Today's Featured Books

It’s Time to Make YOU Your Priority. Follow author Melissa J. Peters through codependent relationships, watch her transform, and learn from her lessons. Within these pages, Melissa will explain how she found hope by breaking her cycle of unhealthy relationships. Speak your truth. Take control of your life. And create fulfillment by believing in yourself and all of your capabilities. 5.0 stars, 24 ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW / 

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on a trio of provocative books on political and economic issues from Cambridge-educated UK investment manager David Kauders: 

• Reinventing Democracy
• The Financial System Limit
• The Greatest Crash

"Radical thinkers might have a point." ~Financial Times

Reinventing Democracy

"Holds lessons for any nation grappling with democratic challenges." ~The London Economic

The UK economy has deteriorated and contributed to an overall British decline. The British system of political governance is a major cause.

To improve the outlook, Britain should adopt a federal structure with a written constitution and changes in how its citizens are represented. Reinventing Democracy provides a path forward, including a draft constitution.

Praise for Reinventing Democracy
“A powerful, persuasive, and timely wake-up call for transforming the UK into a federal state. A must-read.” ~Richard Moriarty,  The Sun

“A compelling and clear pathway out of Britain’s failing political morass towards a brighter, truly democratic future.” ~The European

“An important catalyst for discussion and a rallying cry for a more accountable and responsive political system.” ~The London Economic

The Financial System Limit

Can the world really continue to stimulate its way out of every downturn? What happens to debt as central banks and governments buy prosperity?

In The Financial System Limit, the author puts forward three radical theories which show that Keynesian economics can no longer benefit society. He explains why debt cannot expand to infinity; then how debt interest is a cost to us all. The global economic cycle is now determined by central bank policies.

Read The Financial System Limit to understand why banks keep failing and to learn why financial and economic policies have to change. You will discover why debt reduction programs do not work and what will follow the recent inflation.

The Greatest Crash: Avoiding the Financial System Limit

The Greatest Crash argues that the financial system which evolved from the early Italian bankers has now reached a roadblock. The weight of debt already created prevents further economic expansion, while paying down the fact that debt shrinks economies. To escape this trap, evolution is needed. But bureaucratic design, delegated government, and group think, all combine to prevent evolution.

Free online: Third Thursday Quick Read. Sponsored by Strong Women, Strange Worlds, this reading series offers a "tasting menu" of science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories. Six authors will each have 8 minutes to tempt and tantalizing you with their reading. Thursday, May 16, 6 - 7 PM CDT. 

“Miracles surround us at every turn, if we but sharpen our perceptions to them.” ~Willa Cather

Congratulations to Annalisa Crawford and Vine Leaves Press on the release of One Tuesday, Early, a work of speculative fiction that has been described as "both familiar and nightmarish." 

"An intriguing and haunting story about a woman, a man, and a decades-old mystery." ~Alison Moore, author of The Retreat

One Tuesday Early

You’re on your own and you shouldn’t be. Your partner is missing. The streets are empty. Even the birds have disappeared. What do you do?

It’s 6:05am one Tuesday morning, and Lexi Peters is alone. Her partner, her friends, her neighbours have all vanished without a trace. The entire town is deserted. Gathering every ounce of courage, she sets out to explore the streets, seeking any sign of life. Her only companions are a coy black cat and a lurking fog that seems to follow her every step.

On the same morning, her partner Finn awakens to an empty house. Recalling the blazing argument they had the night before, he assumes Lexi has snuck off somewhere to cool down. But she doesn’t return.

Time passes. Or not. Lexi is stranded on that Tuesday morning, while Finn hurtles through the years at increasing speed.

Can Lexi and Finn be reunited, or is it already too late?

Praise for One Tuesday, Early
"A spooky and impossible situation that steals up on you until you’re questioning your own life choices." ~Roz Morris, author of Ever Rest

"From its beguiling opening to its heart-stopping conclusion, One Tuesday, Early gently leads us into a world both familiar and nightmarish. Eerie, atmospheric and immediately gripping, there's as much delight to be found in what's held back as there is in what's revealed." ~Charlie Carroll, author of The Lip

Free online: Coffee and a Short Story. Hosted online by the New York Public Library, this series invites booklovers to join an online discussion of a selected short story. This week, the NYPL staff will discuss "A Report for an Academy" by Franz Kafka. Tuesday, May 14, 12-1 PM EDT. 

"We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes." ~Franz Kafka

Author K.T. Raine is known for writing "sweet and clean romance with a dollop of suspense." Today, LitNuts is pleased to feature the first three books of the Huckleberry Ridge Romance Series: 

• A Country Kind of Love
• Big Love in a Small Town
• Better Late than Never

Read on to learn more about each of these fun reads and the author.

Bonus: Visit K.T. Raine's website to read a free excerpt of Tell Me Another Lie, Book 4 in the Huckleberry Ridge Romance Series!

A Country Kind of Love

After single mom and reporter CeCe Bixby has her name leaked in connection with a dangerously controversial story, she and her young son flee 400 miles from Boise to small town Huckleberry Ridge, Idaho, for a fresh start. 

But life’s never simple, and CeCe is dismayed to find her troubles have followed her. Help may come in the form of her handsome, state-trooper landlord Shane Wickham and his surprisingly supportive family. But does she dare share the truth with him? 

Praise for A Country Kind of Love
"I LOVED this book! It’s like wearing your favorite pajamas and a cup of hot chocolate." ~Ann M Diener, BookSirens

"Such a sweet romance with realistic characters." ~Amazon Review

Big Love in a Small Town

Sweet and gregarious Penny Barron was just sure handsome Gus Amherst was finally “the one.” But once his protective streak evolves to controlling and then abusive, she decides enough is enough.

