Hi friends!
I hope June treated you well--welcome to this month's Disability Release Round-Up! This month, I was able to track down 23 different books ft. disabled main characters.

books by own voices or otherwise disabled authors

Bad at Love by Shannon O'Connor

Representation: borderline personality disorder

Genre: romance

Burnt into Memory by Sydney Blondell

Representation: chronic migraines

Genre: YA mystery/thriller

Seven Summers Ago by Starla Dekruyf

Representation: endometriosis, anxiety

Genre: romance

The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham

Representation: depression

Genre: YA fantasy

Fake Out Make Out by Kate Williams

Representation: eosinophilic fasciitis

Genre: romance

Of the Beautiful and Haunted by Hazie Walker

Representation: schizophrenia

Genre: fantasy romance

You Won't Forget Me by Mazey Eddings

Representation: depression

Genre: romance

American Love Song by Britt Middleton

Representation: anxiety

Genre: romance

The Missed Connection by Tia Williams

Representation: anxiety, panic attacks

Genre: romance

Echoes from Madness by Mak Makenzie

Representation: neurodivergence

Genre: romance

The Dawn Throne by Tara Sim

Representation: autism

Genre: fantasy

Sparks Will Fly by Laurel Holl

Representation: hEDS, cane user

Genre: romance

Hold Me Like a Grudge by Celine Ong

Representation: chronic pain

Genre: romance

books by non-disabled* authors

*or authors of unknown ability

This Blade of Ours by Shalini Abeysekara

Representation: PTSD, scarring, tremors

Genre: fantasy romance

The Open Era by Edward Schmidt

Representation: anxiety

Genre: romance

He's Not for Me by Sadie Hepworth

Representation: neurodivergence

Genre: romance

Not a Strong Enough Word by Allie Samberts

Representation: anxiety, depression

Genre: romance

Here Forever by Amy Mara

Representation: PTSD

Genre: romance

Tangled Roots and Wild Dreams by Angela Velez

Representation: anxiety, depression

Genre: YA romance

Hey y'all,

In all honesty, the World Cup has taken up so much of my time that I completely forgot to set a discussion date. Both discussions will take place next Saturday on Discord.

A Small Place: July 3rd, 1 PM EST

Devil of the Deep: July 3rd, 5 PM EST

XoXo,

Rae

Lovingly, we are all at one point victims of the worst, most insidious little worm known to human cognition.

Recency bias.

What does that mean, though? What is recency bias? I'm so glad you asked. Recency bias is a type of cognitive bias or "logical shortcut" our very lazy brains used to make it seem like the newest thing is the best thing. We do this with everything. History, books, house styles, clothing... we place a disproportionate emphasis on the newer thing and out brains convince us it's the best thing.

We also do this with, funny enough, people! When we evaluate another person, we put more weight on the most recent interaction we had with them than we do on our relationship as a whole. It can affect our positive or negative perception of a person! Isn't that crazy?!

Here's the thing about a cognitive bias: to fight back against it, you have to know what it is and be able to ask yourself questions about your own thoughts and feelings. Investigating your own opinions and perspectives is critical when you are combating any cognitive bias--and why I am always rolling my opinions over in my head again and again.

When we don't confront our recency bias, we ignore historical patterns and fail to learn. Our brains are lazy. They want to do the least amount of work for the most amount of reward. The problem, unfortunately, arises when our shortcut-taking leads to worse outcomes that we have a disproportionate experience with so we don't actually learn anything from the events leading to those worse outcomes.

In other words, history majors get mad because nothing is new and we are always repeating a cycle we never learn from.

That's all well and good, but what does that have to do with books?

Easy. In the book space, we tend to misguidedly feel like whatever books are recently out or new to the market are the "best book", forgetting all of the other historically "best books" we have read. We start to crave newness--new titles, new authors, new installments, new series--more than we crave high quality. Our recency bias in books means the zeitgeist is so rapid-moving that if a new author wants to capture the conversation, there is a large amount of pressure for them to write and produce a book or series too fast in order to stay relevant to the conversation.

