eBookGuru.org

Way back on February 02, we announced that we would be a partner for Read an eBook Week. To commemorate the event we have partnered with Champagne Books to bring you two free eBooks for the week. Champagne is that one publisher that, no matter what book we buy from their store, we can expect it to be excellent. With the official announcement we didn’t tell you which books to expect. Today I am going to do just that!

Just a quick note before I move on: Champagne is currently running a sale. They have every eBook in their store on sale for 1/2 price from now until February 28th. At $3 a book you won’t want to miss this. If you enjoy a good read I do suggest you take advantage of it, I did!

If you sign up to participate (we need to control downloads so we have set up a temporary email list) you can expect to be able to download the following eBooks when Read an Ebook week comes. You can make your choice and read the one that fits your taste, or download and read them both.

Book 1 – Suspense/Romance Novel

Invisible by Kimber Chin is a Suspense/Romance novel that I think everyone will enjoy reading. I enjoyed this book immensely, and we are proud to have this one on the list of free eBooks for eBook week. If you want to learn more about the book, you can read my review of the novel here: Fiction eBook Review – Invisible by Kimber Chin

If you would like to download and read Invisible for eBook week, all you have to do is sign up for out temporary eBook week mailing list:

Participate in Read an eBook Week
Name:
Email:
Please Note: This email list is only for the eBook week event. If you want to also subscribe to our RSS feed, you can do so at the top of our site. Please add events@ebookguru.org to your spam filter to ensure you get the confirmation email.

Book 2 – Comedy/Satirical Vampire Novel

The next book Champagne has supplied for you is a satirical vampire novel, and it’s another one that I think everyone will enjoy reading (only those with a sense of humor need apply). When I read this eBook I literally laughed so hard that I ended up with Pepsi on my Blackberry (my favorite reading device). The book is called Mis-Staked and it is a novel by J. Morgan. You can read my review of the book here: Fiction eBook Review – Mis-Staked by J. Morgan.

If you would like to download Mis-Staked for read an eBook week, then all you need to do is sign up.

Participate in Read an eBook Week
Name:
Email:
Please Note: This email list is only for the eBook week event. If you want to also subscribe to our RSS feed, you can do so at the top of our site. Please add events@ebookguru.org to your spam filter to ensure you get the confirmation email.

Along with the free eBooks we are currently in the process of planning some events for eBook week. There will be contests/prizez and possibly even some chats where you can meet some of Champagne’s authors.

This is one event you won’t want to miss. EBook week is intended to get people familiar with the reading format that is the greener option. An eBook can be read on your PC, on you laptop, or on most mobile devices. For one week (March 08-14th) we will be making two of Champagne’s books freely available to you. What are you waiting for? Sign-up to claim your free eBooks!

Be sure to also subscribe to our RSS feed. The mailing list will receive announcements for Read an eBook week, but any other news/reviews we post between now and then will only be available on our site.

Update September 27th 2009: After reviewing the newest guide to alternative energy Green Power Easy, I am now recommending that as the #1 guide to alternative energy. You can read my Green Power Easy Review, or You can read John O’Ryans Green Power Easy Review to confirm that it is the new top guide to alternative energy.

Today I am reviewing an eBook that I think anyone interested in a greener world should read. The book is called Earth 4 Energy, and it isn’t just an eBook it is a package that teaches you how to take your home off the grid. That is, it walks you step-by-step through converting your home to power generated by the sun or by the wind. This one was written and designed by Michael Harvey, and I am recommending to anyone who is interested in going green.

The whole package includes an eBook, a video learning series that takes you step-by-step through building windmills and solar panels, and diagrams to help you put it all together. Buying this one will set you back about $49.97, but in my opinion it’s well worth its cost.

The book and videos basically teach you how to build your own windmill, and how to build solar panels for your home. It walks you through all of the steps needed to convert your home to off-grid power, and it teaches you how to do it for a fraction of the cost that it would to get the same work done professionally.

This is actually one topic that I am quite knowledgeable about, and I think the world needs this book/video series.

There is one main reason that most people never consider switching their homes to alternative power, and that reason is price. To have a professional come out and install solar panels, or to buy a commercial windmill the costs can be astronomical ($10,000 to $50,000 the last time I looked into it). With the Earth 4 Energy program cost becomes less of a factor.

Michael Harvey makes the focus of this package on converting your home cheaply. He teaches you how to build solar panels and windmills out of parts that are mostly available in your local hardware store. He gives you ways to get deep cycle batteries to store energy for free. He even walks you through how to create portable solar panels that you can take with you camping or anywhere else. If you follow this guide you will be able to switch your power-consumption over to a greener alternative and you won’t have to spend $10,000 to do it!

