Today's Featured Books

Today is the 20th anniversary of the publication of Swimming with Maya by Eleanor Vincent, a memoir that has twice earned recognition as a Best Seller by The New York Times.  

Swimming with Maya has been hailed by booklovers and professional reviewers alike, with nearly 500 reader reviews on Amazon, more than 600 on Goodreads, and dozens of reviews from authors and industry publications, including Booklist and Creative Nonfiction Magazine:

• "Vincent's poignant decision to donate Maya's organs will resonate with even hard-boiled readers." ~Booklist 
• "Powerful prose with a meaningful and memorable message." ~Lee Gutkind, Founder, Creative Nonfiction Magazine 

Swimming with Maya Turns 20: Celebrating Grief Recovery and Organ Donation 

Swimming with Maya

Swimming with Maya demonstrates the remarkable process of healing after the traumatic death of a loved one. Eleanor Vincent raised her two daughters, Maya and Meghan, virtually as a single-parent. Maya, the eldest, was a high-spirited and gifted young woman. As a toddler, Maya was an angelic tow-head, full of life and curiosity. As a teenager, Maya was energetic and independent - and often butted heads with her mother. But Eleanor and Maya were always close and connected, like best friends or sisters, but always also mother and daughter. 

​Then at age 19, Maya mounts a horse bareback as a dare and, in a crushing cantilever fall, is left in a coma from which she will never recover. Eleanor's life is turned upside down as she struggles to make the painful decision about Maya's fate. 

Ultimately Eleanor chooses to donate Maya's organs. Years later, she is able to hear Maya's heart beat in the chest of the heart recipient. Along the way, Eleanor re-examines her relationship with her daughter, as well as Eleanor's traumatic life as a child and young woman. In a story that has been called "heartbreaking and heart-healing," Eleanor Vincent illuminates the kind of courage, creativity, faith, and sheer tenacity it takes to find one's balance after unthinkable tragedy. 

Praise for Swimming with Maya

​"An important addition to the literature of loss and restoration." ~Maxine Kumin, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and author of Inside the Halo and Beyond: The Anatomy of a Recovery 

​"Heartbreaking and heart healing, this compelling story of surviving the death of a child will stay with you long after you've closed the book." ~Ellen Bass, author of The Courage to Heal and The Human Line 

"Every reader who has had to deal with traumatic loss will find wisdom and healing in these brave pages.'' ~Chana Bloch, author of Mrs. Dumpty and Blood Honey 

"Riveting, poignant, and utterly honest... It shows that one can recover from the loss of a child.'' ~Judy Tatelbaum, author of The Courage to Grieve and You Don't Have to Suffer 

"Eleanor Vincent chronicles her grief and the healing that came with helping others." ~Carol Lin, CNN 

"Blows the reader away with its clarity, its unstinting honesty, and the searing accuracy of its vision of the medical and emotional complexity surrounding the tragic death of a young woman. Highly recommended.'' ~John Ruark, MD, FACP, author of Dying Dignified 

"Thoughtful, honest and beautifully written... a fabulous story about what it means to be a mother.'' ~Wendy Lichtman, author of Blew and the Death of the Mag and Secrets, Lies and Algebra 

"Life trumps death in this beautiful memoir." ~Linda Joy Myers, author of Don't Call Me Mother--A Daughter's Journey from Abandonment to Forgiveness and Power of Memoir

Free online: The Back Room. Join authors Erin E. Adams, Lisa Gardner, Karen E. Olson, and Carter Wilson for an evening of great conversation. Sunday, April 7, 6 - 8 PM CDT. 

"The sun just touched the morning; / The morning, happy thing, / Supposed that he had come to dwell, / And life would be all spring." ~Emily Dickinson

Free online: Friends & Fiction. Every Wednesday at 7 PM ET, four NYT bestselling authors (Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, and Patti Callahan Henry) host "Friends & Fiction" and chat with some of the biggest names in publishing about the books the literary world is buzzing about. They also have an archive of 200+ past episodes that you can watch on demand. Wednesday, April 3, 7 PM ET.

"There is no surer foundation for a beautiful friendship than a mutual taste in literature." ~P.G. Wodehouse

When catastrophe causes water services to fail, most households are distressingly unprepared. Store-bought filters are not robust enough for floodwaters or extreme contaminations. Even burst pipes or plant shutdowns can affect water purity. Protecting your family requires being equipped to filter water from any source. In this book, you will learn about daily household water requirements, natural water sources, safe collection guidelines, water purification techniques, and more. Equip yourself to get clean water no matter what happens. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

In the domed heart of MetiCity-6, a young mechanic named Ren rises from the depths of anonymity. Ren possesses the rare gift of transforming mundane machines and droids into marvels of technology. His skills draw the attention of a group of rebels, unveiling to him the authoritarian power presiding over the city. Will Ren's talents light the fire of revolution, or will the encroaching darkness of MetiCorp's reach extinguish their hopes for a new dawn? An eBookFairs "Best in Show" selection. 4.6 stars, 28 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

Best-selling author Jonathan Sendel has been murdered.
Now, his clone must solve the mystery.

