O Little Town: A Novel. This seasonal tale by Grammy award-winning songwriter Don Reid is set in the fictional town of Mt. Jefferson. Aggregate rating is 4.9 stars based on 14 customer reviews.

Book overview:

In a small town at Christmas, three families find themselves muddling their way through the challenges of life: marriage, illness, bad decisions, friendship, faith, forgiveness . and a fifty-year-old mystery.

A Hearth in Candlewood (The Candlewood Trilogy, Book 1). Set in 1840s New York, this charming small-town Christian fiction by Delia Parr centers on the life and ministering of 51-year old widow Emma Garrett on Hill House, a boarding house she owns. Aggregate rating is 4.3 stars based on 6 customer reviews.

Design on a Crime (Deadly Décor Mysteries, Book 1). Interior designer Haley Farrell is suspected of murdering her client, Marge Norwalk. To prove her innocence, she goes out to find the real murderer.  Written by Ginny Aiken, the suspense/ mystery is rated 3.9 stars based on 7 customer reviews.

Through Smoke: Book One in the Troubled Heroes Series (A Firefighting Thriller). Firefighter McGinnis of New York’s Ladder Twenty-One learns that some personal situations are tougher to fight than real fire. Written by indie author Jessica Tate, the romantic suspense is rated 4.8 stars based on 6 customer reviews.

If you like ghost stories, you’ll find three Haunted books on Kindle Store today:  Haunted Illinois: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Prairie State (Haunted Series) by Troy Taylor and Heather Adel Wiggins (4.8 stars on 14 customer reviews); Haunted New York City: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Big Apple (Haunted (Stackpole) by Cheri Revai (no customer ratings yet); and Haunted Virginia: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Old Dominion (Stackpole Haunted Series) by L.B. Taylor, Jr. (no customer ratings yet).

And here are 5 nonfiction offers for your Kindle:

10 People Every Christian Should Know E-book reveals the inspiring stories of 10 Christians who remained in the faith even in the face of trials and struggles. Written by Pastor Warren B. Wiersbe, the inspirational/ religion & spirituality book has 5 stars and 1 customer review so far.

Helpful herbs for health and beauty (52 Brilliant Ideas). This book by Barbara Griggs introduces readers to the medicinal uses of herbs as well as beauty tricks that make use of herbs. The eBook has 5 stars and 1 customer review so far.

Drop a Dress Size (52 Brilliant Little Ideas). Kate Cook and Eve Cameron name 52 ways on how to achieve the body you dream of. The eBook has no customer reviews yet.

Be your own best life coach (52 Brilliant Ideas). Learn how to coach yourself into realizing your dreams and taking control of your life with this self-help book by Jackie Holder. The ebook has no customer reviews yet.

Make More, Worry Less: Secrets from 18 Extraordinary People Who Created a Bigger Income and a Better Life. Wes Moss brings together 18 success stories of ordinary people and shows the lessons that can be learned from them.  Moss also discusses common psycho-emotional barriers, such as stress, to bigger income and better life and how you can overcome them. Aggregate rating is 4.5 stars based on 8 customer reviews.

Kindle 4 vs Kindle 3: Size and Portability

The Kindle 4 has an 18% smaller and 30% lighter body: it measures 6.5 x 4.5 x 0.34 inches while Kindle 3 is 7.5 x 4.8 x 0.34 inches.  While some may prefer a device this light, the Kindle 3, in my opinion, already has the perfect heft to it: it is light enough for long hours of comfortable reading, yet it also feels very solid to the hand.

Kindle 4 vs Kindle 3: Readability

Taking some design ideas from Barnes & Noble’s Nook, the Kindle 4 comes with a black border that creates the perception of a whiter background and a blacker text. The screen flashing has also been delayed to the 5^th or 6^th page turn. It should be noted that Kindle 4 uses the same 6-inch eInk Pearl display found on the Kindle 3.

Kindle 4 vs Kindle 3: Storage, Battery Life, Audio Support

Sure the Kindle 4 is cheaper, but Amazon also had to sacrifice a lot of features in order to arrive at $79 price point. It seems that Amazon set the price first, then decide on what features to cut from it. For one, the Kindle 4 has 50% less storage than the Kindle 3. Of its 2GB internal memory, only 1.25 is available to user. The Kindle 3 has 4GB storage; 3.5GB is available to user. Both lack an expansion slot.

