Kindle Review

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Web-based e-books. Macmillan & Amazon will pay Lost Royalties.

The new Android Market and reading your e-books on any device

ABI Research released a study on Friday which said the market for digital content will not be tied to the success or failure of any single gadget, despite the widespread misconception that a single tablet or e-reader could "win" the market.

Betanews' Tim Conneally adds that the study indicates that the market for digital content won't be tied to the success or failure of any single gadget, despite all the predictions of which tablet or e-reader will 'win' the market.

Google finally launched a "renewed" web-based Android Market that is integrated with a user's Google account, which lets the customer shop for apps, sending them to the various Android-powered devices linked to that account.

' Amazon's Kindle store was the first major shopping outlet to take such a step. Users can shop for Kindle-formatted e-books on Amazon.com, and push their purchases to their Kindle device, regardless of whether it's a dedicated e-paper reader or a software application. '

And that includes reading Kindle books just on a PC or a Mac, as well as reading Google Web eBooks via the Kindle's web browser.

Larry Fisher, research director of NextGen, ABI Research's emerging technologies research incubator, said, "The variety of applications that allow people to buy this digital content reassures them that they won't be tied to a single store--or device--for content." Well, with the possible exception of Apple's iBookStore books, as those can't be read on non-Apple devices currently.

With the new Web-based applications (Google's as well as Amazon's coming Kindle for Web), "developers can post bigger photos and even videos of their applications in action, and the browsing experience is superior to the native Android Market app."

Macmillan and Amazon pay Lost Royalties, and Macmillan increases author percentage
This is also being called "The Amazon Kindle Outage Adjustment, Locus Online reports.

' In a letter accompanying royalty statements, Macmillian CEO John Sargent told many authors they will receive 25% of net receipts in e-book royalties instead of the 15% most contracts called for, citing 25% as the emergent industry standard.
Macmillan will also pay royalties on sales “lost” when Amazon removed the “Buy Now” buttons on all books published by Macmillian during their contractual dispute over switching to the agency model. ...Amazon has agreed to split the expense with Macmillan. '

Kindle 3's (UK: Kindle 3's), DX Graphite
Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources. Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or highest-rated ones
Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

View the original article here

Kindle software v3.1 Preview Ready - PAGE numbers! Other Features also. UPDATE

REAL PAGE NUMBERS ARE FINALLY POSSIBLE

Golf11 (Randall), who stays on top of everything, alerted me earlier today (while I was engrossed in the New Yorker story on Scientology) to the MSNBC article on Kindle's new software available for preview already, which will "grant books with 'real' page numbers, corresponding with pages of popular print editions." Kindle books, of course :-)

MSNBC's senior writer Wilson Rothman writes:

' Amazon says they've already started adding the page numbers to the most popular books, assuming they have "matching print editions."
It's probably easier for new releases; don't expect all those cheap classic lit editions to get the same pagination any time soon (unless perhaps there's an Oprah recommendation or movie adaptation that propels it to the top of the bestseller list).
...
People who use the popular iPad, iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7 Kindle apps will get access to the page numbers in "the coming months." '

The Version 3.1 preview page has Amazon's info on the new changes, which include -- in addition to the long-requested page numbers -- extended features for sharing annotations and a new layout for magazines and newspapers on the Kindle. Click the last link for examples.

It's best to read the general v3.1 info first, but here's a direct link to the software preview-download.

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE NEW FEATURES

' * Public Notes -- This feature lets Kindle users choose to make their book notes and highlights available for others to see. Any Kindle user -- including authors, their fans, book reviewers, professors and passionate readers everywhere -- can opt-in to share their thoughts on book passages and ideas with friends, family members, colleagues, and the greater Kindle community of people who love to read... '

The private, password-protected Kindle Annotations Page which I wrote about earlier, with examples, has been expanded and has a somewhat different look.

Our highlighting and notes made are all there but formatted somewhat differently, with more focus on the current book and a lot more options, including adding notes, editing and deleting, which I assume are then sync'd with the Kindle's annotations.

