Everyone has books that live in their bones. Some sediment of emotion or change that has settled into their marrow and left them changed in a way they can't articulate. Over time, that sediment calcifies and those books become part of who we are. They shape our morality, our world views, our empathy... they become us.

I have my five books that have historically settled and fossilized and are inextricably linked to me as a person. I also have the modern, recent reads that I just know are doing something to me. Taking my ligaments apart and putting them in new places. Making room in my muscles and viscera for something new to grow and change me.

So... What are they?

The Butcher of Nazareth by David Scott Hay

This book was something entirely different. New. Hard to let go of. It touched on grief and faith and the importance of community in processing loss. Hay did something amazing with turning his lessons learned into a biblical cautionary tale to show his readers how unprocessed loss in isolation can turn you into someone you don't recognize. It can cost you everything.

The care and love this was crafted with is incredible. Paper weights, font styles, later inclusions of page stamps, text coloring... everything about this book from the contents to the structure was deliberate. It delivers a brutal message made all the more impactful by the love with which it was sent.

The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes

Never have I seen more beautiful, mad prose in a book. Ennes writes with a paintbrush the likes of which I rarely see in books. I am treated like I'm smart, I'm respected by the material, and they take the opportunity to show me what I am capable of. The characters are never what you think and never who you believe them to be. Nobody is all one thing and the character who are suffer because of it. It talks about denial and loss and art and politics and what it means to let someone be who they are.

The weirdness of this book never feels offputting or gross. It feels like texture and color and sound. Ennes proved that a book can live with me long after I finished it and make me rethink and turn over its lessons again and again without exhausting what I find in it. This was such a beautifully unexpected read that is feeding off of my attention.

Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang

I have never been forced to confront myself like I have in this book. Wang is fearless, direct, and wastes no time worrying about your feelings. She immediately makes you uncomfortable and forces you to look at horrible truths about yourself whether you like it or not. Some folks said this was too on the nose, but I disagree. I believe this book is exactly what it must be. Subtlety won't always get people to confront themselves and their biases. Wang found a way to dispense with the subtlety and not make it feel preaching or taunting. Instead, she takes you by the chin and asks, "Is this who you are deciding to be?"

The themes of otherness, inclusivity, intersectionality, and whether or not a haven is truly a haven if it's paid for in blood? Stunning. Layered. I'm still thinking about it months later.

Headlights by C. J. Leede

This rocketed to the top of my list when it made me bawl my eyes out at 10pm on a Saturday. It reads like a procedural turned folkloric horror, but it's so much more than that. It sinks its teeth into the rose-colored glasses of childhood memory. What does it mean to love and lose? Where do we put our grief when it's too big to hold onto? How do the ghosts of our past become a part of us? Leede puts Danny through so much to learn how to love wild things and make peace with the people he loves no longer being there for him to lean on. She made me consider what it is to let someone in, the fear of leaving a part of yourself with someone and trusting them to care for it.

This book told a wild story in such weird and wonderful ways that thinking about it still makes me tear up and wonder if I really saw everything she had to say or if there's more.

Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

How did a book about a man turning into a shark become a beautiful, bittersweet, hopeful story about how to love someone through chronic illness and the strain of love and resentment held by caretakers? I opened this book expecting a weird, wonderful story and instead I learned so much about the weight we carry when we have no power to help someone we love. Living through chronic illness and caring for someone through it are tragic, beautiful, complicated experiences Habeck articulated perfectly in this book. Habeck shows how different degrees of loss take a toll on people, they all add a new straw to the back of that camel that eventually breaks.

But she also showed us how when its broken, there exists only one choice: stay broken or stand up and go on. At some point, optimism and hope and survival are a choice. We have to look grief and hardship in the face and decide not to let it drown us. Hope is a choice. Habeck illustrates that phenomenally.

Happy first day of summer, friends! ☀️

A couple weeks ago, I took a quick trip to Las Vegas with my mom and sisters-in-law. And we did Vegas right. We saw The Empire Strips Back (a burlesque comedy show that I simply cannot recommend enough), used my grandma's old gambling method to come home with some extra cash (...like $20, lol), and had brunch in the Eiffel Tower!

