Hey, readers! We know it can be hard to get back into the fall routine, so why not check out the books we have on sale right now to help avoid that post-summer reading slump? We have over 15 books that are less than $1.99—only from September 5th through November 5th!
Click each cover to learn more!
In need of a new summer read? We’ve got you covered!
Until August 31st, get the ebook versions of these series for $2.99 or LESS —
North of the Tension Line series by J.F. Riordan
The Red Hotel series by Ed Fuller and Gary Grossman
Jack Patterson series by Webb Hubbell
The Adventures of Bubba Jones by Jeff Alt
Check out even more of our on-sale titles HERE!
Happy reading!
A discovery on Washington Island brings new controversy among the locals, and Emily Martin has plans that will annoy all concerned. Meanwhile, Nancy is in love, Nelsen’s is for sale, and Fiona’s resignation from local government creates an opening that reopens old grievances. Even among the bickering, though, when bad news reaches the island, the shocked community forgets its animosities and rallies to offer support.
About: J.F. Riordan
Hardcover: $24.95 (ISBN: 9780825309816)
E-book: $12.99 (ISBN: 9780825308604)
Literary Fiction
384 pages
Order Here:
Two Beaufort titles were named finalists in the 2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards
On March 12th, 2021, Foreword Reviews released the list of finalists for their 2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards. The School Choice Roadmap by Andrew Campanella was nominated in the Nonfiction/Education category, and A Small Earnest Question is one of 13 finalists in the General Fiction category.
More than 2,000 entries spread across 55 genres were submitted for consideration, and we’re thrilled that both of these wonderful titles were recognized. The finalists were determined by Foreword’s editorial team. The winners will be announced on June 17, 2021.
To view the complete list of finalists, click here.
To learn more about The School Choice Roadmap, click here.
To learn more about A Small Earnest Question, click here.
The Midwest Book Review reviews J.F. Riordan’s A Small Earnest Question
Synopsis: It’s spring on Washington Island. Despite her concerns about Roger’s desire to bartend, Elisabeth is eager to plan a grand opening for their newly remodeled hotel, but she quickly realizes that she may also need to make accommodations for Roger’s proposed goat yoga classes. Bored and lonely, Oliver Robert joins bartender Eddie in forming a great books club at Nelsen’s, and Emily Martin, determined to make her mark on the community, forms a new Committee of the Concerned. When Emily decides that the Island needs a literary festival, complete with a famous author, she imprudently seeks out a notorious celebrity, hoping, as always, to enhance her own prestige. Real estate agent Marcie Landmeier confides that an unknown someone is buying up the Island’s shoreline, newly-appointed Fire Chief Jim Freeberg contends with a string of suspicious fires, and Pali and Ben have a spiritual encounter that will change them both. Meanwhile, drawn once more into local controversy, and awash in suspicion herself, Fiona Campbell must determine the answers to questions that will affect her future, and the future of the entire Island.
Critique: Set on a remote island in the Great Lakes, “A Small Earnest Question” is Book Four in the outstanding North of the Tension Line series from novelist J. F. Riordan. A deftly crafted and engagingly entertaining story from beginning to end, “A Small Earnest Question” will be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary American Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated Riordan fans that “A Small Earnest Question” is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Click here to view the review.
Click here to learn more about A Small Earnest Question.
Click here to learn more about J.F. Riordan.
A Small Earnest Question featured in Madison Magazine’s “2021 Reading List: Local books to add to your collection”
Every year we publish a list of books that have Wisconsin authors or connections. From “Wisconsin cocktails” to “Storied and Scandalous Wisconsin,” you might find an interesting read to add to your own 2021 reading list.
“A Small Earnest Question” by J.F. Riordan
Book No. 4 in the North of the Tension Line series, “A Small Earnest Question” opens a window into the imagined everyday life of Washington Island residents in Door County. With a year-round population of 708, Washington Island certainly makes a fun backdrop for a story involving many interconnected characters, including Elisabeth, who’s eager to open a remodeled hotel; Roger, an aspiring bartender; Marcie, a real estate agent; and Emily, who wants to start a literary festival. You might just have to take a trip to Door County and let this small-town story suck you in. J.F. Riordan, who has been called a modern-day Jane Austen, lives in Wisconsin with her husband and three dogs. –AB
Click here to read the rest of the article.
Click here to order A Small Earnest Question.
Click here to learn more about J.F. Riordan.
Rose City Reader: A Round-up of Reviews: Six Gift-Worthy Books Sure to Surprise
Who doesn’t like getting books for gifts? It’s my favorite part of holiday gift giving! I haven’t gotten as clever as Christie at Raising Whasians with her adorable Christmas Book Advent Tree, pictured above, but lots of books get unwrapped at my house Christmas morning.
One snaggle with choosing books for gifts is worrying if the person has already read the book! Here are some ideas for recently published books that have flown under the radar. There’s probably someone on your list who would enjoy one of these:
A Small Earnest Question by J. F. Riordan. This is the fourth book in Riordan’s North of the Tension Line series set on Washington Island, a remote island in the Great Lakes. Fiona Campbell is the main character at the center or an eclectic mix of locals, visitors, pets, and even goats for the goat yoga classes. This fourth book involves the grand opening of a remodeled hotel and the island’s first literary festival, but the point of the series is to wallow in the charm.
This one is perfect for all the pumpkin spice latte lovers on your list. Riordan brings readers up to speed enough to enjoy this as a stand-alone, or splurge on the set of four.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
To learn more about A Small Earnest Question, click here.
To learn more about J.F. Riordan, click here.
Madison Magazine: Fall reading recommendations from three local bookstores
As the leaves begin to turn and aggressive marketing campaigns for pumpkin spice-everything crop up around Madison, it’s once again time to find that new fall companion: a good book. This autumn, let local novels be your guide to the wonderful worlds created by Wisconsin writers, many of whom have new and recently released reads just in time for the fall season.
Here are the latest recommendations from experts at the three local bookstores: A Room of One’s Own in downtown Madison, It’s More Than Mystery to Me on Monroe Street and Arcadia Books in Spring Green. Whether you’re looking for a collection of poems, essays, a new children’s book or a relaxed novel — these three stores have something to offer for every reading level. While looking for that new literary adventure, Charlotte Colaluca of Mystery to Me reminds readers to not just read local, but to shop local, too.
“When you spend money at any local business, that money goes right back into your community and that money starts to work for you,” Colaluca says. “I think it’s an act of humanitarianism at this point if you shop local instead of shopping from Amazon, because when you send money that goes to the richest man on earth, that money doesn’t come back to you. It goes into his pocket.”
For the reader looking for something a little less intense than grandiose questions on living and dying, “A Small Earnest Question” offers a wry tale full of vivid characters living on Door County’s own Washington Island. Author J. F. Riordan, who resides on the island, has been called a “modern day Jane Austin” for her book, and visited Mystery to Me for a virtual event this month. Colaluca says this book is perfect for anyone looking for a relaxing read.
“[Riordan is] so excellent as far as writing about that place, and it’s not a very high-stakes drama … It‘s like a nice break from the world we currently live in.”
Click here to read the rest of the article.
Click here to learn more about A Small Earnest Question.
Click here to learn more about J.F. Riordan.
