Sunday, September 29, 2013

The New York Times Top 15 Best Sellers for the week ending September 29th, 20313


Welcome! Another week has gone by and it's that time again! Time to see what books are the BEST out there, according to their sales!
This post is always post by NOON every Sunday (and usually earlier!)

I'M LATE POSTING THIS!!!!!!!!!! SORRY!!!!! Don't ask about my Internet Connection! UGH!!! I started this last night - almost finished this at 11:00am! UGH! Then the computer FREEZES!!! NO!!!!!!!
I have SO MANY REVIEWS TO WRITE! I need to catch up! I promise I WILL - this week!  The next review I will be writing is on the book - "This Girl" by Colleen Hoover! Wow! Can she write or what?! I'll be writing that one on Tuesday/Wednesday.

For those of you who have read my Profile, you may be familiar that I have a very rare neurological muscle disease called Stiff Person Syndrome. This week I have several doctor appointments - the usual, for my neurological disease - Stiff Person Syndrome. For some reason, since those two funerals we had back in August, this has kicked up on me pretty bad, causing a lot of symptoms. Why? I have not a clue. Thanks goodness these doctor appointments are in a few dayts! Hopefully we can get down to the bottom of things and fix my body! LOL! Sounds kind of funny! Please, wish me luck so I can get back on track doing this, my blog, my therapy!

Now . . . let's get right TO the books!

FICTION: Combined Print and ebook

1. The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
Print book: $15.24

ebook:       $10.99

 

2. Thankless in Death by J D Robb
Print book (mass market paperback) $7.19

ebook: $10.99

 

3. The Final Cut by Catherine Coulter and J T Ellison
Print book: $18.16

Ebook:      $  8.69

 

4. The Quest: A Novel by Nelson DeMille
Print Book: $15.60

ebook:       $10.99

 

5.  Never Go Back: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child
Print book: $16.80
ebook:      $10.99


6. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
Print book: $15.57

ebook:      $  5.99

 

7. W is for Wasted (Kinsey Millhone Mystery) by Sue Grafton
Print book: $17.37

ebook:      $10.99

 

8. Deadly Heat by Richard Castle
Print book: $16.67

ebook:      $  9.45



9. The Racketeer: A Novelby John Grisham
Print book (mass market paperback) $5.99

ebook: $4.99

 

10. Out Of Line by Jen McLaughlin
Print book: $8.09

ebook:      $  .99

 

11. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
Print book: $15.19

ebook:      $  5.99

 

12. Fifty Shades of Grey: Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy by E L James
Print book: (mass market paperback) $8.19

ebook: $7.76

 

13. Bleeding Edge by Thomas Pynchon
Print book: $16.77

ebook:      $  6.49

 

14. Inferno by Dan Brown
Print book: $14.09

ebook:      $10.99

 

15. Gone Girl: A Novel by Gillian Flynn
Print book (mass market paperback) $7.67

ebook:   $10.99

 

Thanks for stopping by everyone! Here are the last 10 from HERE
Hope to see you next week, too, and I see some repeats now in paperbac!

  • FIFTY SHADES DARKER, by E. L. James (Vintage)
  • ENDER'S GAME, by Orson Scott Card (Tor/Tom Doherty)
  • FIFTY SHADES FREED, by E. L. James (Vintage)
  • AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED, by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead)
  • THE MAYAN SECRETS, by Clive Cussler and Thomas Perry (Putnam)
  • THE SILENT WIFE, by A. S. A. Harrison (Penguin)
  • THE HIT, by David Baldacci (Grand Central)
  • ENVY, by Sandra Brown (Grand Central)
  • THE WITNESS, by Sandra Brown (Grand Central)
  • THE HERO, by Robyn Carr (Harlequin Mira)
  • Saturday, September 21, 2013

    The New York Times Top 15 Best Sellers in Fiction - Combined print and ebook - week ending September 22, 2013


    Welcome to another week of best selling fiction! Posted by NOON every Sunday!

