Happy Sunday, mis internet amigxs!

I'm thrilled to announce that we'll be chatting with Natalia Hernandez, author of our May book club selection, Asiri and the Amaru on Monday, June 1st at 8:00 PM EST. The Zoom invite is below!

If you're wondering why I didn't say our chat was in lieu of weekly sprints, it's because sprints have been moved to a monthly schedule as I work on some other initiatives. Our schedule now is the second Monday of the month, meaning our next official Discord sprint session is Monday, June 8th at 8:00 PM EST.

Be on the lookout for future announcements and changes to our Bien Leidos schedule coming up very soon.

If you have questions for Natalia, there is a thread on Discord open through May 31st for you to drop our questions.

As always, the chat link below is for Bien Leidos Bindery members only. DO NOT SHARE THIS LINK WITH OTHERS:

Topic: Bien Leidos Author Chat: Natalia Hernandez
Time: Jun 1, 2026 08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88089763992?pwd=Oeo6GjJqKbrPKXBsNFC9HU9bNp3yI0.1

Meeting chat link
https://us06web.zoom.us/launch/jc/88089763992

Meeting ID: 880 8976 3992
Passcode: 211986

One tap mobile
+13052241968,,88089763992#,,,,*211986# US
+16469313860,,88089763992#,,,,*211986# US

Join by SIP
• 88089763992@zoomcrc.com

Join instructions
https://us06web.zoom.us/meetings/88089763992/invitations?signature=T8xWsPtz99mPwQrn8VgQbPb3C32GTZLk-0wvEG-4Bfw

I just wanted to share that all of you who are preordering the ebook of What Feeds Below right now- you’re all MVPs! We are the number one overall most popular preorder in Kobo right now AND we are an Amazon Top Release!

So many people have told me that hitting a best seller list as an indie is incredibly difficult- but difficult is not impossible. I believe in the possibility of this book, and of this community!

I don’t know when the $3.99 ebook sale ends, so I would grab it now, while it’s hot!!

amazing to see What Feeds Below, the first book from this imprint! At number one in so many categories!!!

Thank you so much to everyone who has already preordered.

The last time I checked the numbers, we were at 303. Our goal is 1,000! Since over 2,000 of you follow me here, I know some of you haven’t preordered yet! (See, mom! I CAN math!)

Hoping that this $3.99 ebook sale might convince those of you who haven’t had a chance to preorder yet! You can grab it anywhere ebooks are sold!

I’ve seen a lot of reviews (did I mention we currently have over 400 reviews on Netgalley with an average 5⭐️!) say they can’t wait to own a physical copy! Don’t wait until the book comes out before you grab it!

I will keep saying it: preordering is one of the best things we can do as literary citizens! Preorders can completely change the trajectory of a book and could change an author’s life. The goal at Boozhoo Books is to give our author’s THE BEST LAUNCH!

If you have already preordered, drop a comment below to let other members know why you ordered early!

Thank you to early readers and reviewers who are hyping this book up! Tatiana and I appreciate you so much!

It’s almost June, and that means it’s time to pick our next book club read! I wanted to give us three fun and fresh options, so I’ve been keeping a close eye on new fantasy releases and have picked three that snagged my attention. Like many of you, I read Veronica Roth as a teenager and am very intrigued by her new adult fantasy release 👀 Sunyi Dean is the author of one of my favorite fantasy standalones, The Book Eaters, and I’m confident that her latest release will be just as good! And of course, we’ve read R.J. Barker together in the past (remember The Bone Ships?). His newest release is bound to be incredible!

Voting will close on Tuesday, May 26th and our June pick/giveaway winner will be announced on the 27th (which also happens to my birthday heyooo) ☺️ Can’t wait to see what we settle on!!