The Kindle 4’s battery life is just half of that the Kindle 3’s too. Per charge, you have a month or about 4 weeks of reading time with wireless off. In contrast, the Kindle 3 offers 2 months of battery life with wireless off.

The Kindle 4 has neither speakers nor audiojack, which means no audiobooks or background music for you.

Kindle 4 vs Kindle 3: Ease of Use

Interface remains the same for the Kindle 4, but lack of keyboard whether virtual or physical makes accessing of menu, typing of notes, and searching for books on the Kindle 4 extra laborious. Imagine typing URL into the experimental web browser or titles of books into the Kindle Store search box. After two or three tries, you’d transfer to your PC. With only a 5-way controller to use, users need to have extra patience to complete tasks.

Kindle 4 vs Kindle 3: Connectivity and Synching

The Kindle 4 has no 3G option, whereas Kindle 3 lets you choose between WiFi or a WiFi + 3G version. Both can purchase download books or sync readings cross Kindle-appified devices via WiFi network.

Closing Thought  

If budget is an important consideration, then the Kindle 4 may appeal to you. The $79 price point is very attractive, but you have to make do with smaller storage, lesser battery life, and lack of keyboard. You have to note also that the Kindle 3 is only $20 more expensive. What will $20 give you? Bigger storage, longer battery life, audio jack and text-to-speech support, and, most importantly, more user-friendly navigation.  If your standard of choice are convenience and ease of use, then you’ll be happy with the full-featured Kindle 3.

1. The Scottish-Irish Pub and Hearth Cookbook: Recipes and Lore from Celtic Kitchens by Kay Shaw Nelson features over 170 Irish and Scottish recipes, ranging from classics like Cock-A-Leekie to contemporary recipes like Raisin Walnut Porridge. Aggregate rating is 4.7 stars based on 3 customer reviews.
2. Healthy South Indian Cooking. Learn how to cook delicious but low-fat, low caloric dishes in the tradition of Chettinad Healthy cooking.   This cookbook features over 250 Southern Indian recipes —  mostly vegetarian–  collected by Alamelu Vairayan. Also include are some suggestions on how North American home chefs can integrate traditional South Indian dishes into Western meals. Aggregate rating is 4.7 stars based on 60 customer reviews.
3. Cooking from China’s Fujian Province: One of China’s Eight Great Cuisines. Jacqueline Newman guides home chefs to the best of Fujian cooking. Featuring over 200 Fujian recipes, this cookbook introduces readers to the great but little known Chinese regional cooking. Aggregate rating is 4 stars based on 7 customer reviews.
4. Aprovecho: A Mexican-American Border Cookbook (Hippocrene Cookbook Library) is a collection of Mexican-American cuisine. The cookbook also includes fun facts on Mexican-American culture as well as tips and instructions on how to make festive items such as piñatas. Co-written by Teresa Cordero-Cordell and Robert Cordell, aggregate rating is 4.4 stars based on 5 customer reviews.
5. The Best of Polish Cooking. This updated version now includes a chapter on Light Polish Fare as well as tips on how to reduce calories and fats. Prepared by Karen West, the cookbook is rated 4.3 stars on 6 customer reviews.
6. All Along the Rhine: Recipes, Wines and Lore from Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Holland by Kay Shaw Nelson features over 130 classic and contemporary Rhine recipes as well as stories and facts on Rhine culture and lore. The cookbook has 2 stars and 1 customer review so far.
7. Cuisines of the Alps (Hippocrene Cookbook Library). Also by Kay Shaw Nelson, this cookbook features recipes and lore from countries along the Alps (France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, Germany, Austria and Slovenia). Aggregate rating is 4 stars based on 5 customer reviews.
8. Sephardic Israeli Cuisine: A Mediterranean Mosaic. Celebrate the flavors and culinary culture of Israel with these 120 kosher recipes by Shiela Kaufman. Aggregate rating is 4.8 stars based on 5 customer reviews.
9. Old Havana Cookbook: Cuban Recipes in Spanish and English (Bilingual Cookbooks) by Rafael Marcos and Rosemary Fox features 50 classic Cuban and Old Havana recipes written in Spanish and English. Aggregate rating is 3.2 stars based on 2 customer reviews.
10. Salads for Every Season: 25 Salads from Earthbound Farm: A Workman Short. 25 salads for all seasons from salad queen Myra Goodman to salad offers. The salads are arranged by season, and the cookbook also includes salad dressing recipes. Aggregate rating is 5 stars based on 5 customer reviews.
11. Polish Heritage Cookery . This collection of over 2,200 Polish recipes by Robert and Maria Strybel is the most extensive cookbook on Polish cooking. Recipes range from simple peasant cookery to more elegant gourmet fare. Aggregate rating is 4.5 stars based on 16 customer reviews.
12. Hungarian Cookbook: Old World Recipes for New World Cooks, Expanded Edition. These are Old World Hungarian recipes updated for the modern cook. Aggregate rating for Yolanda Nagy Fintor’s collection is 4.2 stars based on 19 customer reviews.
13. Gypsy Feast: Recipes and Culinary Traditions of the Romany People (Hippocrene Cookbook Library) . More than just a collection of recipes, this cookbook includes pages of information  on beginnings, life, culture, feasts, and customs of ancient Romany. Written by Carol Wilson, aggregate rating is 3.5 stars based on 4 customer reviews.
14. Flavors of Burma: Myanmar : Cuisine and Culture from the Land of Golden Pagodas by Susan Chan features 76 enticing Burmese recipes. The cookbook is rated 4.6 stars based on 5 customer reviews.
15. The Best of Ukrainian Cuisine (Hippocrene International Cookbook Series) offers over 200 authentic Ukrainian recipes. Aggregate rating for Bohdan Zany’s cookbook is 2 stars based on 4 customer reviews.

