Today's Featured Books— Events

Free online: B&N Midday Mystery Event. Join Barnes & Noble and international bestselling author Stephanie Wrobel for a live discussion of her suspenseful new novel, The Hitchcock Hotel. Monday, September 23, 3PM ET. 

“We all make mistakes. You can always start fresh.” ~Stephanie Wrobel

Today, we are sharing a friendly reminder about a forthcoming Reading Retreat in New York. The event will take place September 27 - 30 at Birdy's House in Delhi, NY. The cost to attend is $100. Learn more at Who Could Use a Reading Retreat?

"Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul." ~Joyce Carol Oates

Today, we are launching a new giveaway, but first...congratulations to Maureen Beisel of Canada, winner of the LitNuts Summer Giveaway, which offered the winner a choice between silver resin octopus bookends or a $75 Amazon.com gift card.

Didn't win the Summer Giveaway? Don't fret! The LitNuts Fall Giveaway is here, and the prize is a genuine stained glass table lamp or a $75 gift card, winner's choice. Good luck! 

“There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.” ~Leonard Cohen

You're invited...to a Reading Retreat!

Today we are writing to share news about a unique opportunity for booklovers: a Reading Retreat in Delhi, New York, being organized by LA Bourgeois, an avid reader who also happens to be an author and LitNuts subscriber. Read on to learn more!

A Reading Retreat for Everyone

We've all heard about writing retreats for authors. But LA's idea is for booklovers to come together to enjoy time reading and talking about books. She selected the small town of Delhi, New York, as the location for the Reading Retreat, a peaceful oasis a few hours drive from New York City, and also easily accessible from Ithaca, Albany, Binghamton, and other locations. (LA lives in Ithaca, and invites attendees from other locations to fly into Ithaca and travel to Delhi together.)

Here are some of the details:

• Event: Reading Retreat
• Location: Birdy's House, Delhi, NY
• When: September 27 - 30
• Cost: $100

To learn more, click here: Who Could Use a Reading Retreat?

Photos of Birdy's House and Delhi, New York

  

  

Free online: B&N Midday Mystery. Join Barnes & Noble and author Renée Knight for a live, virtual discussion of Disclaimer, a deeply unsettling psychological thriller about the desire for revenge and the terrible price we pay when we try to hide the truth. Thursday, Sept. 12, 2 p.m. CDT. 

“It is extraordinary how much strength anger gives one.” ~Renée Knight, Disclaimer

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. They are currently offering two free online exhibitions: Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women (ends Jan. 5, 2025) and Reckoning with Remembrance: History, Injustice, and the Murder of Emmett Till (ends Sept. 15, 2024). 

We have two great options for free literary events this weekend. If you happen to be in or near Chicago, we recommend Printers Row Lit Fest, a two-day book fair with lots of in-person readings, lectures, and book signings. All events are free, no tickets required. Saturday, Sept. 7 & Sunday, Sept. 8, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. CDT.

Can't make it to Chicago this weekend? Check out The Back Room discussion of "Big Fall Books" with authors Ally Condie, David Ellis, S.C. Lalli, and Thomas E. Ricks. For our money (actually, it's free!), this is one of the best online reading/discussion series around. Sunday, Sept. 8,  7 p.m. ET.

"Going to Chicago was like going out of the world." ~Muddy Waters

Free online: First Friday Book Talk & Reading with Shanan Ballam, Poet Laureate of Logan City, Utah, and a Senior Lecturer for the Utah State University's Department of English. Shanan survived a massive stroke in January 2022 that left her without speech and without the use of her entire right side, but she never quit writing poetry. Friday, September 6, 12 p.m. CDT. 

"Every year, about 800,000 Americans have strokes. But it seems that, unlike Shanan Ballam, few people found poetry in it." ~Peter Rosen, KSLTV.com

Free online: Abraham Lincoln's "A House Divided" Speech. Join the staff of the New York Public Library's Grand Concourse Library for a discussion of one of Lincoln's most consequential speeches. The NYPL provides a link to a free copy of the speech if you'd like to read it ahead of time. Wednesday, September 4, 12 - 1 PM EDT. 

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." ~Abraham Lincoln

Want a weekend getaway and the opportunity to learn more about other cultures...without getting on a plane or spending time in traffic? MyTourOnline offers free online tours of London, Paris, Barcelona, and Lisbon, with plans to add virtual tours of Amsterdam, Athens, Madrid, and Rome. 

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” ~Henry Miller

Free online: Poetry at the New York Public Library. Want to read more poetry but don’t know where to start? Not sure you know how to really read poetry? Join the staff of the Mulberry Street branch of the NYPL on the last Thursday of every month to discuss a few poems! (The poems to be discussed are available to read free online.) Thursday, August 29, 10 a.m. EDT. 

“You can find poetry in your everyday life, your memory, in what people say on the bus, in the news, or just what’s in your heart.” ~Carol Ann Duffy

The Smithsonian Libraries include 21 specialized research libraries that support the Smithsonian Institution’s museums and research centers. Individually, each of these libraries is among the world’s greatest repositories of knowledge for the specialized fields they support. Collectively they are among America’s greatest scientific and cultural treasures. 