    This week in books I want to talk about the Trilogy.
    This is just "MY OPINION", but I am starting to get tired of trilogies, how about you? I would be willing to bet that over the last two to three years, trilogies have taken over the book market by storm as compared to 'single books' being written, or at least it seems so. With all the new releases that seem to come out lately, they ALL 'seem' to be part of a trilogy. It's Part II of a trilogy, or Part III. We do not know the backstory of the other one or two books, thus making us have to get the other books we have not read before we can read the new release in order to understand the story better.
    Trilogies can be written for a variety of reasons. Some books do scream trilogy, others do not, but when I see that word 'trilogy' anymore, I am starting to cringe! I feel trilogies are being overwritten now. It's almost as if any new book that comes out either by a new or experienced author has a cliffhanger at the end, leaving it open for Book 2, and eventually Book 3, thus their trilogy is born! Thank gosh for book reviews because I can tell ahead of time whether or not that book I see is part of - or will be a trilogy. I guess it's a little frustrating to find a book I can pick up and read from beginning to end and not have it involve three other books.
    Seriously, am I missing something about trilogies? Is this being taught in colleges and writing classes now? Does writing a trilogy prove an author can write? What is the point of a trilogy, actually? Don't get me wrong, some trilogies I have LOVED and I look forward to the next release! Others, I have not. It takes an awfully good author to be able to write a trilogy and have high ratings on all three books, and without naming all those authors, I can think of several I don't really care to read, too. (I am not singling any author out for good or bad, heaven forbid! This is everyone's opinion.) For the NEW author out there who is coming out with a trilogy, lately I am finding "I" am 'not' buying their books now only because "I" am tired of the trilogies, that's all. I am the one who needs the break.
    I think we need more of a mix of books. We need some stand-a-lone books, two-book series, and trilogies or longer. Mix it up more than what it is now and not get stuck just on the trilogy. I did a little research on this, and have come across other bloggers that feel the same way. Trilogies seem to have flooded the market over the last few years, and they feel the same way in the articles they have written, too.
    What makes a book? It is usually the first chapter of a book that makes it sink or swim. Chapter One is the most vital chapter of any book. When you get a sample of any book, nine times out of ten, it's Chapter One. It should be, for the reader to gauge whether or not they are going to like the book, and it sets the tone of the book. Although, with that being said, that may or may not be true. Perhaps they put their all into Chapter One, and the rest of the book does not compare to it. For the author, this puts a lot of pressure on them, but in a second breath, for a good author, it's nothing to write a riveting first chapter.
    I have taken a break from reading trilogies lately. (Well, almost! As I said, I do have some favorite authors out there that if they wrote ten books about the same subject I would read them! Although their writing is always fresh! I can count on them!)
    What happened to ONE book being written and it covers everything, provides all the entertainment and enjoyment we need for that story, and we feel what we have read is a substantial story? Perhaps this book is longer, a good 500+ pages if need be, and possibly split into three, or even four sections in that book. Those are the type of books I am starting to prefer much more so than the what seems like over abundance of trilogies out there.
    I hope this is just a trend. I like a good book or books, but not all of them being trilogies. Again, it just seems as if over the last few years trilogies have become part of the norm,  and I'm wondering if I'm missing something? Why trilogies, always? I have read a lot of interviews from authors who has or is planning on writing a trilogy and they are boasting about writing this new trilogy. This tells me they already know they want to write a trilogy, but don't yet know what, how, or where it's going. They just know it will be a trilogy, which really is what brought this post of mine on. I just kind of thought that was funny. How do you know it will be a trilogy when you don't know your story yet? It didn't make sense to me, and made me wonder 'why' trilogies all the time?
    At first I loved trilogies because it meant I got to spend more time with the characters I either loved or hated, but now almost every book written by most authors seem to be a trilogy. It has gotten to the point where if you see a book that sounds good, it IS part of a trilogy. I've been starting to not like trilogies anymore because of that. I see them and shudder! Yes, I said that. I feel like telling the author to make their book their own individual book. It does not 'need' to be a trilogy. Really, books do not need to be a trilogy for all of us to like, enjoy, and fall in love with them. After all, variety IS the spice of life! Just don't EVER stop writing! That would be such a loss!
    Thanks for reading this! Comments are welcome below! I'd LOVE to hear YOUR opinion!
    Hey, can't complain about the price of the ebooks lately! Wow! Excellent prices!
    Thanks for coming by!
    Laurie

    Okay - On to the books!