' * Real Page Numbers -- Our customers have told us they want real page numbers that match the page numbers in print books so they can easily reference and cite passages, and read alongside others in a book club or class. We've already added real page numbers to tens of thousands of Kindle books, including the top 100 bestselling books in the Kindle Store that have matching print editions and thousands more of the most popular books.
Page numbers will also be available on our free "Buy Once, Read Everywhere" Kindle apps in the coming months. If a Kindle book includes page numbers, press the Menu key in an open Kindle book to display page numbers. '

Here are are their examples of how Page Numbers will appear.

' * Before You Go ... -- When you reach the end of the book, you can immediately rate the book, share a message about the book with your social network, get personalized recommendations for what to read next, and see more books by the same author. '

That is of course an advantage for publishers, authors, and booksellers, but it's the type of social interaction that is very popular today.

' * New Newspaper and Magazine Layout -- We're introducing a new and improved layout for newspapers and magazines. This new layout gives you a quick snapshot of the news and helps you decide what you want to read first. '

As noted above, here are examples of the new layout, and it's definitely more intuitive than the previous columns of Sections alongside a 'NUMBER of articles' heading which acted as a link to the listing of articles, a function not obvious to many Kindle reviewers and owners.

All emphases above in the quotes are mine, of course.

HUGE QUESTION FOR AMAZON TO ANSWER *** SOON ***
The preview is only for Kindle 3 models.

Kindle 3 owners (which I am) will be very happy about these changes.

But WHEN is the KINDLE DX GRAPHITE, which has the same display properties or capabilities as the Kindle 3's screen and which costs A LOT MORE going to include these important changes, especially for the academic world, in which PAGE NUMBERS and ANNOTATIONS are extremely important?

Obviously, the 2nd question is when will the KINDLE DX Graphite get PDF CONTRAST ADJUSTMENTS? and the added PDF note-taking features given to Kindle 3 users.

Also, is Amazon thinking at all about the Kindle 2 and earlier-DX owners when it comes to these changes?
Will Software v2.5.x for these earlier models GET any of these changes eventually?
SOMETHING TO REMEMBER: Kindle 2's did receive native PDF support very late in the game, but they did eventually get a delayed update for that, although Amazon had been silent on the possibility, always, before finally just releasing the updated software for the Kindle 2 (many months after the initial DX received it).

AMAZON FORUM ANNOUNCEMENT
Here is the announcement page for this software preview.

Forum message-thread loading problems (repeated, because it's still needed).
NOTE: If your web browser (Firefox, IE, or Chrome) drops you onto the Amazon forum list of topics instead of bringing you to the forum thread, click on Refresh or Reload to get the message thread itself -- or click on the link again. I don't know why a 'retry' is often needed, but it is.

The DX Graphite
The content covers only what is said on their official pages online, but I'm concerned that they seem to be limiting the models for which these features will be available. Most of all, the expensive DX Graphite, with Pearl Screen, really should be getting these new features if Amazon is interested in the Academic market.

The lack of mention of the DXG (at $379) makes me wonder if they could be readying some newer version of the DXG (with WiFi?) AND/OR a much-mentioned Kindle Android Tablet (probably larger) sometime this year. Mainly -- While I can see why the many changes cannot be made for the severely technically-restricted Kindle-1 display, it's harder to explain why they can't be made for a current DX model or even for the Kindle 2 models, which are still plentiful in the Kindle base of users.

There are already over 500 customer notes at the message thread for the announcement. And these questions are often mentioned in the postings there.

Kindle 2 users don't seem to care as much about the page-number changes or the annotations and periodical-layout ones, but those who have paid for the DX Graphite with the new screen are asking and have waited somewhat patiently for software version 2.5.x to be upgraded for some of the v3.x Pearl-screen features.

