Welcome back to our weekly reading & productivity sprints! You can join me on YouTube from 6:45 - 9:00 PM pacific for two 45 minute reading sprints, with bookish chatting during our cooldowns between. This is a very casual thing--I'll be reading Score to help get it wrapped up in time for our book club discussion, but you can read anything you like, or use the time for any other kind of productivity--writing, cleaning, working, whatever you need. Feel free to hang out the whole time, or just pop in for a little bit, but I hope you'll come hang out :)

JOIN THE LIVESTREAM: https://www.youtube.com/live/ajv1ySiyR8Q

Hi everyone! I’m alive and well. I think I took a bit too much on with Bindery and everything else going on, but what can I say - I believe in what they are doing! I promise to be more present starting in September. I hope you are doing well. Thanks so much for being here with me.

Our exclusive Zoom conversation with author Tatiana Obey starts Tuesday, August 26, at 3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT, where Tatiana will discuss the inspiration behind the novel, her creative process, and answer your questions about the book.

We're looking forward to sharing this special event with you!

Not a BGN Sanctuary member? Don't worry! We're recording the conversation and making it available at a later date so everyone can enjoy this insightful discussion.

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87899056146

Code to enter: 510600

I am... so behind on my NetGalley reviews, which means I'm attempting to write reviews for books I read several months ago, the first of which is Coldwire! I truly, truly loved this book--I'm a Chloe Gong stan until the day I die, and Coldwire is the perfect example as to why I love her work, in this compulsively readable cyberpunk dystopian novel.

The world of Coldwire is split in two: “downcountry”, or the real world, has been ravaged by climate catastrophe, and the wealthy have moved to “upcountry”, a utopic virtual reality world untouched by pollution and illness. But even upcountry cannot remain untouched by the cold war raging between rivaling nations, or the mandated enrollment of Medan war-orphans in Atahua’s military academy.

Coldwire alternates perspectives between Eirale, a graduate of the military academy and current soldier in NileCorp’s private forces, and Lia, a current student and adopted daughter of a high-ranking politician. In downcountry, Eirale is a hostage on the run with a notorious anarchist after he framed her for an assassination. In upcountry, Lia is sent to infiltrate Medulo with her academic rival as she vies for valedictorian.

I’m going to be honest: It’s been several months since I read this book, so some of the details are on the fuzzier side in my memory, but I know that I absolutely loved it. Through the characters of Eirale and Lia, we get very different perspectives on Atahua and NileCorp, upcountry and downcountry, and as the story progresses the way that their two perspectives weave into a story is so well done. I found both of their perspectives, storylines, and romantic entanglements equally compelling, and was completely hooked into this book from page one. In typical Chloe Gong fashion, while I thought that I was following the narrative, catching on to where the twists and turns of the story would take me–I was completely wrong. Once you get to the final act of this book, the reveals and twists hit you over the head one after the other for the rest of the book, and they are so well crafted and utterly mind-boggling that I was giddy on the adrenaline high of reading.

My thoughts immediately after finish the book were just: WHAT THE FUCK WHATTHEFUCKWHATTHEFUCK, and you know what? I think that just about sums it up. I was champing at the bit for Deadlock, and I am still so excited to pick that one up soon! I can’t wait to see where the story goes after the explosive ending of Coldwire.

Rating: 5 stars

Thank you to Margaret K. Elderberry for an eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

10 Books I Want to Finish Before the End of 2026

Okay y'all... I am officially making my end-of-year reading list!

These are 10 books that have been sitting on my shelves (some longer than others), and I am determined to finally read them before the year ends. Some are books I've been putting off because I know they're going to emotionally destroy me, some are comfort reads I've been saving for the right season, and some are books that I picked up because I genuinely want to learn and grow from them.

Let's see if I can actually complete this challenge. 😂

Revive Me (Book 2 of The New Haven Series)

This book has been sitting on my TBR for a while after I finished the first book in the series, Restore Me. I think I may even have a review of it on here!

The only thing stopping me from starting this one is that I know it's going to be a heavy read. It gives me very much winter vibes, like a curl-up-under-a-blanket kind of book and disappear from the world.

Also... I don't own the final book in this couple's story yet. This couple gets three books in The New Haven Series, and I only have the first two. I know myself, and I want to have the complete story before diving in.

Mayhem & The Moral

Shanora Williams has my heart when it comes to paranormal romance.

After reading The Tether Trilogy, I could not stop raving about her writing. A Black female main character, a moody love interest, parallel worlds, fated mates... I was hooked.