    Fiction: Combined Print and ebook

    1. W is for Wasted (Kinsey Millhone Mystery) by Sue Grafton
    Print book: $17.37
    ebook:      $10.99

     

    2. Never Go Back: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child
    Print book: $16.80

    ebook:      $10.99

     

    3. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
    Print book: $15.57

    ebook:      $  5.99

     

    4. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
    Print book: $15.19

    ebook:      $  5.99

     

    5. Second Watch: A J. P. Beaumont Novel (J. P. Beaumont Novels) by J A Jance
    Print book: $16.83

    ebook:      $12.80

     

    6. Fifty Shades of Grey: Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy by E L James
    Print book: $8.19

    ebook:      $7.78

     

    7. The Racketeer: A Novel by John Grisham
    Print book: $5.99

    ebook:      $5.69

     

    8. Robert B. Parker's Damned if You Do (A Jesse Stone Novel) by Michael Brandman
    Print book: $16.81

    ebook:      $10.99

     

    9. Inferno by Dan Brown
    Print book: $14.09

    ebook:      $10.99

     

    10. The Mill River Recluse by Darcy Chan
    ebook only: $2.99

     

    11. Fifty Shades Darker: Book Two of the Fifty Shades Trilogy by E L James
    Print book: $8.19

    ebook:      $7.78

     

    12. Ender's Game (The Ender Quintet) by Orson Scott Card
    Print book: $4.19

    ebook:      $3.98

     

    13. The Scoop (The Godmothers #1) by Fern Michaels
    Print book: $6.78

    ebook:      $  .99 - Grab this one now! I don't know how long this one will be #99cents for? Great deal!

     
    14. The Mayan Secrets (A Fargo Adventure) by Clive Cussler
    Print book: $18.42

    ebook:      $10.99

     

    15. Fifty Shades Freed: Book Three of the Fifty Shades Trilogy by E L James
    Print book: $8.19

    ebook:      $7.78

     

    And the rest from HERE! Thanks for stopping by! See you next week with this list again!
    Laurie

  • 16.  OUT OF LINE, by Jen McLaughlin (Jen McLaughlin)
  • 17.  AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED, by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead)
  • 18.  GONE GIRL, by Gillian Flynn (Crown)
  • 19.  THE SILENT WIFE, by A. S. A. Harrison (Penguin)
  • 20.  REVEALING US, by Lisa Renee Jones (Gallery)
  • 21.  MISTRESS, by James Patterson and David Ellis (Little, Brown)
  • 22.  WICKED FIRSTS, by Elisabeth Naughton and others (Indie Six)
  • 23.  THE WITNESS, by Sandra Brown (Grand Central)
  • 24.  ENVY, by Sandra Brown (Grand Central)
  • 25.  THE HERO, by Robyn Carr (Harlequin Mira)
  • Saturday, September 14, 2013

    The New York Times Top 15 Best Sellers Combined Print and ebook for the week ending September 15th, 2013!


    Welcome to another week of great books! Posted by NOON (or earlier) every Sunday!
    I'm excited to see what books hit the list this week as we've had a LOT of New Releases lately!
    Well, this week I've been reading The Book of Someday by Dianne Dixon, and to pick it up is like getting my teeth pulled. The characters are dark, and maybe if the editing was better the book could have been better?
    Have you ever had this happen where it takes you a WEEK to get through ONE book because it does nothing for you? I hate this! I've even considered giving it a DNF, my first! I'm pushing on and hoping Sunday brings an END to this toothache! Perhaps the last half of this book (yes, I said HALF! That is how hard it is to read this one!) gets better? I HOPE there is a saving grace!

