Today's Featured Books

Free online: Poetry Lit! Explore the world of poetry from the comfort of your favorite chair. Poetry Lit! is a monthly reading series with international poets and their passionate fans. This month's event features poets Alyson Hallet and Isobel Dixon. Friday, January 10, 1:00 - 2:30 CST. 

"When you read something beautiful you find coexistence; it breaks walls down." ~Mahmoud Darwish

"Tender perspectives helping readers with their own goodbyes." ~Midwest Book Review. A collection of true stories about saying goodbye to the people, places, and things in our lives. This powerful book includes a number of sad stories, as well as some very funny ones. Taken together, the stories serve as amazing examples of people saying heartfelt goodbyes with grace, dignity, and good humor. 4.1 stars, 44 ratings. From $1.79 SHOP NOW / ​

"Travel pieces that capture the exterior world and offer a vivid sense of personal reflection." ~Brevity. Real people sharing real stories as they explore the world around us, including a man lost on the flooded Amazon River at night, a blind man's encounter with mountain gorillas in Rwanda, a woman's spiritual journey in Peru, helping sea turtles lay eggs in Costa Rica, an encounter with a grizzly bear, and a journalist's friendship with an Iraqi translator in Syria. From $1.79 SHOP NOW / 

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on books from Red Lines Press, a small press that is focused on publishing hard-to-find proletarian literature, defined as "work [that] advances class consciousness" while also being "a bloody good read." The two books featured in today's special edition newsletter—both translations of works by German writer Oskar Maria Graf—certainly fit the bill:

• We Are Prisoners, the autobiography of Oskar Maria Graf
• Anton Sittinger, a "must read" novel for anyone who seeks to understand how and why Adolf Hitler came to power

“He behaves disgracefully and provokes laughter and disbelief, but in so doing, he wins our hearts.” ~Thomas Mann on Oskar Maria Graf

We Are Prisoners

This autobiography of Oskar Maria Graf was first published in 1927. It was his first major work.

Graf's autobiography covers his early youth growing up in the village of Berg by Lake Starnberg, his cruel abuse by his older brother, his escape to Munich, where he worked as a baker, and then to anarchist communes in Switzerland. Graf is drafted into the army, where he reluctantly serves as a horse-groom on the supply trains. He is discharged as mentally unfit, spends a year in an asylum, then returns to Munich, working in a biscuit factory, starting his literary career, and making money on the black market.

We Are Prisoners paints a fascinating picture of bohemian life in Schwabing, the radical politics of the time, and climaxes with the short-lived Bavarian Soviet Republic of 1919. Many of the characters in the novel became well-known artists and writers in Weimar Germany. We Are Prisoners (A Confession) is an honest and blithe personal account of momentous events.

Graf's quirky literary style combines a self-deprecating and anarchic sense of humor, sympathy for the downtrodden, and the Heimat genre of German culture. 

★★★★★ "A fascinating insight into Germany from 1900 to 1919." ~Amazon Review

Anton Sittinger

A "must read" for anyone who seeks to understand how and why Adolf Hitler came to power.

This is the first English translation of the novel written in 1934-5 and first published in German in 1937. It covers the events of the Weimar Republic from the end of the First World War to Hitler’s appointment as Reichskanzler in 1933—all viewed from the point-of-view of a Munich civil servant who retires to the countryside and "does not concern himself with politics."

Oskar Maria Graf provides a uniquely satirical insight into the mindset of the German middle classes. The eponymous antihero does not welcome Hitler, but does nothing to oppose the Nazis either, while his wife, Malwine, actively welcomes and propagandises for the "national" movement.

Anton Sittinger’s drinking pals likewise cover the broad spectrum of attitudes from the local busybody, a Catholic businessman who supports the mainstream bourgeois parties but eventually capitulates, to the enthusiastic and active support of Captain Schlicht, leader of the district SA. Only the Marxist painter Koestler offers resistance, attempting to rally villagers against Nazi terror, ultimately without success.

The Nazi takeover is seen not so much as a coup or "seizure of power," as had been attempted in 1923, but rather a "creeping to power" made possible, and even welcomed, by the ruling class, which had grown impatient with "democratic" politicians failure to quash unrest.

