Good afternoon book buddies!

I just got back from a grocery store run and about to start a pot of red beans for a hearty chili but thought I'd take a second to update you about my reading week. It's still a million degrees here in Los Angeles, but we're doing whatever we can to channel Fall.

Between Case Management week activities, playoff baseball, and another fun concert at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, I was a tad bit busy this week. I did manage to make a dent in my October TBR, but I still have a ways to go if I'm going to read all the books in my pile of possibilities.

I still haven't picked up The Next Ship Home again, but I'm hopeful that I can tackle this one this week. I really need to do better about reading my BBFL books earlier in the month, yet somehow I always wait until the last minute. Maybe next month's book will change that! Stay tuned this week for more info about our November book.

As I said last week, my paperback copy of Dracula was hurting my eyes, so I found a Kindle copy and then promptly purchased an accompanying Audible version to I could read immersively. I am LOVING this book, y'all! It's so atmospheric and the epistolary structure is helping ratchet up the tension!

The Quarter Queen took over my dog walks for the first half of the week and for good reason! If you are a fan of fantasy reads, then this is one you don't want to miss. Full of culture and strong FMC vibes, The Quarter Queen was exactly what I hoped it would be. 4⭐️s

Y'all, I am obsessed with Lonesome Dove. I managed to read 53% with my eyes only, but I finally switched to the audiobook yesterday because I didn't want to miss one single second with Call and Gus. I listened while power cleaning the house (managed to gather 5 bags of clothes and shoes to donate!!!) and haven't been able to put the audiobook down since. I love this story and will likely suffer a great book hangover when it's finally done.

ICYMI:

• Did you catch the September reading wrap-up on Youtube?

• Or maybe you prefer to see the September reading report on IG?

• Hear me gush about The Quarter Queen here

• Book Bestie members now have access to the December historical fiction heads up!

Hear It Here First:

Stay tuned this week for a series of posts about The Calamity Club, as well as my last few Netgalley reviews!

I'll also be announcing my November TBR as voted on BY YOU!

Now I'm off to dive back into Dracula for the rest of the day. Happy reading, y'all!

xoxo

c

Better late than never, right? I was neglecting my responsibilities up in the mountains last week, but I still want to give these books these flowers:

Monstera by Delilah S. Dawson 5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy sapphic stories with an underlying horror tone.

Bonobo by You-Jeung Jeung 5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy the exploration of humanity through an unusual premise (a human's soul joining a bonobo's body).

Another Name for Red by Amber Blaeser-Wardzala 4.5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy Angeline Boulley's books. This is a coming of age mystery that highlights the MMIW movement.

As You Wake, Break the Shell by Becky Chambers 4.25/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy sapphic science fiction. This is quieter than I expected, but enjoyable.

Music Against the Night by Yiyun Li 4/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy character-forward historical fiction where the characters aren't necessarily likeable.

Foreign by Sonora Jha 4/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy learning about living experiences in other countries through fiction.

How to Lose at Longing by AK Herman 3.5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy the exploration of human longing. This is a short story collection.

To Bewitch a Hunter by Luciano Lamberti 3.5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy reading translated fiction and a trippy story.

The Water House by Nneoma Ike-Njoku 3.5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy haunted house stories where the house is merely a specter of the imagination for the first half.

This next October recommendation is one I believe to be a literary masterpiece. Love, loss, life and time are all themes well traversed throughout its pages. Perhaps I'm so drawn to this novel in particular because I heavily related to Addie's character. Her worries are ones I share and it's such a joy to see oneself reflected in a work of fiction, the knowledge there are others who have the same struggles, the same fears. That you are not alone.

Click here to join.

The Sunday Prescription

One reading topic, one week of plans, and plenty of books administered weekly for chronic readers.

Symptoms: Preventing reading burnout.

Happy Sunday everyone! As you can see from the picture above, I took a week off last week. I'm a big believer, especially when it comes to social media, in taking time away. Even if I am fully engaged in whatever I'm taking time from, it's good to give yourself mental resets. So, lets talk about avoiding burnout with reading, especially since we all engage in bookish social media!

Now we've been having some great discussions recently in our Discord server, and this topic came up. For some people, reading is such a built in part of their lives, that they need it. For some, it's more of a hobby with which they drift back and forth. Still others find it is somewhere in between. But regardless of how reading fits in your life, I do think it is good to take breaks. Now an important note - breaks don't have to mean not reading! Allow me to explain using my last week as an example.

As someone who does bookish content, a lot of my reading centers around content. I love that - I enjoy both appreciating my reads, as well as thinking about how they can fit into my content. Because of that, my reading does have a certain drive behind it, with certain schedules and deadlines (however self imposed). On top of that, I have stuff I do every wee - reading vlogs, short form, YouTube videos, this newsletter. If I'm not careful, that kind of schedule can really lead to burnout, a loss of joy in reading, and stale content.

