Hi all!

I'd love to send you all a little something for the holidays, so if you'd like to receive it, please make sure to have your address added into your account profile. Thanks for being awesome!

Instagram Post Wrap-Up

Book Info
Titles: Spin of Fate (#1) and Wheel of Wrath (#2)
Author: A.A. Vora
Publisher: Penguin Teen
Release Dates: 05/07/2024 (#1) and TOMORROW 11/18/2025 (#2)
Synopses:
In an anime-inspired world ruled by a hard magic system based loosely off of karma / Indian philosophy, three teens encounter magnificent beasts, unforgiving magic, and epic battles. A wholly original YA fantasy trilogy with intricate worldbuilding; perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson’s work and shounen anime like Naruto.

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N • Ninth House
O • Otherworldly
V • A Vow So Bold and Deadly
E • Empire of the Dawn
M • The Mirror of Beasts
B • Black Sun
E • An Echo of Things to Come
R • Ruthless Vows

Have you read any of these? I’ve read 5 of the 8 💛

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Book Info
Title: Innamorata
Author: Ava Reid | @avasreid
Publisher: DelRey | @delreybooks
Release Date: March 17th 2026
Genre: Necromantic, Gothic Fantasy
Synopsis:
Once there was an island where the dead walked the earth, and seven noble houses ruled by the arcane secrets of necromancy.
A conqueror’s blade brought them low, burning their libraries, killing their lords, and extinguishing their eldritch magic.
But defiant against the new order stands the House of Teeth and its last living members: beautiful Marozia, the heiress to the House, and her cousin, the uncanny Lady Agnes... [read more]

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What are you reading tonight?

Hello my loves! I’m buddy reading another @veschwab book- Bury Our Bones In the Midnight Soil and loving it. I think Addie Larue retains top spot so far for my faves from V though 💛

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Book Info
Title: Agnes Aubert's Mysical Cat Shelter
Author: Heather Fawcett
Release Date: February 17th 2026
Publisher: Del Rey Books
Synopsis: Agnes Aubert leads a meticulously organized life—and she likes it that way. As the proudly type-A manager of a much-needed cat rescue charity, she has devoted her life to finding forever homes for lost cats.
But after she is forced to move the cat shelter, Agnes learns that her new landlord is using her charity as a front—for an internationally renowned and thoroughly disreputable magic shop. Owned by the disorganized—not to mention self-absorbed, irritating, but also decidedly handsome—Havelock Renard, magician and failed Dark Lord, the shop draws magical clientele from around the world... [read more]

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Book Info
Title- Break Wide the Sea
Author- Sara Holland | @sarahollandwrites
Publisher- Wednesday Books | @wednesdaybooks
Release Date- November 11th, 2025
Synopsis- In the treacherous waters surrounding Kirkrell, sailors hunting magic whales live in fear of the finfolk—bloodthirsty sea fae who sink ships and curse bloodlines. Nineteen-year-old Annie, as heir to the city’s preeminent whaling company, is determined to carry on her parents’ life’s work. But she keeps a secret from everyone: she’s cursed to transform into a monster, with scales spreading up her arms and claws growing from her fingertips. [read more]

Hi Disco Dancers,

Today I want to talk about one of my favourite authors, Margaret Killjoy. She’s a transfem author who writes the most brilliant fantasy / alternative world prose, each book demonstrating a different way to live, a leftist point of view that encourages, not blames.

I started with A Country of Ghosts, which is still my favourite.

This is set in a fictional land at war, and follows a journalist from a capitalist society as he strays from the front line and immerses himself in a foreign country run on anarchist principles. He’s sceptical at first, and the society is not 100% perfect, but he slowly falls in love with their self-governing way of life.

I don’t like books that feel like they’re preaching at the expense of the narrative, and this does a masterful job of demonstrating how an alternative society could work, with a real emotional story along the way.

Next was The Sapling Cage, a fantasy with a YA protagonist.

A trans teenage girl pretends to be her friend and joins a coven of witches that only takes women, just as the coven is battling a deadly threat affecting the forests. A lot of the narrative is about the girl making friends and worrying that she’ll be found out to not be cis, and the witches’ reactions. It’s very honest about the growing pains of a young trans person. I loved the way the coven worked and the coven vs. evil storyline was complex and compelling.

And lastly, The Immortal Choir Holds Every Voice.