Our addiction to newness can be fine when talking about things like clothing, hairstyles, movies, etc., but books are different. Books require time. Slowness. Consideration. Deliberation. Authors aren't SHEIN factories. To manifest their stories and ideas on a page requires time, the nemesis of recency bias.

There are complaints in the book space about book quality significantly dropping off in books 2/3 of a series and many theories about why--I think all of them are correct, kind of like how there was no singular Fall of Rome event--but not many people are discussing the impact of recency bias on this conversation. When an author writes their first book, nobody knows who they are. They have as much time as they need to tell the story they want, so the first installment is strong and well rounded and well told.

Once it gets "discovered" and published, publishers want to keep that series or author in the zeitgeist as long as possible to make sales. Thus, the pressure is on to produce, produce, produce. Write, write, write. So a book that took 5 years to write now has to catapult a sequel into existence in a year--20% of the time it took to get the first part right. Without the other 80% of that time, we see a steep drop in quality, world building, consistency, etc. that ends up on social media with people very upset and annoyed that the second or third in a series isn't as good as the first.

So how do we fight back against this as readers?

Push back against publication timelines. Encourage authors to take their time. Be clear and adamant that we'd rather wait 4 years for the book an author deserves to write than 6 months for a slapdash story we are upset by. Be mindful of how you consume books. Dip into older series. Support authors who speak out against crunch timelines for books they're working on. Just be vocal about the fact that books, of all things, are patient and an author can and should take their time.

The book zeitgeist is going to swallow a new Robin Hobb or Margaret Atwood novel in just as many gulps in 7 years as they would in 7 months. That's the beauty of the book space people are forgetting--beloved authors don't fade into obscurity if they're not constantly churning out a new novel. Writing isn't content creation, it's storytelling. The oldest form of art and communication humanity has. Trying to push writers into treating their stories like content is going to erode the quality and sanctity of that craft, leading to weaker books and worse stories. Weaker books and worse stories will make people put down more books and eventually step away from reading altogether. That's bad for... well, everyone.

Recency bias also has this horrible habit of skewing how it is we "rate" books. This means it's impacting reviewers and content creators negatively with our audiences if we don't watch out for it. It's insidious and frustrating. Every single book pops up on creators' pages as "the best book they've ever read". If every book is the best book, then none of them are the best book. It creates mistrust between reviewers and our audiences when we continually say everything we just read is the best thing we just read.

As reviewers, it's important for us to use discernment. We have platforms, therefore we have a responsibility to those platforms. This means being mindful of our cognitive biases, how we speak about the books we read, and how honestly we engage with the material we are reading. I, personally, can find something to love about everything I read--even if I didn't love it. It's important to note the good parts of something, but also the parts that didn't land. I have to remind myself that though I've found something important to love about a book everyone else disliked, I need to keep in mind the parts that were weak as well and speak to those against my strong desire to be enthusiastic and supportive.

It's a hard line to walk. Especially when we read and ARC or new release and want to be so excited and joyful about that with people. We still have that obligation to our audiences to go inward and as ourselves: did I love this new book or is it just... new. Or my personal favorite: is this the best book in the series or just the one that I recently read?

If you step into the content creation sphere, specifically around books, there's an obligation that is unspoken to be mindful, honest, direct, nonjudgmental, and discerning. It is on us to ensure we are not letting recency bias affect our experiences with a book and calling everything we read our "favorite book". How do we fight that? I'm so glad you asked.

Be mindful, be stingy, be self-honest, and be inquisitive about our own opinions! Read across timelines. Older books, newer books, recent books, less recent books. Reading across decades and being intentional about rotating in older books and things that aren't brand new and shiny helps us remember how much is out there and what it means for a book to truly be a favorite. Question yourself every time you finish a book and feel an immediate urge to gush about it. Why did you love it? What stuck out the most? How has that book affected you? Why is it 5-stars? Why is it your favorite?

