Today's Featured Books

Children of Earthrise: The Complete Series by Daniel Arenson

Science Fiction and Fantasy

The Children of Earthrise complete series set includes six novels...2,000 pages of epic science fiction! "We hide in shadows. Our planet is lost. We are the last humans, and we must go home." Children of Earthrise is a story of exodus...of humanity lost among the stars...of one man rising to lead our people home. In 2016, the Earthrise series became a surprise bestseller, captivating hundreds of thousands of readers around the world. Two thousand years later, Children of Earthrise begins a new story, one for both new readers and old fans. 4.4 stars, 500+ ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW


No Boundaries by Bre McFarland

Literary Fiction and Poetry

No Boundaries is a collection of short stories, poems, thoughts, and everything in between. Throughout the book, you will read about love, heartbreak, loss, friendship, and family. 4.9 stars, 17 ratings. From $3.89. Free via KU. SHOP NOW


See the Fire by A.W. Kaylen

Mystery Thriller Crime and Horror

A secretive cult. A shadowy terrorist group. And an FBI agent hell-bent on blowing this case wide open. Special Agent Heather Chase hunts down an elusive arsonist. She quickly realizes that the attack is linked to a series of high-profile crimes rocking New York City, orchestrated by a clandestine terrorist group. Following a web of clues she plunges deep into the criminal underground which leads her to a fiery showdown with her worst adversary. Only one side will walk away. 4.6 stars, 39 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW


FREE - Mad Dash by Sage Evans

Romance

I went to jail for my younger brother's crime and lost everything including the woman I love. Mad Dash is the first installment in a contemporary Western romance saga. If you like witty characters, gritty storylines, intrigue, and heart-fluttering romance, then you'll love Sage Evans' series starter. 4.4 stars, 14 ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW


Gillespie Field Groove by Corey Lynn Fayman

Mystery Thriller Crime and Horror

An obscure rock'n'roll roadie dies under mysterious circumstances. A prized Jimi Hendrix guitar has gone missing. Can guitar-playing private detective Rolly Waters save his new client from the ruthless collectors looking for it? An uptempo page-turner for music lovers and fans of old-fashioned gumshoes, vivid characters, and twisty, layered stories. 4.6 stars, 52 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW


FREE - The Doppelganger's Secret by Faye Westlake Newman

Mystery Thriller Crime and Horror

In the small, conservative town of Forest Glen, Oregon, the police department finds itself subject to a lawsuit that requires the next six recruits be from minority groups. Quinn Summer—having returned to Oregon after testifying against her homicidal husband and surviving a fire that many thought had left her dead—is one of the six rookies. When Quinn learns that the aim of the department is to make sure the new recruits don’t make it past probation, she takes it upon herself to see them through. FREE - SHOP NOW


FREE - Joy in the Brambles by Ross Palfreyman

General Nonfiction

Do you find that pursuing happiness still leaves you wanting something more? Ross Palfreyman has taken a lifetime of faith and biblical study and turned it toward an important and timely reflection on the role of service and joy in our lives. Joy in the Brambles shows us how to navigate the dense thickets of choices we are faced with day to day. Ross gives us a compass that points us toward joy as our sacred connection to God and shows us that joy consists in service and an orientation toward others. 4.9 stars, 14 ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW


Free online: Poetry Lit!

Events

Free online: Poetry Lit! Explore the world of poetry from the comfort of your favorite chair via this monthly online reading series featuring international poets and their passionate fans. This month: poets Vasiliki Albedo and Joseph Fasano. Friday, November 10, 1:00 - 2:30 PM CST.

"Gratitude bestows reverence...changing forever how we experience life and the world." ~John Milton (9 December 1608 - 8 November 1674)


To Sketch a Killer by Caryl Janis

Book of the Day

"A treat of a novel for whodunnit lovers." ~Readers' Favorite. Sarah Quinlee needed a change. Along with a new apartment and a new job, she rekindled her passion for sketching. But after stumbling on a murder victim near her workplace in NYC’s crime-ridden 1970s, Sarah is pulled into neighborhood secrets involving a homeless woman, a street punk, quirky locals, and coworkers with a past. Her perceptive sketches of them raise serious danger. Unable to resist playing sleuth, Sarah is soon up against a desperate killer. From $3.99 SHOP NOW


Gavels, Tinsel and Murder by Victoria Tait

Mystery Thriller Crime and Horror

A charity ball. A dead guest. Can an amateur sleuth solve the case or will it ruin Christmas for ever? Aspiring antiques expert Dotty Sayers is excited about organizing a ball in a Cotswold country house. When a lecture on modern art leads to a kiss under the mistletoe, she thinks all her Christmases have come at once. But her festive cheer turns sour when a partygoer is found dead on the dance floor. A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery. 4.6 stars, 366 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW


