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Devil of the Deep
Falencia Jean-Francois
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Lu watched the love of his life walk the plank and sink into the inky-black depths of the sea. Nnenna was dead . . . or so he thought.
Five years later, Lieutenant "Lu" Ortega, dutiful fleet officer, embarks on a mission to hunt down a powerful talisman now in the hands of a runaway mermaid. On his quest, he discovers the impossible: Nnenna is still alive. Fierce and cunning, and as breathtaking as ever, Nnenna's won enough bloody sword fights as a pirate captain to earn the nickname “Devil of the Deep.” She has come to reject the system of order that Lu clings to, and worse, she's protecting the very quarry he's tracking: Pearl Highwater, who has defied the all-powerful sea god and might hold a valuable key to finding her people's lost island.
When the tides and fates bring them together, Nnenna, Lu, and Pearl must choose their loyalties, find their courage, and race to protect the island from false gods and forces of evil— or risk unleashing an ancient curse that could destroy them all.
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Jananie\
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• Apr 10
all the books I want to read this spring 🌸📚 a long overdue book haul!
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• Apr 2
GIVEAWAY! Enter to Win the Bindery SPRING 2026 ARC Box OR the ARCs of Burn the Sea & Dust Settles North!
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Posts about this book from across Bindery
Children of Diaspora\
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Rae the Reviewer\
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• Jul 29
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Let's talk books, crochets, and hobbies!
How was your Q2?
I’ve finally gotten out of my reading slump and it’s been wonderful being able to enjoy books again. I’ve been in a crochet frenzy lately and that’s been so much fun. I don’t have any pictures but I’ve also been taking Spanish classes again and going to language exchange meet ups to practice 😁
@booknetfest was definitely one of the biggest highlights of these last three months and I’m counting down the days till next year 🫶🏾
The World Cup has taken up so much of my summer and these Panini stickers may cause my financial ruin if I can’t get an exchange going soon 🥲
#hobbies #crochet #reading #memorykeeping #worldcup2026
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Ink & Ether\
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Michelle, The Keeper\
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• Jul 9
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Welcome to the Ink & Ether July '26 Dispatch \
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Hi Book Friends!\
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I know it's been a minute since you heard from me. I admit I haven't exactly been staying on top of keeping you updated. But that's about to change so expect monthly updates with all the details of what's happening at I&E. Let's go!\
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What's been on my mind \
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There’s been a lot happening for Ink & Ether in recent months. Doing consistent weekly pop-up events has been amazing and exhausting (in the best way of course). It’s definitely shown me that there are people who like this thing that I’m creating and for that, I am extremely grateful. I had to take a small break to reset and enjoy time with my family, but I’m back and I have some great plans for the future of Ink & Ether.\
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What's new on the shelves \
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The bindery books section has exploded! I’ve added some new titles and restocked some old ones so please be sure to find the new Bindery collection on my website. Catch a glimpse of some of these titles below.\
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Our Sister’s Keeper by Jasmine Holmes: If Beloved and Get Out had a baby in 1920’s Mississippi and gave her a coven.\
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The Devil Of The Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois: If Pirates of the Caribbean was Haitian, queer, and had something to say about blind faith in corrupt gods.\
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Black Salt Queen by Samantha Bansil: If Game of Thrones was set in precolonial Philippines, centered women entirely, and actually made you root for the villain.\
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From the grimoire \
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Anyone who knows me, knows I enjoy dabbling in the mystic arts. Since Ink & Ether began, I have wanted to find a way to incorporate my esoteric knowledge in some way and I think I've come up with something.\
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Every month I will draw a tarot card to select a title to spotlight. \
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This month's card pull is drawn from The Good Tarot by Colette Baron-Reid. \
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The card pull: 8 of Earth (8 of Pentacles) - the card of the devoted craftsperson\
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This card reminds us Rome wasn't built in a day. Sometimes success is built from daily acts of devotion. Incrementally. By showing up day after day, doing the work, putting in the time, and mastering your craft. Every small act of devotion compounds. The work is the magic.\
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For your reading life this month I'm pairing this card with You Were Born For This by Chani Nichols. This read is a reminder that your purpose isn't found in a single moment but excavated slowly, through honest self-study and the willingness to keep going.\
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And for fiction, A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna. After Sera Swann loses her power, she tends the Inn and keeps working to reclaim her magic. \
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This month the card is asking, what are you building quietly that deserves more of your attention?\
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Find Ink & Ether this month \
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I am making a concerted effort to have more events outside of pop ups. After all, how else is one supposed to build community? This month you can expect the first meeting of our Silent Reading Group. And soon we’ll be adding a Sunday Letter Writers group too! More on that to come.\
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July 17 - Summer Night Market @ Communitea Coffee\
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July 19 - Pages & Pour: Silent Reading Group @ Communitea Coffee\
