Free Books by Beth Moore Offered This Week in Various EBook Formats

From now through January 10, 2014, you can get several of Beth Moore's books for free online in a variety of ebook formats.  

Details are here at Beth Moore's blog at Living Proof Ministries.  Her publisher's blog post has links to Kindle, Nook, etc. as well.

This limited offer is a great blessing to anyone interested in studying the Bible, but it's a special treat for those of us who enjoy and appreciate Beth Moore as a teacher.

Thanks Beth for this (and thanks to your publisher, too)!!!!  God is good!!!!

Students Offered Some Good Bargains Today at Kindle Daily Deal

For today only, Amazon has a Daily Deal that looks to be pretty darn good for students (and book lovers and those who love to learn).

Seems that the Kindle Daily Deal for January 10th is an offer of 80% off Kindle books for students.  This works best if you have a Kindle, of course, but you don't have to have one of their e-readers to read their books (which are published in a proprietary fashion so you need an Amazon product to read an Amazon product).

You can download free software to read Kindle Books on your PC, Mac, or phone.  Just visit Amazon.com.  I do use Amazon for PC occasionally, it works fine. 

As for the student bargains today, Amazon is also promoting its Amazon Student membership for college students.  It's free.  And for the first six month, members get free 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime shipping benefits.  Other stuff, too. 

I like Amazon.  Good prices, good customer service, and I tend to believe their reviews.  Okay, yes.  I admit, there are some reviews that seem phony for some stuff.  Nothing's perfect. 

Amazon's Top 100 Free EBooks - There are Some Great Bargains Here

You don't have to own a Kindle to read an electronic book: you can download the free Kindle software and read the books on your phone or computer (which I prefer at times, actually).  This is great news for those living simple or frugal lives because ebooks cost less than paper books, hardback or softback: however, it's even better when the book is free.

Over at Amazon, you can check out free ebooks that have been vetted by readers already, in case you are worried about "free ebook" translating into, well, "horrible."  Go here and surf through the top 100 in sales at any given time: Amazon Best Sellers: Best Kindle eBooks. 

Look through the list and you'll find cookbooks -- like Stonybrook's Dinners Made Easy  and Circle of Friends' 25 Burger Recipes along with classics, like The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Pride and Prejudice as well as some great reads that don't cost you a dime. 

Heck, you can get the English Standard Version of the Holy Bible for free (it's no 14 on the top 100 today).  That's amazing.  Especially when you consider that it's searchable once you download it.  Wow, that's great when you're studying.

The free books at Amazon bring new author discoveries, as well.  For example, it was through freebies at Amazon that I learned of Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools by Victoria Twead (a hilarious true story of a couple expatriating from England to Spain).   It's a great book: charming, funny -- and I'm excited to read Twead's new book once it's released, giving another blow by blow account of her adventures: this time, about the year that she and her husband spent teaching in Bahrain and got themselves into predicaments like sandstorms and house arrest. 

Which brings up another tip:  there are authors that promote their work by temporarily placing it as a free ebook on Amazon, to generate interest.  Like Twead did.  The book that I got for free costs you money now.  So, it's a good idea to surf the Amazon Top 100 Free periodically, to see what gems you may find there. 

Free books on Kindle: a great deal any time, but especially these days.  I think you'll like what you find, Dear Reader.   

books, ebooks, reading, kindle, freebies

William J. Dawson's The Quest for a Simple Life is a Free Read

Right now, you can get a free copy of William J. Dawson's The Quest for a Simple Life as an e-book over at Amazon.com -- I took advantage of this freebie, and I enjoyed his story.  It's also available online for free to read on your screen at Project Gutenberg. 

This isn't a new book.

William J. Dawson wrote this book long ago; it was originally published in 1907, and some of the language as well as his attitudes may seem well, ... dated.  (Feminists, take note.)

However, it's a small book and an interesting read, the language alone is entrancing (sometimes, Dawson can be a real hoot) -- and it's a nice thing to think about:  back in London, over a hundred years ago, human beings were pondering how to make life simpler. 

Well, I guess people like Thoreau were too, come to think about it. 

Okay, this isn't Walden but it's a good read nevertheless.  I liked it, thought I'd share it with you, Dear Reader.

Google Voice - Free and Great or Free and Scary?

ZNet's Dana Blankenhom thinks Google Voice is great, and while there's the power to do evil we have no evidence that Google has taken done bad things to privacy (yet). 

ZNet's Christopher Dawson also thinks Google Voice is great, but he's kinda skeered about what this might mean to our privacy -- and what power this might give to Big Brother. 

