A backup repository of free ebook listings and occasional reviews, mirrored from the WordPress original. “Yeah, well… I'm gonna go build my own theme park, with blackjack and hookers. In fact, forget the park!” — Bender, Futurama, “The Series Has Landed”
[Free eBook & Audiobook] The Awakening by Nora Roberts [Portal Fantasy with Romance]
The Awakening by Nora Roberts, a bestselling and award-winning author of romance novels and also futuristic mystery/thrillers under her J. D. Robb pseudonym, is the 1st novel in the Dragon Heart Legacy trilogy of contemporary portal fantasy with strong romantic elements, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Macmillan's St. Martin's Press imprint.
This is being offered as part of a promo on the Apple iBooks store, accompanying a summer audiobook sale, and the freebie is available through Tuesday, July 23rd. The 2nd novel, The Becoming, has also been marked down to $4.99 as ebook and $5.99 as audiobook for the same time.
The trilogy is a portal fantasy epic split between modern Earth and the Celtic-inspired magickal realm of Talamh, starring a twentysomething schoolteacher from Philadelphia who in this 1st novel discovers the hidden legacy left by her long-lost father upon journeying to Ireland, as the obligatory impending battle between the forces of good and evil ramps up even as she discovers her new place.
Offered in Canada & the US through Tuesday, July 23rd at Apple iBooks and other major ebook retailers.
Currently free @ Apple iBooks (ebook) and audiobook narrated by Barrie Kreinik (for regional retailers, change the country code in the URL where applicable) until just before midnight Eastern Time. Available in Canada & the US only due to publisher geo-restrictions (rights are owned by a different imprint in the rest of the world).
The ebook but not audiobook are also free @ Amazon (until just before midnight Pacific Time), Kobo & Barnes & Noble & Google Play & eBooks.com (all four expire Eastern Time, IIRC).
Description
#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts begins a new trilogy of adventure, romance, and magick in The Awakening.
In the realm of Talamh, a teenage warrior named Keegan emerges from a lake holding a sword—representing both power and the terrifying responsibility to protect the Fey. In another realm known as Philadelphia, a young woman has just discovered she possesses a treasure of her own…
When Breen Kelly was a girl, her father would tell her stories of magical places. Now she’s an anxious twentysomething mired in student debt and working a job she hates. But one day she stumbles upon a shocking discovery: her mother has been hiding an investment account in her name. It has been funded by her long-lost father—and it’s worth nearly four million dollars.
This newfound fortune would be life-changing for anyone. But little does Breen know that when she uses some of the money to journey to Ireland, it will unlock mysteries she couldn’t have imagined. Here, she will begin to understand why she kept seeing that silver-haired, elusive man, why she imagined his voice in her head saying Come home, Breen Siobhan. It’s time you came home. Why she dreamed of dragons. And where her true destiny lies—through a portal in Galway that takes her to a land of faeries and mermaids, to a man named Keegan, and to the courage in her own heart that will guide her through a powerful, dangerous destiny…
[Free eBook] The Mastermind by Amy Lane [LGBT+ Romantic Suspense]
The Mastermind by Amy Lane is the 1st novel in the Long Con Adventures series of m/m romantic suspense, free for a limited time courtesy of LGBT+ specialist publisher Dreamspinner Press.
This is offered to help promote the recent release of the latest novel, The Face Man, with an accompanying discount on the rest of the series (The Driver is discounted to 99 cents, and others at 25% off).
The series is contemporary romantic suspense centred around m/m eventual couples of which at least one member belongs to the Salinger Crew of upscale thieves, con artists, and assorted support staff, as they have adventures on the shady side of life and occasionally encounters with people outside their lifestyle.
This 1st novel is a second chance reunion romance between a former pickpocket and his old flame turned disgraced news network CEO, as they assemble a gang to pull a scheme to expose the accusers' plot.
Offered DRM-free worldwide through Monday, November 6th, directly from the publisher's website and other retailers.