Now that the year is about to close, we take a look once again at the eReaders on the market to see how far of our prediction is correct. After weighing their pros and cons, here are the five eReaders that we judge to offer the best in terms of quality and value for money.

1. Kindle Fire. It’s actually a close fight between the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet for the top spot, but after a careful consideration, we got to hand it to first Amazon’s first color eReader-tablet hybrid. Sure, the Nook Tablet beats the Kindle Fire specs-wise, but it doesn’t quite come close to the range of content available in the Kindle ecosystem. The Kindle Fire brings over a 100,000 movies and TV shows for purchase or rent; over 17,000 apps; over a million commercial books and over 2 million public domain books; and over 17 million songs for streaming or purchase.

The Kindle Fire also comes with free cloud storage that expands your built-in storage from a paltry 250MB to a forever-expanding, infinite space. The screen display is synthetically hardened for greater durability, and the cloud-based Silk browser is really fast. Even sweeter, you can get this eReader/tablet for only $199.

2. Nook Tablet. Barnes & Noble’s follow-up to the Nook Color is better than ever. Fast three-hour battery recharge time, 11.5 hours reading time or 9 hours video watching, huge 48GB combined internal and external storage space, free cloud storage, and a very zippy performance. If you don’t want to get stuck in the Amazon ecosystem, the Nook Tablet is preloaded with free media apps including Hulu and Pandora.   It costs $249, but given the larger built-in storage space, it’s worth the extra $50.

3. Kindle Touch. The WiFi-onl Kindle Touch is the latest of the major eReaders to utilize the infrared sensor technology, but the wait is perhaps worth it. It comes with all the goodness of the Kindle 3, such as a month-long battery life, zero-glare screen with sharp contrast, 60-second download, 4GB storage, book lending, and access to the millions of books in the Kindle Store. Except for the added touch function which simplifies navigation into a tap or a swipe, there’s really nothing much new to the Kindle Touch. However, the $99 price point will surely draw more Kindle fans.

4. Nook Touch. The Nook Touch may not offer as many features as the Kindle Touch, and the B&N store doesn’t have the same range of eBooks as prices as the Kindle Store. Still, the WiFi-only Nook Touch is a beauty to behold. All the reading features you need to enjoy a book are packed into $99, compact eReader, including a month-long battery life and SD card slot. The Nook Touch offers superior design, navigation, and performance. Unlike the Kindle Touch, the Nook Touch doesn’t tie you to one book source; you can purchase and download publications from any eBook store that you like via WiFi network. Even better, there are no annoying ads to interrupt your Nook experience.

5. Sony PRS-950. If you prefer a great eReader with a bigger screen, you may want to look at the 7-inch Sony PRS-950. This fully-featured eReader comes with WiFi and 3G, expansion slots,  ePub support, 22-day battery life, and touch-based navigation.

Of our five best eReaders of 2011, this is the only device with e-writing capabilities. If you enjoy writing on the margins of your books or doodling on your free time,  the Sony PRS 950 Reader costs $299.