It seems most of the focus on Kindle programming gives first priority to the latest Kindle model and to all the apps which must sync on all the devices used, which makes sense but it would be better for them to communicate something is pending for other models where that makes sense.

UPDATE - Other information from Amazon noticed later:

' Kindle books that include page numbers will list "Page Numbers Source ISBN (the print book identification number)" for the matching print edition under "Product Details" on the detail page at Amazon.com...
Because Kindle books allow you to change font size and other features, you may be able to view more than one page on your screen at once. Only the corresponding page number for the text displayed at the top left of the screen will be shown. '

HOW do you get the updated page numbers for e-books you already own?
(for e-books with page numbers added currently)

It occurred to me that you might have to go to your ManageYourKindle page and re-download those books.
However, it seems all you have to do is, via the Menu button, turn your wireless ON (to make sure you can access the Amazon servers) and then click on "Check and Sync" to get your e-book features synchronized.

The expanded Notes-Sharing feature
Actually, this feature may be quite useful for book clubs.

SIDE NOTE: I mentioned The New Yorker story, as I was fascinated by it when I got the Kindle real-page-numbers news. I gave the web address for access to the story, but it's a magazine I do subscribe to in the Kindle Edition, as it's fully searchable, with excellent content, so it's one Kindle subscription I highly recommend.

View the original article here

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The Kindle Chronicles interviews KindleLending founder. Kindle Notepads.

THE KINDLE CHRONICLES Podcast for this Friday
The Kindle Chronicles host, Len Edgerly, interviews Catherine MacDonald, founder of Kindle Lending Club this week.

Len's text intro for the interview that begins at 16:22 of the podcast:

"Catherine MacDonald, who lives on the island of Gozo in the nation of Malta in the Mediterranean, spoke to me on Tuesday, January 18, 2011, by Skype about how she and her husband came to create the Kindle Lending Club. It’s one of several startups taking advantage of the Kindle’s new lending capability to put borrowers in touch with lenders. Their Facebook page already has more than 8,000 'likes,' and you can also follow the action on Twitter. "

American Consumer News distributes a Press Release about the new KindleLending site's function as a free website providing a "crowdsourced virtual library for Kindle" connecting e-book borrowers and lender via its current 7,000+ membership which has seen 2,500+ book loans in the past couple of weeks.

Taking Notes on your Kindle
On that podcast also: "Hunter Davis provides a creative solution to last week’s query about how to take notes on your Kindle." and Len suggests you try the free, downloadable Kindle Notepad from Will DeLamater's EduKindle.

View the original article here

Panda Poet 50% off thru' today, 2/13. Newer: Chess, Word Search

CATCHING UP ON RECENTLY RELEASED GAMES
Apologies to non-US readers that Amazon is not offering these outside the US yet. They say they plan to. Could be we're the guinea pigs and you'll get the ones that were updated after much feedback.

I've added, on the web blog, some extra links for eBooks if that might help.

Oak Systems Leisure Software released Chess for Kindle this week after some anguished waiting by a few members of the Amazon "kindle active content" forum.

Forum message-thread loading problems (repeated, because it's still very needed).
NOTE: If your web browser (Firefox, IE, or Chrome) drops you onto the Amazon forum list of topics instead of bringing you to the forum thread, click on Refresh or Reload to get the message thread itself -- or click on the link again. I don't know why a 'retry' is often needed, but it is, including Comments to Customer Reviews. Forum threads seem to be prevented from loading at first try by some boxes that are drawn for info or ads. This continuing problem has been discussed by members of the forum.

Back to Chess: The authors write: "Choose between 10 levels of difficulty and choose whether you want to play with an optional time limit to increase the challenge. You can also take back a move if you have made a mistake, as well as save your game at any time."

The Customer Reviews are mixed, with some more knowledgeable chess players missing important options normally used while others are very pleased with it.

WORD SEARCH
Word Search, released 9 days ago, has quickly become the most popular puzzle in the Kindle store. In fact, it is #1 in Kindle eBook paid "Non-Fiction" currently and is #2 Bestseller in the Top 100 Paid "eBooks" as I write this (the rankings change quickly). :-).