FREE - 29 Tips for Craft Fair Vendors by Brenda DeHaan

General Nonfiction

It's peak craft fair season! Crafters are creators, and ideas are our business. Be one of the first to read 29 Tips for Craft Fair Vendors, a recently released book of helpful ideas. FREE November 8-9. SHOP NOW


The HEART Model by Benjamin Keyes

General Nonfiction

The ten steps of The HEART (Healing Emotional Affective Responses to Trauma) Model incorporate the spiritual dynamic to bring healing and balance to the mind, body, and spirit in the one place they all reside—in the heart. "Wonderfully insightful and refreshingly practical." -Amazon Review. From $0.99 SHOP NOW


In Search of Paradise by Annemarie Musawale

Romance

Ben and Anders were not prepared for the apocalypse. How could they be? They couldn't even decide if they were boyfriends or undercover lovers. But then the earth opened beneath their feet and everyone they knew was gone except for Ben, Anders and Anders' sister, Zawadi. So now they have to find a new place to call home, a new way to be. Zawadi and Ben are fighting like cats and dogs, and there's no privacy or lube to be had for love or money. They really do not need this. Just when they thought they were getting the hang of this apocalypse. From $0.99 SHOP NOW


Roll Me Away by Alan N. Webber

Mystery Thriller Crime and Horror

The poignant story of trucker Tim Harrison, a man with a troubled past, trying to put his life back together. Despite a budding romance, his efforts at a normal life are shattered when he's pulled in by his friend and his boss to help bring the murderers of fellow truckers to justice. Sadly their efforts will produce tragic results. From $2.99 SHOP NOW


New release: Idiot Men by Scott Gould

Spotlight

Congratulations to Scott Gould and Vine Leaves Press on the release of Idiot Men, a collection of stories about wayward characters who make poor choices in life and love against a backdrop of elegant prose.

★★★★★ "Scott Gould is a literary shapeshifter. A rough Southern man who writes about trucks, beer, dogs and doublewides with the finesse of a poet." ~Jane Stern, author of Ambulance Girl


Idiot Men by Scott Gould

NEW RELEASE: November 7, 2023
Genres: Short Stories, Literary Fiction, Southern United States Fiction, American Humorous Fiction, Dark Humor
Paperback: $17.99
Ebook: $5.99


 

With Strangers to Temptation, Things that Crash, Things that Fly, and The Hammerhead Chronicles, Scott Gould cemented his reputation as one of the most inventive, distinctive voices of Southern literature. In his latest collection, Idiot Men, he once again gathers a cast of unforgettable characters in eleven stories chock full of exceptional storylines and hilarious writing.

You’ll meet a truck driver whose wife flees to Jamaica with her lover, leaving him to babysit her hairless tomcat, Princess Di; a male nurse who discovers a trailer full of counterfeit NASCAR paraphernalia during a home health visit; an amateur arsonist sentenced to a year in a Smokey the Bear suit; a disgruntled roofer with a bad back and a meth-dealing twin brother… these are just a few of the idiot men you’ll encounter in a collection of stories that will appeal to readers who relish literature with a Southern flavor. 
 
Gould's Idiot Men provides the stage for wayward characters who make poor choices in life and love against a backdrop of elegant prose. These tales recalibrate morality and convention as readers will grow to love the characters despite—and perhaps because of—their flaws. These diverse, rich stories are ultimately connected by the spellbinding voice of a true Southern storyteller. 

Praise for Idiot Men and Scott Gould
★★★★★ "A writer able to make you laugh out loud and move you deeply, often in the same sentence." ~Nic Brown, author of Bang Bang Crash

★★★★★ "Yes, the protagonists in Idiot Men make questionable choices at times, but they do so with big-hearted, well-meant, honorable intentions. And if they’re idiots, well, they’re our idiots. Here’s a great congregation of stories, told in Gould’s unmistakable voice." ~George Singleton, author of The Curious Lives of Nonprofit Martyrs

★★★★★ "Idiot Men is like the best country song you have ever heard. [Gould's] writing breaks your heart but makes you rejoice that you are still alive to recover.” ~Jane Stern, author of Ambulance Girl


About the Author
Scott Gould is the author of the story collection, Strangers to Temptation (Hub City Press), and the novels, Whereabouts (Koehler Books) and The Hammerhead Chronicles (University of North Georgia Press). His work has appeared in Kenyon Review, Black Warrior Review, New Ohio Review, Crazyhorse, Carolina Quarterly, New Stories from the South, and others. He is a multiple winner of the Individual Artist Fellowship in Prose from the South Carolina Arts Commission, as well as the Fiction Fellowship from the South Carolina Academy of Authors. He lives in Sans Souci, South Carolina. Learn more at scottgouldwriter.com.