For anyone just reading for love of the game and not doing any kind of reviews or creation or anything so grave and serious as recording BookTok videos, do whatever you want and love whatever you want! But if you're going to choose to step seriously into an arena where people will look to you for recommendations, ideas, things to bury their heads in, it changes the calculus on how we read and how we speak about the books we get through. A platform where we will be listened to requires a different degree of responsibility. It requires us to engage actively with our own thoughts and opinions so we can articulate and justify them in a way that lets people make decisions that are informed and honest.

If we want to save the creator space from just labeling every new book as "6 stars" and prevent our books we love from becoming a content creation pit of disappointment, we have to face down our silent enemy slithering around in the battlefield of our brains:

Recency bias.

Ready to dive deeper into These Empty Places? Whether you're hosting a book club, reading with a friend, or enjoying a quiet solo reading experience, we've created resources to make your journey through Lake Toxaway even more meaningful.

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Whether you're discussing the novel with your book club, sharing it with your favorite reading buddy, or savoring every chapter on your own, these guides are filled with thoughtful prompts, cozy activities, and bookish extras to help you get even more out of Sarah Loudin Thomas's beautiful story of hope, friendship, and second chances.

Happy reading! 📚💙

Some stories don't need dramatic twists or nonstop action to leave a lasting impression. Instead, they quietly settle into your heart, reminding you that healing often happens one small step at a time. These Empty Places by Sarah Loudin Thomas is exactly that kind of novel, a heartfelt historical fiction that blends real history with unforgettable characters and powerful themes of forgiveness, friendship, and finding hope after unimaginable loss.

If your book club enjoys character-driven historical fiction filled with meaningful conversations, this one deserves a spot on your reading list.

A Story Rooted in History

Set against the fascinating backdrop of North Carolina's Lake Toxaway, the novel begins after one of the area's most devastating real-life events, the collapse of the lake's dam. Fourteen years later, America stands on the edge of the Great Depression, and the once-thriving resort community is struggling to rediscover itself.

Sarah Loudin Thomas does an incredible job weaving historical facts into the fictional lives of her characters. Rather than simply telling readers about history, she allows us to experience how ordinary people lived through extraordinary circumstances.

The setting almost becomes a character itself, full of beauty, memories, and the lingering question of whether broken things can truly be restored.

Two Women, Two Different Paths

One of my favorite aspects of this novel is the relationship between Claire Roth and Lena Hawkins.

Claire has spent years convincing herself she made the right choices, sacrificing love in exchange for security and status. Yet beneath her comfortable life lies regret that refuses to disappear.

Lena, on the other hand, has experienced the opposite journey. After marrying for love, everything falls apart when financial ruin leaves her and her husband with almost nothing. Watching her rebuild her life from the ground up makes her incredibly easy to root for.

Although these women come from completely different backgrounds, their friendship grows naturally and becomes the emotional heart of the story. Their conversations, support for one another, and shared desire for a better future create some of the novel's most memorable moments.

Books, Libraries, and New Beginnings

As a book lover, one storyline especially stood out to me.

Claire's dream of building a personal library that provides both employment and education gives the novel an extra layer of warmth. Any reader who believes books can change lives will likely appreciate this part of the story.

The library represents far more than shelves filled with books; it becomes a symbol of hope, opportunity, and investing in a struggling community.

It's difficult not to smile while reading these scenes.

Themes Worth Discussing

This is the kind of novel that naturally sparks meaningful book club conversations.

Some discussion topics include:

• Can we ever truly let go of our past decisions?

• Is security worth sacrificing happiness?

• How much should we allow regret to shape our future?

• Can friendship bridge social and economic differences?

• What role do books and education play in rebuilding communities?

• How do people find hope after financial or personal devastation?

There are plenty of emotional moments throughout the novel, but they're balanced with optimism and grace rather than overwhelming sadness.

Sarah Loudin Thomas's Writing Style

Sarah Loudin Thomas writes with quiet confidence.

Her prose isn't flashy or overly dramatic. Instead, she focuses on rich descriptions, believable dialogue, and emotional authenticity. The pacing is gentle, allowing readers to fully immerse themselves in the characters and setting.

Readers who enjoy thoughtful historical fiction rather than fast-paced suspense will likely appreciate her storytelling style.