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July 25 - Bagels and Boutiques @ Rekindle Coffee\
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July 25 - Mystic Night Market @ Lunam Love\
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You read that right I have 2 pop ups on July 25! What can I say, I felt bad for taking a few weeks off. I figured this was a good way to appease the bookselling gods LOL\
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Beyond this month there are already some big book events in Ink & Ether's future. Look out for us at Dragons & Dreamers and The OC Book Fair: Vol. 3!\
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For more events, visit the Ink & Ether website.\
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The Letter Corner \
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The Sunday Letter Project is something I discovered on Instagram. Started in 2025 by a couple in the UK with a stationery shop, The Sunday Letter Project is an analog path to connection with our neighbors in a digital world. I started writing letters on Sunday’s and have come to really enjoy the ritual of recounting my week to no one in particular.\
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Soon, Ink & Ether will become a full fledged “Letter Keeper” as they’re called, and will act as a poste restante for letter writers seeking a pen-pal. Write to friends and family, or your future self, or find a pen-pal on the other side of the world, the point is to find connection and slow down.\
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You can learn more about The Sunday Letter Project here and I’ll keep you posted on what’s next. It's my deepest hope that in the coming months we can create gatherings around letter writing and build network outside of this part of the country and world.\
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Before you go \
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Whew! That was a lot but thanks for getting through that with me. I’m manifesting magic for you this month.\
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With gratitude,\
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The Keeper
✦ THE INK & ETHER JULY DISPATCH✦
magic, feminism, and rebellion — delivered monthly
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Children of Diaspora\
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Rae the Reviewer\
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• Jun 27
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Hey y'all,\
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In all honesty, the World Cup has taken up so much of my time that I completely forgot to set a discussion date. Both discussions will take place next Saturday on Discord.\
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A Small Place: July 3rd, 1 PM EST\
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Devil of the Deep: July 3rd, 5 PM EST\
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XoXo,\
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Rae
June Book Club Discussions
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Bien Leidos\
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tomesandtextiles\
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• Jun 26
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Read More Latine Fantasy
Latine fantasy recs #booktokfyp #readlatinebooks #fantasybooktok #bienleidos #tomesandtextiles
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Left Unread Books\
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Michael LaBorn\
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• Jun 22
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Publishing Updates for all of our current projects
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Bien Leidos\
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tomesandtextiles\
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• Jun 12
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World Cup Book Recommendations by Latine Country #booktok #tiktokcontest #bienleidos #tomesandtextiles
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Children of Diaspora\
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Rae the Reviewer\
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• Jun 8
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40+ Books to Celebrate the World Cup!
What team are you rooting for?
Thank you so much @librosmeansbooks for helping me put this list together. We’ve been gushing about the friendlies and upcoming matches and the World Cup overall since @booknetfest and I’m super excited for the real action to begin ⚽️ 🥅
Please let me know any other books from these countries that you loved in the comments, there are so many on this list that I hadn’t even heard of before that have peaked my interest
#worldcup #booklist #readingrecommendations #bookstagram #readtheworld
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Children of Diaspora\
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Rae the Reviewer\
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• Jun 6
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Hey y'all, \
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We'll be having a reading sprint in the Discord this Monday, June 8th at 7 PM EST on the Discord. This month's book club reads are Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean Francois and A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid. \
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Feel free to bring anything else you'd like to read for the sprint, can't wait to chat with y'all on Monday!\
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XoXo, \
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Rae
Reading Sprint Monday @7 PM EST
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Stardust Books\
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Joy\
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• Jun 4
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Good morning Readers!!\
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I am so excited. I just placed an order for a bunch of Bindery books. I am so happy to finally have them at the shop and share them with my readers. We will have \
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House of Frank by Kay Synclair\
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Black Salt Queen by Samantha Bansil\
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Crueler Mercies by Maren Chase\
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Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois\
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Our sisters Keeper by Jasmine Holmes\
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Recipes for an Unexpected Afterlife by Deston Munden\
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To Bargain with Mortals by R. A Basu\
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Just to start! Ill keep you posted on when these increbible books come in.
