Today is the release day for the highly anticipated novel, It Looks Like You In the Dark by Mathilda Zeller. An expansion of her short story “Kushtuka” from the wildly popular anthology Never Whistle At Night (ed. Hawk & Van Alst), this book was chilling, fast-paced, and is absolutely perfect for winter.

We meet her main cast of characters quickly, which isn’t surprising in today’s landscape of literature. At least, certainly not for a lot of newer horror books! I love meeting the cast early on—it really helps me get invested in them and their plotlines as the story progresses. And Zeller does a great job in getting you invested in the Inupiat community that she has created in Alaska: the Kobuk River Valley. You learn about each of the young people at the center of the story and what drives them; who wants to stay and who wants to go and how they plan on making that happen. Everything boils down to what it always boils down to, no matter what community you’re part of: the money to make your dreams happen.

Then enters the white man. And he seemingly has the answers to all their problems. He helps one young man with college, gives our FMC a job, seemingly is helping the community. I gotta say, I really love how Zeller makes me hate him from the get-go. Nothing about him feels comfortable from the moment you meet him on the page. He’s an awful capitalist who thinks he knows a little something something about Native culture and how to survive in the Alaskan state, but he’s got several things coming to him. And if you’ve read the short story “Kushtuka”, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Without going into too much detail and ending up spoiling things for you all, I give this a “run-and-buy-it” rating. You’re going to want to read this one, curled up with a nice mug of tea (or hot drink of choice), covered up with your favorite cozy blanket while the air gets colder out. Like I said, this is absolutely perfect for winter, and I highly recommend.

I’ll be going to see the launch tonight at Bucket ‘o’ Blood in Chicago. Will you be seeing Zeller on tour?

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 Gilded Rose by Joanna Shupe (Avon) — Shupe’s new Gilded Age romance is a no holds barred twist on Beauty and the Beast that asks: What if Belle married Gaston? The Gilded Rose is heavy on angst, exploring how difficult it was for married women to escape domestic violence before no-fault divorce existed. I didn’t find it triggering as a survivor, but I recommend reading with caution if you are sensitive to physical abuse and spousal rape. Zane, our Beast character, is the perfect love interest for a woman rebuilding her autonomy. He does everything he can to help Caroline find freedom, and then joy, at the right pace for her. The Gilded Rose is one of my favorite books of the year, and one of the most important. (Listen to Joanna’s episode of Rebel Ever After here.)

Entities to Lovers by Mallory Marlowe (Berkley) — Rival tour guides are hexed by a matchmaking ghost in Mallory’s third rom-com. I love her voice and am excited to dive in when my pre-order arrives. (Listen to Mallory’s episode of Rebel Ever After here.)

Holidays at Northfield Hall by Katherine Grant, Isabella Kamal, Charlie Lane, and Sri Savita (indie) — Friend of the podcast Katherine put together this collection of holiday novellas that take place in the world of her Prestons series of historical romances. Celebrate Halloween, Diwali, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Eid al-Fitr in stories written by Katherine and friends. (Listen to Katherine’s episode of Rebel Ever After here.)

Love You to Death by Jenna Levine (Berkley) — A grim reaper rom-com from the author of My Roommate Is a Vampire.

Once in a Timeline by Iman Hariri-Kia (Cosmo Reads) — From the author of last year’s Female Fantasy, an influencer gets stuck in her own “day in the life” video on a time loop… and she’s not alone.

A Very Merry Detour by Court Behr (Dial) — Court had me at bisexual/sapphic Christmas romance.

The Museum of Modern Love by Mariko Turk (Henry Holt and Co.) — Two exes get stuck overnight at The Met on a midnight museum tour in this YA romance. The Museum of Modern Love is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection.

Back Where We Started by Becca Freeman (Penguin Books) — A second chance Christmas romance about a Hollywood star who returns home for the holidays. Themes include escaping sexist Hollywood bullshit and redefining success and ambition. 

Happy Tuesday, mis internet amigxs!

It's the last Latine book release newsletter of Latinx Heritage Month and I want to take a moment to thank you all for being part of the Bien Leidos community. You're an integral part of the work I do and inspire me to keep going on days when I feel disillusioned.

SUPPORT BIEN LEIDOS BEYOND THE 31 DAYS OF LHM

If you want to to support the work I do with Latinx books beyond the 31 days of Latinx Heritage Month, continuing to push more Latinx books into the zeitgeist, TODAY is a great day to sign up at the Libritos or Lectores level of support. News may be a bit slower as I adjust through this new period of my life, but there's going to be some exciting announcements coming soon and you can be the FIRST to know. Libritos and Lectores member levels are FOR THE CHISMOSAS!