I’m personally big on going green, and I am highly recommending this e-book/video series to anyone else who feels the same.

Quick link: Buy your copy from the Earth 4 Energy Site

Update March 12: After reviewing this one I began getting some traffic for people looking for Energy 4 Green. I have also requested and reviewed that eBook Package here: Energy 4 Green Review

If you follow our site, then you likely remember Carol North’s article on e-Publishing. From the conversations I had with Carol at that time I was given the privilege of reviewing one of novels (it is a privelege to review a book of this calibre).

The book is Eternally His by Carol North. I would classify this book as a paranormal-romance (with a whole lot of suspense thrown into the mix). Whatever genre you put it in though, one thing is certain – you won’t want to miss this one!

The book is published by Awe-Struck eBooks, and just became available on February 13, 2009.

As always, I won’t give away the storyline. But, for a brief synopsis:

The book tells the story of Erica Peterson, a thirty something business woman who owns a bridal shop. Everything seems to be going well in her life, that is until a ghost from the past begins showing up in her shop. You’ll walk with Erica through trouble, through romance, and ultimately through a thoroughly satisfy read!

Carol has done an excellent job with this book. The characters are well rounded, the storyline is excellent, and the book contains just the right amount of suspense to keep you hooked. Once you get started with Eternally His, you won’t want to put it down. You’ll find yourself needing to know what happens next, and just when you find out another twist will draw you in even further.

I’m not normally a reader of Romance Novels, but with the element of the paranormal in this one I decided to review it myself rather than pass it off to someone else. I am extremely glad that I did, it was an excellent read, and I will definitely be looking forward to Carol’s next book!

An Excerpt from Eternally His:

Erica’s heart was hammering all the way into her ears. She dropped her head to the floor and kept telling herself she was too young to have a heart attack until finally her pulse slowed. No one moved for two long minutes, then Grant came out from beneath the table and looked around the room.

Dr. Kroemer peeked around a table leg. “Do you see her?”

“No, she’s gone.” Grant reached down and helped Erica to her feet.

Dr. Kroemer crawled to a chair and pulled himself up.

“I didn’t expect an evil spirit.”

“She isn’t evil and she wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. Things just happen when she’s sad.” Erica

Quick Links

Get Eternally His in Multi-eBook Format from Awestruck eBooks

As of right now Amazon.com is taking pre-orders for the Amazon Kindle 2.0. This next generations e-reader includes some upgrades that may actually make it worth it’s price tag. With Amazon’s first entry into the world of eBooks, they made waves in the marketplace. The original Kindle sold well over 1,000,000 units, and with the new version they promise to further their foothold in the marketplace.

The new Kindle 2.0 is lighter at only 10.2 ounces, and it’s smaller. It is only 1/3 of an inch thick and is about the size of an average paperback novel. It boasts a longer battery life, a new read-to-me text-to-speech system that will let you listen to your eBooks on the go, and it includes more storage than previous Kindle did. With the Kindle 2.0 you can take 1500 ebooks with you when you go.

The complete list of upgrades includes:

• Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch
• Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces
• Wireless: New 3G wireless lets you download books faster and without any wireless plans or monthly fees.
• Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
• Improved Display: New 16 shade e-ink screen has better contrast and crisper images.
• Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life means you can read for days on a single charge.
• More Storage: Holds over 1,500 books, it’s like taking the library with you.
• Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns
• Read-to-Me: With the new Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud to you

Amazon is currently taking pre-orders for their Kindle 2.0, and the units will begin shipping on February 24th. I was somewhat leery about the first Kindle. With a $359 price tag, and some users having problem I never bothered to order one (my wife eventually did and enjoyed it). With the new Amazon Kindle 2.0 and it’s updraded features, and with Amazon now having some experience in the eBook market, this one will definitely be on my list of devices to buy. It’s my feeling that the new upgrades make Amazons new e-Reader well worth its price.

Click Here to Learn more about, and to pre-order your own, Amazon Kindle 2.0

If you visit our site on a regular basis then you’ve likely heard me say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its target market. Today I am reviewing a book that provides a perfect example of why. The book is From Light to Dark by Irene L. Pynn, and it is a young adult/fantasy novel from Wild Child Publishing.

With this one, don’t let the young adult classification steer you. I really enjoyed this book, and anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre as a whole likely will as well. With some YA fiction there are places where many adults would have trouble relating to the storyline. That isn’t the case with this one, and I do recommend it whether you’re young or old.