Currently free @ the publisher's website (available worldwide until just before midnight Eastern Time) (DRM-free ePub/Mobi/PDF bundle; requires account signup with billing address but no payment info) and also with DRM at @ retailers Amazon (probably until midnight Pacific time for the main store, also available regionally at the UK, Canada, and other site variants), Barnes & Noble (US only) and @ Kobo, Google Play, iTunes (all probably available worldwide, but might be limited to some regional stores)
Description
Once upon a time in Rome, Felix Salinger got caught picking his first pocket and Danny Mitchell saved his bacon. The two of them were inseparable… until they weren’t.
Twenty years after that first meeting, Danny returns to Chicago, the city he shared with Felix and their perfect, secret family, to save him again. Felix’s news network—the business that broke them apart—is under fire from an unscrupulous employee pointing the finger at Felix. An official investigation could topple their house of cards. The only way to prove Felix is innocent is to pull off their biggest con yet.
But though Felix still has the gift of grift, his reunion with Danny is bittersweet. Their ten-year separation left holes in their hearts that no amount of stolen property can fill. A green crew of young thieves looks to them for guidance as they negotiate old jewels and new threats to pull off the perfect heist—but the hardest job is proving that love is the only thing of value they’ve ever had.
[Free Video Game] Trüberbrook [Award-Winning Sci-Fi 1960s Germany Mystery Adventure]
To celebrate their very own GOG.com 15th Anniversary, a rotating selection of video games are being offered free for a limited time, courtesy of retailer GOG.com and participating developers/publishers.
Trüberbrook by btf & Headup is a story rich point and click mystery adventure game set in a 1960s parallel universe inspired by Twin Peaks, The X-Files, and Star Trek, among others, where you play an American scientist who has just won a trip to a quaint remote rural village in Cold War Germany and experience strange things after your physics paper is stolen as you try to uncover who would do that and why and what's really going on, with the help of the locals.
The game is compatible with Windows, Linux, and Mac computers, and has fully-acted audio in both English and German, as well as text in additional European and Asian languages. The download includes the Trüberbrook Travel Guide (English-only PDF). You can read more about the game, which won the Deutscher Computerspielpreis for Best German Game and Best Staging categories, on its regular catalogue page, and many of the publisher's other games are deep discounted as part of the sale.
To get the freebie, simply scroll down to and click the Claim button on the giveaway feature banner on GOG.com's front page (requires account signup with valid email but no payment info) right below Deal of the Day or try this link (must be logged in).
Offered DRM-free worldwide until early morning on Monday, October 2nd at around 6 AM Pacific Time (1 PM UTC), available directly from the retailer's website.
[Free Video Game] The Night of the Rabbit [Anthropomorphic Fantasy Adventure]
To celebrate their very own GOG.com 15th Anniversary, a rotating selection of video games are being offered free for a limited time, courtesy of retailer GOG.com and participating developers/publishers.
The Night of the Rabbit by Daedalic Entertainment is a story-rich point and click dark fantasy adventure game with coming of age elements, where you play a boy who who follows a mysterious white rabbit into a forest inhabited by a society of talking animals and fulfill your dream of becoming a performing magician, even as a sinister force begins to encroach upon the land, offering tickets to a rival magic show with a fatally steep cost, and the residents turn to you for help.
The game is compatible with Windows and Mac computers, with audio in English and German, and text available in multiple other European languages. The download includes additional goodies such as wallpapers, avatars, and artwork images. You can read more about the game at its Wikipedia article and regular catalogue page, and many of the developer's other games are deep discounted as part of the sale.
To get the freebie, simply scroll down to and click the Claim button on the giveaway feature banner on GOG.com's front page (requires account signup with valid email but no payment info) right below Deal of the Day or try this link (must be logged in).
Offered DRM-free worldwide until early morning on Monday, September 25th at around 6 AM Pacific Time (1 PM UTC), available directly from the retailer's website.
[Free Video Game] Requiem: Avenging Angel [Biblical Mythology Sci-Fantasy Action]
To help promote their current end of summer Autumn Sale, a number of games are being given away, free for a limited time courtesy of retailer GOG.com and participating developers.
Requiem: Avenging Angel by Cyclone Studios & Ziggurat Interactive is a 3D first person shooter sci-fantasy action game loosely inspired by biblical mythology, where you play a Chosen angel sent to modern Earth to save creation from the Fallen and their demonic minions, using divine powers including Holy Light and Locust Swarm and Turn to Salt among others, as well as more standard enhanced weapons like grenade launchers and railguns.
