Morning all,

I won't be sharing a weekly reading update this week due to a family emergency. I'll share more in my monthly newsletter tomorrow. Sign up for that here if you are interested: https://shesbecomingbookish.com/subscribe/

Pro Tip: It's a double opt-in process, so be sure to look for the confirmation email to complete the sign-up process.

Thanks for being here and happy reading!

xoxo

c

HI BABES it's that time again, but on the new schedule! Dropping a poll for the video meeting for May's Queer Sports Romance Book Club pick, Smash or Pass. Don't forget there's also a discord channel, so I'll be dropping some thoughts, questions, and word vom there if anyone prefers that form of discussion- feel free to engage! This book kind of blew me away, so...

Also, always feel free to comment with alt times for the days listed!

Hi Wanda! You've asked for a book recommendation — I am here to give you three!

Thank you for requesting. Please come back and let me know how you feel once you get the chance to read them. If anyone else would like a book recommendation, keep reading and I'll show you how!

The first two recommendations are in the thriller genre. This was instantly what my mind went to when wanting something easy to read but keeps your attention. Ironically, I've read all of these via audiobook and HIGHLY recommend you do the same as well. But no worries, these stories are so good that if you want to read physical or on ebook, it will still get the job done.

The last one, I'm sorry, but it's apart of a 7-book series which... isn't finished yet, but if you end up really liking the first one at least you can continue the journey. The 5th book will be releasing in November of this year!

Now if you are wanting a book rec from me, here's how:

With a day left in AANHPI Heritage Month, I wanted to share some more of my favorite AANHPI reads to continue the celebration all year long! 🫶🏼

• The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia by Leia Ham - A captivating, witty, and magical middle-grade fantasy with stunning illustrations that explores family, friendship, and the weight of expectations. (Leia will join me for an Instagram live on June 12th to discuss and celebrate TMMoSX! We hope you join us. 🥳)

• The Ex-Boyfriend's Favorite Recipe Funeral Committee by Saki Kawashiro (translated by Yuka Maeno) - A hopeful, entertaining, and cozy novel of food, love, and the power of friendship inspired by the author’s own breakup story.

• Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei - An emotional, sea-swept SFF novel of sisterhood and salvation set in Earth’s future after an ecological disaster.

• Prodigal Tiger by Samantha Chong - A cinematic, sweeping YA contemporary fantasy with ghosts, Malaysian folklore, and friends-to-lovers romance.

• Shim Jung Takes the Dive by Julia Riew - A whimsical, heartfelt middle-grade fantasy with Korean folklore and captivating adventure set in an underwater kingdom.

• Midnight, at the War by Devi S. Laskar - An emotional, thought-provoking novel following a journalist set soon after 9/11.

• Dinner with an Astronaut by Leroy Chiao with Victoria Bruce - An entertaining and informative memoir of Leroy Chiao, one of the first Asian American astronauts, filled with witty anecdotes and thoughtful insight into space exploration.

• Morbid Curiosities by S. Hati - An addictive, creative, and emotional YA thriller set in San Francisco with a haunting STEM dark academia atmosphere.

Happy AANHPI Heritage Month!

The Ultimate This or That Bookish Showdown ☀️📚

Summer anticipation is at an all-time high, the days are beautifully long, and my reading habits are officially shifting into vacation mode.

To celebrate the changing of the seasons and clear the air before June arrives, I thought it would be a blast to do a massive This or That bookish showdown!

Below, I’ve broken down 19 ultimate bookish dilemmas into four categories: Summer Vibes, Bookish Habits, Tropes, and Mid-Year Reflections. I’ve shared my own takes, but I want to hear yours! Copy and paste the blank list from the comments section below and let me know where you stand.

Let the debates begin!

☀️ Section 1: Summer Reading Vibes

There is nothing quite like summer reading, but we all have a very specific vision of our perfect sunny reading day.

• Reading by the Pool OR Reading at the Beach?

  • My Take: The pool! I love the beach, but getting sand stuck between the pages of a paperback is my villain origin story.