Bindery Titles on the Way!
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Michael LaBorn\
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• May 30
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We are celebrating all weekend! Wanna join?
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Children of Diaspora\
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Rae the Reviewer\
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• May 28
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Hey y'all, \
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The Haitian Readathon is ending June 1st but that doesn't mean you have to stop reading. \
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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. \
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Our nonfiction read will be A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid.\
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XoXo, \
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Rae
June Book Club Pick!
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Left Unread Books\
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Michael LaBorn\
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• May 21
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Children of Diaspora\
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Rae the Reviewer\
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• May 18
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Happy Haitian Flag Day 🇭🇹
Happy Haitian Flag Day 🇭🇹
If you’re Haitian and understand Creole, you know that the lyrics to this song are pretty sad but that doesn’t keep us from dancing as close as possible when this comes on at the fèt 👀
Haitian Flag Day also marks the start of our annual tradition: @the_haitian_readathon with my wonderful fellow Haitian cohosts @bestiebethsy, @chptrshakedown, @bookin.good, @bookishgirlmagic, @mer.ce.des_g
This year we’re reading Devil of the Deep by @falenciatheestoryteller and I can’t wait to talk about it with all of you on June 1st (the start of Caribbean Heritage Month) 🇭🇹
#booklist #bookstagram #haiti #readathon #thehaitianreadathon
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Left Unread Books\
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Michael LaBorn\
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• May 4
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Black Authors Day Book Recs!
Make sure you grab at least one new book to celebrate Black Authors Day! Here are six books I have read and loved over the last few years! Check em out! #blackauthors #bookstagram #blackbookstagram #bipocauthors #leftunread
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Michael LaBorn\
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Left Unread Books\
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Michael LaBorn\
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• Apr 30
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Black stories always pack a punch. And here are some of the ones that have hit me hardest in the last few years.
Black stories always pack a punch. And here are some of the ones that have hit me hardest in the last few years.
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Bookish AfroLatina's Library\
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Gabby\
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• Apr 16
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March was a rewarding month for reading! I finished six books by and about Black and South Asian folks. Here's what I read and my thoughts:\
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Looking For Love In All The Haunted Places by Claire Kann\
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• Black Asexual• Paranormal Romance •\
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Looking for Love in All The Haunted Places is about a woman named Lucky Hart who has an affinity for the supernatural but most people don’t believe her. That is, until she hears about a production company struggling to keep actors in a show that takes place in a notoriously creepy, sentient Victorian named Hennessee House.\
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This is Lucky’s chance to conduct the type of investigations she’s been dreaming of! It just so happens that this opportunity leads to an instant connection w/ Maverick Phillips, the show-maker whose voice soothes Lucky every time she listens to his podcast. Despite this easy connection between them & exciting experiences w/ Hennessee House, Lucky realizes that she might have to fully open up in order to win over both.\
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I’m in love with this book! It’s mysterious, cozy, whimsical, complicated, & deep. Lucky is hilarious & self-assured. Her approach to exploring this creepy house is what makes this story so cozy. I also love Maverick because he’s attentive, emotionally honest, & values open communication. This story is addictive!\
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Stuck In The Country With You by Zuri Day\
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• Black Contemporary Romance •\
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Stuck In The Country With You is a cute & sexy love story about second chances & growth.\
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When her great uncle passes away, Genesis returns to her hometown & finds out she inherited his farm. His sons are pissed, but their father made it clear he wanted Genesis to have it. While dealing w/ this complicated family drama, Genesis realizesthat her former fling lives next door. It’s not exactly a happy reunion when she sees Jaxson again, speaking w/ her uncles but she can’t deny the attraction that still simmers within her.\