Today, LitNuts is happy to be participating in the "cover reveal" of The Second Life of Jonathan Sendel, a new release coming soon from author Jeffrey Ashkin and Ink Smith Publishing. Read on to learn more!

The Second Life of Jonathan Sendel

In the near future when someone is murdered, a clone of the victim can be commissioned to help police solve the crime. This process is costly, tedious, and not always successful. Memory lapses, mental implosions, and rouge clones are not uncommon. It's risky, but Jonathan has the money, the fans, and the means, and so his clone must navigate a treacherous labyrinth of secrets to reclaim the life stolen from him and put his murderer behind bars.

Before his untimely death, Jonathan was stuck in a rut. His marriage was failing, writer's block had his Jim Starlight series at a deadend, and his affair with a college student was about to go public. When his charred remains are found inside his remote cabin, it's clear that the murderer is someone in his inner circle.

His clone only has a few days to unravel the mystery before he loses the vast fortune he spent his entire life, the first one, building. As he uncovers his previous life's transgressions, the people he trusted most may have some unsavory opinions about clones. Jonathan must take his investigation into his own hands to have a chance at life.

The Second Life of Jonathan Sendel is a twist-filled murder mystery that examines the life of a beloved celebrity tarnished by scandal and the painful process of coming to terms with one’s own demons.

Follow author Jeffrey Ashkin and Ink Smith Publishing via the links below to be the first to hear when this new novel is released! 

Jeffrey Ashkin’s literary journey began with penning plays for local and state competitions. Even before college, he had seen two of his plays come to life on stage.

After college, Jeffrey segued into writing films and short stories. He dove into science fiction and wrote and directed the sci-fi/mystery film Technical Support, which screened at San Diego Comic-Con in 2012. His subsequent films continued to captivate audiences at San Diego Comic-Con in both 2022 and 2023.

In addition to writing, Jeffrey enjoys hosting convention panels that delve into storytelling. He also likes playing trivia at O’Brien’s Pub in Santa Monica. During the week, he teaches special education in Los Angeles. Learn more by following Jeffrey online:
 

      

    

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on Building a Team: A Baseball Buddies Story, an award-winning new release for young readers from author Aaron Derr, illustrator Gary LaCoste, and Red Chair Press.

"Readers follow Luis as he learns leadership skills in a smooth, well-paced narrative that models good communication and perseverance. A wonderful narrative for readers who love baseball that also offers valuable lessons to those who don’t." ~Kirkus Reviews

Bonus
Get the free discussion guide on topics like moving to a new town, being the new kid at school or on a team, leadership, teamwork, peer pressure, self-esteem, and more! 

Building a Team: A Baseball Buddies Story

When Luis joins his new baseball team, the Manatees, things seem hopeless at first. Some of his new teammates—including "loud and obnoxious" home-run slugger Jimmie—are mean to him or to each other.

The new coach doesn’t tell the players everything to do like the old coach did. And some of the Manatees seem more interested in goofing off than in sportsmanship or working hard.

Then Coach Joe makes Luis team captain. Will Luis rise to the challenge? Can he get the Manatees to balance working hard and having fun? Will he help his teammates learn to be friends rather than compete with each other?

Baseball Buddies explores the power of working together, what it takes to build a team, and the lasting friendships that form on the baseball field.

Praise for Baseball Buddies

• 2024 Mom's Choice Gold Award
• Readers' Choice Silver Award & 5-Star Rating
• Parent and Teacher Choice Award Winner 2024
• "An uplifting story of accepting differences, coming together, and learning the value of cooperation and competition." ~Midwest Book Review
• "A heartwarming story that will make even older readers long to take their glove out and find the nearest baseball diamond." ~Independent Book Review
• "If your child loves baseball, they will want to read this book. It shows perfectly how a team grows, how friendships are formed, and the proper way to behave in the sport—or any sport for that matter! Great images, too!" ~Kameron Brook, Reedsy Discovery

    

Free online: A Sweeping History of Food and Culture. Virtually step into the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History with Curator Paula Johnson as she discusses the book Smithsonian American Table: The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us, a sweeping history of food and culture that summons everyone to the table for a fresh look at some of the people, ingredients, events, and movements that have shaped how and what we eat. Tuesday, April 2, 2:00 PM EDT.

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." ~Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

This witty, influential work by Desiderius Erasmus, one of the greatest scholars of the Renaissance, satirizes the shortcomings of the upper classes and religious institutions of the time. This revised and corrected edition is based on the Pascal Covici edition of 1925. It includes Horace J. Bridges’s Introduction, “In Praise of Erasmus,” and illustrations by Anthony Angarola, Hans Holbein, Gene Markey, and Paul L. McPharlin. "A masterpiece of humour and wise irony." ~Dutch historian John Huizinga. Available from the publisher at 25% off [$14.95] via Ingram Spark. From $0.99 SHOP NOW / 

USA TODAY bestselling author Claudia Burgoa pens an emotional, heartbreaking romance duet where soulmates can’t be together and everything around them tears them apart. Almost Strangers is the first novel in the Somehow Everlasting duet, a Decker Family Novel. This book ends on a cliffhanger that'll change everything. "A wonderful and emotional story." ~Goodreads Review. 4.5 stars, 160+ ratings. From $0.99 - SHOP NOW /