Boundless Press | Of Monsters and Mainframes

How it Works Bookshop

Publishing Team Contact

Log in or Sign up

Of Monsters and Mainframes

Barbara Truelove

Save to Your Books

Buy Direct

Exclusive Edition Paperback eBook

Bookshop

Amazon

100% of affiliate revenue supports Boundless Press

Consideration

Editorial & Design

Pre-order

Published

See the journey

Spaceships aren’t programmed to seek revenge—but for Dracula, Demeter will make an exception.

Demeter just wants to do her job: shuttling humans between Earth and Alpha Centauri. Unfortunately, her passengers keep dying—and not from equipment failures, as her AI medical system, Steward, would have her believe. These are paranormal murders, and they began when one nasty, ancient vampire decided to board Demeter and kill all her humans.

To keep from getting decommissioned, Demeter must join forces with her own team of monsters: a werewolf. An engineer built from the dead. A pharaoh with otherworldly powers. A vampire with a grudge. A fleet of cheerful spider drones. Together, this motley crew will face down the ultimate evil—Dracula.

The queer love child of pulp horror and classic sci-fi, Of Monsters and Mainframes is a dazzling, heartfelt odyssey that probes what it means to be one of society’s monsters—and explores the many types of friendship that make us human.

Show more

Get the Bindery app

Posts about this title from Boundless Press

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Jun 26 2025

NEW YORK CITY BOOK HAUL | 💖 Zoran Mamdani for NYC mayor 💖

all the books I grabbed while in NYC for the Bindery Spring Launch!

27 books

6

1

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Jun 12 2025

BINDERY SPRING LAUNCH PANEL RECORDING!! So you can watch as if you were there yourself!

Jaysen was so wonderful and got both panels from the event last week recorded so here they are for your enjoyment!

4 books

4

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Jun 4 2025

\ \ 06.04.2025 journal entry #24 \ \ Hello loves! It’s been awhile and I apologize for the break in content—it’s been a busy month for me and things only keep getting busier!\ \ I’m currently on day 2 of my trip to New York for the launch of the Spring Bindery Books!! They’re all currently out now and after hearing each of the tastemakers talk about the books and after meeting and hanging out with the authors, I am THAT much more excited to read them. If you're interested in grabbing the exclusive editions for 25% off then you can use the code BINDERYINSIDER to grab them here: https://binderybooks.com/books/bindery/\\ \ The event itself was just so lovely and I filmed some clips here and there which I will definitely share soon. There was a wonderful panel discussion moderated by the lovely Lauren Puckett-Pope from Elle followed by some fun aura readings and tarot card readings (though I was too busy chatting to get mine done, saddd) to represent the future of publishing that Bindery hopes to embody. I met so many people for the first time in-person but also got to see so many of the Bindery tastemakers again which was so nice because I do feel like it’s much easier to connect to people in person sometimes for me. I was definitely overstimulated by the end of the night and after the B&N meet up today but overall had such a great time that I cannot complain.\ \ Here’s some photos as a sneak peek!\ \ \ \ ME AND DEENA!! REUNITED <3\ \ \ \ I’m in New York for a few more days this week—filming content with Deena (the author of Dust Settles North), meeting with publishers, and catching up with some friends in the city. I’ll also be attending the book launch for TEN INCARNATIONS OF REBELLION by Vaishnavi Patel on Friday at The Strand Bookstore which I am SO hyped for—many of you know she’s the author of one of my favourite books ever, KAIKEYI. \ \ Like last fall after the first Bindery book launch, I’m just feeling super grateful for the space that I have here and the community and support you’ve all given me. I never would’ve imagined that any of this would be possible and it’s all thanks to you. So THANK YOU again from the bottom of my heart. \ \ I’ve also extended the deadline to upgrade to the STAR tier to get the Dust Settles North goodies mailed to you so please do so by Monday, June 9th and I will start packing those to send to you later that day.\ \ More behind-the-scenes to come soon!! Love you all and hope you’re excited as I am for all the things to come!](https://boundless.binderybooks.com/item/z8hZnuvmKTtDwniPrGt5/)

06.04.2025 journal entry #24 BINDERY SPRING LAUNCH (OPEN FOR DISCOUNT CODE INSIDE)

open for photos and fun from the launch event in New York!!

5 books

8

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • May 20 2025

new and upcoming books you NEED on your radar | 2025 MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASES

what books are you looking forward to this year??