Has anyone else noticed the changed spelling recently, from "e-books" to eBooks, used by many? It seems more permanent and less apologetic. No longer non-real books, in a way.

Oak Systems Leisure Software (Creator of the first Kindle Chess) is the company behind Word Search also.

In their product description, they write: "Locate and mark off words in the grid using the 5 way controller. Each word appears in a straight line, horizontally, vertically or diagonally in the grid - but be careful, sometimes the words are backwards! Play at your own pace or against the clock and see who can get the fastest time for each puzzle. Pause partway through a puzzle and return to where you left it. You can reset each puzzle and try it again as many times as you like. If you get stuck on a more challenging puzzle then you can give up and see the correct solution.

Fun for all ages, with categories from Animals to Best Movie Oscar, there are 50 themed 13x13 puzzles included in Volume 1 covering a wide variety of subjects..."

PANDA POET - 50% OFF THROUGH SUNDAY FEB 13 (Sorry I didn't notice the sale)
Spry Fox, creator of "Triple Town released Panda Poet in November. It has 24 customer reviews and 4-1/2 out of 5 stars.

Product description: "Discounted 50% off for a limited time (offer ends February 13th)...

With Panda Poet you use the letters on the game board to form words. Words formed from letters in open spaces create pandas. Words formed from letters near pandas make existing pandas grow.

The goal is grow the biggest panda possible. You get the highest scores from either creating the biggest possible panda or from forming the longest possible words.

To add to the challenge, each letter is only available for a fixed number of turns. Each time you enter a word, all the letters on the screen come one step closer to expiring. When a letter expires, it is replaced by a skull, which prevents you from growing your pandas in that direction. This makes playing Panda Poet a delicate balancing act: you must consider where a letter is located on the grid and how soon it will expire, not simply spell the longest word you can."

View the original article here

New Kindle for PC Update w/ Real Page Numbers & Touch for Win7 Tablets

The Kindle for PC page has again been updated (see features of original, basic Kindle for PC) with the following new features:

Download the new version to enjoy these new features.
Real Page Numbers
See real page numbers for thousands of books in the Kindle Store. Now you can easily reference and cite passages, and read alongside others in a book club or class.Popular Highlights
See what our community of Kindle readers think are the most interesting passages in your books. If several other readers have highlighted a particular passage, then that passage will be highlighted in your book.Touch for Windows 7 Tablets
Enjoy a touch-friendly interface on Windows 7 tablet computers.As with all of our services, we plan to continue improving Kindle for PC. Below are some features we are thinking about bringing to Kindle for PC in the near future:
Library Management
A new way to manage and organize your content

Here's an image of how they implemented the Page numbers display that are included with Locations display for the computer version of Kindle.

The PREVIOUS big update in November added these features:

* Use the built-in dictionary to seamlessly look up the definitions of
English words without interrupting your reading.
* Read in the standard one-column mode or take advantage of a larger screen
with a multi-column view, which will automatically adjust
according to your screen size. [ Very slick. ]
* Choose whether you'd like to browse your library in a tile view or in a list view.

Examples of normal one-column book page mode and the multi-column view:
By the way, in the November changes that allow us to view by covers or by a detailed text listing, we have new sorting options:

1. TEXT listing: Sort by TYPE (New or Sample, at the top or bottom)
2. TEXT & COVER: Sort by LENGTH of book.

UPDATE, later same day
Les Bell posted in the Amazon forum the following:

' ... the problem seems to have been resolved - I just downloaded the latest version of K4PC [1.4.1 (31629)] and it seems to be displaying math & Greek characters correctly - albeit the book (Modeling and Reasoning with Bayesian Networks...) is displaying in a sans serif font, rather than the serif font I believe it was in previously. '

As before, the Kindle team says they'd like to hear from Kindle for PC users.
"You can send them to the Kindle team at kindleforpc-feedback@amazon.com or via the feedback form available in the application - we'd love to hear what you think"

View the original article here

Apple enforcing 30% take on e-reader apps for Amazon/B&N ? Not likely. - Update3

WHAT WOULD APPLE BE SMOKING? (That image to the left applies only if they'd actually do what is described below.)

