Hello Friends!

Coming to drop another 10 horror books written by women that I can't wait to read this year (The Curse of Hester Gardens is a book club read!)

1. 3/17 Mother Is Watching by Karma Brown, - an art conservator’s obsession with a mysterious painting spirals into a nightmarish descent, where the line between reality and the supernatural shatters, threatening both her sanity and her life

2. 3/3 The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts by Kim Fu, -an eerie, spellbinding novel of grief and guilt, with a razor-sharp eye for the absurdity and melancholy of the internet age.

3. 3/24 Wolf Worm by T Kingfisher, woman of science, 1800s, gothic, insects

4. 3/31 The Curse of Hester Gardens by Tamika Thompson- public housing haunted house, gun violence

5. 3/10 Cabaret in Flames by Hache Pueyo, novella, Interview with the Vampire meets Certain Dark Things in an alternate-Brazil where brutal flesh-hungering Guls stalk the night streets and manipulate the government from their glittering cabaret

6. 3/3 When I Was Death by Alexis Henderson, YA girls doing Death's bidding

7. 3/3 Turn Off The Light by Jacquie Waters, 2 women centuries apart, beach read haunted house

8. 3/24 The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore, A fearless fortune teller in 1920s Paris must use her powers to divine who she can trust when an exiled Romanov princess and her brother come to her seeking answers about a decades-old mystery

9. 3/10 Spoiled Milk by Avery Curran, gothic, boarding school, queer desire

10. 3/17 Only Spell Deep by Ava Morgyn, Rebecca meet The Craft

Hey y’all

Sorry I’ve been slow on here lately, I had the plague 😷

I just wanted to give a little update on some of the audiobooks I’m reading now or have recently read.

I am going through a bit of a time right now, so I might not be so active over the next week or two. If anyone has any audiobook suggestions to get me through the black hole of my life feel free to let me know lolllll 🥴 (for context I am losing Lulu aka the only reason for my being)

** I couldn’t tag howling woman or misbehaving at the crossroads I think because they aren’t out yet?? anyway they’re available for pre-order! You can check my bookshop.

Hi folks!

In case you missed it, I just announced that my queer dystopian novella THIS IS HOW THE WORLD ENDS is coming this autumn, published by Nefarious Bat Press!

Aside from that, I have also had a really great reading week:

Black Dolls by Rachel Faturoti and Flo Woolley

This graphic is novel so much fun.

Black girls joining a battle of the bands and smashing the system.

For fans of We Are Lady Parts!

The Wolf and his King by Finn Longman

This is a beautiful queer medieval retelling about a werewolf and a king. The prose is gorgeous, the story surprising, the romance full of yearning. I absolutely loved it!

Love,

Disco

Come watch and help me build my 2026 TBR!

🎧📚If your audiobooks are full of curses, crowns, and characters whispering this will ruin us hi, same.

I’ve been deep in my romantasy audiobook era lately, and these four listens completely owned my attention, my emotions, and more than a few late nights.

✨The Swan’s Daughter by Roshani Chokshi

This audiobook felt like being wrapped in a spell. The lush language, fairy-tale cadence, and aching romance absolutely shine in audio. Every truth-song, every glittering castle moment, every soft ache of love versus survival hit harder when spoken aloud. I found myself slowing down just to savor the narration.

💍Rings of Fate by Melissa de la Cruz

Enemies-to-allies, cursed royalty, and a barmaid who wants more than destiny will allow? Yes, please. The audio pacing is fantastic banter snaps, tension simmers, and the curse feels relentlessly urgent. This one is perfect if you love reluctant partnerships turning into something dangerously tender.

🩸We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark

This audiobook grabbed me by the throat and did not let go. Brutal trials, morally gray vampires, and a heroine fueled by desperation and rage listening made the arena scenes feel visceral and intense. The emotional weight of Arvelle’s choices hit hard in audio, especially with the layered character dynamics.

🌑The Dark Is Descending by Chloe C. Peñaranda

High-stakes fantasy + gods, dragons, betrayal, and star-crossed lovers = pure audiobook drama. The sense of urgency and looming doom worked so well in audio, and the emotional beats felt bigger, darker, and more devastating with each chapter.

All four of these audiobooks delivered immersive worlds, swoony tension, and just one more chapter energy in completely different ways and honestly? I loved bouncing between fairy-tale lushness and brutal, fate-driven chaos.

❔️So tell me are you an audiobook romantasy listener, or do you save these epic feelings for your eyeballs only? 🎧📚✨

Happy (?) Tuesday, mis internet amigxs,

The news continues to stay heavy, so I hope all of you are taking good care of yourselves.

Please make sure to mark Wednesday, February 4th at 8:00 PM EST for our chat with Esperanza Hope Snyder, author of our January book club selection, Orange Wine. I'm really looking forward to speaking with her. If you're new here, we usually chat with the author for 30-40 minutes then we open up Q&A to book club members, so please start thinking of your questions for Esperanza now! Of course, we're chatting all month on Discord, so please join us there if you already haven't.