1. Entangled. In this whodunit story from award-winning novelist Barbara E. Brink, an attorney learns that a mystery she’s trying to solve intertwines with a personal tragedy. Is she strong enough to face what her digging might unfold? Aggregate rating is 4.7 stars based on 20 customer reviews.
2. Mary’s Son: A Tale of Christmas. This award-winning book tells the true meaning of Christmas as seen from the eyes of an angry rich girl, an angry poor boy, and a well-known jolly old fellow. Written by Darryl Nyznyk, this touching Christmas tale/ children’s fiction is rated 5 stars on 10 customer reviews.
3. Forty-Four (44). After falling through ice, Abby barely escapes death. Yet the world she wakes up to is barely recognizable to her now. And then she starts seeing visions of a serial killer causing accidents on the street. In order to confront him, Abby must first recover what she lost in the waters. Written by Jools Sinclair, the thriller/ paranormal romance/ mystery is rated 4.5 stars on 22 customer reviews.
4. Mad Money (Madeline Carter). Humor, romance, mystery, murder, and intriguing characters altogether make this a “hard-to-put-down” book. This is the first in a mystery series by Linda Richards. Aggregate rating is 4.6 stars based on 5 customer reviews.
5. The Soulkeepers (The Soulkeepers Series). All Jacob wants is to find out the answer to mother’s mysterious disappearance. A beautiful neighbor offers to help him find his mother using her unique abilities. But Jacob learns that her help comes at a special price. Written by G.P. Ching, the young adult fiction/ paranormal mystery is rated 4.8 stars on 31 customer reviews.
6. In the Mood is a 24,000-word novella about how a historical romance novelist and a fan end up teaching each other how to write love scenes and even happy endings. Aggregate rating for Ellen Fisher’s romantic short story is 4.5 stars based on 16 customer reviews.
7. Spirit Falls. The son of a young immigrant finds himself at odds with his past and his present, the old and the new, the homeland his parents left and the place he now calls home. This riveting read tells the struggles of immigrants in the 1950s in midland US. Written by Robert Townsend, the literary fiction is rated 5 stars on 5 customer reviews.
8. CALCULATED RISK. A 17-year old falls in love with his beautiful boss. His father steps in. Together, he and his son’s boss work to stop the teen’s misbehaviors in the name of puppy love. Instead, they fall in love with each other. Aggregate rating for Ellen Raco Chase’s romance is 4.6 stars based on 5 customer reviews.
9. Running of the Bulls (A Wall Street Thriller) (Book Two in the Fifth Avenue Series). Manhattan serves as backdrop for this fiscal thriller where two assassins on the loose murder Wall Street types one by one. This novel is a follow-up to Christopher Smith’s Fifth Avenue. Aggregate rating is  4.5 stars based on 23 customer reviews.
10. Death’s Hand, A Dark Urban Fantasy (The Descent Series) by SM Reine is a tale of demons and exorcism. Aggregate rating is 4.5 stars based on 6 customer reviews.

Book overview

“Policing relations between Heaven, Hell, and Earth is messy and violent, but Elise Kavanagh and James Faulkner excelled at it—until coming across a job so brutal that even they couldn’t stand to see one more dead body. Now they’ve been pretending to be normal for five years, leaving their horrific history a dark secret. Elise works in an office. James owns a business. None of their friends realize they used to be one of the world’s best killing teams. 

After years of hiding, something stirs. Bodies are vanishing. Demons scurry in the shadows of the night. A child has been possessed. Some enemies aren’t willing to let the secrets of the past stay dead…”  

Before the Season Ends (A Regency Inspirational Romance) by Linore Rose Burkard is a Christian Regency fiction about a young woman torn between her love for a man and her vow to marry only a man who shares her faith. Aggregate rating is 4.6 stars based on 125 customer reviews.

Artistic License. Julie Hyzy’s debut novel is a slice-of-life romance with a bit of murder and mystery. Aggregate rating is 4 stars based on 5 customer reviews.

