Why I don't use Kindle

17 August 2019 20:16 (GMT)

Hello everyone,,
Reposting from another thread for visibility (and because I haven't been downvoted today):
Amazon holds the keys to your Kindle: they know what books are on it, they can change the books or even remove them from your device without your permission.
Granted, they tend inform you when there is an "update" to an ebook you have purchased, and the known reasons they have removed books in the past arr because they weren't supposed to sell them in the first place, but yeah--they have that capability and have used it in the past.
Does Amazon actively track which books you've read or how far into each you've gone? I don't know. But they can get that information: whispersync requires it to work. And any data collected can be used and sold, if not now, then in the future. It can be used to target you: "you liked this book, so you'll want to buy that one..."
Yes, it can be convenient if my bookseller can tell me when the next installment of a favorite series is coming off the press. On the other hand, if some unnamable government agency has access to those lists and decides that anyone who reads Chemistry 101, say is a potential domestic terrorist, then I have issues with it.
On the gripping hand, if some hacker breaks into the big digital book locker and decides to delete every file that contains the word "witch", which then sucks them all out of every reader that calls home, I will remain content knowing that my archived Harry Potter series is safe and personally accessible on my non-Amazon reader.

Kindles make the best gifts!

19 July 2019 15:07 (GMT)

Last week I discovered that I could share my entire Amazon cloud full of e books with my youngest daughter, she's 19 and is developing a taste for psychological thrillers like me. So I set up the household account and got it all working. Well afterwards I was browsing Kindles in Amazon as hers is about 5 years or more old now and was second hand when she had it, so it's done really well and is still going strong, but I thought she deserved a new one and as she's done really well and got all distinctions in her college biology work this last year decided I'd surprise her with a brand new model. I ordered it and didn't breath a word and when it came I just handed her the parcel and said it was for her. Her face when she realised what it was was such a picture and a real joy. She was so surprised and was thrilled to bits. She ordered a new case for it too and it's been going everywhere with her. I'll never forget her face!!! They really do make amazing gifts, both of mine have been gifts, first one was from my husband and the second I saved birthday money from family and bought one. My eldest daughter still ha my keyboard one and Nina my youngest says she's going to keep the old one in her college bag so she always has one on hand.

Moving items from Docs to Books

07 July 2019 16:59 (GMT)

A number of books transferred to my Kindle Paperwhite have gone into Docs by mistake.  Can anyone tell me a way of moving them across into Books?  It seems that I can't read Docs items if I'm reading from my laptop instead of my Kindle which is one reason for me wanting to. I think one of my items in Docs is part of a series, the rest of which are in Books.

Not all collections transferring to new Paperwhite

01 May 2019 17:19 (GMT)

I recently got the latest PW, and am suitably impressed. When I registered it, it did what it should do and all my collections appeared on it when I touch the "All" option...

Well, nearly all - but not quite. I have about 60-odd collections on my Amazon account, but about five of them haven't transferred to my PW. Any advice, short of de-registering and then re-registering the thing (which may or may not work anyway...)?

Thanks

My Paperwhite refuses to sync to the last page read

29 April 2019 17:51 (GMT)

Hi. I read my books on my phone with the Kindle Android app and on my third generation Paperwhite. These last couple of weeks my Paperwhite refuses to sync to the last page read. Instead it gives me this error:
"Unable to retrieve the furthest location read. If this is the first time you have opened this book, your device will update your location when you close the book or your device goes to sleep."
My phone doesn't give any error, but as I'm unable to sync my progress from my Kindle to the cloud, I can't really test whether the app works.
The weird thing is that syncing bookmarks works fine. I know I can use this as a workaround, but it's hardly ideal.  Lorem Ipsum Temp Mail 10 Minute Mail

Another workaround is to delete the book and redownload it on my Kindle. This let's me get the current progress, but only that time.