And, Google Voice sure does look fabulous.

[Update: I've removed the Google Voice introductory video from this post because of loading problems with it. To see the video, check it out on the Google Voice page.]

Free: The Future of a Radical Price - Freebies Are as Good for Business as for the Consumer According to Chris Anderson

Free is the best price, right? At least when you're buying. If you're running a business, then giving away products or services for free spells doom, right? Not necessarily. 

Why Giving Away Stuff is Good for Business

In Free: The Future of a Radical Price, author Chris Anderson posits the argument that in today's marketplace, the savvy thing to do is figure out how to combine free things -- sometimes known in other circles as GIFTS -- with products or services that are being sold.

And Chris Anderson doesn't just pontificate about this: instead, he provides lots of examples on how this is working. And by working, I mean helping businesses grow and expand in the current tight economic times. 

(Yes, this does explain why I got that free $5 gift card from Walmart a couple of months back.)

Free: The Future of a Radical Price includes real life stories of innovative marketing techniques like:

1. cross-subsidies, where a cable company gives away a DVR to those who buy its cable service; and  
2. freemiums, where a company offers a basic service for free and then sells its better (or premium) products at a fee. Think QuickBook's SimpleStart, its free version of its bookkeeping software with assorted premium versions. QuickBooks is my example, there are so many freemiums out there I'm sure you can think - or use - some of them right now.

 The Central Question: Lots of people are making money charging nothing.  How can this be?

Free: The Future of a Radical Price provides a history of pricing in America and elsewhere, as well as the psychological background on how prices impact our thinking.  Pricing impacts a consumer in many ways.

For example, in today's market, there are many under the age of 30 with money to spend that aren't going to pay for a product -- particularly information -- when they know that, given enough time and with some effort, they can find it free on the web.   For many other buyers, the idea that a product or service is being offered at $0.00 automatically gives that product or service certain characteristics that it would not have if it were priced at anything other than zero.

What Does This Mean for You and Me?

With rapidly expanding technology and almost unlimited access to the Internet (in more and more instances, access for the web is free), the idea of offering freebies in order to build a customer base is proving to be a valid and vital component to businesses in almost every industry out there. 

Obviously, getting a freebie from a business that's trying to sell you something is a good thing to a provider.  I was happy to get my Gift Card from WalMart.  It pleased me.  It made me feel appreciated in some way.  I saw it as a gift.  A little treat.  I liked WalMart a little better because of it. 

Free, a Price of Zero, seems to be a no-brainer for the consumer.  However, the key to Chris Anderson's work is pointing out how this is also a good thing for the provider. 

Have I shopped more at WalMart as a result of the gift card?  Maybe so.  However, I have not jumped the bar at QuickBooks to buy an upgrade of their bookkeeping software after trying out their free edition of SimpleStart.

Which may give credence to the critics of Chris Anderson's freebie idea, including Malcolm Gladwell (read Gladwell's review of the book in the New Yorker - for free) and James Ledbetter (read Ledbetter's take on things at the Slate blog "The Big Money" - also for free). 

Free Audio Version of Free: The Future of a Radical Price

Yes: the unabridged audio version of Free: The Future of a Radical Price is FREE.   For awhile, it was being offered for free on Kindle, but that window of opportunity has closed. 

Apparently, Chris Anderson practices what he preaches.

Sunday Drive - Why Not Take One This Week?

I can remember weekends when I was very little: my Dad would unfold his long, stork-like legs from the white formica kitchen table, stand and stretch, then announce to my mother and I that he thought it was "time for a little drive." This was always great, great news for me.

We'd rush (at least, I remember that I rushed) to get ready for this Big Adventure. Always on a Sunday afternoon (in lieu of the Sunday Nap). Hair brushed, shoes on, I always had to bring my doll with me - and sometimes, I got to bring along Sammy, our little dog, too. So exciting!!!

The three of us would pile into the car - a big, big 1960s Chevy - and since this was the time before car seats, I was free to play in the huge back seat - leaning over into the front to talk to my parents, sliding from one side to the other to look out the windows. Dancing with the dog when he wasn't claiming a window of his own, drool ribbons forming in the wind, on the outside of the car door ....

And we'd go to such fascinating places. Seguin. Floresville. New Braunfels. At some point, my dad would drive us through a Dairy Queen for ice cream, and I still think of him every time I drive past a DQ. He would've loved a Blizzard, I'm sure.

We'd bring back treats for dinner, too. Sausage from New Braunfels. In season, there would be watermelons from Luling or strawberries from Poteet. Pecans from somewhere.  My mother would chat about the different ways she could prepare these treats that evening, as we rode along the Farm to Market roads.

