The release party for Snow White with a Twist will be Saturday, May 3, 2pm, at Bound to Happen Books, downtown Stevens Point. The book will be available, beginning next week, but the party will be in May.
I plan to have some kid activities and free Mobius-strip bracelets to accompany the first books sold. It should be a fun time. I hope to see you there!
You can pre-order Snow White with a Twist from your favorite retailer. Both print and e-book are available and will ship on March 22 or 29, depending on where your order. Why the two dates? I guess I messed something up, but I’m too tired to figure it out. It doesn’t seem all that important. Hitting the NYT best seller list seems unlikely. Here are a few links:
Bookshop.org (and support your favorite local bookstore)
Barnes and Noble (so they don’t go out of business)
Smashwords (ebook only; a great independent publisher)
Amazon (If this is where you shop, click the link. If you input Snow White with a Twist in the search box, it isn’t coming up because ?!!??!?)
If you live locally, stayed tuned for information about the book release party. Bound to Happen Books will be the location with a date to be determined. April, yes, but which day??? Announcement to come! I want to make sure I have books in hand. A book release party with no books just wouldn’t be the same.
Get my e-books this week for $1.49 !!
I recommend buying them from Smashwords, a great small company that does its best to compete against the large, monopoly-ish e-book company you all know. But, if that is where you buy your e-books, I’ve also reduced their costs there (as, per their monopoly agreement I can’t sell my book for less anywhere else.)
Wilde Wagers: at Smashwords and at amazon
Syncopation: A Memoir of Adèle Hugo: at Smashwords and at amazon
Smashwords has a lot of other e-books available for free or reduced prices this week, so shop around and support us small-time writers.
Unfortunately, Snow White with a Twist isn’t yet available. Stay tuned!
Cover reveal! I’m excited to announce my next book and its beautiful cover, designed by the talented Thomas Hardy. This middle-grade fairy tale-retelling will release on March 29. Intended for children ages 7-12, this is the Snow White story you know–with a twist!
Stay tuned for information about a book release party!
Happy New Year!
I read a lot of books in 2024. So many, I’m almost embarrassed to claim the number (shhh…110). Not only did I read a lot, but many, many, many of the books were really, really, really good. Here is a short list of the ones I liked the most.
MG=middle grade, ages 8-12; UMG=upper middle grade, ages 10-14; YA=young adult, ages 14-18; GU=grown ups (because calling a book “adult” makes it seem like it’s pornographic lol)
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow UMG
A very funny story about a boy who moves to a community where the internet is banned, trying to recover from something horrible that happened. It’s about making friends, hunting for UFOs, and dealing with trauma. A superb story. It received a well-deserved 2023 Newbery Honor.
A Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds YA
A poem-novel about a boy going down in an elevator with a gun, planning revenge on the person who murdered his brother, but he’s visited by “ghosts” that have a lot to say about his plan.
Ladies’ Rest and Writing Room by Kim Kelly GU
Australia, 1920s. Sydney is alive and bustling after the chaos of the Great War, but two women who struggle with grief are coping in very different ways. A gorgeously written novella.
Cutting for Stone and The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese GU
This is the year I discovered Verghese. I’d known about Cutting for Stone for a long time but was discouraged by the length of the book. Don’t be! These two novels are tour de forces with exciting plots and phenomenal characters doing extraordinary things. Fiction but you learn so much–about medicine, history, Ethiopia, India…..
Early Riser by Jasper Fforde GU
Need a silly escape? This book is for you. In an alternate world in which humans hibernate, our main character takes a job staying awake in the winter, taking care of the sleeping from those who wake early as slow-moving, zombie-like humans. This is a very funny book.
Horse by Geraldine Brooks GU
This is the story of a horse, his jockey, his owners, a painting of the horse, and those who come in contact with all of the aforementioned through several time periods. A fascinating story.
Ancillary Justice, Ancillary Sword, and Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie GU
Science Fiction. An ancillary is a man-like machine run by a larger AI system to do an assortment of tasks. When our main character’s ship is destroyed, he is suddenly an ancillary with no connection to what was his larger self. He seeks revenge on the god-like being who forced him to kill someone. Not a great summary, but a really incredible story. Great world building, exciting plot, and some thought-provoking ideas about technology.
The English Experience by Julie Schumacher GU
A grumpy English professor is cornered into taking a group of students on a study abroad experience to London. This hysterical story is told through emails, letters, and other correspondence.
Uprooted by Naomi Novik GU
Fantasy. Our protagonist is the most recent young woman chosen to work in the tower of the local sorcerer. She will need to learn to control her own magic if she can save her loved ones and the entire world from some bad people. Part of why I loved this book was all of the Polish names and references.
Alebrijes by Donna Barba Higuera MG/UMG
In a post-apocalyptic, western United States, survival is difficult but made easier when our main characters discover animal-drones that can be controlled by their “becoming” the drones. I don’t remember the story that well right now, but I do remember the world building was incredible, the plot engrossing, and thought-provoking ideas cleverly presented.