So, I am very excited to see what this new book has in store.

This Could Be Forever

I've had this book sitting on my shelf for a while now, but Ebony LaDelle is a critically acclaimed author after her book Love Radio, so I knew I wanted to read more of her work.

I purchased this one last summer and never got around to reading it, so this is the year I finally pick it up!

Six of Crows

Apparently, I committed a heinous crime by not reading this series when I was a teenager. 😂

I read Shadow and Bone but stopped after that, so I completely missed out on this duology. I picked up Six of Crows back in February, but I just haven't found the time to start it.

However, this book WILL be finished before the end of the year. It has been waiting long enough.

Yours Truly

Honestly? I'm just trying to clear out my physical TBR with this one.

I do love Abby Jimenez, though, so I'm expecting a great read. I'm also saving this one for colder weather because the cover just screams winter to me. Maybe it's the red cover? I don't know, but it feels like a cozy winter romance.

Book Lovers

Another physical TBR cleanup book!

Emily Henry is very hit or miss for me, so I'm hoping this one lands on the "hit" side. I've heard so many good things, and I'm ready to finally see where I fall.

Salvation

I am very excited to start this next book on my journey of learning more about love, intimacy, boundaries, and relationships as a Black woman.

I've already tabbed up All About Love, and I'm ready to continue learning.

I love learning from people who have deeply researched a topic, and I'm interested in understanding more about why Black men and Black women have experienced so many struggles when it comes to love, relationships, and building healthy homes.

I want to explore how society and systemic racism have shaped these experiences and how we can continue learning to love each other more intentionally.

Communion

I have heard this one is a MUST-read.

From what I understand, this book explores why women feel so connected to love, why we yearn for it, and how we can learn to communicate, not just with others, but with ourselves.

Our minds. Our bodies. Our spiritual selves.

I love books that explore womanhood from a deeper perspective, so I am very excited for this one.

Hood Feminism

This is a banned book, so I am especially happy that I purchased a copy.

I am very interested in learning more about feminism through the lens of Black women and understanding how race, class, and gender intersect.

I want to explore feminism beyond the mainstream conversations and learn more about the experiences and perspectives that are often overlooked, like my own.

The fact that this book has faced bans and challenges because of conversations around race, intersectionality, and systemic equity honestly makes me even more curious to read it.

The Wrath Gods Reap (Book 3 of The Crucible Series)

I have been waiting for this book since last year!

I am obsessed with this series. It's a Greek mythology-inspired romance where Hades is our MMC, and our FMC is... something else. 👀

I have SO many questions, and I am beyond ready to dive back into this world.

I already know I will be listening to this one on audiobook because I need the full experience.

Now the challenge begins. 😂

Will I finish all 10 books before the end of the year?

Only time will tell...

But just know, I probably will sneak in 10 other random books that will find me when the time is right!

Are there any books you're excited to read? Comment down below!

Hello, book friends!

We have officially reached the last Pub Day of August, and apparently the publishing world has decided to send the month out with serial killers, haunted homes, murderous bears, immortal sword men, stalker cowboys, and one extremely inconvenient phone swap.

So, you know. A very normal Tuesday around here. 😂

Let’s get into it.

📚 NEW THIS WEEK

The last Pub Day of August is here! Here are the August 25 releases currently screaming the loudest from my TBR.

🔎 MYSTERY + THRILLER

They Say a Girl Died Here by Sarah Pinborough
Two women were murdered exactly three years apart in the same small town, and now Anna suspects the supposedly closed case is anything but. I already read this one, and while I loved the strange, genre-bending setup, that ending confused the hell out of me. 😂

Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier
A serial killer recants his decades-old confession, forcing two former best friends to revisit the night their friend disappeared. Five stars from me, and I especially recommend the fantastic full-cast audiobook.

The Opposite of Murder by Sophie Hannah
At 5:05 p.m., Jemma walks into a police station and says she thinks she’s going to murder someone, and at exactly 5:05, that woman is murdered elsewhere. An impossible confession AND an airtight alibi? I need answers.

Bad Intentions by Iliana Xander
Josie returns to the small town where her family has been infamous for decades, only for old secrets and new violence to start clawing their way back to the surface. Give me generational secrets and a town obsessed with the past and I’m listening.

👻 YA HORROR + THRILLER

The Harrow Home for Wayward Girls by Jessica Spotswood
In 1947, two girls begin uncovering the brutal history of a home once used to hide pregnant young women, and discover that one of its former residents may never have left. Historical horror + institutional secrets + ghosts feels VERY appropriate as we creep toward fall.

