RECOMMENDED: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris is $1.99 today at Amazon. This is book 1 of the Sookie Stackhouse series, which ultimately became True Blood on HBO. I read this after it came out, and I loved it, though I never kept up with the series.
Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much. Not because she's not pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of “disability.” She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He's tall, dark, handsome–and Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting for all her life….
But Bill has a disability of his own: He's a vampire with a bad reputation. He hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of–big surprise–murder. And when one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next…
The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks is $1.79 right now. This is the first book in the Night Angel Trilogy. This book has a 4+ star average from readers who loved the epic fantasy and worldbuilding, though some readers took issue with the portrayal of female characters.
For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art-and he is the city's most accomplished artist.
For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly – and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.
But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics – and cultivate a flair for death.
Warriors 1: Into the Wild is a YA fantasy series about a society of cats. Warriors is book 1, and it's $1.99 today. This would make a good gift for a young reader you know – there are many books after this one to enjoy. There are also Erin Hunter fantasy series books on sale as well.
For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their warrior ancestors. But the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger, and the sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day.
Noble warriors are dying–and some deaths are more mysterious than others.
In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary house cat named Rusty . . . who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
Orange is the New Black is the memoir by Piper Kerman that became the Netflix show of the same name. It's on sale for $2.99 today.
With a career, a boyfriend, and a loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the reckless young woman who delivered a suitcase of drug money ten years before. But that past has caught up with her.
Convicted and sentenced to fifteen months at the infamous federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, the well-heeled Smith College alumna is now inmate #11187–424—one of the millions of people who disappear “down the rabbit hole” of the American penal system.
From her first strip search to her final release, Kerman learns to navigate this strange world with its strictly enforced codes of behavior and arbitrary rules. She meets women from all walks of life, who surprise her with small tokens of generosity, hard words of wisdom, and simple acts of acceptance.
Heartbreaking, hilarious, and at times enraging, Kerman’s story offers a rare look into the lives of women in prison—why it is we lock so many away and what happens to them when they’re there.
Plus, here are some movie and television DVD deals, in case you're gift hunting!
Epic, in Blu-Ray or DVD format with a digital copy, is on sale for $9.96.
I love when buying the DVD comes with a digital copy. That's so excellent and very useful.
Harry Potter: The Complete 8 Film Collection on DVD is only $32.99 – which is 58% off.
That's a lot of movie time for a very low price.
The Harry Potter Complete 8 Film Collection for Blu-Ray is also 50%+ off at $47.99.
Firefly: The Complete Series on DVD is $5.99 – that's 88% off!
This set inclues 14 episodes, including 3 that never aired, plus bonus features and Easter eggs.
I was the same way with the Sookie novels. I think I read three of them and really enjoyed the writing and the mythology, but it just got too convoluted. Sadly, I felt like the romance was tacked on, and I wasn’t wild about all the lengthy detailed descriptions of what Sookie was wearing (I don’t CARE) so when it became more about who was screwing who for reasons no deeper than everyone was unbearably sexy, I had to bail. Same thing happened with the Anita Blake books, which were far more intriguing and fun before they devolved into bumping uglies with things that go bump in the night as each plot point.
Another good general shopping order- Amex is giving a $25 statement credit for $75 at Amazon. You have to sync your amex card with a twitter account and register for the offer, but like Small Business Saturday, the credit comes right off. (Also, if you have multiple cards, you can register all of them; different twitter accounts though.)
https://twitter.com/#!/AmericanExpress/favorites