From Light to Dark is a fantasy story that is set in two worlds. There is Light World and Dark World, and as you would imagine those two worlds are dead-set against one another. When Eref leaves Light World after being condemned to death and meets Caer in Dark World, the two suddenly begin to realize how much alike their two worlds are. The novel takes you through the struggles of these two as they work to avoid the evil that exists in both worlds, and avoid enemies at the same time.The book includes most of the elements you would expect from a fantasy novel.

There’s magic, good vs evil, a little romance, and more. Irene has an excellent writing style that will draw you right into this one from the start. The action is fast-paced enough to keep you interested throughout , and as the storyline plays out you’ll find yourself enjoying this truly unique world.

I am highly recommending this one, and not just to YA readers. Fantasy readers in general will enjoy this book.

Caer sniffed indignantly and brought her silky hands back to Eref’s wounds.

“What nonsense. Here we live in the protective shade of the gods. We have to

stamp out any beams of light that come from above. That’s because Light World

is cursed—everything is so bright there that your skin melts right off your body,

and you go blind in an instant.”

He chuckled at this and immediately noticed that the pain in his side had

lessened. Her ointment soothed his flesh. Eref took a deep breath, and the aching

in his chest subsided. It felt as though his ribs were mending inside him.

Get From Light to Dark in PDF format from Wild Child Publishing

Here’s a book that anyone interested in mystery/suspense novels won’t want to miss. The book is Invisible by Kimber Chin and it is a new release from Champagne Books. It’s also an excellent read from front to back.

On Champagne’s site they classify this one as Mystery/Contemporary Romance. Personally I would put it into the mystery/suspense genre with romance thrown into the mix. I think it will appeal to readers of all three genres, and I wouldn’t call it a contemporary romance, although it definitely will appeal readers of that genre as well.

Invisible tells the story of Maeve, a heroin that’s well invisible (not really but I’m not telling you the story), and Hagen the hero of the story. The couple is forced together to solve a problem, and the book takes you on a journey of mystery, intrigue, jealousy and more. I’m not going to tell you the story, you’ll have to buy the book for yourself; I will say that this is one book you won’t want to miss.

I think what I really enjoyed the most about this book is Kimber’s writing style. The storyline is excellent, the book has just the right amount of suspense to keep you reading all the way through (and I did read it in one sitting), but it’s the style that I liked most.

Kimber puts you right into the minds of the main characters of this book, and as you read you’ll find yourself feeling what they feel, grieving with them, loving with them, and in general getting to know the characters very well. The effect of this style is that the hero and heroin in this book become two of the most well rounded characters you will ever share a story with, and you find yourself being able envision everything as it plays out in the book.

I am highly recommending this one to anyone who enjoys a good suspense novel, and romance readers won’t want to miss it either.

A Short Excerpt from Invisble:

He couldn’t figure it out. He didn’t really know where to start. And the damn woman had said the magic word.

“Since you asked so nicely.” The sarcasm was thick. Hagen sat down on the bed beside her, noticing by the movement that Maeve slid a little closer, and that she smelled damn good. He handed her the piece.

She slowly separated the metal from the porcelain, careful not to disturb the ink markings underneath, and held the key closer to her face, examining it from tip to tip.

Then she damn well smiled making Hagen’s breath catch. Shit, she was amazing. With a smile like that, Birger’s interest in her was not so astounding after all.

“What is it, Maeve?” What had made her face light up like a Tiffany lampshade?

Quick Links:

Get Invisible in multiple formats from from Champagne Books

Today I am reviewing what is very likely the most well put together guitar course I have ever seen. The course is Jamorama – Insider Secrets to Playing the Guitar and it is written/put together by Ben Edwards.

Now I should note before I move on that this package is actually available in two different packages. There is a the basic course, which costs $39.95 and includes everything I have listed below, and there is also an upgraded version that also includes a additional guitar lead series and costs $54.95. The package I am reviewing is the basic package, and at a cost of $39.95 I feel it is well worth the cost.

The Jamorama Guitar Learning series includes:

• Jamorama eBook- 44 chapters and 252 pages of lessons
  (12 months worth of lessons)
• 148 step by step beginner to advanced video lessons
• 26 Guitar Jam Tracks
• GuitEarIt! – Ear Training Game
• Jayde Musica Pro – Learn to Read Music Game
• Guitar Tuner Pro Software & ‘How to Tune your Guitar
• Jamorama Metronome
• SongPond – Video lessons for your favorite songs

What I love about this particular course is how simple it makes the process of learning to play guitar. The course doesn’t bog the would-be-guitarist down in technical theory, or other boring material, instead it give a straight forward step-by-step learning series. The book does cover some theory, but before you ever get to that portion of the content you’ll be learning to play songs with the simple to follow instructions and videos. It teaches you all about guitar tab, how to learn chord progressions the easy way, how to master advanced techniques quickly and easily, and much more.