Seek the Traitor’s Son by Veronica Roth

Elegy Ahn did not ask for destiny to find her. She is happy with her life as a soldier, defending her small country from the Talusar, a powerful nation who worships a deadly Fever. A fever that blesses half of its victims with mysterious gifts. But then she’s summoned to hear a prophecy—her, and the most ruthless of Talusar generals, Rava Vidar. Brought face to face, they learn that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other… but they don’t know which. And at the center of both of their fates: a man. A man that, Elegy is told, she will fall in love with. In just one day, Elegy’s old life—her job, her purpose, and her future—is over. She and Rava are destined to collide, with the fate of their nations hanging in the balance. And when they do, only one will be left standing. Elegy intends to make sure it’s her.

The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean

When Mercy Chan washes up on the shores of Hong Kong with no family, no money, and no memories, the only refuge she finds is the infamous, ghost-infested slum of Kowloon Walled City. Since then, she has rebuilt her life, working for the local triad as a ghost talker and dealing with the angry and bitter spirits who haunt the district. The filthy gutters and cramped alleyways of Kowloon have become her home. But the past Mercy can’t remember isn’t done with her. An unusually powerful ghost has infested Kowloon’s waterways, drowning innocents and threatening the district. It claims to know Mercy—and secrets from her past that are best left forgotten. As Mercy is drawn into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with this malignant spirit, she begins to realize that the monster she fights within these walls may well be one of her own making.

Mortedant’s Peril by R.J. Barker

Irody Hasp is a Mortedant, a cleric tasked with reading the last thoughts of the dead—though no one thanks him for it. No Mortedant is popular, but Irody is scarcely tolerated even by the other members of his own guild, and rarely selected for anything but the lowliest of jobs. This impoverished existence would be dismal enough—but after reading the corpse of a low-level records keeper, Irody’s troubles quickly multiply when his own apprentice is murdered, and all fingers point to him as a suspect. The only way to save his own skin is to find the real culprit himself, an investigation that quickly attracts powerful enemies with few scruples, and draws him into a plot that threatens the entire corrupt yet wondrous city he calls home.

Sickos we got a few quickies to cover in this one and lots of pictures that have the words I am lacking as I write this (my morning White Monster is still kicking in).

DA SALE

First, you're not gonna get a better deal than the $3.99 Kindle sale on A Complement of Scoundrels by S.V. Lockwood.

That's unless of course you signed up for the Sicko tier in time and are going to get the free, early digital copy, or if you did the same thing but as a Mega Sicko and will have a physical copy in your hands soon. Barring that, if you still haven't pre-ordered it and you read books with your eyeballs on a Kindle screen, wtf are you waiting for?! All the Fall 2026 Bindery titles are on this sale so go nutso.

ISA BUNDLE

We're also doing a bundle campaign thingy for A Complement of Scoundrels to reward the folk that have pre-ordered it. Again, me write bad, pictures good:

Here's the form you can submit that pre-order/TBR adding proof to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeVh-GIdB26YXOY-jzxGXJR1dh7GEzTJFRKNx4A5feUlQxZZg/viewform

BOOK CLUB FOR JUNE STUFF

The lovable crazies in our the Discord put me under a queer siege and the only way they'd lift it is if I had one of the clubs be super gay for Pride Month. I've got 12 books to vote on for the Fiction Sickos based on all their amazing recommendations. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to do that but it's probably going to be a multi-phased vote.

The History Sickos will be voting between the following:

Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization by Richard Miles

America, América: A New History of the New World by Greg Grandin

And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts

A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa

Those votes will be up later today, and to be in all that join the Discord and be a Sicko plus subscriber.

DICTATOR MODE

As per usual, when I concede something to the proletariat it usually means I'm atoning for or scheming up a dictatorial power play. In this case it's picking the History Sickos book for July ahead of time, which is going to be Not Built in a Day: How Slavery Made the Roman Empire by Emma Southon. So, go ahead and pre-order that, or, get it if you're in the UK because it's out already as "Servus".