16 books

8

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Mar 24 2025

[#Pitchfest is a seasonal event hosted by @bindery_books for authors without literary agents to submit their unpublished materials to tastemakers for consideration. Submissions to select Bindery tastemakers (including ME) are open April 9th-11th. Links to submit go live on April 9th. More details can be found here —> https://binderybooks.com/pitchfest/ I am hoping to find our next Boundless Press title through this Pitchfest so I can't wait to see your pitches!! Boundless Press (Jananie K. Velu aka @thisstoryaintover) is currently seeking unconventional adult literary fiction that leans into messy, unreliable BIPOC protagonists, or speculative fiction that is heavily centered on real-world issues, particularly from Black, South Asian, or Arab voices. Resonant themes: generational trauma, mental health/mental illness, queer POC experiences, colonization, class privilege, and found family. We are NOT seeking high fantasies. romantasies, or traditional HEA romances at this time (though that doesn’t mean we won’t in the future!). \ \ 🚨Note that Pitchfest is not a contest, but an open submissions window. Tastemakers may or may not choose to move ahead with one of the submissions from this opportunity.\ \ The following Bindery titles were all discovered through prior Pitchfest events: House of Frank by Kay Synclaire, Crueler Mercies by Maren Chase, Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove, To Bargain With Mortals by R. A. Basu, and Recipes for an Unexpected Afterlife by Deston J. Munden. Make sure to check out the wishlists of the other tastemaker imprints as well!\ \

🚨 PITCHFEST — SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITY FOR UNAGENTED AUTHORS 🚨

Open for more info!!

5 books

4

Posts about this book from across Bindery

DocoftheDarkArts\ \ Bob Stuntz\ \ • Jul 5

Join for free

\ \ Join for free or login](https://docofthedarkarts.binderybooks.com/item/K5W4dAgob08Uh2bP0jcE/)

