Kindle Daily Post

May's Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less

From great literature to inspiring cookbooks, May's selection of 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less has something for everybody. Here are a few of our favorites:

 

Literature & Fiction

Curses! by J.A. Kazimer, $3.99

This hilarious and witty romp through the twisted fairy-tale world of New Never City follows "ugly stepsister" princess Asia as she tries to figure out who killed her sister, Cinderella. Asia enlists the help of the villainous R.J., a.k.a. Rumplestiltskin, who's suffering from a curse to only do good deeds.

 

Mystery & Thrillers

Kaleidoscope by Darryl Wimberley, $1.99

Jack Romaine's addiction to speakeasies and cards turns him into an unwilling recruit for a Cincinnati gangster wanting to recover his stolen cash and railroad bonds. The trail leads south to Kaleidoscope, a "beddy" for freaks when carnival season over. Unfortunately, Jack's competition is a sadistic killer.

 

Biographies & Memoirs

As Seen On TV by Lucy Grealy, $2.99

Whether she's discussing promiscuity, The New Testament, or learning to tango, Lucy Grealy's writing seduces and surprises at every turn. Wit, unflinching honesty, and peerless intelligence are the hallmarks of this essay collection.

 

History

Holy Wars: 3000 Years of Battles in the Holy Land by Gary L. Rashba, $3.99 

Today's Arab-Israeli conflict is merely the latest iteration of violence in the Holy Land. Gary L. Rashba sheds light on this unending history of conflict by focusing on pivotal battles to describe the region's 3,000 years of war, from the Israelites' capture of Jericho to Israel’s assault against Lebanon.

 

Kids & Teens

What Color Is My World? by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, $3.99

Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar champions a lineup of little-known African-American inventors in this lively, kid-friendly book. Filled with engaging profiles, Abdul-Jabbar gives a nod to the inventors whose perseverance made our world safer, better, and brighter.

 

More Great Deals

Fast, Fresh, and Green by Susie Middleton, $3.99

This go-to reference for all things vegetable holds more than 100 recipes for appetizers, snacks, entrees, and side dishes. Perfect for vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores alike, the book also features a veggie shopping guide.

 

Be sure to browse May's entire selection of 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less to discover great fiction and nonfiction titles catering to all ages.

 

Note: Deals expire on the last day of each month. Individual books may have additional territory restrictions, and not all deals are available in all territories.

Top 10 Kindle Books for April

 

April's editors' picks include a hilarious personal journey to health, an eye-opening look at the American presidency, and some intense thrillers. From the Appalachians to Seattle, the selection presents a collection of worlds we're excited for you to explore.

 

The Cove by Ron Rash

Deep in the North Carolina Appalachians lives the witch Laurel Shelton with her brother Hank, a WWI veteran. When a stranger captures Laurel's heart, his secret may destroy everything the trio cherishes.

 

 

The Presidents Club: Inside the World's Most Exclusive Fraternity  by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy

Starting with the surprising relationship of Truman and Hoover, and following through to "Obama and His Club," TIME Magazine's Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy trace the complicated story of America's post WWII presidents.

 

 

The Land of Decoration by Grace McCleen

With intensely taut storytelling and crystalline prose, this gripping debut explores how far we'll go to protect the things we love through the faith-driven and persecuted life of 10-year-old Judith McPherson.

 

 

The Coldest Night by Robert Olmstead

At 17, Henry Childs falls for the young, beautiful Mercy, but when her father threatens Henry’s life, he escapes to the Korean war.

 

 

 

Afterwards: A Novel by Rosamund Lupton

This intense psychological-thriller picks through the smoldering aftermath of a school fire that has torn Grace's family apart, but the danger isn't over until Grace uncovers the arsonist.

 

 

Truth Like the Sun by Jim Lynch

This cat-and-mouse story of urban intrigue is set in Seattle in 1962--when the Emerald City hosted the World's Fair--and in 2001, after the Microsoft gold rush.

 

 

 

Bird Sense: What It's Like to Be a Bird by Tim Birkhead

How do birds interpret the world through their senses? Tim Birkhead answers this question with engaging, scientifically-grounded prose.

 

 

 

Drop Dead Healthy by A. J. Jacobs

Feeling ashamed of a body he likened to “a python that swallowed a goat,” A.J. Jacobs felt compelled to change his middle-age ways. More than simple weight loss, his goal was maximum health from head to toe.

