Welcome to this week’s news post! After last week’s epic post – this week has been much quieter. This week we have news on Microsoft is joining forces with B&N, Pottermore selling millions of ebooks and more publishers following Tor and Forge’s footsteps in going DRM free.

We also have to apologise if anyone had problems in logging into the site earlier because our host was down for maintenance. Hopefully the gremlins have stopped playing mischief and the site should have no problems!

This week started off with the news that Microsoft is teaming up with Barnes and Noble over ebooks. It looks like that Barnes and Noble is going to spinn-off the Nook into a separate business with support from Microsoft in this new venture focusing on the college and text books stores. This will also allow support for a new Nook App for the new Windows 8 platform which is due to release soon.

Pottermore, the online fan and ebook store for all things Harry Potter has reported since their official launch last month has sold over 3 million ebooks. The success is due to the discounted bundle for all 7 books which is 14% cheaper compared to other stores and the fact that the ebooks are DRM free which is an attractive package for readers.

And talking about DRM free books! Another publisher, UK based Duncan Baird, which publishes illustrated children’s books have announced that they will be following Tor/Forge’s footsteps into releasing their ebooks DRM free.

I forgot to mention this a few weeks ago, but Sourcebooks have announced a new book club which will allow readers to purchase a 6 month subscription for $9.99 which will give them a choice of selected 4  titles every month to choose from. There is also additional discounts for other books as well as choices for international readers in the case of geo restrictions. The ebooks will also be DRM free and in the choice of any format according to your ereading device. There will also be sneak previews of new and upcoming books and interviews.

The chosen four books this month is Under Fire by Catherine Mann, Lord and Lady Spy by Shana Galen, Heart of the Highland Wolf by Terry Spear and The Lord of Illusions by Kathryne Kennedy. For more info on the books and on the book club click here.

News in Brief:

Starz, the cable channel behind Spartacus, has greenlit a prequel series based on the classic book, Treasure Island. It is set 20 years before the events in the book and will focus on John Silver and Flint.

It looks like Gary Ross, the director of The Hunger Games is out of the running to direct Catching Fire. However it has been confirmed a new one has been found and it looks like it is Francis Lawrence who directed I am Legend and Constantine. Filming is currently scheduled for this fall.

We also have discount vouchers/codes for Kobo, Angry Robot and The Book Depository for you all!

Kobo codes are “thankyou40” 40% off, “c4auto45” 45% “Regg50us361” or “Regg50ca361” 50% off. And you can only use them for one time use!

And The Book Depository also has a Spring 10% discount “APMA12” for each order of books in your basket. That code will end on the 14th of May.

Angry Robot is also celebrating DRM free day and they have a coupon which is valid from today but only for 24 hours – which will have 50 % off any of their books which are DRM free. The coupon code which must be entered in the code and voucher box is “DRMFREE”.

Now for books to look out for!

Death’s Rival by Faith Hunter – the 5th Jane Yellowrock book

 

Jane Yellowrock is a shapeshifting skinwalker you don’t want to cross—especially if you’re one of the undead…

For a vampire killer like Jane, having Leo Pellisier as a boss took some getting used to. But now, someone is out to take his place as Master Vampire of the city of New Orleans, and is not afraid to go through Jane to do it. After an attack that’s tantamount to …a war declaration, Leo knows his rival is both powerful and vicious, but Leo’s not about to run scared. After all, he has Jane.

But then, a plague strikes, one that takes down vampires and makes their masters easy prey. Now, to uncover the identity of the vamp who wants Leo’s territory, and to find the cause of the vamp-plague, Jane will have to go to extremes…and maybe even to war.

Mate Claimed by Jennifer Ashley

 

Eric Warden knows that half-Shifter wildcat Iona is passing for human, living without a Collar in the human world. He also knows that if she does not acknowledge her Shifter nature and her mating hunger, it could kill her. Iona finds the mysterious and dangerous Eric, a wildcat and leader of his Shiftertown, haunting her dreams, but she vows never to “come out” and take the Collar, fearing backlash against her mother and sister for hiding the fact that she’s Shifter. But Eric is a compelling Shifter male, and Iona’s hunger calls to him.

And finally the 4th installment in Darynda Jones Urban Fantasy series – Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet.

 

Sometimes being the grim reaper really is that. Grim. And since Charley’s last case went so awry, she has taken a couple months off to wallow in the wonders of self-pity. But when a woman shows up on her doorstep convinced someone is trying to kill her, Charley has to force herself to rise above. Or at least get dressed. She quickly realizes something is amiss when everyone the woman knows swears she’s insane. The more they refute the woman’s story, the more Charley believes it.

In the meantime, the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, has been cleared of all charges. He is out of prison and out of Charley’s life, as per her wishes and several perfectly timed death threats. But his absence has put a serious crimp in her sex life. While there are other things to consider, like the fact that Albuquerque has been taken hostage by an arsonist, Charley is having a difficult time staying away. Especially when it looks like Reyes may be involved. Just when life was returning to normal, Charley is thrust back into the world of crime, punishment, and the devil in blue jeans.

 

 

So what do you think of any of the stories I highlighted today? Will you be using any of the codes? And what books would you like to get? 

Have a fantastic weekend!

About Has

Has is a bookaholic and feeds her addiction whenever she can. She usually can be found lost in a Romance or an Urban Fantasy novel. Her favourite sub genres are Paranormal, Fantasy and some Scifi. Her most treasured authors are, Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews, Ann Aguirre, Lisa Kleypas and Tamora Pierce. She loves that discovery of finding a brand new author and falling in love with their books. Has also blogs a The Book Pushers - Book chatter and reviews

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