The Sunday Prescription: July 5, 2026

16 books

7

DocoftheDarkArts\ \ Bob Stuntz\ \ • Jun 28

Join for free

Poll:\ \ Where do you get most of your books?\ \ The Sunday Prescription \ \ One reading topic, one week of plans, and plenty of books administered weekly for chronic readers.\ \ Symptoms: Tribalism in Bookish Spaces \ \ I have been thinking a lot recently about how we, as people, have a natural tendency towards tribalism. From an evolutionary sense, it is a highly logical reaction - often in our ancient history, finding a group of people and sticking with them meant safety and access to resources. It's a fascinating phenomenon from a neuroscience standpoint as well. Research has shown that feeling like you are part of a group activates circuits in our brains that have to do with rewards and positive associations, and even activates empathy (at least within our tribe). And of course, as with all things, there are positive and negative aspects of tribalism. \ \ Over the last year in the online book space, I have seen a lot of the positive aspects of this - the support that people who feel some sort of connection with the content I put out there has been overwhelming and amazing. But of course, there are downsides as well, and one of the times where I see this the most is anytime I talk about where I get my books. \ \ I love books in all forms - I love a good special edition of a book that I adore. I love buying used, and I like buying new. I consume stories in all forms, including hardbacks, paperbacks, e-books, and audiobooks, and use a library when possible. And inevitably, when I post about a specific kind of purchase, I hear from the opposite tribe. If I post about being a Broken Binding rep, I can count on a comment about special editions ruining books and gatekeeping reading. If I talk about a used purchase, I will get someone telling me I should support the author and buy new. Team Kindle is always lurking, and of course, team library is always there as well. \ \ I personally think that having a plethora of options is good for reading. As more and more studies come out showing how, all around the world, the percentage of people who read for pleasure is declining, and literacy rates are dropping, giving people options is a good thing. If you have disposable income and love buying a big fancy expensive special edition, that's awesome - you're supporting a publishing company, the author, and the artists involved. If you have a great library near you and you never buy books, that's awesome - you're supporting a great thing, and supporting the author with your rentals. Used books support other book buyers and allow stories to perpetuate, and I've encouraged a lot of people to buy a new book because of my review of a used one. E books are accessible for lots of folks, and audiobooks have made reading stories easier and more accessible for a myriad of people (busy parents, people with reading disorders, folks with long commutes and busy lives, etc.). And while I am always a big supporter of shopping local, and using resources like Libro.fm for audiobooks and Bookshop.org for purchasing online and supporting independent booksellers, I understand that for some folks, financial and logistical pressures make Amazon the best route for purchasing. It's easy to judge, but reality is messy, and we all have different and unknown circumstances. \ \ The same can be said for toxic fandoms - as a Lord of the Rings fan, I would never criticize someone for mispronouncing a word (I do it all the time), but it happens everywhere. If someone doesn't like my favorite books, why would I criticize them? It wasn't their thing, and I can't force you to like something. However, we see it all the time in the book world. At all levels, tribalism can turn into gatekeeping, and put people off from reading. \ \ So my hope for the book world, and something I encourage highly, is to make our tribe the tribe of people who love books and stories, and who encourage and support people who read, no matter what that looks like (as long as you're not stealing of course)! Offer people options, but don't criticize their choices in how they interact with or consume books. Talk about the books you love, but don't get mad when they don't like your favorite book - talk to them about the why! Let's encourage more reading, even if that reading doesn't look like your reading. \ \ What do you think about tribalism in the book space, and have you encountered it in any way? Let's chat down below!\ \ The Rx: What I'm Reading and Doing \ \ My new Fable Book Club starts this Wednesday, July 1 with Our Sister's Keeper by Jasmine Holmes. The book club is called Dr. Bob's Literary Apothecary, and our goal is to read diverse authors, diverse genres, and try to find diverse books that aren't popping up on your algorithm! I'd love to have you join, we'll do a book a month, and no changes to our usual book club. I'm really excited to kick this off, and would love to see you there!\ \ In terms of reading, I was on vacation last week and, being at the beach, had loads of great reading time! I finished our Dark Travelers June book, Stoner by John Williams, Songs of the Dead by Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian, The Dungeon Crawler Carl Graphic Novel, and The Photonic Effect by Mike Chen. Be on the lookout for my reviews on IG and TikTok, as well as some here, in the coming weeks!\ \ I am currently all over the place with reading! I should be finishing up What Blood Remembers by C William Phillips this weekend, and am loving the Audiobook of Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove. I started our July Doc of the Dark Arts Book Club pick Jade City by Fonda Lee, and am enjoying it so far - if you want to be part of that book club, make sure to join us on Discord! And I also started a deep dive reread of the Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien with the Celebreabird read along. A second read there has been amazing so far!\ \ Given I was off, I didn't;t do a weekly reading update or a YouTube video last week, but I will be back this week. One of the YouTube videos I'm working on is a Q&A Video, so if you have any bookish/book content/personal questions you'd like to ask, let me know!\ \ July is going to be a great month - as I said we are doing Jade City for the main bookclub, Our Sister's Keeper for the Fable book club, and the Dark Travelers book for July is going to be Headlights by CJ Leede. \ \ It is also time for our July reading challenge! Participants are eligible for a $25 bookshop.org gift card. To be eligible, you have to either complete the challenge on StoryGraph, or share what you read on the challenge channel in our Discord server. If you are outside of the US, we can figure out a website/gift card/prize for you if Bookshop is not available to you. The theme for July is "Choose a book by its cover." The goal here it to pick a book just based on whatever is on the cover (so the cover, the description on the back/inside the dust jacket). No looking up reviews, no advanced information, just finding something that looks and sounds cool. I am going to be reading A Palace Near the Wind by Ai Jiang. \ \ Want More In-Depth Access? \ \ If you enjoy getting into the details with me about reading, then consider upgrading to The Dark Travelers tier! My Dark Travelers get an exclusive Discord role and channels, a weekly deep dive reading update video, early access to YouTube videos, and each month they get to pick a book for me to read. This can be a book they want to read with me, or something they want me to try for them. It's super fun and a great tight knit group that I really enjoy talking books with, and I'd love to have you part of it!\ \ Thank you as always for being here, and I hope you all have a great week of reading!\ \ Join for free or login

The Sunday Prescription: June 28, 2026

10 books

6

2

ofpagesandprint\ \ Dahlia\ \ • Jun 26

Join for free

[To continue the Pride Month celebration all year long, I wanted to share some of the amazing queer books on my TBR! Some have already released, and others are available for preorder. 🫶\ \* Pitches from the publishers.\ \