I took the final pass of Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: Another Halloween Horror Anthology and placed a BIG order. It's always a bit scary around this time. Early reviews start to come in (which I'm trying to stay away from) and all the other pieces fall into place. I'll be sending some copies to those who are part of the upcoming Bookstagram Tour, as well as writing and sending a press release out.

I am also starting to edit the stories that will be in Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: A Yuletide Horror Anthology releasing THIS November AND I am starting to contact potential authors for the next anthology.

I am going on a day trip tomorrow to do some research for the Woods Bay series, and I just finished my outline for book 2!

BOOKS
Tea You At the Altar by Rebecca Thorne
Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister
Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle
The Dorians by Nick Cutter

Currently reading: The Secret Lives of Zombie Wives by Barbara Truelove and I'll Watch Your Baby by Neena Viel.

SHOWS
NEW
24 in 24
Widows Bay
Euphoria

FILMS - I'm on LetterBoxd - horrormaven13
Mother May I - A big of a let down
Lee Cronin's The Mummy
The Tingler
The House at the Edge of the Woods

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

TV
Daria
Twin Peaks
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The X-Files
Law and Order: SVU
The Hills

FILMS
The Swan Princess
The Terminator
Fly Away Home

That's all for this week! I hope you get some time to read and watch and relax. Oh and I started a new Instagram for my personal nerdom. If you're interested my handle is: stephanieisspooky

xoxo

Spooky Girl

Books I really thought I was going to love… but didn’t 😭

The Shield of Sparrows
I listened to the dramatized version on Hoopla, and it was okay. A solid romantasy, but nothing spectacular to me.

People were foaming at the mouth for this book on Tiktok!!! It's a good book for sure, but idk it just didn't connect with me.

The middle dragged a lot, and it honestly felt like the author kind of forgot the plot. It read like a slice-of-life anime for about 100 pages instead of the heart-pounding, tension-filled, corrupt political system, plot-driven romantasy I was expecting.

I’m on book two now (on audio), and it’s decent… but yeah.

Just Our Luck
This one just didn’t do it for me at all. It felt unrealistic, it dragged, and I ended up skimming the last 100 pages.

I didn’t really like the MMC, he came off as mean and even though the beginning had potential, the story lacked real tension.

Heat of the Everflame
Okay… books 1 and 2? AMAZING.

If you want high-stakes, crazy plot, slow-burn romantasy, this was IT. I was obsessed. Blown away.

Then book 3…

The author flattened all the characters. Our FMC is insanely powerful, but then she allows a man to literally spit in her face??? No, like that's literally a scene.

She can wipe out entire continents, but she lets herself get bullied constantly. It just didn’t make sense.

And the plot?? The solution is RIGHT THERE, but the characters can’t see it. It made me question their intelligence, honestly.

Not to mention, the MMC turned into a sappy, love-sick puppy instead of the powerful prince we got before.

Hated it.

Plated Prisoner series
I made it to book 4… and yeah, it was time to wrap it up.

Looking back at my Goodreads reviews actually makes me laugh, because by book 3 I was already like “I don’t know about this…” and by book 4 I was DONE.

The pacing slowed to a complete halt while the FMC processed her trauma. And I understand the themes, feminine rage, how patriarchy hurts everyone, but it was so heavy-handed.

It wasn’t woven into the story. It took over the story.

At a certain point, I was like… where is the plot? Where is the action?

It felt less like high-stakes fantasy and more like a very long trauma-healing narrative with magic in the background.

Fate of the Sun King
This series gave everything but the kitchen sink.

What started as high-fae fantasy somehow turned into a space odyssey… like there are literally aliens involved.

The first book was so good, and then slowly but surely… we lost the plot.

It started to feel like those old CW shows where anything goes by the end. Like… Dan Humphrey and Blair Waldorf dating.

Just chaos 😭

I really wanted to love these… but yeah.

Hi everyone and welcome back to another author interview! This week I'm joined by the Hash Slinger Slasher... oops I mean the AMAZING Brian McAuley. McAuley is a super talented author who loves exploring horror through slashers. He's written Curse Of The Reaper, Candy Cain Kills, Candy Cain Kills Again, and Breathe In, Bleed Out.