The game is compatible with Windows computers and has English audio and text. Extra goodies in the download include a manual, reference card, and concept art images, and you can read more about the game on its regular catalogue page. NB: the game is rated Mature for strong language and depictions of violence.
To get the freebie, simply scroll down to and click the Claim button on the giveaway feature banner on GOG.com's front page (requires account signup with valid email but no payment info) right below Deal of the Day or try this link (must be logged in).
Offered DRM-free worldwide until early morning on Monday, September 11th at around 6 AM Pacific Time (1 PM UTC), available directly from the retailer's website.
[Free Video Game + Soundtrack] Ghost Master [Horror Film Homage Adventure Strategy Sim]
To help promote their current end of summer Autumn Sale, a number of games are being given away, free for a limited time courtesy of retailer GOG.com and participating developers.
Ghost Master by Sick Puppies & Strategy First is mixed strategy, adventure, and simulation game, set in a world where you carry out the task of frightening mortals out of town by various means by deploying your assorted supernatural minions in atmospheric environments inspired by and making references to classic horror films such as Hellraiser, Blair Witch, Evil Dead, and many more.
The game is compatible with Windows computers, and is available with English, Polish, and Russian audio and text. A generous selection of extra goodies are part of the download, including the game's original soundtrack (MP3 format), PDF manuals in both English and Polish, an assortment of HD wallpapers, avatar and game artwork images, and a screensaver. You can read more about the game at its regular catalogue page.
To get the freebie, simply scroll down to and click the Claim button on the giveaway feature banner on GOG.com's front page (requires account signup with valid email but no payment info) right below Deal of the Day or try this link (must be logged in).
Offered DRM-free worldwide until early morning on Thursday, September 7th at around 6 AM Pacific Time (1 PM UTC), available directly from the retailer's website.
[Free Video Game] King's Bounty: The Legend [Fantasy RPG]
To help promote their current end of summer Autumn Sale, a number of games are being given away, free for a limited time courtesy of retailer GOG.com and participating developers.
King's Bounty: The Legend by Katauri Interactive & Fulqrum Publishing is a fantasy RPG set in a traditional world of knights, mages, and royals with gameplay modeled on the Heroes of Might & Magic series, with alternating adventure mode in which you explore the world solo in search of treasures and monster fights and quests oh my, and tactics mode where you lead your troops in turn based combat.
The game is compatible with Windows computers, with text in multiple languages. The download comes with extra goodies including a manual, artwork images, wallpapers and avatars. You can read more about the game on its regular catalogue page (NB: displayed character art has cheesecake costuming, may be NSFW), and as part of the Autumn sale, an additional installment in the series, King's Bounty: Crossworlds GOTY is discounted to 85% off for just $2.99 CAD or equivalent local currency.
To get the freebie, simply scroll down to and click the Claim button on the giveaway feature banner on GOG.com's front page (requires account signup with valid email but no payment info) right below Deal of the Day or try this link (must be logged in).
Offered DRM-free worldwide until early morning on Monday, September 4th at around 6 AM Pacific Time (1 PM UTC), available directly from the retailer's website.
[Free eBook] Life Atomic: A History of Radioisotopes in Science and Medicine [Technology & Political History]
Life Atomic: A History of Radioisotopes in Science and Medicine by Angela H. N. Creager, a professor of History of Science at Princeton University, is a science and medical history book, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher The University of Chicago Press.
This is their featured Free eBook of the Month for August, and is an accessibly-written look at the history and politics surrounding the development and use of radioisotopes as government-sponsored tools for science and medicine from the mid-20th century onwards, while public perception of them shifted from more positive to negative due to growing societal concerns over the effects of radioactivity.
Offered worldwide through the month of August, available directly from the publisher's website.
Currently free @ the university's dedicated promo page (PDF available with download options for both Adobe Digital Editions and Readium DRM, follow instructions provided on download link page, requires newsletter signup with valid email address), and you can read more about the book on its regular catalogue page.
Description
After World War II, the US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) began mass-producing radioisotopes, sending out nearly 64,000 shipments of radioactive materials to scientists and physicians by 1955. Even as the atomic bomb became the focus of Cold War anxiety, radioisotopes represented the government’s efforts to harness the power of the atom for peace—advancing medicine, domestic energy, and foreign relations.
