Today's Featured Books

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on The Cupsnake Escape, Book 2 in the Frankinschool Mysteries series for young readers from award-winning author Caryn Rivadeneira and Red Chair Press.

"Poignant lessons on forgiveness, friendship, and fairness. Slightly spooky and utterly charming, young readers will enjoy every page." ~BlueInk Reviews Starred Review of Book 1 of the Frankinschool Mysteries

The Cupsnake Escape

The second book about a boy named Fred who turns into "Frankenstein's monster" whenever he writes his "What-if" assignments. Fred and his friend Luisa find themselves in trouble once again when the new student mixes up recipes at their class’s bakery field trip leading to snakes running amok.

While the students scramble out of the school in fear, Fred and Luisa suspect their old friend Frank is behind the Great Cupsnake Escape. Once again, they put their creativity, their cooperation, and their courage to the test—but will it be enough to save the school from the snakes?

For more information (including a discussion guide), visit Red Chair Press.

Monster Match

In the first book of the Frankinschool Mysteries, Fred is working diligently on his writing assignment when a mist fills the room, and the words on his page come to life, literally. Suddenly Fred (now Frankinschool) and Luisa (now Princess Luisa) need to save the school from the mysterious potion—and the even more mysterious and devious ghost living in the school attic.

For more information (including a preview sample chapter and a discussion guide), visit Red Chair Press.

Praise for Monster Match
Finalist, Early Readers Category, Canadian Book Club Awards

Finalist for Best Children's Book 8-12 of 2023, Readers' Favorite

Semi-Finalist in Middle Grade Fiction: Gertrude Warner Award of the Chanticleer International Book Awards, 2023

Outstanding Creator Awards Winner, Author and Illustrator

"A great selection for third- to sixth-grade readers who enjoy books about friendship and supernatural events." ~Readers' Favorite

“Humorous and heartwarming." ~Glenys Nellist, former schoolteacher and author of the Little Mole series

“Relatable, funny, and just the right amount of creepy.” ~Jennifer Grant, award-winning author of Once Upon a Time Not So Long Ago

Gone to the Dogs

Fred’s emotions have gone to the dogs! Fred’s teacher and Luisa might be excited about their research trip to the library, but Fred is not. In fact, the whole project—and his continued failures at it—are making him angry! That is, until he realizes he has the perfect solution to his problem: Simply write one of his “What If” poems, tap into the power of pretend, turn into Frankinchool, and voila! Project, cancelled.

In Book Three of the Frankinschool Mysteries, readers set off on an adventure with Frankinschool through secret passageways and grand rooms of a mansion-turned-library. Along the way, they learn about managing expectations, anger, and friendships, and discover that sometimes going-to-the-dogs is a very good thing.

    

Free online: What's New in Historical Fiction, a regular panel series featuring historical novelists with new and upcoming titles. Moderated by Colin Mustful, founder of History Through Fiction, this special panel includes Angie Elita Newell, author of All I See is Violence; Salina B. Baker, The Line of Splendor; Imogen Martin, To the Wild Horizon; and Amanda Barratt, The Warsaw Sisters. Wednesday, January 31, 7-8 PM CST. 

"If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten." ~Rudyard Kipling

Congratulations to Elizabeth Bruce and Vine Leaves Press on the release of Universally Adored and Other One Dollar Stories, a collection that gives the reader 33 ways of looking at a dollar via bittersweet stories of resilience and defiance.
 
★★★★★ “A deeply gifted writer.” ~Richard Bausch, Winner, PEN/Malamud & Rea Awards for the Short Story

Universally Adored and Other One Dollar Stories

In Universally Adored and Other One Dollar Stories, Elizabeth Bruce gives readers 33 ways of looking at a dollar. Her empathetic, humorous, and disarming embrace of plain-spoken people searching for a way out, charms and provokes.

In “Universally Adored,” a color-obsessed artist draws a facsimile of a dollar—a masterpiece universally adored—to win her girlfriend back. While checking for spare change in the laundry in “Bald Tires,” a Tennessee housewife with a malcontent husband finds an unused condom in his Sunday trousers. In “The Forgiveness Man,” a runaway teen with a newborn follows a vagabond healer absolving the bedraggled godless through hugs of forgiveness. And in “Magic Fingers," a ladies’ room attendant tracked down by her abusive ex finds refuge in a cheap motel with a 1970s era bed massager. 

