Happy Friday, mis internet amigxs!

Latinx Heritage Month 2026 has ended and you're STILL here reading Latinx Books. Kudos to you for reading Latinx books 365 days of the year and being a member of Bien Leidos Book Club! Thank you for being here and supporting me, but, most of all, thank you for committing to support Latinx books all year long.

If you want to be the first to the book chisme and receive early Latinx book releases every month, or just want to support me as a creator now that Latinx Heritage Month is over, then please consider upgrading your membership to a paid tier.

Since we're in fourth quarter and I know everyone is already scrambling to meet their year-end reading goals, I wanted to re-introduce you to out Bien Leidos Latinx Book Bingo Card to keep you motivated to read a wide variety of Latinx books throughout the remainder of the year (I'll be polling for 2027 squares soon, so keep your eyes peeled!).

I've updated our bingo card aesthetic with elements from Manuela Guillén's profile artwork I commissioned a while back and use here on Bindery. None of the categories have changed, just the aesthetic.

Also, I'm in the final stages of planning some giveaways for Bien Leidos members that get bingo and will get up a submission form soon. These goodies will be EXCLUSIVELY for YOU as a token of my thanks for being here and helping build the Bien Leidos community.

If you are looking for recommendations for any category, I made videos at the beginning of the year highlighting books in every category earlier this year. You can find them on YouTube. Video 1 and Part 2

If there's a particular category you need more recommendations on, then please let me know in the comments!

NONFICTION & DECEMBER FICTION BOOK CLUB UPDATE

I'll be posting on social media soon, but a reminder that our November book club selection is Beginning, Middle End by Valeria Luiselli. We'll be reading all November and celebrating all the Latine Excellence at the National Book Awards.

As many of you know, I'm facing a number of personal challenges right now, so I'm changing our November - December Nonfiction book, as well as our December book format. Instead of dictating a book, I'm challenging you to fill in an additional bingo square (or 2 or more!) before the end of the year by selecting a book in a category you haven't filled in yet on your Bingo Card. I'll be doing the same and reading along with you. We'll be checking in during sprints nights and on Discord regularly about books we selected and why.

I appreciate your patience with me as I continue to adapt to a new reality as well as for being a part of this strong community uplifting Latinx books. I am forever grateful for each and every one of you.

xo,

Carmen

Time for a cozy spooky read! Introducting Mandrake Manor where the HOA president is a real piece of work, a grand Victorian house is at risk, and three queer roommates work to fight through the fine print to save it. Witchy, mysterious with a dash of the romantic. If whimsy is what you seek in your reading journey, Mandrake Manor deserves a place in the TBR stack.

I know that we’re half way through October already which is crazy, but my October so far has been so action packed I haven’t had time to sit down and reflect on the things that I did in September until now! So without further ado, lets get into it.

Our Strange Duet Event

I started off the month by seeing Masquerade, an interactive musical telling the story of The Phantom of the Opera! I’ve never been to an interactive musical before and it was one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had. There is nothing like The Phantom singing to you while staring you directly in the eyes. The entire experience was so immersive I literally felt like I was in the world living the musical for myself. This was all to promote Our Strange Duet by Erin A. Craig which is a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera solely from Christine’s perspective. As someone who has listened to the audiobook, I can confirm this book and this interactive musical experience are 100% worth your time!

The Court of Venus

Then I got invited by Tor to celebrate the release of The Court of Venus by Bel Banta. The Court of Venus is an ensnaring romantic fantasy in which a moon-blessed magician is summoned back to the deadly, Tudor-inspired magical court she thought she had escaped; where power is determined by the stars—and the closer you are to the king, the more likely you are to die. Perfect for fans of The Knight and The Moth, The Familiar, and A Darker Shade of Magic. The night was filled with great food, drinks, conversation, and even some bracelet making!

Libby podcast

I recorded a podcast! I can’t believe I’m saying these words. I was invited by Libby to be on their Book Lounge podcast where we discussed Adventure Books that will keep you up all night. I was really nervous because I’ve never been on a podcast before but I had so much fun discussing some of my favorite adventure books and I’m really happy with how this episode came out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwWMxKsYTMA&list=PL6c9lTef62t5SqHLk2ddVw2ba2M6ieSr0&index=3

Grim Tidings Event

I finally got to meet one of my favorite authors (for more than 5 seconds) B.K. Borison on her tour for Grim Tidings. Getting to the venue was a mess and a half (the subway was being difficult) but I had so much fun listening to B.K. Borison talk about this book and series. Meeting B.K. Borison was a dream and I’m so happy that she was able to sign my arcs.

