For those of you who didn't know, you can hit me up with book recommendations here and this one just came through the other day:

It immediately made me think of two titles:

PLAIN BAD HEROINES by Emily M. Danforth

This was an Inky Phoenix book club pick and I still think about it! A dual timeline sapphic, gothic horror that tells the story of a cursed girls' boarding school in 1902 and a modern day film adaptation of the school's history.

HUNGERSTONE by Kat Dunn

Another gothic novel, but a deliciously dark retelling of the classic vampire novella, Carmilla.

Happy reading Gabriela!

Hi folks,

Pride Month is around the corner, and the fantastic Bookasaurusbex invited me once again to provide book recs (below) for her annual Prideopoly challenge! Information on how to play here: https://prideopoly.carrd.co/

Playing isn't necessary of course, you can just use this as a handy list of recs for Pride Month - there's something for everyone! The full list is below in pictures, and below that I've written it all out in text.

Happy Pride!

Gay

More than one queer identity - The Prospects by KT Hoffman

Neurodivergent MC - The Lawrence Browne Affair by Cat Sebastian

Indie / Small press - 30 by Clinton W. Waters

Queer

Translated book - Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Questioning MC - Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Identity not already a prompt - Drink Up Darling by Harvey Oliver Baxter (aromantic rep, also poly), Moth Dark by Kika Hatzopoulou (genderfluid rep)

Indigiqueer rep - Kapaemahu by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu

Non-binary

Non-fiction - Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

BIPOC MC or Writer - Twice Lived by Joma West (writer)

Romance - Bad Queer by Gayathiri Kamalakanthan

Ace

Ace book recced by a friend - Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

MC has a hobby - The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Horror or SFF - The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia

Lesbian

Academia or Education - An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

Masc MC - Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Novella - Debate and Decadence by Sula Sullivan

Trans

Transfemme MC - The Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy

Found Family - Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

Disabled MC or writer - The Spirit Bares its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

Bisexual

Bisexual man MC - So This is Ever After by FT Lukens

With a trial or contest - The Final Strife by Saara el-Arifi

Poetry or verse - 100 Queer Poems edited by Mary Jean Chan & Andrew McMillan

Much love,

Disco x

Please join me in extending a huge congrats to Kristy Park Kulski, author of our Spring 27 book, CRACKS, on all of her award nominations this season

Silk and Sinew has been nominated for:

Bram Stoker award

Shirley Jackson award

British Fantasy award

Congrats, Kristy!

I cannot wait to share more about Cracks with you all! (Hoping a little cover preview coming in for paid subscribers soon!)

✨ 4/5

✨ An expanse of Blue is a heart touching, coming of age story of young Hawaiian Catholic girl living in United States. Instead of a book, it would be more fitting to call it diary of Aouli - she writes about her fears, dreams, crushes, expectations and secrets of their family.

✨ The book successfully captures many aspects of immigrants, Catholic guilt, how the issues of parents affect the kids, friendships, betrayals. As a teen, it can be so confusing; but it's all worth it when you find yourself. The book is just that.

✨ I would love to highlight that the book is published in an atypical fashion. Margins have been disregarded, spacing has been used to emphasize her mood, words repeated which almost gives a poetic effect. All these help to convey the story much better and connect with Aouli.

✨ Definitely go for it. Book is available to purchase.

✨ Author - @kauawrites

✨ Publisher - @epicreads (I received this arc as part of the Epic Insiders program. Thank you so much )

#hawaiian #story

If someone says, You have such good taste-- is that a compliment?

If someone "steals" your taste (aka buys the same armoire or wedding shoes or mejuri necklace), are you flattered or ticked off?

As any Brown (University) freshman knows: Taste is a social construct. I'll do you one better: All the adulation around tastemakers (the entire industry of lifestyle influencers, which are just walking catalogs)--is a psyop.

How proud should one be of having so-called "good taste"?

Taste is necessarily possessions-based. Taste is something that other people see with their eyes. Taste has to do with one's belongings. Taste can be photographed.

I don't think you should hang your hat on something that can be copied so easily. If someone can Amazon dupe your entire life, do you really have a life?

Some people absolutely have quantifiably better taste than others. Curation is a skill. Some people definitely have an eye. But people who have exquisite taste and inspire the admiration/envy of millions--what their followers&haters really want is that person's self-actualization.

You'll never be Martha Stewart

It's no coincidence that people with great taste often have a successful life to go with it.