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I kind of liked the messiness of Genesis & Jax’s story & their chemistry was good. I appreciate the way Jax carried himself, too. I also felt like the storyline was realistic. It made sense that her great uncle would bequeath her the farm since she was the one to spend the most time w/ him. I just wish there was more clarity on what the solicitor meant by the notion that he had to guard against the sons. The pace was a little awkward toward the end & the very last word seemed out of place, too. Aside from that, it was an entertaining read!\
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Goddess Of The River by Vaisnavi Patel\
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• Hindu Epic Re-imagining •\
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Vaishnavi Patel’s Goddess of the River is a fascinating re-telling of some of the Mahabarata from the perspective of the goddess Ganga. For context, the Mahabarata the longest poem ever written & is one of the two foundational epics of Hinduism known as the Itihasas. Patel published a retelling of the other epic, the Ramayana before this one.\
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In this version of the story, Ganga & her beloved godlings are curse by a powerful sage, forcing her to give birth to each of them as humans after marrying the Kuru king Shantanu. To free each of the godlings from their earthly bodies, Ganga must do the unthinkable, but Shantanu stops her before she can finish her final task.\
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We follow Ganga and her only living child Devavrata, later known as Bhishma, through a series of events flowing from his choice to live as a human in a world of men constantly seeking power.\
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Goddess of the River was just as transporting as Patel’s 1st book Kaikeyi. Although the cast of characters was a little hard to keep track of at times, I never grew tired of the story & still thought about it after it ended.\
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The Marriage Narrative by Claire Kann\
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• Queer & Neurodivergent • Black Contemporary Romance •\
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The Marriage Narrative is a contemporary marriage-of-convenience romance w/ a twist. We’ve got Zinnia, a successful business owner who decides that she doesn’t have to wait for love if she treats her love life like a business, too. Her Plan: to get to know people through “trategic meetings” & choose someone to get to know & marry within 30 days. Zinnia’s besties think this idea isn’t going to work but then, Zinnia meets Jordan, the owner of a coffee shop chain & the shy one of his family’s reality tv franchise. \
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Since his only way to spend time w/ his family is to be on the show, Jordan agrees until production tells him to marry his ex for the plot. When Jordan meets Zinnia, he’s convinced that her marriage contract would be mutually beneficial. This isn’t Zinnia’s ideal way to start a marriage, but something about Jordan urges her to agree. Cue a much messier experience than either of them anticipated!\
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There’s something about the way that Clare Kann writes Romance that brings me feelings of joy, comfort, and validation. This is the second book I’ve read by her and I’m realizing that I love most of the characters because they feel real. They feel like people I might know and I also recognize some of my own tendencies and thoughts in Zinnia. \
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Zinnia is outgoing, adventurous, clever, silly, but she’s also thoughtful and patient. She has her own insecurities but, when confronted by hardships, she doesn’t give up so easily. I love all of these parts of her! Her connection with Jordan felt earnest, steady, sweet, and surprisingly steamy!! I’m kind of obsessed. None of the characters are perfect, but I love the Jordan does his best to learn from his mistakes as quickly as possible without losing sight of Zinnia’s perspective. That’s hard to do irl so he’s got my stamp of approval!\
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I bought a copy of this book as soon as I finished listening to it. I think you’ll understand if you pick it up, too!\
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Son Of The Morning by Akwaeke Emezi\
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•Queer Black • Paranormal Romance•\
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In Son of the Morning, we meet Galilee Kincaid, the black sheep of a matrilineal clan outside of the city of Salvation. For as long as she can remember, Gali felt something missing, until she meets Lucifer Helel.\
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Lucifer is the head of security for her friend’s wealthy Nigerian family & is guarding a relic Galilee & her besties hope to see. As soon as they speak, Gali senses that he’s not human, but that doesn’t staunch her growing desire for him. Lucifer knows that Gali is also not human, a fact she’s likely unaware of. When he tells his other guards aka the princes, they decide they should destroy Galilee Kincaid. Leviathan is especially hell-bent on eliminating this threat to Luci.\
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Despite knowing the danger their connection puts them in, Gali & Luci can’t let go which risks shattering their world’s existence.\
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As you may have guessed from that description, this book is wild! I love that Galilee is a powerful Black woman w/ ride or die friends who follows her intuition. Like many of the protagonists in Emezi’s novels, Gali’s ability to let herself be vulnerable is part of what makes her powerful. She’s allowed to feel everything & so is Lucifer. Emezi also gives us a fascinating retelling of Lucifer’s fall from grace. He’s no longer this 2-D rendering of an evil biblical figure, but someone who is curious & increasingly self-aware. It’s no surprise that their passion is scorching hot! Just be prepared for the story to pick up QUICKLY after the intro.\
