Hey family, sorry this is late, I've been slacking. I have seen a lot of sapphic new releases of 2026 and tbh those are great but I hate them because I want to know what's coming out in the current month. I did this last year and then things got out of control in the ber months and I stopped the calendar. Hopefully I'll stay on top of it this year.

What are you most looking forward to???

Tell me in the comments.

Our meeting will take place Wednesday, January 28th at 8pm EST.

Feel free to discuss in the chat til then!

In Your Dreams (When in Rome #4)

by Sarah Adams

genre: contemporary romance

representation: anxiety and panic attacks (lived experience)

rating: 3.75 stars

Madison Walker is the family wild child–and the town disaster. After barely scraping her way through culinary school, she’s in desperate need of a fresh start with nowhere to turn, when an unexpected job opportunity is dropped into her lap: Return to her hometown of Rome, Kentucky to open a restaurant with her brother’s best friend, and her childhood crush, James. But everything is riding on this restaurant’s success, and Madison isn’t sure she’s up to the task.

Sarah Adams’s books are undeniably bingeable, and In Your Dreams is no exception. It was light, easy to read, and tooth-achingly saccharine. Madison is my favorite protagonist of the series, but unfortunately, I felt rather apathetic towards James, and was unmoved by the dynamic between the two of them. It seemed like a solid 75% of James’s personality was that he was in love with Maddie and had been forever, and it was so unconvincing to me. We are not led to believe that he and Maddie interacted much beyond a passing interaction before the start of the book, and he hadn’t seen or spoken to her in over two years. And yet he is completely in love with her and knows everything about her? He’s never had a meaningful interaction with her in his life, and yet he knows her better than her own siblings, with whom she is incredibly close? The story was told entirely in the present day, and there were no flashbacks or even references to touchstone interactions between the two of them from which his emotions could stem, and that left the whole dynamic shallow. Maddie’s feelings–a schoolgirl crush she outgrew, that was resparked when he re-entered her life–were solid, but since James’s feelings were the lynchpin of their dynamic and the foundation that their relationship was built on, the whole thing didn’t work for me.

However, I adored Madison’s journey outside of the romantic arc as she grew to believe in herself and learn who she is and who she can be in this town where everyone already has all of these set (and rather negative) expectations of her. I connected so deeply to her fears and self-doubt and her desire to be known, and her character arc of coming to trust herself was compelling, and I did appreciate how James encouraged and supported her in this growth. Some of the plot was rather ridiculous (namely, everything with Tommy–who, by the way, sucked way more than the story gave him credit for), but it worked in a silly goofy kind of way. I do love the town and family dynamic Sarah Adams constructed in this series, and I’m sad to say goodbye to Rome, Kentucky, and the Walker siblings. I wish the series had ended on a stronger note, but I’m looking forward to see what Sarah Adams has in store next.

Happy January, lovelies! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. This month's round-up is rather sparse--publishing goes on a bit of a hiatus in December, so not much was released. January's list is already longer than December and I have barely started looking! Though there aren't many, there are a few that I'm excited about in here, so I hope you still find something that piques your interest, and if not--next month!

JANUARY DISABILITY RELEASES:

Kissed by Frost and Moonlight

by E.J. Lindell

genre: romantasy

representation: hard of hearing

~

Shutout (Rules of the Game #2)

by Avery Keelan

genre: sports romance

representation: ADHD

~

An Archive of Romance (A Study in Drowning #2.5)

by Ava Reid

genre: young adult fantasy romance

representation: PTSD, psychosis, depression (all lived experience)

~

The Many Mistakes of Zoey Andrews (Many Mistakes #2)

by R.A. Hunter

genre: ADHD

representation: romance

~

Downpour (The Griffith Brothers #2)

by Maggie Gates

genre: cowboy romance

representation: wheelchair user, paraplegia

~

Scandalous (The Missarali Storks #2)

by Lottie Moore

genre: sports romance

representation: diabetes

~

In Your Dreams (Rome, Kentucky #4)

by Sarah Adams

genre: contemporary romance

representation: anxiety, panic attacks (lived experience)

Hi everyone,

A few days ago, I informed on my YouTube community page, Instagram Story, and posted a message in Discord letting my audience know that I had a death in my family and will be stepping away to grieve and be with my family during this hard time.

I'm posting here as well in case the message got lost.

I'll be pausing my content plans until further notice. I'm hoping by the end of January I'll feel up to posting again and sharing my 2026 content plans for YouTube, Patreon/Bindery.

