books/e-books Archives

Amazon is having a major book sale

Look at that, back to its roots! We picked out some great reads on sale for great prices.

Guy Kawasaki’s “Think Remarkable” is 39% off. He shares his insider knowledge from 40 years spent working with companies like Apple, Google and Wikipedia. Amazing book.
“The Mitford Affair” (61% off) is un‑put‑down‑able historical fiction about the famous (and real!) Mitford sisters during World War II.
Nab a summer’s worth of beach reads all in one go with the “A Court of Thorns and Roses” box set by bestselling author Sarah J. Maas for 50% off. Warning: They get steamy.
Tom Selleck is getting rave reviews for his frank and funny memoir for fans of “Magnum PI,” “Blue Bloods” and “Three Men and a Baby.” Grab it at 47% off!
Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman’s “Thinking, Fast and Slow” has sold over 2.6 million copies. If you haven’t read this book about how we think, snag it now.
“The Algebra of Wealth: A Simple Formula for Financial Security” was an instant bestseller. Sounds like a great graduation gift to me!
Read the book “Oppenheimer” was based on: “American Prometheus.”
And a pick for you, me and everyone: “Dad Jokes: The Good. The Bad. The Terrible.”

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Copy that: Google Lens can transcribe words in the real world (think a billboard or sign, menu, handwritten note, book page) to digital. Super useful. To try it, open the Google Lens app, point it at the text in question, then select it with your finger. Bam, now you can copy and paste anywhere.

Bonus episode: The Kim Komando Show, April 6

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Is it the end of the world? Rumors fly online about the solar eclipse — I’ll tell you what’s fact and fiction. Also, the government filmed an Army vet’s front porch for 68 days. Plus, Silicon Valley icon Guy Kawasaki talks about his new book, “Think Remarkable.”

Over-share-enting: Former online influencer babies are all grown up and they want laws to protect kids from parents oversharing online. One woman said when she was nine, her mom posted about her first period online, saying, “My baby girl’s a woman today.” Maybe we need to go back to good old-fashioned baby books.

In 2000, the fastest-moving and most widespread virus in history hit 3 million PCs in just six hours. Can you guess the subject line of the infected email? Was it … A.) “URGENT,” B.) “ILOVEYOU,” C.) “MONEY4YOU” or D.) “HOT PICS”?

Find the answer here →

20M student papers included AI writing last year

That’s about 10% of the 200 million assignments analyzed. Oh, and about 6 million of those submissions were at least 80% AI-generated. Might be time to bring back the blue book.

Gifts for every mom

Mother’s Day is coming up quickly — Sunday, May 12. I’m sharing a series of slam-dunk gifts for all the moms in your life. Today: Gifts for the mom who loves to read.

If Mom uses a Kindle or other e-reader or tablet, this comfy pillow stand (12% off, $21.99) is a total game-changer.
Pair it with this remote, which lets her turn the page while cuddled under a blankie. It’s a whopping 67% off.
For physical book lovers, grab a rechargeable book light with three color temps and dimming. It’s only $9.99.
These lovely bookplate stickers (gold foil!) will help her keep track of her personal library ($6.99 for 60).
A little tabletop bookshelf to help her organize the stack of books by her bed. This one is 18% off ($26.99).

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

🚀 Out of this world: At 90 years old, Ed Dwight, the first Black astronaut candidate, finally made it to space. He blasted off on May 19 in Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket. Dwight made headlines during his flight training in the ‘60s, but he was never selected by NASA. Now, 60 years later, he’s back in the history books as the oldest person to leave the earth’s atmosphere. I love this!

🛫 Get me outta here: Sharing this again because I always get a hearty “Thank you!” from someone who saved money on a flight. Based on average round-trip ticket prices, you can save up to 15% when you book on a Sunday. The cheapest day of the week to travel is Wednesday.

I’m no lawyer, but …: Docs in a lawsuit against OpenAI show the company destroyed two massive datasets used to train its GPT-3 AI model. The Authors Guild (paywall link) says they likely contained thousands of copyrighted books. Oh, and the “researchers” responsible for creating the datasets no longer work there. How convenient.

Libraries make “shhh” happen: You know those little libraries where neighbors give a book or borrow a book? “Free Blockbuster” neighborhood boxes work the same way, except you can give or borrow VHS tapes and DVDs for free, no strings attached. With over 200 locations, I love this idea!

Audible now has over 40,000 AI-voiced audiobooks. Good way for self-published authors to save on costs and add a voiceover to their books. Humans are watching their gigs disappear, and I’m really not a fan of that AI monotone.

Try this on your Kindle: If you ever find yourself wondering, “Who’s that character again?” use the X-Ray tool. It provides a quick overview of characters, terms and even locations mentioned in the book so you’re never lost within a complex plot. Just hold down on the word(s) you want to know about.

Smoke and mirrors: The fourth bitcoin “halving” just slashed mining rewards in half — from 6.25 to 3.125 per block. Translation: Bitcoin will become 50% harder to find. This is the oldest marketing trick in the book. As it gets rarer, it becomes more valuable, and more people buy in at that increased price … until they stop buying altogether and it all crashes. Remember: The intrinsic value of bitcoin is exactly zero.

📖 Calling all bookworms: You can get a 30-day free trial of Kindle Unlimited. It includes over 4 million books and thousands of audiobooks. Nice.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

✈️ Heads up, jet-setters: If you book a trip with Google Flights’ price guarantee badge and the fare drops, you could get refunded the difference. The drop must be over $5, there’s a $500 cap per year, and you must be signed in with the region as the U.S. (with prices in dollars). You’ll also need Google Pay to claim your cash back.

Google will destroy billions of Incognito mode data

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They said the data was impossible to find … until a judge ruled on a class-action settlement. Plus, we talk with Guy Kawasaki, Apple’s first Mac marketer, about his book “Think Remarkable” and becoming remarkable yourself!

Snag sold-out national park campsites

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The best spots book out far in advance. There’s a trick to snagging last-minute cancelations if you know where to look.

For all my readers: The Kindle Scribe, Amazon’s bigger and fancier e-reader, is $100 off right now. It’ll house all your books and notes, plus it comes with a stylus. FYI, Kindles go weeks on a single charge.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Is that a library in your pocket? I like the Libby app for borrowing e-books, audiobooks and magazines from your local library, free of charge. Pro tip: If there’s a long wait for a book, look for it in a different format, like an audiobook.