She was happy. So was my dad. So was I. We were a family on a Sunday Drive. 

It was the best of family times for us. It didn't cost much money, which may have been one of my dad's goals - though I never knew that.  My dad was suffering from terminal cancer during many of those rides, and I never knew that either - though I did notice that he was losing his hair (chemo) and that we stopped getting ice cream (he couldn't tolerate dairy) after awhile.

Today, gas prices are high and schedules are tight.  Still, there's so much to be said for the family piling into the car and driving down roads you've never seen before: talking and laughing and listening to music on the radio.  Stopping at roadside stands to buy farmer's produce.  Stopping to read those historical markers. 

It's a simple thing, the Sunday Drive.  Take one this week. 

WalMart Is Paying Me to Shop There

Wow.  Last week, I got a little cardboard mailing from WalMart with "Rollback in TO SAVE" in big orange and yellow letters on the front.  It looked like one of those things that surround free samples of dishwashing detergent or hand lotion, so I opened it up.

Inside, was a $5 WalMart Gift Card.  All I had to do was call a 1-800 number, give the promo code, and the card would be activated.  I did it.  I've got five bucks to use in WalMart before sometime around May 15th.

Of course I'm going to use it.  You betcha. 

In fact, I'm all excited about my free gift card from a store.  I'm trying to decide WHAT I'm going to be buying with it.  Should I get a new Toilet Bowl Brush Set (which is on the list), or a treat like a Paperback Book?  A food item? A gift?  Decisions, decisions. 

Look, I already shop at WalMart so this marketing campaign isn't drawing a new customer into its doors.  However, it's putting a smile on my face because I can't remember a merchant giving me a gift card before. 

That's a nice thing to do, and I wish more stores would do it, don't you? 

Meetup.Com - Looking 4 Something to Do This Week? Great Site to Find New Local Fun Stuff

Meetup.com may have a name that suggests it's another one of those online dating sites - but that's not at all true. 

Here, you enter a national site by finding your community within its database.  Once there, you can roam thru the topics, or scan the current month's calendar, for things to do -- and see the members of the various groups who are coordinating getting together via the site. 

Walkers and runners can find events here, as well as info on trails and upcoming races.  Dog lovers can find out about dog parks and dog walks.  Farmer's market info is here, and so is lots of stuff on a wide variety of support groups. 

It's free to join.  There is a fee to start a group.

Free Tax Software - Which is the Best Free Income Tax Preparation Software (2010)?

There's lots more free tax software out there on the web than I realized, and there's also lots of great sites that have taken the time to compare and review these offerings, giving you, Dear Reader, the skinny on which is the best deal in free tax preparation software for 2010. 

Here's what I found:

Top Ten Reviews - it's reviewing nine different tax filing software packages - but not the freebies are evaluated, these are the packages you pay for ... still, some good info in this review and I'm providing it here anyway.  (Who wins?  TurboTax.)

Tax - Compare - it's reviewing 4 free tax software packages (TurboTax, H&RBlock, TaxACT, and CompleteTax) and opines that TurboTax is best and CompleteTax is ... well, not so good.

Consumer Search - while they don't tell you all the versions compared, they are pretty bold about recommending TaxACT as the best free tax software out there (it came in 2d at Tax-Compare, by the way).  However, when you read their review of tax software overall, they're all over TurboTax as the best tax software out there.  Go figure.

City-Data Is a Great Source of Local Information

Just discovered City-Data.Com, a web site that contains forums organized by your city or town, and within that geographic umbrella, has all sorts of forums where folk ask questions and get answers from their neighbors in the community.

For example, today I was surfing around, investigating where hotels sell the furniture they don't want any longer.  (Yes, I'm still on my search for the Perfect Reading Chair.)  I stumbled upon City-Data's San Antonio forum on "furniture" -- and I learned about a scratch-n-dent for a local furniture store that I may check out this week. 

I also spotted:

Favorite Hole in the Wall Restaurants (San Antonio, Austin, etc.)
Where to Go for Hair Styling
Finding a Holistic Doctor in San Antonio
Low Budget Wedding in San Antonio

There's tons and tons more.  Folk relocating, people looking to chat about stories in the news, people asking for help in dealing with neighbors, all sorts of stuff.   And, it's free.  Check it out!

More Free TV Shows Online: IMDb Has Tons of Free Stuff to Watch

If you read my tweets, you know that I'm addicted to watching the reruns of Miami Vice -- in no small part, to see all the famous folk who show up in the episodes (long before they were famous).