I appreciate all of the kind messages and love I've received over the past few days. I truly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.

This is such an unfathomable loss and I'm truly so heartbroken.

---Alex

Hi Disco Dancers,

Happy New Year! I hope you’re all doing well.

Something different to start the year off, my top movies and TV shows of 2025. Don’t worry, this is a one off! Things will stay book focused going forward, but I wanted to share because there were some real diverse gems in there.

Not all of these came out last year, but that’s when I discovered them…

Top 10 queer movies and TV shows

Lesbian Space Princess

I Hear the Sunspot

Femme

Interview with the Vampire

Cinderella Closet

Pillion

10 Dance

I Cannot Reach You

Medusa Deluxe

My Stubborn

Top 10 movies with BIPOC MCs

Exit (Korean film)

Femme

First Love

10 Dance

Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes

IP Man

The Raid 2

Nope

Kpop Demon Hunters

Sinners

Top 10 TV shows (overall)

Crash Landing on You

Shogun

Supacell

Physical Asia

Andor Season 2

Rome

The Artful Dodger

Rivals

I Hear the Sunspot

My Stubborn

Top 10 movies (overall)

Sinners

Klaus

Exit

Kpop Demon Hunters

Conclave

Beyond the Infinte Two Minutes

The Wild Robot

Ip Man

First Love

The Lair of the White Worm

Let me know your favourites in the comments!

Disco xx

Hi everyone,

Just a reminder and heads up that we are doing our first book club starting here in January, reading The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. Here's how the book club works:

• The book club is for free and paid members only, so if you are seeing this and want to participate, either become a member here on Bindery or join our Discord.

• We have our book club discussion set up by chapter over on Discord. This will depend on each book and its structure. For this book, there is a forum to discuss organized by each Chapter and its following Interlude.

• The discussion forums are spoiler zones, so no need to censor spoilers in those sections. The assumption is if you are reading the chat and participating, you have read that chapter/section and are ready to discuss.

• I am reading as well, and will shoot to be done in the next week or so, at which point I'll post some general discussion points and questions in the "Overall Discussion" post. Again, assume this is a spoiler filled zone (and the questions may hint at or contain some spoilers), so don't enter if you don't want spoilers!

• This is completely read at your own pace! Read as fast or slow as you want, and participate when and how much you want.

• If you have previously read the book, you are welcome to participate as well, whether you are rereading or not.

• Please be respectful of everyone's opinions! Some of us may like it, some of us may not, but we should all be willing to have a fun honest discussion. I have a zero tolerance policy for any bullying behavior or inappropriate comments, so don't do it unless you want to be banished!

• For those who do not want to participate on Discord, I will be posting weekly posts here on Bindery. I will indicate which sections of the book each post will be for. Treat each post like the forum discussion - if I say a post will discuss Chapters 1-4, do not enter or read unless you have read/are ok with spoilers for that section.

• About halfway through the month, I will post a poll in here to ask if anyone is interested in doing a Zoom wrap up discussion.

As always, since this is all new, I am always open to feedback and input. Let me know what is working or not. Also, feel free to drop in or out each month. No pressure - if there is a month you don't want to read, don't feel like you have to! I will also be taking input for our book club books for April - June over on Discord in late February.

Can't wait to read and discuss this book with you all. Welcome to the Book Club, and Happy New Year!

~Bob

aaaand the winner for our first bookclub book of the year is …..

Jade City by Fonda Lee !!

this is going to be a reread for me (i loooove the greenbone saga) but i’ve been meaning to reread it for a while so this is perfect! i hope you all love it as much as i do (or are joining me for a reread👀)

Happy Friday, mis internet amigxs!

I'm so happy you're here supporting my passion for Latine literature in 2026 as well as my YouTube challenge of 31 YouTube videos this January. As a thank you for joining me and following along my journey, I wanted to give you an EXCLUSIVE LOOK at the 2026 Latine Book Bingo Card Bien Leidos member, Celeste and I put together for 2026. This is a low-stakes Bingo challenge for you to expand what Latine literature you pick up.

I'll be posting a longer video with book suggestions for each category plus the bingo card itself on social media tomorrow, but I wanted to give you an exclusive look EARLY as a thank you for being here. Keep these cards between us for now and I'm very much looking forward to you tagging me in your progress in 2026!

Felicidades!

xoxo,

Carmen

Hi guys,

With the start of the year, we have concluded our first official giveaway and the winners have been contacted for more info and to let them win! This was a lovely giveaway and thank you all for not only participating but for being part of the paid tier in here. I appreciate you guys more than you'll ever know and can't wait to see what 2026 brings us!