Last week my wife and I had a planned vacation to Jamaica (my first time, and I would highly recommend). So I pre-recorded some stuff for short form, packed up some books, and took a break from everything else! So for me, the break wasn't taking a break from reading. To the contrary - I read more in a week last week than I do most weeks. But for me, the break is switching up my routine. I didn't worry about some of the content, I didn't worry about what I was reading. I read based on pure vibes. I read Carmilla, Mexican gothic, The Flame Carrier, and started both The Bone Season and The Castle and the Cloister. I read at a nice pace, I read all times of day, and just read like I had no other commitments in the world (in reality, I had very few!). By the end of the week, I was starting to brainstorm new content ideas, think about reading plans, and felt so refreshed and reinvigorated for my usual routine.

Now the important thing here is that you don't need a full vacation to do something like this. If you're making content and you're starting to feel that burnout, take a week off. People act like a week off will ruin their progress - it won't. people will still be here when you get back. If you're reading and everything is feeling stale, figure out what kind of break you need. Maybe you just need to switch up genres or styles of book, read a book that's shorter than your norm, reread a cozy favorite, or read something totally different like a graphic novel or poetry. Or maybe, you just take a break from reading for a week or two and lean in to your other hobbies and interests. If you're a mood reader but nothing is mooding, make a TBR. If you're a strict TBR person, pick a random book and blow that TBR up! And if you are a consumer of bookish social media, take some breaks from that as well. A week off will do wonders for your mind!

At the end of the day, we all love reading, but sometimes you need a bit of a mental reset. That can take multiple forms, but I think it's important to do, and will ultimately enrich your reading life.

The Rx: What I'm Reading and Doing

First, let's talk Book Clubs:

• For our main book club:

  • October's book for our main book club, Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker, is churning along and there is some great discussion on Discord. Our wrap up discussion for that will be Sunday, November 8 at 3 PM EST.

  • November's book is going to be The Demon Star by Jesse Aragon. So make sure to grab that in some way! I'll post the discussion thread for that next week sometime in case anyone wants to get started early.

• For our Fable book club:

  • October's pick is Carmilla by Sheridan le Fanu. I read this last week, and it was so cool to see this having read Dracula som many times before.

  • For November, we will be reading Boudicca's Daughter by Elodie Harper. This is a standalone historical fiction that follows the meteoric rise and devastating fall of the Iceni warrior queen Boudicca through the eyes of her youngest daughter. Excited to read it, and hope to see some of you there!

For our Monthly Reading Challenges:

• October's reading challenge is going well, especially since our book club book is seasonal!

• November's reading challenge will be to finish a series. For this, you get a bonus entry for each book in a series you read. So if you read and finish a trilogy, that's three entries for the gift card! I think most of us have a series or two we should really finish!

I talked about my reading above. I'm having a ton of fun with The Bone Season, and som many of our Dark Travelers are either reading or have read this one, so the discussion is great. I'm also loving The Castle and the Cloister so far. Really excellent!

If you did not see yesterday's Instagram post, I posted a sweepstakes that is running through Tuesday for a free audiobook copy of The Butcher of Nazareth. if you're interested, head obverse and check it out on IG and follow the steps to enter.

And last but not least, be on the lookout for a new membership tier announcement this week, which will post first here on Bindery! I have a really fun idea, and am excited to share it with you all! Also going to be adding a perk or two to current tiers.

If you are not on our Discord server, you should consider hanging out! I do exclusive giveaways there, and I have some really exciting ones planned for the next few months (including a full hardcover set of the Villians series by VE Schwab and more)! I don't really do giveaways on IG/TT because I like to reward you all in our community, so be on the look out for those. We have two giveaways running right now!

Hope you all have a great week of reading and life, and I'll see you next week!

Want More In-Depth Access?

If you enjoy getting into the details with me about reading, then consider upgrading to The Dark Travelers tier! My Dark Travelers get an exclusive Discord role and channels, a weekly deep dive reading update video, early access to YouTube videos, and each month they get to pick a book for me to read. This can be a book they want to read with me, or something they want me to try for them. I then do a member's only review when I'm done. It's super fun and a great tight knit group that I really enjoy talking books with, and I'd love to have you part of it!

Consent is sexy 🔥🤌

I LOVED it when Archer asked for London's permission even before any hot scene. Most green flag ever

Dangerous Haven, follows the story of Billionaire, Hacker, Mafia leader Archer and runaway Mafia princess London. Luna Pierce has very nicely written the character backstories - they keep you engrossed in the plot.

Archer was everything that I would like in a Mafia, stalker, billionaire. He is smart, possessive, protective & most important - FEMINIST. There are these one liners that Archer says, they are cliche lines but in that moment they are toe curling and giddy.

London is one of the strongest FMC - though I would have liked a little more light on how her past affects her present. The book is good except for the third act breakup. Personally I felt it was little silly. I would have loved if they would have talked to each other than the fight they had.

Still, if you are like me, and love reading grumpy sunshine, introvert extrovert, billionaire, mafia tropes, then definitely read this one.