Last night, for example, there was a very young Chris Rock with a pretty big role, but you know all the hoopla at the time was for guest star James Brown. Yes, that James Brown.

It was a great show - a real hoot - tho serious MV fans have labelled this episode ("Missing Hours") the worst of the series. Go figure.

And, when I was surfing around this morning to make sure I was right -- that young kid with the bad hairdo really WAS Chris Rock -- I discovered that you can watch a lot of old TV episodes for free at IMDb.com.

There's over 93 episodes of Miami Vice there for the watching at IMDb. I'm in ReRun Heaven.

Free Museum Admission (Zoos Too) with Bank of America Card

This is a nice deal, if you live near a participating museum -- Bank of America has a program called Museums on Us, where you get free admission into museums or zoos or botantical gardens, etc. -- lots of cool places.

Catch?  It's only good on the first full weekend of the month.  You've got to be an active Bank of America customer, with a card to show at the door.  And, you've got to have participating zoos, etc. in your area that are part of the Museums on Us package. 

For example, four cities in Texas have participants: Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and La Porte.  Live outside driving distance to these communities, and it's not a bargain for you (yet). 

It's a good idea, let's hope it grows. 

Freebies - Site to Track Down Free Samples Online: Not for Everyone

You can get lots of free stuff off the web, if you know where to surf.  And, there is a website that does a lot of that work for you, Freeflys.com, as recommended by the CouponMom in her email today.

So, I decided to give it a looksie. Here's what I found.

1.  First, this site makes you join its membership (at no charge), so you may want to read its privacy statement before giving out your info.  The site is upfront that members will be receiving mailings from "Freeflys and its partners" - at least they're letting you know in advance, in bold print, right?

2. I joined.  It asks for my home address, etc., which I was hesitant to give.  Then I realized that they would need my mailing address to send all the free stuff, right?  So I caved.

3. Then I spent a long, long time going through all these windows with "join this survey" stuff.  Window after window.  Where are the freebies?

4. Finally, after saying No, No, No to all this survey stuff, I get to a page that has a list of the types of samples they offer.  They've got the option of an RSS feed for freebies, but it doesn't allow feeds into MyYahoo, Google, etc. (opens to my bookmark menu), so I'm not interested.   

5. Then, I go thru the lists.  What they're doing is linking you to the manufacturers' sites that also want you to do stuff (like join their Facebook site as a fan, etc.) before you get any free sample.  You don't get to just check off which free samples you want.

6.  And, after all this time and effort, not that much is being offered.  Five samples on the Food items list.  I'm not interested in anything here, except for maybe the Green Tea offer.  Except I've got a HUGE box of green tea that I already bought in a great deal (I drink a lot of this stuff), so I'm not swooning over a couple of free bags here.

Bottom line:  I was disappointed.  Maybe you won't be, if you like all this survey stuff and any free sample is fun for you.

I Love My Public Library

I love books.  I love to read.  I love to write.  So, maybe I'm a bit biased in my perspective of my local public library.  Okay, fine.  I admit it.  I am totally, totally prejudiced about my library.  Deal with it, dear reader. 

I love the San Antonio Public Libary System, particularly the Central Library downtown (nicknamed "the Red Enchilada" because its facade is painted the exact hue of red enchilada sauce).  I've included a photo of it here - those big red concrete balls never move, they're perpetually cascading down that cement wall. There's a lot of art around the place.

You know, thinking about it, love isn't a big enough word.  I ADORE the Big Red Library we have here.  Why?

It's Convenient.

When I drive down to the Central Library, I get covered parking that's free for the first hour.  I never have far to walk to reach the front door (which is great when I'm lugging a load into the return desk). 

Holds are found on the first floor, near the exit.  Go there, and search the stacks for your last name and voila! Anything that you requested online be pulled for you sits there. Waiting for you.  Nice.

Free Online Daily Devotionals Delivered Every Morning to Your Inbox Instead of Buying the Same Thing at the Bookstore

If you want to spend some cash on a collection of devotionals, the market is ready to serve you. Over at Amazon, for example, you can get the following:

Morning &Evening by Charles Spurgeon (2003 Hardback edition, updated) $14.95

Day by Day by Charles Swindoll (2005 Paperback edition) $10.19

Today God is First by Os Hillman (2002 Paperback edition) $13.99

You can get these same devotionals for free online, which is such a gift from each of these authors (although I believe Spurgeon's work may be in the public domain by now). 