Final Thoughts

I found These Empty Places to be a thoughtful, comforting read that reminds us life rarely follows the path we expect but that doesn't mean hope is lost.

Between its richly researched historical setting, memorable female friendships, themes of forgiveness and second chances, and love of books, this novel offers plenty for readers to enjoy and even more for book clubs to discuss long after the final chapter.

If your book club loves historical fiction with heart, memorable characters, and conversations that continue well after the meeting ends, this is one worth picking up.

⭐️ Rating: 4.5/5

Bring This Book to Your Next Book Club Meeting

Ready to dive even deeper into These Empty Places?

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Whether you're reading with your favorite book club, one reading buddy, or enjoying a cozy solo reading weekend, there's a kit designed to make your reading experience even more engaging and memorable.

Now I'd love to hear from you!

If you could revisit one place from your past just once would you go back, or would you leave those memories where they are?

It’s been another long, weird, exciting week over here, which seems to be the theme of my entire life at this point.

Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: Another Halloween Horror Anthology is officially out now, and I’m still in that strange post release fog where I’m excited, exhausted, grateful, and also wondering why my brain thinks we should immediately move on to the next thirteen things. A very normal and healthy system, clearly.

Thank you so much to everyone who preordered, ordered, shared, posted, reviewed, or said anything kind about the anthology. Small press releases are a lot of work, and every single bit of support really does matter. I know I say that all the time, but it’s true. Books do not magically find readers. They need people screaming about them in the woods, or, more realistically, posting them online and leaving reviews.

If you’ve read Twisted Tales 2 already, reviews are incredibly helpful. Even one sentence helps the book reach more readers, especially on places like Goodreads, Amazon, and StoryGraph.

This week I’ve also been deep in I Wish I Was a Vampire, my upcoming middle grade Halloween horror book. This is my middle grade debut, which feels surreal in a different way than my adult horror books. It’s spooky and funny and full of plastic chompers, school costume drama, late 90s Halloween energy, and a girl who really does not want to be cute when she could be scary instead.

I’m also sharing a sneak peek at the cover here first. 🖤

I’m so excited about this cover because it feels exactly like the kind of book younger me would have grabbed immediately. Autumn Parker only wants one thing for Halloween: to be scary instead of cute. Unfortunately, once the vampire teeth come out, pretending starts to feel a little too real. I've spent 30+ hours and counting on the cover!

This book has been really freeing to write, but also more emotional than I expected. Autumn is not me, haha just kidding, most of me is in there. I even base the school on the cover and layout in the book like my own elementary school. The kid who wanted to be understood. The kid who felt too weird, too much, too intense, too different. The kid who would have loved a spooky book that said one good best friend, one person who really sees you, can be enough.

I’m also getting ready for Small Town Slasher, which releases August 4th. Woods Bay is my cursed little town full of slashers, local legends, old secrets, and supernatural problems no one should be solving after dark. Naturally, Jenna is going to try anyway. I'm doing my last round of edits.

I also have my Village Books event coming up on July 9th at 6pm in Bellingham, so I’m trying to prepare for that. Nervous but excited.

Behind the scenes, I’m still working on the Yuletide Horror anthology too. It is very weird to be editing holiday horror while it’s hot outside, but honestly, terrible weather, forced cheer, family tension, and people pretending everything is fine is always in season.

The next Death by TBR Books open call for a novella is coming this summer, along with the summer slasher anthology open call for the 4th (4th?!) of Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night. I’m very excited and already a little scared of my inbox.

BOOKS
Slasher Summer by E. L. Chen
Moonflow by Bitter Karella
The Summer Fun Massacre by Craig DiLouie

Currently reading: Witch Season by Julia Bianco and The Secret Lives of Zombie Wives by Barbara Truelove

SHOWS

NEW
MasterChef
Widows Bay
Something Bad is Going to Happen

FILMS - I'm on LetterBoxd - horrormaven13
Sleepover
Hungry
Unknown Visitor

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

TV
Gravity Falls
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The X-Files
Law and Order: SVU
Owl House

FILMS
Midsommar
Disturbia
The Stepfather

That's all for this week! Please share what you've been reading and watching! Next week is a double post week since there will be an exclusive post the paid tier. The poll is closed and I can share that I'll be discussing how I choose which books to promote!

xoxo

Spooky Girl

Hey You!