In Life Atomic, Angela N. H. Creager tells the story of how these radioisotopes, which were simultaneously scientific tools and political icons, transformed biomedicine and ecology. Government-produced radioisotopes provided physicians with new tools for diagnosis and therapy, specifically cancer therapy, and enabled biologists to trace molecular transformations. Yet the government’s attempt to present radioisotopes as marvelous dividends of the atomic age was undercut in the 1950s by the fallout debates, as scientists and citizens recognized the hazards of low-level radiation. Creager reveals that growing consciousness of the danger of radioactivity did not reduce the demand for radioisotopes at hospitals and laboratories, but it did change their popular representation from a therapeutic agent to an environmental poison. She then demonstrates how, by the late twentieth century, public fear of radioactivity overshadowed any appreciation of the positive consequences of the AEC’s provision of radioisotopes for research and medicine.
[Free Video Game] A Hero of the Kingdom II [Fantasy Point and Click Adventure]
To help promote their current end of summer Autumn Sale, a number of games are being given away, free for a limited time courtesy of retailer GOG.com and participating developers.
A Hero of the Kingdom II by Lonely Troops is a story-rich fantasy point and click adventure game, where you journey to the ends of the known world to save your sister who's been kidnapped by pirates, helping people and learning skills and finding useful items along the way.
The game is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux computers, and has text available in many languages. You can read more about the game on its regular catalogue page, and as part of the sale, the other installments in the franchise (featuring different characters) are deep discounted to prices between $1-3 CAD.
To get the freebie, simply scroll down to and click the Claim button on the giveaway feature banner on GOG.com's front page (requires account signup with valid email but no payment info) right below Deal of the Day or try this link (must be logged in).
Offered DRM-free worldwide until early morning on Thursday, August 31st at around 6 AM Pacific Time (1 PM UTC), available directly from the retailer's website.
[Free eBook] Some of the Best from Tor.com: 15th Anniversary Edition [Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Collection]
Some of the Best from Tor.com: 15th Anniversary Edition is a collection of speculative fiction stories, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Macmillan's Tor Books imprint.
This is a special limited edition treat to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Tor.com website which was launched back in July 2008, which has been publishing short stories online (many nominated for assorted awards) in addition to its other features, with a selection highlighting a variety of its science fiction, fantasy, and horror tales from both upcoming and well-known genre authors, including several award-winners.
Contributors include Jonathan Carroll (World Fantasy, Bram Stoker, British Fantasy Award winner), N. K. Jemisin (Hugo, Nebula, Locus Awards), Yoon Ha Lee (Locus, Mythopoeic), Sarah Pinsker (Nebula, Locus, Philip K. Dick Award), Jeff VanderMeer (Locus, World Fantasy, British Fantasy, British Science Fiction, Shirley Jackson Award), E. Lily Yu (Astounding Award), Brian Evenson (International Horror Guild, World Fantasy, Shirley Jackson Award) and many more.
To get the freebie, simply go to the announcement blog page @ Tor.com and download the ebook file in ePub, PDF, and/or Mobi format.
Offered worldwide only until just before midnight Eastern Time on Monday, July 31st, available DRM-free directly from the publisher.
[Free eBook] Made in America: A Social History of American Culture and Character by Claude S. Fischer [17th to 21st C US History & Sociology]
Made in America: A Social History of American Culture and Character by Claude S. Fischer, an award-winning professor of sociology at the University of California, is a social history book, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher the University of Chicago Press.
This is their featured Free eBook of the Month for July, and is an accessibly-written social history spanning three centuries, tracking the evolution of US culture and character over time, debunking common myths and also looking at the lives of ordinary people from the colonial era to modern suburbs via the personal stories of representative Americans.
Offered worldwide through the month of July, available directly from the publisher's website.
Currently free @ the university's dedicated promo page (PDF available with download options for both Adobe Digital Editions and Readium DRM, follow instructions provided on download link page, requires newsletter signup with valid email address), and you can read more about the book on its regular catalogue page.
