Chapter 19

Icarus stood at Maren’s front door trembling like a leaf in a windstorm—cold or fear, he couldn’t be paid to say which. He stood frozen, knuckles primed to rap against the wood, but his hand wouldn’t descend. Maren, with all her strange gifts and talents, must have sensed something waiting for her out front. 

She opened the door wrapped in a white dressing gown and dark blue robe, not an ounce of surprise on her face. She stared at him, searching to find whatever she suspected, then turned in a silent invitation. He half fell over the threshold into the generous fire-warmed comfort of her modest townhome. 

Wordless, she bid him to sit and disappeared. The clang and hiss of a teakettle filled the empty space of his mind. Icarus stared into the fire and lost himself to the bend and flow of the flames. When she returned with a cup of warm tea and more milk than she had a taste for, he jumped at her touch. The rattle in the saucer betrayed the tremor in his hands and he made himself set it down after a single scorching sip. 

She sat in the armchair across from him, leaning on her knees. The weight of her stare pulled all the gravity in the world onto his shoulders, “What’s going on?”

He swallowed and ran his tea-scalded tongue along the newly peeling skin of his burned mouth, “I don’t know.”

“I can’t help if you don’t tell me.”

He took a deliberate breath, then another, and told her about his dream. She listened with a still intensity that would never stop making him uneasy, but never once interrupted him for clarification. When he finished, she sat back and rolled all of it around along her tongue and he swore he could hear the gears in her mind turning.

“So,” she said after a swelling silence, “there’s a war coming to the realms of fae and demons and they’ve reached out to you for aid.”

He nodded, “Appears so. And it appears it’s my father’s doing, whatever that means. I read his notes, Mare. You did, too. He’s insane. He’s trying to force the end of days about, but I don’t understand why.”

“The Inquisitor told us why,” she reminded him. “Your father believes himself a saint. The most dangerous type of man is the one who believes himself righteously above the law.”

“But if he’s in a gaol somewhere, what threat does he pose?” Icarus frowned and tried again with the tea. It had cooled enough to sip, warming him from within. 

“If the fae and the demons are panicking over it, I’d guess there’s a risk of his escape. Especially if there’s another player in whatever game this is,” she adjusted her robes and yawned despite herself. “At the middle of all this is the gaol. I think we need to find that in order to find anything else.”

He nodded, her yawn infecting him with a great pop of his jaw. He rubbed at his eyes so hard stars exploded across his vision, “The thing in my dream said it would help us. I have to trust it, apparently, not that I’ve much of a choice in any of this.”

“Then we have to wait and see what it meant and hope it delivers,” she sighed and blinked at him. “You’re exhausted, Ico. You need to sleep.”

She only ever called him that when she was saturated with pity for him. He shuddered and looked away, his body curled inwards and he felt himself shrinking, “I’m afraid to, Mare.”

He was so small, so exhausted, so utterly useless and lost. He could see the pieces, but he couldn’t make them fit together. There were so many missing parts, so many unknowns, but none of it would resolve if he didn’t manage to sleep.

She got to her feet and motioned to him, “Come. I’ll stick you in my bed and watch you. If you try to get up, I’ll slap you back to the world of the living.”

He managed a reduced smile and got to his feet, it was better than pretending he could manage it alone. Her bed was warm and soft, all of the things he would never associate with the woman who slept in it. She dragged an overstuffed reading chair in front of the door and locked all the windows, drawing curtains as an extra layer of defense. 

“Nowhere to go without getting through me,” she mused and pulled a blanket up to her chin when she settled down for the night. 

Icarus stared up at the ceiling and considered what it even meant to sleep anymore. It had been days since he was truly rested and he was beginning to forget how falling asleep felt. When he was starting to wonder if this was his life now, this never ending cycle of wakefulness that started to make him feel like he might be losing his mind, darkness came and swept him away on its blissfully dreamless current. 

**

Icarus woke with blessed lightness. It took a moment to register that the covers weren’t his, the room was someone else’s, and Maren was curled up asleep in a chair by the door. There were no dreams when he was finally permitted to rest by whatever had him in its clutches—no monsters or graveyards this time. Maren’s presence felt like a natural warding against creatures of the dark. 