See also, UPDATE to include online zines that noted the stress on subscriptions today

As I write this blog article, I see that AppleInsider is quoting ONLY Apple's wording to publishers of *SUBSCRIPTION* apps and so far I see nothing new, especially anything saying the 30% wording applies to non-subscription legacy apps such as e-reader apps. At the time I wrote on Feb 1 and Feb 4, Sony had not detailed yet what the billing plans they submitted actually were.

30% of a bookseller's transaction would be 100% of bookseller's take via Apple's Agency Plan, and the e-reader-app bookseller would get nothing. That makes no sense.

Would Apple want to guarantee that those interested in reading e-books on a portable device will not choose the iPad for that? Would they be trying to help Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Android tablet makers sell their devices?

Why would I buy an iPad 2 when I know that Android tablet makers will not be charging e-reader vendors 30% of a sale when that is ALL the vendors and e-book sellers will be getting before an Apple fee, thanks to Apple's encouragement of the Agency Plan now used by the Big5 and responsible for raising e-book prices by about 50%?

In other words, as I said, the online booksellers make 30% on a sale, and Apple would want 100% of that. That's not possible. AppleInsider's Slash Lane writes that "Legacy apps must comply with Apple's App Store subscription rules by June 30" -- that's the headline. And the interpretation is:

' Software currently available in the iOS App Store that does not comply with Apple's newly enforced in-app subscription rules, such as the Amazon Kindle or Hulu+ applications, have until June 30 to comply or they could be removed. '

As I wrote February 4, Apple sent the following to subscription publishers and there was concern the policy would be extended to online-bookstore e-book reader apps:

' "For existing apps already in the App Store, we are providing a grace period to bring your app into compliance with this guideline," the letter to publishers from Apple reads. "To ensure your app remains on the App Store, please submit an update that uses the In App Purchase API for purchasing content, by June 30, 2011." '

So, that is old news. Apple Insider also uses the Digital Daily's interpretation:

' That means applications like Amazon Kindle, Hulu+, and Netflix now have less than four months to add an in-app purchasing option to their App Store software. And for those content providers, Apple will take a 30 percent cut of all sales made within the application. '

Apple Insider and Digital Daily are applying subscription "30%" rules made for subscription publishers to non-subscription e-book seller apps As I said before, I think most might understand attempting to dun Sony/BN/Amazon 5% for space in a highly-traffic'd area for one's sales-stand, and even that might be questionable to online booksellers where book-sales margins (expenses etc) are small.

Such a move would probably hurt Apple in many ways. Would Apple allow books sold through their device to be priced higher to take care of that 5% or 30%?
30% (100% of e-book profit) would ensure that all e-reader apps would leave the Apple store. Maybe Apple wants that? That's pretty doubtful.

Would loyal Apple users pay the premium just to get an e-book on the iPad? Would the booksellers get customer data from sales?

At any rate, there's little doubt that Steve Jobs's Apple would try to get all that it could, but 30% of e-bookseller transaction (100% of seller-profit) would be just irrational.

We'll see. The main question from today's articles would be, "Is Apple Suicidal?" because that's what they'd be, but I think that the percentage-rules cited for subscription-publishers in early Feb are being applied by the article writers to non-subscription e-booksellers.

Again, might Apple enforce an in-app iBookstore fee for other-vendor e-books? Sure. But not 100% of the bookseller's take -- and the wording cited today is still from early February communications.

Most of us had already said back then that there's a concern that the Sony e-book app rejection and in-app buying option (which differs from the subscription language) will apply to Amazon, B&N, and Sony et al.