Shelves and the city

I also went on my first Brand trip this month which was Shelves and the City hosted by HarperCollins who flew out 95 bookish creators to spend time in NYC and participate in tons of bookish activities. This was one of the best weekends of my life. I loved spending time with so many people that I consider friends, as well as getting to meet so many people in person that I’ve known for years online. This was such a special time that I’m never going to forget.

Taipei Story Event

My friend Sammi invited me to an event hosted by the Lit Society to celebrate the release of Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang. Throughout the night, we explored the invisible distances between cultures, generations, languages, and identities. I had so much fun reflecting on my own personal experiences while listening to the editor of Taipei Story, May Chen, talk about her own experiences and how she related to the story.

Movies

These are the movies that I watched this month!

Drawn Together - 3 stars

I liked this more than I thought I would. The movie definitely got better and better as it kept going, and I can’t wait for the sequel to be released.

The Love Hypothesis - 4 stars

One of the better book to movie adaptations that I’ve seen recently. It really did the book justice for the most part. Rom com’s are so back.

You + Me Against the World - 3 stars

This was fine. There were parts I liked, parts I didn’t but at the end of the day, the MMC was hot and that’s really all I can ask for.

TV

These are the tv shows that I watched this month!

Crew Girl - 4 stars

This show was really good. It reminded me a lot of the teen CW shows I used to watch when I was a teenager. If this was 20 episodes long it would have been a banger but alas we don’t live in that world anymore.

That’s all she wrote folks! I’m realizing that this month contained a lot of firsts for me and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Sometimes I look back on all of the things that I accomplished and I can’t believe that this is my life. I’m very thankful that I keep getting these opportunities and I can’t wait to see what October is going to bring me. Spoiler, it’s a lot lol.

So excited to share that What Feeds Below is a kid’s Indie Next pick for November/December!

A huge thank you to all of the booksellers who showed this book so much love! We appreciate you!

Full post here, including accounts to follow.

It's the last day of Latinx Heritage Month and I am feeling:

EXHAUSTED
ELATED
CUP IS FULL
COMUNIDAD WITH HEART AND AUTHENTICITY

While also feeling--

ERASED
IGNORED
NOT CELEBRATED OUTSIDE OF MY COMMUNITY

Choosing the last day of Latinx Heritage Month to highlight the Latine Heritage Month Tour and Latine Heritage Month Bookstagram Challenge as well as some of leaders in out book community who put those initiatives together. Start following them now so you'll have a DIVERSE ARRAY of Latine books for 2027.

But I am not here to lecture you. The reality is that opportunities and exposure for Latine creators who so rarely are compensated for our labor completely dried up this year during the time where it's supposed to be maximized. Hiwever, WE celebrated us regardless.

More and more, we are further pushed to the margins celebrating our own stories and we are feeling it. We are resilient like out ancestors who survived so much, we will survive this as well. We refuse to disappear.

I actually have my one LHM sponsorship coming up today and guess what? It's NOT a publisher. (I'm actually so proud of it and can't wait to share it with you in a bit)

If you want to support me and the work I do, please consider joining my Bindery at a paid level to support the work I do promoting Latinx books through my weekly newsletter and Bien Leidos book club where we read one Latinx book every month.

Try as this system might, we are still here. We are NOT going anywhere.

There is so much more to come,

Carmen

Flipside by Leumas Llewtnac is a chilling post-apocolyptic science fiction told from multiple points of view. If Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a favorite film than Flipside will be a book you'd enjoy. With a surprising twist at the end, Flipside is the perfect spooky read for October.

hiya!

I am going to be sending out an email to each member of the Shadowborne tier later today with the pdf of the zine!

It is a Halloweenie Zine :) I hand drew most of the imagery with colored pencils and then scanned it into my computer to add some canva elements to make it Sparkle.

But it is a Zine full of dicks so I don't know how much it can really sparkle lol. OK so this is a fun new thing I am trying instead of the long form video. I still have a link to a video for you to show you how to fold up the zine.

