Archive for July 2012
Most Wanted: Week Ending July 1
1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins
3. Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins
4. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
5. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
6. Easy by Tammara Webber
7. The Boy Who Sneaks in my Bedroom Window by Kirsty Moseley
8. The Volunteer by Barbara Taylor Sissel
9. Fairest (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 2) by Chanda Hahn
10. The Vow: The True Events that Inspired the Movie by Krickitt Carpenter, Kim Carpenter
11. Loving Summer (Loving Summer Series) by Kailin Gow
12. Between the Lines (Between the Lines #1) by Tammara Webber
13. Tremble (Celestra Series Book 2) by Addison Moore
14. The Long Way Home by Karen McQuestion
15. Tempting the Best Man by J. Lynn
16. Anything He Wants 2: All’s Fair (Dominated By The Billionaire) by Sara Fawkes
17. The Vincent Brothers (The Vincent Boys) by Abbi Glines
18. BLOOD STAINED (Lucy Guardino FBI Thrillers, Book #2) by CJ Lyons
19. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
20. Breathe by Abbi Glines
21. Gamble on Engagement (McMaster the Disaster) by Rachel Astor
22. Hearts In Darkness by Laura Kaye
23. Fool for Love (The McCarthys of Gansett Island, Book 2) by Marie Force
24. The Serpent’s Shadow (The Kane Chronicles, Book Three) by Rick Riordan
25. That Boy by Jillian Dodd
Today’s Kindle Daily Deal — Monday, July 2 – Two Great Reads for under $3 — Save 69% on Jill Barnett’s Multi-generational Romance THE DAYS OF SUMMER, plus … Don’t miss Pardu Ponnapalli’s JUST A BUNCH OF CRAZY IDEAS (Today’s Sponsor)
But first, a word from … Today’s Sponsor
Just a Bunch of Crazy Ideas
Here’s the set-up:
This book is about thoughts and ideas on a wide range of subjects. The topics include building a space elevator, new approaches to space travel, Star Trek reboot themes, ideas for energy conservation, what to do about our federal debt, modifying the game of chess and others. The following provides a quick overview of the chapters:
Chapter 1 Space Elevator
Chaper 2 Alternative Energies and Energy Conservation
Chapter 3 More Thoughts on Energy Conservation
Chapter 4 Gas Stations and filling up
Chapter 5 Luggage and Airplanes
Chapter 6 Thoughts on Chess
Chapter 7 Thoughts on Ice Hockey
Chapter 8 Thoughts on Cat Litter
Chapter 9 Our National Debt and Defecit
Chapter 10 I am overweight and so are most Americans
Chapter 11 Star Trek and Reboot
Chapter 12 Thoughts about Laptops
Chapter 13 Thoughts about Space Exploration
Chapter 14 Thoughts on the Stock Market
Chapter 15 Automatic Inform Systems for IT Workers
Chapter 16 Hikers who hurt themselves
Chapter 17 How to improve dishwashers
From the reviewers:
“Pardu S. Ponnapalli, an IT specialist with a doctorate in physics, has devised ingenious and potentially world-changing ways to improve things. Many of Ponnapalli’s essays are intellectually challenging, short, well written and entertaining.” — Patty Sutherland, Foreword Clarion Review June 2011
“Ponnapalli’s crazy (impulsive, but fun and thought provoking) ideas cover some timely and popular topics; U.S debt and defecit, overweight, stock market, space exploration, alternative energies, cat litter and more. The book is easy to read.” — Recommended & Reviewed in The Mindquest Review of Books, by Lightword Publishing, August 2011
“The essays were well-written and mostly thought through. Based on his personal experience, they were enlightening and at times, laughable. More importantly, they make the reader take the time to think about our future, ponder on the problems, and look for the solutions we need.” — Teri Davis, BestSellersWorld.com, July, 2011
“Some of my fondest memories of university were those informal gab sessions in the common room. Just a Bunch of Crazy Ideas reminds me of those times.”Just a Bunch of Crazy Ideas presents some good ideas and some not so good ideas. Take them as you will. Laugh at them or be inspired by them.” — Tami Brady, TCM Reviews, July 22, 2011
“The act of brainstorming can result in new ideas and surprising results. The author ends each chapter with the words, “Discuss and enjoy!” That is exactly what the reader of this “bunch of crazy ideas” will do.” — Libby Grandy, The US Review of Books
From the author:
The purpose of this book is to share a bunch of “crazy” ideas. There is no claim that any careful research is done. It is more like a brainstorming session where any idea that comes to mind is presented. That is why you get a wide range of topics , from dealing with cat litter to exploring space.