Today is the last day to get 25% off Bird King Rising, the epic and devastating conclusion to Black Salt Queen!

And here's a gift for you if you do/did

To continue the Pride Month celebration all year long, I wanted to share some of the amazing queer books on my TBR! Some have already released, and others are available for preorder. 🫶

* Pitches from the publishers.

• Mirrorwoven by Bori Cser - A lush YA fantasy debut novel full of masquerade ball scheming and sapphic love-triangle angst.

• Lethal Kiss by Taylor Grothe - Jennifer's Body meets Ninth House in Taylor Grothe's adult sapphic horror/romance debut that's as grotesque and blood-soaked as it is beautiful.

• Right Beside You by Tucker Shaw - In this fresh, speculative blend of queer romance and coming-of-age, Eddie meets Theo in present-day New York and Francis in a New York of the past...torn between eras and his heart, he must make a decision that will change his life forever.

• I Can't Even Think Straight by Dean Atta - Big decisions and messy relationships. It's all part of life for Kai. A must-read queer coming of age story for fans of Sarah Crossan and Sex Education, written in verse.

• All-Nighter by Cecilia Vinesse - Booksmart meets Today, Tonight, Tomorrow in this page-turning romp about two archnemeses—the valedictorian and the class slacker—who band together for a whirlwind night after discovering that they need each other to achieve their very different sunrise goals.

• Out of Step, Into You by Ciera Burch - A sapphic contemporary romance following childhood friends turned cross-country team rivals who are forced to work together to win the state championship—for fans of She Gets the Girl.

• Homeward for a Spell by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos - In this cozy queer romantic fantasy, two members in a motley crew of adventurers must confront monsters, hostile landscapes—and their growing attraction for each other.

• Lost Girls of Hollow Lake by Rebekah Faubion - After a group of teens visit a dangerous island where three are left behind, the surviving girls realize they must return to confront the sinister force hunting them. This dark YA thriller is perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.

• The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham - A lush and immersive queer “Sleeping Beauty” retelling about escapism, grief, and dreaming of a better world.

• Amelia, If Only by Becky Albertalli - A sapphic YA romance about friendship, unexpected love, and self-discovery.

• When You're Brave Enough by Rebecca Bendheim - A heartfelt, gorgeously written debut middle grade novel about best friends, first crushes, and coming out—perfect for fans of Kyle Lukoff and Jake Maia Arlow.

• The Unruly Heart of Miss Darcy by Erin Edwards - Mr. Darcy got his happily ever after in Pride and Prejudice, and now it’s his sister’s turn in this swoony queer romance, perfect for fans of Bridgerton.

• The Southern Sorority of Superstitious Witches by Katie Ortiz - In this spellbinding Southern Gothic novel, three women weave together old Southern folklore and magic to fight sexism and educational discrimination in post-Civil War Alabama, perfect for fans of Hester Fox and Louisa Morgan.

• A Prince Among Pirates by Katie Abdou - A charming nobleman accidentally joins a pirate ship and falls for its debonair captain in this swashbuckling queer debut that’s perfect for fans of F.T. Lukens and Our Flag Means Death.

• Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris - In this fresh-yet-familiar gothic tale―part historical fantasy, part puzzle-box mystery―the worlds of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes collide in a thrilling exploration of feminine power.

• Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove - The queer love child of pulp horror and ​classic ​sci-fi, Of Monsters and ​Mainframes ​is a dazzling, heartfelt odyssey that probes what it means to be one of society’s monsters—and explores the many types of friendship that make us human.

Happy Pride Month!

✨ 8/10 ✨

Becca Seymour does it again. This is my second MM Romance of hers and I was not disappointed.