Let me know what you guys think, I am looking for feedback. Do you love this idea, hate it? I thought it would be fun to send you something you can hold in your hands ya know? Unless you don't have a printer, then I just suck and I am sorry.

Here is the YouTube link so you can watch me fold paper - https://youtu.be/s8ZI7djwHdY

OK I love you guys and can't wait for the next book club meeting!

Jen

This is my super cool private post. Below, you will find more info.

This is the secret info. Oooh! Exciting. You shouldn't be able to see the images below unless you are a member.

Saint's Hotel by M.I. Minaeva will come out in Fall of 2027 and we’ve seen a lot of questions about why it’s taking so long. A lot of shit has to happen before then. We are prepared to go deeper (and deeper…) on each phase as we get to it, but wanted to give you a road map, shine a flashlight down this dark and winding corridor if you will, so you can see what’s in front of you…

Right now, literally as we speak, a developmental editor is working through the manuscript. He’s getting his hands in there and squishing around inside of its guts. He’s thinking about: plot, pacing, structure, character development, what the hell is happening and whether it makes sense.

Also right now, we’ve started talking about cover art. Very fun stuff. We’re trying to distill the vibe of the book (check out our mood board post), floating concepts, and researching possible illustrators and artists.

We're also hyping you up with things like the LPOTL stickers and this post. And asking ourselves, what else can we do to make book publishing seem like a fast-paced, sexy, high-octane, non-stop thrill ride?

Every place that you buy books has a different way of doing business and we have to figure otu how to sell-in to all of them. Barnes & Noble, Amazon, airport shops, and indies all buy on their own schedules, so we pitch our books to sales reps who specialize in each one. We also make a catalog for bookstores and trade shows. There are more than 3,000 indie bookstores in the US along and each one operates completely independently. How do we reach these stores??!?!!

The book will go through several rounds of editing and proofreading. The dev edit. Then the line edit. Then the copyedit, which is more, like, grammar, punctuation, and catching things like "this character is listening to 'Fat Lip' in 1999, but hat song came out in 2001."

Once the cover is done and the manuscript is copyedited, we print ARCs or “galleys” (some cool industry lingo for you, there). They're early versions of the book that aren't for sale. They go to reviewers, booksellers, readers, and influencers (and you). In the months before publication, we want a few thousand people to have read this book already.

We tried to make this short but we’re only up to, like, March here?! And miles to go before we sleep… We will be giving you exclusive peeks at every step of the way so stick around. You’ll probably wish you never asked.

Remember, paid members get a front row seat to the whole process, EARLY copies of all books we publish under our imprint AND all of Last Pod's membership proceeds go to support Reading Is Fundamental, a foundation supporting literacy for children. Sign up today.

There are a lot of new members joining lately so I just wanted to welcome everyone to The Infinite Realms Book Club! All the fun discussions happen over on Discord so make sure you click the link on my profile to join. That is where all the fun happens!! I am so thankful for each and every one of you who has joined. I absolutely love interacting with you guys and just talking all things books!

We are almost at 150 members which is INSANE!! Should we do something fun/special when we reach 150 members? Let me know 😜

Happy USA TODAY BESTSELLER LIST DAY TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE! Everyone go and congratulate Tatiana for this huge accomplishment!

And huge thanks to all of you readers who read, reviewed, purchased and raved about What Feeds Below! None of this would be possible without your support! I am so proud of Tatiana for being a superstar writer and also all happy to be in community with all of you who rally around authors and make their dreams come true!

A special shout out to our paid members who invest in the production of this book, without them, we really wouldn’t be able to do this! If you are able, please consider upgrading today! We’ve only got more stories to help shine!

Bindery has also put a lot of cool What Feeds Below items up for sale! I just got mine and will takehttps://bindery-books.myshopify.com/products/what-feeds-below-void-vault?utm_source=bindery&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=wfb_launch&utm_content=email a photo later, but check out these goodies.

Resistance of the Week

Happy News

Do you like Beauty and the Beast retellings? Then you will love Autopsy of a Fairytale where 'Belle' is a homicide detective and the 'Beast' is a suspect. Clever and gruesome murders with an unexpected ending.