• Audiobook on a road trip OR Paperback in a hammock?

  • My Take: Paperback in a hammock. Throw in a light breeze and I am in absolute heaven.

• Light Rom-Com OR Gritty Thriller?

  • My Take: The ultimate summer genre showdown! I have to go with a gritty thriller. There is something so fun about reading a spine-chilling mystery while sitting in the bright sunshine.

• Ice Cold Coffee OR Fruit Smoothie while reading?

  • My Take: Ice cold coffee, always and forever.

• Reading in the Bright Sunshine OR Reading during a Summer Thunderstorm?

  • My Take: A summer thunderstorm. Cozying up on the porch while it pours outside is unmatched.

• Bookmark OR Dog-eared pages?

  • My Take: Bookmark! Please don't hurt your books, guys! I know this one is guaranteed to start a debate in the comments!

📚 Section 2: Bookish Habits & Formats

Let’s talk about how we actually consume our stories and manage our never-ending shelves.

• Thick, 500+ Page Epic OR Short, 250 Page Novella?

  • My Take: Give me the short novella for summer. I want quick wins and fast-paced stories right now.

• Buy the Beautiful Hardback OR Wait for the Cheaper Paperback?

  • My Take: I usually wait for the cheaper paperback because they are lighter to carry around in a summer tote bag!

• Read One Book at a Time OR Be a Multi-Book Juggler?

  • My Take: Multi-book juggler. I usually have one audiobook, one e-book, and one physical book going at all times.

• Finishing a Series All at Once OR Spacing the Books Out over months?

  • My Take: Spacing them out. I like to let the world marinate a bit before jumping back in.

• Sticking Strictly to a Monthly TBR OR Mood Reading whatever you want?

  • My Take: Pure mood reading. Life is too short to force yourself to read a book you aren't in the mood for.

🏖️ Section 3: Plot & Character Tropes

Summer is prime time for predictable, comforting, and utterly addictive story tropes.

• Fake Dating OR Enemies to Lovers?

  • My Take: Enemies to Lovers is superior. The tension! The angst!

• Small Town Setting OR Big City Adventure?

  • My Take: Small town setting. Give me a quirky beach town with a local bakery and nosey neighbors.

• Only One Bed OR Forced Proximity?

  • My Take: Only One Bed. It’s a classic for a reason.

• Dual POV (Point of View) OR First-Person Narrator?

  • My Take: Dual POV. I love knowing what both characters are thinking, especially in a romance.

• The Grumpy One/Sunshine One Dynamic OR Childhood Best Friends to Lovers?

  • My Take: Grumpy/Sunshine all day long.

🗓️ Section 4: Mid-Year Reflection

We are almost halfway through the year, which means it's time to take an honest look at our shelves.

• Buying New Books OR Tackling the Backlog on your shelf?

  • My Take: I should say tackling the backlog, but let's be real I'm buying new summer releases.

• Rereading an Old Favorite OR Taking a Chance on a New Author?

  • My Take: Taking a chance on a new author.

• DNFing (Did Not Finish) a boring book immediately OR Forcing yourself to finish it?

  • My Take: I will set it aside and try again later and a lot of the time this works for me but if not I'll DNF! My summer reading time is precious!

Now It's Your Turn!

I’ve left a blank version of these prompts below. Copy it, paste all of the sections, or the ones you would like to answer into your reply, and show me your answers! Where do we agree, and where do we totally clash? Let's chat!

☀️ Section 1: Summer Reading Vibes

• Reading by the Pool OR Reading at the Beach?

• Audiobook on a road trip OR Paperback in a hammock?

• Light Rom-Com OR Gritty Thriller?

• Ice Cold Coffee OR Fruit Smoothie while reading?

• Reading in the Bright Sunshine OR Reading during a Summer Thunderstorm?

• Bookmark OR Dog-eared pages?

📚 Section 2: Bookish Habits & Formats

• Thick, 500+ Page Epic OR Short, <250 Page Novella?