Description
Our nation began with the simple phrase, “We the People.” But who were and are “We”? Who were we in 1776, in 1865, or 1968, and is there any continuity in character between the we of those years and the nearly 300 million people living in the radically different America of today?
With Made in America, Claude S. Fischer draws on decades of historical, psychological, and social research to answer that question by tracking the evolution of American character and culture over three centuries. He explodes myths—such as that contemporary Americans are more mobile and less religious than their ancestors, or that they are more focused on money and consumption—and reveals instead how greater security and wealth have only reinforced the independence, egalitarianism, and commitment to community that characterized our people from the earliest years. Skillfully drawing on personal stories of representative Americans, Fischer shows that affluence and social progress have allowed more people to participate fully in cultural and political life, thus broadening the category of “American” —yet at the same time what it means to be an American has retained surprising continuity with much earlier notions of American character.
Firmly in the vein of such classics as The Lonely Crowd and Habits of the Heart—yet challenging many of their conclusions—Made in America takes readers beyond the simplicity of headlines and the actions of elites to show us the lives, aspirations, and emotions of ordinary Americans, from the settling of the colonies to the settling of the suburbs.
[Free Audiobooks] The Getaway by Lamar Giles & The Wonderland Collection by Lewis Carroll [YA Dystopian Horror & 19th C Classic Fantasy & Math Puzzle Stories]
The annual SYNC Summer of Listening program encouraging literacy among teens by giving away a themed weekly pair of audiobooks—usually 1 modern or non-fiction, 1 classic or drama—returns for another year, courtesy of sponsor AudioFile Magazine and participating publishers.
This 13th week's theme is “Caught in Another's Game”, exploring what happens when characters are no longer in control of their own lives, available from Thursday July 20th through Wednesday July 26th:
The Getaway by Lamar Giles, a recipient of the Virginia's Readers Choice Award and nominee for the Edgar, read by Karl T. Wright, Imani Parks, & P. J. Ochlan from Scholastic Audiobooks. This is a standalone YA dystopian horror novel, set in a near future ravaged by weather disasters, starring a teen whose family are all live-in employees at a cushy theme park refuge for the ultra-wealthy escaping the widespread environmental destruction and societal unrest, where the dynamic changes when a new set of overprivileged “guests” arrive, whose cruel treatment pushes him and his friends to realize the extent of their indentured servitude and take the risk of escaping from it, if they can.
The Wonderland Collection by 19th century author Lewis Carroll, pseudonym of mathematician Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, read by Simon Bubb from Thomas Nelson, a division of HarperCollins. This is an omnibus of Carroll's classic children's portal fantasy novels, Alice in Wonderland & Alice Through the Looking Glass which see the titular heroine follow a rabbit into a whimsical magical realm of surreal adventures, and the collection A Tangled Tale featuring humorous short stories centred upon mathematical problems.
The freebies are available via Overdrive's Sora service (listenable via browser on their website, or via their mobile app for iOS & Android devices). To claim them, you'll need to register on the SYNC website with a valid email address to use in a Sora account, using the setup code and directions in the instructions in SYNC's FAQ (no need to re-register if you've participated in previous years' giveaways), clicking “Borrow” to add them to your Sora library as a permanent loan. NB: if you need to free up space on your device later, follow the instructions in the FAQ to only “delete files” and DO NOT “Return” the title, which would remove your future access.
Offered worldwide through Wednesday July 26th until just before midnight Eastern Time, available via the Sora website and app. You can also browse AudioFile Magazine's planned season list to see what will be offered in the weeks ahead and if there's anything you'd especially like to get.
[Free Audiobook] Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold & The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck [Award-Winning YA Contemporary Fairy Tale Fantasy & Horror Retelling]
The annual SYNC Summer of Listening program encouraging literacy among teens by giving away a themed weekly pair of audiobooks—usually 1 modern or non-fiction, 1 classic or drama—returns for another year, courtesy of sponsor AudioFile Magazine and participating publishers.
This 12th week's theme is “Transformative Legends, Legends Transformed”, featuring contemporary reworkings of fantastic old tales about character change, available from Thursday July 13th through Wednesday July 19th:
Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold, read by January LaVoy from HarperAudio. This is a YA contemporary dark fantasy/horror/social drama retelling of “The Little Red Riding Hood” fairy tale, set in the Pacific Northwest, as a teenaged girl deals with the fallout from fending off an attack by a wolf in the woods, when a predatory high school classmate is found with the same wounds after. The audiobook reading of this won AudioFile Magazine's own Earphones Award.