 

 

The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler

A physically-challenged man, Aaron's relatively calm middle-aged life rips apart after the tragic death of his wife, Dorothy. Only Dorothy’s unexpected appearances from the dead help him to find peace.

 

 

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash

Reminiscent of the John Hart's work, This mesmerizing debut thriller explores the bond between two brothers and the evil they face in a western North Carolina town.

April's Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less

 

Spring has arrived, and so has this month's selection of 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less. Here are a few of our top picks we're excited to share with you:

 

Russell Wiley Is Out to Lunch by Richard Hine, $1.99

Media executive Russell Wiley's career is about to collapse along with his struggling daily paper and his sexless marriage. Sardonic, humorous, and true to life, this gripping novel offers an insider’s view into a newspaper's inner sanctum.

 

The Pistoleer: A Novel of John Wesley Hardin by James Carlos Blake, $1.99

This stunning portrayal of Texas outlaw John Wesley Hardin exposes the many different sides of the legendary man. From his blood-soaked youth to his time in prison where he studied law, Blake masterfully retells the story of Hardin's life.

 

The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey, $2.99

Set in the canyon lands of the Southwest, a mismatched group of preservation-minded misfits set out to destroy the eyesores that threaten their desert environment's natural beauty. This wildly funny novel is among Abbey's most famous works of fiction.

 

I Wish I Were Engulfed in Flames by Jeni Decker, $1.99

Jeni Decker's brash, personal, and shocking memoir chronicles her effort to raise two healthy kids with autism is an eye-opening read. Her surreal anecdotes will have you either shaking your head in disbelief or nodding with recognition.

 

Daring the Highlander (The Legacy of MacLeod) by Laurin Wittig, $1.99

The sweeping Scottish saga that began with Charming the Shrew continues in this page-turning sequel where Ailig MacLeod returns to Castle Assynt after his brother was killed for plotting against the king. Can the beautiful widow Morainn MacRailt help rebuild his family's legacy.

 

A Matter of Honor by Jeffrey Archer, $2.99

A British colonel bequeaths a mysterious letter to his only son, Adam Scott. Soon after opening the yellowing envelope, Scott's pursued through Europe by the KGB, the CIA and his own countrymen. They intend to kill him before the letter's truth comes out.

 

Check out April's entire selection of 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less. We've created a diverse list for all tastes, whether you're interested in explorations of contemporary culture, imaginative young-adult fantasies, innovative cookbooks, or intense thrillers.

 

Note: Deals expire on the last day of each month. Individual books may have additional territory restrictions, and not all deals are available in all territories.

March's Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less

It's time to celebrate the change of seasons with a fresh list of 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less. Here are some of our favorites from this month's selection:

 

Under the March Sun: The Story of Spring Training by Charles Fountain, $1.99

Spring training, baseball's annual six-week ritual, dates back nearly 150 years. In this fascinating history, the full history of spring training is revealed for the first time: from its start as a shoestring-budget road trip to burn off winter calories to today's billion-dollar-a-year business surrounding the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues of Florida and Arizona.

 

A Little Death In Dixie by Lisa Turner, $2.99

Rich with the atmosphere of the American South, this expertly plotted suspense novel tracks Detective Billy Able as he works to uncover why one of Memphis' most seductive and notorious socialites has vanished. What starts as ordinary procedural work for Able soon morphs into a twisted trail of corruption, tragedy, and disturbing truths.

 

The Crossroads Café by Deborah Smith, $1.99

This sophisticated and poignant romance follows a beautiful Hollywood actress's escape to a secluded mountain cabin in North Carolina. A car accident has left her severely scarred, but in the Appalachians she finds unexpected love with a man who lost his family in 9-11.

 

I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi, $2.24

Written with refreshing irreverence, Ramit Sethi's six-week personal finance program takes a practical approach with a nonjudgmental style. The book's core centers around the four pillars of personal finance—banking, saving, budgeting, and investing—as well as the wealth-building ideas of entrepreneurship.

 

Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls) by C. C. Hunter, $2.99

After mixing with the wrong crowd, Kylie Galen gets sent to Shadow Falls camp by her mother. Kylie discovers her fellow campers aren't just "troubled," they're supernatural. The first book of this richly imagined young-adult fantasy series is filled with humor, teen angst, and a good dose of romance.

 

Be sure to browse through March's complete list of 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less. We've taken care to select something for everybody, including taut thrillers, engaging romances, inspiring biographies, well-crafted cookbooks, and histories covering everything from Abraham Lincoln to the legendary punk band Black Flag.