Also, in case you missed it, I've been running a challenge for myself on YouTube this month, challenging myself to post every single day in January and even though I have missed a couple of days, I'm already much more confident posting there. If you're participating in 2026 Latine Book Bingo, then I recommend this 2-part series (video 1, video 2) detailing 50 books you can read for different parts of the bingo card. In addition, I posted 15 Latine books releasing in 2026 I'm looking forward to. Beginning in February, I'll slow down production. My goal is to post at least 2 YouTube videos a month.

And now, on to this week's releases...

ROMANCE

The Lust Crusade by Jo Segura (Audiobook)

The Magic of Untamed Hearts by Raquel Vasquez Guililand (Audiobook)

TRANSLATED FICTION

Pedro the Vast by Simon Lopez Trujillo and translated by Robin Myers (Audiobook)

DARK ROMANTASY

A Vow In Vengeance by Jaclyn Rodriguez (Audiobook)

PICTURE BOOK

Apapacho Love: A Story About Hugs From The Heart by Cynthia Harmony and illustrated by Erika Meza

xoxo,

Carmen

PS--this is a reminder that this list is CURATED by me and not intended to be a comprehensive list of ALL Latine releases. Part of that curation is not promoting problematic Latine authors.

Listen I have to tell someone since I can't really talk about it, and tbh I don't even know who reads these! But I am starting a sapphic book box. I'm starting it with a local author here in Raleigh. I spent all weekend putting together documents with concepts, lists of artists, logo ideas and color pallets and we plan to meet up again this weekend to sign documents. This is like god tier level secret so don't say anything y'all, but it will be a branch of The Tenth Muse, a sapphic book box, featuring NSFW artwork, I'm going to make a channel in the discord for paid tier folks soon where we can chat and people can suggest books, but as it's me, and the tenth muse, a percentage of all boxes will be going to QTBIPOC focused charities. I can't wait to share more with you!

I started the year one way and somehow ended up somewhere else. This stack tells a story. A strange one. A good one.

Bitterthorn by Kat Dunn
This started my year. A gothic YA, Mina offers herself up as the Witch's latest companion. The town is under an ancient curse and a far up in the forest lives a witch who comes to town once a generation to take a companion who is never seen again. Mina, the daughter of the duke offers herself as a sacrifice. While in the castle she attempts to solve the mystery of what happened to the previous companions. This one has longing in the hallways and emotional tension pressed into every page. You got yearning and slow burn and mood. This is actually my least favorite of all her books because there is so much of the book that drags - No.

To the Bone by Kylie Cross
Book one of a why choose (f/f/f/x) killer sorority sisters trilogy. I enjoyed it, it could have been shorter. Our main MC, whose name alludes me, gets invited to a sorority of women who kill the men on campus who are violent and rapists. The concept works for me but the commitment feels a bit to large right now because all three books are chonky - Yes to the concept, maybe to the series.

Parrhesia by Ren Rousseau
Portal fantasy meets court politics. The heir to the Unseelie Court quits her throne and builds a utopian society in St. Louis called The Pax. A cursed succubus enters the story. Someone wants to destroy the peace. I read this as a sensitivity reader and still got pulled into the world and the stakes - Yes

A Hunger Soft and Wild by Moira Darling
An escaped vampire. A mercenary in the woods. A court hunting her. You get danger and closeness and tension. The book moved fast and hit hard. I have been told the editing sucks but I listened to it - Maybe to yes

Architecti by Ruby Roe
A demon cursed to serve her father. A reaper whose life belongs to the same man. One year left to live. A magic academy with secrets. I signed up for high stakes and the hot lesbian sex and got them - Yes

Spellfire by Agatha Willow
This one slowed everything down. Cozy. Soft. Second chance romance in an arcane academic setting. It felt gentle and safe while still being sapphic and romantic. Also the cover is deliciously adorable. - Maybe

Need by Lily Hardt
Set in a sex club and full of potential. I saw the spark. YoIu also noticed internalized transphobia in one of the main characters and that broke the flow. A mixed experience. - No

In the Roses of Pieria by Anna Burke
If An Education in Malice worked for you, this one hit in a similar way. An adjunct professor whose are of expertise is ancient poetry. A dream archival job. A mysterious collection of ancient sapphic poems and stodgy assistant. Sparks fly but the assistant and the collection owner are keeping secrets. Something is off under the surface. I stayed hooked. - Yes

Party Favors by Erin McLellan
Online best friends take a girls trip and the chat goes offline. The book leaned hard into heat and chemistry. I knew the tone going in and I got exactly what I wanted. Fisting, toys, clamps galore. - Yes

The Witches Grave by E.L. Eldridge
This one I finished last night. A buttoned up college student takes trip to a witch’s grave with her roommate, her roommates boyfriend and a third. The third attempts to assault her. Enter the real witch who intervenes. Revenge. Desire. Justice. All in forty four pages.