He eased up onto his elbow and rubbed sleep from his eyes with a hand still mottled with dirt. By the time his feet hit the cold wood of her floor, Maren was stretching her arms to the sky with a soft sound. It was for his benefit, she had a habit of being suddenly there that would not have done much good for Icarus in his state. 

“You stayed in one place,” she mused and rose to put her chair back in its place. 

He poured a glass of water for her from the bedside pitcher and a second for himself, “Aye, your reputation as a demonslayer must be stronger than you think.”

“Add dream warden to my list of skills, if you don’t mind,” she accepted the glass and drained it quickly, then gave him a judgmental once over. “You need a bath.”

“I look like a gardener,” he grimaced at his dirtstained fingers. 

“You look like the garden,” Maren corrected and waved him off to the washroom. 

It wasn’t the first time Icarus had wound up at her home, there were periods over the years where it was a regular occurrence. He knew the lay of it and had spare clothes in the guest room, so inviting himself to the use of her generous brass tub was not an awkward affair for either of them. 

The steaming water was a welcome reprieve for his aching joints, the stone scrub and lily-scented soap a balm for the broken skin of his hands. He let himself linger in the comfort of it for longer than he should, wasting a part of the morning Maren often made good use of. When he finally emerged, she had left him a pile of his spare clothing on the bed and spirited away the rest.

He fastened the last buttons on an old shirt and belted on the brown trousers he didn’t recall being so loose. The vest to match wasn’t his, but he knew better than to ask where it came from. Icarus had been close in size to her husband, the sharing of his things brought Maren some reprieve knowing there was a tangible piece of the man still in use in the world. 

Downstairs, she had already laid out a carafe of strong, black coffee and a plate of eggs, bacon, and toasted bread waiting for him. She was crisp and smart with her dark hair tied back and her well-fitted suit in forest green. 

“I didn’t know you owned so many suits,” he raised a brow and sat down to breakfast, letting the heavy food serve as a panacea for his still-sparking nerves. 

She shook out the morning paper and scanned another article, “Not much of a dress-inclined lass. Harder to chase after monsters.”

“Like a sheet caught in the wind, I imagine,” he sipped the coffee and groaned. Maren’s coffee was the best in the city and he would die on that hill, “So what’s the plan for today? Who do we take the sword to? What should we light on fire?”

She folded it back up and set it on the table with a shake of her head, “Why don’t we take on a case. Something easy, enough to replenish our Eidolon and give your… friend… time to show you some answers.”

His friend the dream-monster who had promised to help them find the mysterious gaol housing his father. He nodded gravely. Though it wasn’t his favorite plan waiting around for a monster to get him information by a mysterious otherworld mail system, what else was there to do?

They finished their breakfast and headed to the office, both of them tense pretending it was a normal day and nothing terrible and strange had happened. What father trying to start a holy war winding up in a faerie gaol? A dream monster making a pact? Sleepwalking fits and digging up heads in a graveyard? No, these were just two everyday netherists heading to their daily labor of exorcising fae from human hosts. Standard living, if you asked him. 

Edith let out a cry of delight when she saw them both stumble in, which boded well for Icarus’s formerly haggard appearance. She was on Maren immediately, “How’s the eye? Oh, deary, it looks much better. And you aren’t limping as much, Father Ulrich. I haven’t heard from Reed, is your contract squared? Might you need me to muscle some coin out of the holy man?”

The idea of Edith unleashing her debt collection skills on Father Reed was a tempting sight, but Icarus shook his head, “No, no. He’ll be good for it, it’s probably in the accounts already. Phone the bank, will you? If it’s not, then you’ve got my full authority to march down and settle with him in person.”

And bring a torch and plenty of pitch when you burn that place to the ground, he thought to himself, but she didn’t need to hear that part. 

Neither of them had filled Edith in on their change in status with the Church, nor would they unless it became relevant. After all, nothing they did had much to do with the Church in the first place. They only called when they were forced and knew Icarus was the best—or had been, he wasn’t sure where he stood now. 

“What’s come in the last few days?” Maren asked, flipping through a few of the newer papers sitting in the inbox. 

Edith plucked them from her hands and shuffled them around before pulling one out, “Here. This one. Easy case. I don’t want either of you taking on anything strenuous, hear? I’ve already put off several potential calls to next week so you’ve got time to rest proper.”