Let's dive in and AXE some questions. (Sorry, my slasher puns will be the death of me.)

1. I always like to use my first question as a chance for you to introduce yourself! Tell us as little or as much as you want.

Oh hello! Brian McAuley here. I'm a USA Today Bestselling author of horror novels and a WGA screenwriter who has written everything from Lifetime movies to sitcom reboots. Born and raised in the Garden State, but now slowly melting in the Arizona desert, where I'm screenwriting professor at ASU.

2. You're the author of several books, i.e Curse Of The Reaper and Breathe In, Bleed Out, and I love that all your books are slashers in their own unique way. What keeps drawing you back to the slasher genre?

There's something about the structure and tropes of a slasher that just feels like a warm blanket to me. As a writer, I have a lot of fun crafting those elaborate death set pieces where you know a character is about to die, but you're not quite sure how it's going to unfold. 

3. To follow up question two, are there any other subgenres of horror that you want to dabble in one day? Or does the slasher genre forever hold your heart?

So far, I've been most interested in exploring different subgenres through a slasher lens. CURSE OF THE REAPER is rooted in psychological horror, CANDY CAIN KILLS and its sequel are religious horror, BREATHE IN, BLEED OUT dips a toe into cults and folk legends, and my upcoming book FAIRLY BAD WAYS TO DIE plays with the fantasy genre by virtue of being set at a Renaissance Faire.

4. Out of all your books, do you have a favorite? What about one that was harder to write? 

CURSE OF THE REAPER was the hardest to write because it was my first attempt at writing a novel, ever. For that same reason, it remains my favorite. I lived with those characters for years in screenplay form before I adapted the story into a book, so I'll always be grateful to Howard Browning for helping me expand my artistic horizons.

5. I saw your most recent announcement about your newest work, Fairly Bad Ways to Die, which is a slasher involving a plague doctor at a renaissance festival (HELL YEAH! I absolutely love Plague Doctors so this makes my day). Care to tell us a little more about it? 

This book focuses on a band of college students who have been performing at their local Renaissance Faire for years, waiting for their big break. Unfortunately, that opportunity arrives the same year as a mysterious killer who's dispatching patrons with medieval brutality. It was incredibly fun to write because of the world building and large cast of colorful characters. One thing I can promise is that the title is no false promise.

6. Are you working on/plotting anything else at the moment?

I'm presently doing a final polish on what I hope will be my first YA horror novel. You'll be shocked to hear that it's a slasher, but I can't say anything more at the moment, so stay tuned!

7. What have been some of your favorite horror reads from this year? 

Speaking of slashers, I loved FATALLY YOURS by Jessica Lacy. On the non-slasher front, BAT EATER AND OTHER NAMES FOR CORA ZENG by Kylie Lee Baker blew me away. I got a sneak peek at Hailey Piper's upcoming THIS MOVIE DOESN'T END THE WAY WE WANT and had such a fun time with it.

8. Any backlist titles you've been loving lately?

I've been catching up on David Sodergren's catalog of absolute mayhem. GUILLOTINE by Delilah S. Dawson recently left me hungry to read more of her work.  

9. Have you seen any good horror movies lately? I swear there are so many coming out soon that I'm dying to see (Obsession, Hokum, The Backrooms, Passenger)

I'm still thinking about OBSESSION nearly a week later. That one really got under my skin in the best way. I just rewatched KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE for an upcoming Instagram Live with Point Horror Book Club. That movie only gets better with age.

10. Do you have any writing rituals or routines that help you get in the writing headspace?

I'm primarily a morning writer, so a big pot of black coffee is absolutely necessary. If I've still got energy after my teaching day, I'll bring my laptop to my favorite local brewery, pop a movie soundtrack playlist into my ears, and have an IPA-fueled writing session in the evening.

Use the below space to list any socials and author websites you would like to share.