    Okay . . . let's get on to the books!

    FICTION: COMBINED PRINT AND EBOOK

    1. Never Go Back: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child
    Print book: $16.80

    ebook:      $10.99

     

    2. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
    Print book: $15.57

    ebook:      $  5.99

     

    3. Styxx (Dark-Hunter) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
    Print book: $16.46

    ebook:      $  7.99

     

    4. Dark Lycan (Carpathian) by Christine Feehan
    Print book: $16.32

    ebook:      $  9.99

     

    5. Seduced - Book Three - Surrender Series (Volume 3) by Melody Anne
    Print book: $8.12

    ebook:      $3.99

     

    6. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
    Print book: $15.19

    ebook:      $  5.99

     

    7. The Mayan Secrets (A Fargo Adventure) by Clive Cussler
    Print book: $19.17

    ebook:      $10.99

     

    8. Fifty Shades of Grey: Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy by E L James
    Print book: $8.19

    ebook:      $7.78

     

    9. The Racketeer: A Novel by John Grisham
    Print book: $7.98

    ebook:      $5.69

     

    10. STRIPPED by H M Ward
    Print book: $14.24

    ebook:      $  3.99

     

    11. Everything for Us (A Bad Boys Novel) by M Leighton
    Print book: $10.09

    ebook:      $  5.12

     

    12. Inferno by Dan Brown
    Print book: $14.09

    ebook:      $10.09

     

    13. The Hero (Thunder Point) by Robyn Carr
    Print book: $6.78

    ebook:      $5.99

     

    14. Ender's Game (The Ender Quintet) by Orson Scott Card
    Print book: $4.19

    ebook:      $3.98

     

    15. Mistress by James Patterson and David Ellis
    Print book: $16.24

    ebook:      $11.99

     

    And the rest from HERE!

  • BEAUTIFUL BOMBSHELL, by Christina Lauren (Gallery Books)
  • ENVY, by Sandra Brown (Grand Central Publishing)
  • THE SILENT WIFE, by A. S. A. Harrison (Penguin)
  • HIGH HEAT, by Lee Child (Delacorte)
  • BREAKING NOVA, by Jessica Sorensen (Forever)
  • AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED, by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead)
  • FIFTY SHADES DARKER, by E. L. James (Vintage)
  • GONE GIRL, by Gillian Flynn (Crown)
  • BILLIONAIRE GAMES BOXED SET, by Sandra Edwards (SE Press)
  • WICKED FIRSTS, by Elisabeth Naughton and others (Indie Six)
  • Wednesday, September 11, 2013

    A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: "INTERNET ESSENTIALS" Do YOU have a child who qualifies for the National School Lunch Program?

    Do YOU have a child who qualifies for the National School Lunch Program?
    Watch these videos! Read what I wrote! GO to the website and learn more!
    This could benefit YOU!
    Pass this information on to your friends and family! Let's STOP ILLITERACY AND MOVE YOU INTO THE AGE OF BROADBAND! Enjoy!



    I saw this advertised on TV, and you may have, too! It's called Internet Essentials - the link is down below, and it caught my interest because it said you can get internet access for only $9.95, so I looked it up online.
    This is a Government program sponsored by Comcast! I feel I 'NEED TO SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE'! I did not know about this program, and MANY OF YOU MAY NOT KNOW about it, either. I encourage you to look into this program MORE because it can help you and your children get ahead in life, and maybe even learn more than what was intended! This is also designed for Adults, too! The way I look at it, no one loses with this program!

    First, let me make CLEAR, "I MAKE ZERO MONIES" for bringing you this information. I am only informing you about this GREAT program that is now in it's 2nd year! Wow! That is, however, 'if you qualify'. You must have a child who qualifies for the National School Lunch Program (free or discounted lunches). If you do, THEN you may qualify to get Internet Service IN YOUR HOUSE for only $9.95/month, AND be able to acquire a COMPUTER for as LOW as $149.99 with FREE Internet Training! More details can be found at http://www.internetessentials.com!