Maren scanned it thrice and nodded her agreement, passing it to Icarus. Though it pained him to be reduced to chasing a bodach out of a father of three, it was a necessary part of their work and would restore their dwindling supplies. 

**

In all, they handled two cases and were flush with fresh Eidolon for Maren to distill using whatever arcane processes she wielded. Icarus never bothered to learn, not when the best was already doing it for him. He felt better by the time they returned to the office, less like the ground was about to tilt from under his feet and throw him into the sky. 

He slumped onto the couch in his office and Maren waggled two ampules his direction, “We’ve got to dose. You because it’s been a while, me because I can feel my lungs liquefying.”

He smiled wanly and took one in his blue-tinged fingertips. She sat beside him and they toasted with a tinkle of meeting glass, then snapped the tops. She let it drop into her eyes and was gone in a breath. Icarus felt the same cold tingle around his wrist and shook out his hand, lifting the vial to

How High We Go in the Dark - 25%

Hello Inkmongers!

I've begun How High We Go in the Dark, and will be posting updates here after every 25% I read!

I'm understanding the format now-- these are standalone short stories that are lined in vital ways. In total, they add up to a complete novel. It's really unique, and I'm excited to see how it pans out!

Here are my thoughts so far!

30,000 Years Beneath a Eulogy

This chapter was absolutely gorgeous. 

As a former anthropology major, having an archaeologist narrator feels like coming home. 

There’s a relatability to Clara, Cliff’s daughter. She’s worried about the future, about climate disaster, and determined to make a real difference in the world— to make a future for her daughter, and all future generations. This story takes place in 2031, and it’s mentioned that Clara was in her early 30’s when she passed— meaning that she was born right around the year 2000, just like me. This is a view of the future that feels so pervasive in my generation (for good reason). For as long as I can remember, the generations before me have been talking about me and my peers as the people who would one day fix all of this. The melting permafrost, the rising seas, the spreading deserts. I’m artistically inclined, and never had plans to pursue the hard sciences (except as a kindergartener, when I wanted to be an ornithologist (I love birds)), so my relationship to this kind of existential calling was certainly different from Clara’s. In college, my professors spent the summers excavating coastal dig sites on the time crunch of a rapidly rising sea level— just like Cliff.

There’s a certain kind of angst that I grew from a desire to make a difference, and knowing that my passions aren’t the ones that will put me on the front lines. So when I see Clara neglect everything else in her life to make a real difference in this struggle, I get it. I don’t know what it’s like to be a mother, but I do understand that if you’re someone who can help, you have to help. That it’s bigger than all of us. 

I got full body chills when I realized what Cliff was actually doing when he was lying in Clara’s bunk, looking through her things. He was excavating his daughter’s life— performing archaeology on the life she left at the Batagaika crater. There’s so much we can learn about each other from the materials we leave behind. What we looked after, what we shoved in corners or discarded, the memories we hold onto.

Nagamatsu earned my trust here. He gets archaeology on the level that archaeologists do. Archaeology is about piecing stories together, tracing the tracks left behind from a life— one lived by a real human who is both knowable and unknowable. He sees and shows the parallels between the epistemology (the process of finding out what is knowable about something) of ancient humans like Annie and the epistemology of the people we think we know in our own lives. What better way to explore grief?

City of Laughter

The first story beautifully opened the door to grief as a theme, and this one let it gush though unchecked. This story is grief distilled. 

I was immediately struck with the horrible irony of the Arctic Plague. Clara began her research in Siberia to protect future generations. It was an act of devotion, of love for the world, a self-immolation for the sake of the world. In the end, it resulted in the condemnation of children everywhere. The fact that the Arctic Plague only affects children is stomach-turning. To imagine Yumi, Clara’s daughter, falling ill to the very thing Clara worked to protect her from is unspeakably tragic. However, we’re not shown that— it hangs in the air as a terrible implication.

The City of Laughter is hard to stomach. It’s cruel and merciful. Unfathomable and a genuine consideration. Gruesome and beautiful. The concept of the euthanasia rollercoaster comes originally from Julijonas Urbonas in 2010, and was first exhibited in 2012— he was a PhD candidate at the Royal College of Art in London, and a former amusement park employee (Wikipedia). It’s intended to make the riders feel euphoric before making them go unconscious, and ultimately kills them. The concept forces us to ask the question— what if you could choose for your last moments to be euphoric?