This is a brilliant novella about a group of leftists who are waiting at night to do something important, and tell each other stories. The three stories focus on leftists they have known and experiences they have had in alternative communities and protest movements. They range from horror, to fantasy, to the last one, which is all too real and raw. It made me cry, and also inspired me to do more, to not give up.

I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Much love,

Disco

Hello Friends,

Happy Sunday! Today I went for a walk (2 days in a row!) after a month of inactivity due to illness, laziness and winterness. I called Michael and said GUESS WHY IM GOING FOR A WALK! And he said, TO UNBIG YOUR BACK? And I said YES, BUT FOR A VERY SPECIFIC REASON..... you see, during the winter months I clean, I organize and I want to move around my bookshelves, which got me thinking, I'd like to buy a nice reading chair! And I found many Ikea chairs I liked, but before investing, I had to check out the specs (As a BIG BACK!) and most of them said they can hold up to 242 lbs. That seems like a very precise number. Like they did the math and 242.5 lbs was gonna break that summabitch, so I'd like to get down to 230 lbs and as a reward buy a cute reading chair. UNBIG MY BACK is now in progress.

Which brings me to my next topic: 75 BOOKED. I created a channel in our community Discord if anyone wants to participate! This is a trend, a version of 75 Hard for bookies, started by @emilypaigebooks and the rules are as follows:

• Complete two 45 minute reading sessions daily (one of them NOT being in bed)

• Finish a water bottle during each session. (STAY HYDRATED)

• Log all reading in a physical journal

• NO PURCHASING BOOKS- all books must be owned, bought second hand or checked out from the library.

I am started 75 booked this coming Weds! But you can start anytime and join in the convo in the Discord. You also can add your own little rules. One of my will be 3 of my weekly sessions have to be audiobook walks. (One of my goals for 2026 is to start a local audiobook walking club)

Speaking of Discord - We just finished our first SOUP READATHON! And it was such a wild success that we are doing it again (You make soup, read all weekend and chat) Join us 12/19-12/21

We also have been sharing soup recipes. Here are a few:

Garlicky Chickpea Soup

Slow Cooker Pesto Minestrone

Potato Leek Soup

Vegan Lentil Soup

Curry Lentil Soup

Black Bean Soup

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Mexican Quinoa Stew

Creamy Zucchini Chickpea Soup with Spinach

Simple Sweet Potato Soup

Vegetable Coconut Curry Soup

Creamy Gnocchi Chicken Soup

Indian Spiced Lentil Soup

Crack Chicken Noodle Soup

I am getting ready to plot out next year's bookclub. This year we are going to go in four month increments! Expect some voting polls coming your way soon. (Like today or tomorrow soon!)

Who is going to join?

PS Publishing news coming soon! A cover is near for What Feeds Below and dare I say....another announcement is on the way?????????

🍞🍺💘Book Series Review Emerald Creek Series, Never Let You Go, The Promise of You, Return to You by Bella Rivers

I went into Emerald Creek for the pastries and stayed for the emotional rescue missions. Reading these three felt like spending a blissfully chaotic summer in a town that’s equal parts cozy bakery, rowdy pub, and very effective matchmaking committee. Consider me converted.

In Never Let You Go, Christopher Wright broody single-dad, master baker, and apparently allergic to casual conversation had me swooning and grimacing in equal measure. I came for the inheritance plot and stayed for the late-night dinners, the too-close bedrooms, and the tiny human who stole my heart on page two. The slow melt of distrust into domestic warmth? Pure comfort-food romance!

The Promise of You serves up sturdy, stubborn Chloe and a pub owner with emotional armor thicker than his bar stools. That one-night-stand-turned-business-rivalry had me audibly gasping, then laughing, then cheering when both of them realized that pride is a lousy business plan for love. The grit and the grief give the romance stakes real weight and the banter makes the fall inevitable.

And Return to You brings the ache of second chances. Ten years away, one pulled muscle, and a town that refuses to let two stubborn people bury their past. The reunion scenes were deliciously awkward and achingly sincere, the kind of chapter that makes you reach for a tissue and a celebratory cupcake at once.

Together they’re equal parts swoon, snark, and small-town shenanigans. Bella Rivers writes about people who feel lived-in: flawed, fierce, and ultimately impossible to resist. I closed the last book with a smile, a slight book-hangover, and an odd craving for both bread pudding and a town square full of nosy neighbors!

