Friends,

I woke up this morning to the news that Publisher’s Weekly gave What Feeds Below, the red star!

Publisher’s Weekly writes:

“Intricate world building and astounding, inventive horror elements distinguish this immersive dystopian fantasy novel from Schlote Bonne.”

“Themes of trust and betrayal deepen this pulse-pounding adventure, resulting in a gruesome standout portrait of survival”

Read the full here! And if you haven’t preordered one of the hottest horror fantasy books of the year- this is your sign.

https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781967967247

Hello my friends,

August is upon us, and wouldn't you know, it's also Trans History Month?! I have zero content prepared, as I'm slowly navigating social media in the presence of my ongoing grief, but I promise you, I will deliver some of my favorite books on Trans History soon.

Trans Joy Thursday started in my mind to celebrate in the face of adversity; to celebrate in the face of every negative thing, and I've shied away from celebrating in the face of grief. I let it suck me down into the pits of sadness, and while I won't say that stops now, I will say, I won't let the griefy thoughts win. I will celebrate my Memaw, I will celebrate Trans Joy, and I will celebrate life in spite of. I hope you will forgive and excuse my absence as I collected myself both internally and externally.

So, my Trans Joy for the week, you may be asking? I have been signed up for SoftBoys Club Trans Monthly Mailing List for a few months (they have 3 different paid tiers, each including different things) and I have been enjoying it so much, I bumped up from the $5 a month to the $15 a month tier to get everrryyytthing! Check it out here. They also do commission pieces and sell other merch, too! Truly amazing people to support!

Another Trans Joy moment for me? As a precursor, I haven't touched a book in just a little over 2 months. BUT, The final installment of Heartstopper was released last month, to which I purchased immediately, and I finally began my yearly reread of Heartstopper earlier this week and have finished Volumes 1 & 2, and currently reading Volume 3! That is a major win for me, and I completely adore this series and everything it represents. I know it isn't trans necessarily, but it IS queer joy!

Also, yet another trans joy win, a while back, May 23 to be exact (I took a screen shot) I put myself out there and pitched a panel idea for a local Book & Author Festival (called UntitledTown) right here in Green Bay. I was nervous as it was quite a lengthy process, however, last month, I got notification that not only was that panel accepted, I was offered to lead two more panels, in addition to speaking about my book on two MORE shorter panels. The event will be held in Green Bay the weekend of September 25-27. I will definitely share more, as the list of panels and times should be made available to the public this week. It's a completely FREE EVENT to attend. And I am more than excited (and hella nervous, to be honest) to be leading my first ever panel(s). In the meantime, check out their website here if you're interested in attending and/or learning more. I will keep you updated as I get news of when my panels will be as far as dates/times go.

In other news, Soul Purpose, the consignment store in Green Bay where I sold my books and merch, closed their doors one final time July 31. Which means I have a plethora of stickers (still some left over from Pride month), books, bookmarks, merch, etc. I will do my best to get everything on my website soon if you are interested in shopping what I have.

I will also have updates as to who I am potentially interviewing NEXT WEEK (Friday, August 14th). Stay tuned as I await confirmation with the author.

As always, I am grateful for each of you. I know I started my Bindery and then life kind of fell apart for me, so I appreciate all of you riding the turbulence with me. I look forward to jumping back in, reading amazing trans and LGBTQIA+ books with you all, and discussing them.

If you need anything, have any recommendations, please don't hesitate to reach out.

With all my trans joy,
Sawyer Cole

Hello Star and Galaxy members!

Below you'll find the form link to opt-in for the AUGUST Mail Club and provide your mailing address <3

This month's mail club includes a letter from Jananie, a set of journal prompts, either a sticker or a bookmark, and a tracker card for the Anti Brain Rot Reading Challenge. Galaxy Members will receive an additional surprise item. Mail will be sent via stamped lettermail around August 15th. It will take up to 3 weeks to arrive.

FORM LINK

*this perk is available to International (i.e. non US or Canada) members BUT keep in mind that lettermail can get severely delayed and replacements will not be sent due to the monthly nature of the content

PREVIOUS MAIL CLUB DIGITAL VERSIONS:

December 2025
January 2026
February 2026
March 2026
April 2026
May 2026
June/July 2026 [TO BE POSTED SOON since I suspect some of you haven't received yours yet!]

Renee spills the beans on where we’ve been and what we’re working towards. Then Jordy and Mhairie recommend a few of their favorite Summerween books.

Listen on Apple Podcasts // Spotify // Deezer // Pocket Casts

Support and follow our hosts!

