423 ratings | 153 reviews | avg rating:5.00

Cynthia’s Year In Books

Cynthia’s 2025 Year in Books

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

Go to Cynthia’s 2025 Year in Books

Cynthia Swanson’s Followers (779)

Cynthia’s Bookshelves

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Cynthia’s Friends (233)

Natalia Iwanyckyj

2,362 books | 692 friends

Christa

898 books | 3,037 friends

Kayla

13,575 books | 1,023 friends

R.L. Maizes

847 books | 760 friends

Anne Pisacano

1,774 books | 1,246 friends

Laura Wonderchick

3,071 books | 1,274 friends

Leslie Lindsay

2,307 books | 300 friends

Cyndi

4,100 books | 684 friends

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Cynthia Swanson

Goodreads Author

Born

Milwaukee, The United States

Website

http://www.cynthiaswansonauthor.com

Twitter

cynswanauthor

Genre

Historical Fiction, Thriller, Suspense

Member Since

January 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/cynthiaswan

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Named 2025 Indie Author of the Year by the Indie Author Project, Cynthia Swanson is the author of three novels of psychological suspense. Cynthia’s debut novel, The Bookseller, was a New York Times bestseller, an Indie Next selection, the winner of the 2016 WILLA Literary Award for Historical Fiction, and is slated to be a motion picture produced by Julia Roberts. The Bookseller was also nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award and the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association Reading the West Award. The Bookseller is translated into 18 languages. Cynthia’s second novel, The Glass Forest, was a CAL Award finalist, a USA Today bestseller, has been noted in Forbes as being one of “Five Novels With a Remarkably Strong Sense of Pla ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

I loved the time era The Bookseller was set in. What made you choose the early 1960's for this story?

Cynthia Swanson Hi, Vicky. Initially, the story was set in the present day. I realized shortly into a first draft that the story belonged in an earlier era. Technolog…moreHi, Vicky. Initially, the story was set in the present day. I realized shortly into a first draft that the story belonged in an earlier era. Technology and our fast-paced lifestyle were incongruous with the slow way in which Kitty had to find out what was happening. I chose the 60s because I love the era design-wise -- the clothes, the cars, the homes and funishings. And it was a fascinating time of social change, so that worked well for the story. Thanks for reading The Bookseller!(less)

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Have you thought of writing 60s era YAL? Or YAL at all?

Cynthia Swanson Hi, Ray. Interesting question! My upcoming second novel, The Glass Forest, takes place in 1960 and includes three narrators -- age 21, age 17, and one…moreHi, Ray. Interesting question! My upcoming second novel, The Glass Forest, takes place in 1960 and includes three narrators -- age 21, age 17, and one who tells the family history, starting when she's 20 through age 38. So perhaps that setup satisfies this request. The Glass Forest releases on February 6, 2018 -- make sure to keep an eye out for it. Thanks!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...(less)

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Cynthia Swanson’s books

Average rating: 3.69 · 27,284 ratings · 3,837 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Bookseller 3.68 avg rating — 21,599 ratings — published 2015 — 54 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
	The Glass Forest 3.70 avg rating — 5,050 ratings — published 2018 — 2 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
	Anyone But Her 3.66 avg rating — 388 ratings — 7 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
	Denver Noir by Cynthia Swanson (Goodreads Author) (editor), Peter Heller (contributor), Barbara Nickless (Goodreads Author) (contributor) 3.68 avg rating — 248 ratings — 6 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.

12 posts
Cynthia Swanson's Blog

Anyone But Her won the Colorado Book Award

Big news! My latest psychological thriller, Anyone But Her, won the 2025 Colorado Book Award in the Thriller category. If you haven't yet had a chance to check out Anyone But Her -- a mother/daughter story and a ghost story, set in Denver in 1979 and 2004 -- please do. Thanks!

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Published on August 04, 2025 10:14 • Tags: award, ghost-story, thriller

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Cynthia’s Recent Updates

Cynthia Swanson wrote a new blog post Anyone But Her won the Colorado Book Award Big news! My latest psychological thriller, Anyone But Her, won the 2025 Colorado Book Award in the Thriller category. If you haven't yet had a chance Read more of this blog post »
Aug 04, 2025 10:14AM · 1 like · like
Cynthia is now following Linda Keir Author of Drowning with Others
Sep 11, 2024 07:38PM · like

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Quotes by Cynthia Swanson (?)

“I think suddenly about what it means to grow old. It means that all those that you loved as a youth become nothing but photographs on a wall, words in a story, memories in a heart.”
― Cynthia Swanson, The Bookseller

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“Trust your happiness and the richness of your life at this moment. It is as true and as much yours as anything else that ever happened to you. —Katherine Anne Porter, Letters of Katherine Anne Porter”
― Cynthia Swanson, The Bookseller

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“But there is something about pleasing your parents, even when you’re grown up, even when you’re almost middle-aged yourself. It never goes away, at least not for me.”
― Cynthia Swanson, The Bookseller

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