Free online: NYPL discussion of "Song of Myself"

Events

Free online: NYPL discussion of "Song of Myself." Join the New York Public Library Grand Concourse Library staff to discuss Walt Whitman's classic poem "Song of Myself." Whitman included this lengthy poem in his epic work, Leaves of Grass. "Song" is divided into fifty-two parts, each poem representing a week of the year. The registration site includes a link to read "Song" online free. (The registration site also says the event begins at 12 a.m., but we're pretty sure they mean noon!) Tuesday, November 7, noon - 1 p.m. EST.

“Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes.” ~Walt Whitman, Song of Myself


FREE - Ben in Love by Luana Ehrlich

Book of the Day

Is Ben really in love? Titus Ray, his mentor at the CIA, isn’t buying it. He thinks Ben’s love life is a ploy to get information on an exiled Muslim cleric. But when Titus follows Ben to a compound in northern Virginia, he discovers Ben’s deception is more dangerous than he thought. Can Titus convince Ben to abandon his plans before it’s too late? A Ben Mitchell/Titus Ray Thriller. 4.6 stars, 400+ ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW


The Moment of Menace by Joe Rothstein

Mystery Thriller Crime and Horror

"Must-read political thriller!” -Midwest Book Review. Scientific advances are creating a utopia. The end of disease and hunger. Longer lives. Machines replacing back-breaking labor. But every scientific advance also brings existential danger. Who will control the future? A murderous cabal is determined to seize control of the U.S. government. Blocking their path is a woman the world knows as "Tenny." She's U.S. President Isabel Tennyson, a charismatic Latina-American heiress who has survived impeachment, attempted assassination, and political sex scandals. Now the future of humanity hinges on her winning this most consequential fight of all. 4.4 stars, 23 ratings. From $1.99 SHOP NOW


Another Fuggin' War Story by Herald E. Paetow

Memoir and Creative Nonfiction

This story is written by mea lifelong pothead. Most of it is probably true, if not exaggerated. What I can tell you is how overwhelming it is to have someone's life in my hands while secretly wondering what the hell to do next. But I'll keep my guys alive if it's the last thing I do, then I'll find some trouble to get into because life's too short not to have a little fun. The waiting joint is my reward. Let's hope I can stay out of my C.O.'s line of sightnot a task as easy as you'd think. 4.1 stars, 374 ratings. From $0.99 SHOP NOW


Bittersweet by p.d.r. lindsay

Literary Fiction and Poetry

Bryce Ackerman returns home from a business trip to Vienna expecting to marry his beloved Aimée. But scandal: she's pregnant. This is 1872, and Bryce is a Victorian gentleman who doesn’t believe in sex before marriage. Aimée, distraught and disgraced, tells him of the officers from two Indian regiments who were certainly not gentlemen when they visited her family home. Outraged and furious, Bryce hunts the soldiers back to India. He seeks revenge for Aimée, and justice for all the other young women victims. It is no easy task. The officers will do anything to escape retribution, and Bryce has to learn to put personal vengeance aside to secure justice for all. From $2.99 SHOP NOW


The Thought Trap by Wisdom University

General Nonfiction

How To Escape The Maze Of Overthinking And Carve The Path Toward Clarity, Control, And Confidence. Overthinking is real but many of your fears are not. How do you combat an enemy that lives in your head? To be clear, overthinking itself is not a mental illness, but its presence as a symptom of more worrying issues is concerning. That alone should make you want to get a handle on your overthinking. If not for yourself, then for your loved ones. 4.8 stars, 18 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW


FREE - Short German Stories for Beginners by Lingo Melo

General Nonfiction

Start your exciting German learning journey with 20 engaging short stories to help you enter the world of language and culture. Designed for both young and adult learners, this book offers an exciting journey into the German-speaking world. Each of the 20 short stories has been chosen with care to cover a variety of subjects, including vivid colors, fascinating animals, bustling professions, and mouthwatering culinary experiences. FREE - SHOP NOW


The Home I Left by Travis Bush

Literary Fiction and Poetry

John Furst has a bureaucratic job, a loving woman by his side, and a work crew he enjoys. All is going well until he must journey home to face questions around the death of his drug-addict brother. the conflicted family members who remain, and his own ghosts haunting through four generations of small-town minds. Join John as he navigates the complexities of family, love, and self-discovery in a journey that reminds us that, sometimes, it's the journey back that leads us forward. From $3.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW


A Perspective on Life: The Big Questions Addressed by Jerry Goldberg

Spotlight

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on A Perspective on Life: The Big Questions Addressed by Jerry Goldberg, a conversational book that explores science without inundating readers with math and technical jargon. Read on to learn more. Click on the book title, the "SHOP NOW" button, or the book cover image to purchase a copy.