UPDATING AS I GO
STEVE JOBS from TODAY
Steve Jobs in Press Release from today (prefaced by purpose of Apple statement:

' Apple® today announced a new subscription service available to all publishers of content-based apps on the App Store?, including magazines, newspapers, video, music, etc. This is the same innovative digital subscription billing service that Apple recently launched with News Corp.’s “The Daily” app...
...
“Our philosophy is simple—when Apple brings a new subscriber to the app, Apple earns a 30 percent share; when the publisher brings an existing or new subscriber to the app, the publisher keeps 100 percent and Apple earns nothing,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “All we require is that, if a publisher is making a subscription offer outside of the app, the same (or better) offer be made inside the app, so that customers can easily subscribe with one-click right in the app.
We believe that this innovative subscription service will provide publishers with a brand new opportunity to expand digital access to their content onto the iPad, iPod touch and iPhone, delighting both new and existing subscribers.” '

TRUDY MULLER ON SONY AS E-BOOK SELLER FEBRUARY 1
In response to the Sony rejection on its e-reader app, Trudy Muller said:

' "We have not changed our developer terms or guidelines," Apple spokesperson Trudy Muller told Ars. "We are now requiring that if an app offers customers the ability to purchase books outside of the app, that the same option is also available to customers from within the app with in-app purchase." '

TRUDY MULLER IN RESPONSE TODAY TO COMPUTERWORLD ON SUBSCRIPTION MODEL
Computerworld *interpreted* a response from Trudy Muller today as applying to Amazon/B&N e-book sales through their device-apps.

' Apple today unveiled the details of its App Store subscription plan, and confirmed that it will demand its usual 30% from publishers who sell content within their apps. '
[Note the word 'content' for subscription content, later interpreted as e-book content.]
...
[Computerworld goes on, below, to describe what subscription-content providers must do and then interprets it as a general requirement for Amazon's general content (the current Kindle apps don't yet do blogs or periodicals but someday may and would likely be separate apps that are subscription apps, and subscription rules would then apply to them at that time though not precisely the 30% for publishers, who are not re-sellers and who still 'earn' the other 70%).]
[Computerworld goes on to interpret the Apple statement about subscription-apps to include one-time e-book apps situation too.]
'Publishers and content sellers must remove any links within their apps to outside-the-App Store purchasing options, Apple said, a requirement that means Amazon.com must eliminate the link to the Kindle Store that it currently provides in its iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad apps.'
[Later on, Computerworld reports on Trudy Muller's response to their questions about today's press release on subscription content. ]
' Later Tuesday, Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller confirmed that those rules apply not only to newspaper and magazine publishers, but also to content sellers like Amazon.com, which offers a Kindle app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.'
[ All emphases mine. ] '

The concern today has to do with interpreting "content sellers" to mean e-book content sellers as well as "subscription-content sellers" in connection with a press release focused on subscription-apps.

Now, Apple's Trudy Muller may have meant e-book apps too, but she answered in the context of the subscription-content press release. If she does mean Amazon and B&N e-books also, it contradicts what she said about the Sony e-reader app two weeks ago and it means that the e-reader apps will leave Apple or charge 143% on top of the book price (if Apple allows) and no one would use Apple's iBookstore for these other vendors' e-books unless they were iPad loyalists in the extreme, willing to cover Apple's added fee for the books.

UPDATE - 5:40 PM same day (Original post 2/15/11, 2:41 PM)
Mashable's Christina Warren does draw attention to the fact that the focus of today's announcement was on subscriptions. Here is her take on that aspect:

' Earlier this month, the Sony Reader app for iOS was reportedly not accepted into the App Store because it violated some of Apple’s policies. At the time, it was unclear if the cited policy violations would extend to other e-book applications like those from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Because Apple’s latest remarks concentrate on subscription content, it still isn’t clear to us if these new provisions also apply to other types of apps. We don’t know if this means that applications — like Amazon’s Kindle app that sell purchases a la carte — must now remove links to outside web stores.
The Kindle app for iOS received an update Monday and, for the record, the link to the Amazon Kindle website is still in the app. '

UPDATE2 - Here's another way to look at some differences that must be taken into consideration for any vending-stand fee coming down the pike.