You'll never be Martha Stewart unless you have her knowledge of botany. Her inventiveness. Her work ethic. I got her 1991 gardening book (from the thrift store in ACK) and though it looks like a chic coffee table book-- it's detailed instructions about how to plant shit and she's wearing a sweatsuit in most of the pictures. This book is neither aEsThEtiC nor is it aspirational (for me at least).

"I want her life"

The most adored tastemakers usually have a close circle of friends. They often have a loving partner. They have a dream job. They are constantly launching initiatives. They are daily turning their ideas into reality. They are supremely self-actualized and that's what people are actually drawn to, but they're too myopic to realize it. Internet folk obsess over the things they can acquire (decor+car+clothes+accessories) because it's the lowest-effort way to be like the self-actualized tastemaker.

Internet folk fail to understand that what's desirable in this person's life is the intangible. The relationships and "free will" and the deciding to do something and following through. Tastemakers provide fantasies. But the fantasy of just-so tablescapes and perfectly-arranged closets is just the tip of the iceberg. The real fantasy it's that they thought of something (I'm going to throw a turn-of-the-century themed dinner party) and then they did it. In today's lurking world, action is mind-boggling.

The "I want her life" reaction grosses me out because it's mistaking the objects in a life for the life itself. It's the dumbest metonymy conceivable.

It's not that you want her life, you want her effort

A lot of tastemaker types have money so the argument goes: their followers actually want the wealth/access/privilege/security--yeah sure. But the common wisdom is "money can't buy taste" and the poor, resourceful tastemakers are the most self-actualized of all. People who can plan a gorgeous microwedding on a shoestring budget.

Wedding dinner at PF Changs (not a joke)

Alignment > taste

As soon as you refer to someone's "taste"-- it's commodified. You're talking about things that are purchasable. Someone at Salon used the word "alignment" to describe when someone's values+vision+personality dovetail, and their wardrobe matches their interiors matches their book recs matches their worldview matches how they're raising their kids matches the poetry they write etc etc

When I like someone's "taste", it includes their opinions (which is why separating the artist from the art is not something I can do without effort). If a tradwife has a "beautiful" home, her values necessarily color how I perceive the house. Aesthetics are political and taste is aesthetic so if you don't have a POV--if you don't have beliefs and opinions--you don't have taste either.

The lives I envy

belong primarily to artists with creative freedom. When I salivate over someone's life, it's because they were able to publish a vanity project that is definitely losing money. They have enough social/cultural capital to tell their publisher that their next book is about a topic that no reader is interested in. The premise is not "hook-y" and they will not be going on tour to promote it. That's the stuff of dreams to me.

Prince. Linda Perry. Beastie Boys. I try to stay oriented to these north stars so I don't fall into the trap of making executive-approved art. If you're gonna bend the knee to beancounter execs, just stay corporate and be a normie and at least have health insurance, right?

Bourdieu plug

Bourdieu explains fake taste as follows: basically, if you have "real" taste (aka you're not just a derivative schmuck) you can apply your taste to anything. Most people can manage home design and clothing bc they ingest so much of it and they "know what they like when they see it" (aka pinterest)-- but what about other spheres of taste? Do you have opinions on dance and theater and music and sculpture? Can you extrapolate your taste or is it so shallow that it peters out the second you don't have a menu of aesthetics to select from?

You can have an opinion on art without having a deep knowledge of it. Guides like T Magazine's How to Be Cultured make it seem like there are prerequisites to being cultured: "books you should read", "essential animated films", "poems to memorize" (!!). How absurdly prescriptive and ...totally antithetical to art. They make it seem like culture is a series of horse pills to swallow, and taste is something you earn by keeping it all down.

People who know their art

It's great to have a conversation with someone who is informed ... sometimes. Usually, the more studied someone is, the more they need to shove it down your throat (which usually means regurgitating some NYT review).

Blowhards who consume all the art, just like people who buy all the trends -- they wear their fraudulence on their sleeve because you can shatter their illusion of taste by just asking what they think of something.

They need someone to tell them what they think in order to have thoughts.

At Sad Rich Girl Salon

earlier this week, I listened in on a bunch of different convos on taste and the same principles kept coming up:

1. taste is about curation

2. you can't buy taste

3. taste requires education (as in, you have to learn about design or fashion or whatever)

4. shortcuts to taste are in bad taste

I was pretty good about keeping my mouth shut and not monopolizing the conversation. But I had to say my piece about taste is a psyop. It's policing via shame ("you have bad taste," is a way to get people to self-police).

The genuine article

Someone brought up real-true-genuine taste--the type possessed by a visionary who is ahead of their time, who has a defined sensibility and won't be swayed even if that vision is rejected by everyone else--a Basquiat type. We all knew what she meant and agreed that it existed and is admirable.