Books on My Pride Month TBR! 🌈

16 books

2

DocoftheDarkArts\ \ Bob Stuntz\ \ • Jun 21

Join for free

[Poll:\ \ Do your reading habits change in the summer?\ \ The Sunday Prescription \ \ One reading topic, one week of plans, and plenty of books administered weekly for chronic readers.\ \ Symptoms: Reading in the Summer \ \ Happy Sunday gang, and Happy Father's Day to any of the bookish dads out there! I hope everyone is doing well, and welcome back to my Sunday Newsletter. This week, I've been thinking a lot about summer reading patterns. \ \ As someone who yaps a lot about books online, I hear a lot of feedback about what other people do for reading, and it always fascinates me how different we all are! I have two beach trips coming up this summer, and for me, summer is always a time when I read more. I work from home these days, and the school year means driving kids all over the place, and having a lot of my free time taken up by activities during the school year. So when I get to go on a trip, and during the summer especially, I always wind up reading more. Having less time in the car and less time at teenage kid activities gives me more time to read. In addition, I'm outside working more, so I'm listening to more audiobooks, and generally just consuming more written and spoken stories. \ \ Now when it comes to packing for a trip, I always over do it when it comes to books. For a typical week long beach trip, you will usually find me packing 4-5 books along with my e-reader. As a certified feral mood reader, this gives me plenty of variety. On top of that, I usually find a local beach bookstore and make my way there as well. In terms of what I like to read, this is definitely when I'm going for shorter/less intense stuff. Cozy fantasies like the House in the Cerulean Sea and Tress of the Emerald Sea come to mind (which we're reading right now for our book club!). I of course love it when a book leans into the water, piracy, or hot/desert climates. Which reminds me, I need to start Children of Dune here soon!\ \ However, I hear from other people that when they head into the long, hot days of summer, and go on vacations, they read less. They cite more time in summer/outdoor activities as barriers, and say when they go on vacation they don't want to read more, or are too busy. It does seem an increase in audiobook consumption is pretty well agreed upon, given more time outside, and time spent on road trips in the car. So I'm interested to hear from you all - how does summer change your reading habits? Do you read more or less? Do you read more on vacation? Do you pack a ton of books like some sort of book goblin like me?\ \ The Rx: What I'm Reading and Doing \ \ I did announce this week that I was starting a new Fable Book Club! We will be starting July 1 with Our Sister's Keeper by Jasmine Holmes. The book club is called Dr. Bob's Literary Apothecary, and our goal is to read diverse authors, diverse genres, and try to find diverse books that aren't popping up on your algorithm! I'd love to have you join, we'll do a book a month, and no changes to our usual book club. \ \ In terms of reading, I finished off my reread of Tress of the Emerald Sea, and I just enjoyed it so much. I listened to the Michael Kramer version for the reread as I read it physical last year, and I'm not a graphic audio fan usually, especially abridged versions. I also finished an Arc of Songs of the Dead by Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian. More to come on that in a future review. And Today, I'll be finishing up Stoner by John Williams, which is our Dark Travelers monthly pick a book. That has met spellbound at the moment! If you want to read with us you should join up as a Dark Traveler!\ \ I also released this week's YouTube video, which is all about ARC's - what they are and why they exist, what you can do to start becoming an ARC reader, and the major Do's and Don't of reading ARCs. \ \ In terms of what's next, I have a bunch of options and I'm not sure where I'll go for sure!\ \

The Sunday Prescription: June 21, 2026

10 books

8

DocoftheDarkArts\ \ Bob Stuntz\ \ • Jun 14

Join for free

[Poll:\ \ Did you finish a book this week?\ \ The Sunday Prescription \ \ One reading topic, one week of plans, and plenty of books administered weekly for chronic readers.\ \ Symptoms: Dealing With a Reading Slump \ \ I have seen a bunch of videos recently that start something like this: "Here are 5 books that are GUARANTEED to get you out of a reading slump!" I know I have also talked to a few content creators recently who are also in reading slumps, and I know a few of you all in Discord have mentioned being in a bit of a slump yourself. And of course, being overly analytical, I've been giving it some thought. \ \ I think the term reading slump gets thrown around quite a bit to describe a bunch of different things, so first allow me to kind of describe to you how I see the reading slump landscape. \ \

The Sunday Prescription: June 14, 2026

4 books

4

1

Ezeekat Press\ \ Jaysen\ \ • May 29

Join for free

If you Like this Video Game, Read this Ezeekat Press Book!

5 books

21

3

Collectible Science Fiction\ \ Adam\ \ • Apr 20

Join for free

\ \ Excited for today's Bindery haul! Straight to the top of my TBR.](https://collectiblesciencefiction.binderybooks.com/item/XqpcxaqBSp3nWFQbeZ5K/)

Bindery Haul!

3 books

3

Fairly Queer Books\ \ Fareeha\ \ • Apr 13

Join for free

Top Reads of 2025

I made a thing!

7 books

4

Peppered Ink\ \ Mary\ \ • Apr 11

Join for free

Y'all, I've been distracted. \ \ I have four new parasocial besties, and if NASA does not come out with merch featuring that adorable freaking moon plushie, I may actually cry. \ \ \ \ I will go ahead and tag a handful of my favorite space-related reads below (and a couple on my immediate TBR), but just know that precious little reading has happened amidst all of the cuteness. \ \ That said, I DID make a sticker, and if ANYONE wants one, please comment below! I'll email you separately for details of where to send it. \ \ \ \ More Bindery love to come this week as I recover from the return to gravity — including a STACK of ARCs I'm offloading that subscribers can nab here first! \ \ To the moon and (safely) back,\ \ Mary\ \ \ \ Join for free or login

Copy, Moon Joy! ​🌙

6 books

3

Queer as Books\ \ José\ \ • Apr 2

Join for free

\ \ Join for free or login](https://queerasbooks.binderybooks.com/item/QTcZ4nKAUBrY3bfu5MO1/)

📚 24 Sapphic Book Recs 🩷🤍💜

Because sapphic stories deserve to be celebrated loudly and lovingly.