 

Note: Deals expire on the last day of each month. Individual books may have additional territory restrictions, and not all deals are available in all territories.

Top 10 Kindle Books for March

From Theodore Roosevelt's quest to clean up sin-soaked New York City to the travails of a Tokyo pickpocket, our editors' selections for the Best Books of March features engaging nonfiction, imaginative new novels, and a moving short story collection.

 

The Vanishers by Heidi Julavits
A paranormal detective story, an affecting exposition of familial and female dynamics, and a hilarious satire of academic politics: Heidi Julavits has crafted an ambitious and strange novel.

 

 

Island of Vice: Theodore Roosevelt's Doomed Quest to Clean Up ... New York by Richard Zacks
Overrun with gambling and bootleg liquor, NYC was known as the "Island of Vice." Zacks's fun, enthusiastic style makes this well-researched history memorable.

 

 

Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
Looping from Nazi-occupied Europe to modern-day Baltimore and back, Esi Edugyan's Giller Prize winner is an electrifying, musical novel about racism and what we're willing to surrender for love and art.

 

 

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Betrayal, ardor, war, and prophecies... Author Madeline Miller gathers to love about Homer's "Iliad" without the labor of epic poetry, resulting in an absorbing, gratifyingly modern story.

 

 

The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura
Nakamura's protagonist weaves through the streets of Tokyo, pickpocketing his way through the flow of humanity, but the thief begins to realize a noose is being drawn around his neck.

 

 

Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer
Combining cutting-edge neurological research with the age-old mystery of how and when inspiration strikes, Jonah Lehrer crafts a fun and engaging study of creativity.

 

 

Wild by Cheryl Strayed
At 26, following the death of her mother, divorce, and a run of reckless behavior, Cheryl Strayed found herself embarking on a solo thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. It's a well-balanced wilderness tale and personal-redemption memoir.

 

 

The Reconstructionist by Nick Arvin
Ellis Barstow, whose brother died young in a car crash, makes a living conducting auto accident postmortems. In love with his boss's wife, Ellis' brother's high school girlfriend, Ellis seeks answers to his brother's death.

 

 

White Bread: A Social History of the Store-Bought Loaf by Aaron Bobrow-Strain
Over the last hundred years, bread has gone from cure-all to fluff, and every place in between: this is table-bread's true story.

 

 

Birds of a Lesser Paradise by Megan Mayhew Bergman
This collection of stories constructs a world filled with nature and family who hate and love and mostly need one another, each satisfying in a way short fiction rarely does.

February’s Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less

 

For the shortest month of the year we’ve put together a great list of 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less.

Here are some of our favorites we want you to know about:

Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains by Jon Krakauer, $3.99
No matter what the actual temperature may be, several pages into this collection of stories examining the climbing subculture you will begin to shiver. The various heroes, risk-takers, incompetents, and individualists captured here are more than colorful as Krakauer explores the addiction of risk and intense effort.

The Sweetest Thing by Barbara Freethy, $1.99
Freethy’s charming writing style and expert plotting perfectly explore what happens when matters of the heart become complicated for entrepreneur Alex Carrigan after he invites his eccentric grandfather and precocious 12-year-old daughter into his home and a beautiful redhead into his love life.

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut, $2.99
An influential classic of satire and dark humor by one of the best, Vonnegut’s God Bless You Mr. Rosewater presents Eliot Rosewater, an itinerant, semi-crazed millionaire wandering the country in search of heritage and philanthropic outcome.

The Good Neighbor Cookbook: 125 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Surprise and Satisfy the New Moms, New Neighbors, and more by Suzanne Schlosberg, $2.99
Forget about the same old boring pasta salad or tuna casserole when you need to bring dinner to exhausted new parents, care for a friend recovering from surgery, or contribute to a business breakfast. Schlosberg and her coauthor Sara Quessenberry uniquely divide this excellent cookbook by occasion rather than food category.

In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming, $2.99
Fleming’s page-turning debut follows the trials of Virginian Clare Ferguson, who has left her tough past as an army helicopter pilot to become an ordained priest in upstate New York. Things become chilling after a baby is left on her doorstep and a community-shattering murder investigation follows.

 

Be sure to visit our complete list of 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less and browse through the other 95 gems we’ve chosen for February; from adventure anthology to science fiction, this month’s selection has something for all reading tastes and moods.

