Today's Featured Books

Free online: Touring a Black culture museum is a great way to celebrate Juneteenth. Here are five museums you can visit free via virtual tours:

• Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (Washington DC)
• Tuskegee Airman National Historic Site at Moton Field (Tuskegee, Alabama)
• Dance Theater of Harlem (New York, New York)
• The British Museum (London, England)
• The Black Archives of Mid-America (Kansas City, Missouri)

"The more I wonder, the more I love." ~Alice Walker, The Color Purple

This page-turner is a humorous, PG-rated, amateur sleuth mystery featuring a code enforcement officer in a fictional city near Seattle. Kaitlyn Willis’s job usually involves writing tickets for untrimmed trees and cars parked on lawns. But when an animal hoarding case turns up a dead body, Kaitlyn investigates, aided by the enormous cat that "adopts" her. Book 1 in the Road Signs Mystery Series. 4.1 stars, 300+ reviews. From $1.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

The year is 1889 and private investigator John Doyle is on a quest not only for answers but for his very soul. Along with his partner, Thomas Braham, Doyle investigates unsolved cases, sightings, and obscurities that fall through the cracks from the local authorities. When an esteemed colleague suddenly vanishes, Doyle and Braham embark on the case of their lifetime in this thrilling supernatural adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat. "Brutal, well-written and twisty." ~Amazon Review. 4.6 stars, 36 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

Explicit Southern Poetry. "Jason Stocks’ collection is brave, unflinching and hits you like a punch in the jaw. It is at times brutal and vicious but also tender and intelligent. I was reminded of early Eminem in the poignant anger of some of the poems." ~Sam Szanto, author of If No One Speaks. Finalist in the 2024 American Legacy Book Awards. 4.7 stars, 36 ratings. From $2.99 SHOP NOW / 

Congratulations to Frances Park and Vine Leaves Press on the release of Blue Rice, a literary masterpiece in which an elderly Korean woman recalls the Korean War, love amid rubble, and acclimation to 1960 America.

★★★★★ “An American adventure filled with humor, history, heartache, and self-discovery.” ~Scott Saalman, author of Vietnam War Love Story

Blue Rice

By candlelight, an elderly Korean woman relives her years upended by the Korean War, finding love in the rubble, and her acclimation to 1960s America.

Recently widowed Honey, née Hanhee, is preparing to move out of her Arlington home when the Virginia earthquake of 2011 hits. Subtly, something in her cracks. Four days later, Hurricane Irene strikes, evoking monsoon-swept streets of yore.

With the power out, Honey’s life of a half-century ago cinematically comes to light: Her months as an unlikely prostitute at Madam Cho’s; her secret revolt against her dead parents whose love was in question; a mysterious monk’s prediction; her great, sassy Korean friend Kissuni Kim who dreamed of nothing more than ‘love-mak-ing’; her kindly American neighbor Emma Church who would guide her to independence; and, above all, her lingering love for her first husband Joe Lipton, a journalist who brought Honey to America, only to desert her.

Author Frances Park states that writing Blue Rice was like living a dream from scenes her late mother shared with her, as well as her watercolor-like remembrances of growing up in white America as a small child of war-torn Korean parents. 

If you enjoyed Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, or A Gesture Life by Chang Rae Lee, you will love Blue Rice.

Praise for Blue Rice
★★★★★ “A rare, sumptuous novel whose heroine will break your heart.” ~R.A. Cramblitt, author of Probably Lives in Tahiti

★★★★★ “Frances Park belongs among the best writers in America today.” ~Wayne Coster Cooper, WritersInTheSpirit

★★★★★ “A sublimely detailed tale of resilience and chosen family.” ~Megan Wessell, book blogger, A Bookish Affair

★★★★★ “A masterpiece.” ~Scott Saalman, author of Vietnam War Love Story

Free online: The Book-Makers. Join Professor Adam Smyth of Oxford University for this free discussion of the history of books. Tuesday, June 18, 9 AM CDT.

“She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live.” ~Annie Dillard, The Living

Filled with heart and drama, this Women's Humorous Fiction novel is perfect for fans of Little Fires Everywhere and The Joy Luck Club. When Allison Montgomery's son brings home an unexpected and questionable fiancée, Allison and her once-dreaded mother-in-law, Margaret, team up for an intervention. A perfect family "dramedy" as Allison learns to survive family angst by letting go. 4.1 stars, 69 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

A collection of gritty, rhythmic poetry that delivers a powerful punch, Laughing is Forever explores hard-knock life, domestic violence, and poverty. "A rugged, sinuous voice... These mercurial poems surprise, thrill, and move in equal measure." ~Independent Book Review. 5.0 stars, 10 ratings. From $2.99 SHOP NOW / 

The year is 1887 and in a quaint Pennsylvania town, Isabella Strohmeyer stumbles upon a gruesome scene: her father and stepmother brutally hacked to death. As the police investigation unfolds, gossip and rumors swirl through the tight-knit community. This harrowing story, loosely inspired by the Lizzie Borden murders, will send chills up your spine. "Dark and intriguing." ~Amazon Review. 4.4 stars, 20 ratings. From $2.99 SHOP NOW /

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on the work of Jason Stocks, a poet whose work mirrors the hard-knock life he's accustomed to, broaching topics like domestic violence, poverty, demasculinization, and more. 