Ben Edwards lays all of the information out for you and makes learning guitar simple. This is one of the best digital learning packages I have ever come across, and I highly recommending it to anyone who has been considering learning to play. The cost of the course will save you thousands over the price of professional lessons, and Jamorama will give you everything you need to learn guitar from the comfort of your own home.

Get How to Play Guitar Jamorama

Here’s a short story that our Christian readers won’t want to miss. The story is written by Bill Haworth and it is called Okham’s Razor. I’m not really sure what genre to put this one in, I think I will just class it as Christian-fiction as that will be the reading group that the eBook will most appeal too.

This is one of those stories that really makes you think. I’m not going to share the storyline with you other than to let you know that the book starts out with a funeral. A loved one has died, and then suddenly unknown man appears on the scene, and climbs some 200 foot high scaffolds in a very depressed state. The rest of the books covers the story of a priest, a police officer, and a fireman trying to talk the man down.

When you get to the end of this one you’ll likely find yourself having one of those ah-ha moments, and it is a book that will get you thinking. Bill’s writing style helps to make this 64-page-short worth a read. Bill has a descriptive style, the conversations are realistic, and the characters are well thought out for the length of the book.

I’m highly recommending Ockham’s Razor to anyone who wants a few hours worth of reading material. Like I said earlier, this one will appeal mostly to Christian readers, but if you fall into that category, you won’t want to miss it.

An Excerpt from Ockham’s Razor:

The small group were joined by a morose looking man of about forty years of age, who although dressed in a smart but casual way looked a little out of place being the only male there sans suit and black tie. He seemed quite distraught and approached the widow as she dabbed her face with a handkerchief. Gently taking her hand in his, he said, “I am very sorry for your loss my dear; very sorry.”

“Er, thank you,” replied the surprised widow.

The man embraced her and with a bandaged hand, gently patted her back in a comforting gesture.

Looking on, Violet said, “Hmm…don’t know that one.”

“Friend of the family?” Doris mused.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” answered Violet.

The man unfolded the widow from his embrace, and with a smile turned around and walked away.

The son looked at his mother. On his face you could read the silent question. She just shrugged her shoulders in mute reply.

The drivers stood to attention by their vehicles waiting for people to get in, but Doris and Violet were dallying, looking at the smartly dressed but morose man walking off the path and toward the side of the church.

Renovations had been in progress that week and scaffolding had been erected alongside the church and leading to the top of the spire some two hundred feet above. Upon reaching the ladder attached to the scaffolding the man began to climb as quickly as his injured hand would allow.

Use the Link Below to Get Ockham’s Razor from The Dark Castle Lords

Get Ockham’s Razor from DCL Publications

For those who haven’t heard yet, Read an eBook Week is coming. To commemorate this great event we have partnered with Champagne Books. For one week (March 08th to 14th) we will be providing two of Champagne’s books for free. It’s true. We managed to pull a partnership with one of the best e-Publishers on the web!

This one is going to be a lot of fun, and in case you missed the official announcement, we will also be running chats, having contests with prizes, and in general we plan to make this one a week to remember.

To maintain some semblance of control over the download we are running this one by sign-up only, so enter your email address below and then read on to learn about the five types of readers we are expecting to show up.

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Participate in Read an eBook Week
Name:
Email:
Please Note: This email list is only for the eBook week event. If you want to also subscribe to our RSS feed, you can do so at the top of our site. Please add events@ebookguru.org to your spam filter to ensure you get the confirmation email.

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Since everyone loved my artwork so much last week, I’m at it again. Here are the top five types of readers who we expect to show up for the great books we have for Read an eBook Week. Which type of reader are you?

The Easy Reader doesn’t require fancy devices or new-fangled gizmos. They just download their free eBooks and read them on the PC. For these readers, quick and easy is how they prefer it!

The Sharing Reader brings a friend, and doesn’t mind when that friend peeks over their shoulder to have a read. The sharing readers is a kind-hearted type who enjoys the comradery of reading with a someone else.

The Comfortable Reader grabs their laptop and their lazy-boy. There’s nothing like finishing that hard day with a good book. Be careful not to fall asleep, you might drop the laptop!