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Devil Of The Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois\
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• Afro-Caribbean & Queer Historical Fantasy •\
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Devil of the Deep is a Black, queer tale you don’t want to miss!\
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Lu, a Lieutenant Fleet Officer is on a misson to find a powerful talisman which happens to be in the hands of a teen, runaway mermaid. On this voyage, he discovers that woman he thought dead for 5 years is alive & captaining a pirate ship. Lu is shocked that the love of his life is the notorius “Devil of the Deep” & she’s in possession of the very mermaid he’s been tracking: Pearl Highwater.\
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With her uncle’s help, Pearl has escaped the underwater cult followers of the sea god, unknowingly holding the key to finding her people’s lost island--A key that could unlock a world of hell for all.\
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Jean-Francois took me on an adventure I didn’t even know I was craving! If y’all have been searching for Caribbean/Haitian Fantasy, you need to pick up this book. It’s lush, action-packed, & has a transmasculine protagonist. Each mc gets space to grow, which I really appreciate. It’s also fantastic to read a book that depicts how diverse pirate crews were. Dive into this book ASAP!
My March Reading Wrap-Up
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Left Unread Books\
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Michael LaBorn\
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• Apr 16
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We officially have a bestseller! Can I share some thoughts?
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Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)\
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Alex (he/him/his)\
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• Apr 14
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Spring Seasonal Readathon This Weekend (April 17 - April 21st) | Bingo Card, Recommendations, & More!
I'm hosting another seasonal readathon this weekend! Enclosed are recommendations, the reading sprint schedule, and access to the bingo card.
52 books
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Bien Leidos\
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tomesandtextiles\
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• Apr 14
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Happy Tuesday, mis internet amigxs!\
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This week's introduction is VERY short for a myriad of reasons, but I did want to take a moment to acknowledge Sawyer Cole for mastermindering Bien Leidos Readathon this past weekend! They organized the schedule, bingo cards, volunteers, and amazing prizes. It was such a delightful weekend of reading in community! In fact, we read over 45 books in community and I'm so honored by all the participants who chatted and read with us all weekend. \
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I'll start by saying I missed a Latine release last week!\
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Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois: First of all, you should support Left Unread Books here on Bindery, if you aren't already. I'm not always perfect, and this was a HUGE oversight, so I'm giving away a swag box I received for Readathon Bingo on Discord this weekend!\
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And now on to...\
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THIS WEEK'S RELEASES! BRING MOON JOY TO YOUR LITTLES \
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If Your Abuelo Is An Astronauta by Ana Siquiera and illustrated by Irena Frietas\
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SPACE POETRY?! \
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These Spaceships Weren't Built for Us: Poems by Alan Chazaro\
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GRAPHIC NOVEL \
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Death to Pachuco by Henry Barajas and Art by Rachel Merrill & Lee Loughridge\
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Forgive-Me-Not by Mari Costa\
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CHILDREN’S BOOKS \
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Axl the Axolotl Is Not a Frog by John Paul Brammer and Illustrated by Vanessa Morales\
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Nature's Partners: How Plants, Animals and Insects Team Up by Eugenia Perrella and Illustrated by Lucilla Tubaro\
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The Froggy Library by Julie Fiveash\
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NONFICTION \
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The Violence: My Family's Colombian War Adriana E. Ramirez (audiobook)\
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SELF-HELP \
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Light Work Journal by Keila Shaheen (audiobook) \
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xoxo,\
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Carmen\
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Join for free or login
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: April 14th Latine Book Releases
10 books
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Bien Leidos\
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tomesandtextiles\
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• Apr 12
Join for free
Happy Sunday, mis internet amigxs!\
\
We're in the midst of Bien Leidos Readathon, so I will make this introduction VERY short today! I'm a bit tired, but it's been so fun to participate and get to know even more of you on Discord this weekend so far.\