The Bolingbroke Chit by Lynn Messina GU
You all know I’m a huge fan of Messina’s Beatrice Hyde-Clare series. This is one of her other series, a Regency romance that is smart and funny. A delight to read. I need to get more of her books.
Black Girl You are Atlas by Renee Watson UMG/YA
A powerful collection of poetry about what it means to be a young black woman.
Ferris by Kate DiCamillo MG
DiCamillo does a great job of bringing together quirky, lovable characters. Ferris’s little sister wants to be a bank robber, her grandmother is getting old, her crazy uncle has moved into the basement, and her best friend is a piano prodigy. A story that will make you feel good.
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko MG/UMG
Although he’s only twelve, Hank has taken care of his baby sister more often and more responsibly than his mother. Now that his grandmother has passed, he has nowhere to turn when his mother disappears. How can he keep his sister safe and with him with no money? Bring a hankie for this incredible story. My vote for the Newbery.
The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig GU
Horror isn’t my favorite genre, but I’ve been hunting for good horror story to replace The Shining in my English 202 classes. This is the one. It starts out a bit like The Shining: a father, mother, and son (this time a teenager) move into a house that seems like it could be haunted. This story is actually nothing like The Shining except that it is an exceptionally well-written horror story.
Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy MG/UMG
The story of a girl who is rescued by her mother from a cult they were both living in. The girl is extremely upset with her mother and wants to go back. A really interesting idea for a story. I thought about this one a lot after I’d finished it.
American Kingpin by Nick Bilton GU
Nonfiction. The story of Ross Ulbricht and how in 2011 he created the Silk Road, a dark-web online marketplace where you could buy or sell drugs, guns, body organs, and nearly any other illegal good. It’s also the story of the government agents who caught him and how they did so. Reads like fiction. This book kept me on the edge of my seat. A fascinating, true story.
I challenged myself to read all the books on my Women Writers mug this year, and I completed the challenge about a month ago. You can read more about my 2024 Reading Challenge here.
Most of the books are important historically more than because of good writing or engaging plots. One book stood out to me for personal reasons: The Scarlet Pimpernel.
I wasn’t sure if I’d already read it, so decided to read it in case I hadn’t. About a chapter in, I started thinking about my older brother, who died almost a decade ago. There was nothing about the book or characters that should have made me think about my brother, but all through my reading of The Scarlet Pimpernel, I thought about David.
As children and teenagers, David and I were big readers. We read a lot, and we talked about books too. Although I didn’t remember the book (even as I was reading it), I was certain that David had suggested I read it and then we must have talked about it together. It was definitely the kind of book we both would have enjoyed as teenagers.
So, I’m happy I did this challenge, although I don’t see myself doing a 2025 reading challenge. I already am constrained in what I read by my three book clubs and the books I read for work.
Stay tuned, as my post of the best books of the year, 2024 will be coming soon.
I read so many excellent books in the first part of 2023, I made a blog post about it. The second half of the year was equally amazing. Below are my favorites of the books I read, July-December of 2023. Again, there are so many I’m going to attempt just one-sentence summaries with links to the authors’ pages for each.
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr: Using the Greek myth of Aethon, creative and amazing characters, from the past, present, and future find meaning in the midst of great peril.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro: In the not-so-distant future, Klara is an “artificial friend,” a robot with sentience and the goal of aiding her troubled teen “owner” into a happy and stable adulthood.
Artemis by Andy Weir: This fast-paced thriller, set in the future on the moon, features the fabulous Jasmine Bashara, a small-time criminal tempted to make a big-time heist that will get her into more trouble than she can imagine.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabriella Zevin: The story of three friends who create a video game company. This well written description is stolen from the author’s website: this is a “novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, games as art form, technology and the human experience, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect.”
The Butterfly Collector by Tea Cooper: Australian historical fiction. I was lucky enough to get an ARC to read for a Historical Novels Society review.
A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat: (intended for ages 9-12) Set in a Thailand-like fantasy world, a child born in prison and a child born to a prison warden seek justice and truth. In part, the story mirrors Les Miserable with added excitement and great world-building.
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell: I finally got around to reading this much-hyped book, and it deserves all the praise it got. This is the story of Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet. Exceptional writing and story-telling.
The Lies of Locke Lamorra by Scott Lynch: Another book I should have already read. Fantasy at its best. The story of Locke Lamorra, the renowned thief and rogue, from his orphaned childhood to his most dangerous exploits.
Poison for Breakfast by Lemony Snicket: If you enjoyed his Series of Unfortunate Events, you’ll love this Snicket mystery which involves diving into philosophy. I couldn’t find anything about this book on the Lemony Snicket website, but this one at his publisher’s is clever.