Best of all, we got in a lot of hours by the pool. I've officially hit the 109 page mark in this story so I feel confident announcing our first ever book club pick:

It's JADE CITY by Fonda Lee!!!

I talked about this elsewhere before, but now I feel really good about this book. I'm fully invested. I'm on the ride. I'm excited to see where Fonda Lee takes me.

(Double the pools, double the fun.)

I'll be attending San Diego Comic-Con this year (and announcing some exciting news while I'm there 👀) so we won't have our LIVE book club discussion until after I'm home! Tentatively our chat is scheduled for Wednesday, July 29th, but I'll post before then with a confirmation and link. :)

Also! Expect a reading vlog of this book to be released a couple days before. This copy has traveled with me to Alaska and Vegas, so maybe I'll have to show it San Diego, too, lolol.

Thanks everyone and happy reading!

The Sunday Prescription

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

Symptoms: Reading in the Summer

Happy Sunday gang, and Happy Father's Day to any of the bookish dads out there! I hope everyone is doing well, and welcome back to my Sunday Newsletter. This week, I've been thinking a lot about summer reading patterns.

As someone who yaps a lot about books online, I hear a lot of feedback about what other people do for reading, and it always fascinates me how different we all are! I have two beach trips coming up this summer, and for me, summer is always a time when I read more. I work from home these days, and the school year means driving kids all over the place, and having a lot of my free time taken up by activities during the school year. So when I get to go on a trip, and during the summer especially, I always wind up reading more. Having less time in the car and less time at teenage kid activities gives me more time to read. In addition, I'm outside working more, so I'm listening to more audiobooks, and generally just consuming more written and spoken stories.

Now when it comes to packing for a trip, I always over do it when it comes to books. For a typical week long beach trip, you will usually find me packing 4-5 books along with my e-reader. As a certified feral mood reader, this gives me plenty of variety. On top of that, I usually find a local beach bookstore and make my way there as well. In terms of what I like to read, this is definitely when I'm going for shorter/less intense stuff. Cozy fantasies like the House in the Cerulean Sea and Tress of the Emerald Sea come to mind (which we're reading right now for our book club!). I of course love it when a book leans into the water, piracy, or hot/desert climates. Which reminds me, I need to start Children of Dune here soon!

However, I hear from other people that when they head into the long, hot days of summer, and go on vacations, they read less. They cite more time in summer/outdoor activities as barriers, and say when they go on vacation they don't want to read more, or are too busy. It does seem an increase in audiobook consumption is pretty well agreed upon, given more time outside, and time spent on road trips in the car. So I'm interested to hear from you all - how does summer change your reading habits? Do you read more or less? Do you read more on vacation? Do you pack a ton of books like some sort of book goblin like me?

The Rx: What I'm Reading and Doing

I did announce this week that I was starting a new Fable Book Club! We will be starting July 1 with Our Sister's Keeper by Jasmine Holmes. The book club is called Dr. Bob's Literary Apothecary, and our goal is to read diverse authors, diverse genres, and try to find diverse books that aren't popping up on your algorithm! I'd love to have you join, we'll do a book a month, and no changes to our usual book club.

In terms of reading, I finished off my reread of Tress of the Emerald Sea, and I just enjoyed it so much. I listened to the Michael Kramer version for the reread as I read it physical last year, and I'm not a graphic audio fan usually, especially abridged versions. I also finished an Arc of Songs of the Dead by Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian. More to come on that in a future review. And Today, I'll be finishing up Stoner by John Williams, which is our Dark Travelers monthly pick a book. That has met spellbound at the moment! If you want to read with us you should join up as a Dark Traveler!

I also released this week's YouTube video, which is all about ARC's - what they are and why they exist, what you can do to start becoming an ARC reader, and the major Do's and Don't of reading ARCs.

In terms of what's next, I have a bunch of options and I'm not sure where I'll go for sure!

• A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab - probably next

• Jade City by Fonda Lee - researching for next month's book club!

• The Photonic Effect by Mike Chen - sent to me by the publisher, and sounds cool.

• Valor by John Gwynne - Really want to continue, and my TBB versions should show up soon.

• What Blood Remembers by C William Phillips - probably next on my e-reader.

• Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove - Up next on audio!