❔️If you could move into a fictional small town for a month, what job would you take at the bakery or pub and which resident would you secretly hope to run into while on shift?

Hi everyone! It is time to vote for which thriller and fantasy book we will be reading in December!There will be six books in total to choose from, 3 thriller and 3 fantasy. You are allowed to vote once in each category! Voting will end on the 27th. Make sure to join my discord where we can discuss the book picks!

Our first book club begins December 1st! Join me in reading Joe Hill's KING SORROW! dark academia, fantasy, horror, this book has it all. I can't wait to discuss it with you all and I'll open up a Book Club discord soon! Stay tuned and check out the Brothers Gwynne's interview with Joe Hill to prep for next month!

Brothers Gwynne: Joe Hill interview

Join my discord!

🥂 Members Exclusive: Heir of Illusion Book Club Guide: Welcome, Page Ladies! Grab your ingredients and your notes. It's time to plot our discussion for Heir of Illusion. This is a book that demands moral debate and a good, strong drink!

⚡️The Page Ladies Book Club Discussion Guide: Heir of Illusion by Madeline Taylor

These questions focus on the high-stakes relationships and the complex moral journey of the main characters.

Part 1: Deception, Power, & Identity

▫️Ivy is forced to adopt the persona of the king's obedient pet, while secretly plotting his downfall. Discuss the different masks Ivy wears throughout the book. Which illusion was the most dangerous for her to maintain, and which was the most effective?

▫️Ivy constantly wrestles with the question of how far she is willing to go for freedom. Did her actions ever cross a moral line that made you question her status as a protagonist?

▫️The narrative emphasizes that Ivy is the beast they let inside. How does her journey reflect the idea that suppressed power or rage often becomes more dangerous than power that is openly wielded?

▫️Beyond the enchanted collar, what emotional or psychological chains keep Ivy bound? How does her relationship with the mysterious reaper influence her path toward true liberation?

Part 2: Alliances, Secrets, & Desire

▫️The alliance between Ivy and the reaper is tenuous at best. Discuss the foundation of their bond. Was it built more on mutual need, shared secrets, or genuine connection?

▫️Every major character harbors secrets. Which character's revelation or secret impacted the plot most significantly, and which one surprised you the most?

▫️The book features a strong romantic element with dangerous desires. Do you believe the romantic tension elevates the stakes of the plot, or does it ever distract from Ivy's main goal of freedom?

▫️Discuss the weapon of untold power. What does this weapon symbolize in the world of the book, and how does its pursuit define the actions of the king versus the actions of Ivy and the reaper?

Part 3: Wrapping Up the Chaos

▫️What were your immediate thoughts on that ending? Do you predict the secrets they harbor will ultimately destroy their alliance, or do you believe their connection will lead them to triumph in the next book?

The Page Ladies Question: If you possessed Ivy's power of illusion, what is the first thing you would change about your current life, and what is the last thing you would do to seek revenge?

🍸Themed Menu: A Taste of Illusion & Shadow: This menu captures the dark, dramatic, and slightly dangerous atmosphere of the novel.

🍷The Drink: The Shadow Reaper Cocktail A dark, potent cocktail or mocktail using blackberries/pomegranate juice and a splash of prosecco or dry gin. Use dark sugar around the rim for a dramatic look.

🍋Ingredients

▫️Dark Base

2 oz Dry Gin or Vodka, for a cleaner taste

1 oz Pomegranate or Blackberry Juice unsweetened

1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice

▫️Sweetener

½ oz, Simple Syrup equal parts sugar and water

▫️Sparkle/Topping

2-3 oz,Dry Prosecco or Sparkling Wine

Garnish, Optional, Black sugar for rim, a few fresh blackberries

📝Instructions

▫️Optional Prep the Glass: If desired, wet the rim of a coupe or wine glass with a lime wedge, then dip the rim into a shallow dish of black sanding sugar.

▫️Combine Ingredients: In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the Gin, Pomegranate/Blackberry Juice, Lime Juice, and Simple Syrup.

▫️Shake & Strain: Shake well until the shaker is thoroughly chilled. Strain the mixture into the prepared glass.

▫️Top: Top the drink with a splash of Prosecco or Sparkling Wine for extra fizz.

▫️Garnish: Drop 2-3 blackberries into the drink to represent forbidden fruit.

