I have absolutely no criticism of Amazon's customer service department. I haven't had to return anything, but they were fantastic about crediting my credit card for the cost of the unlighted Kindle cover and then giving me a $25 credit on the lighted cover when I complained that my Kindle was rebooting and acting strangely. Whenever I decide to buy something that costs more than a few dollars I always check Amazon to see if they offer a better deal. They usually do. Is Amazon actually doing the transcription of books, or is it the publisher? Also, from my reading on line, the blame for the high price of books is placed on the publisher and not Amazon--however, I don't know whom to believe about that. I do read a chapter before I buy, but sometimes I want to read a particular book and download a book with typos. Another problem I have with free or 99 cent books is they are often a previously unpublished author's first book, and may be rather poorly written. Please, don't criticize me for saying this because I have a friend who published her first book cheaply and the book is extremely well written. I spend a lot of time searching for an author or title that interests me, is inexpensive, and is of sufficient quality that I do purchase it. I guess that in our world of astounding technology I expect transcriptions to be as good as the hard copy original. I will check out the links mentioned to see if I find a group that may point me toward better books that are, I hope, more affordable. Nancy

roarah - thanks for that link - interesting perspective. I also read another article about B&N transformation. It's a fascinating dilemma when a company has to cannibalize itself to survive - e-readers vs. print, printed checks vs. debit card, CDs vs. iTunes, etc. I'm actually part of a company that has been going through this. I work for what was a technology start-up that got acquired by a 100+ year old publisher. It's fascinating to be in the middle of the transformation.

Thanks for the heads up! I didn't realize the third Clifton book was out. Jeffrey Archer is a very good author--he's the one who got me interested in reading, back in the mid-1980s. If you have never tried his books, read "Kane and Abel" (not the Biblical ones). It was made into a great miniseries in the 1980s, starring Peter Strauss and Sam Neill. Also "Prisoner of Birth" is exceptionally good.

I've loved the Stephanie Plum series, as well. Lately, though, she seems to be "phoning them in", so to speak. They've lost their lustre for me. I remember reading the early books and laughing out loud, plus they also had good story lines. Now it seems it's one or the other. I will definately check out the link, though. Thanks for sharing.