Score some seriously good e-book deals
From the Cheapskate: Google Play is offering a boatload of excellent titles for $2 or $3 each. And Amazon is matching most of them.
CNET's Cheapskate scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page.
I was pretty excited yesterday when Andy Weir's " The Martian" was on sale for $1.99. Turns out that was merely the tip of the e-book-deal iceberg.
Head on over to Google Play for a huge, limited-time e-book sale. This isn't one or two high-profile books accompanied by a bunch you've never heard of; the selection includes one bestseller after another.
You can see them for yourself, but I'm going to call out the titles I think you absolutely cannot, should not miss:
- "Unbroken," by Laura Hillenbrand, $2.99
- "Gone Girl," by Gillian Flynn, $2.99
- "The Fault in Our Stars," by John Green, $1.99
- "Ready, Player One," by Ernest Cline, $1.99
- "The Boys in the Boat," by Daniel James Brown, $1.99
- "The Kite Runner," by Khaled Hossaini, $1.99
- "Into the Wild," by Jon Krakauer, $2.99
- "Modern Romance," by Aziz Ansari, $1.99
If you're not normally a part of the Google Play ecosystem, fear not: There's a Google Play Books app for iOS. Also, many of these titles are available via Amazon (for Kindle, natch) for the same price -- though they're not all assembled on a deal page like Google's. You'll have to search for them one by one.
There are some amazing titles here, but "Unbroken" is the one I really consider required reading. It's not only a gripping page-turner, but also a reminder of how lucky most of us are. You think you're having a bad day? Read what life was like for Louis Zamperini. You're not having a bad day.
Anyway, I don't know how long these prices will last, so if you're looking to stock your e-library with amazing titles on the cheap, act fast.
Bonus deal: Game time! GameChanger Charity has Hitman: Absolution (for PC and Mac) for whatever price you want to pay, from a minimum of $1. The highly rated game sells for $20 elsewhere. Proceeds will benefit the 47vsCancer campaign, which supports pediatric cancer research. Your game key (redeemed via Steam) will be delivered via email within 24-48 hours, but "could be delayed up to 1 week after the end of the campaign (9/10/15)."