I also picked up an Assassin's Creed game for the Nintendo Switch, which I'm interested to give a try, and I heard a rumor that I might be getting a sweet Lego set for Father's Day!

Like Discounts and Helping Me out?

Did you know I have a bunch of different affiliate codes? I you head to the link in my bio, you'll see a bunch of affiliate codes. Some of these, like the Flowers and fantasy 10% off, the 15% off TBB regular publishing website, or the Pango books $5 off your first order codes, will save you money! Others, like the Broken Binding special edition code, my Bookshop.org Affiliate, and my wishlist are more just support for me. I also have links to all of my social sites if you're looking to follow elsewhere as well!

Hello hello hello! I am so sorry this is coming late, but I finally figured out a way to ensure you get the benefits you deserve for supporting me over here. Below is a link to get 6 months of Bestie Benefits over on Patreon. I'll update the link every couple of months as new members move over here.

I just want to say thank you thank you thank you for being here.

https://www.patreon.com/ReadRantReview/redeem/7018D

HELLO BINDERY BABES!!! Being a paid subscriber means you get all of the exclusive content related to all things Sapph-Lit, and our second book CREATIVE DIFFERENCES (fka ENCORE) finally has a COVER.

This cover has been months in the making. We got the initial sketches from the lovely illustrator Dana, which I shared with y'all in a previous post, back in February. It's been a ton of emailing and Zooming back and forth to land on composition, poses, clothing, little details, and we have the below final cover to share with you. I'm so proud of it and I cannot wait for it to be in your hands soon. ARCs are being printed as you're reading this!!!!! Upgrade your membership to the $12 tier to get a physical ARC with this stunning cover mailed right to your door <3

As always, comment below what you think! What's your favorite detail? How do you like the colors? Which character are you most excited to learn more about?

Love you all and thank you for the support ALWAYS xoxo Nina

Welcome back to the Disability Pride Readathon! I had such a blast running this last year, and I’m so excited to bring it back for Disability Pride Month 2026! The readathon this year will include: 12 main prompts and a bingo board, an international bingo raffle for a $25 giftcard, exclusive content, and more! Let's get into the details:

What Is Disability Pride Month?

July is Disability Pride Month in commemoration of the Americans With Disabilities Act which was signed into law on July 26, 1990. The goal of Disability Pride is to celebrate disabled lives and challenge ableism and the stigmatization of disability.

The CDC estimates that 1 in 4 Americans have some form of disability, and WHO estimates that 1.3 billion people are disabled worldwide. Despite the widespread existence of disabled people, disability remains heavily stigmatized, and disability rights are under attack, especially in the United States and the United Kingdom. As systemic ableism and discriminatory laws seek to dehumanize and further marginalize disabled voices, now more than ever, we need disability pride.

What Is the Disability Pride Readathon?

In honor of Disability Pride Month I’m hosting the Disability Pride Readathon throughout the month of July, beginning July 1st and ending July 31st. My hope for this readathon is to celebrate disability representation, disabled authors, and the disabled experience. Reading from a diverse perspective increases empathy, and reading and promoting disability representation spreads awareness and builds acceptance.

This community that I have means the absolute world to me, and as someone who is myself chronically ill and disabled, I want to use my platform to uplift disabled voices, disability representation, and promote a more accessible equitable world for disabled people and all people. Someday, I hope that this Bindery community will have enough paid subscribers to become its own publishing imprint, publishing books starring disabled main characters, all written by disabled authors. By subscribing to my Bindery for $5 a month, you help us towards that goal (and get access to exclusive content!) as well as support my ability to keep making the content that I'm so proud of. But even if the paid subscription isn't for you, joining this community on the free tier brings us closer to this goal and means the world to me!

As excited for this readathon as I am (and trust me, I am so excited!), I also know that it takes more than awareness and reading books to enact societal change, which is why I will once again be donating all of the money that I make from my Bindery subscribers during the month of July to the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD), a national disability-led disability rights organization. If you are able, I invite you to donate as well to support their work fighting for and supporting the rights of disabled Americans.

The Disability Pride Readathon will be mainly hosted in the Chronically Bookish discord server (which all members of my Bindery community have access to, whether you are a free or paid subscriber--if you are not already in the discord, you can find that link HERE) as well as here on my Bindery–entirely on the free tier. I will also, of course, be posting on my social platforms as I read, and I encourage you all to as well to help spread the word!