There are thousands upon thousands of Anton Sittingers in every country, even today. Despite its historical setting, the atmosphere may seem all too familiar to the contemporary reader.

Free online: Speaking Crow. Presented by Plume Winnipeg, Speaking Crow is Winnipeg's longest running poetry open mic. Come hear poets from across Canada and around the world.

"If you fill your face with laughing, there will be no more room for crying." ~Rohinton Mistry, A Fine Balance

New release: Dr. Chris Wright, a cynical physician with a wounded soul, struggles to save his latest research subject, a woman suffering from a life-threatening illness. But his world is turned upside down when his path collides with Sera, a compassionate angel with the power to glimpse within a person’s soul. Book 1 of the Heartbeats and Halos Clean Paranormal Romance Series. From $0.99 - SHOP NOW / 

The billionaire heir with a secret is the jerk who, in college, cruelly deceived me. Now we’re fake engaged, and my heart is aching to know: Can this relationship ever be more than fake? An enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity, fake-fiancé romance. Part of the Badazz Billionaire Boos Series. 4.6 stars, 30 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

We all experience struggles and challenges in life. As we grow and learn, we adapt to the environment we are placed in and make choices based on those circumstances. Embracing life’s journey with the guidance of Jesus is a way forward, but trusting God’s plan for our lives seems to be more difficult than it should be. The logical question is, "Why?" From $9.99 - SHOP NOW / 

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on the work of Terri Greening, author of thrillers, mysteries, romantic suspense, and historical fiction:

• We Meet Again in Summer - new release!
• The Lady of the Lighthouse
• The Copper Isle Ghostslayer
• Danger Inside the Beltway

★★★★★ "Greening’s skillful writing weaves emotional depth, eerie tension, and unexpected twists." ~Goodreads Review

We Meet Again in Summer

Lily Prescott is a romance novelist. She is stunningly lovely, single, and lonely--especially after her breakup with Mitch Jaymison, a handsome, divorced doctor.

When a chance meeting Lily and Mitch together again, they decide to try to overcome their previous problems, even as Lily struggles to put the emotional hurts of the past behind her. Interference from Lily’s billionaire ex-fiancé and nefarious happenings at the hospital near Mitch's home only make matters worse.

Through elegant social occasions in town, sailing dates, and romantic beach walks at the lake, Lily and Mitch pursue their love amidst an overshadowing uncertainty and increasing physical peril as they progress toward a final, challenging reckoning.

The Lady of the Lighthouse

"A deftly crafted and fully entertaining World War II thriller." ~Midwest Book Review

This World War II, Great Lakes thriller brings together a Great Lakes shipping captain, a dashing Italian spy, a pirate, and the young woman who loved them all.

Loralei Lancaster, a lonely, pregnant young mother and lighthouse keeper on the Great Lakes, is caught up in a WWII espionage plot while waiting for her shipping-captain husband, Devon, to return from a Great Lakes voyage. When a dashing, Italian spy posing as a down-and-out art dealer and handyman enters her life and seduces her, she must ultimately choose between her passionate love for him and her love for Devon, her family, and her country.

The Copper Isle Ghostslayer

Literary Titan Book Award Winner

When nature photographer and former journalist Layla Devereaux travels to a remote island, she finds it haunted by ghosts. Originally there to solve a murder mystery and free her wrongly accused brother, Layla soon realizes she faces greater dangers than imagined. She turns to local businessman Colton Harding for help, and together, they try to unravel the mystery, even as vengeful spirits aim to thwart their efforts.

As Layla searches for answers, she also grapples with ghosts from her own past failed relationships. But dealing with both the living and dead becomes easier with Colton by her side. To solve the lighthouse murder and secure her brother’s release, Layla must learn who she can trust among the living as well as the dead before the island’s dark secrets claim yet another victim.

Danger Inside the Beltway

A Washington, DC Thriller.

Tarryn Blue, a young investigative reporter in Washington, DC, becomes the target of a killer when she unknowingly uncovers and writes a controversial article about a major financial fraud. She turns for help to Brock Spencer, an FBI agent looking into the story, and together they work to unravel and solve a crime in a high stakes political world of escalating danger, intrigue, and physical peril.

★★★★★ "A fun, romantic romp with lots of action!" ~Goodreads Review

          

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on The Dead Chip Syndicate, a crime thriller set in Macau by award-winning screenwriter and author Andrew W. Pearson. 