Natural Selection by Clare Edge
Three teenage girls have had enough of their town’s golden boy just as a grizzly begins attacking known abusers. It’s being pitched as darkly funny feminist YA for fans of The Honeys and Wilder Girls, and the tagline “When it comes to boys and bears, always choose the bear” certainly has my attention.

🐉 FANTASY

Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher
A sweet scholar accidentally summons the immortal warrior trapped inside the ancient sword he’s transporting, and naturally feelings get involved. I enjoyed returning to the Swordheart world, although the pacing dragged a bit for me this time.

❤️ ROMANCE

The Phone Swap by Lia Louis
A scientist and a famous actor accidentally swap phones after a delayed flight, except he’s about to disappear onto a remote movie set for a month. Forced digital proximity is such a fun setup, and I need to know how messy this gets.

Roped by Saffron A. Kent
A college student realizes a mysterious masked cowboy is watching her, and instead of staying away, she decides to lure him out of hiding. I LOVED this one: age gap, stalker romance, warring ranches, and completely unhinged cowboy obsession.

💬 THE BOOKISH GROUP CHAT

Okay. We have several things to discuss this week.

🔪 What are the best thrillers of the 21st century?

I’m sure you’ve seen some version of The New York Times’ “50 Best Thriller Books of the 21st Century” list floating around social media already.

Hundreds of novelists, librarians, editors and book influencers weighed in to help determine which thrillers published since 2000 deserved a spot.

Which means the internet has naturally responded in the calmest and most reasonable way possible: By arguing about the list. 😂

And honestly? This is why I love these things.

I don’t necessarily need a “best books” list to perfectly match mine. Half the fun is looking at what made it, immediately identifying the glaring omissions, and then mentally constructing your own superior version.

So I want to know: If you could put ONE thriller published since 2000 on that list, what would it be?

See The New York Times’ 50 Best Thrillers of the 21st Century.

🤖 What happens when an author is accused of using AI?

This piece from Miss Demeanors immediately caught my attention because we are entering a VERY strange era for writers. It looks at what authors can do if someone accuses them of using generative AI to write their book.

And one of the biggest takeaways is basically: Keep your receipts. Drafts. Version histories. Research notes. Backups. Anything that can document the actual evolution of a manuscript.

Because one of the problems with the current AI conversation is that accusations can spread incredibly quickly, while AI-detection tools themselves are far from foolproof.

Which means authors are increasingly being asked to prove a negative: How do you prove that you wrote something yourself?

That is such a bizarre position for writers to be in.

And it also gets complicated very quickly because there’s a huge difference between someone using an editing tool, an accessibility tool, a background remover, generative AI, or actually asking AI to write the work itself, and internet discourse does not always leave much room for nuance.

I’m very curious where everyone lands on this one: Do you think authors are eventually going to need to keep some kind of documented “paper trail” of their writing process?

Read “AI Accusations and What To Do If You’re Accused as an Author.”

✍️ ALSO IN THE GROUP CHAT: What actually happens at a writers conference?

I also loved this behind-the-scenes look at the Romance Writers of America Conference from Miss Demeanors. Because I think when most readers hear “writers conference,” we vaguely picture authors sitting around discussing books all day.

Which…yes. But there’s also SO much publishing business happening behind the scenes. I found it especially interesting seeing the conference through the eyes of someone coming from the mystery-writing world, because so much of what she learned crosses genre lines.

Turns out good character development remains good character development whether those characters are kissing, solving murders, fighting dragons or doing all three simultaneously.

Take an inside look at the Romance Writers of America Conference.

🎥 WANT TO UNDERSTAND FANTASY BETTER?

One of my favorite things about fantasy is also the thing that makes it completely overwhelming: Fantasy is HUGE and saying “I like fantasy” tells me almost nothing. 😂

• Do you want magical cities hidden inside our world?

• Muskets and magic?

• Monsters hiding among humans?

• A heroic warrior going on an extremely dangerous quest?

Over on YouTube, I broke down four fantasy subgenres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy, Flintlock Fantasy and Heroic Fantasy.

We talk about what actually defines each one, how to tell them apart, the vibes you can expect, and (most importantly) where I think you should start reading.

So if you've ever looked at the fantasy section and thought, Okay, but what kind of fantasy do I actually like? this is for you.

Watch “Fantasy Genres Explained” on my YouTube channel.

🐾 LINK’S CORNER

Link has reviewed this week’s important literary news and would like to talk about the only book that currently matters:

A novel narrated by a dog.