A rift takes away Pax from Earth to a different dystopian planet where an evil Queen uses humans as slaves. He becomes a freedom fighter but along the way meets this other general, a purple alien, who is also against the queen and apparently, his mate.

The plot is verywepo written. Despite it being a third book in the series, it can be read as a standalone. I was able to pick up the themes very quickly. I liked the lead as well as the side characters - they are well planned, with back stories, humanizing them.
What I would have liked more is scenes between Pax and Varek - more of them bonding and being together.

But definitely go for it if you like MM, Alien dystopian romance with a slow burn.

I literally screamed NO at the book at the climax scene - I was that immersed into it 😂

Thank you @authorbeccaseymour and @hottreepublishing for this copy!

#mmromance #alienabduction #dystopian

"How could she say that her greatest love - the ocean - had almost killed her and that she didn't know if she could ever trust it again?"

GENRE: Romance
RATING: 4.75/5
FORMAT: eBook ARC
Tropes: Olympic surfer FMC x Accountant MMC, Burnout, Spanish x Welsh, Cinnamon Roll MMC, Found Family, Life Altering Injury

Review:

After reading and loving Salacia Project, I was so excited to read Above Water and dive into Alejandra's story and what a journey it was🥹

Both books are perfect to read for summer, with the setting and the vibes! Above Water is different than Salacia Project though, in that it tackles other themes and the dynamic between Alejandra and Callum was different than Sofia & Ilias (which definitely makes sense given how different Sofia and Alejandra are)

Above Water takes us on a journey of what it means to lose the thing you centre your identity around and how you learn to love yourself again after the loss. It's a different kind of grief, one that is about finding who you are and understanding that you are you, no matter what you do or where you live. This is mainly through Alejandra's POV but we get it with Callum too.

At the same time, it takes us on a journey to see how important our family are to us and what it means to have people surrounding you that love you unconditionally. I feel like both Callum and Alejandra's chapter dive into these themes and give us insight into how things change. We also get to focus on burn out and feeling like the thing you enjoyed doing as work no longer fits you through Callum's POV.

And their dynamic is SO cute and wholesome. Callum shows Alejandra that she can be loved just the way she is and Alejandra fully accepts Callum for who he is without wanting to change him. They both help each other mend old wounds and build a new life

I can't wait to read more in this universe and find out more about the other characters👀 I was provided a free advance reader copy and I’m sharing my honest thoughts.

It's been a while!!! I've been super busy with everything from panel discussions and lesson planning to reading, parties, and a family emergency. So I'm taking some time to catch up on my book reviews now.

Here is what I finished reading in April and May:

Fire Sword & Sea by Vanessa Riley

• Afro-Caribbean & Queer • Historical Fiction •

If you've ever seen movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and wondered if there were any Black a Queer pirates, this is the book for you! Fire Sword & Sea is based on the life of Jacquotte Delahaye, a mixed-race pirate who was likely born in modern-day Haiti. In this book, author Vanessa Riley depicts Jacquotte's journey from the daughter of a wealthy tavern owner in Tortuga to the captain of a ship filled with diverse pirates seeking riches and liberation.

I felt pulled into the story almost immediately, thanks to the audiobook narrator Robin Miles. There was great world building and I found the plot moving. There's conflict, abandonment, love, and much more. It was also awesome that Riley included the inner workings and dynamics present in pirate crews in the 18th century. We need more stories like this!

Guilt and Ginataan (Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries, Book 5) by Mia P. Manansala

• Filipina • Cozy Mystery •

The Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries series has consistently delivered cozy stories filled to the brim with delicious foods, sweet moments, and creative deaths and Guilt and Ginataan was no exception. I actually think this is my favorite book of the series, so far!

It takes place in the fall (my fave season) at the annual Shady Palms Corn Festival where Lila, Adeena, and Elena aka the Brew-Ha Cafe crew pull up to sell an spread of delicious food and drinks. All is going well until the trio's corn maze challenge ends with Adeena passed out with a bloody knife in her hand next to the dead body of a local politican's wife. Knowing that her best friend couldn't have committed this crime, Lila and her crew conduct their own investigation to find the person who framed her.