Follow Jordy: Instagram // Bookworm Reads
Follow Mhairie: Instagram // Bookstagram

This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.

Original music by Amarissa

Hi friends!

Quick update for our JADE CITY book talk: I need to move it to next week, at the same time and also on a Thursday (so now the 13th at 9:45am CST!). August is full of doctor appointments and I need to go over some things ahead of next week's colonoscopy.

(I am very anxious about that. Despite planning to read so many spooky, scary, silly books, I have a hunch this will be my most nerve-racking experience of the month, lol.)

That said, a week before the Summer Scare Readathon kicks off, I've finalized my TBR! And one of these 👀👀 will be our next book club pick!:

I matched them up with each of the prompts:

(Although admittedly Pumpkinheads is YA, not MG! I set myself a goal to "shop" my shelves entirely for this challenge and I've already read my friend Lindsay Puckett's MG spooky novels for this very challenge in previous years lolol. If you haven't, I would HIGHLY recommend THE GLASS WITCH and THE ODDS. This is also clearly the sign I need to buy more spooky MG novels. All my old, lost Goosebumps are weeping!)

I can't wait to get reading all these! Because of the aforementioned colonoscopy, I'll probably get a head start since I'll be in desperate need of a distraction in the days and hours before the procedure. Maybe that will give me a better chance at actually reading all nine before the Readathon ends, lol.

Do you have a favorite readathon you participate in every year? Let me know! And hope to see y'all next Thursday. Until then, happy reading. 📖

So, what have I been up to?

I took July off from social media because I was feeling burned out and needed space to reassess how I spend my time and energy. I read fewer books, but I gave more attention to each book I chose.

I spent much of the month reading nonfiction, specifically antiracist work and books about deconstructing religious trauma. I want to keep growing as a therapist and as a person. I have been committed to this work for more than 15 years, and my commitment continues.

I won’t make promises about what to expect from me online moving forward. I will say my reading has shifted almost entirely toward sapphic media, with exceptions for epic fantasy and the occasional outlier.

Speaking of epic fantasy, I read The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemison this past month, and I feel like the series altered my DNA. I’m working on a full review because I have far too many thoughts for a short post.

I’m also reading the second book in Rebecca Roanhorse’s Between Earth and Sky trilogy. The series carries many of the same anticolonial themes I loved in The Broken Earth trilogy, so I’ll share more once I finish all three books.

I’ve also been working with Frankie, my business partner, to get Bound & Breathless up and running. We hope to launch our first preorder within the next few weeks. Newsletter signups are live, and I’ll link the signup below.

At the same time, I’m figuring out what the future of my private practice looks like.

Oh, and I’m about to publish my first book. A nonfiction book. I'll talk more about that in another post as well.

https://boundandbreathless.eo.page/newsletter

It's Tuesday! Which means the publishing goddesses have delivered again. Here's what dropped today that you should know about.

Eyes of Kings by Chloe Gong

The third book in the Flesh and False Gods series. The kingdom of Talin is unraveling — a recently dethroned king is ready to go to war against the woman who took his crown, and nobody in this world is walking away clean. If you've been following this series, you already know Gong doesn't do easy endings. If you haven't started yet, this is your sign to catch up before everyone else finishes it first.

A Clash of Carnivores by Liselle Sambury

Book two in the Mastery of Monsters trilogy. A girl bonded for life to a monster has to prepare for something called the Monster's Ball, and their relationship is exactly as complicated as that sounds. YA horror that doesn't flinch. Sambury writes fear the way it's supposed to feel — visceral and personal.

Find My Way Down to You by Julian Winters

A grieving teenager accidentally stumbles into the underworld while mourning his boyfriend, and has to choose between an ordinary life with his grief or a love that might undo him entirely. YA fantasy romance with real emotional weight behind it. Bring tissues.

The Lion & the Deathless Dark by Carissa Broadbent

Opens the Bloodborn Duet, set within the wider Crowns of Nyaxia universe. If you're already living in this world, this is the one you've been waiting for.

I'm so thankful to everyone who has joined me here since my launch a few weeks ago. I'm really hopeful that we can build this up into a robust bookish community!

As a Bindery Tastemaker, I'm able to offer perks to the members of my page as well as bonus perks to those who choose to support me by joining one of the paid membership tiers. I realize that everyone's situation is different and committing to a monthly membership fee is not something everyone can do, so please know that I am so grateful you're here, even at the Follower level.

Today, I wanted to share a few things you can look forward to as a member of my Bindery community!