Paul Yoon’s Etna is told from the perspective of a dog traveling through southern Italy with her human.

Which is already enough information for Link to give it five stars.

But Yoon has also talked about the role his own dog, Oscar, played in helping him understand how to approach the world from a dog's perspective while writing the novel.

And I LOVE this concept.

Writing convincingly from an animal’s perspective feels incredibly difficult because you have to somehow give readers access to an interior world without simply making the animal feel like a human wearing a dog costume.

Meanwhile, Link has informed me that writing from a dog's perspective is actually very easy:

• Food.

• Walk.

• Squirrel.

• Food again.

• Why has the hooman been in the bathroom for four minutes? Possibly dead.

• Emergency.

• Dinner.

Hear Paul Yoon talk about Etna and the dog who helped inspire it.

That’s it for this week, and somehow that also means we have officially survived every August Pub Day.

Now I need to know: Which August 25 release are you adding to your TBR, what thriller belongs on YOUR best-of-the-century list, AND would you read an entire novel narrated by a dog?

Reply and tell me. This newsletter is basically one giant bookish group chat anyway.

Until next week,

Brittany + Link 🐾

Here's your weekly roundup of romances hitting shelves this week that have a Rebel Ever After vibe. Reminder that I haven't read any of these titles yet, so this isn't an official endorsement unless noted. If there are other books out today that you think folks will enjoy, feel free to recommend them in the comments. Please click through to read the post on Bindery for my full commentary!

[This isn't an exhaustive list of every romance novel published this week. If you are an author with a progressive romance coming out soon, please email brosandprose@gmail.com to get it on my radar.]

Love Me Like a Rock Song by Shelly Jay Shore (Dell) — I loved Shelly Jay Shore’s first book Rules For Ghosting so much that I forced them to be my friend. Their sophomore novel is just as inventive and beautiful as their debut. Shelly weaves queer pop culture into Jewish folklore in this gorgeous road trip story about a singer-songwriter and a golem. Come celebrate the book with us at the Ripped Bodice next week on 9/3! Shelly was also the third ever guest on the Rebel Ever After podcast.

The Jezebel List by Alisa Dean (Alcove) — This novel about unlearning sex-negative, ultraconservative Christian fundamentalist dogma with the help of a hot documentarian sounds so good. I haven’t read much contemporary romance about healing religious trauma that doesn’t involve seducing a priest (no shade to the smutty heretics), so I’m curious to read a fresh take.

I Kissed Her First by Betty Cayouette (Saturday Books) — Betty Cayouette’s first sapphic romance! Betty’s celebrity romances are always fun; we talked about how she writes consensual and sex-positive love stories on Rebel Ever After.

Miss Beresford and the Beast by Mimi Matthews (indie) — Matthews is an auto-buy historical romance author for me. And a Beauty and the Beast retelling? I’m so there.

But I Hate Him by Page Powars (Roaring Book Press) — A new queer YA romance by the outrageously silly and clever Powars, who is one of my favorite authors on Threads.

The Marriage Rebound by Meka James (Carina Adores) — A sapphic second-chance romance between a WNBA player and her exotic dancer-turned-housewife. I’m so happy we’re getting more traditionally published queer, black basketball romances. 

Doctors' Red-Hot Rivalry by Luana DaRosa (Harlequin Medical) — The latest category romance from the prolific Brazilian author is about two specialists competing for the same job while pretending they never had a one-night-stand. 

Experiments in Offline Dating by Kat Mackenzie (Avon) — I’m hearing that this Ireland vacation enemies-to-lovers romance has great neurodivergent rep. 

The Cozy Nook Bookshop by Jeannie Chin (Forever) — For anyone craving a Hallmark-vibes small-town Vermont romance with Asian-American representation, read about a bookseller and a forest ranger falling in love.

The Cat Cafe Book Club by Rachel Rowlands (Hodder & Stoughton) — This small-town romance looks like a standard cozy autumn read, but there’s a subplot about a property developer threatening the cat cafe. According to one Goodreads user: “The book is more about corporate greed than it is about romance.” Don’t threaten me with a good time.

I have some events coming up virtually and in the NY area!

8/26: Rebel Ever After Bindery virtual launch party with special guests Adib Khorram, Laura Piper Lee, and Erin Baldwin is THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT. Make sure you registered for the Zoom party!!

9/3: Launching Love Me Like a Rock Song with Shelly Jay Shore at the Ripped Bodice BK. Tickets here.

9/30: Launching Happily Ever Afterlife with Emma R. Alban at the Ripped Bodice BK. Tickets here.