Nagamatsu’s story was originally published in 2013, and was modified for inclusion in How High We Go In the Dark’s 2018 release. And it makes us ask the question differently— what if you could decide for your child’s last moments to be euphoric? To me, this is a much harder question to answer. To decide to euthanize your child is borderline unthinkable. I say ‘borderline’ because I know that this is a decision that some parents make. I’m lucky to be naive to this experience, but I can imagine that time, pain, struggle, healthcare systems and much more can gradually make this decision thinkable. 

For me, the deception that the City of Laughter necessitates is almost unforgivable. I say ‘almost’ because up until it was Fitch’s turn, I couldn’t put myself in the shoes of the parents who brought their kids to the park. To imagine being the child, kept in the dark and denied information about my own guaranteed death by the people I trust most in the world? I feel the blinding pain of injustice— It’s. Not. Fair. It feels even more unfair that the children won’t get a chance to feel the injustice that’s just been done to them. But then— if there’s no one to feel that injustice, no one to experience the hard feelings, no one to realize what was done, was there an injustice done at all? If a tree falls in the forest. . . but placing myself in this world, imagining that I occupy a reality where the City of Laughter exists, I, Sam Cote, hear the sound. I exist, and I can feel the injustice that those kids didn’t get to feel. It feels like a duty— if no one else will, then I must. And I’d probably implore others to feel it too. But Nagamatsu won’t accept such an easy answer— and this makes me trust him immensely as an author.

Seeing Fitch throughout the story and hearing Dorrie’s reasoning for bringing him to the park, it began to make sense to me. Making this kind of decision is arguably the hardest thing anyone has to do, and yet if the circumstances are right, it can be the right thing to do. There’s a line from Danny’s father, Skip’s first charge, that reads:  “Thank you for giving us a way to say goodbye. We didn’t want him to die in some hospital overflow center” (p.37). By the end of the story, after seeing how much Dorrie loves Fitch, after seeing all of Fitch’s agony, after seeing how great Fitch’s final day was— this is what I want for Fitch too.

This is the power of stories, right? It’s a chance to challenge what we think we know. To realize that people in circumstances we can’t yet comprehend handle situations we can’t yet comprehend in ways that we can’t yet comprehend, and walk away with some small understanding. A seed of some other experience so that if— knock on goddamn wood— I’m ever faced with a similar situation, I will have come across this kind of thing in the past. Or if I meet someone experiencing this, my tiny understanding might help me support them.

I sobbed after reading this.

Happy Tuesday, mis internet amigxs!!

Now that Latinx Heritage Month is over, we're STILL going to be reading Latinx Books all year and discussing the disparities in traditional publishing.

For example, when you're going through today's release list, compare first 2 weeks (27 books or 13.5 books average) to how many books are releasing today. Why do all our releases need to be shoved into our heritage month that publishing barely even acknowledged anyway? THAT is the disconnect in publishing and the promotion of Latinx books.

This is why supporting Bien Leidos Bindery at a paid level is so important--I'm helping to push back against not only our lack of representation in publishing, but promoting books that are otherwise relegated to the margins. Your financial support also helps me put together events and keep book club and Discord going. Libritos and Lectores members will also be receiving holiday cards from me this year.

Let's go through some of our upcoming events:

CLEYVIS NATERA AUTHOR CHAT

On October 22nd at 8PM EST, we'll be chatting with The Grand Paloma Resort Hotel author, Cleyvis Natera on Zoom. Sign up here AND there's a link in that post for your to submit your questions in advance! Looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday.

BIEN LEIDOS BOOK CLUB

OCTOBER FICTION: We're still reading You Should Have Been Nicer To My Mom by Vincent Tirado this month.

OCTOBER NONFICTION: Our nonfiction sidequest book is The Latinx Guide To Liberation by Vanessa Pezo.

NONFICTION SIDEQUEST: Our November-December nonfiction sidequest book is UP TO YOU!! Pick a topic written by a Latinx author and tell book club about it.

NOVEMBER FICTION: Our November Fiction book club pick is Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselle.