Our next giveaway will be in March and while I do have some great items and theme, I'm also here for any suggestions you all may have

Can't wait to share more of what we have in plans for this year

Welcome to 2026.

You are most likely here because you care about books, community, and reading with intention. You are also here because sapphic stories deserve space, time, and serious attention. This year focuses on building that space together.

Here is what you can expect on my bindery this year (when the depress and the overwhelm of full caretaking for my dad with dementia and being a FT trauma therapist don't burn me out) - we have to have realistic expectations lol.

I'm going to attempt regular posts about the sapphic books on my reading list, the sapphic reading challenge and "if you liked this, read that" posts. Reviews will center craft, themes, and emotional impact. You will also see a stronger focus on queer speculative fiction (thank you E.A. Noble - if you're here for the reminder that my voice matters), heavy emphasis on sapphic speculative fiction. Last year brought several books that challenged my thinking in lasting ways. This year aims for more stories that stretch perspective, question norms, and ask readers to sit with discomfort and curiosity.

The paid tier will offer deeper access. You will get sneak peeks into The Tenth Muse anthology, including author spotlights, excerpts, and behind the scenes notes. You will also see posts tied to therapy work, including reflections, frameworks, and reading through a trauma informed lens. Paid content stays intentional and grounded.

This bindery exists to grow community. My goal stays simple, read diversely, read inclusively, and talk about books with care. I really want the Discord space to exist for discussion, shared excitement, and thoughtful conversation, I'm sooooo thirsty borderline desperate for community, tbh I'm really lonely and this online space provides for 90% of my non-work based human interaction and connection. You belong here if you want to read widely and listen closely.

The sapphic reading challenge and The Tenth Muse started last year out of frustration. Sapphic stories remain pushed aside while MM or Achillean books dominate conversation and visibility. Nothing is wrong with those stories, I mean look at what Heated Rivalry did for our community. The problem lives in a culture that treats sapphic books as scarce, niche, or hard to find. Requests for sapphic recommendations continue to frame quality through heteronormative sex scripts and racial hierarchy. Those patterns deserve naming. I want this space to push back through action and consistency.

This year I really want to get a sapphic book club. At the beginning of each quarter I'm going to post a poll here and in discord with 6-7 sapphic books as options for the book clubs and the books with the highest amount of votes will be our choice each month. This will give you all an opportunity to get the books ahead of time. Each month will include a Sapphic Sunday book club discussion. Readers choose the books. Readers shape the conversation. We'll do a live in the discord, or possibly zoom if I can get my life together.

If you want thoughtful reviews, intentional community, and stories that expand how you think about love, power, bodies, and futures, hi, that's what I intend to do in this space. Join the Discord. Vote in the polls. Read alongside others who care.

Thank you for being part of this space. I'm soooooo glad you're here and I can't wait to get to know you!

Also tell a friend, and tell a friend to tell a friend because this year I REALLY want to grow this community with the intention of working toward an imprint with Bindery. I want to get intersectional sapphic and speculative sapphic books into the hands of readers! We deserve to be seen and celebrated!

There’s something about a story based on a real life that hits differently, especially when that life involves as much resilience and grit as Anneke’s did. 🤱✨

From the very first pages, I knew Anneke Jans in the New World by Sandra Freels was going to be one of those historical novels that quietly grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go. I was completely immersed in 1630s New Amsterdam, a place that feels raw, uncertain, and brimming with both possibility and danger.

Anneke quickly became someone I deeply admired. As a young mother arriving in a male-dominated colony, she refuses to fade into the background, and I loved watching her learn when to bend the rules and when to break them entirely. When tragedy strikes and she is forced to rebuild her life yet again, her resilience feels both heartbreaking and inspiring.

This wasn’t a glossy, romanticized version of colonial life; it was messy, political, and often brutal. That honesty made the story feel so real, seamlessly blending Anneke's personal struggles with historical events like political tensions and religious power plays. Knowing she truly lived this extraordinary life made her fight to protect her family feel even more urgent.

By the end, I felt like I’d spent time with a woman who deserves far more recognition in history than she often receives. If you love historical fiction centered on strong, resourceful women who shape the world around them, this one is absolutely worth your time.

⚡️Thank you Book Sparks and Sandra Freels for sharing Anneke Jans in the New World with me!

❔️What’s your favorite historical novel about a real woman whose story deserves the spotlight?