I said, but that's not really taste. To call what Basquiat had "taste" is really diluting it (and that's when someone else brought up "alignment" as a better description). And that wasn't a controversial opinion--everyone agreed (to my face at least).

The thing that Basquiat had-- whether you call it alignment or artistic sensibility or vision--unlike taste, it cannot be photographed. It is not related to one's possessions.

Taste is at it's core about class, respectability politics, and proximity to whiteness. Taste is the greatest means of social control that exists.

Happy Thursday!

I've been slowly making my way through this one so as not to rush the incredible storytelling Sabaa Tahir is doing in this book.

For those of you who are following along, I wanted to share some annotations and themes that have come up for me while reading. Please feel free to use them as you navigate through the story, and also drop any themes that come up for you while reading!

*breath/breathing - Sal uses the "breathe in for 5 seconds, breathe out for 7 seconds" method to calm himself down during moments of being anxious. There is also the breathing associated with living, surviving, and death.

*numbers - Noor is obsessively tracking the college applications/rejections she receives and Sal is overly conscious of the mounting debt his family is drowning under.

*deficits - As Noor and Sal navigate through their public school, there is a clear distinction between the "haves" and "have nots" between them and their classmates. There is also more rejection, specifically within the family dynamics of the two characters. Lastly, I've noticed the deficits between hope and dreams that seem to surround Noor and Sal, but originate from the parents/guardians in their lives.

This is a heavy read, hence my moving slowly through it, but I hope you all are enjoying it as much as I am.

If you're reading along, or have read this one before, what other themes/annotations have come up for you? Drop your comments below!

The votes are in and we are reading Sunyi Dean’s The Girl with a Thousand Faces in June! I am so excited to dive into this gritty urban fantasy with you guys. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!!

Also, don’t forget to check the Discord for this month’s giveaway winner and virtual meetup details ☺️

Hi Friends, it is that time again - Trans Joy Thursday!

I hope you all have had such an amazing week thus far. I am on the planning committee for one of our local Pride events here in Green Bay that's happening on June 6th, so I've been a little busy with that and a vendor meeting last night in a store I sell my merch in.

Things that have brought me joy this week are:

1. Wearing a crisp white V-neck tee. Seriously, that never stops being euphoric post top surgery.

Also, you can no longer find the Drink Water. Love Hard. Fight Racism. hat from Mahogany Mommies, (does that mean this hat is vintage?) but you can find the tee here. I love, love, love that company. (They also have a Pride line.)

1. I secured Dr. Kaila Story, the author of The Rainbow Ain't Never Been Enuf as our first Behind The Book author chat. This will take place Tuesday, June 16th, from 12-1pm CST/1-2pm EST on zoom. I will make a special announcement with the zoom link and information next month. I will also try to record it for playback for those unable to attend.

1. I also secured our Quarter 4 book AND Behind The Book chat for November, this week! Official details to come very, very soon. (Although, word on the street is that Discord heard it first.)

2. I got the special edition sprayed edged books of Coming Home with the trans non-binary flag! Madison over at Ink & Edges always does such an amazing job. She's also the one who sprayed my first special edition with the trans flag. I'll have them with me at my Pride events, so I'm not sure if there will be any left after June 20th (My last Pride event) SO, since you're a Friend on my Bindery, you get first dibs, please let me know if you'd like one before June 1st! They're $25 and $5 shipping. Shoot me a DM on IG or my Discord to secure yours.

1. I also secured my third Pride event pop-up (third EVER and they all are happening next month) for June 20th at Soul Purpose in the mall in Green Bay. I'm just waiting on the official graphic and I'll share it will all of you soon.

This week has definitely been a bookish and busy week, and it's only Thursday. lol. I do have a 3-day work weekend ahead of me, though. Balance, I suppose.

Looking ahead: Stay tuned for some exclusive Pride content coming for June, a Quarter 3 giveaway, events I'll be vending at, a Coming Home giveaway for the month of June, and more! I'm truly so excited to be in community with all of you.

Tell me, what has brought YOU joy this week so far? If nothing comes to mind, what are you looking forward to?

See you in the chats.

With all my trans joy,

Sawyer Cole

Hey y'all,

The Haitian Readathon is ending June 1st but that doesn't mean you have to stop reading.

The Children of Diaspora Book Club will be picking up Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois as our June fiction pick in honor of Caribbean Heritage Month.

Our nonfiction read will be A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid.

XoXo,

Rae

Hi guys!