The readathon will include:

• A Bingo consisting of 12 main prompts and 4 free "any book" prompts

• An international raffle for those who get bingo/blackout for a $25 USD giftcard to bookshop.org (if you're in the US/UK, otherwise it will be to a bookstore in your country!)

• Exclusive content (including book recs for each prompt from disabled content creators and authors!)

• Ongoing discussion, casual reading sprints, community, and more on the Discord server!

The disabled experience is not a monolith, which is why this readathon consists of 12 prompts encouraging you to read across the expanse of what it can mean to be disabled:

1. A book with a physically disabled main character

2. A Book with a multiply-marginalized disabled main character (BIPOC disabled MC, LGBTQ+ disabled MC, etc)

3. A book recommended in the Chronically Bookish Discord server

4. A book with a visibly disabled character on the cover

5. A book where the main character has an invisibly disability

6. A book with a neurodivergent main character

7. A book set in a country other than where you live

8. A book where the main character has a sensory disability

9. A book with two or more disabled characters

10. A memoir by a disabled author

11. A self-published book

12. A book where the main character has a psychiatric disability/mental illness

These prompts can be found in the form of a Storygraph challenge HERE (please note this is UNOFFICIAL and DOES NOT count as logging your bingos!!!)

Every book read for this readathon must have a disabled main character, and while it is not strictly required, I strongly encourage you to read books by own voices and disabled authors. Audiobooks, of course, will count towards the challenge, as will graphic novels, comics, and novellas. At this time, fan fiction will not count towards the bingo, but basically anything that could be logged on GoodReads or The Storygraph will!

Bingo Rules and Guidelines

These 12 prompts plus 4 "any book" prompts in the corners make up the Disability Pride readathon bingo board! One lucky winner will receive a $25 USD giftcard to bookshop.org if they're based in the US or UK, or to a bookstore in their country if not (if all else fails... we'll do Amazon).

Each book read for the readathon can be used for up to two prompts--this means you only have to read two books to get a bingo, or six to get a blackout!

Your first Bingo = your first raffle entry

Blackout = your second raffle entry

Raffle entries will be doubled for Inner Circle members (so 2 entries for first bingo, 4 for blackout)

In order to be entered into the raffle, you must post a photo of your completed Bingo board to the #bingo channel in the Chronically Bookish Discord server. You can post as soon as you get a Bingo and then again when you get Blackout, or you can post once at the very end–your entries will be counted either way. If you’re a Bindery subscriber who doesn’t have Discord but still wants to participate, you can email your completed Bingo card to kaleyreads@gmail.com.

Thank you so much for participating in the Disability Pride Readathon and for all your support in my bookish endeavors–I cannot express how excited I am to bring this readathon back for year 2!!

Summer reading season is in full swing, and July is absolutely packed with incredible new releases! To help you stay ahead of the game, we’ve put together our ultimate Early Warning System Pre-Order Guide.

Securing your copies early is the best way to support your favorite authors and ensure these highly anticipated titles land on your doorstep the day they drop. Below, you'll find direct links to grab them from our Bookshop.org shop (to support independent bookstores!) or via our Amazon affiliate links.

✨ BONUS: Keep your eyes peeled! We have an exclusive written Q&A post coming soon featuring a couple of the brilliant authors on this list. Stay tuned so you don't miss it!

🗓️ July 1st

The Long Way Home by Renée Curtis

• Amazon | Bookshop

Golden Hour by DeAnna Kaye Fields

• Amazon

🗓️ July 7th

Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves

• Amazon | Bookshop

Country People by Daniel Mason

• Amazon | Bookshop

A Real Animal by Emeline Atwood

• Amazon | Bookshop

The Bird Tribe (The Dreambird Chronicles, Book 3) by Lucinda Roy

• Amazon | Bookshop

Crash Into Me by Robinne Lee

• Amazon | Bookshop

Most Ardently Yours by Freya Sampson

• Amazon | Bookshop

Ungodly Rich by Katharine McGee

• Amazon | Bookshop

Helpless by Jessica Knoll

• Amazon | Bookshop

🗓️ July 13th & 14th

What The Heart Wants by Ellis Darnell (July 13)

