Heather Haven's Alvarez Mystery Series: Another Great Find as a Kindle Free EBook

I don't know how I would have discovered Heather Haven's mystery series if she hadn't offered one of her books for free as an ebook on Amazon last week.  She isn't the first author that I've discovered roaming through the Amazon store on my Kindle, but she's the latest - and I'm using her book as an example of great reads you can find for free right now.

Sure, I'm going to buy her other books in the Alvarez series.  I love this series.

As for Murder is a Family Business, it's a cozy, sure.  However, it's funny.  It's endearing.  It also keeps you guessing (though I did figure out WhoDidIt pretty early on, I was surprised at some twists and turns in getting to the end of the book).

It's well written.  Never did I have the urge to skip ahead as I read this book.  And that doesn't happen to me very often.  Sign of a good writer.  

One thing I really enjoyed here was the lack of snarkiness.  The family members here care for each other, and shockarino, they respect each other too.  They treat each other with kindness and consideration and I didn't realize how little I'm seeing that these days until I read the first book in this series.

I highly recommend Heather Haven's Murder is a Family Business. Even if you have to pay a bit for the book now. 

 I highly recommend downloading freebies from Amazon to your Kindle, too.  Sure, some of them are bad; some need editing; some are so-so. And some are very, very good.  Like this one.  (Haven's no novice, by the way.  Check out her bio here.)

Libraries and EBooks. I Like 'Em. Will Hachette's New Test EBook Program Mean More Selection for Me? Maybe.

It's just plain sad, but I read all the time or maybe it just seems like it.  I don't choose between paperbacks or hard bound, or audiobooks or ebooks or even ebook readers (I've got a Kindle and a Sony Reader right now, and I'm coveting a new Kindle Fire).  I buy and I borrow, too.

Anything for a fix.

Which means that, yes, I know how to go online to my public library website in the dark of night when most people are asleep to get a couple of new reads.

It's so sweet, you should try it.  Just once won't hurt you.

What actually happens is that I'm escorted electronically from the San Antonio Public Library site to the Overdrive site (here is the link, I don't know if it works without manuevering through a library host site first, though).  From there, I choose which format I want (Kindle, ePub - heck I can get a selection of Adobe pdfs, too along with audio and video) and I can also hone my search to certain publishers, or awards, or subject/genre.

It was through this site that I've discovered Alison Weir and her Elizabethan Era works (good stuff) as well as some Agatha Christie short stories (this week, I'm all Miss Marple over Poirot, but that will revert by the end of the month, no doubt).

So, imagine my thrill when I open my MediaBistro news update this afternoon, and there's the headline from GalleyCat that Hachette is testing a new ebook pilot program for libraries.

More.  More for me.  Hands begin to involuntarily rub together .... 

Consider Hachette's Author List and drool along with me:

• Steve Martin (yes, THAT Steve Martin.  No "i" on the end, though I like his stuff, too.)
• Michael Connelly
• oh, heck.  There's much too much to type here, go read through the Big Names for your own book-loving self.

Now, those in the know will recall that Hachette did have its books available for e-readers and middle of the night borrowing a couple of years back, but sadly pulled them back from libraries for I don't remember what reason.  It was obviously a Bad Call.

Thank the Lord, they've come to their senses.  

Now, the next big question I have:  how many of their publications are going to get ebook versions?  Yepper, that's the big question, isn't it? 


Well, that and WHEN.

Gimme, gimme, gimme.