24 books

3

Fat Forward Books\ \ Samantha Puc\ \ • Dec 31 2025

Join for free

My Favorite Reads of 2025 🪩

I read so many books for my thesis and for work in 2025, and many of them made my list of favorite reads for the year. I also read a ton of fiction, continuing my horror streak from last year and deep-diving into new-to-me authors.

Here’s to another year of book club meetings, listening to audiobooks on my commute to therapy, and staying up way too late reading comics in bed. 💛📚

#ReadIn2025

[ID: A 6x6 grid of book covers set against a pink, orange, and yellow gradient. In black bubble font across the top of the graphic, it says, “Favorite Reads of 2025.” Black botanical sketches are in the background of the upper right and lower left corner. Samantha’s Instagram handle is in smaller, all-caps black font at the bottom of the graphic.]

14 books

2

Discotopia | Diverse Books\ \ Disco (he/they)\ \ • Dec 29 2025

Join for free

Hi folks, \ \ It’s finally time! Here’s my list of my favourite queer reads this year. I’ll be doing another post soon with my top BIPOC reads!\ \ Seven Recipes for Revolution by Ryan Rose\ \ \ \ Food magic, queer normative, angry revolution, eat the rich!!\ \ This is my top pick from the whole year.\ \ The Chromatic Fantasy by H.A.\ \ Runaway nun becomes a transmasc highwayman, meets another transmasc highwayman, shenanigans\ \ A Gentleman’s Gentleman by TJ Alexander\ \ A transmasc Earl who doesn’t want a valet but gets a handsome valet and regrets everything (but not really)\ \ Tradwife by TC Parker\ \ Queer investigator looks into unsolved murders in a Tradwife community, everyone’s a suspect, fictional true crime\ \ Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove\ \ Monsters in space, kinda queer AI, more found family!\ \ Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson\ \ A brutal vampire revenge thriller. A man and his basics track down an evil queer vampire. I was shocked and horrified and hooked.\ \ The Prospects by KT Hoffman\ \ An MM baseball romance with a transmasc MC. Do I understand baseball? No. Did it make me happy cry? Yes!\ \ The Saint of Heartbreak by Morgan Dante\ \ Judas x Lucifer love story, very sad bois, slowest of slow burns, literally thousands of years\ \ Self Made Boys by Anne-Marie McLemore\ \ The Great Gatsby but they’re both transmasc, the romance, oh the romance\ \ The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles\ \ A regency MM romance that will make you swoon. They were SO protective of each other!\ \ Do share your favourites in the comments!\ \ Much love,\ \ Disco x \ \ Join for free or login

Top 10 Queer Books of 2025!

10 books

1

Chanterelle Solace\ \ Sabie\ \ • Dec 19 2025

Join for free

Get a Rec from me & What my Taste in books look like

What are some books that represent your taste overall and do we have any in common? 👀

Before we dive into this, Bindery now has an option to request recs and you can go to the 🔗 in my bio and click “Get a Rec” and ask for details of what you’d like from the books I’ve read! I’m also making lists of 2026 releases in fantasy, romance and horror so far so happy to share some of these early on with you guys (these will be recs of what I’m looking forward to rather than what I’ve read) so GO GO GO 🤎

As for my taste in books, I’m never going to be the type that picks only 5 top books for the year guys and I’ve learned to accept it because honestly, what do you mean my top 5 books in one year? I would have to host a meeting with myself for a whole month to decide that 😭 So instead, you guys get my taste in books throughout various sub-genres that I yap about all the time!

Here is a list of the books (if you prefer to read through it or for accessibility needs)🤎: Cottagecore: 🍄 Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries 🍄 After the Forest by Kell Woods 🍄 A Witch’s Guide to Love and Poison by Aamna Qureshi 🍄 The Geographer’s Map to Romance by India Holton 🍄 The River has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar 🍄 An Arrow to the Heart by K.R. Bacher

Cozy Fantasy: 🍄 The Baby Dragon Cafe by Aamna Qureshi 🍄 Legend & Lattes by Travis 🍄 The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong 🍄 The Nameless Restaurant by Tao Wong 🍄 Watermoon by Samantha Sotto Yambao 🍄 The Spellshop by Sangu Mandanna

Witchycore: 🍄 The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright 🍄 House of Frank by Kay Synclaire 🍄 The Lone Wolf Cafe by Sydney Wilder 🍄 The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore 🍄 A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna 🍄 Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi

Retellings, Fairy Tale & Historical Fantasy: 🍄A Sorceress comes to Call by T.Kingfisher 🍄 What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez 🍄 Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross 🍄 We Shall be Monsters by Tara Sim 🍄 The Briar Book of the Dead by A.G Slatter

The rest is in my pinned comment!