• Amazon | Bookshop

In Stormy Weather by Chelsea Curto (July 14)

• Amazon | Bookshop

The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren (July 14)

• Amazon | Bookshop

The Forest Becomes Her by Julie Carrick Dalton (July 14)

• Amazon | Bookshop

The Dragon Has Some Complaints by John Wiswell (July 14)

• Amazon | Bookshop

Among the Thorns by Jennifer K. Lambert (July 14)

• Amazon | Bookshop

This Changes Everything by Lisa Scottoline (July 14)

• Amazon | Bookshop

Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead (July 14)

• Amazon | Bookshop

The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza (July 14)

• Amazon | Bookshop

🗓️ July 16th & 20th

Almost Yours by Alexandra Ayres (July 16)

• Amazon | Bookshop

All of It Was for You by K T Lee (July 20)

• Amazon | Bookshop

🗓️ July 21st

All's Fair by Natalie Marie

• Book/Paperback Link | Bookshop

• Signed Paperback Bundle | Ebook

• 📝 Don't forget to fill out the Ebook Pre-order Incentive Form!

Chasing Hartes by Madyn Rose

• Amazon | Bookshop

The Egregious Affair of a Cold-Hearted King by Kayliani Shi

• Amazon | Bookshop

Carry Me to My Grave by Christopher Golden

• Amazon | Bookshop

Destination Funeral by Paige Harbison

• Amazon | Bookshop

Song for Another Home by Bora Lee Reed

• Amazon | Bookshop

👑 Prince of Swords by Elise Kova (DELUXE EDITION)

• Features gold foil page edges, designed endpapers, 2 interior maps, a custom-stamped case, and a premium dust jacket with foil!

• Amazon | Bookshop

The Story Keeper by Kelly Rimmer

• Amazon | Bookshop

🗓️ July 24th

The Demon's Thief by M.L. Eaden

• Amazon | Bookshop

Double Interference by Madi Danielle

• Amazon | Bookshop

Just Us, Here by V S Lawrence

• Amazon | Bookshop

🗓️ July 28th & 29th

The Way Back by Marie Landry (July 28)

• Amazon | Bookshop

✨ These Godly Lies by Rachelle Raeta (DELUXE EDITION) (July 28)

• A gorgeous hardcover edition featuring sprayed edges, a case stamp, and designed endpapers!

• Amazon | Bookshop

The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge by Rachel Hore (July 28)

• Amazon | Bookshop

🌊 Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst (DELUXE EDITION) (July 28)

• A gorgeous hardcover edition featuring beautiful cerulean blue sprayed edges!

• Amazon | Bookshop

Ravenous by Kresley Cole (DELUXE EDITION) (July 28)

• Amazon | Bookshop

Spellcast by Sophie Jordan (July 28)

• Amazon | Bookshop

👑 One Shattered Crown by Rebecca Zanetti (DELUXE EDITION) (July 28)

• Deluxe special edition hardcover with stenciled edges, reversible dust jacket, foil stamping, and designed endpapers! Available while supplies last.

• Amazon | Bookshop

Meet Me in Paris by Kristin Harmel (July 28)

• Amazon | Bookshop

⚔️ Daggermouth by H. M. Wolfe (DELUXE EDITION) (July 28)

• Features gorgeous sprayed stenciled edges while supplies last, stunning endpaper art, and a never-before-seen bonus POV story!

• Amazon | Bookshop

Beta or Knot by Marina Ramwell (July 29)

• Bookshop

🗓️ Bonus Pre-Order Alert!

The Shot You Missed by Piper Hale

• Amazon

💬 Which of these are going straight to the top of your TBR? Let us know in the comments below!

Summer reading season is heating up, and July is absolutely stacked with incredible new book releases.

Our Paid Subscribers just received our complete, massive July Early Warning System Guide featuring over 40 titles, release dates, and exclusive pre-order incentive links. But because we love our entire reading community, we wanted to drop by and share a few highly anticipated highlights you definitely shouldn't miss!

Securing your copies early is the best way to support authors. Plus, these gorgeous special editions sell out incredibly fast!

✨ July Highlight Picks:

• 👑 Prince of Swords by Elise Kova (July 21) — This deluxe first edition features gold foil page edges, designed endpapers, and interior maps while supplies last!