Note: Deals expire on the last day of each month. Individual books may have additional territory restrictions, and not all deals are available in all territories.

A Tuscan Sojourn for Canal House Cooking

This is a guest post from Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer. Together they make up the dynamic duo that write, photograph, and design the Canal House Cooking series. Volume 7, La Dolce Vita, is available January 17th.

We rented a farmhouse in Tuscany—a remote, rustic old stucco and stone house at the end of a gravel road, deep in the folds of vine-covered hills. It had a stone terrace with a long table for dinners outside, a grape arbor, and apple and fig trees loaded with fruit in the garden. There was no phone, TV, or Internet service, just a record player and shelves and shelves of books. It had a spare, simple kitchen with a classic waist-high fireplace with a grill. It was all we had hoped for. It was our Casa Canale for a month.

The decision had been made back in our New Jersey studio six months earlier on a cold rainy day in early spring. Over a lunch of cannelloni, we’d gotten into a long conversation about why Italian food tastes so damn delicious. We sat there for a couple of hours discussing it. We have both traveled extensively in Italy, eating in every region, and in one sense we really do know Italian food: We know that seppie (cuttlefish) is served with white polenta in the Veneto; that bread crumbs replace grated cheese in Sicily; and that in Genoa, only tiny, sweet Genovese basil is used to make pesto—leaves grown in warmer climes are deemed too aggressive in flavor. But the more you learn, the less you know. And we realized that for all the times we’d been to Italy, there was still so much we wanted to understand about Italian home cooking. By the end of lunch we had a plan. We’d go to Italy, find a house with a kitchen, and cook. We looked at each other and laughed, surprised that we could imagine doing such a thing. But that’s just what we did.

We are home cooks writing about home cooking for other home cooks. We celebrate cooking every day and especially during the festive holiday season with delicious Italian dishes, some classic, some reinterpreted Canal House style. We make tramezzini and tender spinach gnocchi, bathing them in a simple sage butter. We roll out sheets of pasta and layer them into rich, delicate lasagne. We simmer classic ragù Bolognese and serve it with wide ribbons of pappardelle. We roast game birds, stir up creamy risottos, slice porcini, char peppers, poach capons, and turn the beloved chestnut into sweets just right for the holidays.

Guest Blogger: Lidia Bastianich on "Lidia's Italy in America"

Lidia Bastianich is the author of seven previous books, five of which have been accompanied by nationally syndicated public television series. She is the owner of the New York City restaurant Felidia, among others, and she gives lectures on Italian cuisine throughout the country.

In writing my new cookbook, Lidia's Italy in America, I started with a question:
How did Italian immigrants put food on the table for their families?  This began my coast-to-coast journey toward uncovering how and why Italian American food has become what it is today.

Thousands of miles and many meals later, my new cookbook showcases industrious Italian-American cooks from all over the country--farmers, housewives, butchers, fishermen, and food entrepreneurs-and gives recognition to those who have honored the traditions of their homeland in a delicious new style.

The Italian way of life--Italian customs, flavors, ingenuity, business savvy, and a tenacious will to survive--has left its mark on America. The Italian way has been weaved into, and is an integral part of, America today. I am one of those weavers, for I was blessed to be born Italian, and then I was blessed again when I was adopted by America. Now, I am connecting and weaving the two cultures together with the food that I cook and share with you.

This recipe for Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (which appears in Lidia's Italy in America) is one of those basic recipes that just about every household in Italy, and every Italian American household, has made at one time or another. Searching for flavors of home, Italian immigrants could create a tasty dish with just pasta, olive oil, and flavorful garlic. The simplicity of these three ingredients and the technique used here is what makes it so good. Do not burn the garlic, and add pasta water to make it into a sauce—the secret is as simple as that.

In my recipe, I have added some shredded basil, since I’ve found in my travels that the addition of basil to a garlic- and- oil sauce is quite common. I often add basil to recipes: when in season, it brings freshness and that pleasant garden bouquet to many dishes.

Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Spaghetti aglio e olio is one of those basic recipes that just about every household in Italy, and every Italian American household, has made at one time or another. Searching for flavors of home, Italian immigrants could create a tasty dish with just pasta, olive oil, and flavorful garlic. The simplicity of these three ingredients and the technique used here is what makes it so good. Do not burn the garlic, and add pasta water to make it into a sauce--the secret is as simple as that.

In my recipe, I have added some shredded basil, since I’ve found in my travels that the addition of basil to a garlic- and- oil sauce is quite common. I often add basil to recipes: when in season, it brings freshness and that pleasant garden bouquet to many dishes.