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I'll start by saying I missed a Latine release last week!\
\
\
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Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois: First of all, you should support Left Unread Books here on Bindery, if you aren't already. I'm not always perfect, and this was a HUGE oversight, so I'm giving away a swag box I received for Readathon Bingo on Discord this weekend!\
\
And now on to...\
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THIS WEEK'S RELEASES! BRING MOON JOY TO YOUR LITTLES \
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If Your Abuelo Is An Astronauta by Ana Siquiera and illustrated by Irena Frietas: Bilingual picture book captures the love between grandchildren and long-distance grandparents, the complicated relationship between siblings, and the power of imagination\
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SPACE POETRY?! \
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These Spaceships Weren't Built for Us: Poems by Alan Chazaro: speculative poetry exploring latinx identity, memory and diaspora.\
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GRAPHIC NOVEL \
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Death to Pachuco by Henry Barajas and Art by Rachel Merrill & Lee Loughridge\
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Forgive-Me-Not by Mari Costa: A queer "enemies to lovers" journey of a lost princess and a changeling who was made to take the heir's place as part of a fey scheme.\
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CHILDREN’S BOOKS \
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Axl the Axolotl Is Not a Frog by John Paul Brammer and Illustrated by Vanessa Morales: author of Hola, Papi is here with his debut picture book!\
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Nature's Partners: How Plants, Animals and Insects Team Up by Eugenia Perrella and Illustrated by Lucilla Tubaro\
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The Froggy Library by Julie Fiveash\
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NONFICTION \
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The Violence: My Family's Colombian War Adriana E. Ramirez (audiobook): powerful chronicle of Colombia’s descent into decades of civil war through the lens of an intimate, multi-generational tale of upheaval and betrayal.\
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SELF-HELP \
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Light Work Journal by Keila Shaheen (audiobook) Empowering, guided journey to discover and charge up your most precious inner resources, your energy\
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xoxo,\
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Carmen\
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EXCLUSIVE NEWSLETTER: April 14th Latine Book Releases
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Boundless Press\
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Jananie\
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• Apr 10
all the books I want to read this spring 🌸📚 a long overdue book haul!
open for an exclusive giveaway! 👀
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Left Unread Books\
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Michael LaBorn\
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• Apr 8
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I love this community. Thank you.
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Tattooed Bibliophiles\
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Zee\
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• Apr 7
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Welcome to New Release Tuesday, where I round up the sci-fi (and occasional graphic novel) releases dropping this week that I think you should know about. I'm Zee, I run Tattooed Bibliophiles, and my whole thing is diversity in sci-fi — meaning if it's queer, BIPOC-authored, indie, or just something the Big 5 didn't bother to tell you about, it belongs here. New around here? Poke around. I have Harrow worthy good soup. Returning? You know the drill — let's see what dropped.\
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Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois (Left Unread Books of BINDERY!!!, Michael LaBorn) — This is a queer swashbuckling Caribbean fantasy by a Haitian immigrant author. This is a piratey Little Mermaid retelling where Ariel is treated as the child she actually is, and the romance is between the adults. And some of the adults are sexy bossy pirates. I read this before it was picked up by Michael's publishing house, and I loved it then. But with an absolutely STUNNING cover and the press it deserves? This is the exact kind of book that would never find you through an algorithm, would not get a Big 5 marketing push, but will probably be the one you tell everyone about in five years. This is why I'm here. This is the whole point. Is it sci-fi? Well, not really, but it's the kind of high fantasy with rich world building that sci-fi readers love, so I'm putting it here, because this is my page and I WANT TO.\
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The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu (Macmillan/Tor) — You may have heard me mention this one approximately forty seven times over the last month because I have the ARC and I cannot shut up about it. John Chu has been winning Hugos and Nebulas for short fiction for years and this is his debut novel, which means the short fiction world has been hoarding him and I am choosing to be normal about it. (I am not being normal about it.) This is actually the way of most sci-fi, and there are entire publications dedicated to publishing short sci-fi in an effort to expose the world to more of these amazing authors (check out Clarkesworld if you're interested.) So there's this mechanic who fixes the literal nuts and bolts holding the universe together, and she has a comatose mother, a sister who is literally, actively, and viciously trying to kill her, a secretive group attempting to hijack the fabric of reality, and a himbo sidekick whose cooking is described in ways that made me pause the audiobook to stare into the middle distance and think about food. Generational trauma wrapped in quantum physics with a side of dim sum. This one is worth picking up.\