When an ex-pat moves to Macao to run his twin brother's Artificial Intelligence company, he falls under the influence of a charismatic casino owner who recruits him to sell a crypto coin to the Chinese elite. But he soon discovers he's the dupe in a huge money-laundering scheme that might be orchestrated by his treacherous twin.

★★★★★ "A captivating blend of crypto, casinos, and culture." ~Amazon Review

The Dead Chip Syndicate

Offered the chance to run his twin brother's A.I. company, Anthony Wilson ditches his failing screenwriting career to start anew in Macau. The job turns highly lucrative when Anthony's new client, Cash Cheang, a pompadour-topped and Johnny Cash-loving casino operator, hands him a bag full of cold hard Yuan to implement a facial recognition system in his casino.

Hearing about Anthony's past life as a screenwriter, Cash offers him another job—ghostwriting a biography about the casino mogul's life, rising from the mean streets of Macau to become one of the city's most notorious and successful businessmen. Anthony accepts the job while also agreeing to help Cash sell his latest scheme, a cryptocoin aimed at raising funds for a floating casino in Macau.

As Anthony learns more about Cash's life, he realizes the biography is filled with dangerous secrets about the Chinese elite, secrets these powerful people would rather see buried for good. "You always cheat the ones closest to you," warns an old Chinese proverb...words that ring true as Anthony enters a playground more surreal and depraved than decadent Hollywood. More deadly, too, as Anthony soon discovers he's the dupe in a huge Chinese money-laundering scheme that might be orchestrated by his treacherous twin.

Praise for The Dead Chip Syndicate
"Pearson’s prose is savvy and brisk but with sharp edges, and the novel will both delight and disgust readers fascinated with wealth and power run amok." ~BookLife

"Not just an eye-opening book and an utterly absorbing insight into Chinese culture, but a commanding thriller and one that does not put a foot wrong." ~NetGalley Review

        

Free online Saturday: Hill Writers Reading Series. Presented by A Southern Writers' Collective, this event will feature two authors from the Appalachian region, Shaun Turner and Karrington Aliyah Garland. Saturday, January 4, 6 - 8 PM EST.

“The only Zen you can find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.” ~Robert M. Pirsig

A must-read analysis of today's political landscape. Utilizing an innovative way to conceptualize the two main viewpoints driving American politics, Dr. Craig Wiener, a clinical psychologist for more than forty years, discusses how people holding opposing perspectives may view, respond to, and interact with contentious political issues like poverty, racism, the patriarchy, and family life. He also proposes solutions to create space for multiple points of view and to manage the interpersonal conflicts that occur within our tense political atmosphere. From $0.99 - SHOP NOW / 

It was the 20th anniversary of Ireland joining the EU, and the Central Bank still held reserves for more than 300 million Irish pounds that were never redeemed for euros. Sean is a scammer in San Francisco who figured printing 20th-century Irish currency would be easier than printing today’s security-laden currency. Sheridan is a career employee at the Central Bank. The scammer and the banker...natural enemies. But they end up on the wrong side of a vault door with millions of euros, careers, and prison hanging in the balance. From $5.24 - SHOP NOW / 

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on The Year of Rejection, an unflinchingly honest memoir from Lithuanian-Irish writer Hope Mills.

The Year of Rejection

A new voice debuts with an unflinchingly honest memoir: the story of a desperate return to the self after decades of depression.

Hope Mills is an immigrant overachiever until an unexpected eviction leaves her homeless. She descends into psychosis for the next year, bleeding depression onto the corners of her sociology textbooks. Hope digs into atypical anorexia and avoidant attachment, deflating her passions into passive suicide. But it didn't start with the eviction.

Hope Mills is twelve years old when she moves from Ireland to Lithuania. In one swoop, she loses her father, brother, and Catholic schoolgirl identity, landing in a town of 900 people where everyone knows her name. She battles a generational, cultural, and language barrier at home and at school, quickly collapsing into a hostile teenager. On this shaky foundation, Hope attempts suicide twice in six years. But when she graduates, she returns to Ireland to begin her life. By her third year of college, Hope seems to have everything figured out—until her new world crumbles beneath her feet.