FREE through 18 Aug. AREA 51: INTERSTELLAR

14 August 2019 15:38 (GMT)

AREA 51: INTERSTELLAR

Many millennia ago, humans, including us, were seeded on fifteen worlds by an alien race, the Airlia.We believe we evolved, but the reality is we were bred as cannon fodder for the Airlia's interstellar war against the Swarm, a viral race whose only mission appears to be the obliteration of sentient life wherever encountered.

On some worlds humans realized the truth about their origins, uncovered their hidden alien overlords and rebelled. On one world they succeeded, but in the process destroyed their planet. They sent teams to the other worlds to foment uprisings. Our Earth is one. Earth15 is also one of those worlds.

One of those teams, Bren and her mate Markus, have been leading revolution on Earth15 off and on for thousands of years, slowly eroding the power of the Airlia who rule as gods. But today she encounters Arcturus, a man who claims the impossible: he was on the planet before the Airlia.

If this blasphemy is true, what other truths need to be uncovered about the history and origin of mankind and our place among the stars? Who are we?

Praise for Mayer's books: "The best combination of science fiction and technothriller this year." Publishers Weekly ref The Rock
Kirkus Reviews reference Synbat: "Action packed entertainment. An atavistic milieu plausibly conjured up by Mayer."


Editor's note: Even if you haven't read the previous Area 51 books you can read this and it will get you into the series. For those who've read the previous books, you'll learn a lot more "truth" about the backstory to the series and merge with the end of the last book, Invasion.

Free today - Sat 10 August...: WHY... ? (pronounced 'y') by C. R. Bishop

10 August 2019 07:32 (GMT)

Free today - Sat 10 August for 1 day only...:  WHY... ? (pronounced y) by C. R. Bishop.

FREE through 8 August.. IDES OF MARCH

04 August 2019 13:56 (GMT)

IDES OF MARCH (Time Patrol)
'If not, the Fates with traitors do contrive!' Julius Caesar, Act 2, Scene 3.

What does it take to change history and destroy our reality? Change events on the same date, 15 March, in six different years. The Time Patrol must send an agent back to each day, with just 24 hours for each to defeat the Shadow's plan to disrupt our time-line, creating a time tsunami and wiping our present out.

44 BC. Caesar heads to the Senate for his date with death, despite the warning about the Ides. But some have another idea 

FREE today only8/3 (CUT OUT Green Berets)

03 August 2019 14:10 (GMT)

CUT OUT
Green Beret Dave Riley returns in this taut thriller set in the shadowy world of the federal witness protection program. Riley and his friend, police detective Donna Giannini, are asked to protect a friend whose life is in danger, and find themselves ensnared in the same web: Professional hit-men are stalking them, and the killers seem to know their every move.

Bodies disappear; phones are tapped; computer programs are compromised. Who is behind it? Who can they trust? And how can they escape when they don't know who the enemy is?

It all leads from Chicago to an explosive climax high in the Smoky Mountains.

Kirkus Reviews. "Sinewy writing enhances this already potent action fix. An adrenaline cocktail from start to finish."

Southern Book Trade. ""Clancy, Coonts and Brown might have the market cornered when it comes to hardware, but Mayer knows what all Infantry types will tell you: it's the soldier who makes all the difference. Fans of military action will eat this one up. Bob Mayer just keeps getting better and better." 


_________________________________________________________________________
 
Bob Mayer is one of the top all-time selling authors on Amazon, having hit #1 numerous times in multiple genres including thriller, science fiction and historical fiction. His books are perfect for fans of Lee Child's Jack Reacher, Michael Crichton, Steve Berry's Cotton Malone, Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp, Mark Greaney's Gray Man, Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne, Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon, Brad Taylor's Pike Logan, Brad Thor's Scot Harvath, Dan Brown's Robert Langdon, James Rollins and Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan. His background in Special Operations adds an extra level of authenticity to his books.

Free today 3 August: The Worry by Chris Bishop

03 August 2019 08:34 (GMT)

Free today for 3 Augst only:  The Worry by Chris Bishop.