#fantasybooks #topbooksof2025 #favoritebooks

74 books

1

chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Dec 9 2025

Join for free

november reading wrap-up

If I’m nonsensical for most of this video it’s because I’m deep in the trenches of finals week and my brain is mush #booktok #bookreviews #readingwrapup #romancebooktok #fantasybooktok

14 books

Ezeekat Press\ \ Jaysen\ \ • Nov 25 2025

Join for free

GO VOTE - Of Monsters and Mainframes is a Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist!

Go vote for Of Monsters and Mainframes by @Barbara Truelove!!! @Bindery #booktok #books #goodreads #ofmonstersandmainframes

1 book

12

2

Ezeekat Press\ \ Jaysen\ \ • Nov 15 2025

Join for free

Why I chose to publish these books!

Have you read any of them? @Bindery #booktok #books #houseoffrank #ofmonstersandmainframes #blackasdiamond

3 books

13

1

Beverly Books\ \ Kristian\ \ • Nov 15 2025

Join for free

[On my continued meander around NYC, I made my way to Books Are Magic.\ \ About Books Are Magic \ \

Books Are Magic is a family-owned independent bookstore with locations in Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens and Brooklyn Heights in Brooklyn, committed to being a welcoming, friendly, and inclusive space for all people. We believe that books are indeed magic, and that literature is one of the best ways to create empathy, transportation, and transformation.\ \ Emma Straub and Michael Fusco-Straub own the stores. Emma Straub is a widely acclaimed novelist and is the daughter of horror author, Peter Straub.\ \ \ \ It’s always interesting to see how bookstores stage their store. I strolled around the shelves and saw favorites and new-to-me releases.\ \ \ \ Staff picks rock, as you know. I enjoyed Kill Creatures by Rory Power.\ \ \ \ I spotted a Bindery title amongst the books!\ \ \ \ Before leaving, I made sure to take a photo with their mural!\ \

Books Are Magic

2 books

3

Cozy Quill\ \ Meg\ \ • Nov 14 2025

Join for free

\ \ Join for free or login](https://cozyquill.binderybooks.com/item/HmNXDii0bgtdrXFHxTlp/)

I'm not ready to let go of fall reading yet 🍁

I'm not ready to release my fall TBR! So today I'm sharing some of my favorite spooky books that I feel have cozy elements.

10 books

10

Ezeekat Press\ \ Jaysen\ \ • Nov 12 2025

Join for free

I’m so thrilled and excited for this book! Please go vote and show it some love!!!

I’m so thrilled and excited for this book! Please go vote and show it some love!!! @Bindery @Barbara Truelove #booktok #books #ofmonstersandmainframes #goodreadschoiceawards2025

1 book

12

Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • Nov 11 2025

Join for free

Friends,\ \ Huge Bindery news this morning! I'm so excited to share that TWO Bindery Books have made it to the Goodreads Choice awards! I am so excited for Barbara and Kris! (And Jaysen and Kathryn!) And I'm also excited for all of us because WOW!\ \ \ \ You can vote in the awards here.\ \ And while you are over there on Goodreads, if you haven't added our book What Feeds Below, by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, to your Want to Read list yet, today is the day! Let's do whatever we can so that we have an opportunity to make these lists next year. Add it here.\ \ If you haven't had a chance to read Of Monsters and Main Frames or Local Heavens, check them out below. And while it's still too early for advanced reader copies of What Feeds Below, you can check out Tatiana's other work TO BEST PREPARE YOURSELF for what you're about to get into.\ \ <3

Two Bindery Books Made it to the GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS!

5 books

17

Ezeekat Press\ \ Jaysen\ \ • Nov 11 2025

Join for free

Of Monsters and Mainframes Nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award!!!!

1 book

23

11

The Moody Edit\ \ Jenn\ \ • Oct 30 2025

Join for free

[My Libby queue this week feels like a carefully balanced storm - eight books, eight moods, all orbiting different corners of curiosity, dread, and delight.\ \ Crime & Suspense\ \

Mood: Chaos Curated, One Loan at a Time. Eight moods, one week, and a library card with commitment issues.

8 books

Mareas\ \ Marines\ \ • Oct 27 2025

Join for free

my tbr is out of control

12 books off and 8 books on 😅

8 books

12

3

Kist Reads\ \ Kist\ \ • Oct 3 2025

Join for free

(VIDEO) The best fiction/fantasy/scifi books I read in Q3!

The best fiction/fantasy/scifi books I read in Q3!

5 books

11

2

Ezeekat Press\ \ Jaysen\ \ • Oct 2 2025

Join for free

The Bindery app is here!!!

What type of content would you like to see here?