• Buy the Beautiful Hardback OR Wait for the Cheaper Paperback?

• Read One Book at a Time OR Be a Multi-Book Juggler?

• Finishing a Series All at Once OR Spacing the Books Out over months?

• Sticking Strictly to a Monthly TBR OR Mood Reading whatever you want?

🏖️ Section 3: Plot & Character Tropes

• Fake Dating OR Enemies to Lovers?

• Small Town Setting OR Big City Adventure?

• Only One Bed OR Forced Proximity?

• Dual POV (Point of View) OR First-Person Narrator?

• The Grumpy One/Sunshine One Dynamic OR Childhood Best Friends to Lovers?

🗓️ Section 4: Mid-Year Reflection

• Buying New Books OR Tackling the Backlog on your shelf?

• Rereading an Old Favorite OR Taking a Chance on a New Author?

• DNFing (Did Not Finish) a boring book immediately OR Forcing yourself to finish it?

Hey y'all,

This is a friendly reminder that we'll be discussing One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad today at 1 PM EST on Discord. Can't wait to chat with y'all about it!

XoXo,

Rae

The press release for Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: Another Halloween Horror Anthology has been sent out! I am finishing up editing the submissions for Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: A Yuletide Horror Anthology, and at the end of June, I'll have the stories from the invited authors to read and edit. It's releasing THIS November AND I am starting to contact potential authors for the next anthology.

In addition to working on these anthologies and beginning book 2 of the Woods Bay series my super secret project is a children's chapter book! I'll share more soon!

BOOKS

I'll Watch Your Baby by Neena Viel
Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker (relisten)
The Last Time We Drowned by Saratoga Schaefer
Kill All Wizards by Jedediah Berry

Currently reading: The Secret Lives of Zombie Wives by Barbara Truelove (I wasn't able to read print this week but I'm so grateful for audiobooks, Moss'd in Space by Rebecca Thorne.

SHOWS
NEW
24 in 24
Next Level Chef
Widows Bay
Euphoria

FILMS - I'm on LetterBoxd - horrormaven13
Over Your Dead Body
Contact
The Mummy

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
Promising Young Woman
The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride

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

We made it to Friday! (Barely, over here. I've been hit with major exhaustion, so I'm resting up for Bay Area Book Festival on Sunday, where I'm moderating an Indigenous romance panel!)

I just got our preorder numbers in@ Do you want a drumroll? I'm not musically inclined.

We have climbed to 361.

I'm not going to lie you, this climb to 1,000 feels like climbing a mountain unprepared, wheezing, out of breath, cursing at the mountain!

I've heard a lot of people say (and especially early reviewers!) that they can't wait to grab a copy of What Feeds Below when it comes out. PLEASE DON'T WAIT. We want our first author to be a best seller, and pre orders are going to be what makes that happen.

If you don't want to miss a $3.99 sale, grab the ebook today! (available wherever ebooks are sold!) This is the cheapest this book is going to be. There are over 2,000 of you supporting this imprint, getting this newsletter. Only 18% of you have grabbed a copy of the book!

I told Tatiana last night that I wanted this imprint to be known for making a big bang! I want to shock and disrupt trad publishing with what we can do together as a community. We have 459 Netgalley reviews with a 5 STAR average rating. People are buzzing about this book. I want to make sure that Tatiana gets the first week she deserves: BEST SELLER. Can you help us make this happen?

If you have already preordered your copy, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

If you've already read and reviewed the book, please keep talking about it! Check out this COOL POST from one of our members <3 and dont forget to tag me

at fromthemixedupdesk

and Tatiana at thebuffwriter

Let us know down below if you've already place a preorder!!!!

What a fun, murder-filled week! After some strangely cozy weather here (SoCal loves its May Gray) the sun is out and I’m beginning to think of summer reading—including what books we should read for our Read Herring Book Club. 👀

(Hint: I’m thinking we should armchair travel to 1950s Italy, where we might just cross paths with a con man . . .)

Psst, this was also a Cluesletter week! ICYMI, here’s a link.