If you're looking for entertaining reads with recipes for dishes from the book, check out this series!

An African-American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz

• U.S. History •

I'm really happy that I finally read my copy of An African-American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz because the author approaches this information as a storyteller. Ortiz utilizes his experiences as U.S. military veteran and Professor of Labor History at Cornell University to share the often hidden connections between Black American and Latinx oppression beginning with the American Revolution and ending with 2017.

This is a fantastic book! I listened to the audiobook and had to keep pausing to grab my physical copy and highlight the concepts and stories that jumped out at me. I was pulled in from the author's note and knew as soon as I read the first page of the introduction that this was going to be a text I'd return to over time.

I think I'm going to make a separate post just to break down those parts! I need y'all to pick up this book expeditiously.

The Secret World of Maggie Grey (Drew Collins, Book 1) by Granger

• Black American • Adult • Dark Academia Fantasy •

To all my bookish friends who recommended this book left and right a few years back, 🫣 I'm sorryyyy! I should have read it immediately, like y'all said, but I'm stubborn. Now, I'm all in because Granger created a world for all the folks who have been begging for adult fantasy, especially Black women. If you've also had this book on your TBR for more than a year, now is the time to dive in, my love.

The Secret World of Maggie Grey takes place at a magical HBCU called Drew Collins University. The students vary in age, but Maggie and her crew are in their late 20s and early 30s. This school—based below the city of Atlanta—is host to sirens, shapeshifters, and more. Maggie always thought her grandma's stories about a vampiric civil rights leader responsible for her white tresses were just some weird, made-up tales until she tells one of them in her grad school classroom and her professor recommends she visit Drew Collins.

Originally suspicious of the school, Maggie meets other outcasts of the community while attempting to figure out why she's here and what she is. Meanwhile, she tries to fight her growing attraction to Coach Namir, the annoying-ass werewolf who believes her to be part of the First Family, a bloodline of vampires that also happen to be his family's enemy.

This book is steamy, funny, and mysterious which is perfect for me! I devoured the other two books, too, so I'm impatiently waiting for the next one. ~reviews to come~

Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa

Young Adult • Queer • Rom-Com • Graphic Novel

Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa is a nuanced but sweet graphic novel follows Belle Hawkins, the super shy school mascot, who finally works up the nerve to ask out her crush Regina Moreno. Regina is a popular girl at their high school as the head cheerleader with her sights set on getting into a prestigious college. Her brave moment comes crashing down when one of the athletes, Chloe Kitagawa, makes it clear that she's already dating Regina. Just as Hawkins thinks she blew her chance, Regina convinces her to be Chloe's English tutor so they can get into the same college after graduation. With the hope of getting closer to Regina driving her, Hawkins agrees.

What Regina doesn't realize is that her girlfriend had a crush on Belle Hawkins when they were little kids and she used to dress as a princess everyday. As the school year progresses, an unexpected romance begins to sprout!

I loved reading this book. The storyline is adorable and the cast is diverse. The colors and illustrations are also super cute. I definitely recommend this short but sweet story to everyone!

As always, thank you for reading my reviews and make sure to check the content warnings on TheStoryGraph before you read these titles!

Wronggggggg.

Now, we can have a conversation about how publishing house conglomerates and the trend-led mass-market led by an overwhelming white, straight, etc, majority creates a homogeneity of stories...sure. We can talk about that all day long.

But if we do, we also need to talk about how consumers drive that market, and how our choices -- on social media feeds, on review platforms, at the bookstore -- make an impact on those publishing trends. That, I think, is a more interesting conversation.

Because if we put in the effort to follow book reviewers from a diversity of perspectives, to support indie and underrepresented authors, to review the books we read with critical self-reflection, to support our local book vendors, libraries, etc...then we will find a huge, wide world of weird and wonderful literature just waiting for its audience. And in doing so, we can make an impact on publishing as a whole, too.

So, here are a few unique books that I think you might love, featuring cannibalistic nuns, Faustian bargains, shape-shifting mermaids, talking animals, alternate futures, parasitic aliens, swampcore haunted cabins, cryptids, and more.