When her childhood friend, CeCe, gets in an accident and needs some temporary care, Penny figures this is her chance. She leaves Gus a goodbye note and flees Boise for small town Huckleberry Ridge, Idaho, to be near CeCe and make a fresh start.

When Gus decides he’s not ready to let Penny go and shows up in Huckleberry Ridge unannounced, CeCe’s neighbor, police officer and confirmed bachelor Josh Wickham, comes to her rescue. Both are surprised by the spark of attraction that steadily grows between them. But Penny is carrying a secret guaranteed to wreck any new relationship…which is exactly what happens when she finally reveals it to Josh.

Is there still a shot for love to bloom? Or has Penny’s deception ruined her second chance forever?

Better Late than Never

Kara Grissom has spent twenty years in hiding. Ever since suffering a severe facial burn the night after her college graduation, her only refuge has been the childhood home she shares with her mother. She’s long since given up on any possibility of finding love, so when a handsome stranger suddenly invades her safe place, she’s stunned by the sudden awakening of desires she thought had died long ago. 

Dawson Wickham loves life as a bachelor. He has everything he needs with his own home, a great family, and the perfect job. But he also loves mysteries, so when he stumbles across the reclusive Kara and she flees from him, her bizarre reaction is a puzzle he just has to solve. 

Kara knows that no man who sees her face could ever love her, so she does her best to rebuff Dawson’s interest. But he’s not the type to give up easily, especially once he begins to fall for her charm, wit, and intelligence. But will his love be enough to break through Kara’s phobia of rejection and convince her to trust him? Or is she destined to live out her days alone? 

About the Author

      

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on The Shimmering Circus from author Annie Dewell, a series that throws readers into a macabre world of secrets and magic, set against the evocative backdrop of a Gilded Age circus.

If you've ever wondered what it was really like to travel with carnies or fall in love under a big top, then the Shimmering Circus series is for you. Perfect for fans of Caraval, Miss Peregrine, and The Night Circus.

"A glistening, deliciously dark page-turner." ~Laura J., Bookstagrammer

Avery's Ghost

The circus keeps its secrets.

When seventeen-year-old Evelyn is accidentally poisoned, her only hope for an antidote is to sign the curious contract of Hart's Circus—the same place her brother vanished.

As she investigates her new canvas home, she’s consumed by questions no carnie will answer: why do the performers lie about their uncanny performances? What caused the “hideous” scars of Essence, the sideshow freak who draws portraits so vivid they nearly leap from the page?

Terrified into attempted escape by the tempestuous Manager Hart, Evelyn is stopped by paralyzing pain. Undeterred, she’ll cajole and blackmail her way to the truth behind the circus mysteries and her brother's disappearance—truths that will uncover long buried secrets and catapult her into the crossfire of a plot with explosive consequences.

Praise for Avery's Ghost
"A literary-fiction style of puzzle box." ~Goodreads Review

"Vivid characters, an evocative setting, and a twisting narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat." ~laura.j_official, Bookstagrammer

"If you love melting pots of genres, you will surely enjoy it. Avery's Ghost is at the same time a history novel, a fantasy novel and a mystery novel." ~@ablueboxfullofbooks, Bookstagrammer

Avery's Rings

A new season, a new mission...

It is 1913, and Evelyn has spent the winter testing the boundaries of her newly complicated relationship with her mother—while trying to pry from her the secret to reaching her homeland. Determined to break the binding on the circus and free her fellow travelers, she finds an unexpected ally in enigmatic mentor Eptzeig Whitley, who informs Evelyn that she’s been offered a job as secretary to the mysterious circus manager.

But like everything at the circus, the perilous and painful crossing is not as simple as it seems; the portal lies between two continents in her mother's world, and the circus manager is presenting his own set of challenges. As she embarks on a tour across the Midwest, Evelyn must prepare both her body and mind for a long-distance swim, all while testing the boundaries of her new magical abilities, making new allies, and navigating some very confusing feelings for a fellow performer.

Avery's Trinket

A world to discover… an impossible heist…

Evelyn has reached Kasiit, and now faces her most daunting challenge yet: a formal dinner with the family of her beau.

But she and her friends are soon forced to flee this relative safety for the capital of Birandii, where they’re embroiled in a scheme involving rival newspaper moguls, bitter ex-spouses, and the theft of one of the most valuable necklaces of the new world—an artifact with unique magical properties which just may be the key to their safe return home.

Third in the Shimmering Circus series, Avery’s Trinket plunges readers into an awe-inspiring but treacherous new world, illustrated in the style of turn-of-the-century Yellow Journalism comics.

Avery's World

The samarinh has begun...

Evelyn kicks off the religious festival with a brand-new face, fresh identity, and singular mission: to coerce the elected monarch into releasing the circus binding.

Thrust into a world of lavish dinner parties, masquerade balls, and dangerous duplicity, she navigates the complex social code of upper crust society while struggling with recent trauma and crippling social anxiety—and sharing a titillating bed with her fiancé for their political "Tour of Beds."

But someone is poisoning politicians, and colored rain falls in random spurts—bizarre occurrences that may herald the Apocalypse. As their task grows nearer, Evelyn begins to wonder whether she is saving the circus…or dooming the world.

The Shimmering Circus Series

About the Author

    

Free online: The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Sante Fe, New Mexico, is dedicated to the artistic legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe and her contributions to American Modernism. The museum website offers creative activities, stories, and education about Georgia O’Keeffe’s life, along with several virtual exhibits available through Google Arts and Culture. 

"My painting is what I have to give back to the world for what the world gives to me." ~Georgia O'Keeffe