Amazon appears to have slowed down on offering fiction books for free this week, but they are continuing to offer other genres as free titles.  A few weeks ago, the religious category had a lot of offerings from the Zondervan press, and I am guessing (since I have no spies at Amazon how would I know, anyway?) it is the Thomas Nelson company’s turn.  The Voice: New Testament is currently offered for free in the Amazon Kindle store and has received an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on 16 customer reviews and is currently ranked #101.  You can pick up your free copy by clicking here.

Here is the book’s description from the Amazon website:

The Voice™ is the product of the best minds in this emerging generation of Christian leaders. Together they are helping young people fall in love with the Scriptures. Instead of confining God’s Word in the framework of biblical criticism, The Voice™ highlights the beauty of God’s communication to His people. In The Voice™, the voice of God is heard as clearly as when He first revealed His truth. This is the first-ever complete New Testament in The Voice™ translation. Writers include Chris Seay, Lauren Winner, Brian McLaren, Greg Garrett, David B. Capes, and others.

Features include:

• Bronze, highlighted text
• Screenplay-like format, ideal for public readings and group studies
• Devotional commentary
• Book introductions

Homebuyers Beware (Intro & Chapter 1): Getting the World’s Cheapest Loan by Carolyn Warren has received an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 17 customer reviews.  You can pick up your free copy by clicking here.

Here is the book’s description from the Amazon website:

Read the following excerpt from Homebuyers Beware: Who-s Ripping You Off Now?–What You Must Know About the New Rules of Mortgage and Credit, Introduction.

The loan shark who bragged about making $40,000 in commissions off of one homeowner contacted me again. Last time we met, we enjoyed filet mignon at an upscale restaurant, Daniel’s Broiler, overlooking Lake Washington, and he divulged to me his secret for overpricing loans, which I revealed to the world in Mortgage Rip-Offs and Money Savers. What would he have to say to me now? I wondered if he-d be angry.

I couldn’t help but shudder at the sound of his voice over the phone, and yet, I couldn’t resist the invitation to meet with him again. I just had to know how his ‘story’ ended. Had he reached his goal of retiring rich while still a young man?

He suggested we get together at Starbucks, quite a step down from the elegant steak house we dined at before, but I didn’t care. For me, it was all about the insider information.

So with a tall skinny DoubleShot in hand, I settled comfortably into a mocha-hued leather chair to hear what Mr. Big Commissions had to say. He wasted no time getting right to the point.

“What if I could show you how people can pay off their 30-year mortgage in seven to ten years without refinancing and without changing their current lifestyle-would you be interested?” he asked.

America, Welcome to the Poorhouse (Intro & Chapter 1): Why You Can’t Retire from a 401(k) Plan: You Won’t Have Ten Times Your Salary in Your Account at Age 65 by Jane White has received an average ranking of3 out of 5 stars based on 19 customer reviews.  You can pick up your free copy by clicking here.

Here is the book’s description from the Amazon website:

White (The Cost Conscious Homebuyers Guide) paints a grim picture of America’s financial future in this scathing indictment of our big banks, retirement system, mortgage brokers and legislators. White argues that middle-class families are headed for an even more disastrous financial catastrophe down the road, a result of our undersaving, overspending and overcharging ways, not to mention an excessively expensive educational system that leaves our citizens mired in debt before they’ve even begun earning. She explores the roots of our present woes, including underfunded 401(k)s, bad mortgages and unaffordable college tuition, offering such helpful advice as avoiding adjustable rate mortgages and steering clear of home improvements that don’t add to your home’s resale value. Despite the validity of White’s tips, the consumer finance directives seem incongruous along with her pleas for legislative reform and diatribes on larger political issues. While she tries to solve too many problems—large and small, personal and political—in one volume, the tone is winning, and this book will appeal to cash-strapped, mortgage-challenged Americans who are looking for answers.

Monday Night Jihad by Jason Elam and Steve Yohn is another Amazon freebie that doesn’t have any customer reviews yet, but is ranked #3,467 in the Amazon Kindle store and is – gasp – free!  Why not be the first person to write a review?  You can pick up your free copy by clicking here.

Here is the book description from the Amazon website:

Just in time for the Super Bowl is this debut suspense novel from a 14-year NFL place kicker and his Colorado pastor. The result yields some nice moments paired with problematic writing and improbable plot twists. Air Force 2d Lt. Riley Covington is given grace to play NFL football instead of serving out his military time, but he opts to return to active duty after a horrific stadium bombing. Hakeem Qasim is an Iraqi groomed for terrorism by tragic events in his childhood. The lives of both the squeaky-clean Christian Riley and the radical Muslim Hakeem intersect in a way that readers will see coming early in the novel. Rich details about life as an NFL player invigorate the story; the details become problematic when the story gets wordy (as in one long and unnecessary chapter toward the end of the book). Although the final […] plot twist is too easy, unexpected humor helps leaven the serious themes, and the sparks of romance that fly between Riley and an American Muslim woman will pique readers’ interest. (Jan.)

