If you like Christmas, Victorian stories, and governesses gone wild...boy do I have the story for you! Read on to see what I loved about Victorian Psycho.

WHAT WORKED (for me!):

• Characters

  • Winnifred was hilarious

  • So were the kids

  • The parents were so funny too

• Setting

  • This felt so humorous Gothic lol

• Pacing

  • Perfectly paced for how short it was!

• Twist

  • While I did kind of see it coming, I love the way it unfolded!

WHAT DIDN'T WORK (for me!):

• Honestly? I DNF'd the first time I tried to read but that was a me issue not a book issue. I think this works well!

Thank to my dear friend Anny Wilkes for sending this my way, and to Naomi (of Boozhoo Books) for convincing me to retry it!

Till next time!

Happy Trans Joy Thursday, my friends!

I have so much to be thankful for this week in the bookish space, and I'm often reminded of that fact. I never want to take it for granted how amazing it is to receive books for free. I've been doing this since May of 2020, so for 6 years, I've been reading publicly - which has transformed to what it has become now - a Bindery, to which I hope one day will lead to becoming an imprint to publish our very own Not A Phase Books books. There's so many things behind the scenes I want to bring to life, and as I sit here and look at this week's book haul, I'm kind of ... emotional? I love this space, truly, and all of you who are along for the ride, too.

This week I received Mateo Askaripour's 2027 release of Pure Ox, with such a beautiful inscription inside to me. It left me in literal tears, sincerely. What a magnificent person Mateo is. I will be starting it soon. I also received a PR box, of Sonido Reyes' upcoming release of To Our Untamed Core, with some amazing goodies, which not only is it our Q4 book club pick, we'll also be speaking with Sonido in November! I also pre-ordered Aiden Thomas' book Cemetery Boys: Espiritu, and it will be signed and personalized... I just got the e-mail today that is has shipped... So now I wait by my window every day for the mail person to deliver my goods!

I wrote about this in Coming Home, but books will always be my first great love, my forever friends. Books have been there through my darkest times, and my happiest of times - literally, Alisha and I eloped in a bookstore and used our very first (queer) buddy read, One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, as a prop! One day we will own a signed copy... until then, I continue to dream.

This week also marks the first week of school for my children, and if you're a parent, you know that while it is bittersweet to see them grow up, having a quiet house is also joyful. lol. I work second shift, so when Alisha goes to work/school and the kids go to school... I'm left with me time before work, which is a necessity for me. Summers are brutal because I don't get that. Sooo... I'm relishing in my routine being here again to recharge. It also hinders my creativity when I don't get enough me time to recalibrate.

With that said.. I'm looking ahead to 2027 because.. I'm nothing if not a planner. What are some books you'd like to read? While I can't divulge too much until I know for certain, I'm hoping I have Q1, in addition to our Behind The Book chat covered. So, stay with me as I wait for a response for that. Are monthly Beyond The Rainbow chats too much for you? Do you want me to speak to a particular author/person? What are you vibing with? I want to keep this space a place where LGBTQIA+ voices are amplified, celebrated, and also a place of encouragement to explore your own identity and gender in a safe community. Let me know in the comments your thoughts.

As always, the discussions are also welcomed in our Discord server always. We do body doubling, which holds me accountable to stop doom scrolling and do the things, we talk our book club books, general chats, food, music, etc. It's truly a welcoming community to discuss life and books, while also living authentically. I hope to see you over there if you aren't already.

As a reminder, we are speaking with DR. Kiki Fehling TONIGHT from 6-7pm CST about their book The LGBTQ+ Mental Health Workbook and I'd love to see you all there! I will post the zoom details at the bottom of this newsletter. I have also posted an event reminder in our Discord server, and in the appropriate channel there, as well.

As always, I hope you all find some trans joy today.
See you all tonight!

With all my trans joy,

Sawyer Cole

BEYOND THE RAINBOW CHAT ZOOM INFORMATION:

Sawyer Cole (They/Them) is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Beyond The Rainbow w/ Dr. Kiki Fehling
Time: Sep 3, 2026 06:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87427355509?pwd=vHpopdnC1FwYIVUG2a7wK12srzEbkg.1

Meeting chat link
https://us06web.zoom.us/launch/jc/87427355509

Meeting ID: 874 2735 5509
Passcode: 199263

One tap mobile
+19292056099,,87427355509#,,,,*199263# US (New York)
+13017158592,,87427355509#,,,,*199263# US (Washington DC)

Join by SIP
• 87427355509@zoomcrc.com

Join instructions
https://us06web.zoom.us/meetings/87427355509/invitations?signature=D241nY9_JoIllZfzE6jT0nTDsW2YcGJuxhdD9KWOwK8

August is Women in Translation Month and Casey is here with a big ol’ stack of books from her personal library to share with you! All are translated by women, spanning languages like Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Croatian. Additionally, Casey discovers she needs more adjectives to describe when she appreciates a book. Any suggestions? 

Listen on Apple Podcasts // Spotify // Deezer // Pocket Casts

Support and follow our host!

Follow Casey: Instagram

This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.

Original music by Amarissa