We have a number of events coming up for the whole community. I hope you'll consider joining us--

BIEN CREATIVOS: REFLECTION ON LATINX HERITAGE MONTH

With Latinx Heritage Month in the rearview mirror, on Monday, October 19th on Discord, we’ll be gathering at 8:00PM EST on Discord to craft, snack and sip while discussing the highs and lows of Latinx Heritage Month 2026. This is a first-of-its-kind Bien Leidos Discord event. Join us in community and share your experiences, ask questions and get to know your fellow community members on Discord.

AUTHOR CHAT WITH CLEYVIS NATERA

I have confirmed an author chat with our September book club author, Cleyvis Natera!!! We’ll be chatting on Thursday, October 22nd at 8PM EST. I’ll be sending out a Zoom invite and Survey for author questions sometime this week.

OCTOBER BOOK CLUB

I just started reading our October book club selection, You Should Have Been Nicer to My Mom by Vincent Tirado, so this is proof that it’s not too late to begin a book club book and chatting about it on Discord. We’ve recently begun created a spoilery discussion thread for those that finish the book and have some thoughts.

NOVEMBER BOOK CLUB

Thanks to everyone who voted, we’ll be reading Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli in November! The book is now a FINALIST for the National Book Award for Fiction, so it will be even more exciting to read in November in anticipation of the awards ceremony.

DECEMBER BOOK CLUB

In December, we’re testing a new way of reading for book club to help everyone meet their year-end Latine reading goals: I’ll be running a poll soon to select either a genre OR a Bien Leidos Bingo Card space as a reading prompt for the month of December. I was thinking we could do little book reports in January to inspire each other with the books we read. This plan is still in development, so if you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments!

OCTOBER RELEASES--FINALLY!

And FINALLY! Onto October (so far) releases, including last week's releases that I missed. I’m attempting a new format today. You can see all the book covers by scrolling through the books at the bottom of this post or clicking the “shop full bookshelf” link.

OCTOBER 6th RELEASES

The Lost Guardian by Natalia Hernandez (Audiobook)

Bruja's Nest by Brenda LaTorre (Audiobook)

They Called Us Wicked by Gloria Munoz (Audiobook)

There's A Monster In The Lake: The World As a Fantastical Place by Laura Fernandez and translated by Alexic Almeida

How to Look Away: On America Cruelty and the Refusal to Look Away by Daniel Pena (Audiobook)

Twilight In Venezuela: Dispatches from My Once and Future Country by Rafael Osio Cabrices and translated by Jessie Mendez Sayer (Audiobook)

What Feeds Below by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne (Audiobook)  

Hear The Dead by Ann Davila Cardinal (Audiobook)

Strange Lights by Mira Gonzalez (Audiobook)

The Creeps by Tehlor Mejia (Audiobook)

Mother Tongue: Immeresions and Other True Stories by Fabio Morábito and translated by Curtis Bauer

You Still Have Yourself by Fernando Samalot (Audiobook)

Tree Dog by Margarita Engle

The Speculative Detective Agency: Case Files of the Supernatural and Fantastic Edited by Richie Narvaez & Matthew David Goodwin

Nixta Taqueria Presents: From Tacos to Tahdig by Sara Mardanbigi and Edgar Rico with JJ Goode: Recipes and Stories from Mexico, Iran, and the In-Between

ADHD and Women: A Guide to Optimizing Your Hormones and Thriving with ADHD by Dr. Jolene Brighten (Audiobook)

The First Reader: On Writers and Editors by Luiz Schwarcz and Translated by Alison Entrekin

Cuban Soul by Mika Leon: Cuban cookbook featuring over 100 recipes

The Sea Witch Prophecy (Witchlings #5) by Claribel A. Ortega (Audiobook)

OCTOBER 13th

The End Of Us by Sandra Proudman (Audiobook)

Revenge of the Final Girl by Andrea Mosqueda Young Adult Fiction Horror (Audiobook)

Things We Lost In The Fire by Mariana Enriquez and illustrated by Lucas Mine

Essential: Being Latino and Indispensable in America by Enrique Acevedo (Audiobook):

You Are What You See: How My Favorite Shows Became My Worst Influences by Doménica Feraud (Audiobook)

The Havana Syndrome: Secret Weapons, a Government Cover-Up, and the Greatest Spy Mystery of Our Time by Michael Rey & Oriana Zill de Granados

xo,

Carmen

This next spooky recommendation comes from the creative mind of independent author David Washburn. DIY Exorcism had me imagining dark shapes in corners as sinister figures (it was just my laundry pile) and genuinely gave me goosebumps. When a small town pastor thinks his young son is possessed by a demon he does whatever he thinks necessary to rid the boy of evil.