The Distinguished Reader brings their Kindle. They also aren’t adverse to a glass of fine bubbly while they enjoy a good book. Notice our distinguished reader even took the time to grow an extra-classy mustache. This reader is all about class and likes to be seen holding his Kindle and reading around town.

The Active Reader tends to read their eBooks on the go. The Black Berry is usually the chosen reading device for this fine fellow. If you do fall into this category, be sure to bring a bandage or two.

Disclaimer - If you fall into the active reader category, we cannot be held responsible for that time you become completely engrossed, in the excellent books we sent you, and end up jogging into that solid metal post!

Giving Thanks to Those Who Have Helped Us Promote Read an eBook Week Thus Far

I’m a big believer in helping those who help others, and all of these great people took time out of their day to post about eBook Week and link back to our site. Be sure to check out all of these great sites:

• DarcKnyt – One of my favorite bloggers who always has something interesting to say gave as The Shameless Plug of a New Friend Post.
• Joan of All Trades – A professional editor, and one of my Twitter friends, gave us a semi-permanent spot on her front page and included us in Freebie-Friday.
• Christie Chowder – Runs a number of sites, including the site Inspired to Write. She gave us a spot on her Girl’s with Books Blog. Christie also runs a weekly radio show which does sometimes feature authors/writers: The Chatterbox Show
• Marci (aka Bookworm) – Another of my twitter friends who gave us a spot on her excellent blog The Travels of a Book Worm.
• Mary Jo Campbell – Another blogger friend gave us a spot on her great blog Writer’s Inspired.
• Mobile Reads – Another excellent site devoted to eBooks allowed me to post to their forums, and they didn’t call me a spammer! This site has many free classic eBooks, and great information on different aspects of eBooks/eReaders.
• Wendy Burt-Thomas – A published author, and teacher of other writers, gave us a spot on here Ask Wendy Blog
• Cliff Burns – A writer who’s also giving his books away for eBook Week, linked to us from his own eBook week post. His blog, Beautiful Desolation, is another that I read regularly.

If I missed anyone, please do send me an email. Although I’m usually on top of our site stats, there is so much traffic this past week I quite possibly could have missed a few. Please do help us promote this one, and you’ll be on the list for next week (send me an email at trevas @ ebookguru.org if you do).

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to sign up for this one. We have setup a temporary mailing list that will run from now until eBook week is over, which we will use to send you your download links.

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Participate in Read an eBook Week
Name:
Email:
Please Note: This email list is only for the eBook week event. If you want to also subscribe to our RSS feed, you can do so at the top of our site. Please add events@ebookguru.org to your spam filter to ensure you get the confirmation email.

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This week it falls upon my shoulders to bring you the free ebook of the week post. With Read an Ebook Week coming we have our adult readers covered (sign-up for the free books here), so I thought it would be good to post up something for younger readers. Today I have an eBook for children, and an eBook for young adult/teen readers.

A Free eBook For Kids

I’m a big believer in reading with children. Reading helps a child’s imagination, helps them to grow in reading comprehension, and reading together with your child provides excellent time spent with your youngster.

For our youngest readers, I have a Classic eBook. It is illustrated, and I have converted it to formats to be read on your PC/Laptop or on your mobile reader. The book is At The Back of The North Wind by Elizabeth Lewis and George MacDonald. It was originally published in 1914.

• At the Back of the North Wind in PDF – Can be read on your computer, laptop, and on some mobile devices.
• At the Back of the North Wind PRC – The file for Mobipocket (most mobile readers), will also work on a kindle.
• At the Back of the North Wind (Zipped HTML) – The source files, can be read on anything with a web browser.

Just to let everyone know, there are literally hundreds of books like this freely available from Project Gutenburg. But, if enough of our readers like this idea, I don’t mind taking 5 minutes to convert the files and post them once a week. Suggest an eBook by leaving a comment if there is a childrens classic you would like to see here.

For YA/Teen Readers

For young adult readers, I have something very special for the free eBook this week. The book is a Sci-Fi novel, and it’s been on bestseller lists all over the world. If you haven’t guessed yet, the book is Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.

Now I don’t know this author personally, but I do like his philosphy. He is the only author I have seen who releases his work under a Creative Commons License.

You can download the book in every imaginable format from Cory Doctorow’s site here. I also suggest that you take the time to watch the video on this page to learn a little more about this author and his own philosphy on licensing/downloads/sharing.

One note on this one – I’m also a big believer in not judging a book by it’s target market. You may want to grab a copy for yourself for a good read while you’re waiting for eBook Week!

Have a great week, and be sure to sign up for the free books we have coming after partnering with Champagne Books (the best e-Publisher on the web) to celebrate Read an Ebook Week.