    But first, please watch this video! It has MORE information, and just put the bug in you to check it out further! I hope this works out to the BEST it can be for you!

    Sunday, September 8, 2013

    The New York Times Top 15 Best Sellers for the week ending September 8th, 2013


    Welcome! Another week of GREAT books! Post by NOON every Sunday!
    This week's discussion is about the price of ebooks and an article I happened upon which I thought you might find interesting and very educational. The article is just a little over a year old, prior to the lawsuit you'll read about, but it talks about the prices/pricing of ebooks being fixed when the Ipad came out by Apple and most of the big publishers also price fixing the ebooks. You can find that article  "HERE".
    When the Ipad came out, Apple was accused of the price fixing of ebooks, as well as some of the big publishers. A judge agreed that Apple in particular, DID price fix the cost of ebooks along with some of the big publishers. There were two separate lawsuits about it, including the big publishers, but they ended up settling OUT of court. This next article is more current because the lawsuit went to court for Apple in June 2013, so this article is  from July 10th, 2013. You can find that article "HERE".
    VICTORY FOR US, as some of the prices were inching up to $14.99 for new releases.
    Consensus was: the ebooks WERE price-fixed. That judge DID side for us, the consumer, but supposedly only for a period of two years, and you can read that in the 2nd article.
    You really should read the first article is it is very informative. It really breaks down the price of publishing books and ebooks. Even if you are not interested in the specifics of what the lawsuit was about or the price fixing, you really learn a lot about what it takes money-wise to get a book out to the public, either printed or an ebook for a publisher. It explains what the publishers have to pay, what books cost to accept and pay an author, the cost of Editors, (generally 5 editors for ONE book!), and the many other people involved, plus the general cost to make a book/ebook. It is very educational.
    They brought up the point that publishers have not yet embraced the ebook as of yet and I have to agree with that article, even if it was written in 2012.
    Although, after this court case, and settling out of court, STILL recently, J K Rowling's The Casual Vacancy ebook when first released was priced at $19.99! OW! Was the super high price because of her name? That was the speculation. It has since dropped to $7.99 NOW! Wow! The book did not do well, either, but now her NEW book, The Cuckoo's Calling, written under the pen name of Robert Galbraith, (it DID work for her to use the pen name) did extremely well. People eventually found out about the pen name, and now you will see it associated with the book. That ebook's price dropped within the week and is now at $5.99! I allowed myself to buy that book at $10.99! I feel cheated now! LOL!
    I know many of you who have been reading this post since I first began writing it about 1-1/2 years ago you have heard me complain quite a bit over time about increasing prices of ebooks, especially as the prices were climbing and climbing every few months when new releases came out. I still think some books are priced way too high, especially when they dare to ask $14.99, which thankfully it is not often at all.
    I do think the publishers are catching on now, though, because a lot of the books are priced at $10.99, which is very affordable, and most people can afford to spend that on an ebook. I wonder if the $10.99 price is another drop because of the lawsuit? I don't know. Many ebooks were priced at $12.99, and are now releasing at the $10.99 price . . . yet in the same breath, some release at $11.99, so . . . I don't know?
    Many people felt there is not much to an ebook cost-wise. Yes, you have the editors, but no production costs anywhere NEAR the cost for a hardcover or paperback, especially when you read that article, don't you think publishers possibly need to 'streamline'? I do.
    Independent authors also have to pay fees like these outlined in the article, but they are generally able to pay much less than what a publisher does, hence the ability of the abundance of Independent Authors. We LOVE them, don't we! There are MANY established authors who publish ebooks on their own now, too. They have ditched the publicist and publishers and are doing it on their own. Then we had the 'diamonds' that publishers never gave two-cents worth, now published on their own and the publisher's have gobbled them up! I love to see that, especially when
    My opinion about the price of ebooks is it IS much less expensive to make an ebook, AND is also environmentally friendly than printing thousands or millions of books, as so many people much prefer to use an ereader to read, myself included. Also, we can take ebooks with us anywhere without the weight! Plus for people with vision problems like myself, I can read much easier with the Pearl Ink than I can from a book, and better than I can from a white background, but even then, if you want that white background, you can have it! It's limitless!
    Talking about prices for myself, I don't know about you, but I put a price limit on what I am willing to pay for an ebook which is generally $10, and even with that price limit, I only allow myself ONE book a month at that price. The rest of the ebooks I buy I generally keep at about $3.99 or less, unless I have an awesome author whom I LOVE, and even then, their book generally sells for a little under $8.00, which falls a little close to that $10 mark. It depends on how badly I want to read that book, which is usually pretty bad!
    One other thing I want to point out which NEITHER article did. Notice 'who' prices the ebook. You will see Amazon state if it is an Amazon digital price, or that the Publisher set the price. So even though there was that lawsuit, publishers ARE STILL price setting ebooks. I prefer the Amazon prices, as generally they fall over time. Take for instance that one book in the second article which they stated sold for $12.99, now it is down to $8.00, and the publisher set that price! So 'maybe' publishers are finally understanding that ebook MUST be reasonable in order for the public to purchase them! Let's hope so!
    On to the books!