  • Pre-Order on Amazon | Pre-Order on Bookshop.org

• ✨ These Godly Lies by Rachelle Raeta (July 28) — A stunning deluxe hardcover edition featuring gorgeous sprayed edges and a custom case stamp.

  • Pre-Order on Amazon | Pre-Order on Bookshop.org

• 📖 The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren (July 14) — The perfect addition to your poolside summer reading stack.

  • Pre-Order on Amazon | Pre-Order on Bookshop.org

Want the full list of 40+ July titles broken down by week? Come join The First Editions!

👀 Keep An Eye Out: Author Q&As Coming Soon!

We have something incredibly special lined up for you. We are sitting down with a few of the brilliant authors featured on our July list for an exclusive written Q&A session!

We’ll be diving behind the scenes of their writing processes, their inspiration, and what you can expect from their new releases. Keep your eyes on your inbox so you don't miss it when it drops!

💬 Are you planning on pre-ordering any books this month? Let us know what's on your radar in the comments!

It's been a long, tiring, but also incredibly exciting week. I've been working on the second draft to my upcoming middle grade novel, I Wish I Was a Vampire, and will have it ready for beta readers in July! It's been really freeing to write this book. I went through a lot of what the MC goes through, but I thought, "What if she had a mom who actually cared?" or "What if the girl realized having one best friend who accepts you for you is enough?" Through these characters, I'm able to have hope and closure with different times of my life.

Also, as of this afternoon I have shipped ALL of the preorders for Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: Another Halloween Horror Anthology along with other pending orders. This weekend I'll be editing one of the Yuletide Horror stories, writing/editing the middle grade book, and continuing my grassroots effort to gain readers for Death by TBR Books titles. Sunday is Litha (Summer Solstice), so I'll be doing a ritual and rewatching Midsommar. I'm definitely excited for the upcoming week with the release, but also fewer packages NOT that I'm complaining over sales. I'm incredibly grateful. :)

I love the summer solstice because it gets darker and darker every day after that. Muahahaha!

BOOKS
The Elsewhere Express by Sotto Yambao
The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy
How to Be Okay When Nothing is Okay by Jenny Lawson
Ask for Andrea by Noelle W. Ihli

Currently reading: Witch Season by Julia Bianco and Moonflow by Bitter Karella

SHOWS

NEW
MasterChef
Widows Bay
Something Bad is Going to Happen

FILMS - I'm on LetterBoxd - horrormaven13
Deep Water
Swapped

Rewatches that I'm enjoying as I pretend to live in the late 90s/early 00s.

TV
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The X-Files
Law and Order: SVU
Owl House
Cruel Summer
The Golden Girls

FILMS
Evil Dead Rises
Enough
Maternal Instinct

That's all for this week! Please share what you've been reading and watching! The next exclusive post (a week from Wednesday) will be decided by a poll. :)

xoxo

Spooky Girl

Our Bindery Bookclub is back and with it comes some fun new features!

Our book to finish out June is one that I am so proud to say has my debut short story in it! It’s a medieval horror anthology under 200 pages. It had some FANTASTIC stories in it.

Of Plagues and Blasphemy 🔔

All proceeds go to The Trevor Project ❤️

The club is available through Fable and you can comment on each story without worrying about spoilers!

Link here 🔗 https://fable.co/club/bindery-horror-bookclub-with-ashreadshorror-238137833929?invite=5207f1aa-a08c-4abc-a187-c6bc60c5b3c8&referralID=BjEDttN2kn

HERE is the link to join our community Discord server and get access to:

• book club

• unhauls

• readathons

• and general community!

Once you're in the server, message "/link" in the #welcome channel to sync your Bindery membership and get full access to the server!

https://discord.gg/THMeRKBSV5

Voting has officially begun for our July Book Club selection!

We invite you to join our Discord community to participate in lively discussions, connect with fellow readers, and share your thoughts throughout the month. For those who prefer to vote here on Bindery, we'll also be posting a poll so members can cast their votes directly on the platform.

🗳️ Voting will remain open for one week.
📖 Our group reading will begin on July 1.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback, please join our Discord and let us know. We're always happy to hear from our community.

