clear-cut, no-nonsense advice on how to re-invent your living space and shows you the view from the other side - the tranquil and clutter-free home that you can proudly show off.
Beyond decluttering, the book also touches on finding happiness with lesser stuff - something everyone can relate to. Based on the principle of minimalism, there are insightful discussions on finding lifelong happiness beyond material possessions, beyond all the stuff that we have surrounded ourselves with.
This ebook will help you gain back firm control over your life as well as be able to provide a happy, sparkling and uncluttered home for your family.