The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck, read by Piper Goodeve, from Highbridge Audio. This is a YA urban fantasy novel inspired by Washington Irving's spooky classic “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” as well as other tales, centred around a once-mortal boy conscripted centures ago as a “lantern” watching over the crossroads between realms, and a young witch drawn into the dangerous Otherworld, and the ensuing obligatory quest to avert a terrible fate.
The freebies are available via Overdrive's Sora service (listenable via browser on their website, or via their mobile app for iOS & Android devices). To claim them, you'll need to register on the SYNC website with a valid email address to use in a Sora account, using the setup code and directions in the instructions in SYNC's FAQ (no need to re-register if you've participated in previous years' giveaways), clicking “Borrow” to add them to your Sora library as a permanent loan. NB: if you need to free up space on your device later, follow the instructions in the FAQ to only “delete files” and DO NOT “Return” the title, which would remove your future access.
Offered worldwide through Wednesday July 19th until just before midnight Eastern Time, available via the Sora website and app. You can also browse AudioFile Magazine's planned season list to see what will be offered in the weeks ahead and if there's anything you'd especially like to get.
[Free Video Game] The Whisperer [19th C Canada Horror Adventure]
To help promote their current set of sales going on, including “French Days” featuring games created or published by francophone companies, and spotlight on “META Publishing”, a number of games are being given away, free for a limited time courtesy of retailer GOG.com and participating developers.
The Whisperer by Studio Chien d'Or is a story-driven historical horror point and click adventure game, set in Lower Canada at the beginning of the 19th century. You play a voyageur for the North West Company, investigating the disappearance of the inhabitants of a seemingly abandoned trading post in a remote valley, exploring the surroundings and solving puzzles and combining items to make useful objects, as you gradually uncover the terrible truth.
The game is compatible with Windows and Macintosh systems, and has English and French text. While standalone, this also serves as a prelude to The Whispering Valley from the same developer, a folk horror adventure game set in a sinister village in late 19th century Québec, which is currently discounted as part of the GOG.com sale.
To get the freebie, simply Add to Cart, where the price should say FREE while the offer lasts, on the regular catalogue page and checkout as usual (require account signup with valid email address but no payment info).
Offered DRM-free worldwide until early morning on Monday, July 17th at around 6 AM Pacific Time (1 PM UTC), available directly from the retailer's website.
[Free Audiobooks] The Boy in the Red Dress by Sophie Arnoss & This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke [YA LGBTQ+ 1920s New Orleans Mystery & YA 1950s Hungary Historical Fantasy]
The annual SYNC Summer of Listening program encouraging literacy among teens by giving away a themed weekly pair of audiobooks—usually 1 modern or non-fiction, 1 classic or drama—returns for another year, courtesy of sponsor AudioFile Magazine and participating publishers.
This 11th week's theme is “Real Life, Phenomenal Fiction”, featuring fictional characters placed into particular historical settings and events, available from Thursday July 6th through Wednesday July 12th:
The Boy in the Red Dress by Kristin Lambert, read by Sophie Amoss from Listening Library. This is a YA amateur sleuth historical murder mystery set in 1920s New Orleans during the Prohibition, where a debutante is found murdered outside of a speakeasy which caters to the local LGBTQ society, whose main drag performer becomes the prime suspect and his friend the club owner's niece must find the real culprit and clear his name.
This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke, read by Kathleen Gati & Steven Jay Cohen from Listening Library. This is a YA historical novel with fantasy elements taken from Jewish folklore, and inspired by actual events, set in 1950s Hungary where a girl with an attachment to a magic river, whose parents were murdered by the Soviet police, is plotting her escape from the increasingly oppressive country, only to have her plans overturned when something happens to make her decide whether or not to stay and fight for the hope of revolutionary change.