Book overview

“Newly embarked on her career as a muralist, Annie Callaghan is dismayed to discover that she’s pregnant, having been seduced by her soon-to-be-exhusband, Gary Randall. A charming cad, Gary gets Annie to bail him out of jail and soon moves back in with her. Meanwhile, Annie has agreed to paint a wall at Millie’s Ice Cream Parlour, an old-fashioned soda fountain, for the attractive new owner, Sam Morgan, who proves to be a most sympathetic friend as well as employer. When a breezy customer of Millie’s, Gina DeChristopher, hires Annie to paint a playroom for her sons in her elegant house, Gina even offers the professional services of her husband, an intimidating lawyer with a substantial art collection. The tension builds with the theft of a Dürer drawing worth $10 million on its way to the Chicago Art Institute, a kidnapping and a murder whose chief suspect is Annie herself.”

The Santa Shop (The Santa Conspiracy) by Tim Greaton is a heartwarming story of hope and redemption. Readers have commented that this tale has elicited in them a mix of emotions – happiness, anger, fear, hope, and more. Aggregate rating is 5 stars based on 5 customer reviews.

Guardian Cats and the Lost Books of Alexandria. Marco is not just any cat. He’s a guardian of an ancient mystical book. As a guardian he must protect it – and the library that holds the book – from other-worldly creatures that try to steal it and destroy the library. Aggregate rating for Rahma Krambo’s children’s fiction/ science, fantasy & magic is 4.8 stars based on 11 customer reviews.

Amos Walker: The Complete Story Collection features 32 short stories comprising Loren Estleman’s Amos Walker series. Aggregate rating for the hardboiled fiction is 4.8 stars based on 4 customer reviews.

The Fox is a tale of two women separated centuries apart, linked by a Druidic lore of reincarnation. This debut novel by Arlene Radasky shows a rich mix of history, myth, romance, and mystery. Aggregate rating is 4.6 stars based on 36 customer reviews.

The Noon God is a murder mystery intertwined within a fragile family relationship. Written by Donna Carrick, the eBook is rated 4.9 stars based on 9 customer reviews.

Cat’s Cradle. A Regency novella by Shannon Donnely, it tells the story of a how a widow and a rake find romance, thanks to a cat and her kittens. Aggregate rating is 4.3 stars based on 3 customer reviews.

And since Christmas is nigh, you may get Christmas recipe ideas from the following cookbooks:  

The Everything Potluck Cookbook (Everything Series). Get potluck ideas, recipes, menu suggestions, and other party tips from this cookbook/ guidebook Linda Larsen. Aggregate rating is 3 stars based on 3 customer reviews.

Salads for Every Season: 25 Salads from Earthbound Farm: A Workman Short. This cookbook features 25 salad recipes from salad queen Myra Goodman. Aggregate rating is 5 stars based on 2 customer reviews.

Easy Vegetarian Recipes. Create sumptuous vegetable dishes that even die-hard meat-lovers will eat again and again. The recipes featured in the cookbook are written by veggie experts of Instructables.com. The cookbook has 4 stars and 1 customer review so far.

1. Circle of Friends Cookbook – 25 Savory Pie Recipes. This collection from Gooseberry Patch features 25 savory pie recipes, including a flaky chicken pot pie and spaghetti pie. Aggregate rating is 4 stars based on 3 customer reviews.

Before using your Kindle Fire for the first time:

• Charge your Kindle for four hours.
• Register the Kindle Fire to your Amazon account (if you have not done this yet)

To connect to WiFi: Tap the Quick Settings icon located on the top right of the screen. Tap ‘WiFi’ then select the network you wish to connect to.

To update firmware:  To find out if your Kindle Fire is shipped with firmware version 6.0.0 or 6.1.0, Navigate to Quick Settings. Tap to open. Tap ‘More,’ then tap ‘Device’. If you’re device is running the first version, you can update to firmware version 6.1 by following these instructions from Amazon.

To add item to Favorites: Navigate to the item (e.g. book, music, video). Press and hold to display options. Tap ‘Add to Favorites’.

To delete an item from the Favorites: Press and hold an item to display options. When the pop-up appears, tap ‘Remove from Favorites”.

To use apps or other content bought from Amazon offline: From the content page, navigate to ‘Cloud’. Tap once the item you wish to be available to you offline. Navigate to the options bar at the bottom of the content library screen. Tap ‘Menu’, then tap ‘Download’.

To redownload purchased Kindle books from Amazon: On the Amazon website, log in to your account. On your account page, navigate to then click ‘Manage Your Kindle’.  On the ‘Manage  Your Kindle’ page, click ‘Your Orders’. Select the item(s) you wish to re-download. On the right side of the order page, indicate the device you want to send it to (that is, the Kindle Fire). Click the ‘Go’ button to start the download. This takes about a minute to complete.