The Libraries are currently offering two free online exhibits: Nature of the Book explores early handmade books, and Music HerStory focuses on women and the music of social change. 

"Sing from your heart, and the world will listen." ~Mahalia Jackson

Free online: Perugia and Raphael. Along with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (known simply as "Raphael" to the English-speaking world) was one of the great painters of the High Renaissance. Perhaps best known for The School of Athens (shown above), young Raphael spent years in Perugia where he painted seven of his works. Join Partizia Blanquart, archaeologist, art historian, and licensed tour guide in Italy, for this live stream tour of the places once visited and the roads once treaded by Raffaello in Perugia. Thursday, August 22, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. CDT. 

"When one is painting, one does not think." ~Raphael

Free online: The Notebooks Collective "In Conversation" reading series with poets Karen Rigby and Danika Stegeman. The Notebooks Collective is a virtual literary arts space focused on community, connection, and continued learning. "In Conversation" is their monthly reading series that fosters discussion about craft and the creative life. Tuesday, August 20, 7:30 - 9:00 PM EDT.

“Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance.” ~Carl Sandburg

Free online: Standing on the Moon - The Lyrical Imagination, a virtual event that explores the intersection between lyric writing and literature through performance and conversation. Sunday, August 18, 11 AM CDT. 

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." ~Maya Angelou

Free online: All About Venice, a virtual journey to the enchanting city of Venice, Italy. Discover the rich history, art, and cuisine of this iconic destination from the comfort of your own home. Wednesday, August 14, 8:00 PM EDT.

“When I went to Venice, I discovered that my dream had become-incredibly but quite simply – my address.” ~Marcel Proust

The Edinburgh International Book Festival is the world-leading festival of words, literature, and ideas, and there are dozens of free online literary events now through August 25. Visit the Festival's What's On page to see the program of events, including Online Events.

“The Scots think of it as their capital; they’re too possessive, Edinburgh belongs to the world.” ~Richard Demarco, Scottish artist and promoter of the visual and performing arts, cofounder of the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh in 1963

Free online: A Place for Lost Things, a workshop that combines visual and literary art to help people find comfort in art. Presented by the Arts & Healing Resiliency Center, an organization that supports mental health well-being by nurturing creative expression in a caring community. Sunday, August 11, 3-5 PM CDT. 

"We never completely lose the things we love. They become a part of us, hidden away in the deepest corners of our soul." ~from The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

Free online: Author Talk with Erin Bartels. Award-winning author Erin Bartels presents an informative talk about obstacles women artists have faced in the past and present, and about how her research on women artists made its way into her latest novel, The Lady with the Dark Hair. Thursday, August 8, 11 AM CDT.

“Change happens when the cost of keeping things the way they are is too high.” ~Erin Bartels

Free online: Barnes & Noble Book Club. Barnes & Noble welcomes Liz Moore for a live, virtual event to discuss The God of the Woods, BN's July Book Club selection. Tuesday, August 6, 2 PM CDT. 

“Kissing someone—someone you want to kiss, I mean—is like living inside the best song you ever heard. It's the same feeling.” ~Liz Moore, The God of the Woods

Free online: Memories of Summer. Relive the carefree days of summer with this online concert of summer-related pop, classical, Broadway, and folk tunes. Sunday, August 4, 7 PM GMT, 2 PM EDT, 1 PM CDT. 

"Music: What so many sentences aspire to be." ~Mary Oliver

Free online: The Hudson Valley Writers Center presents author Nana Brew-Hammond who will read from My Parents’ Marriage, a novel about a woman trying to redefine what marriage means to her and what it takes to break free of harmful generational cycles. Thursday, August 1, 7:00 - 8:30 PM EDT. 

"Storytelling is as old as humanity—every known civilization has told stories of life as they lived it, passed down legends of how we got here, and created fables or parables to illustrate morals or deliver lessons." ~Nana Brew-Hammond

New Giveaway: Win a Bundle of Cozy Mysteries. Enter for a chance to win a bundle of 21 cozy mysteries plus a new e-reader (a $250 value). Earn entry points by following participating authors on BookBub or Amazon.

"Every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.” ~Charles Dickens

Free online: Pour & Explore. Grab a glass of wine and join sommelier Nick Elliott (aka "The Wine Guy") for a virtual journey through the captivating world of wines. Learn how to swirl, sniff, and sip like pros, unlocking the hidden nuances and flavors of different wine varietals. Saturday, July 27, 5 - 6 PM CDT. 

"Wine and love have always been about sharing, living, and feeling." ~Paulo Coelho

Free online: Your Money or Your Life. Join for a discussion of Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin, a highly recommended book on personal finance. You are welcome to join whether you've read the book or not. Wednesday, July 24, 7 - 8:30 PM CDT. 

“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people that they don’t like.” ~Will Rogers