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What We Are Seeking by Cameron Reed (Macmillan/Tor) — (Can we take a moment to admire how fucking BIG this image is? Listen, I am having formatting issues today, and those are the LEAST of my issues so I'm gonna roll with it.) A doctor from a world that abolished marriage gets stranded on an alien planet where marriage is not only practiced but aggressively enforced by powerful religious authorities (sound familiar?), accompanied by a distressingly handsome translator (the word "distressingly" is doing a lot of work in that description and I respect it.) Queer MCs, absurd alien biology, completely backwards gender politics, and a plot that is essentially "what if - and hear me out - first contact - but make it a deeply personal reckoning with everything you thought you knew about how people are supposed to love each other." Described as perfect for readers of Ann Leckie and Amal El-Mohtar. I am a reader of Ann Leckie and Amal El-Mohtar. It's me. Hi. (And I'm always a problem.)\
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Year of the Mer by L.D. Lewis (Simon & Schuster) — (Mer as in merMAID, not murDER. Judas NOOOO!) Also that is one sexy special editon. I love this place, I can say "sexy" and "murder" and "kill" without the algorithm shadow banning me...\
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L.D. Lewis co-founded FIYAH Literary Magazine (another of those short story publications I was talking about.) She helped build the Ignyte Awards, which are one of the most diverse and interesting genre awards in sci-fi. She has been doing the work for years while the industry did whatever the industry does (you know what it does - I mean, you're here, on Bindery, doing the work yourself just by reading this. You go bestie!) This is her debut novel and it is a bloody Little Mermaid reimagining — not the Disney version, not the one where everything is fine, but the OG one where Arielle's granddaughter Yemaya has to crawl to Ursula for help after a coup kills her entire family, accompanied by her bodyguard/fiancée. Sapphic. Dark. Debut. I'm going to go preorder this immediately and I won't be taking questions. (I also want to take a moment to point out that she is using L.D. as a pseudonym because this genre is still WHACKED. Since it's predominantly read by men, it's predominantly written by men. White men. Cishet white men. I swear to Octavia Butler if you don't go pick up some sci-fi written by some girls gays and theys I'm going to come through this screen and throw hands. (And if you are a girl/gay/they you should really be reading more sci-fi.))\
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Piper at the Gates of Dusk by Patrick Ness (PRH) — A return to the world of Chaos Walking, which if you read with your kids is either very exciting or a war crime depending on how attached they got to that series. If you haven't heard of it, it seems to have some very The Hatchet-like vibes. I've seen a ton of boys who thought they weren't into reading get very into The Hatchet, so if you have one of those (or three like me, Jod help you) it may be worth looking into. And if your household already has a Chaos Walking person in it (not the neurodivergent kind of Chaos Walking™ but the book series called Chaos Walking) well then, obviously. BTdubs, if you do have one of those Hatchet people in your house, also check out Sovereign by Jeff Hirsch, which is basically The Hatchet in Space™ (yes I'm trademarking in Space, if I had to completely rebrand I would probably "Zee in Space" and that has absolutely zero ring to it. And if you're wondering, yes I'm mutuals with the other girl on Tiktok who grabbed @tattooedbibliophile before I could, which is why I have a zero at the end on that app and none of the others. Literally, all the others. I have this screen name on every social media app there is, except Twitter, which I deleted ages ago and it was too long for them anyway.)\
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The Heart of the Nhaga by Lee Youngdo, translated by Anton Hur (Simon & Schuster) — First English translation of a popular Korean fantasy series, translated by Anton Hur who is himself a sci-fi author (and if you've read Babel you KNOW why that's important. And if you haven't read Babel...why bestie?) A vengeful anti-hero with a giant sword, flying manta rays with ruined cities on their backs, and corrupt society of immortal psychic reptiles....oh my. Then again, who knows. Translations can go really, really wrong. That cover though? Oh so right.\
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What did I miss? What's coming out this week?\
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See you next week. You know, if we're still surviving late stage capitalism/oligarchy.\
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— Zee\
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If you liked this and want more of whatever THIS is (unhinged book analysis, barely contained rage at the state of the world, and occasional Tamsyn Muir references and em dashes that I will never apologize for) consider subscribing for $5/month. Every cent goes to people who actually need it, because I have a day job and a cause, not a brand deal. This is my middle finger to Big 5 publishing, dressed up as a book blog. Come hold it up with me.](https://tattooedbibliophile.binderybooks.com/item/yBJPFnZRXjYTVAbrcOfy/)
4/7/26 - New Sci-fi Titles This Week
6 books
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Children of Diaspora\
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Rae the Reviewer\
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• Apr 7
Join for free
April Releases by BIPOC!