Many may find the online versions to be more useful than owning the paper version, since each day's message can be automatically sent to your email inbox. You don't have to remember to pick up the book, you just have to take the time to read your mail. Just sign up for the free service at Crosswalk.Com:

Morning & Evening - online

Day by Day - online version

Today God is First - online version

Image:  From the December 1870 issue of Vanity Fair, a caricature of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, author of Morning & Evening, his only daily devotional.  Famed as a orator, Spurgeon was pastor of London's New Park Street Chapel (lka Metropolitan Tabernacle) as well as being a traveling evangelist who is said to have preached to over 10 million people during his lifetime (1834-1892). 

Free Iced Mochas at McDonalds; Starbucks and the Home Office

I'm a bit late to the game on this one, but McDonald's will give you a free 8 ounce Iced Mocha (or a 7 oz hot one, if you want) both this Monday and the next, from 7 am to 7 pm. The promo ends August 3rd.

I suppose this may apply only to participating restaurants, so check for the free promo posters at your local McD's, or look online at McDonald's McCafe site.

Have I tried 'em? Yep. Pretty darn tasty.

HULU Keeps Getting Bigger: ABC starts today

ABC content starts arriving on Hulu this week, which means that lots of relatively recent TV shows are going to be available for viewing -- joining lots of other stuff that you might find interesting, as well as at the right price (free).

What else is at Hulu? Just now, they were showing the following as their most popular movies (there are lots of movies there):

Virtuality
Benny & Joon
The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three
The Last Of The Mohicans
Prelude To A Kiss

They've also got classic TV shows, trailers and clips, and informational videos. Close captioning is available, too.

Free Shipping and Clearance Sales from Overstock.Com

I love a bargain, and I routinely stop by HalfPrice Books and the Ross Dress for Less next door to check out their clearance shelves. It's amazing some of the great stuff I've found this way ....

Well, shopping online has some great bargains, too -- but there's that shipping cost problem. (And, yes, the inability to physically check out the product -- I find it hard to buy shoes, for example, online if I haven't already tried on the same pair in a local store.)

Overstock.Com is addressing that problem, here's what is on its site today:

$1 shipping offer applies to U.S. orders with standard shipping only. For expedited shipping, additional charges apply. This offer applies to the lower U.S. 48 states and APO/FPO destinations only. This offer excludes orders comprised solely of products from the "Books, Music, Movies & Games", "Gift Cards", and "Auctions" categories. Offer ends January 5, 2009 @ 11:59 PM MST.

Looks like there are some good finds at the clearance section of the site, too, in case you're interested in buying anything. (That, of course, is an entirely different question ....)

Planning for 2009 : Free Calendars, Planners, List Makers, and More

Get ready to hit the ground running in 2009 with these free and very useful planning tools:

1. Grocery List Maker

You do have to join the CommonSenseCommunity here, but this is a nice tool to have. You can create your grocery list from any computer (think work and home) - adding an item here and there as you think of it - and then once it's done, have the complete grocery list emailed to you in time for the weekly store run.

2. Family Budget Planner

Microsoft Office has lots of free templates to choose from -- this Family Budget Planner is one that ranks 4.5 stars and has been downloaded over 2,000,000 times at the time of this posting. Looks like it's well received, right?

3. My Yahoo! Calendar and Life Planner

Along with millions of others, I've stuck with my Yahoo! online calendar over the years because it's served me well, and I really like the timers, alarms, and other things (sync, share) that come with this package (more than I've seen elsewhere). It's more than just a calendar -- other than defining goals for you, the Yahoo! Calendar really acts as more of a planner than just an online calendar.

For example, this calendar allows you to list Events and Tasks - and there's not a time frame here. Plus, it's online - reach it from anywhere, anytime and you don't lose it should your computer crash. Over time, it's built my life quite nicely: until I change things, Yahoo! will remind me about annual events (birthdays, anniversarys, etc.) as well as deadlines (two weeks till publisher's deadline, etc.) in perpetuity.

I can set goals in the Task Lists, then set little deadlines for myself to accomplish each step needed to reach that goal in the Events List. I'll start getting email reminders, etc. according to the schedule I've chosen ... I find this to be really helpful.

4. Fitness Tracker/Weight Loss Planner

FitDay is something that I've used for years. It's just got everything you'd need or want to track your physical needs, as well as your fitness goals and diet progress. The free online account gives you too much information to list here ... it's one of those examples of how great the Web can be.

5. Inspiration to Keep Going

Have a motivational quote delivered to your inbox each morning over at GoalSettingGuide. There's another one over at NightingaleConant, in case you want to pick between the two - or if you want to get two cheerleading emails each day.