You may wonder what the value of this is. Maybe the ideas are all not worth much in practical terms. Or perhaps there are some gems and some real bad ones. What’s the sense in me writing about these ideas?
Actually, I was wondering the same thing for many years. I have thought about writing this book for a lot of years , and never went through with it until recently.
I think we all start out when we are young thinking we are going to change the world. Especially in university, when I was studying physics, I had constant discussions with my colleagues about revolutionary ideas. As you get older, you settle down to a regular life that for the most part involves paying bills with the money you earn. Most of our energies start getting devoted to survival. Before you know it , you are wondering about managing retirement and you are left with a sense that somehow life passed you by.
The reason for this transformation from a wild eyed youngster with grand ideas to a well settled mortgage paying robot is fairly plain- most of us are just struggling to get by in life. Few of us have the luxury of picking and choosing what we do for a living. My own entry into the IT field was due to the inability of finding any physics related employment after doing a Ph.D. The job market was poor, and I looked around for a marketable job. I have done fairly well in my chosen profession, but I am constantly haunted by the thought that I was meant for something else. I suspect I have a lot of company in this regard.
It seems to me our sense of intellectual courage also wanes with age and seniority. We may have ideas that we think are worthwhile, but we dismiss them for the usual reasons:
People will think they are stupid (a perennial favorite).
I bet someone has thought of it already (yes, but they might not have voiced it ).
I want to stick to the safe stuff that’s in the realm of my expertise.
It all becomes a tedious cycle. We end up doing something by rote, or maybe finding just a few ideas in our chosen profession that are interesting, and being content to live out our lives without a sense of wonder or exploration.
So this book is my attempt to revive a sense of wonder and speculation.
and now … Today’s Kindle Daily Deal!
Kindle Daily Deal: The Days of Summer In 1957, oil magnate Victor Banning’s family suffers a great upheaval after a tragic car accident in Los Angeles with music-business star Jimmy Peyton. In the decades after, the family’s paths cross once again when Victor’s grandsons, Jud and Cale, find themselves under the spell of Jimmy’s beautiful daughter, Laurel.
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Today’s Kindle Daily Deal — Sunday, July 1 – Two Great Reads for under $3 — Save 75% on Tom Schreck’s Ringside Mystery THE VEGAS KNOCKOUT, plus … Don’t miss Laxmi Hariharan’s THE DESTINY OF SHAITAN (Today’s Sponsor)
But first, a word from … Today’s Sponsor
The Destiny of Shaitan (#1 Chronicle of the Three)
Here’s the set-up:
Epic fantasy kindle bestseller, “The Destiny of Shaitan is mind-blowing, dark, humorous, and clever. It took me on a powerful journey inwards, which was a surprise, as I’m not generally drawn to Sci-Fi or Fantasy. I love the scene where the planet is covered with water and Yudi rescues Tiina. It’s core message is unity. I believe it will appeal to people across all ages.” – Sonia Ducie Dip.CSN.AIN, Numerologist, Author of eleven Numerology books.
Inspired by Indian mythology and partially set in a futuristic Bombay, The Destiny of Shaitan is a coming of age story, painted against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic world.
When Tiina accompanies Yudi on a mission to save the universe from the ruthless Shaitan, she seeks more than the end of the tyrant; she seeks herself. Driven by greed and fear for his own survival, Shaitan bulldozes his way through the galaxy, destroying everything in his path. Tiina wants Yudi to destroy Shaitan, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Shaitan being killed by his son. But she finds that Yudi is hesitant to do so. The final showdown between Tiina, Yudi, and Shaitan has unexpected consequences, for Shaitan will do anything in his power to win the fight. The stakes are high and the combatants determined. Will Shaitan’s ultimate destiny be fulfilled?
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and now … Today’s Kindle Daily Deal!
Kindle Daily Deal: The Vegas Knockout Duffy Dombrowski accepted a dream job: chief sparring partner for Russian heavyweight contender Boris Rusakov. He heads to Vegas for the gig with his entourage in tow, but things turn nightmarish when the Russian mob shows up and a killer begins picking off friends and relatives of Duffy’s gym buddies.
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