Also, I think this is a good book if you are new to dark Romance. The themes are not that dark , I would say on a range of light gray to black, I would give this a dark gray heart 🩶

Thank you so much Arndell for the beautiful copy and the goodies. Thank so much Luna Pierce for the wonderful story and the lovely characters

Swipe to see my day in West village and snippet from the book

Hi there book besties,

Sorry this has taken me so long, but between playoff baseball and Case Management Week, the past week was a blur. Here's the link and password to the December Historical Fiction Look Ahead. There aren't as many books on the list this month, but there are some fun stories I think you're sure to love. Stay tuned for January because it's shaping up to be quite the publication month!

I'm super eager to hear from you: which of these books are you adding to your library hold list?

https://shesbecomingbookish.com/new-historical-fiction-books-december-2026/

password: jolly

Happy reading!

xoxo

c

Happy Saturday, mis internet amigxs!

We will be chatting with our September book club selection author, Cleyvis Natera, about all things The Grand Paloma Resort, this Thursday night at 8PM EST on Zoom. The invite is below

SUBMIT A QUESTION TO CLEYVIS HERE

Use the above link to submit your questions for Cleyvis about the book. I will be closing the form on Wednesday night, October 21st.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday!

ZOOM LINK FOR CHAT

Topic: AUTHOR CHAT: Cleyvis Nater
Time: Oct 22, 2026 08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89607828308?pwd=UNe8bswjchwYWhwPY8HjqxHCilL1tA.1

Meeting chat link
https://us06web.zoom.us/launch/jc/89607828308

Meeting ID: 896 0782 8308
Passcode: 037888

One tap mobile
+13052241968,,89607828308#,,,,*037888# US
+13126266799,,89607828308#,,,,*037888# US (Chicago)

Join by SIP
• 89607828308@zoomcrc.com

Join instructions
https://us06web.zoom.us/meetings/89607828308/invitations?signature=g_uSlZwE5IumnIPoG4m7KTpVQx4f554LMFtEQkM6Dlo

From the Queen of 'who-done-it' comes And Then There Were None. Quite possibly my favorite of Agatha Christie's novels, And Then There Were None fools the reader at every turn. Not only was it thrilling but I was on the edge of my couch cushions during the entire read. This book thrust its hooks in me and refused to let me go until I read the last page, and yet the hooks have hold of me still, beckoning me to read once more from the beginning. It's not a proper spooky season TBR without an Agatha Christie novel to grace the stack, which is why I fully recommend one of my all time favorites.

Hello my friends, and happy belated Trans Joy Thursday. I have been extremely under the weather since Tuesday and it has honestly taken me out! I've been chugging tea and soup like they're both an Olympic sport. But alas, I'm back at work today for my long weekend and wanted to reach out to you all this week to let you know what's going on, my absence, and to nerd out and talk books!

Today also is a great day to be a Wisconsin sports fan BECAUSE THE BREWERS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES! (FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 44 YEARS!) They swept the Dodgers and are moving on and I'm so very excited to watch this team play. They're truly something special.

Now that I've let my sport side show, let's get into this week's trans joys, shall we? Aside from being sick (boo) I have also been in the majorest of reading slumps - as in I have not finished a book this month. I am still reading To Our Untamed Core (Our Q4 book club pick) as the chapter breakdown we discussed in Discord, and on here last week, and I'm also still plugging away on Thirst, the book from my Unhinged Reading Challenge: Queer Spooky Edition. (For reference, I was hoping to do one of these books a week - sigh.)

In work-related news, I just got the approval to create a little free library at my main office for our community members who use the building, so that's exciting. We're working on all the logistical boring stuff now, but I did get the approval! So that's very exciting for me. (And I get to offload a lot of books in the process to keep it stocked - truly a win/win. lol)

In some other exciting bookish news, I just scheduled our first Beyond The Rainbow chat for January 2027! I have began looking ahead for next year as to give you all as much notice as I possibly can. I'm still very much in the planning stages for both the Beyond The Rainbow chats and the Quarterly book club selections, so please tell me what's on your 2027 radar for LGBTQIA+ books/authors you'd like to see here! I do think I have our Q1 book club pick tentatively selected, but not set in stone. I'm always open to your feedback, too. I'd like to keep it a healthy combination of fiction/nonfiction to appease everyone and also broaden our horizons, too. Let me know on Discord or in the comments your thoughts/opinions. I'll also definitely share more about the confirmed 2027 chats as it gets closer to the end of the year.

Over on Discord, we're also discussing our inaugural Read-A-Thon and there's a current poll going (with about 24ish hours left) asking what weekend you'd like to host it - Go make sure your voice is heard on that poll, because that will decide when we're having it! There will be some bingo activities and prizes, so make sure you're also on the Discord server, too, as it's exclusively being held over there. Once the weekend is finalized, I'll make sure I post about it to keep everyone in the loop. :) I'm very excited.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend ahead of you. Collaborators, I will see you on Tuesday. Thank you all so much for being here. I am looking forward to watching us grow and I'm thankful you all are here.

With all my trans joy,

Sawyer Cole

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.