"Stocks's writing has a powerful immediacy, and his poems are packed with both profanity and pop-culture references." ~Kirkus Reviews

Laughing is Forever

"Jogging from detritus-ridden, Bukowski-inspired free verses to Lowell-style observations of the inner life, this hardtack collection of poetry runs the gamut. A rugged, sinuous voice drives the free verse narratives contained in Laughing is Forever. These mercurial poems surprise, thrill, and move in equal measure. They’re dying to be read." ~Independent Book Review

"This collection is brave, unflinching and hits you like a punch in the jaw. It is at times brutal and vicious but also tender and intelligent. I was reminded of early Eminem in the poignant anger of some of the poems." ~Sam Szanto, author of If No One Speaks

"These are the kind of tattered, beautiful poems I often search for and rarely find—the ones that explain, 'Just be happy with a beer after work. You know, quit all the complaining. It won't change a single thing. It just prolongs the suffering.'" ~Sean Thomas Dougherty, author of Death Prefers the Minor Keys

Blameforest

Finalist in the 2024 American Legacy Book Awards

"Provocative, explicit poetry written with muscular swagger." ~Kirkus Reviews

"Fierce, bold, and self aware, Stocks's debut poetry collection is steeped in the Gothic hauntings of Deep South life." ~Jenifer DeBellis, author of Blood Sisters and editor of Pink Panther Magazine

"In Blameforest, Jason Stocks captures the rhythms of a vibrant vernacular that is original and authentic. He builds a distinctive world that often turns violent and lovelorn, his rendering clear-eyed and voiced like a blade—and does so while displaying the expansive range of a skilled craftsman. Far more than a sequence of individual poems, Blameforest is a layered and nuanced work of innovative literature to be read in one sitting, and then over and over again." ~Jacob M. Appel, author of The Cynic in Extremis

About the Author

  

Free online: Intense Summer Reads at The Back Room. Join the authors of four new thrillers for readings, conversation, and cocktails. Featured authors include Kate White, author of The Last Time She Saw Him; Charlie Donlea, author of Long Time Gone; Meg Gardiner, author of Shadowheart; and Walter Mosley, author of Farewell, Amethystine. Sunday, June 16, 7 PM ET.

“Mysteries abound where most we seek for answers.” ~Ray Bradbury

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on the work of Chad Miller, author of dark/gothic historical mysteries. Imagine a cross between Arthur Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker. If that sounds intriguing, read on to learn more!

★★★★★ "Unique, imaginative, and shocking." ~WaywardReader.com on the writing of Chad Miller

Prisoner of Despair: A Dark Historical Mystery

The year is 1889 and a private investigator John Doyle spends his nights in terror. He is tormented by a desperate fear: his mortality. In the mysterious streets of Philadelphia, Doyle is on a quest not only for answers but for his very soul. Along with his partner, Thomas Braham, Doyle investigates unsolved cases, sightings, and obscurities that fall through the cracks from the local authorities.

When an esteemed colleague suddenly vanishes, Doyle and Braham embark on the case of their lifetime. With a shroud of horror looming over him, John is forced to confront his moral compass as he descends down dark pathways and opens ominous doors. Will he find refuge in his search for answers, or will he be a prisoner of his own despair? Find out in this thrilling supernatural adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

If you enjoyed the mysteries of Sherlock Holmes or the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, you'll love this spine-tingling mystery.

★★★★★ "Brutal, well-written and twisty." ~Amazon Review

★★★★★ "An awesome page-turner." ~Amazon Australia Review

The Confession

The year is 1887 and in the quaint Pennsylvania town of Temple, Isabella Strohmeyer stumbles upon a gruesome scene: her father and stepmother brutally hacked to death. As the police investigation unfolds, gossip and rumors swirl through the tight-knit community. The Strohmeyer household, always steeped in simmering tension, harbors secrets that echo within its halls.

As an arrest is made, the town becomes embroiled in the trial of the century. Grisly truths emerge and no one is prepared for the shocking conclusion of this dark tale.

This harrowing story, loosely inspired by the Lizzie Borden murders, will send chills up your spine.

★★★★★ "A vivid reimagining of the Lizzie Borden murder trial." ~Amazon Review

★★★★★ "Dark and intriguing." ~Amazon Review

About the Author

    

Free online: Poetry Masters Party & Poetry Slam! Get ready for a virtual party filled with top-notch poetry performances and an epic poetry slam competition. Thursday, June 13, 6:30 - 8 PM CDT. 

"There’s no money in poetry, but then there’s no poetry in money either." ~Robert Graves