    FICTION: COMBINED PRINT AND EBOOK

    1. The Hero (Thunder Point) by Robyn Carr
    Print book: $7.19

    ebook:      $5.99

     

    2. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
    Print book: $15.57

    ebook:       $ 5.99

     

    3. How the Light Gets In: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny
    Print book: $14.47

    ebook:      $10.99

     

    4. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
    Print book: $15.19

    ebook:      $  5.99 - Grab this one at this price!

     
    5. Bones of the Lost: A Temperance Brennan Novel by Kathy Reichs
    Print book: $16.63

    ebook:      $10.99

     

    6. Deception Cove (A Rainshadow Novel) by Jayne Castle
    Print book: $7.19

    ebook:      $5.99

     

    7. Big Sky Wedding by Linda Lael Miller
    Print book: $7.19

    ebook:      $6.15

     

    8. Mistress by James Patterson and David Ellis
    Print book: $16.24

    ebook:       $11.99

     

    9. The Whole Enchilada: A Novel of Suspense (Goldy Schulz) by Diane Mott Davidson
    Print book: $16.95

    ebook:      $11.99

     

    10.High Heat: A Jack Reacher Novella (Kindle Single) by Lee Child
    ebook format only: $1.99

     

    11. Inferno by Dan Brown - on this Amazon page, they have some real life photos of places in Europe and a statue (funny story about the statue) that are in the book! Plus, quite an Interview with this author! It's worth seeing! This seems to be quite a book as it's been on this list in the top 15 since it came out!
    Print book: $14.09
    ebook:      $10.99

     

    12. Envy by Sandra Brown - Originally from 2001
    Print book: $7.19
    ebook:      $1.99

     

    13. Exclusive by Sandra Brown - Originally from 1996
    Print book: $7.19
    ebook:      $4.74

      

    14. The Silent Wife: A Novel
    Print book: $9.60

    ebook:      $7.99

     

    15. The Racketeer: A Novel by John Grisham
    Print book: $8.48

    ebook:      $5.69

     

    And, 16-25 


  • RUIN, by Rachel Van Dyken (Rachel Van Dyken)


  • AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED, by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead)


  • WICKED FIRSTS, by Elisabeth Naughton and others (Indie Six)


  • GONE GIRL, by Gillian Flynn (Crown)


  • ENDER'S GAME, by Orson Scott Card (Tor/Tom Doherty)


  • THE VAMPIRE WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, by Kerrelyn Sparks (Avon)


  • THE ARRANGEMENT, by Mary Balogh (Dell)


  • AGAINST THE MARK, by Kat Martin (Harlequin Mira)


  • A HUNDRED SUMMERS, by Beatriz Williams (Putnam)


  • MURDER AS A FINE ART, by David Morrell (Mulholland)


  • (based upon http://nyti.ms/XeRIok weekly)