DECEMBER FICTION: For December, instead of assigning a book, I'm asking everyone to either pick a genre or pick a bingo card square that they still need to fill in and find a book that satisfies that. I'll be posting a poll on Discord and here soon to pick what direction we're headed.

NOVEMBER JOURNAL PLANNING ON DISCORD

If you're looking for some year-end journal planning inspo, we're planning a mid-November Discord gathering for those who are beginning to get their 2027 journals in order. We have a poll up right now, going through tomorrow, to pick a date. Don't miss out on Discord.

LibroFM BOGO Sale Begins TODAY

There are so many incredible BOGO BOOKS in Libro FM's sale going on through October 29th. Not only some amazing and informative reads for Nonfiction November, but some Latinx modern classics everyone should have on their shelves. I hope you'll take advantage of this incredible sale that also supports and independent bookstore of your choice! Do you want me to highlight some of my favorites from the sale? I'll put a poll at the bottom of this post.

Before I get started with today's releases, I wanted to mention a book I missed last week: This Is Love by Zoraida Cordova

OCTOBER 20th LATINE BOOK RELEASES

Beautiful to See You (Again) by Lygia Day Peñaflor (Audiobook)

Legally Yours, Violet Lopez by Elba Luz (Audiobook)

Twisted Vows by I.V. Marie (Audiobook)

Visceral: Essays by Maria Fernanda Ampuero; translated by Frances Riddle (Audiobook)

What The Forest Devours by Elaine Vilar Madruga (Audiobook)

False Face by  Josh Galarza

The End Of The Vodka by Oscar De Muriel

A Shadow of Jaguars by D C Frost

OCTOBER 22nd - SMG UK hardcover release!

Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Audiobook)

xo,

Carmen

Here’s your weekly round-up of brand new, progressive-leaning romances that you may not have seen on your Instagram feed. If I’ve omitted a title you feel passionate about and think this community will enjoy, please do share it in the comments. Reminder that I haven't read any of these titles yet, so this isn't an official endorsement unless noted. Click through to read the post on Bindery for my full commentary.

The Two Wills by Blair Fell (Alcove) — A queer historical, romantic novel by the author of Disco Witches of Fire Island about a young actor named Willy who becomes smitten with William Shakespeare. [I’m not sure if there is an HEA, but Blair is extremely cool and was a featured author at our recent fundraiser for Authors Against Book Bans.]

Queen of Lombard Street by Lisa Kleypas (Avon) — KLEYPAS IS BACK, BABY. Her new novel is marketed as historical fiction, but rest assured this is a romance by one of the titans of hist-rom. There’s an interesting debate among early readers about how progressive this story about a heroine starting a women’s bank in Victorian England actually is, for reasons I won’t spoil. I understand the criticisms but really enjoyed reading it, and the appearances by previous Kleypas characters. If you love Kleypas and found family novels, pick it up. 

Falling Back to You by Kasha Thompson (Honey Blossom Press) — A Black second chance romance with fall vibes about exes who are coparenting their daughter. I love this section from the marketing copy: “Dial and Ozzie have been a part of each other’s story for so long that neither one knows how to write a version of themselves without the other in it. But wanting someone back and being ready for them are two different things.”

First to Finish by Rebecca J. Caffery (One More Chapter) — Gay Formula 1 romance about a race car driver and his team’s race engineer. Vroom vroom.

Scorpio Season by Maisie Bell (LYX) — Lesbian rock band romance with ADHD rep! I love the cover art and sprayed edges on this paperback.

Now That We Don't Talk by Rachel Pologe (Berkley) — A childhood friends to enemies to lovers Hanukkah romance. [No shade to Pologe, but is anyone else curious if we'll see the Taylor Swift lyric titles go out of fashion?]

Succubus: A Love Story by Kate Fox (St. Martin's Griffin) — Finally a paranormal romance about a succubus! Immediately added it to my TBR. The heroine also happens to be a doula, which rocks. This debut received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly.

I just finished my second Patricia McKillip and I am fully prepared to read her entire body of work. I started with Alphabet of Thorn last winter and adored it, and this week I finally read Forgotten Beasts of Eld.