My 2026 sapphic reading list already includes witches, vampires, demons, reapers, cursed courts, haunted academics, killer sororities, cozy magic, sex clubs, and messy love. My shelf looks unhinged in the best way.

I tried to start a sapphic contemporary tonight and I think my brain still needs like dark academia or romantasy. Any suggestions?

Some long-form videos coming soon:

• Why You Should Read Red Rising

• 2026 Anticipated Releases

• Favourite 2025 Publications

• Fantasy Recommendations for Every Type of Reader

• Reading Priorities 2026

• 26 Books for 2026

• Modern Books That Must Become Classics

• Top 10 Books of the 2010s

• Top 10 Trilogies

What videos would you like to see?

Happy new year friends & lovers! We made it, and I'm personally using reading a coping mechanism a lot more than usual in these first few weeks of January. I think I've already read 11 books...so let's talk about books some more!

In January we're reading Miss Major Speaks, February is going to be Is This A Cry For Help? by Emily Austin, and in March we're reading This is the Only Kingdom by Jaquira Diaz. I'm working on securing interviews with Emily and Jaquira, so stay tuned!

When chatting with some Bindery Babes on Discord, y'all pointed out that we haven't read any poetry in a long while! April is National Poetry Month too! One of you even suggested we read a book by the late Andrea Gibson, an incredible queer poet. I've chosen some of their books for this longlist, along with other standout queer poetry titles. Let me know what interests you most and if you have any other suggestions!

Thanks for your support Bindery Babes! xx Nina

• You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson

• Lord of the Butterflies by Andrea Gibson

• Take Me With You by Andrea Gibson

• The Natural Order of Things by Donika Kelly

• Fragments of Wasted Devotion by Mia Arias Tsang

• Queer Little Nightmares: An Anthology of Monstrous Fiction and Poetry by Daniel Zomparelli

• Questions for Ada by Ijeoma Umebinyuo

• Inferno by Eileen Myles

• Not Me by Eileen Myles

• The New Fuck You: Adventures In Lesbian Reading by Eileen Myles

• The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions by Larry Mitchell

• Devotions by Mary Oliver

• Upstream by Mary Oliver

• Blue Horses by Mary Oliver

• A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver

• Couplets by Maggie Millner

• Falling Back in Love with Being Human by Kai Cheng Thom

• Super Gay Poems: LGBTQIA+ Poetry After Stonewall by Stephanie Burt

• We Want It All: An Anthology of Radical Trans Poetics by Aeon Ginsberg

Now that you know about our next book - The Archaeology of Falling Worlds by Megan Chee - I'm delighted to introduce you to Megan's other published works! She has more than a dozen short stories published in various magazines, and here I've collected the ones you can access free online.

Megan's earliest credited publication was in 2015 and she's been publishing with regularity since 2021. This sampling is a really fantastic look at the things she excels at in her writing: the vibrancy of her worlds, her humor, her ability to balance the fantastical and mundane, and just how much she's able to pack into such a small space. In Spring 2027 you'll find all these skills and more in Archaeology. But for now...

First, I’ll link her website here where she has everything linked by publication year, and below you'll find specifically the ones you can read for free on the publication sites and which ones have audio versions.
(audio versions link to spotify but should be available wherever you listen to podcasts)

Fantasy:

The God of Minor Troubles

(this is also available to listen to on Wil Wheaton’s podcast, It's Storytime with Wil Wheaton)

The Cat of Lin Villa

(audio version available in link)

Incense

Our Exquisite Delights

Sci-Fi:

Everyone Hates the Auditor

(audio version available on Lightspeed Magazine's podcast)

The Worms that Ate the Universe

An Otherworldly Cat Tells You the Secrets of the Universe

(audio version available on Lightspeed Magazine's podcast)

The Giants Among Us

(audio version available on Clarkesworld Magazine podcast)

Horror:

The Museum of Cosmic Retribution

(audio version available on Nightmare Magazine podcast)

USE THIS LINK WITH DISCOUNT CODE (code: TINATMEMBER)

USE THIS LINK FOR DISCOUNT CODE

Behind every bookish post is a whole world of opportunities📚✨

If you’re a reader, reviewer, or content creator looking to work more closely with the publishing world, this list is for you. I’ve rounded up publishers with influencer programs, where to send individual book requests, and book tour companies that connect readers with ARCs, campaigns, and exciting collaborations.

Whether you’re just getting started or ready to level up your bookish partnerships, this guide breaks down where to look, who to contact, and how to get your name on the right listsBecause your love for books deserves a seat at the table preferably with a stack of new reads waiting for you.📖💫

🔗Tap the link to see the ultimate list! https://tinyurl.com/yc57ymr3

❗️Don't forget to come back and check from time to time for new additions!

📍If there's a program we missed please let us know and we can add it to the list!