JUST ADDED 10/5: I'm hosting another Romance Read-In to benefit Authors Against Book Bans at Book Club Bar in Manhattan on October 5th at 7:30pm! Tickets just went on sale here. We sold out last time, so don't hesitate. We'll have several featured author guests, so far including Shelly Jay Shore and Blair Fell.

Happy Tuesday, mis internet amigxs,

I'll admit, yesterday was one of the worst days I've had being a Latine creator online in a very long time. It was a day that made me want to turn off social media for good.

Between ignorant racists comparing Latine people to Frankenstein and then willfully not understanding disparities in publishing, it was both a day that made me come out of my multiple videos a day retirement AND a day that left me so exhausted, I wasn't sure I'd have the space to celebrate and attend an author event.

Much of the work I've always striven towards educating people on the latest in Latine literature, but it's obvious there are people committed to hating us--as if ICE raids and a president that started his campaign over a decade saying hateful things about Mexicans wasn't enough. Our Latine communities are scared for their lives. The snowball of racism and hatred has slid down the hill and is swallowing us whole.

All this just 3 weeks before Latine Heritage Month. It's agonizing, but we are resilient and I'm not going to let someone being loudly racist and wrong stop the celebration--whether it be this week's Latine releases or what I have planned beginning September 15th and beyond. I'll always be here cheering on Latine literature. Let the racists and the haters stay mad. I'll get louder to spite them.

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT

But I cannot do all this work alone. I wish I could say that my income had a semblance of consistency, but focusing on Latine literature while this administration issues executive order after executive order targeting our communities. Corporations falling into complicity and silence, meaning they are signaling that they'll once again not celebrate Latinx Heritage Month. Being loudly political online comes with financial consequences. Many brands want apolitical creators, which I'm clearly not. I recently turned down my biggest brand deal ever because their values do not align with mine (story time coming soon on that).

If you've been considering supporting me here on Bindery, now is a great time as we gear up towards Latinx Heritage Month. I have a few things planned I'm excited to announce.

But I also understand the economy we're in and don't behoove anyone who is a free subscriber. Your subscription, at whatever level, supports me and I'm so grateful for you all being here.

If you don't have the means to support, but are on either Tik Tok and on Facebook, I'm in both platforms creator funds. Meaning: your interaction and support on those platforms helps me financially every month (although I completely understand why you WOULDN'T be on either platform!).

I want to get to this week's releases, but quickly want to share a quick photo from last night's event at Tombolo Books that refilled my cup--I got to see Cuban American author/illustrator Andre Frattino in conversation with Jared Rosello discussing Frattino's We Are Pan, a graphic novel fictionalization of the Pedro Pan flights from Cuba in the early 1960's (I told you about it on release day, June 2nd).

Literary Fiction

Crocodopolis by John Manuel Arias (Audiobook)

Dey by Edwidge Dandicat (Audiobook)

Middle Grade

No Place On Earth by Andrea Beatriz Arango (Audiobook)

Sing Me A Story: Latine Short Stories in Verse by Latine Authors, edited by Aida Salazar (Audiobook)

Don't Wake Up by Cassandra Ramos-Gomez (Audiobook)

xo,

Carmen

Hey team!

This is pretty cool. The new paperback set of Red Rising arrived, just in time for when Pierce Brown comes to the UK in October! You can pre-order this set from Hodder now!

Have you read this series yet? 👀

Ed and Will

Don’t you love reading a book where the FMC isn’t 16, but 40?

Of course, no shade against a younger FMC, but as I grow older, I find myself drawn to women who have some parts of life figured out and others still beautifully undone. Women who are finding themselves again at an age society likes to label scandalous.

Vera Stein is a 40-year-old woman finally breaking the destructive patterns she formed in her youth and rediscovering herself, and that’s refreshing. She has spent most of her life living for others, and now she has decided to do something for herself. The leads and side characters are well balanced, and none of them overpower the others. I didn’t like the third-act fight very much, but the ending was good, so no complaints.

Thank you so much @andimjulie for this copy. The book is already out and available at nearest stores. 💕

#booktok #recommended

Happy Monday!

In case you missed it, I got to talk to the CBC about Summerween! Check out the article and my recs here: https://www.cbc.ca/books/summerween-explained-why-readers-are-picking-up-horror-in-the-summer-9.7315529

I am back with another YouTube video! A new series where I talk about by favorite Women in Horror and their books! I have doubled my video time from my first video. I might be getting the hang of this… and I hit 1,000 subscribers (in fact, I’m at 1200 now!)

https://youtu.be/y4Z2koBSQrg?is=6oL_6RyyW1QvyT7p

What Feeds Below hit 1000 preorders! I am so grateful to all of you for your support of this book!