🍮The Snack: The Pet's Illusionary Tarts Small, delicate, and deceptively simple savory tarts. They look innocent but hold a powerful flavor!

🍯Ingredients

▫️Base

1 package Frozen mini phyllo shells 15 count

▫️Filling

3 oz,Softened goat cheese or cream cheese if preferred

1 tsp,Honey plus extra for drizzling

Pinch,Fresh thyme optional

▫️Topping

Dried figs, sliced thin or sun-dried tomatoes, diced

¼ cup Toasted walnuts or pecans, chopped

📝Instructions

▫️Pre-bake Shells: Follow the package directions to briefly bake the phyllo shells until lightly golden and crisp. Let them cool completely.

▫️Make the Filling: In a small bowl, gently stir together the softened goat cheese, 1 teaspoon of honey, and thyme (if using) until combined. Do not overmix.

▫️Assemble Tarts: Spoon or pipe a small amount of the cheese mixture into the bottom of each cooled phyllo shell.

▫️Top: Place one thin slice of fig (or a few pieces of sun-dried tomato) on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts/pecans.

▫️Final Illusion: Just before serving, drizzle a tiny bit of extra honey over the top of the tarts for a touch of sweetness.

🥮The Meal/Dessert: Forbidden Forest Chocolate Cake: A rich, dark, and decadent flourless chocolate cake dusted with powdered sugar and maybe garnished with deep red raspberries. Intense, satisfying, and a little dangerous!

🍫Ingredients

▫️Cake: 8 oz,Good quality semi-sweet or dark chocolate

½ cup 1 stick,Unsalted butter

1 cup,Granulated sugar

1 tsp,Vanilla extract

Pinch,Salt

4 large,Eggs

▫️Garnish: As needed powdered sugar, deep red raspberries for The Forbidden Fruit!

📚Instructions

▫️Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

▫️Melt Chocolate: Chop the chocolate and place it with the butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water or microwave in 30-second intervals. Stir until completely smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, vanilla, and salt.

▫️Add Eggs: Beat the eggs lightly in a separate bowl. Gradually whisk the eggs into the chocolate mixture until everything is just combined and the batter is smooth.

▫️Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30–35 minutes. The edges should look set, but the center will still look soft and slightly wobbly.

▫️Cool: Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. It will settle and slightly sink; this is normal for a flourless cake!

▫️Garnish, The Forest Effect: Dust the cooled cake heavily with powdered sugar. Garnish with deep red raspberries or blackberries around the edge to create the Forbidden Forest look.

🎨 Fun and Creative Activities

Activity: The Truth & The Lie

▫️Setup: This classic game reflects the novel's theme of deception. Have each Page Lady write down three statements about herself: two truths and one convincing lie.

▫️The Game: Go around the circle. Each person reads their three statements, and the rest of the club debates and votes on which statement they think is the lie.

Purpose: A fun, quick way to connect and practice deciphering "illusions" among friends!

Activity: The Alliance Scale

▫️Setup: Draw a simple line on a whiteboard or piece of paper and label one end Absolute Loyalty and the other Pure Self-Interest.

▫️The Task: As a group, discuss and place key character relationships e.g., Ivy and the King, Ivy and the Reaper, Secondary characters onto the scale based on where their motives fall.

▫️Purpose: Visually maps the complexity of the alliances and forces the group to debate the core motivations behind each character's actions.

🎁Themed Door Prizes

▫️For the Truth Seeker: A beautiful, high-quality journal or notebook for recording unvarnished truths and secrets.

▫️For the Illusionist: A highly pigmented eyeshadow palette or cosmetic product something that helps create a mask.

▫️For the Rebel: A sleek, dark fantasy book featuring a morally gray heroine.

🎉Happy reading and discussing!

❗️Don't forget to come back and tell us all about your book club meeting!!

Okay can we talk about how I’m supposed to recover from this book? Because the Heir of Illusion chewed me up, spat me out, and somehow made me want more. Madeline Taylor really said: “let’s mix rebellion, magic, and sexual tension so thick it might count as its own plotline” and I ate it up!

Ivy Pomeroy is that girl fierce, furious, and done letting men or kings control her fate. The whole “illusion magic meets political rebellion” setup? Delicious! And then a mysterious reaper walks in, brooding and dangerous with secrets of his own, and suddenly I’m like: yes, enemies to allies to oh no they’re touching hands, my favorite!