@BrianMcWriter / www.brianmcwriter.com

Thank you again, Brian, for your amazing answers and time!

Welcome back to Case Files! This week gave me some great reads—from continuing our Read Herring Book Club pick for May, to finally reading the 2012 smash hit Gone Girl (and watching the movie).

PS, did you know you can now get a personalized book rec from me? Just visit my Bindery homepage and click the “Get a Rec” button in the top right corner.

Let’s get into the clues and evidence . . .

This week’s reads:

• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (finished): I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would, considering I already knew the big, mid-book twist. It’s psychologically sharp and deliciously tense, the audiobook is well-performed, and the movie is spot-on (probably because Flynn herself wrote the screenplay).

• Murder Most Delicious by Danielle Postel-Vinay (finished): This cozy murder mystery will make you want to fly to Paris immédiatement. The mystery is solid, but I actually most enjoyed the descriptions of the French neighborhood and its close-knit community. Look out for a Cluesletter interview with Danielle on Tuesday! 😊

• The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley (currently reading): Witty and fun! Really enjoying Roger Sheringham and his compatriots. The mystery is delightfully perplexing and the story moves along at a decent pace. This is for our Read Herring Book Club.

• Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann (currently reading): I’m making myself read this before seeing The Sheep Detectives! I loved the sequel, Big Bad Wool (for which I interviewed author Leonie Swann), so it’s no surprise I’m enjoying the sheep’s escapades in this first installment. The audio is delightful and infused with Irish charm.

This week’s book mail:

• That Which Feeds Us by Keala Kendall (out now): A supernatural thriller set at a luxury resort in Hawaii, with themes of colonialism, horror, and the true cost of paradise.

• Murder by Design by Lee Goldberg (out Jun 1): A new series starring a brilliant (but rude) insurance investigator and a struggling actor hired to keep him in line.

Yours mysteriously,

Manon

Now for the full book discussion. Reading the last of this book made me so angry. Even though this is the 3rd time I've read this book, the "school" just seems so incredibly cruel. What was the point? It just seems like torture to make these mothers "parent" dolls for a year and then take away the doll too.

The last line hurts me in the same way that the ending of 1984 does.

Let's take a final look at our identified themes:

Us vs. Them

I think that the dolls highlight this theme. Are they human? Are they treated better than those that are? I'll admit I chuckled when someone said to "believe women" when they were talking about the accusations of the doll.

The Expectations on Mothers

It's abundantly clear that nothing short of absolute perfection is okay. This same message is found in our culture, if less overt. Just take a look at the Mother's Day advertising, so many lifting up sacrificial motherhood as the standard.

Misogyny in a Patriarchal Society

If a woman is just a mother, she isn't a person. She only exists to serve others and deserves nothing in return.

What did you think of the book?

Surviving the Unsurvivable in We Were the Lucky Ones

There is a specific kind of ache that comes with reading a story you know is true. When Georgia Hunter published We Were the Lucky Ones in 2017, she wasn’t just writing a Holocaust novel; she was uncovering the miraculous survival of her own ancestors, the Kurc family.

With the 2024 Hulu miniseries adaptation, this sprawling, global odyssey has been brought to life with startling intimacy. But how does the screen version hold up against the meticulously researched prose? Let’s dive into the heart-wrenching comparison.

The Heart of the Story: The Kurc Family

Both the book and the series center on the Kurcs of Radom, Poland. At the start, they are a family of successful, cultured Jews architects, musicians, and entrepreneurs.

• The Book: Hunter’s writing is remarkably disciplined. She balances five siblings’ perspectives across continents from Siberia to Brazil to Italy without losing the emotional thread. The book excels at detailing the internal resilience and the luck that often felt like a burden to those who survived while others didn't.

• The Series: The show leans heavily into the visceral emotion. Joey King as Halina and Logan Lerman as Addy deliver performances that bridge the gap between historical figures and living, breathing people. The series manages to make the family’s separation feel more claustrophobic and urgent through its haunting cinematography.