Cracks is one of the MOST REQUESTED HORROR books on Netgalley and it needs reviews, please request! (And preorder! Let’s make sure every book from our imprint is a force to be reckoned with!

https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/880103

Snail mail is going out next week !

Let me know what you’re reading this week below!

I finally put a bow on three books I've been working on for the bulk of the month and I got some new ones to crack open, so I'll update y'all on those and as always I wanna know what you're reading in the comments. Let's pitter patter get at 'er!

READING

REVIEW

FIRE & BLOOD by GEORGE RR MARTIN (fantasy)

Progress: Finished

Finished House of the Dragon S3 just as I was getting through that section of the book, and now I know how it all plays out even though I'm sure the show will take some liberties as it has done with so many storylines and characters (looking at you, Alicent).

This is likely one that either really works for you front-to-back or is eminently skimmable depending on your ability to vibe with the fake-history format. Recency bias may be in play but in all of the ASOIAF books I'd rank it above A Dance with Dragons and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which would put it right around A Feast for Crows.

THE ODYSSEY by HOMER [Emily Wilson translation] (epic poetry)

Progress: Finished

I continue to think Emily Wilson's translation is a godsend for anyone who wants to read this without it feeling like homework and I even had a few teachers reach out to express this sentiment. There are portions of the journey that I enjoy considerably more than others, but once Odysseus gets back to Ithaca and the revenge story gets momentum it really does the thing. Impossible to rate this so I'm not even gonna try but I really did love this translation.

BLACK FLAGS, BLUE WATERS by ERIC JAY DOLIN (narrative history)

Progress: Finished

The History Sickos Book Club pick for August landed a little more mixed than I expected. The opening chapter info-dump (I know, odd phrase for a history book) did a lot to establish what piracy was during this time, which I figured was doing the groundwork so the individual pirate stories could cook later at a brisk pace. Instead, it felt increasingly repetitive. There's still plenty to like here, especially when it comes to myth-busting (it's a shame we don't have more concrete evidence re: Blackbeard), but the marketing/promise of the book fell short with its contents. Roughly 3*.

THIS IS CHINA: THE FIRST 5,000 YEARS [edited by Haiwang Yuan] (academic history)

Progress: 40/134

This condenses the much more exhaustive Berkshire Encyclopedia of China into a primer/study guide meant for classroom use, which I appreciate because I was never going to read all 5 volumes (2,800 pages!) of that tome. I dig overviews like these and also like the "Thought Experiment" inserts and mini-biographies on important figures like Confucius.

PREVIEW

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett came in right after I posted last week's update so I'm gonna give 'er a go. I'll probably get an early start on the History Sickos Book Club pick for September (vote ongoing for that in the Discord).

A SICKO DEADLINE APPROACHES (a C+P reminder)

The next Sicko Society quarterly book box is set to be shipped in December, but the deadline to make sure you qualify for it is fast approaching. Upgrade your tier to be a Sicko Society member by 9/1 and update your mailing address to make sure you get in on the action! The next book box to ship is A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab!

That there is over 40 of you who have upgraded since we started this mere months ago is mind-blowing to me and I can't tell you how much I appreciate the support and how much it benefits our publishing imprint, thank you!

EVERYTHING ELSE

• Publishing News: Ofelia and I had our first meeting for Grave of Petals last week, which is exciting as hell. Work on the edits start soon and I think we're both super hyped to get to work on the cover because we see so much potential to do something that pops.

• Game of the Week: The only missions I have left in Assassin's Creed Odyssey are a few episodes from the DLC, so maybe I'll swap the late night gaming for something more productive (lol). I still can't help myself from opening Civilization VI whenever the chance comes. Lately I've been trying to get wins with civilizations that I haven't won with before and have about a half dozen left. I just hit over 700 hours on it (imagine all the reading I could've done!).

• Show of the Week: I finished Euphoria S3S6 last night and it's crazy how much of a goofy fall off this season has been. Anything remotely thoughtful has been booted for shock-value. It sucks, but I'm pot committed and thankfully only have two episodes left.