“I found Monday Night Jihad to be not only interesting but very thought provoking. It made me examine not only my thoughts about football but also caused me to look at how I view life and people around me.”–Tony Dungy, Head Coach, Indianapolis Colts

“Set in our perilous times, this is a frightening and all too possible scenario. . . .” Tim Green, New York Times best-selling author

“Jason Elam and Steve Yohn have penned a provocative first novel. . . . Jason draws on his NFL experience to take readers inside the fascinating world of a professional football player while at the same time forcing us to ponder the true nature of evil in our time.” Joel C. Rosenberg, New York Times best-selling author

“. . . Each page has a pulse and every act has significance. This is more than a novel—it’s a genuine work of masterful suspense.”–Ergun Mehmet Caner, ThD, President of Liberty Theological Seminary and author of Unveiling Islam

Leading at a Higher Level, Revised and Expanded Edition (Intro & Chapter 1): Is Your Organization High Performing? By Ken Blanchard has received an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on 3 customer reviews and is currently ranked #935 in the Amazon Kindle store.  You can pick up your free copy by clicking here.

Here is the book’s description from the Amazon website:

Several years ago, my wife Margie and I went on a safari in South Africa with some family and friends. We had been on a number of safaris over the past 20 years, but this time I saw some things differently. The jungle appeared more vicious, competitive, and territorial than ever before. If you’ve ever heard a lion roar, it sends chills up your back. When our long-time guide, Gary Clarke from Topeka, Kansas, imitates the lion’s roar, he shouts, “It’s mine, mine, mine, mine!” That-s because when the lion roars, what he’s really saying is, “This is my territory. Don’t mess with me.” In fact, lions will kill their sons if the sons challenge their fathers’ control over their territory.

The reason I saw this more vividly than ever before is that I had decided on this trip that I was going to find out as much as I possibly could about Nelson Mandela. We had been at a dinner party where people around the table were asked to share what person-of anyone in the world-they would love to have dinner with. It was a quick decision for me. I said, “Nelson Mandela. I would love to have dinner with a man who was in prison for 28 years and treated cruelly, yet came out of that experience full of love, compassion, and reconciliation.” On the trip, I began to read Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.

“Leading at a Higher Level makes clear that respect and integrity aren’t pleasant-sounding options; they are essential criteria for an organization’s survival. As inspiring as it is instructive, this book belongs in every leader’s core curriculum.”

Warren Bennis, bestselling author of Leaders and On Becoming a Leader

“If you want to have a great company, you don’t have a choice but to lead at a higher level. When you do that, you excite your people, they take care of your customers, and your cash register goes ca-ching.”

Horst Schulze, Vice President and CEO, The West Paces Hotel Group, LLC; Founding and former President & COO, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC

30 Years of Breakthrough Leadership Insights in One Extraordinary Book!

From The One Minute Manager® to Raving Fans, Ken Blanchard’s books have helped millions of people unleash their power and the potential of everyone around them. The Ken Blanchard Companies has helped thousands of organizations become more people oriented, customer centered, and performance driven.

Now, in this fully updated edition of Leading at a Higher Level, Blanchard and his colleagues bring together all they’ve learned about world-class leadership. You’ll discover how to create targets and visions based on the “triple bottom line” and make sure people know who you are, where you’re going, and the values that will guide your journey.

Leading at a Higher Level presents the definitive discussion about using Situational Leadership® II to lead yourself, individuals, teams, and entire organizations. More important, you’ll learn how to dig deep within, discover the personal “leadership point of view” all great leaders possess, and apply it throughout your entire life.

For everyone who wants to become a better leader…

…in any company, any organization, any area of life

Build an organization that “walks the walk” on values

Eliminate the gap between your company’s stated values and actual behavior

Serve your customers at a higher level

Deliver your ideal customer experience and create “raving fans”

Coach to bring out everyone’s best, from top to bottom

Create a coaching culture that boosts performance at every level

Vanish by Tom Pawlik has received an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 25 customer reviews; it is currently ranked #1,981 in the Amazon Kindle store and you can pick up your free copy by clicking here.

Here is the book description from the Amazon website:

Three strangers each encounter the same mysterious storm and awake the next day to find that everyone else has vanished. There’s Conner Hayden, a successful but unscrupulous trial lawyer who has forsaken his family for his career; Helen Krause, a middle-aged model struggling to come to grips with her fading beauty; and Mitch Kent, an enterprising young mechanic unable to escape a past that still haunts him. Afraid and desperate for answers, their paths eventually cross and they discover they are being watched. Elusive and obscured in shadows, the “observers” are apparently forcing them to relive vivid hallucinations of events from their past. They discover a mute homeless boy in tattered clothing and believe he may hold the key to the mystery, but the “observers” soon become aggressive and the four are forced to flee. When the boy disappears, the four decide to head from Chicago to Washington, D.C., in search of answers…and more survivors. Winner of the 2006 operation first novel contest, Vanish is a nonstop suspense thriller in the vein of Ted Dekker.

Baby Bonanza by Maureen Child has received an average rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars based on 13 customer reviews and is currently ranked #147 in the Amazon Kindle store.  You can pick up your free copy by clicking here.

Here is the book’s description from the Amazon website:

Twins? The startling revelation that his affair with Jenna Baker had produced two little boys was almost impossible to grasp. Tycoon Nick Falco had never considered himself the settling-down type, yet now that fatherhood had been thrust upon him, he was determined to give his sons his name. But their mother wasn’t about to let him back into her life…at least not without those three little words Nick had never, ever said.