Forgotten Beasts is the one book I see my favorite contemporary fantasy authors reference over and over again as a book they read as a child that influences their writing today. When you're reading it you really can see how it is the blueprint for so many stories coming out now and I can't thank McKillip enough for creating these worlds!

Which Patricia A McKillip should I read next?

The ENDING is 🤯🔥🤌❤️‍🔥

If you are someone who likes to read about dragons, then you MUST READ Riders if Dragons.

All Ginny wants is to be a dragon rider like her brother, but she has to rebel and walk on this path alone.

✨ I am a Fourth Wing fan, and that's why while reading I was subconsciously noting the differences between the two. And There are some aspects where I liked Riders of Dragon more than Fourth Wing.

First of all the bond between dragon and rider is wayy deep. A rider hatches a dragon and takes care of them right from birth. The world has all sorts of dark plots like dragon robbery, killing and selling - just like real world. ✨

Secondly, this book captures misogyny which women face so well. I was so pissed at her parents. Ginny has to prove herself at every point. She is not taken seriously in cases because of her gender. I love that she sticks to her guns and rebels. 🔥

👏 There are parts of book which are dedicated just to her training with her dragon, Fang. Personally those were very important because that solidified her character arc.

But one thing, it is not as dark or intense as Fourth Wing. It is a cozy romantasy with a plot twist ending.

Coming to the men, yes plural, because it is a love triangle. I am not a huge fan of love triangles as they are tricky and could immediately make the characters look super messy. And honestly, I wasn't a fan, until some things happened. No spoilers of course 😉

The book ends on a cliffhanger, but it was such a great cliffhanger! I can't wait to read The Dragon theif. I have so many questions - who is she gonna end up with, where is book taking place, what about her parents?

Honestly, go for it. It's a great book. 9/10.

Thank you so much BookSparks and A.T Qureshi for this copy.

#frc2026 #riderofdragons #romantasybooks

It’s election time!

As this blog post comes out, many states are now starting early voting. Here at FBC, we want to make sure y’all are prepared for the midterms, starting with making sure you’re registered to vote.

Vote.gov is a government website that makes checking your registration and knowing your voting rights incredibly easy. Make sure the website is vote.gov, not votesafe.org, which is a website created by Elon Musk that has been rumored to be collecting your voting information and selling it.

Once you’re on vote.gov, you’ll see a red button that says “Select your state or territory to begin”. Go ahead and click on your state or territory, and that will take you to a page dedicated to voting information about your state, including a link to where you can check if you’re registered to vote.

Make sure to go through the entire page! Even if it’s too late to register by mail or online, you may still be able to register in person. I live in Missouri, where the deadline to register online, in-person, or by mail is 27 days before Election Day, which means it would be too late for me to register now if I wasn’t already. My home state of California, however, allows for online and mail registration up to 15 days before Election Day, and in-person registration is available on Election Day itself. Each state has different rules and regulations for how to register and when you can, so it’s important to read this thoroughly.

If you want to vote by mail and are unsure if you’re eligible or how to go about it, visit eac.gov, the US Election Assistance Commission website. You’ll choose your state and be given a list of links for your voting concerns, including mail-in or absentee voting.
If you have any questions about voting, please let us know either in the comments below or in Discord. We’re more than happy to answer them.

Don’t forget, you can look up your sample ballot on ballotpedia.org, giving you time to look through each representative and any ballot measures so that you can be prepared on Election Day.

I've finished both October book club picks and am starting some new stuff, so I'll tell ya all about that and as always let me know what you plan on reading this week in the comments!

READING

REVIEW

THE SECRET HISTORY by DONNA TARTT (literary thriller)

Progress: Finished

I developed so many competing interpretations of The Secret History that I'm still not sure how to rate it, much less who I'd recommend it to. It reminded me of Crime & Punishment in some ways, but I don't know if it achieves the same resonance. Tartt does so much exceptionally well to pull you into this story, but I'm not sure it all adds up to anything particularly profound.

Revealing the murder from the outset is a great device that adds another dimension to nearly every interaction and watching these characters gradually disintegrate is compelling, but I'm still wrestling with whether that disintegration = a meaningful arc or simply reveals who these people were all along. If it's the latter (and that very well may be the point), what does that revelation actually leave us with?

