Free ebooks: Dead Girl Walking, Soft Apocalypse, and more

   I know it's been awhile. There haven't been too many freebies out there that I've found interesting, and if they aren't at least a bit interesting to me, I usually skip them. But since I haven't done this for awhile, I will try to catch you up.

  This first book is 'Dead Girl Walking' by Linda Joy Singleton. This is young adult fiction which could be classified as fantasy or paranormal. The reviews remind me a bit of the old movie 'Heaven Can Wait'. In this book a teen girl, Amber, is ran down by a mail truck. As she makes her way to heaven, she meets up with her Grandma, who tells her it is not her time and she must return. Unfortunately for Amber, she returns to the wrong body and the wrong life. This sounds like a fun read! Here are the reviews from Goodreads, and here is a synopsis from Amazon, where it rates 4-stars!

Amber Borden is clever, ambitious, and tired of being seen as a nobody by the popular crowd at her high school. She's convinced that her ticket to success is to be an A-list talent agent, and her first big break is in convincing Trinidad Sylvenski to let Amber manage her. Unfortunately for Amber, her life literally spins out of control. After discovering what the most popular girls really think of her, she has a near-death experience when she is hit by a mail truck. In the "heavens," she meets her loving grandmother and loyal dog who give her words of encouragement, the promise of better things to come, and instructions on how to return to her body. Amber is so excited with this encounter that she takes a wrong turn and winds up in the body of beautiful, wealthy, and popular Leah Montgomery. It doesn't take long for Amber to realize that Leah's life and family are in major turmoil. All she wants is her old life back, and she will do whatever it takes to make this happen. What she learns along the way are the experiences of a lifetime. This page-turner has wit, love, courage, adventure, and remarkable insight. Amber is truly a teen heroine whom readers will identify with and learn from, who brings new meaning to the word "dead." A must-have purchase for fans of the supernatural and the occult.—Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY 

   You can pick up the Kindle version here or the Nook version here.

   Next is another young adult book; this time with a bit of romance. The book is '13 Little Blue Envelopes' by Maureen Johnson. The heroine, Ginny, is started on an adventure when she is given 13 little blue envelopes. Kind of her own personal 'Amazing Race'. You can read reviews from Goodreads here, and here is the synopsis from Amazon.

Don't miss New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson's fun, romantic, and hilarious European adventure, 13 Little Blue Envelopes, now with an excerpt from the sequel, The Last Little Blue Envelope.

Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket.In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat.

The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist.

Because of envelope 4, Ginny and a playwright/thief/ bloke–about–town called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous–though utterly romantic–results. But will she ever see him again?

Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it's all because of the 13 little blue envelopes. 

   Pick up the Kindle version here or the Sony Reader version here.

   The next book goes a whole different direction. 'Soft Apocalypse' by Will McIntosh gets mixed reviews at Goodreads, with some able to put the book down and others not able to finish it. The book takes place in the not-to-distant future and tells the story of a nomadic 'tribe' scrounging for rescources in Georgia after society 'falls apart'. Here are the reviews from Goordreads and here is the Publishers Weekly synopsis from Amazon.

In this moving debut from Hugo-winner McIntosh, the prosperous world of 2023 ends not with a bang but with a crackle, the sound of genetically engineered bamboo growing overnight and destroying roads and buildings. Naïve college graduate Jasper struggles to trade charged batteries for food as his "tribe" wanders the Georgia countryside, dodging local cops and designer diseases. Settling in Savannah, they try to find some stability in a crumbling city beset by anarchist gangs and the "scientist-rebels" who release tailored organisms to hasten societal collapse. In the end, each member of the tribe must decide what to give up in order to survive. The novel, expanded from a short story, shows some unevenness in tone, but McIntosh strongly delineates his characters and makes Jasper's struggles very affecting. Though it may be soft, this apocalypse has plenty of sharp edges. 

   You can pick up the Kindle version here.

   And last are 2 newly published books exploring Christian spirituality. 'Doing Good' by Christopher Momany explores Wesleyan ideas about holiness. This is a 4-session book appropriate for both individual and small group study. There are not yet any reviews posted at Goodreads. Here is the synopsis from Amazon.

Christianity in its purest form involves putting God’s love into action. Wesleyans have traditionally understood this embodiment and expression of God’s love as holiness.

• Four-session guide helps individuals and small groups understand and embrace the Wesleyan understanding of holiness

• Explores the Wesleyan approach to both law and grace
• Guides individuals to match faith with action• Provides Christian educators with a tool for teaching an important Wesleyan doctrine• Shows individuals and churches how to express Christianity in ways that attract others to the faith and the life of the church

   You can pick up the Kindle version here.

   'Digital Disciple' by Adam Thomas explores the effect of the digital age on Christianity and our relationship with God. This book is also too new to have reviews posted at Goodreads, but here is a synopsis from Amazon.

This time in our society is unlike any other. People communicate daily without ever having to speak face to face, news breaks around the world in a matter of seconds, and favorite TV shows can be viewed at our convenience. We are, simultaneously, a people of connection and isolation. As Christians, how do we view our faith and personal ministry in this culture?

Adam Thomas invites you to explore this question using his unique, personal, and often humorous insight. Thomas notes, "[The Internet] has added a new dimension to our lives; we are physical, emotional, spiritual, and now virtual people. But I believe that God continues to move through every facet of our existence, and that makes us new kinds of followers. We are digital disciples."

"I gain renewed hope for the future by looking at a new generation of emerging Christian leaders like Adam Thomas."
Brian McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christianity
"Digital Disciple is a new kind of pastor’s sermon to a new kind of flock. Go ahead and tweet your friends: GOT 2 READ THIS."  Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, author, speaker and new monastic

"Bright, innovative, perceptive, eloquent, and imaginative -- Adam Thomas is all that and more, as you will see in the pages of his dynamic book." James W. Moore, author of How God Takes Our Little & Makes it Much

   You can pick up the Nook version here or the Kindle version here.