30% of an EBOOK SELLER's transaction is 100% of the seller's take/
30% of a PUBLISHER's transaction is 30% of the publisher's take.

Also, read Mike Perry's thoughtful analysis in two parts in the comments area

UPDATE3 - Here's The Telegraph (UK) on Subscription vs "One-Off"
Shane Richmond, Head of Technology for Telegraph Media Group, writes today:

' ...That has led to speculation about what this will mean for an app such as Amazon’s Kindle app, which provides a link to purchase from Amazon’s website. It may be that Apple intends to force ebook retailers to offer ebooks for sale within their apps and take 30 per cent of thosee sale. That would force ebook retailers to raise their prices or lose money. Maybe that’s what will happen.
However, that’s not what Apple has announced today. This is about subscription not sales of one-off products. If you’re a publisher and you want to allow people to subscribe to your publication then you must offer the same subscription price within your app as you offer on your website and Apple will take 30 per cent of the in-app subscriptions. '

View the original article here

Kindle Book Recommendations: Science Fiction Staples

This shouldn’t come across as much of a surprise to anybody, given my admitted love of high tech reading and the tools associated with it, but I’m a fan of the SF genre. Yeah, I know, I’m playing to a stereotype by implying you can make the assumption there, but I don’t care. Now, having made that declaration, on to the Kindle-related stuff. That’s what we’re here for, right? Here are a few things I’ve picked up recently on my Kindle that I can honestly suggest you also grab when you get a chance.

This one won’t come as a surprise for many people. From what I know, it’s one of the most popular Science Fiction titles ever written. I finally picked it up, with high hopes after having loved Cryptonomicon for years, and I was not disappointed.

Without giving too much away, it’s an adventure in a dystopic America in the near future after the collapse of the dollar, and the government with it. You’ve got sword fights, social commentary, impressively nuts religious leaders, an intriguing early view of the potential embodied by the internet as a stage for social interaction, and much more. Most of all, it’s one of those books that you have so much fun reading that you lose track of time. To me, that’s the best mark of a great title. Did I mention that it’s got a main character named “Hiro Protagonist”?

The Kindle Edition is $8.10

You’ve heard of Dune. Ok, I can’t be 100% sure of that, but let’s face it…you’re heard of Dune. Between the movie of the same name, the mini-series, and the countless sequels (both those made by the original Herbert and the many horrible new ones his son keeps coming up with), it would be more than a little surprising for somebody to have never at least heard the name.

How many people have read it recently, though, if they ever have at all? This is a genuinely great SF novel that has held up perfectly. Besides the story being genuinely interesting in its own right, it’s good food for thought. On the one hand, I can’t really think of much I could say that isn’t right on the Amazon page without giving away details. On the other hand, I couldn’t describe it in ten times as much space as I have to work with. Really, if you like good serious SF reads, grab it. Heck, even if you’ve read it before, I’ll bet it’s been a while! Give it another go.

The Kindle Edition is $15.99

You know, I have more that I want to recommend here that I don’t have anything I can usefully say beyond “Here, check these out!” For the most part they’re so enmeshed in the genre that there’s nothing I could add productively to the discussion anyway.

Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card Kindle Edition: $5.99

The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams Kindle Edition: $9.99

Hyperion – Dan Simmons Kindle Edition: $6.39

Really, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, of course. I hope you all enjoy as much as I do and have. As always, feel free to send me suggestions for future recommendations. That’s where this idea came from and it’s always a good time. It’s times like these, going through what I consider some of the basic components of my library that I most love having made the move to the Kindle. Never have to worry about finding that paperback you put down ten years ago and haven’t seen since!

View the original article here