The banter? Electric! The world building? Enchanting! The tension? I had to physically set my book down more than once to collect myself. And that ending? Let’s just say I’m side-eyeing my TBR for not magically containing book two already.

Ivy may be bound by a collar, but this story had me on a leash the entire time.

❓️If you could master one magical power to help overthrow a corrupt ruler, would you choose illusion, persuasion, or straight-up chaos?

Join The Discussion! We are diving deep into Ivy's moral choices, the complex alliances, and that shocking ending!

✨Full Discussion Guide & Themed Menu available now in our members only section!

Hey Sickos! I've got a couple updates to hit up here with the December book club polls, a separate poll about the future of the Fantasy Sickos, and a new update for the publishing imprint. Let's pitter patter, get at 'er!

(NOT FINAL) COVER ART REVEAL!

Super exciting news on the publishing front, our first book "A Complement of Scoundrels" by S.V. Lockwood is cruising along in its development with line edits and blurbs just about completed 100%. We're also very close on our cover art, so close that I'm going to drop the most recent (again, not final) iteration.

Just seeing this makes it feel so much more real and I know y'all are gonna love fantasy heist. It's still on track for for a Fall 2026, and in the beginning of the year I'll be on the hunt for the next book to acquire!

BOOK CLUB POLL + FUTURE CHANGES?

The votes take place in our Discord server and run for 3 days. If you're not in the server yet you can join by going to "Account Settings" and linking Discord from there.

For this month, I'm switching the Fantasy Sickos to the Asian Fiction Sickos for a couple reasons. First, having recently read Tawny Man I need a bit of a breather or I feel a slump will hit because that was so f'n elite. Second, we've started so many series in this club and there's a dearth of standalones to pick from. We also have pop-up buddy read channels for big releases anyway (like The Strength of the Few).

In 2026, I'm considering making the switch from Fantasy to Fiction a permanent thing (see the poll). This would include all genres so you might see 4 different fiction sub-genres all in the same vote. I don't want to make any big changes without consulting the group, hence the poll. If you have any questions remaining before you vote please hit me with 'em in the comments or in the Discord.

Speaking of polls, here's the options for the book club reads in December.

HISTORY VOTE
The Wager by David Grann
Everyone Who is Gone is Here by Jonathan Blitzer
The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins
Blood in the Water by Heather Ann Thompson

FICTION VOTE
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Out by Natsuo Kirino
Seven Years of Darkness by You-Jeong Jeong
Strange Pictures by Uketsu

See you gremlins in the Disco. Sicko, out!

I wanted more from this story, but I am not the intended audience…

Thank you to Simon Teen #SimonTeenInfluencer #SimonTeen (#GirlsWhoPlayDead) specifically for sending me a physical and digital copy to read. Here's my genuine review:

Overall, I believe this book is well-suited for Young Adult audiences. I love how Joelle makes every detail intentional and relevant throughout the story. Despite having many characters to get to know, Wellington does it effortlessly and makes it clear and easy to understand who each character is and their relevance to the overall story.

I was surprised by how deeply we follow through Mikky's perspective, but it's nice to see through his lens. I also appreciate the LGBTQIA+ representation throughout some of the supporting characters.

The U.S. cover is BEAUTIFUL. Absolutely perfect for this book.

I like how it gave me a teen movie nostalgic feel (reminds me of Jawbreaker or Meangirls given Kyla and Erin's relationship)
I think the storytelling was well executed.

However, while the plot twist was in fact a twist, I don't think enough time was used in the book to really drop little seeds of the end. It did, but not really. We didn't really get enough of the mother/daughter dynamic for either girl in this book.

I think the story, as is, could've been shorter. I appreciate learning about relationships through Mikky's lens, but that wasn't the point of the book. Naism got my nerves lol

I think the repetitiveness of stating "Erin is dead" was overkill. Like, we get it, she's dead. SO WHO DID IT?? What was the motive? I appreciate having no idea who it could've been until the end, but I think it could've been shorter to get there.

Around 60% I became less interested; however, I'm an adult (who reads YA frequently), so I think this would be great for YA readers, but I don't think I would recommend it for other adults to read YA, especially if they like mystery/thriller, as nothing is thrilling really in this book, in my opinion.

Personal rating, more of a solid 3. I rated it higher because I think for its intended audiences, it does what it needs to do :)