3 books

20

Peppered Ink\ \ Mary\ \ • Oct 1 2025

Join for free

See? I TOLD the Discord lovelies that I would use the "By Appointment Only" for the things I posted just for us on Bindery — and I'm hoping there are a few of you seeing this on the newly launched app! Shout out to Sam/@freezingalyce for the excellent naming suggestion. \ \ (Also, if you're not in my Discord, do come hang. We share pics of pets and gossip about book events gone wrong, among other things. Invitation link here.) \ \ Anywho, I have a bit of an unhauling going on, and quite a few avenues by which to offload my stash. The usual method of "cart everything down to Riverby's and accept store credit" is lovely and all, but I'd sooner offer them to you marvelous folk. \ \ Advanced Reader Copies \ \ SO! First things first, the ARCs are FREE. The seal on the front says "not for sale," and I aim to honor such directives. I have extra ARC copies of the following THREE Bindery titles. \ \ "Of Monsters and Mainframes" by Barbara Truelove\ \ "Black Salt Queen" by Samantha Bansil\ \ "Dust Settles North" by Deena ElGenaidi\ \ All of the above are excellent, and I truly do recommend them. It's simply that I have no need/use for multiple copies of the same book. I am a collector, but once I have a favorite edition and/or more than one promotional copy, what purpose have I for extras?? Help me keep my office reasonably tidy. \ \ Should you have ANY interest at all in any of those three, please make your preference known in the comments below! These will be on a first come, first served basis, and I will ship them to you ASAP. (To that end, please keep a sharp eye on an email from me asking for your mailing address!) \ \ Pango Sale \ \ Secondly, Pango Books is having a too-good-to-pass-up promotion in which they are offering $5 off any order of $15+ now through Friday, October 3rd at 11:59 pm PT.\ \ To celebrate this, I am adding all the non-ARC books I need to unhaul on Pango (here I am!) and discounting them all! \ \ Paperbacks will all be $4, and hardcovers will all be $7.\ \ My paperback selection includes: \ \ "The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey" by Serena Burdick\ \ "Daisy Jones & the Six" by Taylor Jenkins Reid \ \ "Head Over Heels" by Hannah Orenstein \ \ "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" by Ottessa Moshfegh \ \ "The Companion" by E.E. Ottoman \ \ While my hardcover titles include: \ \ "The Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley \ \ "The Knockout Queen" by Rufi Thorpe\ \ "Give the Dark My Love" by Beth Revis \ \ "Malibu Rising" by Taylor Jenkins Reid \ \ "The Vanishing Half" by Brit Bennett\ \ All of the above are in "excellent" or "like new" condition, and I am an avid bookmark user. Not a dog-eared page to be found. \ \ I will keep all of these live on Pango through the end of the weekend (Sunday, October 5th), but the platform's promotion ends on Friday. Snap up your wishlist as quick as you can! Any copies I do NOT sell by the end of Sunday will go to Riverby's, then my sister-in-law, then various Little Free Libraries around my area. \ \ Finally, thank you all SO MUCH for your exceptional support as Bindery continues to grow. The app launch this morning was awfully exciting for all of us. (Our poor developers... upon meeting them in person in June, the first words out of my mouth were, "SO A MOBILE APP, UMMMM??") I cannot convey to you how important it is to the Bindery crew, to all of my fellow Tastemakers, and to me that y'all are this awesome. \ \ Cheers, babes. \ \ Join for free or login

By Appointment Only: Take My Books!

3 books

7

6

Queer as Books\ \ José\ \ • Sep 14 2025

Join for free

👻🌈 Queer Books for the Spooky Season 🎃

Which ones are you adding to your fall TBR?

27 books

2

Bookwyrm Ink\ \ Bookwyrm Ink\ \ • Sep 7 2025

Join for free

\ \ Join for free or login](https://azthiabookwyrm.binderybooks.com/item/dbQlO4ZOdAJCqKXVGkPH/)

Golden Hare Books- Edinburgh

Next stop on Edinburgh book tour was Golden Hare Books. A gorgeous little shop that has an amazing selection of books. 🥰