Herculine by Grace Byron: an all Trans girls commune haunted by demons.

The Reformatory by Tanarive Due: a segregated reform school and the evil inside.

Wife Shaped Bodies by Laura Cranehill: the trad wives are sprouting mushrooms.

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft: a dark academia quest for a magic spring.

Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell: a new world where all the white people have disappeared.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones: A Blackfeet vampire seeking vengeance.

The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling: a medieval castle under siege and the cannibalistic fever dream that unfolds inside.

What We Feed to the Manticore by Talia Lakshmi Kolluri: a collection of compelling short stories all told from the perspectives of animals.

After Love by Tanya Byrne: a fantastical lesbian love story that literally transcends death itself.

Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris: a grief-stricken Indigenous artist who arrives at a cabin in a remote, swampy forest, before strange things start to happen.

Fate's Bane by CL Clark: sword-wielding, star-crossed lovers from rival clans, inspired by Celtic folklore.

As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegel: a Faustian Bargain between a witch and a demon, and their game of cat-and-mouse that spans multiple lifetimes.

A Feast for the Eyes by Alex Crespo: four teenagers hunting the local cryptic that feeds on secrets.

They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran: a red algae bloom causes strange mutations in a small Louisiana town.

The Seep by Chana Porter: a parasitic alien invasion that creates a strange utopia, and one woman's quest to stop its spread.

The Gloaming by Kirsty Logan: a hungry sea, a family beset by grief, and a strange woman who climbs up from the water.

Happy reading!

-B

Hello Star and Galaxy members! Below you'll find the form link to opt-in for the JUNE Mail Club and provide your mailing address <3

June Mail will include a letter from me, a set of journal prompts, stickers, and a sneak peek into my book PUBLISHERS SUPPER. It will be sent via stamped lettermail around June 30th. 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
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April 2026
May 2026

Okay ya’ll! As you know our first mini goal is 650?

Drum roll, please?

We are at 548! That’s just 102 away from our first mini goal! And the COOL PEN!

If you haven’t preordered yet, here are some options:

Barnes and Noble- 25% off sale. Here’s the reality: we need BN preorders to make sure the book gets stocked there. Our short goal is 100 preorders from Barnes, we have 62!

Praire Lights, Mysterious Galaxy, The Twisted Spine- these are our indie partners and if you order from them you also get a free book cover poster! Our goal here is also 100 per shop!

Don’t want to spend money right now? The ebook is 3.99 EVERYWHERE! It’s the most affordable way to help us hit a best seller list and to help us all get a What Feeds Below pen and moth sticker!

Huge thanks to early readers and those who have preordered! Arcs for paid members are coming SOON!

Let the community know down below if you’ve preordered yet!

Last weekend was Capital Pride in DC and I still feel all discombobulated from that busy weekend. But that won't stop Friday Faves! Be sure to jump into my Discord channel and share your own faves!

My favorite book I read this week was The Maidenheads by Benny B. Johnson. This book is about Jamie and Mari, who were in a DC punk band in high school in the early 2000s and were also girlfriends. They had a horrible breakup, and ten years later they are back in each others' orbit.

Listen. As a girl who grew up in the DC suburbs who was very into the local music scene and didn't understand her sexuality at the time...I AM IN THIS PHOTO AND I DON'T LIKE IT. But also, hell yeah. Johnson name checks all my favorite venues in DC and Baltimore and perfectly recreates the grimy love we all had for our local faves.

The Maidenheads is messy and mean and full of yearning and good god please go to therapy, my guys. Everyone makes the worst decisions at every turn and I loved them for it.

My non-bookish fave this week was Pride weekend. I didn't go to any of the official events. To be honest, I haven't gone to the parade in several years because I'm over watching four hours of mega corporations pretend like they care about us. Instead, I went to a friend's party. I hosted a picnic. We had some friends over to hang out in our pool. Just queer folk spending time with queer folk, and it was the best.

Let's see what this does.

Testing...

Let's see how this goes.