• Movie of the Week: We only had time to finish Face/Off last week in a our watch-along so maybe we need to fit in Con-Air this week?!

every creator was doing 2 trends recently: the butter yellow text on a candid-ish image + "kinda chic" (martha stewart has a career of being highly original behind her. she doesn't have anything to prove--and her team made this)

Most creators should just be called copiers

if you call yourself a "creator" but the things you create with your powers of creativity are facsimiles of things you have consumed--that's not creating. that is copying. In school this was called plagiarism.

It's completely insane that following exact post formats, copy/pasting exact phrasings is normal and not maligned. That trend where women posted 'i didn't marry a loser' -- yeah because you, lady, are the loser for using a pre-fab IG format (this captures what I thought of 99% of those posts). "Kinda chic" is the content equivalent of a michael kors bag. a mcmansion. let's call them trendy-trends (a la shoppy shops).

Selling out has become socially acceptable (even encouraged) -- and we've also lost the plot on having a single original thought.

Is it hard to come up with ideas for social media?

No- it's the easiest medium. For every one thing I manage to post, I have 100 ideas that don't get made because I have to sleep and eat.

If you can't think of an original idea, you shouldn't be allowed to post. Just like if you have nothing to say, you should not write a book. Trendy-trends are the lowest form of content.

As a satirist, I do love a parody of a trendy-trend. Some of the more outlandish SPEND THE DAY WITH ME ideas that I never got around to:

• STDWM on Nantucket as a disappointment to my parents

• STDWM as a constipated bitch on ACK

• STDWM as a 3rd gen immigrant on ACK

• STDWM as a childless woman on ACK

These are hilarious to me because they are so idiotic but the problem I run into is satire illiteracy. The entire conceit of this "escaping nantucket to go to martha's vineyard" post is that they are essentially the same. The joke is immensely clear--I belabor the point so much that it's no longer funny, but someone was the following level of stupid:

I want this to be a troll but I know in my heart that this woman is truly this dumb. It's eye-watering and drives home the discouraging truth that there is only a tiny percentage of potential readers i'm making myself "discoverable" to on social media--the vast majority of audience is capital i idiots.

Trendy-trends are ruining language

AI writing ruined em dashes. The word chic is ruined. I will never use "quietly" ever again. Demure is ruined. Immaculate and performative are ruined. And sure, you could not care how others perceive you and just keep using the ruined things that you like. Sure, you could think of the trendy-trend cycles as a challenge to keep refreshing your vocab and finding new ways to make sure no one thinks you used AI. But everything is being ruined so quickly. Fast fashion made clothes disposable-- social media is making words disposable. As a writer, this is horrific. (I'm editing my next book, DOES THIS MAKE ME LOOK RICH?, which I wrote over the past 3 years and I'm removing every instance of "chic" from it.)

Mini rant: The way people have mangled 'resonate' is sickening and I blame social media for spreading + normalizing. "I resonate with that" is wrong and bad. Unless you are supremely conceited or doing a bit, this phrasing should never be used.

"I resonate with the readers whose lives were transformed by my bestselling book."

am I tempted by the latest trendy-trend?

maybe it'll get me so many views because it's a legible, proven format that audiences enjoy (like those replicated couple pranks eg "eating at the same pace as my spouse")

i'm not tempted. I don't consider posting "kinda chic" for even a second because of what it would signal, which is low creative status (and a propensity to bandwagon hop). For an artist to traffic in trendy-trends is like a vegan eating dominos-- you lose your credibility, which everyone seems to have forgotten is your most important asset

I'm a hypocrite

I've made posts of large text over a photo. Also, small blocks of text over a collage of photos. These are general formats I picked up from scrolling--I did not invent image overlaid with words.

There are visuals I've absorbed on social media and replicated. I've made memes. But there's a difference between speaking a visual language and mimicking, word-for-word, a format that someone else thought up.

is it unfair for me to hate you just because you used pastel text?

if you didn't do kinda chic-- and you didn't ever use butter yellow, you just used light pink or lavender--do you deserve my contempt?

yes bc contributing to trendy-trends is like shopping at zara. you're perpetuating a bad thing that hurts artists and erodes the sanctity of IP.

shortform content is already so gross-- are trendy trends really the hill to die on?

another yes because they embody enshittification. everyone complains that every shop is the same, every account is the same, every book is the same, every person is becoming the same -- trendy-trends are why.

the logic behind trendy-trends is that it's easier to reproduce a trend that's working for other people than to come up with something yourself. this is a disgusting movie executive outlook.

we used to hate movie executives--now everyone is a movie exec

we hated how movie execs wouldn't take a chance on something new and original. how they prefer to drag out the same hackneyed franchises over and over, remaking toy story for a fifth time (they're doing xmen again). but movie execs have millions of dollars on the line--there's a lot at stake ...

why is creator with 600 followers hewing to the "tried and true formulas" when there is absolutely nothing at stake? It'll cost creator with 600 followers the same amount (nothing) to copy a tiktok vs to come up with something new-- but they choose to rip someone else off. you should be fined for this behavior. If you make 10 tiktoks and none of them perform, you should owe $500 to a literacy foundation. and you have to read a book.