3 books

The Inkborne Society\ \ Azhangia\ \ • Aug 31 2025

Join for free

With multiple books hitting 4.5 stars or above, August turned out to be quite the month for good reads! Here are some thoughts on each of the books I read:\ \ My Top 3 of the Month \ \ ⭐4.75 - The Works of Vermin (Hiron Ennes)\ \ One of the most fascinating fantasy books I’ve read in a while, The Works of Vermin featured sharp and deliberate writing, a trans main character, innovative worldbuilding (the magic system is based on a chemical toxin from a giant worm and weaponized perfumes), and a setting that was the perfect backdrop for the book’s themes of systemic exploitation, societal decay, and class division. The veneer of progress hides the rot eating away at society, both literally in the form of vermin and metaphorically in the way corruption thrives, and time and time again, the working class is forced to endure with the tenacity of roaches. This is a story that has crawled under my skin, unsettling and unforgettable, and I can’t wait for more readers to discover it!!\ \ ⭐4.50 - The Strength of the Few (James Islington)\ \ I read The Will of the Many in 2023, which means I have been left on that brutal cliffhanger for two years now… so I was very excited when I got an early copy of The Strength of the Few! In TSOTF, the stakes are heightened, the intrigue ramps up, and though we’re still left with many questions by the end of the book (and another brutal cliffhanger), it is so exciting to witness the puzzle pieces starting to come together!! I also appreciated how Vis felt less like a YA main character in this book, as his perfection became more of a burden and the weight of his responsibility was directly addressed. Overall, I thought this was a very solid sequel and am looking forward to the next installment of the series.\ \ ⭐4.50 - Clockwork Angel (Cassandra Clare)\ \ I was a big fan of The Mortal Instruments series in my pre-teen years, but never got around to reading The Infernal Devices. Boy was I missing out, because this series had everything I wanted in a YA fantasy series, and I was having the time of my life reading it (ily Will Herondale). It feels so nostalgic to be back in the world of the Shadowhunters, and I have been forewarned that this series will cause some emotional damage…can’t wait to get to that point :)\ \ \ \ ⭐4.50 - Daedalus is Dead (Seamus Sullivan)\ \ Daedalus is Dead had a depth and complexity I was not at all expecting going into the novella, and I think lovers of Greek Mythology will find this to be a really thought provoking read about fatherhood, grief, and the monstrous truths we build around ourselves to become the heroes of our stories. That said, I probably wouldn’t recommend it to readers unfamiliar with Greek myths, as it leans somewhat heavily on references that aren’t always explained. Overall, I was really impressed by this - I’ve always wanted a mythology retelling of Icarus, but a retelling of the myth from his father Daedalus’ perspective proved far more interesting than I could have imagined.\ \ ⭐4.50 - A Little Hatred (Joe Abercrombie)\ \ Many people have said that the Age of Madness trilogy is Joe Abercrombie's best work, so I was incredibly excited to finally pick up this series after finishing the previous books in the world of the First Law. A Little Hatred sits at the dawn of a new technological age, with characters grappling for power and control amidst the conflict between technology vs. magic and innovation vs. tradition. This book reminded me a lot of The Legend of Korra (a god-tier show for those who haven’t seen it, I was also actually picturing one of the characters as Asami), and the blend of grimdark and steampunk elements combined with Abercrombie’s signature wit made this a highly enjoyable read. Can’t wait to read the rest of this trilogy soon!\ \ ⭐4.25 - Fate’s Bane (C.L. Clarke)\ \ A sapphic tragedy that felt like a story being sung by a bard around a fire, Fate’s Bane delivered all the yearning I could ever want. Set in a Celtic inspired swampy world filled with warring clans and inescapable fate, this novella offered a take on Romeo and Juliet that felt both familiar and fresh. It’s beautifully written and well-paced, and I had a hard time putting it down!\ \ ⭐3.75 - The Memory of the Ogisi (Moses Ote Utomi)\ \ Inspired by African folklore and set in various desert civilizations, each book in the Forever Desert series reads like a fable, exploring the different forms that oppression can take. While I did appreciate The Memory of the Ogisi, the final book of the series, the story felt slightly repetitive at times. Given that the first book can technically be read as a standalone, I don’t know if I would recommend the rest of the series, but I do think book one, The Lies of the Ajungo, is very much worth a read.\ \ ⭐3.25 - Of Monsters and Mainframes (Barbara Truelove)\ \ I can 100% see how other people enjoy this book, but it unfortunately just wasn’t for me. I loved the quirky blend of science fiction and pulp horror, but I struggled to become emotionally invested in the characters, which ultimately dampened my enjoyment of the read. I still thought it was a lot of fun though!\ \ Since there are some new faces in this community following the launch of the book club, I just wanted to re-introduce some things you can expect from this page in addition to the book club. At the end of each month, I share one of these wrap-up posts with reviews of books I've read, and at the beginning of each month, I share a list of upcoming fantasy & sci-fi releases that have caught my eye (with reviews of ARCs I have read). Other content will be popping up at random (giveaways, deep dives, etc.) - so excited you are all here!\ \ Join for free or login

August Reading Wrap-Up (Ratings & Reviews)

8 books

2

Kist Reads\ \ Kist\ \ • Aug 28 2025

Join for free

(VIDEO) Criminally underrated science fiction and fantasy books!

Criminally underrated science fiction and fantasy books that you should read ASAP!

8 books

2