Basically, I was absorbed by this book and it's super engaging. I just finished it wondering what it had all been in service of. So I'm gonna have to think on it some more and see how my feelings about it develop with some distance. And then I'll post a review about how stupid I am because I haven't figured it out yet and get roasted online by people that (like a certain character) have dreams about Dante Alighieri. Hell yeah!

CARTHAGE MUST BE DESTROYED: THE RISE AND FALL OF AN ANCIENT CIVILIZATION by RICHARD MILES (ancient history)

Progress: Finished

Boy, did I love being back with this one. I've read several books on Carthage since my first time through, and revisiting it made me appreciate just how much attention Miles gives to some of the lesser-explored aspects of its history. One of my favorites is Hannibal's propaganda campaign, particularly his efforts to associate himself with Hercules/Heracles and the role that played in his struggle against Rome. I'm developing a video around that bit of history, along with another exploring whether Rome's greatest victory ultimately sowed the seeds of its own catastrophe. Keep an eye out for those!

THREE ASSASSINS by KOTARO ISAKA (dark thriller)

Progress: 56/254

This is my li'l snack before I jump into something heavier. Whacky assassins and a civilian out for revenge but up shit creek without a paddle seems like a good way to smack the reset button on the ol' brain. Both interesting and a little too quirky for its own good at times so far.

20TH CENTURY BOYS by NAOKI URASAWA [The Perfect Edition Vol. 3] (manga/seinen thriller)

Progress: Chapter 18 of 22

Whenever I mention Manga, somebody recommends this and, I'm here to tell ya, it rocks hard butt. The only gripe I have so far is some reveals are teased and then pulled back simply to keep the suspense for them going, and this can happen with an abrupt time jump that leads us down an entirely path, but it always ends up being killer shit anyway so whatever y'know? The last chapter I read was one of those moments where in you're head you're like, "tell me it's... it's gotta be... YES!" I've been told Monster by Urasawa is also a banger so I'm gonna have to pick those up too.

PREVIEW

It's time to finally put down the beefy chonky thicc boi that is A People's Tragedy by Orlando Figes.

EVERYTHING ELSE

• Publication News: I emailed our two winners for the A Complement of Scoundrels Spotify audiobook code giveaway, so congrats to comrades Adam and Heather! I'll be giving away one more code on IG soon!

• Game of the Week: I'm gonna actually do the tutorial for Crusader Kings III because during my first playthrough I was dizzier than a cricket in a hubcap. This Thursday is another test stream for the group I'll be gaming with on Twitch so follow me there.

• Show of the Week: I'm over halfway through S3 of Slow Horses, it still bangs.

• Movie of the Week: I'll use this space to shout out all the folk who joined us for our Discord watchalong of Con-Air, which, was indeed a movie.

This pick is brought to you by Marcus Parks, host of both Last Podcast on the Left and No Dogs In Space!

Eagan pulled off something incredible with this book: she set her novel in real music scenes like the Seventies punk scene in San Francisco and made them feel real. The story jumps from character to character, creating a web of social and professional interactions that shows how truly complicated, funny, and flawed the people in the music business can be. If you've ever looked at everyone at a concert instead of the person on stage and wondered what all of those people's lives are like - the staff, the crowd, the sound guy, the managers, the agents, the opening band - then this is the book for you. 

A beautifully haunting, romantically gothic, tale. The Mourning of Leone Manor is one I believe would make an excellent film adaptation one day. Hidden treasure, love, loss and a murder most foul. This supernatural historical fiction is chilling, yet cozy and one I binge read. Fans of Gothic Romance would be thrilled to add this to their TBR!

Hello loves! I just wanted to send a reminder that you can get YOUR NAME printed on the THANK YOU page at the back of the final copy of BEFORE I BOW, our next Boundless Press title!

See the example from BURN THE SEA below!

All you have to do is UPGRADE* your Bindery membership to the STAR or Galaxy tier by end of day TODAY and make sure to add your name to your account or edit it as needed to be credited properly.

It's that easy—and you get to show off to people that you helped support the book <3

Not too many more of these this year before we get into the holiday publishing lull...maybe we all can catch up on our TBRs!

But, since my job is to make sure that you have interesting books by marginalized authors on your list, here are a few more to add:

What the Forest Devours by Elaine Vilar Madruga 3.75/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you're interested in reading a story of a claustrophobic forest with Caribbean gothic influences.