What are you looking forward to reading in April?
There are so many great books coming out this month including some from independent publishers like Devil of the Deep and Burn the Sea from @bindery_books and The Mystery of the Bitten Peach from @neonhemlock that you can support by ordering for yourself, a friend, or requesting through your local library 📚
I’m also super excited for The Genie Game by @jordanifueko (which I have an ARC of but I’ve been waiting for the audiobook that she narrates herself) and A Fishboy Named… Sashimi by @dsantat which I went to a virtual @macmillanusa event for and it sounds absolutely hilarious 😁
The Subtle Art of Folding Space by @j0hnchu is also high on my anticipated reads. I’ve gone to a couple of his author readings at ICFA and he’s so good at blending in the speculative with the mundane of day to day life in ways that are super entertaining
And shoutout to @thereadingblackgirls whose recent list made me realize I’d missed the release date of To Steal a Throne by @queryqueen339 👑
#booklist #newreleasetuesday #newbooks #diversebooks
7 books
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Ronnica Reads\
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Ronnica Fatt\
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• Apr 7
Join for free
[Today is publication day of Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois. \
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What I love about this book is how it talks about deconstruction. But it's also queer and has pirates and mermaids!\
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I was given a copy in a PR box so I now have an extra that I'd like to share with one of you!\
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If you would like to enter you only have to do 2 things:\
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- Be a member of this Ronnica Reads Bindery (at any level)\
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- Comment on this post with your most-recent 5-star read (or one that you really enjoyed!)\
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If you share this post on social media (tag me or message me so I see it!), you'll get an extra entry for each place you share it.\
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I'll leave this open until 10 PM Mountain on Friday, April 10th and then I'll pick a winner. Open to US residents only (hopefully I can expand where I can ship to in future giveaways!).](https://ronnicareads.binderybooks.com/item/VOVm5o50ka9jtIMXZN17/)
Giveaway: Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois
1 book
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Books and Bad Ideas by Emerson Blake\
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Books and Bad Ideas\
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• Apr 4
Join for free
Thank you to the author @falenciatheestoryteller @readin.magazine @michael.laborn and @bindery_books
Thank you to the author @falenciatheestoryteller @readin.magazine @michael.laborn and @bindery_books for the opportunity to read this amazing debut novel!
Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois is an incredible debut novel that takes The Little Mermaid, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haitian Culture, Vodun, and queerness, shakes them together, and calls to life a story about bodies, about the policing of bodies and belief, high control groups, and what it means to find your voice.
If you have a minute, an hour, a day, a week, please consider picking up Devil of the Deep and giving it a read. I promise you, you will not regret it. Yes, the beginning of the book feels “slow” but this is just a less action-packed way of story telling. Once you hit the midpoint in the book, you will not be able to put it down.
1 book
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Boundless Press\
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Jananie\
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• Apr 2
Open to find out how to enter!
7 books
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41
The Inky Phoenix\
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Kathryn Budig\
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• Feb 2
Join for free
Can we offer you an amuse-BOOK?
Quotes to whet your appetite for Bindery Spring 2026 season!
5 books
6
Left Unread Books\
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Michael LaBorn\
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• Jan 26
Join for free
Should Black People Believe in Jesus?
1 book
18
2