Download free movies for Kindle Fire

 Here’s a list of sites that allows you to download free movies to your kindle Fire:    

1. SurfTheChannel
2. Entertainment Magazine
3. Hulu
4. TheMovieHome

Download  free audiobooks for Kindle Fire

Here’s a list of sites that offer free audiobook downloads

1. BooksShouldBeFree
2. AudioBooksForFree
3. ThoughtAudio

Importing Google contacts: You can easily import your Gmail contacts to your Kindle Fire email app during set up easily using the following steps:

1. Open the Kindle Fire email app.
2. Enter your Gmail address and password.
3. Once the email app has validated the account, it will prompt you if you want to import your Gmail contacts.
4. Click the checkbox to nominate import, then click ‘Finish’.
5. Wait until the importation process is completed before closing the email app or proceeding to your next task.

Installing the Google Android to your Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire runs on Android OS, which makes a dream job of any hacker. Since Amazon released the Fire’s source code (this is a requirement under Google’s Android licensing agreement) last Thursday, developers were hard at work rooting the tablet. If you want to expand the app selection on your Kindle Fire, Redmondpie has the step-by-step guide on how to bring the Google Android Market to your Kindle Fire.

1. Deadly Stillwater – Thriller (McRyan Mystery Series). This is the second book in Roger Stelljes’ police procedural/ thriller series. Here, Mac McRyan has to face political scrutiny even as he tries to solve the mystery behind a daytime kidnapping. Aggregate rating is 4 stars based on 4 customer reviews.
2. Cool Shade is a RITA-award winning romantic suspense by Theresa Weir. Jobless disk jockey Maddie Smith goes home to Nebraska to find her missing sister, who disappeared after she was dumped by Eddie Berlin, a recluse. However, Maddie soon finds herself falling for Eddie.  Aggregate rating is 4.6 stars based on 23 customer reviews.
3. A Chance for Charity (The Immortal Ones – Book One). Emily has to stay away from Link if she wants to keep him out of danger. That’s because Emily belongs to a different realm; she is not a mere mortal. The problem is, she is strongly attracted to Link. Can she get her second chance at happiness? Written by S.L. Baum, the paranormal romance is rated 4.7 stars based on 31 customer reviews.
4. Diary of the Displaced. What if you accidentally find yourself in a land peopled zombies? What will you do to survive? That’s what James Halldon has to figure out after he stumbles into The Corridor, the realm of the living dead. Written by Glynn James, the horror novel is rated 4.5 stars on 40 customer reviews.
5. Tribes. The son of an anthropologist studies the various “tribes” in high school. This young adult fiction by Arthur Slade is an unusual study of high school culture. Aggregate rating is 4.8 stars based on 5 customer reviews.
6. The Color of Freedom by Michelle Heisenhoff is a historical fiction about a 14-year old Irish girl who, disguised as a boy, sets on foot to find her father in Boston. The novel has 5 stars and 1 customer review so far.

Also available are two nonfiction eBooks – 

1. Gingerbread Cookbook (Gooseberry Patch Classics). Gooseberry Patch provides home bakers over 20 classic gingerbread cookie recipes. Aggregate rating for the cookbook is 4.8 stars based on 4 customer reviews.
2. Now You’re Thinking!: Change Your Thinking…Revolutionize Your Career…Transform Your Life. We all know that our mind is a powerful tool, but how do we use it to change our world and of those around us. The eBook is written by Stewart Emery, Heather Ishikawa, John Maketa, Russ Hlla, and Judy Chartrand. Aggregate rating is 4 stars based on 36 stars.

1. On Sparrow Hill. Like its prequel, The Oak Leaves, this contemporary/ light religious fiction combines two distant time periods: present-day London and Victorian Ireland.  The eBook, which is written by Maureen Lang, is rated 4.8 stars on 14 customer reviews.
2. The Journey Home is a poignant story that intertwines the lives of three different people, each longing and searching what they call home. Written by Michael Baron, the romance/ genre fiction is rated 4.4 stars on 22 customer reviews.
3. The Deputy. Toby is asked by the chief of police to watch a dead body in the middle of the street while the other cops investigate. He goes into a diner for a second and when he comes out, the body is gone. That’s when his life kicks several notches up. This mystery/thriller by Victor Gischler is written in the pulp/noir tradition. Aggregate rating is 4.5 stars based on 18 customer reviews.
4. SNOWDOMED is a suspenseful little tale about a man’s obsession with snow globes. Written by John Holten, the short story is rated 4.8 stars on 5 customer reviews.
5. Lightning Rider (Dangerous Women & Desperate Men). A winner of Canada’s Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Story, this suspenseful tales tells the story of a 26-year old woman who came to Las Vegas “not to gamble but to collect”. Written by Rick Mofina, the short story is rated 5 stars on 4 customer reviews.
6. The Glass Case by Kristin Hannah is a poignant short story of realizing what is really important to you. Aggregate rating is 4.8 stars based on 4 customer reviews.

