Today's Featured Books

LitNuts is shining a spotlight on the Teen Sur-Thrival Series, two books from author Derek T. Freeman to help teens build confidence and navigate high school.

Special offer: For a limited time, the e-book edition of 88 Life-Changing High School Hacks (Book 2 in the series) is FREE!

Help your teen achieve everything they want in life.

Building Unstoppable Self-Confidence for Teens

Labels and comparisons stop you from being your real self. You try to live up to an ideal...to be like the teen you think is smarter, better-looking, or more popular than you. And when you do that—when you try to be something you're not—you're living under false pretenses. 

This is when the domino effect kicks in: you start to live in fear that someone may find out who you really are. It wrecks your self-esteem, personal power, and any belief that you deserve more. That's a lonely place to be and no way to live your life. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Whether you're a nerd or a jock, an overachiever or an underachiever, a loner or an outcast—that is not your entire identity. It's just one tiny part of the vast YOU. 

The good news is that you already have the key to unlocking your real personality and fearlessly creating your authentic life; you just need a little help to get started. With Building Unstoppable Self-Confidence for Teens: The Fail-Safe Formula for Finding Yourself, Overcoming Limitations and Creating Your Best Life from the Inside Out, you can uncover the whole, wonderful person within and create an incredible life on your own terms.

Here are a few of the things that you will discover inside: 

• 5 simple steps to find your uniqueness and embrace the amazing personality you didn't know you had
• How to get rid of the negative beliefs about yourself and get your self-confidence back
• 4 things you can do to escape the comparative trap and live from your authentic self
• 6 effective ways to stop bullies in their tracks
• The "1 in 60" rule that will change the way you think about failure
• How to stop being a victim of body shaming and love who you are
• And much more.

This isn't just another workbook; this is your toolkit for confronting anxiety and self-doubt—and your formula to rise triumphantly from it. Discover how to be truly self-confident and boldly bring your inherent magic to the light. 

Praise for Building Unstoppable Self-Confidence for Teens

• "A candid, conversational guide to navigating adolescence that comes from a place of hard-won wisdom and deep compassion." ~John B. Valeri, author, book critic & host of the web series Central Booking
• "A warm, supportive pep-talk from a coach/friend/big brother/uncle/dad for both guys and gals—and their parents." ~Leslie A. Lindsay, creator & host of the award-winning author interview series Always with a Book

FREE: 88 Life-Changing High School Hacks

You can master adulthood before you get there or wait for it to master you. Which will you choose?

We all love a good hack—that one piece of advice that cuts straight to the heart of a problem and shows you how to handle it with ease. But don't let the title of this book fool you—reducing this wisdom to mere "hacks" would be a massive disservice.

You're about to uncover a treasure trove of insight: 88 of the best tips, tricks, and techniques to launch you from teendom to adulthood with resounding success. And don't worry, you won't lose yourself along the way. You won't have to trade your joy, curiosity, or spark. You won't have to become "boring"—or bored. You'll simply be one step ahead of the game.

Inside this unique resource, you'll discover:

• 88 game-changing life hacks, numbered and arranged by category so you can come back to them time and time again
• How to save time and energy at school while taking control of your environment
• The secret to building and maintaining good relationships
• Multiple ways to improve your memory (even while you sleep)
• Essential financial literacy skills you'll never learn in school
• Mind hacks that will set the stage for a lifetime of growth and self-realization
• Everything you didn't know you needed to know about cars and driving
• Timeless principles to take forward into the working world
• And much more.

One day you're in high school, and the next, you're navigating the adult world without a map. This book is full of information that you will need in order to ace the game of life.

Praise for 88 Life-Changing High School Hacks

• "Freeman has taken the crucial things to know and put them into bite-sized pieces. The sooner you get this book in your teens' hands, the better." ~Cynthia Coufal, podcast host & teen life coach at "Better Regulate Than Never"
• "Engaging, funny, and addresses many issues teens and young adults may face... Keeps you thinking long after the read." ~Samantha, life coach & content creator of the YouTube channel "Stop Look and Listen with Samantha"

Congratulations to Joanne Nelson and Vine Leaves Press on the release of My Neglected Gods, a moving collection of essays from the author of the memoir This is How We Leave.

★★★★★ “A record of the compassion for self—and ultimately for family—that comes with clear seeing.” ~Joanna Penn Cooper, author of The Itinerant Girl's Guide to Self-Hypnosis

My Neglected Gods by Joanne Nelson

We all have our rituals and talismans to protect us from the unknown, but will we admit what they are?

Tarot cards, speeding cars, several saints, and old dogs make appearances in Joanne Nelson’s new collection of prose and poetry. She unravels the secular deities giving shape to her days, not only on planes, but in summer crowds, at conferences, and in long post office queues. Whether it’s a bandaid in a pocket, the backup pen in a purse, or a hidden $20 in a wallet for just-in-case, Nelson explores what we carry for comfort. She delves into the Mercury retrograde conundrum and examines the significance of kitchens as holy places. Beer runs through it. There will be coffee.