• You Can Sit with Us Book Club: We will be reading primarily romance, fantasy, and romantic fantasy, focusing on new-ish releases. I plan to alternate genres each month and focus on indie authors a significant amount of the time. TCSWU Book Club will be run asynchronously through Discord, so make sure you join via the link on my page so that your membership information syncs.

  August's book pick is A Tangled Magic and I am so excited because the author has agreed to a Q&A session exclusively for our book club! I am hopeful to be able to connect with authors for Q&As on a regular basis. I will also be hosting monthly Zoom calls for members who enjoy live discussions!

• Games: Bindery Bingo begins on September 1st! I will be sharing a seasonal Bingo card with instructions on how to play once the start date gets closer. Open to all Followers!

• Giveaways: I will be sharing a Bindery exclusive giveaway in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. Inner Circle and Producer level members will receive bonus giveaway entries!

• Industry Chats/Podcast Episodes: I'm very excited about this perk! It is very much in the works, but I am lining up a handful of authors and bookish folks to share their stories with our community. Access will likely be available at the Inner Circle subscription level.

That's it for today, friends! There are so many cool features here on Bindery, I hope you'll spend some time exploring. I plan on sharing a post with some of my favorite features soon!

Let me know if you have any specific questions and I will do my best to find the answers!

Okay, have y'all read Kennedy Ryan's novella The Close Up?

Because it was SO good!

It was around 200 pages, so I was able to finish it quickly, and the best part? It's free on Audible!

At first, I was confused because I was like...wait, do I know these people? Iris? Why does she feel familiar?

And then I realized...Kennedy Ryan brought back characters from across her universe.

We get appearances from Iris and August, Lotus and her husband from Reel & Block Shot, other characters from the Hoops series, and even characters from the Grip series.

It honestly felt like a little reunion.

All of these characters come together for a two-week cruise celebrating Keanan's 40th birthday, and as someone who has read some of Kennedy Ryan's other books, it was so much fun seeing these characters again.

Reading about Iris again felt nostalgic, and it honestly made me want to go back and finish more of Kennedy Ryan's catalog because clearly...I have been missing out.

This is a second chance romance and our FMC is sexually confident and knows what she wants, while our MMC is a man who knows exactly what he wants and isn't afraid to pursue her.

Together? These two are explosive.

And let me tell you...

Mrs. Ryannnnn.

The spice.

The spice was SPICY. 😂

There are multiple kinks explored, and at times I will admit the spice almost overshadowed the plot because whew...Kennedy came to play.

But overall, this was such a fun, quick read. It was entertaining, nostalgic, and a great addition to Kennedy Ryan's interconnected universe.

Highly recommend!

Have y'all read The Close Up? Or do you have a favorite Kennedy Ryan book?

welcome to betty's bookish thoughts!

writing out messages like this is very new to me, but i'm excited to pour all my passion and quirks and creativity into this space. you can follow along my bookish journey, hear some authentic or unhinged thoughts and buy books via my posts. you can even join the "inner circle" but no pressure-- i'll include some exclusive content like reading and life updates. & you would have my unending gratitude for supporting my favorite hobby <3

please enjoy!

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.

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

Be Still My Unbeating Heart by Josh Winning (G.P. Putnam's Sons) — Gay himbo vampire with a talking cat. Sold!

Sex Positive by Brooklyn Rose (indie) — I stumbled across this indie title while digging around for new releases and fell in love with the premise: a college student hates abstinence-only sex education and wants to launch a comprehensive sex ed program... but she's never had sex. Luckily, her hot nemesis is the campus playboy, and he's willing to lend a helping hand. Available on KU.

Embrace by Bal Khabra (Berkley) — I've never dipped my toe into this hockey romance series set in college, but folks love it.

Lost and Found by Tarah DeWitt (St. Martin's Griffin) — Another author I desperately need to read but haven't gotten around to yet. Lost and Found includes very thoughtful and detailed content warnings, especially about IVF, infertility, and the death of a loved one to cancer, so read with caution.

International Relations by Zac Hammett (Slowburn/Zando) — This sounds like The Proposal but gay. Fake dating turns into a real marriage because of Visa complications.

Find My Way Down to You by Julian Winters (Viking Books for Young Readers) — A Hadestown-coded YA novel by past Rebel Ever After guest.

Rogue Around the Edges by Lydia Lloyd (indie) — A new banger from one of my favorite historical romance authors. I'm about 20% in and glued to my Kindle. Lloyd is one of those indies who has more talent than most of the traditionally published authors on shelves today, sorry not sorry, I said what I said.

Ghosts That We Knew by Amity Malcom (indie) — This book cover goes so hard, y'all. A rare romance with a trans MMC. Available on KU.