The following non-fiction eBooks are interesting reads as well.

1. Hire Me, Hollywood!: Your Behind-the-Scenes Guide to the Most Exciting – and Unexpected – Jobs in Show Business. Hollywood insiders Mark Scherzer and Keith Fenimore give readers an inside scoop on the different exciting jobs in Hollywood – from doing stunts to styling hair to producing a movie or TV show. Included are 30 comedic — and sometimes  racy – interviews of different Hollywood personalities. The eBook has no customer reviews yet.
2. A Guide for Listening and Inner-Healing Prayer: Meeting God in the Broken Places. In this workbook/ guidebook, Rusty Rustenbach instructs readers how to achieve inner healing through prayer. The eBook has 4 stars and 1 customer review so far.
3. Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Professional and Personal Life. Richard Paul and Linda Elder show readers how they can become better thinker in all aspects of their lives – as a student, consumer, lover, friend, parent, etc. Aggregate rating is 3.8 stars based on 28 customer reviews.
4. Letters From Alabama. Harvey Johnson reconstructs 19^th century Alabama through his comments on steamboat travel, hunting, etc. Aggregate rating is 5 stars based on 2 customer reviews.

Features –Hardware and Software

The Nook Tablet vastly improves on 4 major areas: speed, storage, screen display, and software.

First, the Nook Tablet’s speed: As far as mock models have demonstrated, the device is noticeably zippier than last year’s model, and this is because of a more robust 1.2GHz dual core processor and 1GB RAM.

Size of onboard storage has doubled up to 16GB (14GB is available to user). Coupled with SD card slot, which supports 32GB cards, the Nook Tablet lets you carry up to 6 times more files than the Kindle Fire. While many applaud Amazon’s Cloud storage for the seemingly infinite amount of files it can store, it can substitute the convenience of having your files accessible at all times, whether you’re in a WiFi hotspot or not. However, if you prefer cloud storage, you can get Dropbox or similar free cloud storage apps to the device.

The Nook Tablet is outfitted with the same 1024 x 600 IPS LCD screen with 16 million colors and 89 percent viewing angle found in the Nook Color. A laminated coating, however, gives the Tablet extra vividness and less glare that makes it great for watching hi-res videos.  It promises to support 1080p HD videos, but Netflix movies will be displayed in 720p only, which some may find disappointing.

While Apple and Amazon use their respective tablets as platform for their multiple products, Barnes & Noble takes a different approach. B&N will be providing eBooks, magazines, newspapers , and apps via its Nook Store, but other digital media services will be outsourced to companies like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, and Rhapsody. A combination of old and new B&N apps will be made available, such as   Read and Record (for recording custom narration of children books), Nook Kids, and Page Perfect (a PDF reader).

The Nook Tablet promises a record-holding 11.5 hours of reading or 9 hours of video with wireless off.

Pros

The Nook Tablet comes with a compact design. 0.48 inch thin and weighing  14.1 ounces only, it is comfortably light and easy to hold. Combined onboard storage and SD expansion slot allows you to carry thousands of movie, audio, photo, and text files on the go. High resolution screen is great for HP movie viewing.

Cons

Despite the name, the Nook Tablet is not a full-fledged tablet like the iPad or the Galaxy Tab. B&N had to cut corners somewhere to lower the cost of the device, and three items you won’t find in the tablet are: camera, 3G wireless, and Bluetooth support.

The Bottom Line

The Nook Tablet weds affordability and power. If you are looking for an affordable tablet with the storage and speed of an iPad, the Nook Tablet seems to be the only tablet that fits this category. However, this review is based only on the demonstrations and mock models provided by B&N. We’ll update this review once the actual Nook Tablet arrives. Shipping begins November 17.