Kosher salt to taste
10 garlic cloves, sliced
1⁄3 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
1 pound spaghetti
1⁄2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 packed cup fresh basil leaves, shredded
1⁄2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano

Serves 6
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, and let sizzle until it begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Once you begin to cook the garlic, drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and give it a stir.

Once the garlic is golden, toss in the peperoncino and let toast for a minute, then ladle in 2 cups pasta water and stir. Bring the sauce to a rapid boil, and season with salt to taste (depending in part on how salty your pasta water is). Once the sauce has reduced by about half and the spaghetti is al dente, ladle the pasta from the water and into the sauce. Sprinkle in the parsley. Cook and toss to coat the pasta with the sauce. Remove from heat, and add the basil and grated cheese. Toss once more, adding a final drizzle of olive oil, and serve immediately.

Note: This recipe can be transformed into a different sauce without major effort or investment. You can add four anchovy fillets when you cook the sliced garlic, or add 1⁄2 cup drained capers when you add the pasta water, or you can add both.

Excerpted from Lidia's Italy in America by Lidia Bastianich. Copyright © 2011 by Tutti a Tavola, LLC. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

A Feast for Readers: Tasty Titles for $2.99 or Less

For all of October, we've featured 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less. In the waning days of the month, and with the holidays around the corner, we wanted to highlight a few books featuring the joys, humor, and history of food and drink. If any of these books is your cup of tea, now's the time to get it. These deals expire on October 31.

Quick-Fix Vegetarian: Healthy Home-Cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less
by Robin Robertson, $2.39
Written by best-selling vegetarian chef Robin Robertson, and named "Best New Cookbook" by PETA when it was relased in 2007, this book features 150 recipes and provides both novice and longtime cooks with practical and robust vegetarian dishes that can be prepared in less time than it takes to have a pizza delivered.

 

Everyday Drinking: The Distilled Kingsley Amis by Kingsley Amis, $2.99
The most helpful Amazon customer review of this book says it all: "If you're interested in reading about the drinking life, where better to start than with a collection of writings on drink by Kingsley Amis, introduced by Christopher Hitchens? ... Everyday Drinking offers up enough drinking experience to float an aircraft carrier."

 

 

Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit by Barry Estabrook, $2.39
Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, says that "With great skill and compassion, Estabrook explores the science, ingenuity, and human misery behind the modern American tomato. Once again, the true cost is too high to pay." Mark Bittman, author of the Kindle Singles Bittman's Kitchen and Cooking Solves Everything, calls it "masterful."

 

Bon appétit, readers!

Sandra Beasley on “Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life”

It always happens when someone first sits down with me at a restaurant, whether lunch with an editor or a romantic dinner date. The person watches me give the waiter a rundown of my allergies: milk, dairy, eggs, beef, shrimp, mango, cucumber, cashews.…

“Pistachios?” The waiter’s pen hovers over his notepad.

“Yes, pistachios too. Did I remember to mention mustard?”

We go over the menu--subtracting garnishes, substituting sides, moving ingredients around like pieces on a chessboard. My tablemate looks on with a mixture of amusement and fear. When our meal arrives, he gestures at his order.

“So, what would happen if you ate this?”

I gaze coolly at the shrimp po’boy or cashew chicken or Spaghetti alla Carbonara.

“I’d die,” I say. That’s not the dramatic version; that’s just the reality. I could add that I wouldn’t have to clean his plate, that a few bites might be enough. I could add that at the end of the meal I’ll be careful of shaking his hand or kissing his cheek.

Food is not just fuel for the body. We use food as a means to connect, to celebrate, to comfort. So what happens when everyday dishes that you might take for granted make my lips swell and my heart race? How does my condition--a condition shared by over 12 million Americans--change my life at school, at work, at home and on the road?

In Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life, I share my 30 years of experience with deadly allergies. Sometimes the stories are funny (learning that I can’t eat cat food…the hard way). Sometimes the stories are heartbreaking. But I don’t stop there. I take the reader on a journey through our cultural history, visiting subjects you might not even realize relate to allergies—from George Washington Carver to the Vatican to Kentucky Fried Chicken. We examine the latest science and medicine. We find out what doctors really think.

This book is for everyone who has food allergies, everyone who has family with food allergies, everyone whose daily life has been affected by our society’s response to food allergies. In other words: this book is for everyone.