Dead Runner: Today's Free App, Plus Book of the Day: 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die

Happy weekend, Kindle Fire fans! It's been an exciting week for us with the announcement of our big giveaway and our features on sideloading. We've got more interesting tidbits to come as well as our top apps of the week list!

Have you already lapsed on your New Year's Resolutions? Hold on strong and get what you need to achieve success with Amazon's New Year, New You in 2012 promotion!

It's nice to see a book of the day for music fans out there. If you want to find something new to listen to or call yourself a true connoisseur of music, you'll want to check this book out!

Name: 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die
Rating: 4.1 stars over 86  reviews
Price: 0.99
Description: The musical adventure of a lifetime. The most exciting book on music in years. A book of treasure, a book of discovery, a book to open your ears to new worlds of pleasure. Doing for music what Patricia Schultz—author of the phenomenal 1,000 Places to See Before You Die—does for travel, Tom Moon recommends 1,000 recordings guaranteed to give listeners the joy, the mystery, the revelation, the sheer fun of great music.

This is a book both broad and deep, drawing from the diverse worlds of classical, jazz, rock, pop, blues, country, folk, musicals, hip-hop, world, opera, soundtracks, and more. It's arranged alphabetically by artist to create the kind of unexpected juxtapositions that break down genre bias and broaden listeners’ horizons— it makes every listener a seeker, actively pursuing new artists and new sounds, and reconfirming the greatness of the classics. Flanking J. S. Bach and his six entries, for example, are the little-known R&B singer Baby Huey and the '80s Rastafarian hard-core punk band Bad Brains. Farther down the list: The Band, Samuel Barber, Cecelia Bartoli, Count Basie, and Afropop star Waldemer Bastos.

Each entry is passionately written, with expert listening notes, fascinating anecdotes, and the occasional perfect quote—"Your collection could be filled with nothing but music from Ray Charles," said Tom Waits, "and you'd have a completely balanced diet." Every entry identifies key tracks, additional works by the artist, and where to go next. And in the back, indexes and playlists for different moods and occasions.

Get your copy of 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die now!

Today's free app is a fun survival game set in a a haunted forest. Run as fast as you dare, but watch out for the tombstones and trees! Check it out now while you can still get it for free!

Title: Dead Runner
Rating: 3.5 stars over 59 reviews
Price: 0.00

Description: Imagine waking up in a dark forest, surrounded by the sounds of the wailing souls trapped in the haunted trees. The howling wind is delivering a chilling message of evil, drawing closer by the second. The cold whispers of the forgotten souls tell you to run as far as you can, as fast as you can, before it's too late. You cannot hide or stop, for it can see you, find you, and take you.

Step into the dark and dreary world of Dead Runner. Your aim is to run as far and fast as you can without slamming yourself into a tree or a stone, but fast enough to avoid getting caught from behind. Navigate through the haunted forest, around the head stones and shadowy trees, by tilting your device to change direction. As you flee, you will encounter "tragic stones" throughout the forest, memorials to those who preceded you...and lost. When you are overtaken or hit an obstacle, you will receive a score for your efforts, and find it nearly impossible to not try again...and again...hoping to survive.

Get your free copy of Dead Runner!