I was lucky to read two phenomenal books set before, during, and after the Japanese occupation of Malaysia:
The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng: This book is written so softly, so beautifully, so peacefully, you almost don’t think of it as a book about pain and loss and war and torture, which it is. Short-listed for the Booker Prize.
The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan: The story of the Alcantara’s family who are Chinese-Malaysian, told through the perspectives of Cecily (mother), Jujube (teen daughter) Abel (teen son) and Jasmin (young daughter). The decisions each makes will have devastating impacts on the rest of their lives.
Letters from Clara edited by Janet Newman: This is the only nonfiction book on my list. These are the edited letters of Clara Pagel of Wausau, Wisconsin. On her own, she traveled the world from 1936 to 1939 and wrote letters home to her friends and fellow YWCA members. Her curiosity, intrepid spirit and thoughtful insights about the world, just before it broke out in war, are fascinating.
One Came Home by Amy Timberlake: (for children ages 9-12 and adults) When the sheriff decides that the unrecognizable body in her sister’s dress is her sister, Georgie Burkhardt doesn’t believe it and sets off to find her sister. Set in 1871 Wisconsin, during the massive passenger pigeon roost, as well as the Peshtigo fire, this is fast-paced, historical thriller for kids.
The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton: Using interviews, articles, and letters this tells the story of fictional rock duo Opal and Nev’s rise and fall in music history. Walton is masterful in the changing voices of those interviewed and her descriptions. Everything feels so real. An amazing look at the music industry and its handling of gender and race.
The Eyes and the Impossible by David Eggers: (for ages 8-12 and up) I hope this wins the 2024 Newbery Award. Johannes is a wild dog that lives in a large park with other animals, including two buffalo who reside in a comfortably large pen. As the elders, the buffalo make decisions and solve disputes among the other animals. Clever and fast, Johannes is the eyes for the buffalo, running around the park and reporting on what is going on. I won’t give anything more away. This is an enchanting animal story with beautiful, full-page illustrations by Shawn Harris every 20 or so pages.
The Mermaid and the Bear by Ailish Sinclair: A magical love story set in late 1500s Scotland that encounters the devastation caused by hate, jealousy, and the abuse of power. This story made me cry.
Thanks for making it to the end of this long post! I read 96 books last year (almost 100!), and SO many of them were excellent. How lucky is that? I wish I could have recommended more, but this post has already gotten very long.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about these books, your own favorite books of the past year, or anything else you’d like to mention.
Happy 2024 and may it be a great year of reading!
This isn’t my favorite books of the year post (coming soon). Instead, this is a post talking about the Shepherd platform’s book promotion asking authors for their favorite three books of 2023. I’ve answered their question, and you can see my thoughts here.
If you are curious which books got the most votes (with about 2000 authors replying), you can follow that link too.
Shepherd is for both readers and writers as an alternative to Goodreads (owned and controlled by amazon). So, take a look and sign up if you are so inclined.
Sneak peak:
I’ve read so many good books through the first half of this year that I cannot wait until the end of the year to tell you about them. It’s a long list (longer than most full year posts), so I’m going to try to write one-sentence summaries. The title/author link will most often take you to the author’s website.
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald
Aviva vs the Dybbuk by Mari Lowe
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson
The Beatrice Hyde-Clare mystery series by Lynn Messina: A Brazen Curiosity (1), A Scandalous Deception (2), An Infamous Betrayal (3), A Nefarious Engagement (4), A Treacherous Performance (5), A Sinister Establishment (6), A Boldly Daring Scheme (7), A Ghastly Spectacle (8), A Malevolent Connection (9), An Ominous Explosion (10), An Extravagant Duplicity (11) and related to the series: A Lark’s Tale and A Lark’s Flight
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
Sisters at the Edge of the World by Ailish Sinclair
A Blackened Mirror by Jo Graham
Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall
The White Donkey by Maximilian Uriarte
Alchemy of a Blackbird by Claire McMillan
Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
Thanks for making it to the end of this list. If you are trying to decide on what to read next, I recommend buying books from authors you’ve never heard of and getting books from famous authors from your library. The small-time authors are the ones who need your support the most.
Sunday, 5 March – Saturday, 11 March 2023 is Smashword’s Buy an E-Book Week. Many of the books published on Smashword‘s platform will be discounted or free. Including…
My books at Smashwords:
Wilde Wagers and Syncopation: A Memoir of Adele Hugo which are available this week for $1.49 each. Smashwords is a great platform as it lets authors publish e-books for free and gives them a majority of the profits of their sales.
My books at amazon:
Per my contract with amazon, I’m not allowed to sell my books anywhere for less that one can buy them at amazon, so the books are also on sale at that store, if it is where you prefer to buy books: Wilde Wagers and Syncopation: A Memoir of Adele Hugo.
Happy Reading!
Elizabeth Caulfield Felt 