★★★★★ “Covers the broad expanse of science in a logical and friendly way.” ~Amazon Review


A Perspective on Life: The Big Questions Addressed

Genres: Science, Science History & Philosophy
Paperback: $25.00
Ebook: $6.99 (Free via Kindle Unlimited)



This is a book about science, but it is written in an informal and readable format offering an imagined dialogue between the reader and the author. The book uses no math or technical jargon and incorporates many images and sketches to help clarify key concepts.

A Perspective on Life also recounts the major events in the personal journeys of famous scientists, recognizing that these great men and women were also real persons with the same problems in their daily lives we all struggle with.

The book presents, discusses, and clearly explains the following topics:

  • Cosmology – Only relatively recently have astronomers shown the incredible size of our universe.
  • The Big Bang – Astronomers know now that our universe began 13.7 billion years ago.
  • Classical Mechanics – Isaac Newton was the first to use math to quantify what we see all around us.
  • Quantum Mechanics – The most perplexing theory in physics, but the most successful of all.
  • Special and General Theory of Relativity – Always proven right despite the challenges still coming.
  • General Theory of Relativity – Einstein's masterpiece: what we perceive as the force of gravity arises from the curvature of space and time.
  • Chemistry – How scientists put elements together for all our benefit.
  • Biology – What we know about how we are put together and reproduce.
  • Human History – From the human migration out of Africa some 50,000 years ago to present.

As author Jerry Goldberg says, these topics are important because "the public must have an understanding of the basics of science, which is the underlying structure of our modern civilization. Even more so, the public now needs a grasp of science to challenge those fools who claim to be 'science deniers.'”

Praise for A Perspective on Life
★★★★★ "An excellent book. It is readable, interesting, and informative on a whole range of topics not usually combined into a single book." ~Amazon Review from Bob L., a successful engineer and entrepreneur

★★★★★ "I like reading about science. This is one of my favorite books for several reasons. First of all, I could follow everything in the book. I like Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History in Time, but frankly, he lost me about 2/3 into the book. I really enjoy Neil Degrasse Tyson a lot! But, once again, his books seem to lose me before I get to the end. That did not happen with this book.

"Jerry Goldberg starts with the ideas and concepts that were accepted in earlier times and shows why, how, and by whom they were challenged and changed. He continues along this path until he arrives at the current scientific thinking and then explains them, even if the ideas are complex. He does this without using mathematics or technical jargon.

"The chronological presentation of events—the stepwise growth of scientific thought—is enhanced by allowing the reader to peek in on the lives of famous scientists, and not just their accomplishments either, but their struggles too. Learning about Newton, Darwin, Einstein, and others was a real treat. Sure, they were geniuses but they were real people too. It’s a connection to their humanity that I have rarely seen in other books. This enriches the book and the reader’s experience as well." ~Amazon Review from Joseph G., retired engineer


About the Author
Jerry Goldberg is from Philadelphia, PA. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Drexel University and a Master of Science degree from Temple University. Mr. Goldberg has worked for the David Sarnoff Research Center of RCA in Princeton, NJ, and for Univac Corporation in Blue Bell, PA. 

Mr. Goldberg's career included the founding of a company to manufacturer holograms. A technique to emboss holograms onto plastic was developed in the laboratories of the company. Using this new technique, small, embossed holograms were affixed onto credit cards. This application of holograms requires very advanced technology and provides great security for the cardholder. Embossed holographic credit cards are now used worldwide.  

Mr. Goldberg also was involved in technical sales as a representative for manufacturers of vibration analysis equipment. This equipment is used to detect vibrations in large machinery to locate and predict coming failures.

Learn more at JerryGoldberg.org.


Online event: Reclaiming Mni Sota Indigenous Writers Grant 24-Hour Live Fundraiser

Events

Starting online tonight: The Reclaiming Mni Sota Indigenous Writers Grant 24-Hour Live Fundraiser (from 7 PM Nov. 3 to 7 PM Nov. 4) to support and uplift Indigenous writers in Mni Sota (Minnesota). Throughout the 24 hours, Colin Mustful of History Through Fiction will be hosting interviews with special guests (including LitNuts cofounder Mike O'Mary at 10 AM CDT Saturday) to discuss writing, editing, and publishing. 

The event also includes a silent auction for dozens of special prizes. The silent auction ends Saturday, November 4 at 6 PM CDT. All proceeds from the auction directly benefit the Reclaiming Mni Sota Indigenous Writers Grant.

"I feel a keen sympathy that all are akin. The racial lines, which once were bitterly real, now serve nothing more than marking out a living mosaic of human beings." ~Zitkála-Šá