Happy reading, and we can't wait to see which book you choose for July!

Happy Juneteenth! A highlight this week was our June pick for the Read Herring Book Club. Speaking of which, I am running a special giveaway to celebrate 1,000 followers on Instagram!

Learn more and enter here: @readherringbookclub

I really love this special edition of Murder on the Orient Express and I know you will, too. As a note, your copy of the giveaway book will be shrink wrapped and untouched.

This week’s reads:

• Murder at the Spirit Lounge by Jess Kidd (finished): An enjoyable return to Nora Breen and her new home in Gore-on-Sea. Excellent writing and characterization makes this a pleasure to read. The mystery is entertaining but predictable, in my opinion.

• The Tokyo Zodiac Murders by Soji Shimada (finished): I knew from the prologue that I was going to be gripped by this one, and that feeling remained straight through the epilogue. It is now tied for my favorite Read Herring Book Club selection so far (alongside February’s Devil in a Blue Dress). A puzzling mystery, an entertaining detective, and just the right amount of emotion made this an immensely satisfying mystery. I was literally giddy when I got to the explanation of the crime.

• Breakout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon (currently reading): I am rounding the final bend on this one and have my popcorn in hand for what I hope is a dramatic conclusion. While I am enjoying the story, the audiobook narration is hit or miss (but such is the risk of multiple narrators).

This week’s book mail:

• Moriarty: The Great Chaos (Audible Original): I got a crazy PR box for this third and final installment in Audible’s Moriarty audio drama series, which stars Dominic Monaghan as James Moriarty and Phil LaMarr as Sherlock Holmes, and Sir Ben Kingsley as Moriarty’s father. Watch my unboxing on your platform of choice: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook

• The Great Game by Arvind Ethan David (out July 14): A historical mystery with a Holmesian flare in which two men, a veteran-turned-law student and a gentleman thief, investigate a series of brutal aristocratic murders in 1905 London.

• The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (out July 14): A 1940s noir novel about a handsome con man and the two women who get in his way. Say less!

• The Enigma Challenge by S.C. Godfrey (out August 11): Here is the blurb that sold me on this one: “This is what you’d get if a Dan Brown novel was rewritten by Emily Henry.” (Kirkus)

Thank you to Audible, Thomas & Mercer/Megan Beatie Communications, Del Rey, and Pamela Dorman Books/Viking Books for these gifts.

Yours mysteriously,

Manon

Hi Disco Dancers!

I have a little secret I’ve been keeping that I want to share with you. I might announce it at some point… but for now, keep it secret, keep it safe!

Scroll down…

I’ve written an MM romance! I wrote it earlier this year and I’m currently querying agents and Indie publishers. Wish me luck!

Here’s the blurb:

HIS MAJESTY’S SECRET SCANDAL is a contemporary MM romance about a Black, gay actor cast as the UK’s favourite superspy, and the handsome publicist he just can’t resist.

Samuel Joseph has just become the first Black British actor to be cast as Carter Blake. Fame, glamour, money, it’s all coming his way. There’s just one problem. He’s secretly gay, and he can’t get his publicist’s smile out of his head.

Luke Brown is done with love. Healing from a bad breakup with his cheating ex-boyfriend, he throws himself into his work. He’s excited to land his first high-profile client, the up-and-coming actor Samuel Joseph. But from the moment they meet, he knows he’s in trouble.

Amid the glamour of red carpets, celebrity parties and sun-soaked European locations, the two try, and fail, to resist their attraction. But is love worth the scandal?

Alongside the core gay romance, other representation includes: two trans side characters, a non-binary side character, an aro-ace side character, and multiple characters of colour.

It combines the secret yearning of Heated Rivalry with the showbiz glamour of The Charm Offensive and the playful banter of Red, White & Royal Blue.

I'm hoping to get it out somehow next year, to tie in with the casting of the next James Bond, ahead of the upcoming movie in 2028. I didn't write it with that in mind, and then realised - oh yeah! A new movie is coming...

In my head, the fancast for the two leads is Damson Idris and Peter Claffey (from Knight of the Seven Kingdoms).

So.. let me know - would you read a romance with these two? How does a James Bond showbiz romance sound (but use code in the comments please!)

Bye!

Disco x