This week’s reads:

• The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley (finished): What a joy to read something so classically perplexing. The round robin-style format of analyzing a murder case worked very well, and I appreciated how the stakes and tension ramped up with each new person presenting their theory. I didn’t realize that the newer edition (published by the British Library Crime Classics) tacks on a new ending, written by Martin Edwards. I appreciate the creativity but I much prefer the original. This is for our Read Herring Book Club.

• Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann (currently reading): Still working away at this one! I love these sheep, but I do find it occasionally difficult to parse through the clues, because we are seeing them from a sheep’s point of view (and they happen to see a lot of things as food). But I do enjoy the audio and I hope to see the film this weekend.

• It Happened One Murder by Liz Lawson (currently reading): Murder mystery romance is having a moment, and I’m not complaining. This one is light and fun, and both plots (mystery + romance) are moving along nicely. The characterization feels a little all over the place, but it’s still a cute read. Keep an eye out for the next Cluesletter for more. 😉

This week’s book mail:

• The Heirs by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (out June 2): Technically this is a NetGalley audiobook approval but I’m popping it in here because I’m so excited about this one! A Knives Out-style YA mystery about teen prodigies and their adoptive father? Say less.

Yours mysteriously,

Manon

Happy Friday! Here are my faves of the week - I hope you'll join my Discord server and share yours as well!

My favorite book I read this week was The Bloody and the Damned by Becca Coffindaffer.

This book reminded me a lot of one of my all time favorites, The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson. A young person fighting to keep themself and their loved ones alive in a hostile environment run by the ultra rich above and the brutal gangs below - sign me up.

I loved the way Val's world slowly expanded outward over the course of the book, bringing in more people and more history as we went along. Val is an excellent morally gray protagonist (who thankfully never becomes too broody about it). It's also casually but deeply queer on multiple fronts.

The writing is blunt and fast. You'll find yourself turning the pages as fast as you can. It's categorized as YA, and while the romantic elements stay firmly in that range, it's very dark and violent, as promised by the title.

A non-bookish fave this week is that I started watching Jujutsu Kaisen and I'm obsessed. I've never been a big anime person but this is so fun (and also a little creepy, ngl). I'd love to get your recommendations for what to watch next after I blow through this series!

Hey folks,

It's time for us to vote on what we'll read as a community throughout June.

I've curated what I feel is a great selection of fiction and nonfiction works that are accessible and fun for readers at almost any level.

Take a look at the descriptions to get an idea of the available options, then cast your vote using the button below!

The Books

Elevator in Sài Gòn by Thuân - A Vietnamese woman flies to Paris after her mother dies in a freak elevator accident, then starts uncovering a secret history that stretches back to wartime Saigon. Slim, strange, and quietly devastating.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - The Joad family loads up the truck and heads west. You know this one, or think you do. Worth finding out which.

Hell's Angels by Hunter S. Thompson A year embedded with the Oakland chapter of the Hell's Angels, written before Thompson became a brand. The reporting is sharp, the prose is feral, the ending is famously bad for him.

The Eye of the Monkey by Krisztina Tóth A Hungarian novel about a woman piecing together a fractured family history across decades of upheaval. Tóth is one of the most interesting voices working in Hungarian literature right now.

As always, we will be using ranked choice voting for our monthly read choice. If you're not familiar with ranked choice voting, simply rank the books from what you'd like to read the most to what you'd least like to read and submit your answer!

You can vote here: https://strawpoll.com/e2naXV7V0yB

Voting closes Tuesday, June 3. The read kicks off Sunday, June 8.

June's Book Club pick is Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. I am so excited to read this polarizing book about a modern day social media trad wife that is sent back in time to live in a more grueling pioneer-era.

You can join the conversation on Rootbound's discord! Just be sure to mute the chapter channels, as there will be spoilers through the last listed chapter in the channel title. The channels are now live! If you want to have a chance to vote for next month's book club pick, consider upgrading to the Moss tier. 🪨

Happy reading!!