Riffing on the intimate object of a dollar, Bruce’s humane short fictions—from a great mashed potato war to the grass Jesus walked on—ring with the exquisite voices of characters in analog worlds.

Praise for Universally Adored and Other One Dollar Stories
★★★★★ “Elizabeth Bruce’s stories have that rare quality of feeling as though they have always existed, the way the best stories always do.” ~John McNally, author of The Book of Ralph: A Novel

★★★★★ “A remarkable tapestry around a shockingly familiar starting point, this collection brings us new ways of seeing ourselves and the constellations of our closest relationships. It’s breathtaking.” ~David A. Taylor, author of Soul of a People: The WPA Writers’ Project Uncovers Depression America

★★★★★ “A gifted storyteller... Just how far can one dollar take a person? You’d be amazed.” ~Naomi Ayala, author of Calling Home: Praise Songs & Incantations

★★★★★ “[Elizabeth] writes thoughtfully and elegantly about the pain and beauty of being alive.” ~Eric Stover, Faculty Director, UC Human Rights Center, Co-Producer, PBS documentary, “Tulsa: The Fire and the Forgotten”

Free online: Readings from the Room features literary talent associated with The Writers' Room of Boston. The series is presented monthly and is always free. Tuesday, January 30, 7-8 PM EST.

“The creative process is a process of surrender, not control.” ~Bruce Lee

An epic tale of adventure, love, and the clash between fiction and truth. Emerson Blackwell’s world shattered when her mother died. But later, when she encounters her mother via a secret library Catalogue that contains portals to parallel universes, Emerson must determine whether her mother is a villain publishing dangerous books or whether the people governing the secret catalogue have something to hide. "Urban fantasy for bookish folks." ~Back Shelf Books. 4.3 stars, 116 ratings on Goodreads. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

Free online: Leaning Toward Light. Join the Hudson Valley Writers Center and contributors to the anthology Leaning toward Light: Poems for Gardens & the Hands That Tend Them for an evening of poetry cultivating our collective urge to grow, tend, and heal. Friday, January 26, 7:00 - 8:30 PM EST. 

"The garden reconciles human art and wild nature, hard work and deep pleasure, spiritual practice and the material world. It is a magical place because it is not divided." ~Thomas Moore

Secrets of the Catalogue by Amelia Spencer

Emerson Blackwell’s world shattered the night her home burned to the ground with her mother inside. Unable to face her new reality, Emerson booked a one-way train to New York City. For eight years, she found solace in New York's bustling streets, but the trauma of the past comes rushing back when she discovers a hidden library deep within the heart of the city.

Guided by a cryptic librarian, Emerson discovers that the books from this library are not ordinary reading material. The library's Catalogue contains portals to parallel universes.

Inside one of the books, Emerson encounters her mother and learns that she didn’t die in the fire. Emerson's mother reveals that the Catalogue is governed by The Central Library, which has been pursuing her for publishing supposedly dangerous and unsanctioned books.

Emerson finds herself thrown into an adventure where the books she reads often become too real for comfort and she is forced to confront her tragic past. Along the way, she rekindles a romance with her first love, who reveals that he is working with Emerson’s mother against The Central Library. However, tensions rise when Emerson finds herself drawn to the son of The Central Library’s Head Librarian.

It’s up to Emerson to determine whether her mother is a villain pushing dangerous books into the Catalogue, or whether The Central Library has something to hide.

Praise for Secrets of the Catalogue
"A captivating premise...urban fantasy for bookish folks." ~Back Shelf Books

"A fun roller-coaster ride through magical books." ~Amazon Review

"Intriguing and immersive." ~Goodreads Review

Amelia was born and raised in a small town in Ohio where she developed an interest in reading and writing from a young age. After working as a lawyer for several years, she decided to pursue her true passion and become a writer. Her debut novel, Secrets of the Catalogue, is the first book in The Librarians Series. Her next book, Foundation, is coming May 2024. 

Amelia now lives in Brooklyn, NY, where she continues to write and explore the city’s vibrant literary scene. When she is not writing, you can find her browsing the shelves at her local bookstore, taking impromptu trips, or spending time with family and friends. Learn more at AmeliaSpencer.com and be sure to follow her online: 

Free online: NYPL Virtual Book Tasting. Join the New York Public Library's "Book Tasting" for a taste of a variety of books from the NYPL collection. Friday, January 26, 2-3 PM CST. 

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ~Leonardo Da Vinci