The freebies are available via Overdrive's Sora service (listenable via browser on their website, or via their mobile app for iOS & Android devices). To claim them, you'll need to register on the SYNC website with a valid email address to use in a Sora account, using the setup code and directions in the instructions in SYNC's FAQ (no need to re-register if you've participated in previous years' giveaways), clicking “Borrow” to add them to your Sora library as a permanent loan. NB: if you need to free up space on your device later, follow the instructions in the FAQ to only “delete files” and DO NOT “Return” the title, which would remove your future access.
Offered worldwide through Wednesday July 12th until just before midnight Eastern Time, available via the Sora website and app. You can also browse AudioFile Magazine's planned season list to see what will be offered in the weeks ahead and if there's anything you'd especially like to get.
[Free Audiobooks] The Woman Who Split the Atom by Marissa Moss & Bump by Chiara Atik [Award-Winning YA Science Biography & Pregnancy Drama Play]
The annual SYNC Summer of Listening program encouraging literacy among teens by giving away a themed weekly pair of audiobooks—usually 1 modern or non-fiction, 1 classic or drama—returns for another year, courtesy of sponsor AudioFile Magazine and participating publishers.
This 10th week's theme is “Inventive People”, featuring technically-minded discoverers and tinkerers, available from Thursday June 29th through Wednesday July 5th:
The Woman Who Split the Atom: The Life of Lise Meitner by award winning children's book author and illustrator Marissa Moss, read by Sandy Rustin from Recorded Books. This is a YA level scientist biography of pioneering mid-20th century Austrian Jewish physicist Lise Meitner, who fled the Nazi regime and contributed significantly to the key discovery of nuclear fission, which would later lead to the development of the atomic bomb and nuclear reactors, and has the chemical element Meitnerium named after her. The audiobook reading of this was a recipient of AudioFile Magazine's own Earphones Award.
Bump by playwright Chiara Atik, a recipient of the Steinberg/ATCA Award, performed by a full cast from L. A. Theatre Works. This is a comedic social drama play focused on the experience of pregnancy and childbirth in three intertwining timelines: one with hilarious posts on a social media message board for moms, one an historical strand featuring interactions between a midwife and a first time mother in the late 18th century, and the core story of a young woman planning a home birth as her inventor father experiments with building a birthing gadget to help make the experience easier. This audiobook includes an interview with the playwright and a gynecologist.
The freebies are available via Overdrive's Sora service (listenable via browser on their website, or via their mobile app for iOS & Android devices). To claim them, you'll need to register on the SYNC website with a valid email address to use in a Sora account, using the setup code and directions in the instructions in SYNC's FAQ (no need to re-register if you've participated in previous years' giveaways), clicking “Borrow” to add them to your Sora library as a permanent loan. NB: if you need to free up space on your device later, follow the instructions in the FAQ to only “delete files” and DO NOT “Return” the title, which would remove your future access.
Offered worldwide through Wednesday July 5th until just before midnight Eastern Time, available via the Sora website and app. You can also browse AudioFile Magazine's planned season list to see what will be offered in the weeks ahead and if there's anything you'd especially like to get.
[Free Video Game] Beholder 2 [Sci-Fi Bureaucratic Adventure Strategy]
To help promote their Summer Sale, a rotating selection of video games and extras are being given away, free for a limited time courtesy of retailer GOG.com and participating developers/publishers.
Beholder 2 by Warm Lamp Games/Alawar Entertainment is a story-driven science fictional point and click adventure strategy game with management aspects. This takes place in a dystopian near future where you play an intern in at the Prime Ministry of an unnamed totalitarian state, and the choices you make while interacting with the hapless citizens you help (or not) through the bureaucratic wringer determine what you will become: whether a loyal and responsible senior official, a ruthless rank-climber out to displace the Wise Leader, an infiltrating whistle-blower, or something else along the path you take.
The game is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux computers, with audio available in English, Russian, and Mandarin Chinese, and text in several other European and Asian languages. The first in series, Beholder, and a DLC for it, Beholder: Blissful Sleep, are also deep-discounted as part of the sale.
To get the freebie, simply Add to Cart, where the price should say FREE while the offer lasts, on the regular catalogue page and checkout as usual (require account signup with valid email address but no payment info).
Offered DRM-free worldwide until early morning on Monday, July 3rd at around 6 AM Pacific Time (1 PM UTC), available directly from the retailer's website.