Comparison: Book vs. Series 

Pacing

The Novel: Spans nearly a decade; feels like a slow, epic marathon of endurance.

The TV Series: High-stakes and propulsive; 8 episodes create a sense of constant peril.

Historical Context

The Novel: Rich with research and Author’s Notes that clarify real-life timelines.

The TV Series: Uses visual cues and subtitles to help the viewer track various global locations.

Character Focus

The Novel: Gives equal weight to the internal monologues of all five siblings.

The TV Series: Centers slightly more on Halina and Addy as the emotional anchors.

Atmosphere

The Novel: Hopeful but grounded in the grim reality of logistics and survival.

The TV Series: Deeply cinematic; uses sound and silence to emphasize the trauma of war.

Key Differences & Adaptations

1. The Passage of Time

In the book, the years of hiding and labor feel heavy. Hunter captures the monotony of survival, the waiting, the hunger, and the slow-burning fear. The TV series, by necessity, condenses some of these timelines to keep the tension high, which makes the Kurcs' narrow escapes feel even more miraculous and at times, breathless.

2. The Visual Impact of the Diaspora

One of the series' greatest strengths is its ability to show the geographic scale of the story. Switching from the frozen wastes of Siberia to the sun-drenched, yet anxious, streets of Rio de Janeiro helps the audience visualize just how far the Kurc family was flung. While the book describes this beautifully, seeing the stark color palette shifts on screen adds a layer of sensory storytelling.

3. The Lucky Element

The title is a bit of a paradox. Both mediums grapple with the guilt of survival. However, the series uses the chemistry between the actors to show what was at stake. When you see the family together in the first episode's Seder, the tragedy of their separation in the subsequent episodes hits harder than it does on the page.

Final Verdict: Which Should You Experience First?

It is a story of the indomitable human spirit, but more importantly, it is a story about the power of family as a North Star.

• Read the book if: You want the full, intricate historical record and the internal thoughts of every family member. It is a masterpiece of genealogical research turned into narrative art.

• Watch the series if: You want a poignant, masterfully acted tribute to survival that captures the heartbeat of the Kurc family in a more immediate, visual way.

My Recommendation: Read the book first to ground yourself in the family’s history, then watch the series to see those memories breathe. Both versions serve as a stunning reminder that even in the world's darkest hours, hope is a form of resistance.

❓️Have you watched the series or read the book yet? Which Kurc sibling’s journey moved you the most?

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

May Mail will be sent via stamped lettermail around May 29th. 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

Welcome to Friday Faves! Each week I plan to share my favorite book I read during the past week, as well as any other stuff I've been enjoying. I would also like to invite you all to join my Discord channel, where there's a place for you to share your own Friday Faves. Let's fill each others' lives with wonderful things!

This week's fave read is a real "hey guys have you heard about this massively popular book??!" situation. It's HAMNET by Maggie O'Farrell.

This is the most devastating book I've read in years. Just absolutely a tear your hair out and lay on the floor crying kind of book. I didn't want to keep reading it but I also couldn't stop reading it. Somehow, it feels like the events of the book are happening to you as you read it.

I particularly loved how it both mattered and didn't matter at all that Agnes' husband was William Shakespeare. Who cares, when you're that in the depths of grief? Agnes' touch of the supernatural also added another beautiful, painful layer to her story. I think I can say I've never quite met a character like Agnes.

A non-bookish fave thing for me recently is the video game Date Everything! I've been slowly playing this through over the past few months and it's so delightfully weird. It's a dating sim, but the twist is that the dateables are all of the objects in your house. It's silly, and punny, and voiced by all your favorite voice actors.

Now, I invite you to share your Friday Faves in the Discord chat! See you there!

What Feeds Below e book is on sale for $3.99 for a limited time!

help us to get 1,000 preorders and grab your copy today, folks!

I’m currently traveling but I have so many cool updates to share coming soon!