"but cheap tricks work"

sort of. cheap tricks and trendy-trends work for creators that already have millions of followers (like martha stewart) but for most people, their trendy-trend post will not only flop BUT ALSO classify them as a hack. why would anyone seeking an artistic career announce they are a hack? (Xavier's substack "internet social status is not real" is a great read, which is why I pay for his newsletter.)

cheap tricks get cheap engagement -- and if cheap engagement has value for a creator, then they must be in a cheap industry that will not last: say, pivoting your channel to labubu content only (sorry I don't have a more recent example but my content consumption is limited and ... I don't actually want to know a more recent example!)

"I dont want to go back - I want to be on the sea," Ree clarified. "This is where I belong ... you can miss home and choose to live your life elsewhere at the same time. It's okay to feel both."

GENRE: Cozy Fantasy
RATING: 4/5
FORMAT: eBook and physical ARC
Tropes: Found Family, Life at Sea, Sea Serpents and other fun magical creatures

Overall Impression: I think one of my favourite things about this series and cozy fantasy generally is how there is a focus on finding our home and found family. It shines a light on how sometimes we do have to travel far to find the place where we belong. It also validates the feeling that it's okay to miss all the places we've been or grew up in and that it's okay we feel that we belong elsewhere.

Review:

Ahhh we're back to the Spellshop world and I was so excited to see that we get a story about Marin!

This one was a fun story where we follow Marin, who leads a quieter life in the sea with her friends, Perri (sea serpent) and a few others that she meets along the way. Then, we get to meet Dax and ahh what a cute, wholesome interactions this found family has.

Sea of Charms definitely has the same wholesome vibes you find in the first two books. We also get to address heavier themes, like self-doubt and learning to trust our selves. We also get to see the impact of politics and the impact of the Empire on the rest of the islands. I think what I appreciated is that because Marin is always in the sea, we get to see the world in the book through her eyes and see how the empire and the changes they implemented impacted everyone. We also get to see the painful way that making a change turns out to be and I'm excited to see if we dive more into this in further books.

Sea of Charms definitely builds up on the first two books and we get to meet older characters too! This was so fun and the way it was done was unexpected too. I'm not sure if this is a standalone though I do think you could read it without reading the first two books BUT I do think there are a few easter eggs that you do only catch if you've read the first two books. Also, there's such a fun thing that connects all these books in terms of a central theme and it's finding a place where you belong and are accepted as you are, which I love reading about

I'm super excited to continue reading more from this universe and reading more of Sarah Beth Durst's books, which are always so wholesome, all in different ways! I'd definitely recommend Sea of Charms to all Cozy Fantasy lovers. My favourite is definitely The Spellshop (the first book) and I'd start there to catch all the easter eggs along the journey

I was provided a free advance reader copy and I’m sharing my honest thoughts.

I can’t believe it’s almost September already! That means it’s time to get into some fall reading 😍🍂🍁🧡 I’ve got some super exciting picks for this month and we have ONE BONUS book that is not a fantasy or thriller, so you will have to use 1/2 of your votes if you normally vote for both fantasy and thriller/horror.

I have three horror books to choose from this month to get into the spooky season spirit!

• The Black Farm

• Intercepts

• Seed

The three fantasy books to choose from I am genuinly so excited to read all of them… can’t wait to see what wins!

• Anathema

• A Forbidden Alchemy

• Intercepts

Our bonus book for the month is TAIPEI STORY by RF Kuang. This releases in just a couple of weeks and I know there’s a lot of RF Kuang fans here… so if you’re interested, make sure to vote!

As always voting will end on the 31st!

Hi All! Well it was harder than I thought lol everyone had days they could and couldn't do and days they preferred which was expected. Which was why I also proposed we changed days as we go along so everyone can make a day.

Weekdays are preferred by all, but what does everyone think about Sunday nights?

We also have a split between CST and EST and kids with bedtimes, so 9pm EST (8pm CST).

If people still prefer not to do Sunday since it's a weekend I totally understand, and we can start this one off on a Monday! Then we will just rotate through the week as we go along that way everyone will get to make a meeting if that works for everyone?