I'm so sorry it's been a while since I've sent an update, its been a busy time from my side as I've had my cochlear implant surgery, will be moving soon and starting a new job so it's been busy and it doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon. It's all new, exciting things but I did procrastinate this update so here we are😅 (If you're a paid tier member, you'll be receiving a separate email as well so keep an eye out for that🤎)

OH and scroll to the bottom to see what I've been reading/gaming recently and share yours too🥰

Book Clubs & Storygraph Challenges:

In January, we started a new system where we switched to a non-traditional book club and are reading from books of our choices from our storygraph challenges. The purpose was to pop into discord and discuss them as we go along! As this is the first time we do this, we're definitely still learning as we go.

I had intended to have seasonal spotlights of 3 books from our Storygraph challenges that could help those of you guys who'd prefer to have selected readings choose something to read once a month instead of having to make a choice on your own. However, this fell through in April and we haven't had a second season spotlight. Thanks to my mods team, we are still discussing books generally on discord and for now, I'm looking to see what's the best option for us going forward so that I can sustain a consistent Book Club for both Ifrits & Ink and Cottagecore & Co.

The best thing to do is (for now) join us in Storygraph and pop onto discord to discuss and yap about books generally! You can also find the books that are releasing this year from SWANA authors and read them for our Ifrits & Ink challenges listed below🥰 (dont forget to tag me on stories if you'd like me to see it on instagram for our templates):

• Cottagecore & Co Storygraph Challenge

• Ifrits & Ink Storygraph Challenge

• SWANA Books Listopia: GoodReads for 2026 releases

• SWANA Books Listopia: Pagebound List for 2026 releases

• Story template & Instagram templates (Monthly & genre) for Ifrits & Ink

Gaming Club updates:

As for our gaming club, we also switched to a seasonal game choice and that unfortunately has fallen through due to how busy this year has been! My aim is to get us back on track but I'm not sure when. As for now, thanks to the mods, we are continuing our check ins when we can in our Gaming Channels and have a space in discord for us to discuss our latest cozy & cottagecore games 🤎

So... where does that leave us?

Essentially, at the moment, I'm functioning at a slower pace and I'm super thankful to all my mods who have been helping out in the discord! Going forward, I'm seeing what's the best way we can all have a space for us to read and game together while keeping it consistent and manageable!

If there's anything you'd like to see us do, please do let me know in the comments below or DM me as well. Chanterelle Solace is still around and we are still in the discord! As for newsletters, whether we will restart our spotlights or primarily use our storygraph challenges, stick around and I'll keep you guys updated!🥰

Personal Updates: What I've been reading & playing:

With my surgery being done a week ago, I've been reading & gaming a lot more this week as I rest & recover. I'm currently making my way through The Taming of Dukes series by Amalie Howard and I've just finished the second book in this inter-connected series. This was such a fun & cute historical Romance story and I'm obsessed with the friend group Amalie has written.

I'm also reading The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El-Sayed, which is a Arabfuturism Sci-fi book! I'm about 30% in and I can already tell this book is going to be filled with adventure that is going to break my heart

And finally, I've started playing Coral Island! This game has been on my radar for a while now and it's perfect for steam deck as well.

Thank you for reading this today friends! Can't wait to catch up with you in the community or in discord and thank you for being around here as always

As Pride Month approaches, I wanted to share one of my all-time favorite YA romances that’s perfect for Pride Month: And They Were Roommates by Page Powars. I finished ATWR in 2025, and it remains one of the funniest, most delightful, and most welcoming stories I’ve read. 🥰

The paperback of ATWR just released on May 26, and Page’s next YA romcom, But I Hate Him, releases in August. It’s the perfect time to pick up ATWR for your Pride Month TBR (and preorder But I Hate Him!). 🥳

Thank you to Fierce Reads and Ro Romanello PR for sending me free copies of And They Were Roommates and But I Hate Him!

Let’s take a look at what we’ve accomplished and where the world can take us!

What Feeds Below by Tatiana Schlote Bonne, a horror fantasy releasing this October!

Cracks by Kristy Park Kulski, a literary horror releasing next April! (name change soft launch)

I’ve been thinking a lot about what might come next and I’m adding a couple of more categories! Here is what I’m interested in:

Indigenous Authors- horror, thriller, romance, coming of age or cozy mystery

Horror written by women of color

Horrormance! (Friends, I read Lethal Kiss by Taylor Grothe and I need more of this!)

Thrillers! written by women of color

Let me know down below what would excite you!

(Sitting on a manuscript? Email me)