Stellar Smoke by Tanais 3.5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy stories of learning about family history that are a bit trippy.

Needlemouth by K-Ming Chang 3.5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy weird girl horror. This one has a group of cousins.

And one I haven't gotten my hands on:

The Turning of Sally Mae by Nuzo Onoh

Why this interests me: it's described as a historical African-Wild West horror story of supernatural vengeance. I'm in!

Hi friends! I'm mostly recovered from catching a cold/throwing out my back/turning 40, so it's time to catch up on everything I let slide during that time. Let's get right into it, since there's a lot to cover. First, here's what I read over the last two weeks or so. Books marked with a * were gifted to me, and books marked with a ^ I was paid to read.

Not With A Bang by Temi Oh* - If Temi Oh has no fans, I am dead. I love her deeply emotional sci-fi that digs into the interpersonal fallout of what would in other books just be plot-plot-plot. In this story, the Minton family has sort of eye-rollingly put up with their dad becoming a doomsday prepper, but then the apocalypse really does happen. It's at a critical moment when the family is not all together at home, so they each have to invent their own plans, and then grapple with the choices they made. It's a bit along the lines of an Emily St. John Mandel book, where the sci-fi element sometimes takes a backseat. The one thing I would knock this book down for is the kind of strange perspective of the writing. Chapters are titled with different character names but it's still mostly through Briar's perspective rather than the more expected POV shifts. It took a bit to get a handle on that.

Westward Women by Alice Martin* - This book has such a good concept - women mysteriously begin to feel an urge to go west - and it's just disappointingly executed. The various women are kind of hard to tell apart (even on audio with different narrators I struggled) and somehow the story becomes all about a man. I wish this had taken a more WORLD WAR Z style approach to the story, with more narrators showing every angle of the epidemic.

One Word, Six Letters by Adib Khorram* - I'll admit that I was dubious about this book. I didn't love the idea of spending time in the POV of a boy who said a slur at a school assembly. And yeah, it was kind of tough to be in it at times, but ultimately I'm glad I read it. Khorram is great at depicting the inner lives of boys, and the many confusing feelings of the MCs are teased out to great effect here. I liked that it really got into what makes a meaningful apology, and also that not everything was tidily happy at the end.

The Four Wives And Five Deaths of Richard Milford by Nafissa Thompson-Spires* - How on earth is so much packed into this tiny book? In under 200 pages we are gifted with comedy, drama, mystery, and so many secrets. I kind of loved how the women couldn't always articulate their reasons for living life this way, or for putting up with Richard. The chapters with the town as a Greek chorus spanning decades were particularly enjoyable, with juicy, showy sentences that were a joy to read. I don't want to talk about the actual plot too much because I think you should have the pleasure of finding that all out on your own!

Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite* - This is the second novella in a cozy sci-fi mystery series, and it was such fun to be back on board the Fairweather with these characters. Somehow, a baby turns up 300 years into an interstellar trip, and that is most definitely not supposed to be able to happen. Never fear, though, Dorothy is on the case. My quibble with this installment is the same as the first - she solves it in one try. There are no red herrings or misunderstood evidence at all.

Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe* - I was afraid this book was going to be overhyped, and I'm so glad I was wrong. I flew through this, completely immersed in the dystopian world of New Found Haven. I am not usually a fan of enemies to lovers stories, but this one really works. They're actual enemies, not just "he's annoying" enemies, and you watch them actually begin to like and respect each other as the story advances. Be aware that it's extremely violent (and I do think it goes maybe one step too far at the end). There are some really good plot twists, and a couple that are maybe there just for the sake of extra twists, but I was certainly kept on the edge of my seat.

One Good Thing - Because I don't have enough hobbies and because I don't know how to have normal hobbies, I have begun to teach myself how to make nail polish. Why not learn a new thing at 40? Why not take over my spouse's workbench and make it look like Tinkerbell exploded? I may have ordered a lot of supplies and may have several ideas cooking, because LOOK! SPARKLY! YAY!

My gloved hand holding a bottle of homemade blue glittery nail polish.

Anyway, here's what Donut likes to do while I cook dinner. Onward!

Donut the orange and white cat laying belly up on the counter over the dishwasher.

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.