The Sunday Salon and Black Friday Deals for the Bookish

Welcome to The Sunday Salon! It's that time of the week where we sit down and relax a bit and talk books! So find yourself a comfy chair, grab a cup of joe and let's share our passion for reading!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Here in Connecticut we had all the usual fixings, except I wasn't able to cook! My dear hubby buried himself in the kitchen as I looked from afar from my walker… which prevented me from participating in Another event --- Black Friday! Black Friday originated in Philadelphia, where the phrase was coined to describe the heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic the day after Thanksgiving. By 1975 the term began spreading outside of Philadelphia and became better known as the busiest shopping day of the year, and the official start of the Christmas shopping season. I have participated in this ritual a few times, just for fun and not at any of the noted "crazy & dangerous" places like Walmart, but there are bargains to be had without venturing out of your house… especially for us bookish people.

First of all, if you want a wonderful eReader at a incredible price, the Nook HD 8 GB is available for only $79! That's $50 off the normal price for a eReader and Tablet that has one of the most resolute screens on the market! Now, online they are all sold out, so you need to get one at your local Barnes & Noble before the end of today! And the Nook Simple Touch, which is their basic eReader is on sale for only $39! As far as I can see, you can still get the Nook Simple Touch online at BarnesandNoble.com.

Next Black Friday bargains are at Google Play Books. Now, when Google took over my Nook HD I was not very happy. Clogging my Apps page were Google Apps I did not want. All I wanted my Nook HD for was reading, the occasional movie and email. But as I explored the Nook for it's virtues as a tablet, because I am thinking of buying one as a gift for someone who wants something to use instead of his laptop, I am rethinking the benefits of Google on my Nook. And today I just happened to click on the Google Play store and under Books it had Black Friday bargains galore! Want the Hunger Games Trilogy for your Nook? $12.99! How about Allegiant by Veronica Roth? $3.49! Dark Witch by Nora Roberts is only $2.49!!!! Wild by Cheryl Strayed is $2.49! I picked up The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and NOS4A2 by Joe Hill, both of which were under $3.50. If you go to Google Play Bookstore, you can learn more about how you can take advantage of the bargains for your eReader. Basically you need to download the App for your Android reader and iPad/iPhone or transfer your file to your Nook, Kobo, or Sony eReader.

Finally, Barnes & Noble is offering some great books and box sets at 50% off. You can find what's offered at Barnes&Noble.com. And it seems that these bargains run thru cyber Monday. I found a few nice coffee table books there…

The Library: A World History by James Campbell and Will Pryce… Architectural historian James Campbell and photographer Will Pryce traveled the globe together, visiting and documenting over eighty libraries that exemplify the many different approaches to thinking about and designing libraries. The result of their travels, The Library: A World History is one of the first books to tell the story of library architecture around the world and through time in a single volume, from ancient Mesopotamia to modern China and from the beginnings of writing to the present day. As these beautiful and striking photos reveal, each age and culture has reinvented the library, molding it to reflect their priorities and preoccupations—and in turn mirroring the history of civilization itself. Campbell’s authoritative yet readable text recounts the history of these libraries, while Pryce’s stunning photographs vividly capture each building’s structure and atmosphere.

At 50% off this is pricey at $47.86, but what a wonderful gift. These are the kinds of books that you would rarely buy for yourself, but if someone gave you one, you would be thrilled. There are also some beautiful art books for under $20!

So, did you venture out for Black Friday? Any bargains?! And did you buy any bookish gifts yet? If you haven't yet, I hope today's Sunday Salon gave you some great ideas!

Happy Reading… Suzanne