235 ratings | 147 reviews | avg rating:3.40

Elissa’s Year In Books

Elissa’s 2024 Year in Books

Take a look at Elissa’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

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Elissa Matthews’s Followers (4)

Elissa’s Bookshelves

to-read (0)
currently-reading (3)
read (256)
classics (16)
diversity-y-cultures (12)
historical-fiction (19)
just-for-fun (20)
literary-y-upmarket (41)
mystery (42)
non-fiction (20)
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Elissa’s Friends (5)

Lulu

2,805 books | 936 friends

Anthony Whitt

1,140 books | 1,196 friends

Urcelia Teixeira

92 books | 818 friends

ANITA

285 books | 14 friends

Harini

209 books | 28 friends

Elissa Matthews

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.epmatthews.com

Member Since

January 2014

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Elissa Matthews’s books

Average rating: 4.2 · 56 ratings · 20 reviews · 3 distinct works

	Where the River Bends 4.17 avg rating — 54 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bittersweet and Magic: Short Stories it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bittersweet and Magic: Short Stories 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Elissa is Currently Reading

Elissa Matthews is currently reading

The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei, Volume Three: The Aphrodisiac (Princeton Library of Asian Translations)

by Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng

bookshelves: currently-reading, classics

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Sep 04, 2025 10:30AM

Elissa Matthews is currently reading

Bittersweet and Magic: Short Stories

by Elissa Matthews (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: literary-y-upmarket, currently-reading

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Elissa Matthews said: " An eclectic collection of short stories:
Some stories are bittersweet.
Some stories are magical.
A Holocaust secret kept for decades.
A young teacher learns to be strong.
A werewolf. An elf. A genie. A marriage.
A Poppa God, a Momma God, a Baby God.
T ...more "

Sep 06, 2024 02:56PM · see review

Elissa Matthews is currently reading

Where the River Bends

by Elissa Matthews (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: historical-fiction, currently-reading, racism, literary-y-upmarket

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Elissa Matthews said: " I don't know if rating my own book is legal, but the system keeps asking me to do that, so I'm finally giving in. Many thanks in advance to all of you who take the time to read my book, and I'd love to hear from you, either by Goodreads message or th ...more "

Apr 12, 2025 07:41PM · see review

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Elissa’s Recent Updates

Elissa Matthews rated a book liked it The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 30, 2025 08:52PM · like
Elissa Matthews rated a book it was amazing The Sounds of Poetry: A Brief Guide by Robert Pinsky	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A deceptive book - easy to read through, but as I tried to apply any of the concepts to my own writing, I found myself going back and re-reading every section much more slowly. The same with the examples of how to read or measure poetry - like calcul ...more
Oct 30, 2025 02:09PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Sounds of Poetry by Robert Pinsky. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Sounds of Poetry by Robert Pinsky <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elissa Matthews rated a book liked it Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere) by Lisa Cron (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The first half of this book is a low key overview of the basics of novel development. Not much new. The second half is a detailed process for nailing down the story in your head - I have a feeling this is going to be useful for me. Same stuff as ever ...more
Sep 14, 2025 11:25AM · like · see review
Elissa Matthews is currently reading The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei, Volume Three: The Aphrodisiac (Princeton Library of Asian Translations) by Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 04, 2025 10:30AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei, Volume Three by Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei, Volume Three by Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elissa Matthews rated a book really liked it Nobody's Fool (Sully #1) by Richard Russo (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
a whole lot of wonderful pages that don't seem to be going anywhere specific, but then you realize they are. The appeal of this novel is very much about its immersion in the world of these characters. ...more
Sep 04, 2025 10:28AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elissa Matthews rated a book really liked it The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Four stars based on recommendability, tbh. A collection of science, history, anecdotes, interest, and trivia about each of the elements in the periodic table (did you know all the known molybdenum in the world was once owned by one guy in Colorado?) ...more
Aug 22, 2025 06:14PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elissa Matthews has read Under the Wave at Waimea by Paul Theroux	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 09, 2025 07:42AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Under the Wave at Waimea by Paul Theroux. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Under the Wave at Waimea by Paul Theroux <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elissa Matthews rated a book liked it Rockin' Around the Chickadee (Meg Langslow #36) by Donna Andrews (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 04, 2025 11:30AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Rockin' Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Rockin' Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elissa Matthews rated a book liked it The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck (A Vish Puri Mystery Book 6) by Tarquin Hall (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 24, 2025 05:30AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck by Tarquin Hall. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck by Tarquin Hall <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Elissa Matthews rated a book really liked it Straight Man by Richard Russo (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 10, 2025 07:12AM · like

More of Elissa's books…

Polls

Please vote for our August Group read with a New Author (Debut) theme. The poll will close at midnight on July 23, the selection will be announced on July 24, and reading will start on August 15.

-- What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons

10 votes 24.4%

-- Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

6 votes 14.6%

-- Book of Addis: Cradled Embers by Brooke C. Obie

5 votes 12.2%

-- The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson

4 votes 9.8%

-- Chained in Silence: Black Women and Convict Labor in the New South by Talitha L Leflouria

4 votes 9.8%

-- Where the River Bends by Elissa P Matthews

4 votes 9.8%

-- A Kind of Freedom by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton

4 votes 9.8%

-- Taffy by Suzette D. Harrison

3 votes 7.3%

-- That Church Life by Teresa B. Howell

1 vote 2.4%

-- Rodeo by Jaketa a McClure

0 votes 0.0%

-- Daddy's Baby by Landis Lain

0 votes 0.0%

41 total votes

7 comments

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Historical Fictio...: Centuries Winter Challenge 2018 Scoring Thread	132	155	Apr 06, 2018 09:44AM
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Review Group: Group 221. Historical Fiction - Mod. G.J. (NOW CLOSED)	164	141	Sep 13, 2019 01:29AM
Retro Chapter Chi...: * ☏ Let's Chat 2014-2019 ☏	6628	294	Jan 01, 2020 03:01PM