Join Nelson, author of the memoir This Is How We Leave, in this humorous and heartfelt journey through life’s often-ignored quiet moments. Ignored until, plate of cookies in hand, they come begging for a chat. All the while, the kids move out, the house gets put up for sale, and loved ones age.

Praise for My Neglected Gods
★★★★★ “There’s sadness here, and grief and regret. But there’s also appreciation and gratitude... characterized by an assurance Nelson experienced during a mystical connection with her deceased grandmother: everything is going to be all right.” ~Lynn Domina, author of Framed in Silence and Corporal Works

★★★★★ “Never leaves the reader behind, no matter how deep into the sublime Nelson dives, and with each page that turns we find ourselves willing to go deeper and deeper into that amazing pool of reflection with her.” ~Paul Corman-Roberts, author of Bone Moon Palace, 2021 CLMP Firecracker Nominee

★★★★★ “A lyrical dance through sepia-colored memories that make us at once melancholy for what we’ve left behind, and joyful at how far we’ve come.” ~Martha Engber, author of Bliss Road

★★★★★ “The vignettes may be miniature in scale, and composed with elegant precision, but they contain entire worlds.” ~Benjamin Anastas, author of the memoir Too Good To Be True

★★★★★ “Joanne Nelson jolts her reader with an electricity that comes from a masterly conjuring of the dead and the lost.” ~Alden Jones, author of The Wanting Was a Wilderness

Free online: Feminist Futures - VERVE Books Autumn Showcase. Join Verve Books for an inspiring online event celebrating the power of feminist literature. This showcase brings together UK- and USA-based authors who are shaping the future of feminist writing. Get ready to dive into thought-provoking discussion, captivating readings, and an engaging Q&A session. Tuesday, July 25, 19:00 GMT+0100 (British Summer Time), 1 PM CDT.

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” ~Henry James

Shaye Archer Series Book 1. Shaye Archer’s life effectively began the night police found her in an alley with no memory of the previous 15 years. Now, she's a PI who gets answers for her clients, and maybe for herself. When her new client, Emma, claims she’s being stalked, Shaye is determined to help. Emma knows her stalker, but the problem is, she killed him a month ago. 4.4 stars, 22K+ ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW / 

The power of untold devastation is just inches away from falling into the wrong hands, and it’s down to an unlikely combination of people—including a gorgeous European supermodel—to prevent it from happening. Will they succeed? What starts off as a dreadful murder in London soon becomes a jet-setting race against time where every single person on Earth is in mortal danger. Join Stella and Carter and their unlikely allies as the mystery unravels. 4.4 stars, 52 ratings. From $0.99 SHOP NOW / 

I know what you did last summer. Aubree Walker, the perfect girl and most likely to succeed, is sure there's only one person who knows what she did. Booker Outlaw, one of the three Outlaw brothers—all identical, all gorgeous, all from the wrong side of the tracks—and all pure bad boys. He was always the unpredictable one, the one who would be brash enough to make it big by self-publishing horror novels on the Internet. He promised never to tell, but everyone knows you can never trust an Outlaw. 4.2 stars, 2800+ ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW / 

The book, sometimes humorously, describes my memoirs and adventures as a successful criminal trial lawyer whether Prosecutor or Defense. It begins as a child and explains the influences which made me a “killer” lawyer driven by my desire to serve The Lady of Justice, Justicia. I fell in love with her and lived a love story until we divorced. Through the eyes of a trial lawyer, I describe the entire chaotic thinking and doing process from meeting my client through the final verdict. I didn’t care if I prosecuted or defended as long as I was in Court. From $1.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

Pay no mind to the birds. Annabell has been told so many times in her sixteen years. So she did as she was told, as did her twin brothers. On a warm Easter morning, they learn many of their things have been taken by crows and magpies. Now is the time their parents let them explore a place forbidden after a relative was hospitalized for psychosis. From $13.99 SHOP NOW / 

Free Online: Writing Deliciously. Join author Jane Wong for a discussion of how writing about food strengthens our communities and opens up our creative craft. Along with celebrating and exploring food writing by poets such Naomi Shihab Nye, Hanif Abdurraqib, Audre Lorde, and Chen Chen, this class will offer numerous delicious writing prompts and opportunities for feedback, connection, and sharing. Saturday, July 22, 12 PM CDT. 

“There is no friend as loyal as a book.” ~Ernest Hemingway

Based on a true story. A mysterious disappearance. A loving daughter who decides to search for her father. Secrets and unspoken truths lurk in her family, but she does not know them yet. What would you do if a loved one disappeared overnight without a trace? How would you feel alone trying to find someone who may not want to be found? Belle faces this when her father, a businessman from New York, suddenly goes off the radar. No explanation and no notes left. From $9.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

Literature major Laura Donati believes she has a fantastic idea for a sure-fire bestselling novel, a twist on the most famous story ever told, and she seeks advice—and considerably more—from a handsome theology student. Racing from murder in Manhattan to treachery in Jerusalem, not everyone is thrilled about her controversial story, particularly someone who will go to great lengths to keep the book from ever seeing the light of day, leaving Laura with two mysteries to solve—an ancient one, and the one she’s currently living. From $2.99 SHOP NOW /