We're going to read the books of the Wattys 2018 Shortlist! How to join: 1. Follow this account 2. Add this book to your library to get updates 3. Read Along (more info inside!)

"There's not a whole lot of magic left anymore, is there? The witches are melted, Cinderella's dead, and the Wolves are endangered. The fey left." ★ "Not all of them," Tilly said with a smile. ★★★ "ABC's 'ONCE UPON A TIME' meets 'SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL'" Hard times have come to Grimland since Queen Cinderella's death nearly 60 years ago, and nobody feels it more than Tilly Lafayette and her family. Despite their propensity for magic, they're just scraping by in Coleville, a deeply superstitious little smudge of a town in the foothills of the Sesmi mountains. When Mama's chronic illness suddenly worsens, Tilly must use her most powerful spell to save her, but to do so she has to leave behind everything she's ever known. ★★★ THE SEAM SORCERESS is a journey through some of the world's most beloved stories, re-imagined through the lens of Appalachian culture and Americana. Leigh Heasley (2017 Watty award winner and author of "Kairos," optioned for a TV series by eOne entertainment) weaves in personal memories and her family's unique history alongside the magic in this deeply personal tale.

The year started out weird, but things really took a turn for the bizarre when we discovered the Buzzfeed quizzes were coming true. ***** Leela Pendurthi is dog-paddling toward adulthood. Armed with a useless BS in astrophysics and a pretty decent data plan, the recent college graduate's life might be in shambles, but at least she has plenty of time to browse dank memes. Her half-assed attempts to slay the chaos dragon (and catch the attention of a local, possibly-autistic podiatrist) have been going relatively smoothly (relatively is a key word, here), until her best friend Abby points out that every Buzzfeed quiz they've taken seems to actually do what its claim to do. Guess their names? Check. Tell them their favorite 1D songs? Yup. When it becomes apparent that they have a chance to glimpse into their futures, one asinine quiz at a time, Leela and Abby embark on a quest to do the impossible: find date-able boys in their Appalachian hometown. While Leela has her cap set on 'emotional stability' and a '401k' and 'dental', Buzzfeed appears to have an entirely different type of guy lined up for her next boyfriend, AND a one-month deadline to meet her soulmate. But Buzzfeed won't be able to answer Leela's most pressing question: can she date and get dumped by a stoner in time to meet her soulmate in 3 weeks? There's no way her soulmate is going to be a pothead, right? Right? *kinda for grown-ups. there's curse words and weed*

'Zeus: The Autobiography' is a historical satire dictated by a deity to a mortal ghost writer who may have mixed motives. Zeus emerges to share the truth of the universe and his life. He boasts of absolute power and knowledge yet struggles with family, sex, romance, loss, middle age, usurpers, and other ongoing hassles of running the universe. Zeus seems oblivious to female forces that hold as much or more influence than he does. He takes us through creation to his birth in exile to leading the war against older gods to the peculiar origin of mortals to ancient history to early Christianity. He claims to still command the universe and protect mortals, yet why did he withdraw from view just as selfish trickster forces started to lead the world astray? I have studied Greek mythology, the Classical period, and Christian history for decades. I strive to amuse readers with both dry and ripe wit while inspiring compassion and skepticism.

Highest Ranking: #1 in Humor [FEATURED, SEPT-OCT] An idealistic poet refuses to budge from the last parcel of land a developer needs to acquire in order to build a shopping mall. (Literary satire with pop culture references and environmental themes.) synopsis: The Myth of Wile E. is a riff on the modern obsession with fame and acclaim, as well as a mediation on the artist's place in the modern world, as seen through the eyes of a naive poet who is made simultaneously pathetic and heroic by the pursuit of a singular goal. In this novel, we meet an assortment of eccentric monomaniacs, from mushroom hunters in search of a legendary truffle, to birders pursuing a possibly-extinct bird, to competitive Duck Stamp artists, to "the World's Foremost Living Statue"...and even a very stubborn spider. Meanwhile, our narrator--a terrible, yet persistent, poet--battles a ruthless land developer who's determined to acquire the poet's humble property, in an escalating battle of wills that spirals out of control when the media gets involved. With these quirky events as a backdrop, we gradually learn of the misfortunes that befell each member of the poet's family in their various misguided quests for glory. We also learn why money makes the world go flat, why talent is a white elephant, and what it means for parents to love their children "to pieces." Some of my influences are Richard Brautigan (especially), Christopher Moore, Kurt Vonnegut, Tom Robbins, and George Saunders, so if you like any of them, I hope you'll enjoy this, too.